Wednesday, February 17, 2016

One of Them Days

Today Hannah had a 7:30 EKG and a follow up with her Cardiologist, Dr. Kimball. Everyone was out of the house by 6:30am. Zzz.

Like I’ve said, EKGs are easy - just some stickers everywhere with clips that read her heart [?]. I should be more educated on it by now, shouldn’t I?

*Edit: EKG is the process of recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed on a patient's body. These electrodes detect the tiny electrical changes on the skin that arise from the heart muscle depolarizing during each heartbeat.


Hannah did great [other than being a super-wiggly 17-mo old]. She has minor leakage with her valves which is expected after her surgery - it’s of no concern unless it gets worse which Kimball does not anticipate.




Oh look, the g-tube is IN.


Tim took Hannah back to sitter and I drove 2 miles down to my office. 

Around 12pm I got the call from our sitter we’ve been waiting 17 months for; Hannah’s g-tube came out. !@#$%^&* This actually isn’t uncommon; kids can pull them out, balloon deteriorates, etc. 





I guess Alison was tube feeding Hannah, her guess is she was pushing to hard and pressure built up that made it pop out? The g-tube was still inflated when it came out! The hole is maybe the tip of my pinky finger. Somehow it came out and Hannah didn’t even cry or react - ?! 

Either way, I’m incredibly happy I have a Mother-In-Law who lives close by. Dottie met me at our house. Alison had just taped some gauze over Hannah’s hole and had to get the big kids to preschool, then came to give us Hannah. 

The whole ordeal lasted under 1 hour - but given too much time, that hole could have closed up and thank the powers above it did not. Hannah cried pretty hard as Dottie made a few tries to get it back through. She gets over it quickly though. 

*Dottie once again - thank you for saving our butts and being there for us! 

And on a more fun, cute note: Hannah has learned to blow kisses thanks to Daddy!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Congenital Heart Defect Week

I’m going to start off with saying “Why is there a day/week/month for everything under the sun?” National Pie Day? National Adopt-A-Pet-Day? How can anyone keep track?? 

I digress.

SO - the week before [appropriately] Valentine’s Day was CHD week. I know - another awareness week, but since it’s sort of a part of me now, I will always be an advocate. 

CHDs are the #1 birth defect. 1 in 100 babies will have one - more common than you may think. Hannah’s complete AVSD was complicated, but straightforward and thankfully repair-able. We have a handful of heart buddies and everyone has something a little different. We talk about it like the weather; “Oh an ASD? Small or big? How many surgeries will it require? Who is your surgeon? Oh we loved him!”

While I never wanted to have the experience, I’m happy mine can help other families feel some solace that they will get through it, too.

I’m relieved we’re on the other side... I weigh much more this winter and my hair isn’t falling out - yay!

Monday, February 15, 2016

Photo Dump

Both girls were sick the first week of February; Nora had a horrible cough, Hannah had a fever that was fluctuating, and I felt like my head was a balloon full of snot. Tim’s action worked its way through now, too. Thankfully we’re all back to better sleeping and hopefully can fend off any more germs. 

When someone isn’t tired...

Thanks Nora! My job is done here...

Hannah asleep during lunch at the sitter’s.

A letter from Hoxworth letting me know where my blood donation was used - warm feelings!

She polished off a whole packet of oatmeal - WOO!

Nora enjoying hot cocoa after playing in the snow with the sitter’s children.

A visual of Hannah’s g-tube recipe. We have another check-in next week. She ate terribly the week she was sick - I’m praying she gained a LITTLE weight so we can progress to getting that tube out.



Friday, February 12, 2016

Friday Links

We had a long week of colds, Hannah fevers and teething [Hyland’s teething tablets rule!] - so here are two links I enjoyed this week:

What Women Around the World Pack in Their Hospital Bags

Are you kidding me? This article just validates how amazing we have it in the US [despite our awful maternity leave]; clean water alone! I can’t believe a lot of these women have to bring their own razors to cut the umbilical cord!! 

Tim Tebow's “Night to Shine”

I didn’t dislike Tim Tebow, but now have newfound respect for him.

Greg Olsen + Family

Greg Olsen plays for the Carolina Panthers and has a son born with a CHD - I love when professional athletes use their experiences to do great!

Okay, last NFL player, I swear:

Andy Dalton Foundation

I think I’ve posted about Andy Dalton’s foundation before, but it’s just fantastic how much he and his wife help out local families with serious special needs.