Week in Review 2016: #5 and #6

Life

I dropped the ball last week and did not feeling like blogging. My husband is working 60 hours a week and it has been just me Monday-Saturday taking care of the children and the house. It's rough, but I'm still here, though some days just barely.

It has been another special week for George. This week (February 7th-14th) is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. You can click the link to read about George's journey. Thinking about everything he went through brings up a lot of memories and emotions and I cannot help but hold him a little bit tighter and for a bit longer each day. Also in George news, he had his 4-year check-up on Tuesday. He is a whopping 38 pounds, closing the gap on his 46 pound big sister. This lands him in the 70th percentile for weight. For height, he is in the 78th percentile. He's going to be a big one like his daddy! At the end of his visit, he got four shots. I ended up taking him back to the doctor today because he seems to be having a reaction to one of the vaccines (most likely DTap). On Thursday, I drew a line around the affected area to see if it was still growing and sure enough it was. There is no red line though and nothing to indicate cellulitis, so the doctor thinks it should be mostly gone by Monday. We will of course be keeping a close eye on it all weekend.

It finally snowed this afternoon. There have been a few flakes falling here and there over the past month but nothing that stuck. The children were of course excited. I did not want to go out in the snow because I was cold enough being inside. But the children wanted to go out so we did.

There was not enough snow for a big snowman so Bridget made a baby snow man with the snow that had collected on the patio table.

I wanted a picture of all three of them together. This was the best they could do.

It was no easy task getting a picture of George. He was all over the place, throwing snow balls and hitting snow off of the swing set. I was happy to end up with this one. I think he was getting ready to throw a snowball at me. 

This was the first year that Liam got to walk around in the snow. At first, he just stood there taking it all in. He didn't know what it was and he was unsure about moving. He finally did some walking and tried to pick up the snow but was unsuccessful with those huge gloves on. 

Bridget making a snow angel. The snow really wasn't deep enough to make a good one.

I got to be in a picture too. I am glad I invested in a pair of ski pants 7 years ago for that one time I went skiing. They have come in handy over the years. I kept my warm pajama pants on underneath. It is the only way I could tolerate being out there. 

Homeschool 

This past week has been a catch-up week. We've focused a lot on science and even did a scientific demonstration on camouflage that I had wanted to do when we first covered it but never got around to it in the beginning of the school year. Bridget did not mind going over what we had already learned. She loves any sort of experiment or activity to break up the usual school work.

Linking up to:

Week in Review 2015: #40

Life

Last weekend, we stocked up on food and other essentials in preparation for hurricane Joaquin. Thankfully, we did not get any damage at all. Areas south of where we live experienced a lot of flooding but we did well here. In the middle of the week, the sun made its first appearance in 12 days.

On Wednesday, we celebrated George. October 7th marks the anniversary of his open-heart surgery. This year made two years. I made a short post about it here. For a more in-depth look at our experience with George and his congenital heart defect, you can read about his journey here. Doesn't his super hero scar look great?

The following day we celebrated my dad's 64th birthday. We joined him down at the farm where the logging trucks have just begun their work of clearing the forest in preparation for planting new trees. Later in the day, we went over to my parents house for birthday cake.

We finally made a trip to the library. We've been so busy with various different things (trips, birthdays) that I had not made a much needed trip for books. Now that we finally had books for school (and for pleasure), I could get back on track. The kids were nice and quiet after we got home as they looked through their new selection of books.

Homeschool 

 

Handwriting

Bridget is finally doing her handwriting worksheets without putting up a big fuss. That's worth noting. I don't know what it is with writing. She has neat penmanship and always wants me to write stories for her as she tells them to me, but getting her to pick up a pencil and writing things on her own is worse than pulling teeth.

 

Science

We have been studying animals diets (carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore) and mammals. This week we studied big cats, beginning with lions and cheetahs. Next week we'll cover more big cats. Science is really getting fun.

 

A Few Books We've Read...

Outside and Inside Big Cats by Sandra Markle

Cats of the Wild by Alice Twine

Just Like My Papa by Toni Buzzeo

 

Family Movie Night

We finally watched African Cats! It is a great DisneyNature film following the family of a cheetah mother and her cubs and also a pride of lions. At one point, the two big cats come face to face. The movie was very well narrated and kept the kids attention. Bridget looked as if she was on the edge of her seat the entire time. It was exciting, funny, and at times heartbreaking. At one point (during a very intense part of the movie), my husband stated that this was just too stressful for him. But we all enjoyed it.

 

Next Week's Movie: TBD

 

Linking up to:

 

 

George: Two Years Post-Op!

Today is a special day, and it's a day all about George. It is not his birthday but it is a day I will remember each year for as long as I live.

 

George is now two years post-op! He had open heart surgery on October 7, 2013. It was the scariest day of my life, but he pulled through and he is stronger than ever. I am so grateful to all of his doctors and the nursing staff in the PICU who took care of him throughout this entire ordeal.

 

We are so happy to have this boy still with us. I look forward seeing him live a long and healthy life.

 



October 7, 2013 (just after open-heart surgery)



George today! Growing so big and strong!

Six Months Later

Something amazing happened yesterday and I didn't even realize it.

 

Yesterday, April 7th, marked 6 months since the Charmer's open heart surgery.

 

 

He is amazing. He has healed so well and that's why I didn't think of it.

 

I love his scar. It has faded a lot over the past 6 months, but I still love it. It reminds me of what he's been through.

 

It reminds me how strong he is. It reminds me of how incredible modern medicine is. It reminds me of how amazing the power of prayer can be. It reminds me how fragile life is, and how we should treasure every moment. It reminds me of how much I love being a mother.

 

I love how he points to his "boo-boo". I love how he giggles when I kiss it.

 

I could never change this experience because of how much I have learned from it.

 

I love my little heart warrior.

Welcome, Warm Weather!

Spring is here and the sun is shining!

 

It has been a long winter for us here in eastern North Carolina. Mild compared to other places in the U.S., but we're not used to that sort of thing down here. I lost count of how many inches of snow we've received. But we are so thrilled for it to be warm enough to enjoy playing outside.

The kids live for the outdoors. They both enjoy it in their own way.

 

Bridget wants everyone to look at her and what she's doing, over and over and over again. She's a bit needy, but she's cute.

 

George on the other hand is very independent. He plays with a pinecone or a stick for a few minutes, then moves onto something else in the yard, like the garden. I think he's going to be our little gardener this year. We'll need to get that started soon.

 

On this particular day, I realized something about George. The kids had been outside playing for well over an hour, but he hadn't yet broken a sweat. The temperature was 86 degrees, so it was plenty warm, but he was still dry. His hair was dry, skin was dry, and his cheeks were just a little bit pink. This is significant for us because of all that he had been through last year. He used to sweat a lot because his heart was enlarged and not working properly. This year is different. It's great. We are so fortunate to have two healthy children.

This entire week has been beautiful. We might be in for a rainy weekend but the temperatures don't seem to be getting lower than the 60s. We've waited a long time for this. We hope everyone else is enjoying this lovely weather, too!

George's Surgery: Days 5 & 6

Not much happened on Day 5 at the hospital. We woke up in a new room, having moved the night before. The PICU was clearing out and they wanted to move us closer to the nurse’s station. In the morning, George FINALLY pooped for us. Kinda gross to announce, but it is a big deal following major surgery to know that my little boy’s body is functioning properly. Nurse Monica was back with us again, and she attempted to get George to walk again. This time, it worked. He seemed ready and eager to get out there! His legs were still very weak but he was moving right along.

This was bittersweet, because it meant that it was time to move out of the PICU and to the Peds floor. The nurses in the PICU are some of the most amazing nurses I’ve ever met, and we especially bonded with Monica as she was our nurse the majority of the time we were there. Here is George and I packed up and (sort of) ready for the move.

 

 

Moving to the Peds floor was a major change for us, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. That first night away from the PICU was rough. George threw up twice and needed to be changed and bathed. Luckily, the nurse we had that night used to work in the PICU at a hospital in Raleigh before she moved here, and she was particularly familiar with the care needed for heart surgery patients. She was a lifesaver! She gave George some medicine to stop the vomiting and we went to sleep for the night. That was the end of the vomiting! The next morning, George woke up ready to eat some Cheerios. Doesn’t he look so happy? I enjoyed sitting with him and holding him, especially with him smiling so much. My little George was coming back to me.

After breakfast, we were allowed to go into the playroom early to pick out some toys for George to help him start standing/walking on his own. As soon as he got in there, he was all over the place! It was hard to keep up with him and at one point he fell down trying to push around a toy car. That was pretty scary, but he was fine and recovered quickly. Once we picked out a few toys, we hung out in the play room for a bit longer to play while the nurses set up and awesome play area in our room, complete with a soft playmat for him to stand on.

But before he was able to start playing, we were told that he will be getting released from the hospital at around noon!!!! The nurse took his last IV out, which he did great with except once it was finally out and she put the Band-Aid on he started crying. Go figure.

Then it was time to play! We got him out of his hospital gown and into a pajama top. The pants were a bit too long and we didn’t want him to trip over them. His legs had gotten so skinny since we first got to the hospital. I didn’t realize how much muscle mass he was losing just laying in bed until I saw him standing on those little sticks. My little boys chunky thighs were all gone. Now I can see why he was so wobbly.

Shortly after playing, the pediatric cardiologist and pediatrician came in to talk about care at home, when to call the doctor, fever concerns, etc. All that fun discharge stuff. Then all we had to do was wait for Aaron to leave work and get the van to pick us up! Once he arrived, he started loading the van while I signed the official discharge papers. Then the nurse brought in the wagon for George to leave the hospital in style. He wasn’t too sure about the wagon this time and looked rather grumpy/unsure to begin with.

But then as we started going down the hall, onto the elevator, and down the main hallway where he could see out the window, he started to get happier. Then for the first time in almost a week, we were OUTSIDE! I saw George light up as soon as we walked out the door and he could hear the cars, feel the breeze, and then he saw our van and I knew that he knew he was finally going home!

Here is Aaron and George shortly after we got home from the hospital. George was all set up on the couch with some juice and crackers, a blanket, and the TV. So happy to be home!

George's Surgery: Day 4

Nights have gotten better with more sleeping. Still not a full night’s rest, which is almost impossible to do in a hospital with vitals constantly being checked. Aaron came by early in the morning and Nurse Monica said it was time to get George out of bed and get him to start walking again. I’ve been too scared to hold him myself, for fear of injuring him, but Aaron seems to have no problem with it. So I stood by with the camera and Aaron and Nurse Monica got George out of bed and ready for some walking. This did not go well, as George’s legs were wobbly. He reminded me a lot of Bambi learning to walk for the first time. George couldn’t even hold himself up much less take a step on his own. And he was absolutely miserable being out of bed. He spent most of the time crying and we all finally just gave up and put him back in bed.



After his walking attempt, it was time to remove a drainage tube! He also got a new IV started in his hand because the old one was getting irritated. The best thing that happened was that George got his central line in his neck removed!!!! This meant that George got to have his arm restraints taken off and could give his teddy bear a great big hug. As you can see, it wasn’t very much fun for him to get these things removed, and he did a lot of crying and straining and worked up quite a sweat. But he does look content now holding his teddy bear and being able to lie on his side.

He was quite pouty for the rest of the morning. Too much going on, I suppose.

We got a new nurse in the afternoon, named Elise and she had a wonderful idea of taking George on a wagon ride around the PICU. I had the task of lifting him out of bed and putting him in the wagon. I was so nervous about it and it was the first time I held him in days. It was special, yet scary for me.

 

George was not too happy about being taken out of his bed and being put in the wagon. He did not know what was about to happen. But once the wagon started moving, you could see him just begin to relax. He sure was a cute little guy! After doing a couple of laps around the PICU, the nurse practitioner suggested that we take him around the rest of the children’s hospital. So off we went!

 

 

With the children’s hospital still being very new, the halls and waiting areas were very quiet. We stopped by a fish tank just outside the special care nursery. It was here that Nurse Elise felt we should try to get George to walk again. George was not happy about this but he did take a few steps with some assistance. He wanted to get back in the wagon so we made him walk to the wagon.

Once back in the wagon, he decided to be pouty again. But the rest of us were very happy with his accomplishment. Here he is with Nurse Elise.

To cheer him again, we went downstairs to the lobby to check out the “wall”. He enjoyed popping all of the bubbles but it was time to head back up to the PICU.

It was time to put him back in his bed and then he spent the rest of the evening entertaining us! He began making his big smiles again, showing lots of teeth as he was playing with his Papa. He also enjoyed some graham crackers and some banana. I was so happy that he was finally eating real food again!