Liver

As you know Grace's liver numbers have never been great, and always come back very high. About 2 weeks ago GI got involved because the numbers just weren't trending down as fast as they would have liked. Normally these elevated levels are attributed to being on TPN but hers were taking longer then usual to come down. This is what prompted the HIDA Scan, which happened Monday morning. This scan is done by first increasing bile production and then injecting a radioactive solution into her veins. They then take a one hour continues picture to show where the particles travel to/cluster and then do follow up images 4 hours later to compare. This will show if their are any blockages or drainage issues.

Rocking her to sleep like his Ammama used too to him 🥰

All praise to God, Grace's test came back all clear and her liver is working great! The ultrasound of her gallbladder, kidneys, and liver, done on Saturday, also came back all clear. So for now the doctors are attributing the elevated numbers to the months of TPN and being a micro preemie. The last few blood tests however showed that they are trending down (although very slowly). They do however want us to do genetic testing and a spinal X-ray just to rule out any genetic causes for the high liver enzymes, but at this point we have said no. Grace has gone through so much, had so many scans and blood drawn, we don't feel it is necessary to rush into it. We said we will revisit the conversation when we have our liver follow up appointment and they do blood work again. This will truely show how the numbers are looking and if they are still high we will proceed with additional testing. For now we just want to go home and see our baby girl thrive!

Grace has gone up in weight, however, it has been very slow. This could be because of her prematurity and the dietitians are keeping a close eye. They have asked that I fortifying my breastmilk with formula but this time I have told them we would like to hold off on that and give Grace's body more time. She is still healing from two very major surgeries in the last month and so much blood work and testing for other things. For now she is taking almost 100ml every three hours and isn't losing weight. I told them we will keep it just EBM for now so we are not introducing anything new to her body/digest for the time being. If she drops in weight or starts looking like she is not absorbing enough nutrients then that's a different issue.

Bracelet made by my niece Abigail

My sister also spent the weekend and actually watched Grace for us on Saturday so Sam and I could go to a Blue Jays Baseball game. This was a gift from a generous donor of the Ronald McDonald House. What an experience! It was seats in the TD lounge section which is 4 rows behind home base. The tickets included food and drink and very comfy chairs! It was sooo cool, and Sam and I were both shocked to have been given a chance to experience this. Once in a life time! It was a very nice escape from the hospital 🙏🏼

Also, now that it's been confirmed that everything is looking good with Grace they have let us know we can go home! The plan is for it to happen this week Thursday and in preparation my parents and Natalie have helped by moving some stuff out of RMH for us. We will be staying with Grace at RMH for the first day or two and then will be moving to my parents house for a few weeks while we wait on God to lead us in next steps. We are thinking it makes sense to look for apartment in Mississauga, but are open to his leading. He hasn't failed us yet, so we continue to trust in his guidance.

Prayer Requests:

• For peace in next steps and changes

• Sam's parents health. They have both been sick for the past week.

• For an apartment or living arrangements

• That Grace continues to thrive and that the transition out of the hospital goes well

• Wisdom and strength for Sam and I with more changes.