Thursday was a huge day for our family—Abigail started her very first day of pre-K! She absolutely loved it. Her teachers are wonderful, kind, and patient, and I truly believe they’re going to help her grow in ways we’ve hoped and prayed for. This moment feels extra special for us because when Abigail was born, it wasn’t always clear if she would ever be able to attend school in a classroom setting. For a long time, we thought she might only be able to learn at home with a teacher coming to us. Seeing her walk on Thursday to her class brought happy tears to my eyes. 

We also got some encouraging medical news this week. Yesterday, the GI doctor at CHOP who did her impedance test called to let us know that her acid levels are pretty well controlled with her current medication. That’s a big relief, especially with her airway surgery coming up. 

Over the last couple of months, we tried a medication called Robinul to help reduce some of Abigail’s mouth secretions. She drools a lot, and sometimes the extra saliva makes her gag since she doesn’t always swallow consistently. Unfortunately, the medicine dried out her tracheostomy secretions too much, making it hard for her to cough them out, so we had to stop it.

After reaching out to Boston, they recommend doing Botox injections in her salivary glands. The good thing is that this should only affect her mouth secretions—not her trach—so we’re hopeful it could make things easier for her. On Monday, we should find out when they can schedule the procedure, likely sometime within the next month.

It was a busy week, and the next few weeks will continue to be busy due to school, doctor appointments, and the holidays. I can't believe there are only 116 days left until we leave for Boston for her big surgery. Please continue to pray for us, thanks.