big day

Morgan went to her very first gymnastics lesson today! She was so excited. So excited, in fact, that once she got there, she was a little tired from being so excited all afternoon. She had a little trouble listening and following instructions. Still, it was her first time in a group setting like that, so she has time to learn that stuff. I think this will be really good for her. Ryan took her to the lesson (I stayed home to feed Athan), and he said the picture opportunities are slim. Here's some "before" pics (thanks for the outfit, Nana) and one semi-action shot:

i'm back

Athan did not sleep well while Morgan and Ryan were gone, and it has taken me a while to catch up! :) I think we're all finally back to our routine and sleeping more. Not much else to report, so I'll just post some of our recent favorite pics:

Playing together with the big bear in Morgan's room (thanks, Uncle Faba):
Seminary baby:
On dad, they look ok, but on ME...!:

From the living room, I heard "Mom, how did I get up here?":

Ryan and Morgan made it home. It has been so fun to listen to Morgan's telling of the trip! :)

Athan and I have been trying to catch up on sleep we missed over the weekend.

That's 'bout it for now. :)

OT eval and PT visit

We met Twila today, who came to evaluate Athan's development from the perspective of an occupational therapist. It was an encouraging meeting! She had some suggestions of new things to try with Athan, and she noted some developmental delay. However, she was pleasantly surprised at his skills, and indicated that he only has mild delay. We will be speaking with the rest of our First Steps team to amend our plan, but it looks like we will be seeing Twila more as an occasional consultant rather than a regular therapist.

Laurie also came for PT, and he worked pretty hard today. Athan was still in a good mood despite all his hard work, though he is starting to let us know more of his opinions about some of the things that challenge him in therapy! I think he is already trying to charm his way out of working hard! :0)

I talked to Ryan earlier today, and he and Morgan seem to be having a great trip. Uncle Layne gets to play for the state championship this Saturday. Athan and I wish him lots of luck from Kentucky!

more meds

Dr. Coburn prescribed another round of antibiotics, and some Robitussin. He is asleep, finally. Poor guy.

I should sleep, too! :)

They're off

Ryan and Morgan left a few hours ago, and are en route to Albuquerque. Ryan called to report that Morgan has already charmed the pilot into a visit to the cockpit and free TV for the trip to Denver. That's our girl! :)

Athan and I are having a very quiet evening. We were treated to dinner with the Herons, and we've spent the rest of our time assembling his new ExerSaucer. Hopefully, we'll both get some sleep soon.

We go see Dr. Coburn tomorrow to see if we can kick this cough and congestion to be ready for surgery. I'll write when we get home.

PT today

Laurie came today, but it wasn't our best session ever. He was tired, and he still has this silly cough. We'll go see Dr. Coburn Wednesday morning to see if there's anything else we can do to get him well (in case the surgeon calls and we are nearing surgery).

Morgan and Ryan head out tomorrow to go to New Mexico to watch Uncle Laynee-Pie play in the state tournament. Athan and I will be staying here and listening in on the Internet. Go Wildcats!

a lesson on inedibles

Just when you think you're a good parent sometimes, your daughter escapes the watchful eyes of her mother (Ryan wants it clear that he was home with Athan) and 8 other adults to sneak into the neighbor's bathroom and eat 3/4 of a tube of toothpaste. An evening that includes a call to Poison Control is not likely to win me the nomination for Mother of the Year, huh? (She's fine. She drank a little milk - which we're told takes care of the fluoride - and has not complained of feeling bad at all.)

Athan still has this lingering snot/cough thing. Our busy week turned into a week of canceling and rescheduling appointments. Unless he seems too sick, we'll start up PT again on Monday, and go from there.

today

Athan is sick again, poor guy. A head cold. Lots of snot and a hacking cough, plus the occasion triggering of the gag reflex by the drainage. Yucky. We postponed the appointment with the OT.

We did, however, keep the appointment with cardiology this morning. Still nothing new about timing. We don't have dates yet, just a sequence. As soon as the surgeon's licensure paperwork clears, they will call us for an initial consult. Then we'll schedule a pre-op visit for bloodwork, etc. Then surgery. All this in the next couple months.

We also learned more about Athan's condition and the surgery. It cleared up some misconception and old information for us: First, we thought Athan had an ASD (hole in the wall between the upper chambers of his heart) and a VSD (hole in the wall between the lower chambers). In fact the VSD he had at birth has closed on its own! :) He still has 2 holes, but they are both in the upper chamber. Also, one of his valves is leaking. Initially, we weren't sure if they would address this surgically, but we found out today they can and will. It sounds simple - "a couple of stitches" for the valve is how Dr. K explained it. Even with the valve issue, Athan's proceedure will not be very complex, as heart surgeries go.

Ok, gotta go. Mr. Snot needs Mama! :)

Rolling Milestones!

more movement

We're working on a way to post a video of Athan's newfound mobility skills, but I can hardly wait to show you! He is much more motivated to move around now. It may be a while before he figures out he can crawl, but he can certainly get where he wants to go now! :)

We have a full week for our boy: We have physical therapy on Monday. Tuesday morning we'll go in to see cardiology (Dr. K wants to make sure the site of his cath is healing, and talk to us in detail about the results and surgery). That afternoon we'll have an evaluation by an occupational therapist (through First Steps) to see how Athan is doing with small motor skills. Thursday morning Amanda will be here for his VIPS therapy, and Laurie again Thursday afternoon for physical therapy. Whew! I'll post updates when I have time.

a simple new skill

A few minutes ago, my son rolled from his back to his tummy and "skooched" his way forward 6 or 8 inches in order to chew on several of his sister's books.

I teared up a little.

long night, and welcome relief

We had another sleepless night list night. Athan slept about 45 minutes between 10 last night and 4 this morning. Poor kiddo. It just seemed like he could not relax enough to sleep. Dr. Irene said it wasn't endo, but I'm still convinced it was his stress dose of Cortef keeping him up. We're back to regular maintenance dose today, and he has had a MUCH better day.

Also, welcome with us our new friend Charis. She will be here 3 mornings a week to help with the kids so Ryan can work on school and I can sleep! :) If I'm not asleep, I can get errands or just some "me time" during those hours. Charis is a wonderful woman who is great with the kids and very patient with me, too! :) We are so very grateful to have her in our lives.

cardio

We did hear from the cardiologist. Basically, they just confirmed what we already knew: Athan needs to have surgery, and it will be sometime in the next couple of months. The new surgeon just moved here from California, and he is waiting on his Kentucky licensure paperwork to go through. As soon as he is officially able to start work, Athan will be one of the first surgeries scheduled. They will be calling us for a pre-op visit as soon as they can (which could be days, weeks, or up to a month). I'll write again when we hear from them, so you'll know when we know.

Thanks for staying near us with prayers, comments, e-mails, and calls. We remain awed and grateful to all of you.

Morgan's sleeping, Athan's not

Morgan is, for the first time since Athan was born, consistently sleeping through the night in her own bed and taking good naps. Yeah for Morgan! :)

Athan, however, was awake yesterday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the exception of about 20 minutes. Crazy, huh?! He was a little extra fussy, a lot extra clingy, but as long as I was holding him, he was happy. It is tough to guess a cause with this kiddo - heart stuff? endo? bronchiolitis? meds? or normal baby stuff - constipation or tummy ache? aaahh! I don't know, exactly, but after eliminating one thing then the other, I think it has to do with his Cortef dose. We'll be back on his normal med schedule tomorrow, so hopefully that will mean more sleep for us all - especially baby boy!

feeling better

Athan is still raspy and coughing, but it is also evident that he just feels much better. He is sleeping and eating well, and he is playing more when he is awake. We will still be pretty cautious with him through the weekend, but I think he is certainly heading in a good direction.

Ryan and I have both taken some good naps the past couple of days, so I think we've recovered from the short night before his cath.

saw Dr. Coburn this a.m.

After speaking to the cardiologists yesterday, we decided it was best just to see Athan's pediatrician. Dr. Coburn worked us in this morning. Athan has bronchiolitis (bronchitis for babies, kinda). He gave us meds (antibiotic and some stuff to break up the congestion in his chest), so we'll get those in him next time he eats.

The good news is that this is an upper respiratory infection. If the infection was in his lower respiratory system, he would probably have to be hospitalized because of what that kind of infection can do with his heart condition. Hopefully the meds will prevent it from spreading.

I also have a call into Dr. Irene to see how we should adjust his endo medications in light of his recent cath and his current illness. We should have all the dosages worked out and in him in a couple hours.

Athan's sick

We've talked to Dr. Vranicar (surgeon who did the procedure yesterday), Katie (Dr. K's nurse), and his pediatrician, and everyone seems to agree that it is NOT a side-effect of the cath. He probably just picked up a bug or something at the hospital. He has quite a rattle in his breathing and has been coughing off and all all day. He had a slight fever, but not for long. He is acting like his usual happy self most of the time, and he's sleeping a little more than usual. We'll keep watching and keep you updated.

pics from the day

before:just waking up in recovery:
first clear liquids back in the room:

Got to come home-

We recovered back on the pediatric floor for a few hours, and left the hospital around 4. We're home now, and everyone seems to be tired, but good. Athan is not quite himself, of course, but he has played some this afternoon and is eating well. Morgan had so much fun with her friends she didn't want to come home! :) Ryan and I are groggy, but functional. It'll take us a couple of days to get the sleep back, I think.

We were blessed with dinner for the next two nights - thank you friends. We should be able to have a slow going evening for now.

Once again, how can we possibly thank you for your prayers?