This will only last about 5 minutes, but I'll enjoy it while it does! (And waste that time on the computer....)
27 February 2008
22 February 2008
The Moments
I've heard it said that you choose to stay home as a mother so you don't miss the moments. This was one of them. This morning I promised the girls we'd go to the library after their naps so Lily could check out her favorite book, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. They dutifully took their naps and when they woke up, we excitedly bundled into coats and boots to make a snowy trip to the library. My keys weren't in their usual spot, so I ran to the van to see if I'd left them in there...I found them...in the ignition...accompanied by a dead battery. I had to come inside and break the news to the kids -- Lily was understandably shattered. As I sat on the couch with her trying to explain that I'd take her to the library when her daddy fixed the van, Chloe came over and said, "I know, Lily, let's make a library in our house! We'll get my little play house from downstairs and I'll be the librarian. It will be really fun." She got out books and baskets and organized everything. Lily was so happy! I was so surprised and proud that Chloe would come up with such a solution to make her sister feel better. They've been playing and "reading" books inside for about 20 minutes already and are having a ball. Just one of "those" moments. Glad I was here to witness it.
20 February 2008
An Update on Brigham
I've had a lot of you lately ask me how Brigham is doing, so for those of you wondering, this post's for you!
A little refresher course on Brigham's heart condition:
He has a congenital heart defect called L-TGA or Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries. Interpreted, 2/3rds of Brigham's heart is backwards. His Pulmonary Artery and Aorta are transposed (which is what "blue baby" syndrome is) and his right and left ventricle are also transposed (his left ventricle pumps blue blood to his lungs and his right ventricle pumps red blood to his body, unlike ours). The way I like to describe his condition is "the blood goes to the correct places, but the wrong parts are performing the labor." So, what this means for Brig is he's a fairly normal kid, but his heart cannot continue functioning the way it does in the long term because the right ventricle isn't physiologically designed to pump against the pressure of the body. Left alone, his heart would most likely fail in his early 30s which would lead to a heart transplant.
He also has two VSDs (ventricular septal defects or holes in the wall between his ventricles) which are quite minor, as they typically grow in over a period of about 5 years.
The treatment options are to either leave the heart alone and let the chips fall where they may (there have been cases of untreated L-TGA where the patient lives into his or her 70s without any significant setbacks -- these cases are certainly not the "average," though) OR to have the "double switch procedure" performed. This is a somewhat new (15 years) surgery where the surgeons detach and properly reattach the Pulmonary Artery and Aorta (switch #1) and, as it is physiologically impossible to "switch" the ventricles, re-plumb the left and right ventricles through a complicated "baffle" system - they will cut and stitch tunnels throughout the ventricles to re-route the blood to the correct ventricles. (switch #2)...hence, "double switch." I apologize if I am getting too technical here. This will allow him to keep his own heart for, hopefully, his entire life and maintain a mostly symptom-free life. There will most likely be a need for a pace-maker at some point, but that's a pretty simple procedure.
So, after a tremendous amount of research, advice, meetings with the surgeons, prayers, and fasting, Stanton & I made the decision that Brigham should have the double-switch procedure. Brigham's left ventricle (LV) had already become quite flabby and thin due to the little "exercise" it receives pumping against the pressure of the lungs, so in February he had a band placed on his Pulmonary Artery. This band, as his heart grows, becomes tighter, thus causing a sort of resistance training for his LV so that it will become strong enough to perform its function
as the systemic ventricle.
He came through that surgery pretty well, but 6 weeks later had to have what's called a pericardialcentesis (drawing fluid off the pericardium - the sac around the heart). He had a pretty rare reaction to the heart surgery and had a very large amount of fluid accumulate around his heart. It caused RSV-like symptoms, so it wasn't diagnosed until he had some much more severe symptoms (one of the most frightening moments of my life). Thankfully this procedure was simple and successful. Now we wait until the LV is strong enough to endure the double-switch. At his last appointment in December, we began to see some progress in that area. His doctors now anticipate the surgery will be in the next several months, rather than few years, although nothing is guaranteed. My frequent hope is that it will be while he's still too young to remember much of the pain.
Right now, we are enjoying a very healthy boy who has hit all of those great milestones you eagerly await with every child. He walks, he makes cute attempts at words, he plays, he gets black eyes.
He gets into the bathtub fully clothed.
And he generally makes life much, much brighter.
Your prayers, words of support, letters, phone calls, tears, and genuine love have carried us and him through the emotional journey this has been and continues to be. We love you and pray for you, as well. We are so grateful that in the midst of the heartache that comes when your child has a health problem, we have felt the spirit of the Lord comforting us through the acts of others and the feelings of peace and trust that come only by that Spirit.
A little refresher course on Brigham's heart condition:
He has a congenital heart defect called L-TGA or Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries. Interpreted, 2/3rds of Brigham's heart is backwards. His Pulmonary Artery and Aorta are transposed (which is what "blue baby" syndrome is) and his right and left ventricle are also transposed (his left ventricle pumps blue blood to his lungs and his right ventricle pumps red blood to his body, unlike ours). The way I like to describe his condition is "the blood goes to the correct places, but the wrong parts are performing the labor." So, what this means for Brig is he's a fairly normal kid, but his heart cannot continue functioning the way it does in the long term because the right ventricle isn't physiologically designed to pump against the pressure of the body. Left alone, his heart would most likely fail in his early 30s which would lead to a heart transplant.
He also has two VSDs (ventricular septal defects or holes in the wall between his ventricles) which are quite minor, as they typically grow in over a period of about 5 years.
The treatment options are to either leave the heart alone and let the chips fall where they may (there have been cases of untreated L-TGA where the patient lives into his or her 70s without any significant setbacks -- these cases are certainly not the "average," though) OR to have the "double switch procedure" performed. This is a somewhat new (15 years) surgery where the surgeons detach and properly reattach the Pulmonary Artery and Aorta (switch #1) and, as it is physiologically impossible to "switch" the ventricles, re-plumb the left and right ventricles through a complicated "baffle" system - they will cut and stitch tunnels throughout the ventricles to re-route the blood to the correct ventricles. (switch #2)...hence, "double switch." I apologize if I am getting too technical here. This will allow him to keep his own heart for, hopefully, his entire life and maintain a mostly symptom-free life. There will most likely be a need for a pace-maker at some point, but that's a pretty simple procedure.
So, after a tremendous amount of research, advice, meetings with the surgeons, prayers, and fasting, Stanton & I made the decision that Brigham should have the double-switch procedure. Brigham's left ventricle (LV) had already become quite flabby and thin due to the little "exercise" it receives pumping against the pressure of the lungs, so in February he had a band placed on his Pulmonary Artery. This band, as his heart grows, becomes tighter, thus causing a sort of resistance training for his LV so that it will become strong enough to perform its function
as the systemic ventricle.
He came through that surgery pretty well, but 6 weeks later had to have what's called a pericardialcentesis (drawing fluid off the pericardium - the sac around the heart). He had a pretty rare reaction to the heart surgery and had a very large amount of fluid accumulate around his heart. It caused RSV-like symptoms, so it wasn't diagnosed until he had some much more severe symptoms (one of the most frightening moments of my life). Thankfully this procedure was simple and successful. Now we wait until the LV is strong enough to endure the double-switch. At his last appointment in December, we began to see some progress in that area. His doctors now anticipate the surgery will be in the next several months, rather than few years, although nothing is guaranteed. My frequent hope is that it will be while he's still too young to remember much of the pain.
Right now, we are enjoying a very healthy boy who has hit all of those great milestones you eagerly await with every child. He walks, he makes cute attempts at words, he plays, he gets black eyes.
He gets into the bathtub fully clothed.
And he generally makes life much, much brighter.
Your prayers, words of support, letters, phone calls, tears, and genuine love have carried us and him through the emotional journey this has been and continues to be. We love you and pray for you, as well. We are so grateful that in the midst of the heartache that comes when your child has a health problem, we have felt the spirit of the Lord comforting us through the acts of others and the feelings of peace and trust that come only by that Spirit.
18 February 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE!
Well, we celebrated Chloe's 4th birthday on Saturday. Can't believe it's happened. We had pictures of her going from the time she was born to now and it was pretty crazy to relive and remember all the great moments she's given us! What a joy.
A few things I love about her:
She really enjoyed all of her presents from the books from Lily & Brigham and Grandma J, to the "dollars!" from her grandparents, to the new Bitty Baby clothes from us, to the Rose Petal Cottage from Grandma Judy & Grandpa David. But the winner of "Present Most Likely to Make Dad Lock All the Doors 'Til Chloe's 23rd Birthday" is....... the beautiful wedding dress dress-up from Grandma & Grandpa Rose. It was really beautiful and she felt really special wearing it (pretty obvious from the pictures!). It made Lily very happy that her big sis was willing to share the fun. It really was a glimpse into the future seeing them in that dress and caused quite a lump in Stanton's and my throats.
This was a really fun birthday party. Thanks Jimmy & Rachel, Mom & Dad Allen, Grandma Allen, Grandma Barbara, Mom & Dad Rose, and Grandma J for taking the time to come. It made for a very fun party for a very happy little girl.
A few things I love about her:
- Her intelligence. We really can't to the s-p-e-l-l things out thing anymore, as she is starting to sound out and read words!
- Her smile & her laugh. She has dimples that have to be 1/2" deep! She really lights up when something makes her happy.
- Her tender heart. She is aware of others' feelings (although that doesn't mean she always cares about them!) and is quick to show remorse when she knows she's hurt them.
- Her budding testimony. I love hearing her recite her Articles of Faith and I love seeing the lightbulb click on when a little principle of the Gospel suddenly makes sense.
She really enjoyed all of her presents from the books from Lily & Brigham and Grandma J, to the "dollars!" from her grandparents, to the new Bitty Baby clothes from us, to the Rose Petal Cottage from Grandma Judy & Grandpa David. But the winner of "Present Most Likely to Make Dad Lock All the Doors 'Til Chloe's 23rd Birthday" is....... the beautiful wedding dress dress-up from Grandma & Grandpa Rose. It was really beautiful and she felt really special wearing it (pretty obvious from the pictures!). It made Lily very happy that her big sis was willing to share the fun. It really was a glimpse into the future seeing them in that dress and caused quite a lump in Stanton's and my throats.
This was a really fun birthday party. Thanks Jimmy & Rachel, Mom & Dad Allen, Grandma Allen, Grandma Barbara, Mom & Dad Rose, and Grandma J for taking the time to come. It made for a very fun party for a very happy little girl.
15 February 2008
Ahhh...Hawaii
Well, we had a great trip to Hawaii this year. We left the kids with a babysitter (thanks Adam & Angie!!) for two weeks and lived it up like single people! While we were there we stayed on Oahuvisited Kauai with Jim and Rachel. We went whale watching (it was awesome!), snorkeling (swam around with a sea turtle for a while), watched some incredible waves and equally incredible surfers on them, played in the ocean, layed on the beach, visited the flea market, read books (4! what an indulgence!), ate amazing food, and enjoyed each others' company. It was definitely a trip to remember.
A really great part of the trip was that when it was over, we were totally ready to come home! To snow! More truthfully, to our kids! It was so great to see them after such a long time away and they did not disappoint!!! They were thrilled with the Hawaiian dresses/shirts, flutes, ukelele, seashells, etc we brought home and have really played with them a lot since we've been home.
The best part of coming home was finding that our babysitters had potty trained Lily! The day after we left she started telling them she needed to tinkle and by the time we got home she was wearing panties! It was so great! I think when Brigham is about 3, we'll do another of these trips!
A few pictures from the trip...
*With Jim & Rachel on Kauai -- the scenery was incredible on this island
*This is me on Dramamine
*Nate & Emily
*Because of the rain, we saw more waterfalls than we've seen before. Amazing!
*At the Pali lookout. Stanton decided to grow a beard during our trip. It got shaved when the girls were scared of him when we got home!
*Dave & Judy
*Striking a pose with Julie & Rachel. This is at a temple ruin, which makes it even more sacreligious!
*Don & Ann
*Scott perpetuating the Mormon polygamy myth
And a few from our return...
*Some very cute keiki
*Lily & Chloe as hula girls
*Brigham "Don Ho" Allen
A really great part of the trip was that when it was over, we were totally ready to come home! To snow! More truthfully, to our kids! It was so great to see them after such a long time away and they did not disappoint!!! They were thrilled with the Hawaiian dresses/shirts, flutes, ukelele, seashells, etc we brought home and have really played with them a lot since we've been home.
The best part of coming home was finding that our babysitters had potty trained Lily! The day after we left she started telling them she needed to tinkle and by the time we got home she was wearing panties! It was so great! I think when Brigham is about 3, we'll do another of these trips!
A few pictures from the trip...
*With Jim & Rachel on Kauai -- the scenery was incredible on this island
*This is me on Dramamine
*Nate & Emily
*Because of the rain, we saw more waterfalls than we've seen before. Amazing!
*At the Pali lookout. Stanton decided to grow a beard during our trip. It got shaved when the girls were scared of him when we got home!
*Dave & Judy
*Striking a pose with Julie & Rachel. This is at a temple ruin, which makes it even more sacreligious!
*Don & Ann
*Scott perpetuating the Mormon polygamy myth
And a few from our return...
*Some very cute keiki
*Lily & Chloe as hula girls
*Brigham "Don Ho" Allen
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