Zippity "Zoo" Da What a Wonderful Day!

In front of the orangutans.  None are in this picture, but we just missed one earlier that was peering out looking at the people.  
There was a lady that stared for a very long time at Karsie's little setup here.  We fashioned a little venting device with the syringe.  It hangs from the car seat and the food goes into the top. The venting helps Karsie get out gas that builds up.  It's definitely not something you see everyday. 
In front of the duck pond.  We learned lots of facts on ducks here.  Maybe one day you'll hear us talking about them randomly.

In case yesterday's post was a bit cryptic, Karsie is out of the hospital and home with her family. Although judging by the comments it seems it was understood.  We had a hard time keeping it from everyone including the blog as Michelle really wanted to surprise her mom and dad.  Reva would say from time to time that she was hoping that Karsie would just be there one day.  We found out late last week that Karsie would most likely come home on the 9th.  So we really had to work to make things seem pretty ho hum during that time.  Even before that we could tell it was coming as Karsie was doing so well.  Needless to say, we feel better not having to tip toe around the subject.  The blog was especially hard since it's whole purpose is that very subject we were trying to tip toe around.  It was tough but totally worth it when Michelle's parents walked in and saw us holding her.    

That being said, Karsie is home and doing great.  She slept 8 hours last night.  While we would never wish the G-tube on any baby, especially our own, it does have its advantages.  One of those being we don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to feed her.  It does that on its own.  We've noticed a little decline in her leg strength.  Babies have the reflex to use leg resistance when parents stand them up and most babies just get stronger with that until they walk.  Since Karsie has been in the hospital for so long she hasn't had to use her leg strength, so it has gone down considerably.  Therefore, one of our tasks is to get her to push back when we push on her legs every so often.  We continue to work on her neck strength as she hasn't had a whole lot of practice sitting up or being held so she has to use it (that darn Pinky keeps getting in the way).  She is doing very well considering her lack of practice.  

We have a slew of appointments coming up starting with tomorrow's pediatric appointment with Dr. Gorton (we LOVE her and we're sad we have to leave her).  Just in one week we have at least one pediatric appointment, a surgical appointment, a neurology appointment, a G.I. appointment, and a nutrition appointment.  They slow down after a bit, but for now it's a bit hectic.  

Lastly, we were finally able to take Karsie to the zoo.  That was a desire of ours for a long time. It's very relaxing to us to see animals and it's a fun place to bring a baby.  We didn't spend much time there, but there was one very amusing thing that we must share with you.  We, the three of us and Karsie's Godparents, decided to go down the bear trail.  Most of the bears were in their little caves and homes because it was freezing cold, like 50 degrees (I say that with a hint of sarcasm as there are people that read this blog from other parts of the country rolling on the floor with laughter at the wimps - animals included - that reside in California).  We stopped to put Karsie in her Moby wrap, which she absolutely loves.  Karsie falls right to sleep when she is snuggled up in her Moby.  To do so, Michelle needed some assistance, so we were all helping put Karsie away.  Karsie began to get a bit fussy and started to cry and whimper.  As she was doing this, the bear that was in his cave (a sloth bear to be precise) came barreling out and stopped right at the edge of the moat that was keeping him from the fence that we peered over. He was definitely not aggressive but very concerned for Karsie.  He paced back and forth rapidly and even stood up on his hind legs a few times to peer at our little one.  It was absolutely hilarious.  We wish we had gotten a picture or video, but we were all helping, so our hands were tied.  So, if you are ever at the zoo with a baby and want to see an animal, have the baby cry on command and you might luck out.

Until next time...