New Post!!

Sooorry everyone...someone needs to get on to me when I don't update this blog! =) Peyton is now in a big girl room!  She got moved back to the "B" pod on Friday.  I am pretty sure she is enjoying it very much...she gets much better sleep back there, and I am pretty sure she is getting herself on a schedule.  And speaking of schedules, we are now getting missy on a bath schedule.  For a while there, she was the stinky kid in the pod, but with her skin infection that she had and then surgery, we couldn't really give her too many baths...but now she's shining!  It's so funny too...yesterday, I was giving her a bath, and she was just talking to me (she has started cooing!!).  I really think she enjoys them.  We have been weaning her medicine for hypertension...her echo looked great!  Also, Peyton is not on the oxygen anymore!  The only tube coming out of that sweet baby's face is a feeding tube from her nose (which usually mittens would be used to prevent babies from scratching, Peyton, however, gets to wear hers when she gets a little crazy with those hands...she can't be pulling that tube out!).  She is continuing to receive feeds through her feeding tube to her intestine, but we have been working with her on taking a bottle...she did sooo great this afternoon!  I am just so proud of her!  She is such a strong little girl.  Peyton has come a long way, and she just looks so great.  I just can't wait to bring her home and show her off!  I miss everyone very much, but I do know that I am here for a great and miraculous reason!  Love yall!

Update!

Hey Everyone!  Sorry it's been a few days, but Peyton is doing great!  So last time I blogged Peyton had come off of the ventilator.  Sunday, they began feeding her milk!  This is a process because sometimes these kidos can have some bad acid reflux.  They have been giving her continous feeds through a feeding tube that goes down to her intestine.  She has been doing great with this and they continue to increase her feeds.  Now, the real test will come probably sometime next week when they pull back to her stomach.  We will be able to see how this reflux issue actually is.  In the meantime, we have also been working with Peyton with the occupational and speech therapists on the taste and smell of milk by giving her little drops on her hands and pacy.  She is doing well with this too!  I think she likes actually getting something out of sucking on her pacy!  I don't blame her!  Also, they have stopped her nitric...this was for her hypertension, and she is just on a by mouth medicine.  Her echo will be tomorrow to see if her hypertension has improved more.  She just has the oxygen through her nose right now, but will probably not need it much longer!  Hopefully this will be gone tomorrow too!  She is just a little rockstar!  She says she is ready to get her little booty home!  She's ready to see her house!  We are also now on the list for the "B - pod."  These are like private rooms that are like a transition to home kind of room.  There are still nurses back there, but it's more homey.  There is a tv and chair that pulls out to a bed, and a private bathroom.  So excited!  And speaking of excited, we were so excited when Peyton was just smiling and looking all around today.  She was just so happy today.  It was so sweet...Allen was on one side of her crib and just looked down at her, and she kind of did this little shy smile.  She put her head down and just grinned!  It was so sweet!  Goodness, I hope I'm not leaving anything out...a lot has happened in a week, if I did leave something out, I will be sure to update everyone again sooner!  Oh yeah, and I have my 6-week follow up appointment for me tomorrow...hope all goes well!  Miss everyone back home!  Love Yall!

More Big News!

Peyton has had a busy couple of days!  The other day we put her sleep sheep in her bed (it makes noises like the ocean, heartbeat, rain,etc).  She was looking at the sheep like it was an alien.  She was staring it down like, "what are you doing in my bed?"  It was too cute.  She was not so sure what to make about her new friend.  Yesterday, we put clothes on her for the first time....sooooooo precious.  We told her that she had to get used to wearing some clothes...she can't be nakey forever!  And then today, the biggest news of all...Peyton was taken off of her ventilator!!!  She was very happy to have that tube out of her mouth.  Even though we do not want her to cry and be upset, it was soooo good to hear her little cry.  She is just a doll.  Today she jerked her head up too like she was trying to do it on her own.  She is just thinking she's a big girl now...I swear, take one little tube out, and she is all grown up!  They will soon start feeds, and we pray that all goes well with this.  It was also nice to have a little down time to myself today thanks to Mr. Danny, Mrs. Debbie, and Kaitlyn. I enjoyed getting my hair done with the gift certificate that yall gave me!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  Love Yall!

Pics of Peyton!

So for this post, I decided it was time to put up some pics of little miss!   Love Yall!  Enjoy!

Just resting and healing!  She is trying her hardest...she can't wait to get home and see everybody! =)

Being so sweet in Daddy's arms!

Allen holding Peyton!

Trying to see who is holding her!

First  time holding Peyton!!

Supporting her dawgs!



Her first bow!




Sleeping so sweet with her hands crossed.



Look how long she is!  She has sweet little wrinkles on her knees..she's got some plumping up to do!

Holding our little baby!

Good Morning!! So it has been a few days since I last updated this, but Peyton continues to do well!  They have been weening her inhaled medicine (flolan) for her hypertension down, and have the intentions of her being completely off of it by Thursday, and getting another echo of her heart on Thursday as well.   The echo post-op looked good so we are hoping for continued improvement.  Peyton opened up her eyes on Monday night for the first time since she had surgery on Friday.  They had to keep her pretty out so that she was comfortable and had time to recooperate.  But I tell you, when she is awake, she is awake and curious!  I don't know how she does it!  She was wide awake again last night, and she stays awake for a good while even being on pain medicine and sedation medicine.  That makes me worry...lord, what's she going to be like when we bring her home and she's not even on those medicines anymore? =) It is so cute though because she will try to fight it so hard...she will be dozing off, and then it's like she realizes she is and she opens those eyes so big again just to let them fall again.  She has also discovered that she has an ear.  She was wearing that thing out last night!  Ha!  So now for the big news!!  Allen and I got to hold Peyton for the first time yesterday!  It was the best feeling ever!  She is so sweet and tiny...we just held her and rocked her in the chair.  She definitely enjoyed it...I'm sure it was a good change of pace from being in her bed.  Allen and I are going to have to learn how to share her...haha...we are just so excited though, and both just want to hold her all day long!  Anyways, on the way to see that sweet baby now!  Love Yall!

Peyton's Surgery

We are so pleased to let everyone know that Peyton's surgery went very well...actually, it went better than expected.  Yesterday, Allen and I got to the hospital bright and early to spend some time with Peyton before surgery.  She was taken back around 8:25, and Allen and I anxiously waited in the waiting room to hear news here and there and to wait to hear from the doctor that surgery was complete.  Around 2:15, the doctor came out to talk to us and let us know that she did very well and that she actually had more lung on the left side than anticipated.  Peyton had what only a few percent of CDH babies have.  She had a hernia sack.  The hernia sack is translucent (so this could not be seen until the doctor actually got in there during surgery).  What this did was keep the intestines and all kind of separated, and kept it from attaching to the lung and causing scar tissue to the lung.  It is just amazing.  Some of the nurses said that they had not even seen a patient with one of these sacks.  Last night, when we looked at the chest x-ray from post-op, it was just incredible.  The lung on the left side is occupying pretty much the entire side, just like any normal lung.  After that hernia was fixed, it just went right where it was supposed to.  This hernia sack was truly an answer to prayer. Each nurse is just astonished at the amount of lung volume considering what was known before surgery.  We just have to believe that all of yall's prayers have had something to do with this hernia sack.   We know Peyton is still on the road to recovery, but this is one big step behind us, and everyone's thoughts and prayers have been much appreciated and they definitely have been heard.  Allen and I are just overjoyed with how well everything has turned out with surgery.  Please just continue to keep Peyton in your prayers for a good and speedy recovery, so we can bring this beautiful baby home for everyone to see!  Thanks for all your support!  Love Yall!

The Big Day...

So our little "snake" baby is just about done peeling.  The skin infection that she had is like a sunburn so when it is coming to an end the top layer of skin peels.  She has been shedding her layer!  So now that her skin infection has cleared up they have set the surgery for tomorrow morning!  Tomorrow is it!  It is time to get repaired and move on to the next step and new challenges.  I will keep everyone posted tomorrow once she has made it out of surgery and all.  Please keep Peyton in your prayers as she faces the big day tomorrow.  Love Yall!

Can Tabs, Mississippi State, New Picc...

Wow...so thanks to everyone for the can tabs!!  Mrs.Debbie and Mr.Danny brought 95 pounds of can tabs from Kosciusko!  That is just amazing!  We were asking the workers at The Ronald McDonald House about this, and he said that every pound is about 1200 tabs!  That makes it 114,000 can tabs!  The support is just phenomenal!  Peyton is also styling in her new Mississippi State bootie socks from Aunt Hannah and Uncle Gary.  We put these on her Saturday, and I am pretty sure the newest little bulldog fan brought them some good luck!  They looked good Saturday...hope they can keep it up.  You better believe little missy will have those little socks on for every game!  She also has a Mississippi State paper fan that says "Dawg Lover" posted on her bulletin board next to her bed.  The nurses and doctors definitely know where we're from... =) Yesterday, Peyton had to get a new Picc line in her arm.  This is a line that all her meds and everything goes through.  The one she has on her right arm has to be taken out so that the skin can heal on that side from her skin infection.  Unfortunately, she was being stingy with her veins yesterday...she did not want to get poked so she was hiding  them!  Today, a new picc nurse (they have special nurses just for this!) to come and try to see if she could get a line in...and she sure did!  Peyton behaved for the most part too...of course they gave her some meds to sedate her so they could do what they needed to do....otherwise, she would be trying to box the nurses with those arms.  Tomorrow will be the echo of the heart again..hopefully, everything will still be good with that and maybe we can start talking surgery again.  Oh yeah, and her weight is up again...7 lbs 5 ounces.  Of course, this number goes up and down some, but little missy is plumping up nicely!  Guess that's all for now!  Love Yall!

Strong Baby!

Peyton's skin infection is looking better and better everyday!  She is such a strong girl.  Allen and I put her first hair bow in today...she's lookin good.  Dad is learning quick that he is going to have to make sure she's got that bow in her hair to match her outfit.  I'll post that picture on here soon.  Also, this afternoon, one of Peyton's best friends was born.  One of my best friend's Annalee Patrick, had her little girl, MaryCollis.  Peyton and MaryCollis already know all about each other!  I am just so excited for Annalee and her husband Chad on their new addition.  I was telling her last night that even though I haven't even been able to hold her yet, the feeling is like no other...Oh Lord, can you imagine what it's going to be like when we can hold her.  She's going to have Allen and I wrapped...pretty sure she already does!  Well, I guess that's all for tonight..on the way to visit Peyton and read her a nighttime story and say her goodnight prayer!  Love Yall!