Welcome Home Ivey!

Gwen and Matt spent the weekend by rooming in at Floyd Hospital to learn to care for little Ivey. The boys spent the weekend with friends and family anxiously awaiting the arrival of their little sister. Ivey will have a night nurse to care for her from 11 pm to 7 am. She is up to 6lbs now. Ivey is suppose to come home this afternoon once Gwen and Matt complete the CPR class and the discharge is completed.

Today will be a challenging day on many levels. While it is wonderful that Ivey is coming home, anyone who has had a little one in the NICU knows that it is hard to leave the security of the hospital. Gwen and Matt have become very close to their "hospital family". The staff at the hospital has been so good to the Sirmans and saying goodbye to them will be difficult. The nighttime nurse will start tonight so a new relationship will begin. Additionally, Ivey will start her series of appointments at Scottish Rite this Thursday.

Special thanks to everyone who has brought meals to the family and to the folks who set up Ivey's room this weekend. It has been awesome to watch the amount of support and love this community feels toward this family! They continue to need your love and support. Please pray that Ivey's homecoming is an easy transition for everyone and that loving relationships will be fostered in Ivey's new medical family. Let God continue to surround this family with people who care for them.

The meals are going great and there is a schedule for meals to be delivered on MWF through the end of July. Some people are still interested in helping with meals and we have encouraged people to give gift certificates for restaurants with curbside menus or for Two Can Do. mirandastyles@comcast.net.

Thank you so much for your continued support!

Today is a special day because Father Yeary will baptize Ivey today at 1:30 pm. It will be a small ceremony with only Gwen, Matt and Father Yeary present. The family will plan a baptismal celebration when Ivey comes home.

Ivey's weight is up to 5lbs 12 ounces. She is getting stronger every day and is trying to lift her head. She has become much more alert and is having longer periods of being awake.

Last week big brother Knox was playing with a friend's doll and after gently covering up the doll he told Walker, "this is our baby sister, Ivey, and we have to take good care of her." After seeing this, Gwen thought it would be a good idea for the boys to each have a doll they could play with so they could start role playing how they need to behave around Ivey when she comes home from the hospital. The dolls are a hit! They boys love their substitute baby sister so much they took the dolls to church yesterday. What a gift for Gwen and Matt to have such loving and gentle sons. It is amazing that at three Knox can be such a compassionate big brother. How wonderful for Gwen and Matt to be reminded that Ivey is on everyone's mind and their children's love for their sister continues to grow despite Ivey not being at home.

Special thanks to everyone who has emailed me with camp information or who has volunteered to carpool the boys this summer. I haved passed on the options for summer programs to Gwen and once she has made her plans I will get back with everyone to schedule transportation.

Ivey had a great weekend! She was a busy girl with visiting with friends and family, listening to music and she even had time to make her mommy a Mother's Day card. To update everyone on Ivey's progress, I am pleased to report several things that have happened over the last week. Ivey is no longer connected to an IV. She is nursing from a bottle during the day and receiving a continuous feeding through her feeding tube during the night. Currently, Ivey' s main goal is to increase the amount of food she can tolerate and to control her reflux. She had an X-Ray of her spine, and her spine appeared to be normal. Matt and Gwen sent off blood for genetic testing. The test results showed that their chromosomes are normal. This means that Knox and Walker will not have to worry that they could pass a genetic defect on to their children. Ivey's condition has occurred due to random chance.

For now, this sweet little one is enjoying life as a newborn. Ivey has found she loves to sleep on her tummy and can go to town on her pacifier. The nurses are playing music for her and they say she is quite the little music lover! They say she seems to enjoy the CD that Beth Cordell sent her.

Thanks again for checking in on sweet Ivey!

Ivey Sirmans

Matt and I would like to thank everyone for their tremendous support in the past two weeks. We are truly blessed to have such great friends and family. Words can't express how thankful we are for messages, cards, meals--everything. We are especially grateful for everyone's concern for Ivey, Knox and Walker. It has been comforting to read your messages and know that Ivey and our family are in your thoughts and prayers. Each day that Ivey has graced this world prayers have been answered. Ivey has definately entered this world to make an impact on others! Already, she has touched more hearts than Matt and I could have in two lifetimes. We can't wait for you all to meet her.
Matt and I want to thank the doctors and nurses who are caring for Ivey. We are all very fortunate to have a wonderful medical staff right here in our own backyard. Ivey is in great hands.
Much Love,
Gwen and Matt

Big brother Knox got to visit Ivey this week. Gwen said that he sang, "You've got a friend in me", from Disney's Toy Story to his little sister. How true it is- there is no greater big brother!

Ivey is improving with her feedings and we are proud to report she has been able to nurse from a bottle. They have temporarily taken her off of the nutritional supplement to see if she is able maintain her weight. Go Ivey! They have started her on a physical therapy program.

Thanks again for your concern!

Good News Today ! Start singing because sweet Ivey can hear! The hearing test indicated Ivey has minimal hearing loss in both ears. Additionally, the swallowing test that was done yesterday showed Ivey is not aspirating when she spits up. The doctors are still working on getting her reflux under control, but she is improving with her feedings. Ivey was running a fever so more tests are being done to see if she has an infection. They were giving her IV antibiotics to fight off whatever is going on in her little body.

Matt and Gwen have expressed how much they appreciate all of the blog posts, well wishes, and meals they have received from everyone. There has been a lot of response with providing meals to the family and fortunately they will receive hot meals MWF until the end of July. Miranda was still filling in with freezer ready casseroles for those who still want to help. Also, some people have offered to give Matt and Gwen gift certificates that could be used for dinners at places that offer curbside takeout. Please contact Miranda Styles at mirandastyles@comcast.net if you want to provide a gift certificate or casserole.

Thank you again for all of your support!

Ivey Elizabeth Sirmans

Ivey Elizabeth Sirmans was born Tuesday April, 25th at 5:26 a.m. She weighed 5 lbs 11 oz and is 17 inches long. She has beautiful long fingers and toes like Gwen, and her hair is dark like Matt's. She loves to be touched and is happiest when she is being held. Ivey is a strong little one who is breathing on her own. Her strength is a blessing as she will face some challenges in the future. The initial genetic testing showed Ivey has a partial deletion of chromosome 21. There are many tests pending, and as we find out more, we will let everyone know those results. She has a double cleft palate and a cleft lip which will require surgery at some point in the future. She is blind. She has had one hearing test which will be repeated due to the noisy NICU. The aortic valve in her heart has 2 leaflets instead of 3, but despite this, her heart is working wonderfully. Currently, she has a feeding tube in her nose, and she is learning how to nurse from a bottle. Once her feeding is successful, she will be able to come home from the hospital. Ivey is being cared for in the intermediate care nursery. The doctors, nurses and staff at Floyd Medical Center have been very caring and extremely supportive of Ivey and the Sirmans. Matt and Gwen are very appreciative of all of the efforts that they have made.

Gwen was discharged from the hospital on Friday, and Knox and Walker were glad to have mom and dad home. They spent the weekend visiting Ivey, and on Saturday night, Knox and Walker went to the Rodeo with their parents and had a great time.Gwen and Matt have expressed how much they appreciate all of the prayers and support that they have received from family and friends.

Please continue to keep them in your prayers and feel free to post a message on this Blog. Before posting your first message, you will need to create your own username and password by following the instructions.

We wanted a central means of communication for updates on Ivey now and as she continues to improve. Additionally, we felt that we could better organize food, carpools for the boys, etc. by having all of the information in one place.

We would like to provide hot meals as well as freezer ready casseroles as long as they need them. To make this as easy for Matt and Gwen as possible, please schedule your meal and drop off with Miranda Styles at mirandastyles@comcast.net. Because they will be busy with Ivey and the boys at home and at the hospital, please use the cooler on the front porch to deliver any meals.

We will continue to post information about Ivey and ways to help Gwen and Matt as things arise. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support.