Cheers

Carly has made some big strides in the last few weeks, and she still continues to have some challenges.  The good news starts with her shunt, which continues to work as it should. It is a relief to have it last longer than the last few, and hopefully it keeps it up. The other great news is that Carly has finally learned how to drink from a bottle and she was officially weened from nursing yesterday.  Until recently the only way Carly could take in any fluid was from nursing. We tried every bottle and sippy cup that we could find but never found anything that Carly would accept.  Everything came together about six weeks ago when Christa finally found the right bottle and method, and Carly was finally ready to make the big step. This is a giant step for Carly, and it makes it possible for others (including me) to help manage Carly’s fluid intake. It is something that we are very thankful for.

The biggest challenge right now continues to be seizures.  Carly started on a seizure medication about four weeks ago and we have slowly increased the dose. Her seizures did drop from six a day to two a day, but now she is sticking around 2-3 a day and the medication seems to make Carly more sleepy and agitated at this dose.  We will see how things go over the next few days, but it is looking like we will need to move onto another medication. The other issue that Carly is dealing with is a round of pneumonia.  It is not serious and definitely much less concerning than the seizures, but she is pretty congested and had several nights when she had trouble sleeping.  It seems to be clearing up now, and in the grand scheme of things it is a minor issue. One thing is for sure, she is a very strong little girl.

Love, Brad