*Facepalm*

That last post was not quite it. I forgot the best piece of news from the last month or so, and since this blog started off as a way to keep friends and family informed about Drew and how he was doing in his journey with CHD, I would be remiss if I didn't post about his latest appointment.

We hadn't been to see his cardiologist since May, 2010. At that appointment, she told us we didn't have to come back for 18 months. Then, when we had Emmett and he had his echo, she seemed surprised by that. But, I digress. We went to his appointment about 2 weeks ago. I was sick to my stomach that whole week in anticipation of it...and yes, it was the same week that E fell down our basement stairs. OF COURSE!

So, we get through all the testing, etc, and his cardiologist comes in. She is asking question after question - to Drew this time - so this part was pretty entertaining, to say the least. Finally, she exams him and then, gives me the news. He is doing wonderfully. His surgeon repaired the PS in such a way that his MPA is staying open, only slightly stenotic (still considered mild). He has his murmur and his left axis deviation still, probably always will, but for now, he is doing amazingly well. His heart is "fabulous." Furthermore, we do not need to go back until November...2013! PRAISE GOD.

Please believe me when I say I do not take this blessing lightly. I know how fortunate we are. We are extraordinarily blessed that a) Drew's CHD was caught when he was young, b) we live where we do with the exemplary pediatric cardiac care our metro area has, c) he was monitored closely, d) his surgeon performed a relatively new technique, allowing more of his own tissue to remain -- thus allowing for his valve to grow with him and continue to stay open. We are beyond blessed. Drew is healthy (outside of what's going around this season -- he's had croup a third time as well, and E currently has it a second time!), active, funny, and most importantly, here.

God is so very good.

Catching Up

Well. It's been some time since I posted here, huh?

In late October, we were fortunate to be able to go on a mini family vacation to Great Wolf Lodge. Drew has a BLAST. We had this trip planned for awhile, but only told him of it the day we were going. Bill was called out of town on a business trip a little bit south of the Lodge, so we decided to go with him and then, visit my family in Pittsburgh. We spent a whirlwind 22 hours in the 'burgh, but I am so glad we went! We got to visit with many relatives in that short amount of time and it was well worth the extreme exhaustion I suffered from the entire next day!

Great Wolf Lodge was oodles of fun! Drew loved the water park (as did Emmett), and he loved the arcade and other activities just as much -- especially the nightly story time show and dance party. I would recommend GWL to families with young children, and would suggest packing your own food and drinks as well. It really helps to keep the trip affordable, and cuts down on crappy eating. We only purchased dinner while we were there and brought everything else. We left GWL with a "gift," however - Drew came down with the croup for the second time our last night there. And Emmett came down with it about one week later. Good times!

Just as we were coming out of the sickie haze that seemed to plague our house, I messed up. I asked Drew to get his shoes on for school and went about brushing my teeth without realizing that Drew getting his shoes meant the gate being open. Emmett's latest talent is crawling, and he's fast. Naturally, since I wasn't being as attentive as I should've been, he found his way to the stairs. And down he went. 11 stairs in all. One sickening thump after another, followed by screams, as panic rose in my body and I ran from the bathroom to our basement landing.

I would love to tell you I handled the situation calmly. That would be a lie.

I freaked out. Called 911 and had EMS come over because I at least had the presence of mind to understand that me driving him to the hospital in that condition would be a bad decision. EMS checked him out and advised us to still go to the hospital, where they called a trauma code. While my sweet boy was being poked and prodded, I was beating myself up internally. The kind souls on the trauma team saw through my pitiful attempts at being in control of my emotions and assured me they see this daily, it was not my fault, and these things happen.

I'd love to tell you these words comforted me in this moment, but...well, you get the idea.

We spent the entire morning in the ER for observation and waiting on the CT scan results...in addition, he needed to eat and keep the food down. Thankfully, he was completely fine and we were released in the early afternoon. Lesson learned, we installed a better gate that night. Mr Curious still crawls right over to it, but this time, there is no way he's going down any stairs because no one but an adult can open it.

So, there you have the "highlights" from the last month or so. We also celebrated Thanksgiving with Bill's family. We have much to be thankful for this year -- two healthy boys, a warm house, food on the table, clothes on our backs and employment. We try to be always mindful of our blessings, even when it's difficult. We are in the throws of the holiday season now, and that can be an especially difficult time to remember to slow down, be still and be grateful what with all the hustle and bustle and people forgetting this is supposed to be the "most wonderful time of the year." Of course, as Christians, we also recognize that the real reason we celebrate is not because of Santa, or presents, or even food -- it's because Jesus was born. Thus, my boys celebrate with a "party" for Jesus. We sing "Happy Birthday" to him and talk about the real reason for Christmas. Yes, we do Santa and have an Elf watching over them; we get a tree, and stockings, and presents. But, we also try to instill in them what we are REALLY celebrating.

I hope you and your's enjoy the many blessings of this holiday season!