Cute Longies!

Aren't these the cutest knitted pants (Longies)? Thanks Terri for you hard work! They seem so comfy.

I'm a little tired....

But not too tired to talk on the phone.

Mommy it's for you!

Before you get excited, no she's not standing on her own. She does it for a few seconds and then leans back on the couch. But she's trying!

Alex had fun today working on his Mr. Potato Head Pumpkin. He's so serious about his work.

Very Serious!

The finished Product!

Marcelina thought she'd just be goofy for the camera!

So we saw Dr. Bailey today. He is Angelina's CT surgeon. Not only is he well known in his field (performed Baby Fae's baboon heart transplant 26 years ago yesterday) but he must be one of the kindest surgeons I know. He never down plays my questions, he gives me the honest truth without sugar-coating it. Yet I feel reassured by him. I've heard nurses say that no matter how well or how much he does and succeeds, he doesn't take credit for it. Instead he is thankful that his hands are tools for HIM. He is humble through it all and gives all credit to the Lord.
He is never rushed when he sees us. He always has a special twinkle in his eyes. He manages to sweet talk Angelina, reassure me, and chat with little Alex. I am so greatful that we have him.
Like I had mentioned before, our date is set for December 30th. Angelina is sooooo close to walking. She wants us to hold her hands and walk her everywhere. Once you get her started you can't get her to sit down. I am so proud of her.
I am almost afraid to say we are staying healthy right now. We've all gotten our flu shots and Angelina's started her synergis shots. Little Alex has been fighting a cold, he's such a trooper, he swears he's not sick.
My last bit of news is bad. My hubby got laid off a little over a week and a half ago. We are trying to stay positive. So while he looks for something new, I will be picking up extra shifts at work. Thank goodness there's overtime available at work. It does bum me out though. 1st because the economy is so bad right now, that I do hope he finds something soon. 2nd, I don't want to be too tired for my babies. We have our routine, and while I may complain about the running around...it's what I do. I'm the Mommy, I take care of my monsters.
So thanks for checking in on us.... and keep us in your prayers.

Cruising around....almost there!

Angelina is all over the place! She gets brave and tries to stand by herself. Can't wait for those first unassisted steps! By they way our surgery date is December 30th.

Making Mommy laugh!

So glad my babies can give me a good chuckle!

Mommy's Corner

Since this blog is mostly about Angelina, VCFS & CHD, I've started a new one. You know just about everyday mommy stuff! So please visit when you can! Yes I will be bragging (and possibly venting) more about my 2 other monsters!

Feeling so much better!

I think Angelina is finally feeling 100% herself again. She is playful, and flashing her silly smile all the time. I noticed she was still getting a little bit flushed Wednesday night, but that was the last of it! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Just got home today...

Yes today not yesterday like was planned. The heart cath went well, her pressures were good and she's ready for her Fontan. As usual she came out very agitated from the anesthesia. So it was a bit difficult to keep her flat and calm. After a while she did calm down and we both fell asleep.

Waiting in the lobby to get called in.

Ok we are on the gurney!

Let me double check these consents!

So after our nap, I notice Angelina's face is starting to get flushed, she's feeling warm and she's getting agitated again. Her temperature was ok but her face started to get more beet red and she's more upset. By this point she is so upset that now she's turning blue and her sats start dropping. And you know that the last thing an agitated baby wants is a oxygen mask on. And if this wasn't enough her face starts really puffing up! Her poor eyes puffed up and for some reason her left side is worse than her right. So both the anesthesiologist and the cardiologist get called back to her bedside. By this time the redness spreads to her arms and her left leg. She was cath'd in her right groin and her right foot which was previously warm is now cool. Am I worried? Just a bit!!!
Its decided it has nothing to do with her circulation and its probably an allergic reaction to something. Her lungs sound clear and the chest Xray looks good. So finally a while after getting some steroids and benadryl she goes to sleep and the redness starts to fade. And now she's bought herself an overnight stay.

The puffiness has gone way down in the above pictures and she's not red anymore. As you can tell she is NOT a happy camper!

The pictures below were from this morning. She was feeling better and ready for breakfast.

She had one more episode last night of getting flushed, sounding raspy and getting agitated. They gave her benadryl and it seemed to help. Luckily they let us go home. She occasionally sounds raspy but I think its also from being intubated. We'll keep giving her benadryl for tonight and hope she is even better tomorrow. At least her appetite is good and she did flash a few smiles at the doctors and nurses.
So now the next step is to see an Allergist. She's very sensitive to things, so I am interested in seeing this specialist.
Thanks for checking on us!

Friday is share day....

Angelina starts off friendly, patting her cousin on the back...

Wait this is my pony!


And this is my mommy (even if she is disheveled!)

Not looking too happy about share day!

I love that Angelina can climb on her pony all by herself. She bounces on it and loves making the music go off....still doesn't like to share though!

Here's Angelina communicating with Mommy...

I'm hungry! She loves cheerios.

Have you seen her silly new smile? She has 4 teeth and 2 molars coming out at the same time.

Heart Cath

Today Angelina has her heart cath. We check in at 8:30, and her cath is scheduled for 10:30. Angelina usually comes out of general anesthesia very agitated and unhappy. So please send your prayers and happy thoughts our way!