JodySimmer.com

December 31, 2005 Dear Family and Friends, First, a huge thank you to all who sent well wishes to Jacy for her surgery yesterday. We are happy to report that she is now home and her recovery is going great! We checked into Phoenix Children’s Hospital yesterday (Dec. 30th) at 12:30pm. After over 6 hours of no food, she was still a happy, smiling baby. She has spoiled us! Jay and I were with her when they sedated her, and we got to give her a big kiss before heading to the waiting area. First stop was an MRI to get one last check of her brain before the surgery. The information provided in the MRI prompted the Dr. to slightly change the game plan for the surgery. The original plan was to insert a Ventriculo-peritoneal Shunt (VP Shunt), which is tubing that is connected to the ventricle and down to the abdominal cavity where the extra fluid would be absorb. However, the MRI showed that Jacy had an increasing amount of fluid in the area above her brain, which was more of a concern...

After a good breakfast Jacy was sitting up in her crib and playing with some of her toys. She also gave us her first smile since the surgery! But we didn't get it on camera =(

Jacy was very comfortable during recovery when she was snuggled up to her Daddy. If you look close, you can see the shunt tube that is just under her skin. It is about the size of a pencil. It is still swollen, and should become less noticable with time.

Jacy was such a trooper when her surgery was over. I have been fighting a horrible chest cold for the last couple of days, so I had to wear a mask whever I was near her. Jay stayed the night at the hospital with her, so that I wouldn't get her sick. I am just glad that they let me in to be with her at all!

Jacy was all smiles during pre-op. She enjoyed the new toys that the hospital had for her to play with.

Jacy is loves to grab at her toes, and chew on them every once in a while too!

Jacy is sitting with her older cousins, Rylee, Connor, and Tatum with the new hats that Pardner and Grandma Greta gave them. It is hard to see in the picture, but the hats say "Sundevils" on the front. Pardner and Grandma are the biggest ASU fans I know! GO DEVILS!

On Christmas Eve the whole Campbell Clan we into the "WILD" and cut down the perfect Christmas tree to decorate that evening. It was actually kind of warm outside, a little dissapointing that there wasn't any snow on the ground.

We had a great Christmas-just look at what we got! We spent Christmas morning in Pinetop with the Campbell Clan and spent that afternoon in St. Johns with the Richardson Family. It was so great to spend the holiday with family. If only we could have spent some of it with the Simmer Family too, it would have been perfect(but know that we were thinking of you!!!)

Jacy's Dr.'s have agreed that it is time to treat her hydrocephalus. She is scheduled for surgery to get a shunt on Friday December 30, 2005 at 2:30pm at Phoenix Childrens Hospital. We have been told that this is a very common procedure, not a very long surgery, and we will only have to stay at the hospital 1 night for observation. (Kim and Chu, we wish that you were the ones taking care of her when she comes out of surgery!) We should be home in time to celebrate New Years!!! We ask that you please keep Jacy in your thoughts and prayers during this procedure. She is such a stong little girl. We are so proud of her!!! Here is some information about hydrocephalus and shunts... Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within cavities called ventricles inside the brain. CSF is produced in the ventricles, circulates through the ventricular system and is absorbed into the bloodstream. Hydrocephalus occurs when there is an imbalance between the amou...

Dear Family and Friends, Warm holiday greetings to you all! As we near the Christmas holiday we can’t help but to reflect upon the past year and remember all of the wonderful gifts of love, support, and friendship we have received. This has been quite a year for our family. It was a year ago today that we were overjoyed with the news that we would be having a baby girl, and overwhelmed with her diagnosis of Spina Bifida. The months that followed seemed to last a lifetime, but brining our baby girl home in May was our greatest gift of the year! The saying goes that, “The greatest gifts come in small packages”, and we couldn’t agree more! However, our gift is now a chunky 17 lbs. with a smile that will melt your heart instantly!!! It has been such a joy watching Jacy grow and develop over these past couple of months. She is the most precious gift, and has brought many blessing and much happiness into our home. We have faced many struggles this year, but are grateful for thos...

With heavy hearts we said goodbye to our sweet dog Jake yesterday. He had irreversible medical problems and was in constant pain. We are comforted to know that he is no longer suffering. He was still just a puppy, with his 2nd birthday coming up in February. He was with us for only a short time, but became a huge part of our family. He was a such a sweet dog, and was a wonderful companion to Jay while Jacy and I were in California the first part of the year. GOODBYE JAKE-WE LOVE AND MISS YOU!

On Sunday December 4th Pardner and Grandma Campbell invited us, along with Justin's family, to the Mesa Country Club for a kids Christmas Party. We had lunch and the kids got to make Christmas crafts. They brought in snow for the kids to play in and Santa even stopped in for a visit and pictures. It was lots of FUN! Here is Jacy with her Great Granparents, Rudy and Greta Campbell. Jacy was pretty facinated with Santa. She really wanted to pull on his beard and take his glasses. I think Jacy's favorite part was the snow! She wasn't it in for too long because it was so cold, but it didn't keep her from trying to eat a snowball.

We spent Thanksgiving at Roosevelt Lake this year with Grandpa John and Grandma Linda, Aunties Jennifer and Janell and Uncle Jaylen. The Seagle's, family friends, also spent the holiday weekend with us. We were sad that Justin and Jonathans families coulnd't be there with us. Jacy got an early Christmas present, an Exersaucer! She LOVES IT! It kept her busy and happy while at the lake. It was pretty cold at the Lake. Jacy was all bundled up in her new winter coat with Grandma Linda.

These were taken during family pictures the beginning of November. We can't get enough of that smile!