Christmas Eve and Christmas

Here are some pictures from our wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas...

Carlie LOVES La La (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty)!

Can you see the joy on her face?

"La La!!!"

Santa brought Carlie a new baby.

Santa brought Caiteyn a Barbie house.

I hope that your Christmas was just as special as ours was...Merry Christmas!

Visit with Santa Claus

I thought this year I would be more successful in getting a great picture of the girls with Santa Claus, but I guess not. Carlie still wasn't fond of the jolly old man...maybe next year!

Cardiology Check-up

Yesterday Carlie had a cardiology check-up and an echo. As Carlie has become more aware of her surroundings I was curious how she would do during her echo. In the past I had to get up on the bed with her and have her sit between my legs, but this time she laid on the bed by herself and with some cookies and a movie, she did great.

After the echo we walked over to see Dr. Mulla. The girls love Dr. Mulla's nurses and why wouldn't they, they always spoil them! It was good to see everyone again, it had been four months since our last visit, and of course it was great to hear them all say that Carlie looked so well.

There was really no change from our last visit, which is great! Carlie weighed in at 26 pounds, 34 1/2 inches tall and best of all her sats were between 95%-96%. Her mitral valve regurgitation was mild (which is her baseline), function great and her aorta was WIDE open. So needless to say, we had a great check-up! The only downer was that all her meds stayed the same. I was hoping that her Lasix would be reduced (we've tried potty training but when you have to go to the bathroom several times, it makes it hard to be successful) but Dr. Mulla wants to wait until winter is over before dropping the dosage...oh well. As long as Carlie's good health continues she doesn't need to be seen for six months...it's crazy to think that just 2 1/2 years ago we were seeing Dr. Mulla once a week (which went on for six months) and now once every six months?!? All I can say is that we are VERY THANKFUL!!!

Gingerbread Houses

Last year right after Thanksgiving Carlie had a heart cath scheduled to prepare for the Fontan. As we were waiting in the lobby for Carlie's cath to be finished, we noticed several tables set up. About a half an hour later patients from the children's hospital came down and began to decorate gingerbread houses that would be displayed in the children's lobby through Christmas. One of the volunteers came over to Caiteyn and asked if she would like to decorate a gingerbread house too. After we explained that she wasn't a patient of the hospital, they said that any child was welcome and so Caiteyn gladly accepted.

This year Caiteyn kept saying to me, "Remember last year I got to decorate a gingerbread house at Carlie's hospital? I really wish we could do that again." Subtle hint huh? So one night Nurse Jen (as she is known in our home because the amount of Jens that we know) brought over two houses for the girls to decorate. Nurse Jen is an extraordinary nurse that we met right after Carlie's Norwood. During Carlie's several admissions to the hospital between the Norwood and Glenn, I got to know her better and we soon learned that we lived in the same city. Since then we have spent time together hanging out; she even had dinner with us the night before Carlie's Fontan. She has become a great friend and the girls adore her.

Disney fun

I received the following email from Disney today...

Dear Shannon,

As an Annual Passholder we wanted you to be among the first to see this fun new video. In 2009, there will be no better place to turn a special occasion into a magical and unforgettable celebration than at Disney Parks. With that in mind, we thought you might like to share the fun with your friends and family, so feel free to pass it along!



Best,
Your Friends at the Disneyland® Resort


Too bad it isn't true...enjoy!

Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! The girls and I spent the week at a campground that we belong to (which is what we do every year) and it was very relaxing. My parents were up there as well and Mike was able to spend some time with us between his work schedule. The girls love playing in the dirt and watching the squirrels gather nuts and jump from tree to tree. Here are a couple of pictures from the week...

I have so much to be thankful for, as I do every year, and know that I have a very blessed life! This time of the year always gives me butterflies because of all the excitement the holidays bring...

Happy Holidays!

oh...enjoy the Christmas music; I had fun putting it together!