Louisa's Visit with the Neurosurgeon

Whew. The visit with the neurosurgeon is come and gone.

And it's practically all good news! Louisa will have a MRI sometime in March (for which she will be sedated). That will show the neurosurgeon everything he needs to see to determine if her conus needs correcting or if her cord is tethered or at imminent risk of tethering. If so, then surgery will take place in May (need to get her to six months).

Now this might not all sound rosy, but the good doctor thinks--from his examination and her improvements/normalizing--that no treatment/surgery will be needed. The MRI is a double check, just-to-be-sure kinda thing.

We really do feel relieved and are hopeful for good results in March.

Thanks for your prayers and concern. They mean so much!

Lots About Louisa

Photo credit: Haley Owens

Miss Louisa Bryn Caroline Youree is a doll baby. I mean that figuratively and literally. She is precious, making my heart burst with joy every time she moans, sighs, and turns her head. When we brought her home, she was nearly a pound heavier than her birth weight (which was 4 pounds 10 ounces), but even then she was the size of Anna's dolls. (In fact, on Christmas morning when Anna opened a pack of doll clothes, she was confused at first because she thought they were clothes for Louisa!)

Everyone wants to know--understandably--if Louisa was premature. Actually, no; the doctors estimate she was full term. She scored a 9/9 on the APGAR and never had oxygen assistance. She never spent time under the lights or in the NICU. Praise God! Healthy, but tiny.

Our little love is eating LIKE A CHAMP. I am happy to report that she has never lost an ounce. At her one-month appointment, she weighed . . . (wait for it) . . . SIX POUNDS AND TWELVE OUNCES. We are thrilled with her progress. She's gone from eating 2-2.5 ounces when we brought her home to eating 3-4 ounces. That's my girl! Little Lou no longer wears preemie clothes; she's rocking those newborns like a star.

Photo credit: Haley Owens

Louisa is also laid back. Don't hate me, but I've scored in the calm baby section. Surely I've just jinxed myself. Nevertheless, so far so good. Louisa is on a good 3-4 hour schedule. Of course she has fussy spells, but she really is easily soothed. LOVE HER. She's so cuddly I could melt.

(And talk about a Christmas gift for Mama: Louisa slept for five hours straight on Christmas Eve.)

Here are a few factoids about the wee one:

• Being swaddled is her favorite past time. She adores it . . . and it keeps her from mauling herself with those fingers. 
• She's not a fan (AT ALL) of changing clothes.
• If Louisa could hate anything more than changing clothes, it's having lotion applied to her body. H-a-t-e-s that.
• But put that cutie in the bath tub, and it is relaxation city. I do believe I've yet to meet a person who enjoys a bath more than Louisa.
• Her eye focus/contact is improving. I may or may not get smiles daily. (Swoon.)
• Louisa has the BEST big sister a girl could hope for. 

Photo credit: Haley Owens

Last, we ask for prayers for our sweet girl too. Louisa was born with a minor medical concern. While that issue is improving, it (along with a few other clues) led our doctor to perform an ultrasound. That procedure discovered an abnormality in Louisa's spinal cord. At this point, we do not know a ton about what that means for her. The small amount of research Bryan could find on the issue provides a range of severities--from no problems to difficulties walking to intestinal struggles to a tethered cord. Louisa has an appointment on December 29 with a neurosurgeon; we hope to have more answers then.

Thank you for all the well wishes, the gifts, the comments on Facebook/Instagram. Louisa has added more joy, hope, and love to our happy little family. Thanks be to God for His great gifts.

Introducing Our Baby Girl!

We are overflowing with joy to introduce Louisa Bryn Caroline Youree. She was born on November 17, weighing 4 pounds and 10 ounces. She was 17 inches long. We will post more info after we are home and settled. She is a delight!!! We are THRILLED! Thanks be to God!

Anna Zane Is a Big Sister!

I've said it once before, and now I'll say it again: IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Tomorrow afternoon, we will bring home our new baby girl. (We will surely post pics and videos and gush and cry and be so happy.) Our hearts are beyond excited and thankful and grateful and joyful and so many other things.

We've known this little one was a possibility since November 14. The short wait since then has been filled with ups and downs, but we made it . . . and will be loving that little girl in less than 24 hours!!!

Right now, we are joyfully drowning in tubs of stored baby clothes, laundry, bottles, etc. We are waaay ahead of the curve, though, compared to Anna's placement. LOL. Since we've been loving a little gal for nearly four years, we have most everything we need, but for those of you who've asked, we did register for a few items at Babies R Us this weekend.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a picture, a name, and so much cuteness!

Psalm 30 expresses my feelings perfectly:

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"