“Only the strongest little girls get surgery on their birthdays”

Ava had surgery this morning to have a gastrostomy tube placed in her belly. This gtube replaces her nasal feeding tube and is how she will receive feeds from now on. She handled surgery, intubation and recovery like a champ. She is staying overnight in the PICU for observation but should return to Children’s Specialized tomorrow. We are hoping that with the nasal tube gone she will be more comfortable swallowing and her speech therapists can eventually get her back to eating by mouth. It should also have a positive impact on her respiratory-wise; without the tube there’s less airway restriction.

Besides surgery, Ava had another fun week, playing outside in the good weather, swimming, driving her car and turning 11 months old today!

She’ll take it easy this weekend then back to work next week. We’re so proud of our girl and how far she’s come, we’ll be home before we know it!

♥️Laura and Danny