We can't believe it's almost been a year since our little miracle made us a family. We cannot thank our community enough for surrounding our family with such love during this past year. It hasn't been easy and life will continue to be an adventure, but every moment is worth it!

We wanted to start sharing Kat's journey. You can follow along with all of the incredible things she is doing and will continue to do with your continued support! I'll continuously post updates on our growing family here, starting today!
 
 Some know about Kat's story, while others here may be new. Kat was born May 14th in a whirlwind of chaos. It's still unknown to this day as to why, she stopped breathing during labor. With the quick actions taken by Northside, she was revived after ~8-10 minutes and placed immediately on a cooling blanket to stop further damage to her body and brain. This is called H.I.E. (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy).
 The first week, she received an MRI, which devastated our entire family and friends. We received news on how significant and severe her brain damage was. The neurologists even thought she wouldn't live much longer, considering her 'brain dead.' That night, she came off the ventilator and never looked back (you show 'em, Kat!).
 The next week, we walked in, unknowing what other news was coming our way until the audiologist came to visit. We were then told that Kat has profound hearing loss on both sides. As a music therapist, this was the most difficult news to digest. (Fun fact: because of her brain healing from her first stem cell treatment, Kat's hearing has improved! She now has moderate to severe loss in her left ear. She loves listening to the piano and giggles at many funny noises!)
 We were terrified about what the future held, but believed in our strong girl. She lived in the NICU for 55 long days, being loved on by many nurses and therapists. Logan and I visited every day and watched her continue to prove those neurologists wrong.

We came home and had many sleepless nights, like many first-time parents do, and it felt normal. Kat began many therapies and started her routine that involved 3+ doctor visits a week. But, with being home, Kat finally got to meet her furry siblings, her cousins, and be snuggled by all of her friends and family, and it made it all so worth it. 

Since we’ve been home, much has changed! She came off of the NG-tube (what was in her nose) and now has a G-tube (a button in her belly) for feeding. She began eating purees, some solids (girly loves her some avocado and mousse cake!), drinking from a straw, and more! We continue to do feeding therapy each week to get her better accustomed to texture sensitivity and, hopefully, get the G-tube removed in the next year or so.

Along with feeding therapy, Kat sees an occupational therapist each week to work on her eyesight and sensory skills. Kat has Cortical Vision Impairment, meaning that although he eye structure is great, her brain struggles to process what it sees. This could mean that she has a harder time focusing on objects. Because of this, her vestibular system was off, meaning that she was unable to feel where her body was in space (kind of like a floating-feeling). Since beginning OT, we have seen a huge difference in her sensory regulation. Up until roughly 6 months, Kat became extremely upset when being moved around or held. Her body would completely stiffen in extension. Now, you would never guess it! Her favorite things are rolling her arms during Patty Cake, shaking her booty to Shakira, and being tossed in the air by her daddy. 

She also attends physical therapy twice a week and wow, has she grown some muscle! Although her cerebral palsy makes it difficult for her to learn typical developmental movements, she is trying her hardest. She is working on getting 6-pack abs so she can sit up more independently. One of the therapies we want to do soon is an intensive physical therapy week. This puts Kat in PT for a few hours each day for multiple weeks focusing on specific skills. It is important to do this as much as possible while her little brain is growing and learning! Our first intensive therapy will possibly be in July before her little brother arrives.

Since Kat loves bath time (except the getting-out part), we are also going to start aquatic therapy! Aquatic therapy is a great opportunity to work on physical and occupational therapy goals in a new format that allows for her body to move more freely. We can’t wait to see how she splish-splashes in the pool!

We know the future will be difficult and come with many unknowns, but we are ready to do whatever it takes to make sure she lives the best life.

It’s only been a year, but wow has she accomplished a lot. We could not be more proud of her and know she will continue to show off her amazing skills with the help of her friends, family, and amazing therapists.