6 months!

We have reached an amazing milestone today as Gesina turns 6 months old! It's her half birthday ;-) For a fun comparison, and to remind us where we've been, I have Gesina at 2 days old on the left and Gesina today on the right. I'm so grateful we've made it here!

What a journey we've been on in 6 short months which includes some of the following memorable moments.

• Entered day 2 of her life with the incriminating statement that "her prognosis is bad."  I didn't expect her to live through the day.
• Spent the next 2 weeks unconscious and a total of 53 days in the NICU
• Came home on an apnea monitor, an NG tube, and feeding pump. I was a terrified, hot mess as I tried to manage my new baby and all her equipment.
• Months of only screaming and sleeping. I thought I would lose my mind as we tried to manage her acid reflux, disinterest in eating, vomiting, and generally being uncomfortable and overwhelmed by her environment.
• Months where Gesina wouldn't let me put her down. She demanded to be carried everywhere. I both loved this time and was exhausted by it.
• Juggling 4 therapists/home nurse visits every week and at least one doctors appointment each week. 
• Watching her have seizures and upping her meds... weekly.
• Spending a few nights in the hospital and learning she has brain atrophy and cerebral visual impairment.
• Finally, Gesina starts to calm down and self-soothe! She spends the large majority of her day contentedly kicking and swatting at toys on her activity gym.

A very strange journey but TODAY we are in a great place. My 6 month old is in the 50th percentile for height, about the 12th percentile for weight, and less than 1 percentile for head circumference (but her growth curve is looking good). Her GI doctor admits that yes, her drinking only 12-14 ounces a day sounds horrible, but she is a healthy baby. We are adding a nutritionist to the mix in July so no worries there. She is eating a consistent amount that is slowly moving upwards and is doing an amazing job with a spoon. She is content and seems pretty healthy... what more could I ask for ;-) My hope for her is that with hard work, we can maximize her abilities. I also want her to be strong, independent-minded, and kind. She doesn't have to be "normal" to accomplish these things.