Friday, August 27, 2010

Gili and Her Family


Before we go any further I think I should tell you more about Gili's state right now.  As I mentioned, she was born 2.7 kg/6lb 1 oz, head 32.5 cm/12.75 in.  Now, at 10 months, she weighs 7.25 kg/16 lb, head 41.5 cm/16.3 in.  Within her first week of life our pediatrician in America felt that her spleen was enlarged and/or too low.  That began a series of ultrasounds, x-rays, and eventually testing for toxoplasmosis and CMV. Before we moved to Israel the doctor told me they needed to check the urinalysis again to make sure it is really negative.  After we moved to Israel we found out it was positive.  At that point I still figured it was no big deal because she seemed like a healthy baby.  

Today Gili enjoys rolling across the carpet.  She rolls to one end and I flip her over and she rolls the other way.  Always in the same direction.  She is starting to roll once or twice onto her less favored side.  She giggles when I flip her over.  Yesterday I thought I saw her start to push up onto her knees.  From her stomach, she can push up on her arms to look in front of her, but she can't hold her head stable in a sitting position and she is no where near crawling.  I think she is hypotonic.  She has a small head (microcephaly), but not noticeably small, and an enlarged liver and spleen.  Her original BERA (hearing test) at 2.5 months was normal, but she had fluid in her ears at the last check.  She has a scar in the center of vision in her left eye.  I don't think she focuses well.  She often goes cross eyed and sometimes it just looks like her eyes are not in perfect alignment.  I also noticed that the blue of her eyes jiggles or "shivers".  She enjoys seeing my face and other people, but she doesn't hold eye contact.  She can't hold objects with both hands, or pick things up.  She only drinks from a NUK bottle.  I think that sums up what I know now.  

The first week in September we have appointments in the hospital with the CMV doctor, Professor Jacob Amir, and also with an audiologist and ophthalmologist.  We're also waiting for an intake appointment with the physical therapist in the hospital.  We had an appointment with the PT in our neighborhood, but both therapists are pregnant so it is against their policy to handle babies with CMV.

Gili's Big Sis is 5 years old and Big Bro is 3.5.  My husband and I are both in our mid-late 20's.  I have a background in art and design, but I completed my education in accounting and finished my CPA certificate around the time Gili was born.  My husband is an information specialist currently working from the dining room table of our 2.5 bedroom apartment.  I spend a lot of my day on the couch with my lap top feeding Gili or getting up every minute to "reset" her when she gets to the edge of the carpet.  I also do little exercises with Gili, trying to help her hold a crawling position, sit, or bounce on a ball.  I enjoy taking my kids on walking trips around the neighborhood, window shopping, and just talking with them while we walk or sit on benches.  I also enjoy doing beads and other art projects with them.  We don't have a car and I love having one less thing to worry about.  I love to cook, but I don't bake much because I don't use recipes or measuring.  

This is the first time in my life that I'm going to be a real stay at home mom.  Until now I was always studying, working a little, or sick and pregnant, so my husband picked up A LOT of the slack.  Now it's my turn to do bed times, shopping, vacuuming.  House stuff.  Until recently I felt very strongly that I just could not find this life fulfilling, and when we moved to Israel we expected that my husband would eventually be a stay at home dad.  Thank G-d, he found work quickly with odesk.com and he has had enough to keep him VERY busy.  I admired moms who put all their effort into making a good home, but I didn't think I was up for the task.  I wanted to put my brain to work.  Last week my outlook changed, my mind changed, and I decided that my children needed me at home to provide them with a stable, consistent, and low stress home life.  Now I need to get back to the laundry!

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