did they make ya mean mad?*

Well, Sophie got fitted for her brace on Friday. We waited all day
Thursday to meet with the physical therapist who was supposed to fit her
for it, but they didn't show up. But her grandmother Jereane was there
Friday morning when they came by to put it on.

She didn't seem to mind it much Friday afternoon or Saturday, but Sunday
we witnessed our first inconsolable crying fit. We have always had our suspicions
that they happen because the nurses would say things to us about her being
feisty or having a temper, which we found amusing since all we've ever
seen her do is squawk a little bit or give a few small cries before
going back to sleep. Sunday, however, we got to see it for ourselves as
she was just not happy. Also, she was awake from when we got there at
1:30pm until 4:30, which is unusual to see her up that much. From about
3pm on, she was just mad and turning beet red a lot. The she kicked the
volume up to a level I hadn't heard before from her. But from spending
so much time in the nicu, you become familiar with all the different
cries and wails. We even had nurses stop by to ask if we'd done this or
tried that. Yes, we did and no, it didn't help. Finally, I just held
her like a football that had been handed off to me with one arm under
and one arm over her and she finally fell asleep.

Monday Sophie was also awake most of the afternoon and we saw the same fussiness, but not for near as long. But before this past weekend, we
hadn't seen her this awake or active. So we're not sure if it's a
function of her getting older and being more alert, or if the harness
bugs her or irritates her in some way. Monday the physical therapist
did come by and show us some additional ways to hold her and to prop her
feet up with a rolled up blanket to help her maybe be more comfortable.

Tuesday was another first for me. Stephanie and Jereane were there
earlier in the day with her. I showed up around 3. They left, but I
stayed for Sophie's 5pm changing and feeding. Everything went pretty
well, until "the projectile vomiting incident". That about says it all.

Otherwise, things are progressing. Sophie is now 4lbs 5oz. She has
still been on the diuretics and her weight gain has been almost
sporadic, but is trending upward. We're still trying to bottle feed her
twice a day, and that's kind of hit and miss. She had another
echo-cardiogram yesterday and one of the cardio docs said that he
doesn't think the VSD is impairing her any. However, the neonatologist
doesn't think that her progress is as good as it should be and that it
might indeed be due to the VSD. That kind of leaves us in the middle,
wondering, "What's going on here?" Hopefully, they will pow-wow and
make some kind of a decision sometime soon. But for now, we continue to
play the waiting game.

(*The Grapes of Wrath)