December-January Catch Up

Hey faithful blog readers! December was such a busy month for our family and I have lots of stories to share! At the beginning of the month, if you remember, Emma Kate had a regular appointment with her cardiologist. It is a blessing that we have nothing new to report. EK was perfect through the whole appointment. Her EKG and echo went well, and her heart function still looks great. Dr. Cardis only brought up the Fontan (final stage of surgery) to say that he didn't feel it was time for it yet. EK's oxygen saturations hovered around their normal, which was 82-83. Her energy level is really good, she doesn't get over tired in her normal, daily routine, which is what we like to see. When these specific factors begin to change, or if her heart function starts to decrease, it is at that point that her team with begin discussing specifics on when her Fontan will take place. Cardis cleared her for our flight to Hawaii, too!

We flew out on December 13th for an eight day vacation to Honolulu. On the flight there, we ended up having oxygen with us and a pulse oximeter. EK did not need continuous oxygen, which was awesome. But we did need it a few times. However, the lowest her sats got was about 72-73. I was pretty impressed. I think I scared myself into thinking she would drop down into the 60s. I'm so glad I was wrong. 

When we arrived at the airport, it was night time and it was very HOT and muggy, which was especially weird since it had been snowing when we flew out of Atlanta. The kids were exhausted, as were the grown ups. We actually stayed in Waikiki Beach, which was beautiful. It was very surreal to be in such a tropical place in the winter time. I can see how it would be easy to lose track of time in a place like that when all the months of the year carry the same weather patterns. For us, the weather was perfect and we had such a great time. The girls enjoyed the beach and the sightseeing we did. It was hard for them to appreciate that we were in such a cool place, of course, but I am glad that we were all there.

The beach was such a hit with the girls! The sand was totally different than the sand we are used to! Normally, when we go to the beach, it is somewhere in Florida or South Carolina, and the sand is very soft. The sand was quite coarse and harsh on our skin in Hawaii. The girls didn't like that. The water was also pretty cold. We had to keep bringing Emma Kate up to our beach chairs every now and then to warm her up. She would get so cold and turn purple-y blue and start shivering. It was hard to stop her from playing, she didn't understand why she had to get out of the water.

We returned home on December 21st and spent Christmas here at home before flying up to Virginia to visit my parents and brother. We had a great time there, just relaxing and spending time with family. Brooks and I took the kids into DC one day. We went up the Washington Monument, which held amazing views from the top! We also went to the Museum of American History and spent far too little time there. I wish we could have explored the entire place!

 

Showing off some of the contents of her stocking Christmas morning. The kid has Bieber Fever. I need to get a video up of her singing!

  

 They love their Uncle Zach!

Emma Kate is trying on one of the wooden shoes my parents got in Holland many years ago.

EK's favorite activity while at Nana & Papas house: lining up the baby Jesus' from each nativity. 

The girls adored the largest dollhouse in the US and wanted to take it home.

The view from the top of WaMo. 555 5/8 feet!

Nana & Knox. And Aunt Erin's painting. I think she did a great job, even if she is 25. 

Haha! Love you, Erin!

Little mama helping me feed her baby brother. 

I'm so glad we are back home now and into our routine again. We're back to work, school and church and visiting with friends. Good to be home. Right now I am getting in gear for CHD Awareness Week 2011. Still trying to decide what unique ways I can spread awareness in our community. If you have any you'd like to share, I would love to hear about them!