Shirley had a great night! Her nurse, one that has been caring for her three evenings in a row, said that she did almost nothing but monitor our little one. Lots of things went well: little swelling, stable blood pressure, and she's responding well to her drug cocktail. She is on the minimal amount of support that a post-op might need. A lot of her care and purpose of the machines and drugs are to allow her heart and lungs to rest as much as possible. So many things have to come together in order for Shirley to be comfortable and still functioning properly. It has been amazing to see how this technology works and how it is benefiting our little girl.
Thank you all for your prayers and support! The next few days are a very critical time for Shirley but they may also be a very uneventful time. Shirley is just laying on her little bed and she cannot be held until they close her chest. We are looking forward to them weaning her off some of the pain meds so that we can interact with her. I can't wait to see those sweet little eyes starring back at me again!
Here are a couple photos of little Shirley. The first one is of a nurse that we've had going on 5 days now. She spends 12 hours a day caring for little Shirley and us! We have developed a wonderful relationship with her and she has already earned the title: Aunt Viv. Aunt Viv has pulled strings and manipulated her schedule multiple times in order to be Shirley's primary nurse. The last two photos were taken just before surgery when a wonderful Dr. came to check Shirley's vitals. I was moved by how gentle he was and couldn't help but get a few pictures.
-Joseph
