August 7 Update

Wow, just like that Olivia is 19 months old! Apologies for the huge break between the last update and this one. The summer has been very busy for the whole family, and Olivia has been thriving.

This toddler is so excited for summer to officially be here. She likes to spend her mornings looking out the front door at the yard, or standing at the end of the driveway waiting for Mommy and Daddy to come back from their dog-jog. She is pulling herself up to stand all the time, and loves pushing her baby walkers around the house (thank you to her awesome cousins who have outgrown them!). In fact…she learned to officially walk on July 30th! Now she is cruising around the house, catching herself when she falls, and loving every second of being able to walk! 

She weighs 24 pounds now! Health-wise, one amazing update is that she was officially capped by pulmonology back in June. This means that while she is awake, her trach is capped with a plastic piece that forces her to inhale and exhale through her upper airway (mouth and nose) just like the rest of us! We pay close attention when she is wearing the cap, because she can have the occasional coughing fit that leads to a vomit if we don’t pop the cap off in time.

As of this week, Olivia has not needed any oxygen while sleeping! She is still hooked up to a warm mist machine (the Airvo), but her oxygen requirement is negligible or nonexistent. We can’t wait to tell her doctors at the next visit.

Olivia has been upgraded from infant powder formula to Nourish, a whole food blended liquid diet. It has helped decrease her vomiting, and is so much better for her as it contains organic vegetables, fruits, and grains. We are very excited about this transition.

A few other fun updates include Olivia’s first time going to the playground, which she got to experience with her cousin Acadia! It was the first time the kiddos had seen each other in over a year, and they did so well together! Acadia was so excited to show Olivia the best parts of the playground. 

Back in early June, we participated in the Eversource Walk for Boston Children’s, raising $3,260 in total! It was Olivia’s first visit to Boston that wasn’t at a hospital.

The week before, BCH sent a photographer to our house to do a photoshoot of our incredible baby and her amazing Uncle Dan, who has raised over $19,000 over the last eight years for BCH. Olivia and Dan will be in the Boston Children’s Magazine in September – we can’t wait to receive a copy!

Finally, July 25th marked one entire year home from the hospital! We can’t believe an entire year has passed since we brought Olivia home for the first time. We are deeply grateful to all of our family, friends, and nurses who have helped our family thrive over the last year.