Greetings from the Gilfillans! Many, many heartfelt thanks go out to you for your prayers and kindness! Our little Gigi is now 8 months old (5.5 months adjusted) and Drew and I are truly humbled as we witness the Lord's provision of healing in our sweet girl. We have had her home with us for a full 3 months(!!!) and she continues to grow and progress in her development. Praise God! She now weighs about 12.5 pounds and is even growing some hair! Our big news is that Gigi is sitting in her highchair and eating pureed fruits, vegetables and cereals from a spoon! She is simply filled with joy, and Drew and I often remark about how blessed we feel to watch her joyful outbursts (although Kelly and Conor are usually the recipients of the biggest smiles and squeals)!
She's receiving Physical Therapy at home twice per month to promote motor control (reaching & grasping) and facilitate overall movement. She has great head control and trunk control, and her therapist Maria teaches us techniques to improve her rolling and sitting. We've seen tremendous improvement in Gigi's arm & leg movements. When she initially began P.T. in February, her left side was noticeably less active than her right. She now uses both arms well, trades toys between hands, and brings toys to her mouth to chew! My favorite accomplishment is that when she is lying on her back, she lifts her legs & reaches for her toes, and is so happy when she finds them! Gigi also does lots of "therapy" on her belly, to stimulate the muscle groups that will eventually help her crawl. She is tolerating more activity time each day, and I usually do her therapy about 4 times each day - 10 to 15 minutes each.
She's receiving Physical Therapy at home twice per month to promote motor control (reaching & grasping) and facilitate overall movement. She has great head control and trunk control, and her therapist Maria teaches us techniques to improve her rolling and sitting. We've seen tremendous improvement in Gigi's arm & leg movements. When she initially began P.T. in February, her left side was noticeably less active than her right. She now uses both arms well, trades toys between hands, and brings toys to her mouth to chew! My favorite accomplishment is that when she is lying on her back, she lifts her legs & reaches for her toes, and is so happy when she finds them! Gigi also does lots of "therapy" on her belly, to stimulate the muscle groups that will eventually help her crawl. She is tolerating more activity time each day, and I usually do her therapy about 4 times each day - 10 to 15 minutes each.
She loves the special attention!
Our concern right now is her vision. She is able to focus and track objects, but not consistently, especially when the background behind the object or face is busy. We've noticed she visually focuses on an object or face much better if the background is solid. A baby's vision plays a crucial roll in the development of their motor skills, because they are motivated to go toward what they see. Her ophthalmologist reports that her eyes and optic nerves are fine anatomically (praise God!), and that it is too soon to tell what's going on specifically with her vision. Meningitis can affect many different functions of the brain, including vision, and faithfully we've seen great healing in other areas affected... Thank You Lord!! My prayer is that the healing of Gigi's vision will be revealed very soon, that she will see her toys clearly and want to move toward them!! I ask you to please lift this in prayer, as well as continued progress in overall development.
Our concern right now is her vision. She is able to focus and track objects, but not consistently, especially when the background behind the object or face is busy. We've noticed she visually focuses on an object or face much better if the background is solid. A baby's vision plays a crucial roll in the development of their motor skills, because they are motivated to go toward what they see. Her ophthalmologist reports that her eyes and optic nerves are fine anatomically (praise God!), and that it is too soon to tell what's going on specifically with her vision. Meningitis can affect many different functions of the brain, including vision, and faithfully we've seen great healing in other areas affected... Thank You Lord!! My prayer is that the healing of Gigi's vision will be revealed very soon, that she will see her toys clearly and want to move toward them!! I ask you to please lift this in prayer, as well as continued progress in overall development.
Thank You God that her shunt works well!
This week we will return to Fairfax Hospital for a follow-up clinic for NICU babies. We'll swing-by the NICU to visit our heroes, and are hoping to see many of the very special nurses and doctors who cared for us. I'm very emotional just thinking about it!
Although I have greatly enjoyed my quiet time at home with Gigi (she has been on "house arrest" from Jan-April due to the concerns viruses like RSV and the flu have on preemies), I am so eager to be able to go outside, socialize, and share our joy with everyone. It is wonderful to slowly start introducing her to friends... to be able to share our joy in person.
This week we will return to Fairfax Hospital for a follow-up clinic for NICU babies. We'll swing-by the NICU to visit our heroes, and are hoping to see many of the very special nurses and doctors who cared for us. I'm very emotional just thinking about it!
Although I have greatly enjoyed my quiet time at home with Gigi (she has been on "house arrest" from Jan-April due to the concerns viruses like RSV and the flu have on preemies), I am so eager to be able to go outside, socialize, and share our joy with everyone. It is wonderful to slowly start introducing her to friends... to be able to share our joy in person.
So many wonderful people have supported us during this adventure, and I know God not only placed them in our life with purpose, but that he smiled upon them as they opened their hearts in kindness to our family, and also lifted us in prayer.
Thank you!
Jen
Jen
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