Some Major Catching Up

Having three kids hasn't been easy. I have really been slack about blogging. There's just not enough time in the day to get everything done. And honestly, blogging is the last thing on my mind if it's there at all!

Emma Kate had a cardiology appointment about two weeks ago. It went well. Her sats were at 82, she weighs 21 pounds. She sat perfectly still for her EKG and our visit with Dr. Cardis was great. We are still planning on holding off on the Fontan surgery as long as possible (could even be age 4 before she has it). We informed him that she is now attending 2K twice a week. He was okay with that. The germy-ness kind of scares me, but she's really enjoying the interaction and loves her teacher! She's no longer eligible to receive Synagis, but we do plan on getting flu shots in the near future. Hopefully she can fend of germs and not get sick.

Yesterday morning, however, Emma Kate woke up at 6 am with a 101.3 fever. We took her in to the after hours care at our pedi's office. Just an ear infection. Or something. But her lungs sound clear and her heart sounds good, which is what we were mostly concerned with.

We are still working on packing on the pounds with EK. Her little brother is going to pass her quickly! (He's already 13 pounds at two months old!!) I'm trying pretty much everything. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! But she eats when she's hungry, has boundless energy and seems to be growing ever so slowly.

She adores her baby brother!

She's a little jealous...

...so maybe she thought she could trick me into thinking she was her brother by wearing his bib.

First Day of School

Emma Kate's first day of school was last Thursday 8-26. It turned out to be a great day! She went right into her classroom and didn't look back. I'm so glad she's happy in her class. She loves playing with other children. I really like her teacher, Mrs. Caren. She's also the music teacher for the girls' school. We were given a copy of the class schedule, and it looks like Emma Kate will be kept very busy for the three hours she is there. When I went to pick her up at noon, she was climbing on top of one of the tables! I guess I should have warned Mrs. Caren that she's a little bit of a daredevil. Once we got home, EK talked about school non-stop and kept asking to go back. I'm so excited about this year. I think the hardest part about it will be explaining why Emma Kate can't go to school every day like her big sister!

Happy 2nd Birthday Emma Kate!

My Emma Kate,

Two years ago, you came into this world. At 4:37 p.m. on August 19, 2008, you were born. You looked absolutely perfect, and so pink! But Mommy and Daddy were scared to death. You see, when God created you, he gave you just half of a working heart. At only three days old, the doctors did everything they could so you could live, and you had your first open-heart surgery. You did amazingly well, and at less than 2 weeks old, we got to bring you home. Since then you have had a few obstacles and challenges, including a second open-heart surgery, a lengthy hospital stay and complications which led to another surgery. You have had so many people praying for you; rooting for you your entire life. And God has shown us his grace and mercy through your life every day.


And two years later, you are here! Every day, I pray that God will do a miracle in you. That He will give you a whole heart. Physically, I know God may not answer this prayer. But in every other way, I feel I can safely say that He has. There is decidedly nothing half-hearted about you. You are tiny, but you are strong; the strongest little person I know. You love to play outside and if you can't, you'll definitely make a mess inside. You aren't afraid to test your limits. You love to climb and run, jump and dance. You love, love, love your siblings. You'll do anything and everything for your big sister. And I've never seen a child love her little brother the way that you do. You're a little mama. You love babies and baby dolls. You love to read and sing; Shout to the Lord is one of your favorites. You say, "I love you" more than any other child. You are so polite, telling everyone "please" and "thank you" for everything. You're spunky, happy, content. You love to wash dishes with Mommy, take baths, jump on beds, hide in closets. You love to laugh. You're always on the move, not stopping for anything. You are hilarious, and you're always making us smile and laugh.


Emma Kate, you bring such joy to your family! We are so glad God has let us keep you. We treasure you and we have cherished every second of the last two years. You are such a blessing. We love you, our sweet little miracle! Happy birthday, my Emma Katie!

Love,
Mommy

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EK's Birthday Party

Fun new toy!

Lots of fun playing with balloons!

Dressed up in her new Tinkerbell costume playing the drums with her friend.

Getting ready for cake.

Getting shy when everyone was singing Happy Birthday to her.

Yay!

Pray for Baby Luke

I wanted to ask you all to pray for a special little boy. As of right now, he has not been born. His mommy, Kristin and I have been emailing back and forth for the past couple of months. When she first contacted me, she and her husband had just found out that their unborn baby boy, who they are naming Luke, has a special heart. Formally, he is diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, just like Emma Kate. However, there have been some interesting changes in his development as he has gotten bigger and ready for this world. According to their blog posts, Luke's left ventricle has significantly grown larger since he was initially diagnosed and his aorta appears to be of normal size! What a miracle! Of course, once Luke is born and has an echo, the doctors will know more. I know God is working in the lives of this family and I wanted to ask you all to please keep them in your prayers as they begin this journey. I personally believe that God is a God of miracles and He has the power to heal. I also believe in the power of prayer and that He can and does intercede in our lives. No matter what His plan is for Luke, I know God can work through Luke for His glory. 

Kristin is going to be induced this morning. You can keep up with their story by visiting their blog. Thank you, friends! 

Cardiology Visit

Emma Kate had a visit with her cardiologist today. She sees him every three months and has an ECHO done every six. This visit was an ECHO visit, which means the last time she had one done she was 16 months old. I remember she cried and screamed a lot during that one, so I prepared myself to expect the same thing for today's appointment. 

Boy, was I surprised! Emma Kate did absolutely wonderful during the EKG! She helped put the "stickers" on her chest and played really sweetly with the Wiggles guitar they usually use to distract her. I'm pretty sure they got a perfectly clear reading of her heart activity. Her sats were between 87 and 89! She was weighed at 20 pounds, 1 ounce.

 

After her EKG, we had a short visit with Dr. Cardis and then it was time for her ECHO. Again, I had prepared myself for a lot of wiggling and crying. But Emma Kate was perfect! I was very pleasantly surprised! The technician commented several times about how great she was doing and how she was able to get such clear pictures. My sweet big girl!

After her ECHO was finished, Dr. Cardis took a look at the pictures and told us that every part of her heart looked great! He went into a lot of detail about each part of her unique heart and said that she is one of the best cases that he follows! That news made Brooks and I tear up a little bit. I was a little nervous before this visit, only because I'm always prepared for hard news. And knowing that she is almost two (and lots of HLHS kids have the Fontan around this age), we wanted to be mentally prepared. However, we were told that potentially she could hold off on having her Fontan done for at least one to two more years, depending on her heart function, energy level and oxygen sats! Praise the Lord! We are so thankful for this news!

At the end of our visit, Emma Kate kept saying, "Doctor. 'Point-ment. Doctor Caw-dis. See you soon. 'Morrow." Ah, she makes me smile. I love that kid and I could not be happier with how today went.