It's been a great week for Maia, as she continues to make baby steps in her recovery. The doctors have been slowly increasing her feeds of low calorie formula, which is easily digestible for her and hopefully soon she'll be switched to a higher calorie formula. She's also been taken off her TPN (total parenteral nutrition) since she can now tolerate more formula. They have also been weighing her more often now with the use of a bed scale and on Friday, she weighed in at 4.1 kg or 9 lbs. She's also been slowly weaned off of her Fentanyl drip (pain medication). In the meantime, she's been put on a couple of other pain meds to avoid withdrawal. Maia seems to be doing fine with these changes. The doctors and nurses have been trying very hard to keep changes at a minimum since she's been doing so well lately. But Maia hasn't liked all the changes... they've started adding a multivitamin and some iron through her feeds and she's been spitting it up! The nurses somewhat expected it because the vitamins are not so gentle on the stomach, so we're hoping she'll get used to it because she really needs some good nutrition! They've also set up a consultation with an occupational therapist for Maia's hands, particularly her thumbs. She's developed the habit of tucking them inward, especially on her left hand where she's had some poor circulation. I had started to call them "shy thumbs" and didn't think it was much of a problem. They're hoping she can get some splints that hold her thumb in position. The nurses explained that if her thumbs get used to that tucked in position, she will have a harder time using them as she grows up, so it's better to do something about it now. So we're hoping these changes are small enough that it doesn't upset Maia too much! She's been doing better these last couple of weeks and we all want her to continue moving in the right direction! Everyone enjoyed Halloween week at the hospital, including big brother Marcus, and now it's time to move on into the month of November and start the month on a good note!
Bills, bills, bills...
We've recently started receiving our first set of bills. Maia's been in the hospital for over 2 months now, so we've been wondering when they would start to come in. Then all of a sudden within the last few days, we've received a truckload of bills!! They are hard to understand and are very confusing. They are all Kaiser bills, and the first few are the bills regarding our referral to UCSF. When I called for help because I didn't understand how their billing worked, they too didn't understand and couldn't really help me! So we talked to our social worker who told us to talk with a financial counselor. The financial counselor told us not to pay anything just yet and to contact Kaiser to ask them what exactly we are getting billed for and why... in the middle of this conversation, she happened to mention that Maia's current running total is... $4,000,000! Gordon and I were shocked, but then again, we weren't... we had done some research before Maia was born, and the total for all 3 surgeries was around the $2 million mark. I don't think either of us expected it to be this big, considering Maia has only had the first of three surgeries, and is expected to be in the hospital for a while! We may have to win the lottery more than once! Ha ha! We know that's not what we are expected to pay, but our portion will add up fast and just hearing that amount is mind boggling.
Although we're pretty good about handling stress, that doesn't mean nothing stresses us out! One of the things that's been a source of stress has been Gordon's work... or should I say "old work?" He was recently let go from his job with no said reason, so we figured it's somehow related to Maia's condition since his overall job performance has always been at the top of the dealership even when he was working half days. But just like we've always dealt with things that come our way, we'll get through this. In the meantime, Gordon is more than happy to make the most of his free time by spending it with his baby girl! Who knows, it may even be a blessing in disguise! We know that God has a plan for all of us, so if this is where we're meant to be right now, then we'll continue to make the very best out of every situation! Please continue to keep us in your prayers... God is great!
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| Maia celebrating her first Halloween |
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| Maia staring at Marcus' big muscles! |
Bills, bills, bills...
We've recently started receiving our first set of bills. Maia's been in the hospital for over 2 months now, so we've been wondering when they would start to come in. Then all of a sudden within the last few days, we've received a truckload of bills!! They are hard to understand and are very confusing. They are all Kaiser bills, and the first few are the bills regarding our referral to UCSF. When I called for help because I didn't understand how their billing worked, they too didn't understand and couldn't really help me! So we talked to our social worker who told us to talk with a financial counselor. The financial counselor told us not to pay anything just yet and to contact Kaiser to ask them what exactly we are getting billed for and why... in the middle of this conversation, she happened to mention that Maia's current running total is... $4,000,000! Gordon and I were shocked, but then again, we weren't... we had done some research before Maia was born, and the total for all 3 surgeries was around the $2 million mark. I don't think either of us expected it to be this big, considering Maia has only had the first of three surgeries, and is expected to be in the hospital for a while! We may have to win the lottery more than once! Ha ha! We know that's not what we are expected to pay, but our portion will add up fast and just hearing that amount is mind boggling.
Although we're pretty good about handling stress, that doesn't mean nothing stresses us out! One of the things that's been a source of stress has been Gordon's work... or should I say "old work?" He was recently let go from his job with no said reason, so we figured it's somehow related to Maia's condition since his overall job performance has always been at the top of the dealership even when he was working half days. But just like we've always dealt with things that come our way, we'll get through this. In the meantime, Gordon is more than happy to make the most of his free time by spending it with his baby girl! Who knows, it may even be a blessing in disguise! We know that God has a plan for all of us, so if this is where we're meant to be right now, then we'll continue to make the very best out of every situation! Please continue to keep us in your prayers... God is great!
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| We love staring into her big brown eyes! |
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| Daddy combing Maia's hair |
I love looking at photos of Maia. She is such a very alert and curious little thing, and this is really great. Gordon can always work. He can't always spend time with his little girl, especially at this time in her life. Love and prayers are continuous. Aunt Noni
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