Sigh of relief !!!

Maddy had her 18 month checkup on Friday and I am so glad she was able to get her H1N1 shot! I've been hearing of a lot of cases where children have gotten really sick, espically when they have underlying health conditions. She will need to have her 2nd dose in a few weeks, but at least she is partially protected now.

Tristyn will be able to get her shot soon, the school disctrict will be having clinics sometime in the next 2 weeks, as soon as they get their supply. So we will all be able to breath a little easier!

When I took Maddy to her appointment it was like walking into a space ship! Every one wearing masks & gloves, parts of the building closed off, it was just really strange! Luckily we had an early morning appointment and we were the only ones in the pediatric waiting area, but we had to walk past the walk in clinc to get there!

As for her checkup itself, she is healthy as a horse! 21 pounds, 15 ounces, 31.5" tall. Her doctor is very happy with how her physical therapy is helping, her speach is right where it should be for her age, and her motor skills have caught up. she figures that in 6 months to a year she will be totally caught up! Yay Maddy !!!


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Sorry !!!

OK I’ve been slacking these last few months with posting. There has been a lot going on here in our household! Maddy is doing great, she just started walking a few weeks ago, at about 17.5 months old! She’s also saying a few words: dada, momma, up, ball, all gone, and kitty. She is still on the small side at about 20.5 pounds at her 16 month visit, but health wise her doctor is happy.

In May Tristyn was diagnosed by her school with Autism. She was diagnosed very late at 4.5 years old, most children are diagnosed between ages 2 & 3, so this leads us and her teachers to believe she has very high functioning Autism. This is just an educational diagnosis, we are in the process of getting a medical diagnosis which will open up more therapy services for her. I am so glad that the school finally tested her, because we were beginning to think we were doing something wrong as parents and this finally answers questions about all of her quirks, which I will talk about in another post.

In Sept she started school again, we decided to let her have one more year in pre-K this year, she just turned 5 in July, and she’s just not ready for kindergarten yet. She has speech therapy again this year, and we added Occupational & Physical therapy because she has very low muscle tone (hypotonia) Well, that’s about it for now, I promise to start posting again more regularly!

Physical Therapy

Maddy is going to be starting physical therapy. She was evaluated on Monday and they found she has about a 40% delay in her gross motor skills & she has muscle weakness. That means that right now she is at about the level of a 5 month old. It's hard to believe that in just a few days she will be 11 months old, and the BIG ONE is just around the corner. Just in the last 3-4 weeks she has finally mastered sitting. She still falls when she's tired. Her therapist is espically concerned that she is not willing to bear any weight on her legs, and she still has a hard time rolling.

On a good note, she is right where she needs to be cognitivly, verbally & socially, her therapist is impressed that Maddy is already trying to feed herself with a spoon, most of the food ends up on the floor, but some makes it to her mouth.

I think we broke a record!

I think we have broken the record for the fastest moving virus. Here's the schedule:

Tuesday: My Mom & Dad watched Tris & Maddy all day.

Wed. night: My Dad calls & tells me he came down with a nasty cold & hopes the girls don't get it (Thanks Grandpa!)

Thursday: All is fine.

Friday 7:30 am : (here's where I start the stop watch because I don't know when her symptoms actually started) On Friday's Maddy is watched by Tony's Dad, he comes to our house. So, Grandpa comes over & I leave for work, Maddy is just fine at this point. I get home at 5pm, and she is just a mess! Fever, red cheeks, snot everywhere & she is just miserable! (Thanks again Grandpa!) So I give her Tylenol, after about an hour the fever is gone & she is feeling better. She goes to bed early & surprisingly sleeps through the night.

Sat. Morning: She's still a little warm so she gets another dose of Tylenol & the fever goes away and doesn't come back. She is fairly happy through the day, except for the constant runny nose. She goes to bed early again & sleeps through the night.

Sun Morning: She is just fine, no fever, no runny nose, perfectly happy all day long!

I have never seen a cold virus move so fast! Less than 48 hours from 1st symptom to being symptom free? I just pray that this wasn't just the start & that it comes back with vengeance.

By the way, Tristyn never got the cold at all!

Maddy's Heart Journey Photos

I finally updated her photo diary. I have 70+ pictures loaded & this is a work in progress so keeping checking back. I will slowly be working on adding comments to the photos also, so feel free to add your own comments if you wish. I hope to keep this photo diary as current as I can. I have a link to her photo diary in the blog roll to the right, or you can click here. Maddy's Heart Journey

Click on the photo to make it larger & see the comments.

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It's about time!!!

OK, I've been slacking with posting pictures, so here you go. Enjoy!

Here is Maddy at 7 months, showing off how well her boo boo has healed.

Here is Maddy at 7.5 months with our pastor. We are so thankful to have him as a Pastor. The night she was born he came to the hospital at 2 am, and waited with us as they prepared to transport her. The day she had surgery he was there when we got to see her in recovery, after a 7 hour surgery.

Maddy at 9 months. Is that a mischievous grin or what?

Tristyn showing off her missing teeth

Maddy & Lucky

Maddy on her 9 month B-day (eating or playing with macaroni)

Tristyn & Maddy at a vintage snowmobile show. That's Tony's 1973 Arctic Cat Panther.

Tris with her brand new helmet

Me & Tris getting ready to go for a snowmobile ride.




Lucky has a heart! I did not edit this photo, he actually has a perfect heart on his right side! There is a small white line of fur towards the left side, almost like a broken heart? How fitting that he found our family, we now have a heart baby & a heart kitty. Read about how we rescued Lucky after being hit by a car.





Lucky & our eldest furry daughter Jasper who is 8.5 years old.
(Spunky is 7 years old, she's not pictured)

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You have to check out these blogs!

If you or someone you know has a CHD or if you just love reading inspiring stories you need to check out this blog: Inspiring Hearts. This blog is packed full of hope & inspirition, some of the stories are extremely touching! Also check out it's sister blog: Finding Inspiration Everyday!

If your child needs surgery: CHD Awareness post #3

If you child needs surgery here is a list of things you should bring to the hospital. They will help ease tension & pass the time. Some of these items depend on the age of the child. These are in order of importance (kind of)

Bring a camera & video camera and take lots of photos. It may be hard to take pictures when you child is in pain, but there will come a time when they want to know what happened to them & what better way to show them than with pictures & videos.

Bring a notebook for notes or questions and/or a journal to help you remember daily events. Trust me, you won't remember half of everything that happens unless you journal. And again this will be helpful when your child is older & curious about what went on.

Onesies or shirts that button in front

bring things familiar to baby such as beanie babies, toys, blankets, books, music, video tapes, & batteries.

for older children, bring books, videos to watch, & other favorite toys.

Calling Cards

Bring your child’s favorite Band-Aids (Blues Clues, Sesame Street, etc).

change for vending machines

Bring somethings for yourself, magazines or a book to read, crafts, whatever will ease your tension.

Wear comfortable shoes & clothes, some hospitals are quite large & you'll be doing a lot of walking.

Ask about a long term parking pass or validate parking

You’re your child’s advocate. Don’t be shy with questions and don’t hesitate to obtain a second opinion in you want one.



For those of you with experience, please post a comment & let me know if I missed anything.

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CHD Awareness #2

How are congenital heart defects treated?
Today, most heart defects can be corrected or helped with surgery, medicine, or devices, such as artificial valves and pacemakers. In the last 25 years, advances in treatment of heart defects have enabled half a million U.S. children with significant heart defects to survive into adulthood.

Is there a prenatal test for CHD?
An echocardiagram can accurately detect many heart defects. This test needs to be performed by a specialized doctor and not an obstetrician. Some heart defects can be detected through routine ultrasound.

What causes congenital heart defect?
In most cases, scientists do not know the cause but feel both environmental and genetic factors appear to play a role.A few of the environmental factors that increase the risk are drinking alcohol and cocaine usage. Some maternal medical conditions increase the risk of fetal CHD. The most common is diabetes but not all forms will increase the risk. Women with PKU are also at risk are recommended to follow a special diet prior to pregnancy. Some studies suggest that not enought of B vitamin folic acid is taking before and during pregnancy.


Source: Little Hearts Inc

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Time to build some muscle

Maddy saw her ped today. All is well as I expected, but she is concerned that Maddy is not sitting on her own yet, she's not bearing any weight on her legs, and that her overall muscle tone seems week. So, Maddy will be starting physical Therapy from our birth to 3 program. I'm very familiar with this program, Tristyn did her physical therapy with them also and I was very pleased with the results. The doctor said Maddy could be having this problem for a number of reasons: Heredity - seeing how Tristyn was delayed also - could be from O2 deprivation right after birth - or from the surgery. On a good note, she gave Maddy a little test & she scored very well cognitively & socially, she is using her prinser grasp (thumb & pointer finger), feeding herself finger food very well & babbling constantly with vowels & consonants. So, she will start the physical therapy in a few weeks, I am glad we are catching this early. I ordered her a Fisher Price Jumeroo, so I hope she likes it & builds some strength in her legs. It's time to crack the whip and start doing, situps, pushups, pullups, (LOL)