A huge jump ahead for Brooke

Here are Sundays updates on Brooke. Its been a big big day for her and her parents. She is proving all the doctors wrong minute by minute second, by second. Only time will tell how bad the brain injury will be, but by the looks of it she is going to do great.

Trent and Brit update there Caringbridge page a few times today so I just post them from earliest to latest.

Trent and I walked in to Brooke's room this morning and she had her eyes wide open and was sucking on a pacifier!!! It brought us to tears right away. It seems like she is waking up a little bit more, but we still have to be careful not to overstimulate her. We are going to try and spend lots of family time with her today. We haven't gotten report from her nurse yet to know what else has gone on over night. She got the tube out of her nose that was going to her stomach to take out air and extra fluid so that is one more tube she doesn't have!! We will try to get pictures with her eyes open today and put them on sometime.

Love, Trent, Brittany and Brooke

The doctor's just rounded on Brooke. Most of her labs have stabilized (things like potassium, sodium, platelets). Her Dilantin level (seziure medication) is still high, she isn't getting any of the medication it is just taking her body a long time to metabolize it and get it out. So hopefully as that comes down we will continue to see changes in her. She has an arterial line in her stomach that they use to check blood pressures and blood gases, the doctors are going to take that out this afternoon as they don't think she needs it anymore. They are going to completely turn off the medication that she has been getting for blood pressure as they think her body can control that on her own now. Her weight today is down 200 grams (alot), but this is a good thing for her because she has lost all the extra fluid her body was holding onto, I think that is why she can open her eyes today because they aren't swollen shut anymore. Her belly and hands are a lot smaller because all that fluid is out. The doctors are also hoping that she can go into a "big girl bed" later today (a regular crib) rather than being in the warmer all the time. This is a big thing to, because that will show us that she can regulate her own body temperature. The only other plan Brooke has today is to get a new line in (one that goes right to her heart that will give her her nutrition). Her nurse practitioner decided to wait until today because she was so busy yesterday and now that all the extra fluid is off of her it should be easier to get in. Brooke keeps making so many small gains!! I am going to take her out of the incubator and hold her here now and just spend time with her.

Thanks for all your prayers, they are doing wonders for Brooke!!

Love, Trent, Brittany and Brooke

Just a quick note that while Brittany was holding Brooke, they did a little suction of the back of her mouth she cried a little bit. Brittany was so happy to here that since it was the first time either of us has heard that. We are on our way up to the apartment now to eat some lunch and watch the Vikings win another game.

With much love,

Trent, Brittany and Brooke

Great Grandma Mary, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Jim and Jenny came to visit Brooke for a short time this afternoon. The nurse practitioner took the arterial tube out of her stomach earlier this afternoon, and right now they are working on putting the new PICC line in her. Candy (the NP) that's putting it in said they would try to put it in her head or if that didn't work they would try her arm. Brooke is pretty sleepy now because she's had a busy afternoon, so we are going to try to keep letting her rest.

Love, Trent, Brittany and Brooke

Brooke's PICC line went in without problems on the first try!! It goes from her head down to almost in her heart. This is how she will be receiving her nutriants. They have been slowly weaning her off of the oxygen all day, now the nurse has completely cut it off. She is no longer getting any medications other than her nutriants. Brittany is holding her now while she sucks on her pacifier and falls in and out of sleep. I have some new pictures of her with eyes wide open and all of the tubes gone, I will be updating the photos soon. Later tonight she will be put in a big girl bed, the nurse has just dressed her for the first time ever. Now we will have to get some of her pretty pink sleepers over here to dress her with. Until next time, keep praying and thinking of us. We truly appreciate it.

Love Trent, Brittany and Brooke Simonton

And here are just some really heart warming pictures of Brooke from today!

Sucking on a pacifier

Happy Brittany

There's her eyes