Quinn's Heart Journey - A Picture Post

 I had planned to be more intentional about taking pictures through Q's journey at the hospital but exhaustion won out and I didn't take as many as planned. However, here are a few. There are a couple that I won't post that we took right after her surgery - I want to respect Q's privacy in that respect and let her decide later on if she would like to share them. They are a bit scary with all of the tubes and whatnot. So if I am still blogging in 16 years or if blogging is even still around, maybe we'll post them then :)

Until then, they are going in her heart journey box. Btw, for all of you who sent me pictures of you in your Team Quinn green & those that were posted on facebook, we plan to print them out and include them in her box as well. I say "box" because the chances of me actually scrapbooking her journey are about slim to none. Scrapping is not my forte for sure. That's why I write :)

The night before surgery - we dressed the kids in their matching Halloween pjs from Gigi. This glows in the dark which is a bit freaky!

The family pre-surgery

Best friends for life

Ma and her sweet Quinnie hugs

Love our Ma! Thanks for being here!

Quinn being silly. She likes to put her finger in front of her nose and talk through it. Daddy taught her that little trick.

Ryan dancing

Dancing all around - slight embarrassed at this picture but this is life around our house normally :)

 

Morning of pre-op, September 26th. Quinn looked precious until she puked from motion sickness all over her special heart outfit. Then we both smelled for the rest of the day. True story: most of y'all know that I have a strong affinity for Diet Coke. Well, since we had to be at the hospital so early that morning, I got up at 4:15am and immediately headed to the refrigerator for said diet coke. Grabbed one, opened it and guzzled for a few seconds until I realized I had made an awful mistake. Apparently in the dark & in my sleep deprived state, Diet Coke and Budweiser 55 look fairly similar in silver and red cans. Now, I am not a beer drinker typically & I am certainly not a 55 beer drinker at 4:00am. Yummy. I'm surprised I'm not the one who didn't throw up on the way to the hospital.

Sweet cookie bouqet for Quinn (and us and our doctors and nurses!) from Matt's wonderful family friends, the Culpeppers and Steven's. So fun to have that delivered!

This was 1 day post op. Looking more cuddly and comfortable without the vent.

Sweet girl - you'll notice the breathing tube is out and she has her paci under her oxygen mask :)

Saturday after surgery (I think). We got to take a ride in the wagon they keep on the 15th floor. Quinn, of course, did not want to let go of her sweet red shoes. She loved the 5 or so laps we took around the floor (it's quite large) and it seemed to revive her and give her more energy!

Quinn didn't actually drink the water from the bottle in there. It just makes an excellent play toy.

Most of her "equipment" gone, save for the oxygen and one little IV in her foot. I believe at this point they had turned off the oxygen and she was on room air. (It takes a little while for the brain to start breathing well on it's own when you have been on a ventilator so they supplement with oxygen until the body takes over.)

Aunt Kendra & Uncle Gary came to visit! They are such a blessing in our lives. This was a big visitor day - Quinn also had a visit from my boss & pastor, Jim & his wife Terri - as well as from our other sweet friends and former boss of mine, Uncle Meetch & Aunt Elizabeth. These kids have a lot of "aunts" and "uncles" : ) Lucky kids!!! We were so glad to see friendly, smiling faces other than doctors and nurses on that Saturday!

Sunday after surgery - NO MORE OXYGEN! Daddy put her in 2 hairbows. This little one loves accessories. I always assumed I was going to raise a little tomboy, but the way she loves frilly things, I could be wrong :)

What Up, Daddy-O?

This was from a very sweet friend of my mom's, Miss Dotty - it hung above her crib the entire stay.

Playing with her wild kingdom of stuffed animals

The sweetest cookie bouqet from our good friends, Libby & Gil. They did "turtles" since turtle was Q's first big word. It was so precious and yes, they were delicious! I may worry about Quinn regaining her weight, but don't worry about me - I should be well over my pre-hospital admittance weight very soon :) ha.

Release day - October 3rd - Just 6 days post-op. Playing with balloons from my cousin Rykert & Libby and their daughter Scout.

We are outta here! Yes, same outfit as pre-op day, but don't worry, it was washed twice in hot water, as was the car seat.

The hallway at TCH that I walked more times than I can count. Quinn LOVED all of the artwork they had in here. On our way to pre-op, we had to stop so she could admire and point. And wouldn't you know, as we were leaving, she remembered it & frantically starting pointing again and even smiling a bit. Once we get past all of these follow up appointments, I hope to not see these hallways (or the elevators for that matter) for a LONG time, no matter how cheerful they are :)


XOXO,

Team Quinn