Category: Family

We took Grace up to Sydney today for some x-rays and a follow-up appointment with her heart surgeon, Dr Nunn. He was very pleased with her progress – there’s no sign of fluid around her heart or lungs, her liver is normal, and her heartbeat sounds fine. He also took out the stitch on her…

Grace was released from hospital today. We were a bit nervous bringing her home, after all she’s been through, but the nurses were very reassuring and provided us with heaps of information on what signs to look for, who to call if we got worried, etc. It’s great to be home.

The last of Grace’s attatchments came out today — her central line and pacing wires. She’s feeding well, and sleeping fairly soundly between feeds. Theresa made a fantastic Good Friday dinner of home-made ricotta ravioli tonight. We really are being spoilt rotten.

Grace was moved out of the high-dependence room and into her own private room today. The feeding tube came out this morning, and she’s taking the bottle much better now. We’ve already noticed she doesn’t get as tired on the bottle as she used to before the operation, which is a great sign. Dr Nunn…

Grace was released from the PICU today! She is exactly 3 months old today. After such an operation, babies are normally kept in the PICU for 3 or 4 days. Grace was in for 7. At first it was because she went into pulmonary hypertension whenever the nurses handled her, and later her heart kept…

Grace went into surgery this morning. The hospital gives waiting parents a pager, so that they can get out for a walk, do some shopping, or get some lunch, instead of sitting around in the waiting room until their child comes out of surgery. They page you about half an hour before the surgeon will…

Grace went into hospital today in preparation for her big operation tomorrow. The Westmead Childrens’ Hospital is an incredible place. Everything is brightly-coloured and fun-looking, making it a happy place for kids to stay. They even have their own in-house TV and radio stations, which broadcast requests for kids, run competitions, and visit the wards.…

As in previous years, the river was the focal point for entertainment on Sunday.

We took Grace up to Sydney to meet with her cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Nunn, today. Dr. Nunn explained the details of Grace’s upcoming surgery to us. Basically, he will be sewing a patch into the hole between the top two heart chambers and sewing the hole between the bottom two chambers closed. He has done…

Grace was christened at the Kiama Catholic Church on Sunday, the 17th of February. We were blown away by the number of friends and relatives that were able to make it to Kiama to spend this special day with Grace. With so many caring people to help look after her, we’re sure she’s got it…