2012... Where did the time go???

As Olivia and I sit in the car waiting for firework shopping to end, I can't help but look back at this past year. 2012 has been by far one of the most challenging years. It has tested our love, faith, and perservarance. Yet, while so much of the year has been filled with worry, so much has also been filled with wonderful memories. Olivia has learned to walk, talk, feed herself, sleep in her own bed all night, and most of all she has learned the love of her siblings. We know 2013 holds so much uncertainty, alot of which will affect our sweet girl, but we continue to hope. Hope for her health to improve... Her growth to continue....and the love to multiply. So 2013, while you are the only one who truly knows what you have in store for us, bring it on! Olivia is waiting.

Olivia's story published

After putting Olivia's story out to several magazines, her story was published this month in NOLA baby and family. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I have always known Olivia was given to me for a reason.... She has truly pushed me to do things I never would have imagined. I hope that by getting her story out to families in NOLA we can start the discussion of CHD's and raise awareness.

Here is the link:

http://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?i=139534&p=33

Can you hear me???

We have been amazed at the words and sounds Olivia is making. She can say 10 words and definately knows how to get attention when she wants it. While we were in Philadelphia, at the suggestion of a cardiologist, we made an appointment to see an ent to check her ears. When she was a baby, olivia passed her hearing screen with flying colors and hasnt had  one ear infection. KNOCK  ON WOOD!! We are not doctors, so we scheduled the appointment for when we got back. Yesterday, I took Olivia to the ent and audiologist. After testing her eardrums, it looked  like she had fluid in her left one. That took the traditional test out of reach. The audiologist said we could try a test that is really meant for three year olds and see what happened. After sitting in a sound booth for 30 minutes and Olivia turning to noises on que I thought we were good. When she opened the door though, I knew something was wrong. There is a certain look all doctors get before they lay the bad news on you. It is a look like I am so sorry to tell you this and I am so glad I am not in your shoes. But back to the story... So apparantly Olivia was pretty consistent in her lack of response to certain high pitched sounds. The audiologist, not knowing about Olivias history, started to ask questions. When I explained that she lives in the 70's oxygen wise all the time, she immediately stated that Olivia needed further evaluation by a pediatric audiologist asap. The sooner we get her evaluated the better so it wont affect her speech. If she does have hearing loss then for christmas, Olivia will be getting hearing aids.
  As a mom, you dread to hear bad news about your kids, but when the news can make them a target for teasing it makes it even harder. Olivia's scars make her different already does she really need more? My sweet potato pie, I'll love you no matter what.

On our way home

We are heading home with our oxygen concentrator. Olivia is so excited to get home with high sats.

The verdict is in

So....we saw Dr. Natarajan and much to our dislike, she is recommending Olivia be placed on oxygen to maintain her sats and buy us time. She mentioned on multiple occasions that we could do her fontan at any point but she would really like to get her out of flu/cold season. That when we start doing oxygen it ia kinda the time to move forward with surgery. This is not the news we wanted to hear, but for now, we are heading home to enjoy christmas and wait.

Two by two drs

Dr. Glatz and Dr. Natarajan came in to talk to us about the cath findings. Dr. Glatz said he was pleased with her maintaining 80-81 while at rest but the true test will be when she starts moving around. Dr. Natarajan said she is hoping to get Olivia to this summer for her fontan or as long as possible, but we must take it one week at a time. If her sats drop to the low 70's, then she will have to come up earlier. Naturally, brett and i are dreading that day.
   So after 6 hours laying flat, we were finally able to pick her up and love on her. She has been a complete beast and needed to be medicated twice. We will see what happens tonight and will follow-up with dr. Natarajan on thursday before we leave.

Post cath follow-up

Today, we head back to CHOP for a post cath follow-up appointment. This drive is filled with nerves and worry. After her cath, Olivia's saturations dd not improve as hoped. They slightly bumped up some, but far from where we were hoping. The interventional radiologist says 3 months max before her last surgery. We are hoping that her cardiologist can give us a better idea and maybe extend that time period. When her sats drop to the low 70's, it is time. Placing her on oxygen has been mentioned but i truely hope we aren't there yet.
We will also see the eye doctor today to see how she is doing since fixing her tear ducts.
Poor baby has been such a trooper and still is sweet as pie even though I feel like we are torturing her sometimes.

Knocked out and high on some morphine and versed

We have to keep her right leg straight and still for 6 hours. We have 4 hours left.  

Talk with the doctor

Dr. Glatz came to talk to us. He said they had to plug a collateral that had formed off of the side of her last one. He said while measuring oxygen levels and such he did find an area of concern. The vein that comes out of her ventricle which should have the highest oxygen was in the 70's. He thinks it is from an avm formation that occurs with glenn anatomy. The only way to fix it is to ddo the fontan. To hear those words made my stomach sink. She will stay overnight and they will see what her sats settle out at. They went from 79 to 83. They talked to her doctor, Dr Natarajan, and they will see where to go from here.

Eyes done

The eye doctor, Dr Katowich, is done. He came to talk to us about how it all went and was impressed with her tolerance. He did have to probe both sides and put in a stent. They may just fall out or may have to be removed in 12 weeks. We will follow-up on thursday before we head home.

Our sweet girl

We arrived early to the recovery room for olivias cath today. When we got there, she was not a happy camper. Lucky for us, versed was in her future and she became sleepy and kinda goofy. Anesthesia came to talk to us and to take her to the cath lab. The eye probing will take place first and then the heart cath. Any interventions and we spend the night. Now, we wait.

Done

We are finally out of there. After an echo and lab work, olivia is getting in a much needed nap and then a good hearty dinner. We saw Dr. Natarajan during her echo and she was amazed at how much she has grown. Now off to rest...

Wow...it has been a long day with more to come

So the update....
We have finished our neuro/cardio exam with a final rating of 35% for overall development. Not bad, but room to improve.
Now, we are meeting the cardiac intake center for pre-op consents. Brett has taken olivia for an xray and I am signing paperwork.
We met the eye doctor who will be doing her eyes and the right eye is definately clogged still, while the right one is questionable.
The procedures will start early tomorrow with our arrival time at the hospital at 6am.

Back in philly

We have made the trek back to philly for a full evaluation. As we drive to chop, with Olivia babbling in the back seat, I realize how far we have come, but also how much further we have to go. We will update as we go today...it will be an all day afair. We will see OT, PT, Speech, Neuro, anesthesia, opthamoligist and cardio. Eye surgery may be postponed as it looks like Delilah has passed on the pink eye to Livi, we shall see.

Jan/Feb issue

I have received information from the editor of NOLA baby and family magazine that they are going to publish Olivia's story in  their Jan/Feb issue. I am so excited!!!!!! They want to make it her story with the emotions and journey and have two sidebars with statistics and information. They are going to make it 1 1/2 pages long and have pictures of our sweet girl too. I am over the moon that we can help raise awareness and spread Olivia's story.

Olivia's 1 year portraits

We got the proofs back from Olivia's modeling session, HAHA. I wanted to put the link up so everyone could view all of them. They came out fabulously thanks to Ashley Bel.

Our baby is growing up

   Today marks Olivia's first birthday. This day has been one I have looked forward to and hoped for since early July 2011. Could we do it? Could we protect her and speak up for her when she needed it? Well, I'm happy to say we DID.
    My sweet Olivia, you have taught me not only how to be a better mother, but also how to look fear in the face and conquer it. Everyday I see you, I see something new. Looking at your scars, I see healing and forgiveness. Looking at your eyes, I see honesty and truth. Looking at your smile, I see love and laughter. Overall, I see a million possibilities of what can be.
   I look forward to watching you grow and standing up for you when you need me. I can not express how grateful I am for you. I can not tell you how different life would be without you. You are perfectly imperfect. It is an honor to be called your mother. Happy birthday sweet potato pie.

Climbing the mountain: 1st Birthday Overlook

1 year of so many unfathomable emotions, experiences, memories, up and downs have gone past us by.  Olivia has survived her first year.   She keeps crushing all the goals we set for her: get past her Norwood, survive interstage, get past Glenn, survive to 1st birthday.  I feel like with Olivia we just have to take it a year at a time.  Riding in the car with Melanie this morning, with Olivia giggling in the back, I said "now let's make it to her 2nd birthday!"  She's gotten the best care from so many doctors in Philly and Louisiana, we are giving her every chance possible to thrive and surpass our biggest goal for her; be completely happy and to live long past Melanie and I. 

Looking back through the year besides loving the heck out of each of our kids, the biggest feeling I have had is helplessness.  I am helpless because I feel that any day or night Olivia could have a huge setback and never recover from it.  She isn't a ticking time bomb, but gradually changes can happen and things might get overlooked.  We really don't know her true current status unless she was getting echo's, and cardiac mri's every week.  The doctors say she looks great, and is a model HLHS baby.  In the back of my mind there is always the constant worry and doubt.

I am a year older as well, with a good bit more grey hair, but a completely different perspective on life.  A year and a half ago I was so carefree, and living it up.  I had a few hobbies I was very passionate about, like fantasy football or being a crazy Saints fan.  Before if I missed a quarter of the Saints game I'd be freaking out, now it doesn't matter.  Now I'm just cherishing every minute I have with my children and family.  I find that the things that were important to me then are very trivial now.  It might sound sad, but I feel like the happiest guy alive.  I have my wife and 3 beautiful children and Olivia just turned 1.  Nothing in life is better than this. I feel vain talking about myself on Olivia's birthday but I was hoping to frame how I have felt this year, and just how exciting this milestone is. Today is the biggest day of our families' year because we have made it.

The year ahead will probably be more of the same feelings, with tons of doctors appointments, a trip to Philly, a hospital stay or three.  I have no idea, but my goal for Olivia is to make it without needing the 3rd surgery.  Hopefully, that can wait until next year or the year after.  Possibly after her 3rd surgery we won't have all of these short-term goals, and we can just focus on being a little more normal.  I know Olivia will never be normal, but hopefully the Fontan flow will work with her body and allow her to live a long happy life without needing any extra surgeries or a transplant.  My fingers are crossed! 

Happy Birthday my sweet little princess Olivia.  You are a true Xena warrior heart princess and we are very proud of how far you have come and will go.

       As promised, I have included the article I wrote below. Much to my surprise, I received a response from a local NOLA magazine the day after I sent it out. The editor is going to talk to the publisher about including it in an upcoming issue. Crazy!!! I also received a response today from Baby Lifetime. They wanted "our story" to include in their magazine. I do have to say, I am shocked that the response has been this quick and such a positive one.

   I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. We were blessed with Olivia, because we will all make a difference.

The Beat of a Broken Heart by Melanie Williams

                “Waaaa…” The sound of a newborn baby’s cry is something that a mother thinks about from the moment a pregnancy test turns positive. Even though this was my third time around, I was no different. The first cry for my baby girl was more than just a sign of new life, but also the start of a relentless battle for her little life.

                At 20 weeks pregnant, I went for a routine prenatal growth ultrasound. During that ultrasound, my husband and I were informed that our new addition had a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).  HLHS is a condition where the left ventricle of the heart does not form or is very small.   The mitral and aortic valves are too small or missing in some cases as well.  Imagine HLHS as having only half of a heart. Every diagnosis has varying degrees of complexity, but no matter what, each case is life threatening without medical interventions. After much research, we discovered that we were not alone in this fight. According to the CDC, (Center for Disease Control) 960 babies are born in the US each year that are affected by this disorder. Basically, about 1 out of every 4,344 babies born in 2012 will have to battle this same fight.

                Desperately trying to adjust to this news, my husband and I searched for answers. The answers we found were quite alarming. 1 in 100 babies are born each year with some sort of congenital heart defect. Some are diagnosed in early pregnancy by ultrasounds, but many are not.  With so many newborns affected each year, “why is there not more awareness,” I wondered? And so I began my mission towards CHD awareness, to make sure my daughter’s journey would be one that would make a difference.  This article, contacting politicians, reaching out to newly diagnosed moms, all are things I and other heart moms are doing. There is now even a CHD Awareness day in Louisiana. 

                Our heart warrior, Olivia Ann, arrived on November 1^st, 2011 at 5:15PM.   She looked great, but was quickly taken to the NICU for further evaluation. Olivia was moved to the nearby Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) shortly thereafter and her battle began 1,300 miles from our home in New Orleans, LA.

                Olivia underwent her first of three open heart surgeries, the Norwood, at 7 days old. To hand over your child to a complete stranger and trust that they will do all in their power to help her; was the hardest thing I have ever had to do as a mother. Yet, before I knew it, Olivia was in recovery; hooked to breathing machines, monitors, medications and wires coming from everywhere. My baby had turned into a science experiment. For every one step forward, she took 3 steps back those first few days, but she rallied in her own time and we were discharged at 22 days old.

                Olivia grew in the next few months and it was time for surgery number 2, the Glenn, at 4 ½ months old. The recovery was drastically quicker than the first time around, and we were home in 9 days. This was pretty remarkable, when thinking of all that comes with having an open heart surgery. 

                Since her birth, there have been times that have been critical in her battle. There have been ups and downs, and we are thankful for each and every one of them. The sad reality is that not all babies are as lucky as our sweet Olivia. Babies are not always diagnosed before birth and some often get sent home with parents who are unaware that anything is wrong. 

                As a new mom, you want information. You want to protect your baby from any harm, but do you know the right questions to ask?  Did you know that red light device a nurse puts on your finger is the same test that can save these babies?  Several congenital heart defects can be detected by this simple, painless procedure of checking the pulse oxygenation levels in the blood stream after 24 hours of life.  As you have experienced, this is an easy 2 minute test that can make a difference. It can save your baby’s life. Some other quick warning signs to memorize are dusky coloring, turning blue, trouble feeding, fast breathing, sweating along the forehead, and tiring easily. Any of these symptoms should be reported to your doctor immediately with a request for an examination.

                The sweet sound of Olivia’s coos with her toothy smile can light up any room. Our worst nightmares consist of her defect going undiagnosed, the hospital never testing her pulse oxygenation, or going home from the hospital thinking we had a perfectly healthy angel; only to find her blue and rushing to the E.R. for emergency surgery.  The best advice any heart mom could ever give you is this: request that your hospital test your baby’s pulse oxygenation.  As I wait for Olivia’s final open heart surgery at 3 years old, this is what I can do, help others and bring more awareness to the 1 out of every 100 babies born with a congenital heart defect.

References:

CDC. Facts about Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Retrieved 10/11/12.

                http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/HLHS.html

The need for change

        Recently, with Olivia doing so well, I have felt determined to make a difference and help others. My gut feeling to help others who are in our current situation or those who will be but don't know it yet is overwhelming of late. I am and always have been a huge fan of parenting magazines. Recently though, I find it very hard to open one and read an article that applies to me and Olivia. The pictures are of healthy babies who are smiling and perfect. They don't have scars. They don't have blue fingers and feet when sitting upright, but why not? I believe my baby is just as beautiful as any other baby and behind her scars are stories of survival, dedication and resilience.

     I decided that I would make it my mission to get an article in one of those magazines. I would tell our story and raise awareness about the condition and about pulse ox screening. Now everyone who knows me, knows I am not a writer. I have never had a desire to write or be published in any sense. I have always, on the other hand, been someone who wants to take care of others... hence the nursing degree. This is my chance to take care of moms-to-be that may be in my shoes in 6 months to 12 years.

     I have sent it out to a few different places and I will keep everyone updated if it is published anywhere and I will also put it up on here for all to see. My goal is to also write an article from an L&D nurse's view and submit it to AWHONN. Who knows if this will truly make a change for anyone, but even one mom or one baby is a start.
    

Time flies when you're having fun

It is hard to believe olivia is already 11 month old. Our big girl is growing by leaps and bounds. She is now 22lbs and 29 inches. She is crawling, pulling up to stand, and even taking a few steps along furniture. We are working on getting her caught up on immunizations and starting synagist season 2. The big first birthday party is slowly coming along and invites will be out soon.  Overall...looking at her major accomplishments....my breath is taken away. My sweet baby girl won't be a baby much longer.

The one true joy

Bathtime has been the one an only routine that no hospital has ever ruined. You can tell by the sheer joy in her eyes while splashing around.  My advice for soon to be heart moms...pick one routine the hospital can't take away from you.

Update on mayo clinic study

Brett and I decided to participate in a genetic mayo clinic study quite a while ago. We all had blood drawn and sent it for processing. I recieved a phone call about the results today. It seems after looking at Olivia's genetic makeup, or chromosomes, she has part of chromosome 12 duplicated. The genetist stated "i don't think it is related to her hlhs, and it has not been a recurrent finding in our study, so far. But, in order to rule out everythibg, we need to make sure it wasnt passed down from you or your husband." I politely thanked her and offered as much blood as she needed.
You would think I would be used to hearing....lab results or anatomy is NOT normal, yet it never gets easier. I foolishly started googling after I hung up, only to find a vast amount of information. In reality, it doesnt really matter what she could have. There is no way to change it and we love her no matter what.
Love you Livi

Swelling...yuck

Recently, we have noticed that olivia at night has been a little more swollen. We had an appointment in two weeks to see the cardiologist, but the worrier in me was thinking worse case scenarios. Congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension....only the worst! So, Brett called and they were able to get her in early. Yesterday, as I was getting the lowdown, brett got rear ended. So my dad had to bring her by himself. After an echo, ekg, exam, lab work and chest xray...all was cleared. The cardiologist thinks it is because she is gaining weight, not from compromised heart function. He increased her lasix to see if it helps. We are keeping the fingers crossed.

10 months old Today!!!

Olivia is the big ten months old today. She is enjoying her first LSU game at home spreading the tiger spirit. It seems like it was just yesterday she arrived but it has also been the longest, most worry filled ten months too. We love our baby girl!!!!

So glad to see Isaac go

Last night, we were surprised by Brett who walked in the house. He had stayed behind to be on the Isaac watch, but came to bring us some much needed things. After only about 4 hours with no power, we were some of the lucky ones to get it back. This morning we called our neighbor back home and found out we had power at home too. Just in time for the Saints game. We came back the looong way due to closed highways and have settled back in. We did have minor damage with water but nothing major. Most importantly, we are all safe. Goodbye Isaac!

Olivias first hurricane: Isaac

Olivia is safe and sound at this time in Baton Rouge with her siblings and grandparents. We left daddy at home and we are enjoying the ac for now. Minor damage to our fence at home but all else seems ok. We will continue to "hunker down" and wait for this slow mover to get the heck out of dodge.

Clean bill of health

Yesterday, we went to the ent and general peds. Olivia is 19# 13 ounces, 28 inches long. Her sats were 85 and her heart rate in the 120's. She is developmentally right where she needs to be. She is crawling, babbling, trying to pull up on furniture, she can use her pincer grasp to move food that is small to her mouth and she is getting more teeth. She does have fluid in one ear that needs follow-up to see if it goes away on it own. The cyst on her ear is soft and the least of our worries according to the pediatrician. She received two immunizations and will get two more in October. She will then finally be up to date. We are trying to pull all the final details together for her birthday party. More info to come shortly.

Love my little warrior

The other day, as I sat in another doctors appointment, I had a huge awakening. Life as an HLHS parent is filled with many joys and just as many sorrows. The most important thing is how you look at each one. For all of the fellow heart moms and heart families out there.... I'm sure alot of this will sound very familiar.

1. We were given the joy of a beautiful new baby.
           Our joy was crushed with the diagnosis of HLHS.

2. The delivery of our bundle of joy was a wonderful experience all its own.
          The sorrow of the impending Norwood surgery and the unknown was always looming.

3. The joy of hospital discharge was the first step to her becoming our own.
           The realization that we can be admitted again at any moment is never far from home.

4. Every little milestone is a huge accomplishment for our little fighters.This includes even a pound.
          Sorrow is when they get sick and lose that pound in the blink of an eye.

5. The overwhelming feeling of relief and joy when seeing your baby in recovery even with tubes coming from everywhere.
         The dread and guilt when a complication is found.

6. Looking forward to the birthday parties and life events that each day become more and more a possibility.
       The horror when we hear that another little heart warrior has earned their wings well before their  time.

7. The overwhelming pull that our heart warriors have on complete strangers no matter where we journey.
      The cringe when we see someone touch our baby's hand and wonder how many germs they have just spread.

8. The pride we all have in the hospitals and staff that we have entrusted our babies to.
       The worry that our trusted surgeon may retire prior to surgery number 3.

9. Finally the never-ending joy that... our little heart warrior was given to us and we will never be the same because of them.

I realized this as I sat in yet another doctor's office worried about c-diff and how to prevent and treat it. There will always be something to worry about. There will always be a twinge in my stomach when she doesn't act like herself. Nothing is ordinary with her anymore, because she is not ordinary... and never will be.

Love my little heart warrior!!!!

home we go

the cartiologist came and said that we can do all of what they are doing from home. he then told us to Call our pediatrician if we had issues. homeward bound

C diff it is

Last night, the nurse came in with the news. The frustrating part wasnt the diagnosis but the fact that we have been saying it was c diff since admission. We have no idea how she got it. The doctor wrote for flagyl which is an antibiotic to treat it. She is still getting fluids but is still having 10 stool diapers a day. Poor thing... today when weighed has lost 2.4 pounds since sat night at 9pm. More updates to come

Answers???

Last night was more of the same. Olivia is still having diarrhea and living the life on pedialyte. Today  when the doctor comes...we are hoping for answers. She did get more sleep than the first night which is a plus.

Olivia still in hospital, and I have a sick husband and son

Olivia is in no hurry to do much of anything. She is still having loose stools, almost 7 or 8 diapers today.  She finally starting having some pee diapers, but is still getting iv fluids to meet the divide.  Lab results from last night matched the lab results this morning.  Her little body is pretty swollen and we are just at a loss for what is wrong.

On a positive note, we now know it is mildly contagious.  Brett and Nathan seem to have contracted the diarrhea and vomiting issues Olivia is having.  Brett and Nathan are getting some quality nursing at my mom's house while I sit here at the hospital.  Hopefully I'll get some help tomorrow from my sisters.  Not to mention some better lab results for Olivia.

Smiles

Last night was a typical night in the hospital...long with very little sleep. Olivia after getting a bolus of iv fluids and fluids for 12 hours straight is now swollen but finally had one small pee diaper. We are still trying to get her to eat, but I will take small steps. Hey, she is smiling too....

Another night in a hospital

Labs came back....dehydrated and acidoic. For those not medical, she is  so dependent on her fluids balancing out her acid in her body. When she gets behind....it builds up, she breathes faster making it worse, her sats drop leaving more acid. Very vicious cycle. She is getting iv fluids to flush out her system and build up her fluid volume in her blood stream. We dont know why she is vomiting and has the runs since no one else has it or has gotten it since wednesday. The doctor is trying to get a urine sample too, but she hasnt gone in 24 hours so it may take a while. We are hoping she will wake up in the am a whole new kid.

Not feeling so hot

Olivia has been battleing vomiting and diarrhea since wednesday am. Today, no urine and still diarrhea. So we are now in the er at olol. Fun!!

9 months old

Olivia turned nine months old today! We are so excited and she finally made a major milestone too. She crawled!!!! Now it was a little funky, but we will gladly give her slack. Here are some pictures of her today.

Dont know where to go from here...

Friday, Olivia had an eye doctor appointment. We were going because her eye goo is multiplying even with the eye ointment three times a day. The eye doctor here stated that the tear duct probing could be done in office with no sedation or anes as long as we did it before she turned one. Sounds great right? Well I thought so too  until she said that if she moved...she may have damage done to her eyesight. How does anyone stay still let alone a baby while someone is probing their eye? So now we have to decide what we want to do. Do it here and chance it or wait and go to CHOP. Decisions decisions....

Our baby is too big

Olivia spent the first night in her room by herself. This may seem like a small accomplishment in the scheme of things, but it was a huge step for Brett and I. Ever since she came home from the hospital, Olivia has slept peacefully next to us in our room in the bassinet. We have had the reassurance that if something were to happen we could just reach over. We could also periodically check to make sure she was still breathing. Unfortunately, she has outgrown the bassinet and must graduate to her crib. I think I was more upset than she was last night. I actually cried myself to sleep, she just rolled over and was out. This is just another first of many more for her that we look forward to with tear filled eyes.

Melanie

Jumping through hoops to help prevent another child witth hlhs

Since we have learned what hlhs is and how life changing it can be, we want to stop another family from suffering the same fate. We participated in several studies at CHOP when Olivia was first born, but wanted to do more. Brett found out about a research study that the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is performing and applied. It studies genetics of the entire family including siblings. We received boxes in the mail and were supposed to simply bring it to a lab to be drawn. Simple enough, right??? How wrong we were. We made appointments at Quest. When we got there, they told us they dont draw bloodwork they dont process. We then called several other lab collection placea. No luck. Finally, we called and just went to the kids pediatricians office. When we got there, no one knew how to collect the blood and not charge us. They were able to locate someone who knew what to do and it was time. Olivia went first. She did great for the volume needed. Next was delilah....tears were flowing, but she didn't completely freak out.  Nathan was last and laughed during the blood draw. He was thinking horrid thoughts ahead of time, so when it  was nothing...he couldnt help but laugh. We packaged it all up, labelwd it correctly and went to get stuck ourselves. It helps to know people, because when we got to the lab a phelbotomist who knows me came out. He gladly drew Brett and my blood and even remembered us being on the news. Brett had a little more difficulty with the stick and a little digging but held it together in front of the kids. Finally we were done or so we thought.
We went to fedex but they dont accept blood for shipping at all locations. We found out where to bring  them and finally we are free of the ordeal.
It is really sad that in order to help others, it cant be easy. It hasn't deterred us though. If the opportunity comes again...we will do it in a heartbeat. Our olivia is here because people 25-40 years ago let doctors research and study their babies.

One year ago....oh so much changed

Exactly one year ago, I nonchalantly went to a fetal cardiac echo for a routine follow-up alone. Two hours later, I left the office desperately trying to keep it together. HLHS??? Really? Surely, they must be wrong I thought. Yet, I knew as an ob nurse they were pretty certain. Our lives, in the blink of an eye, changed forever. The emotions we have experienced have truly been a rollercoaster of sorts.
  I can safely say though it has taught me more than I ever imagined. We have met so many angels in disguise. Whether it was Dr Spray, Dr Natarajan, nurse Becky, or any of the wonderful people who cared for our baby, we will always be in their debt. This experience had also introduced us to wonderful families who have been changed by hlhs as well. Without the Marrone's or the Lihn's, our quest for information would have taken twice as long. Lastly, Olivia with her hlhs has shown us how important it is to trust that everything happens for a reason and that we have some awesome family who are there when we need them.
   Everyday with Olivia has been a gift. One, we definitely don't take likely. We look forward to watching her grow and learn. While the worst day of my life was only a year ago, it has also been one that I can't imagine not having experienced.

1st 4th of July

Olivia enjoyed her 1st 4th of july with some very special people....her family. She enjoyed swimming with her grandparents and cousins. She loves the water and making huge splashes. We love holidays!!

8 months old

Our peanut is 8 months old today. What a big accomplishment!!!! We spent the day at kmart and folding clothes.

Getting so big

Olivia surprises us everyday with how big she is getting. Just yesterday she sat in a restaurant high chair and squealed the whole time. She also attended her first birthday party for a fellow chder. We are looking forward to a major first birthday blowout and man will she deserve it.