night before

Ugh, this is tough.  We have been here nearly a week now and for the most part it has been HARD but not bad.  It's stressful seeing my sweet baby with oxygen tubes and a variety of leads taped to her, but once she got used to it so did I. It's scary when alarms go off every time she desats.  Its really scary to see her numbers drop to the 30s.  I can't imagine what that must feel like for her.   Until now I dreaded the idea of heart surgery.  I know she's ready for it and I'm ready for her to get better. 

Today was probably the hardest day since we have been here.  She needed her pre-op blood-work drawn which is extremely difficult for a baby like her. Not only does she hulk-out, but she's chubby and her veins are hard to find.  Another challenge is that her blood is thick and clots quickly rendering some samples obtained useless. She's had several rounds of pokes today and it was rough.

Like I said, it has been really hard but not bad.  When she desats, its just momentarily and then her levels climb back up.  She has been tested for viruses and infections, all of which have been negative.  Since being here she has reached new developmental milestones.  We are blessed that our experience here has been good.  I wanted to share this video.  I think it shows how amazingly resilient these kiddos are.  Ali will overcome this with squealing laughter.

I really appreciate all of you who have been following our journey and keeping Alessandra in your thoughts.  Tomorrow around noon she will have her heart surgery and I would really appreciate your prayers. 

Thank you <3
~Melissa