Well, Summer has graduated to getting her own blog....what a big girl she is. Little does she know, it is just because she takes up most of my blog entries and it is easier this way :) Besides, then my other kids won't feel bad if I take too many pics of her :) Gotta protect that whole sibling rivalry vibe! As you can see, I played mommy photographer/paparazzi again...enjoy :)
At this point, Summer just turned 7 months old and now weighs 13 pounds. She has had a few set backs, though minor ones. Last week she spent 3 days in the hospital with diarrhea again. She had been there for 8 days at the first of the year for this...though this time it was because of a stomach bug or something. They tried to grow all kinds of cultures, blood and stool, and nothing ever grew. After 3 days of getting rest and re-hydration she was good to go again. Ever since she has done just great. 
She still runs her TPN for 20 hours each day with Lipids for 3 days a week, but this only accounts for 30% of her total calorie intake. The rest of her calories are obtained through her NG tube on a continuous drip running 40 ML's per hour. We also give her a 1 ounce bottle 4 times daily to get her used to taking a bottle...and squeezing in a few extra ounces!
A few weeks ago, her doc told me her labs look great and she shows no sign of liver disease. Besides the need for an intestinal transplant, alot of SBS (short bowel syndrome) kids require a liver transplant as well. Being soft tissue organs, these are two very risky procedures and having the liver damaged makes things very bad. Fortunately for Summer neither is the case so far. The docs feel she can work her feeds up to the point of getting completely off the IV and just rely completely on food/formula. When this happens, the risk for liver damage will be eliminated as it is caused by the TPN/Lipids in the blood stream on a constant basis. I was also told by a nurse, this last time she was in the hospital, that it is incredible that as small as she is, she can maintain her blood sugar for the 4 hours she is off the IV each day. Most SBS kids on an IV run for 24 hours each day....so constantly, hence the liver damage risk is increased greatly.We feel blessed each day she is here. I often fall asleep holding her in our recliner and fall asleep half the night, occasionally waking up to look at her cute little sleeping face. Losing her sister, Brooke, and having Summer in our lives despite all the obstacles we have been and will face, has made us realize just how precious life is....and that we are so lucky to have our kids on loan from Heavenly Father :) Okay, this does not make me the perfect mom, I have still been known to yell and nag like the best of us! Perfection is not in my near future, I guess :)
We have an appt. at Children's this Thurs for lab work and a weight check....let's hope she has chunked up some more! She has managed to gain 4 pounds since Dec 30 :) As always, thanks for keeping her/us in your prayers :) 
And the chunkin' up has begun....
Summer has the BIGGEST smile!
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