Getty Owl Foundation

A Special Day

From Kate:

It seems as though slow and steady has allowed Getty to “win” this race so far. We are going at her pace, we are being guided by her cues, and even though this is a relatively long stay, we know that with every passing day, Getty is getting better.

Since yesterday Getty has been breathing on room air while on bi-pap. This is a big deal on the road to recovery. While on room air she has been able to hold her sats around 94. We did not try Getty off  bi-pap today. We had a really special day today and I think after all of the festivities, she was one tired little owl.

This morning brought the clearest x-ray to date. We couldn’t be more elated with today’s results. Since she is doing so well the doctor has recommended that her bi-pap settings go from 19/4 to 18/4. She is doing great on her new settings.

After her noon breathing treatment Getty got her first bath since being here. The nurse laid out several towels and we all took part in giving her a sponge bath and she loved it! We were joking that she was really going to get used to all of this special care and expect it when we get home. Sounds good to me. 🙂 It was rewarding to wash her arms and hands and upper body. She cooed the entire time.

After a good wash and dry we put on a new diaper and arranged a way to have Getty lay on my lap. After careful lifting of not only her but all of her tubes, cords, and IV, Getty and I were reunited once again.

It has been so hard for me to adore her from the sideline. I touch her all the time and talk to her. I massage her and nibble on her, but there is something so precious about being able to cuddle and it has been killing me internally knowing I had to wait until we got home.

Our nurse was so great about initiating that I get a chance to hold her today. After careful planning and execution, Getty and I got to hang out and physically catch up. It was fantastic to feel her wait on my lap. It was awesome to hold her whole body. It was equally terrific that Mark and I got to share this special time with her today.

I want to thank Angie for coming by today to bring us food and to visit with Getty. She also captured some very special pictures of our time together. Thanks Ang!

Since we adopted Dr. Schroth’s acute care treatments last week, Getty has been getting treatments every 4 hours. Even in the middle of night our little pumpkin has to be awoken so we can clear out her lungs and help make them stronger. As of tonight in collaboration with the doctor, we will only be doing one treatment in the middle of the night. So instead of being woken up twice, Getty will be able to get in a good 6 hours before her next treatment. It is very exciting to get to this point and I know she will appreciate the extended nap.

Here are a few pictures of our special day.