Questions, Answers and More Questions....

I am extremely sorry that this is very tardy but I have just been so busy that I haven't managed the 5 minutes to collect my thoughts to blog.  Monday was a typical day at TCH...a total of 7 hours!  We started with the sedation and Sweet Mess had the drunk drugs.  He didn't seem to like being inebriated, which I will remind him of when he is older.  It lasted just enough for the ECHO and then he stayed groggy for the rest of the day and night.  Lucky thing was very well rested when he woke up yesterday morning!  The fellow that we saw on Monday was the same one that Dr. K spoke with on Thursday so it was nice that he was "aware" of the situation.  When it comes to Steven's heart, we are all good!!!!  They do not care to see us again until Feb.  We are more than thrilled about that.  Prayers have been answered!!!  After meeting with cardiology we had to go have blood work and a renal ultrasound to check out his kidneys.  The concern is if the kidneys are not functioning properly then they can cause hypertension.  (By the way, his blood pressure seems to be getting under control with the new medication it was in the upper 90's low 100's)  The cardiologist spoke with the nephrologist and we will continue with the bp medication as we are until Steven can be evaluated by them.  So when we left we were not sure about anything other than the heart looks great!  However yesterday morning I rec'd a phone call from the cardiologist and the lab work looks great and the ultrasound showed no issues with the kidneys.  Of course, that called for the happy dance but we still need to find out what is causing the high bp.  Is the heart still not aware that it is fixed?  Is it genetic?  Is it something with the kidneys that is so small that the ultrasound doesn't pick it up?  We will just have to wait and see.  I will be calling the renal care today to make the appointment.  I also have to take Steven for some more lab because although we were at TCH for 7 hours the lab work was not complete for the order so we need to go have some more done.  Needless to say we are relieved that the kidneys look good but we are very confused about what could be causing the hypertension.  I am pretty sure that we will not have an answer for awhile.  The number of pediatric nephrologist is very low so it might be a month or two or three or...before we get in.  I pray that there will be an opening within the next month or two so that we can try and get this resolved. 

Well I better go get ready for work so that Miller is not embarrassed by me when I drop him off for school.  Yesterday I decided to sleep in and drop him off then come home and get ready.  He looked at me and said "I cannot give you a hug or a kiss if you are wearing that."  Really?  I do not get out of the car, I drop him off???  And NO I was not wearing pj's, I was in shorts and a tshirt!  But it is alright, I will be getting to work early for awhile.  My dear sweet "work friend", Sherry has taken another job and yesterday was her last day.  I hope that she loves her new job but I am sad that she will not be working with me.  We have had 10 years of friendship which will not end but it will stink not to see her everyday.  Good Luck Sherry!!!!  Needless to say, I am going to be "Sherry" for awhile and me and "Ben" until he gets back on Monday.  Wish me luck!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!!!

I Am Special Plate, Will Be Used!! :-)

I must start off with some thank you's!  I received so many responses from my last update and I needed them.  There will never be enough times that I say, what a wonderful support group we have and how very blessed we are.  I pray that you never know what it feels like to need hundreds of prayers and well wishes for a long duration but when you are in that position like we are, it is an incredible feeling to know that you are receiving them.  THANK YOU!!!!

We are extremely concerned about the possibility of Steven having kidney issues.  His blood pressure was 112 over 66 yesterday and although it was certainly lower than the day before it was not as low as we were hoping.  It was exactly 3 hours from the new medicine and 30 minutes after his regular one so it was "prime time" and even then it was still high.  Now, I am a bright side of things kinda girl and it is lower and after a couple of doses of the new mixed with the regular one, hopefully it will continue a downward trend.  Dr.K was hoping not to have to put him on the medicine but his blood work showed some high levels of different things and it was necessary.  One of the things was his potassium level and what is crazy about it being high, the potassium should be LOW as a result of his Lasek.  Dr. K notified TCH and hopefully when we get there on Monday they will have us someone to consult with.  I have all the confidence in Dr. K and whatever he says we need to do we will listen and do.  Please pray that we will have someone to consult with about the kidneys and that no lasting damage has taken place and that the bp will continue to go down. 

On to some great news, The Kindergartner made all A's his first 9 weeks!!!!  That little boy has given us something to smile about.  The I am special plate is going to be getting used!!  We are very proud of Miller for doing so well in school with the disruptions to his schedule.  I pray that he continues to keep up the good work and continue to learn and enjoy it!

To close this today, I am going to ask that you all pray for a little girl named Quinn.  She had surgery at TCH the week after Sweet Mess.  From reading her mom's blog Quinn's recovery has not been as comfortable as Steven's has.  She is currently in surgery again to repair a leak to the patch, which has caused some other problems.  She has been in constant discomfort since her surgery and her personality has not quite returned.  I really cannot imagine what her parents must be going through.  Steven started showing signs of himself before we left the hospital and only continued to be "him" more and more everyday.  But to not see all of him return would just devastate me.  Quinn is older and so I can only imagine that it is even more difficult for her parents.  I am praying that the surgery is successful and her personality starts to return as the discomfort begins to fade.  

But let me not forget....Geaux LSU!!! 

I Want A Mulligan!

I want a do over for the entire day!  Today did not go as I had planned.  Sweet Mess had his appointment with Dr. K, our cardiologist here and his blood pressure is still too high.  Today it was 135!  Remember upper 80's to low 90's is where it should be.  Dr. K sent us to have lab work done and has called out another medication to help control it.  Steven was not really crying or anything when the bp was checked so it is a huge concern.  The only "comforting" thought is that the time of day that it was checked was just before his dose of bp med so that means that it was basically out of his system and so I hope that it isn't always THAT high.  He also wants him to see a nephrologist, kidney specialist, to make sure there is not anything wrong with the kidneys.  We have had a VCUG (an xray to check the flow in the kidneys) and we have seen a urologist and everything looked good.  But Dr. K pointed out that prior to surgery Steven's bp was never this high and maybe the kidneys suffered some during the bypass from surgery.  Needless to say, he was making phone calls to see if on Monday when we go to TCH if we can also get in with a nephrologist.  High bp can cause kidney disease as well so we need to get in as soon as possible.  I am not sure if this is making sense because as usual I was by myself and I really can't remember everything.  It all gets a little fuzzy  after 135!  I can always have someone come with me and David normally does if it is a new doctor or major appointment but I thought today was going to be a little social visit and check up!  I do know that one really positive shocking thing was that someone weighs 14 pounds...look out you heavy weights, someone is moving on up!  But his weight cannot take away my worry and concern about his bp and now his kidneys.  I am emotional and just tired!  I want our sweet mess to be well, I want to leave an appointment feeling positive and not worried, overwhelmed and scared!  I remember the first appt with the pediatrician when she mentioned a big or bad murmur and I could sense the urgency in getting him to the cardiologist.  Well today I had the same feeling but instead it is for a nephrologist.  I am so thankful for Dr. K and his staff for their approach of addressing a concern.  I understand the wait and see but I prefer the proactive!

In addition to all that, Miller has strep throat.  At the end of the day yesterday school called and so his dad picked him and got him into the doctor.  Miller even took the shot over the medicine because he wanted to go to school today.  He also stayed with his dad and Lara an extra day because he didn't want to get Steven sick.  He is such a sweet boy...when did he get so big?  I feel like I have only seen him for just a few days in several months and I feel so bad for that.  We are very thankful for all the help from his dad and Lara.  It is good that when he cannot be home, he is still at one of his homes!  :-)

Although today really was a discouraging one, I was very happy to have my mom come over for the evening.  It was just a nice night with mimi!  She helped Miller with his homework, she and I got to visit and she brought prizes for us all.  Nick's boudin/boudain for us and light up cars and books for Miller.  With or without Nick's, I am just glad that she was here, especially today!!!  Thanks Mom!

Well it is almost medicine time and I am ready to try and get some sleep!  But please continue to pray for Steven and his health!  Also, I mentioned earlier this week my boss and her father, well he passed away yesterday morning, so please keep Roxanne and her family in your prayers as well.  Lastly for Miller to get well and hopefully stay well.  He seems to be very prone to strep this time of the year every year!  THANK YOU!!!!!

I hope you all have a great Friday!

A Little About This & A Little About That!

First thing, someone slept the entire night!!!!  Any guesses?  Sweet Mess did not wake up until 4:45.  Do you know how happy I was that it was on my shift?  I hope he sleeps the same way for his daddy tonight.  He was sleeping all night before surgery but he would awake around 4 in the morning and I was ok with that.  However after surgery, he was waking up at 3 every night/morning.  We really cannot cannot complain, he has never been one to wake up several times a night.  But it is still nice to think that maybe we are working toward a more normal sleep pattern!!!  Happy Dance!

Stop the dance, I was served papers yesterday for a civil suit by our neighbor.  Yep, I am a defendant.  Those are words that I never expected to type/speak! Luckily she has included my insurance company so I will not be going alone to SWLA's version of Judge Judy!  It all started after the first of the year when she told David that our tree was dead.  Well on Superbowl Sunday, (does it surprise you that I know the date by a sporting event) a storm blew threw and it blew a branch in her greenhouse.  Needless to say, after she caught me off guard and I told her who my insurance was with, she filed a claim.  Who knew that someone else can file a claim without telling you?  Note to self, never tell who your company is because they can.  While the insurance company and her son negotiated back and forth we had the tree cut down.  Note to self, budget more than $1500 for a tree to be cut down...closer to $3000, you can thank me later :-)  While the tree was being cut, Ms. Not So Nice asked the tree cutters for the branches for firewood.  I would have never agreed to this because we paid to CUT and HAUL, instead they dropped into her yard so that she can have firewood.  In the meantime the insurance company made her an offer and she said no and they said...DENIED!  And now I am heading to Judge Judy.  There are several more humorous details to this...she was planning on selling the plants to offset income and now she claims that they were plants from loved ones funerals, she also claims that when she asked the tree cutters for the branches that she said it was for firewood but all along it was to prove that the tree was rotten, if this was true does she really need an entire carport full of rotten firewood???...and I could keep going on but my opinion it was an act of God and she is looking for some extra Christmas cash.  I am looking to see the cost of running the privacy fence all the way to the road :-)  As I am making light of this, I really just do not have the time to deal with her!!!!  But I guess I am so stayed tuned!

I am hoping to take Steven to get his bp checked tomorrow but it will all depend on Miller.  He is at his Dad's for tonight and he said that he wasn't feeling well today.  This is not good news!  I feel like I still have a few shards of glass in my throat and to hear that he might be falling sick too really worries me.  I am hoping that it is all just due to the weather.  A momma can dream.  However if he is feeling bad tomorrow, then I will try and get both of them into to the Dr's office.  I am praying that in the morning he is feeling much better.  We are a man short in the office currently and we were another person short today and most likely will be for the next couple of days so I really cannot afford to be out. 

Speaking of being short a person, please pray for my boss as her dad is not doing well and is not expected to be with us much longer.  He fell about a month ago and his hip broke.  Sadly, his recovery is not what was expected.  She has "taken" care of her daddy for years and this has really hit her hard.  My heart is very heavy for her tonight. 

Well I think that is about it for today.  Hope that you all have a great hump day tomorrow and enjoy this FREEZING weather.  I am never a huge fan of the cold so I have to be dramatic about the current temps!

Weekly Wrap Up

What a weekend!  I have not been feeling well, in fact I think I must have swallowed some shards of glass.  Nothing like trying not to love on a sweet baby boy for an entire weekend.  I think I have been successful and I am pretty sure what I have is allergy related.  But I hate thinking that I am exposing him to something.  I do not want to make a trip to any doctor that is not for follow up reasons!!!!  We did have an appointment this week with the pediatrician and it went well.  Little man is quickly becoming a sack of tators!  He is over 12lbs.  While we were there, I asked them to check his blood pressure and it was in the upper 90's.  I was pleased with that at least we are seeing some improvement.  The good thing is that she wrote out an order for me to drop in this week to have it checked again whenever it is convenient.  I am so thankful for that, I have no way of checking on my own so to be able to go whenever is great.  This week we also have an appointment with our cardiologist here.  I will be so grateful to walk through those doors.  It will feel like home.  TCH is an incredible hospital with many great physicians and nurses but I like to see the same people every time I go.  We get that here.  Same doctors, same staff and I like it!  This should just be a routine visit, echo, ekg and maybe x-rays just for him to see where we are. 

Steven has been doing really well.  He shows very few signs of discomfort unless he has a attack of the hiccups!  Sweet mess is not a fan of them and he gets them all the time.  It is such a pitiful cry too.  He occasionally is fussy but who knows if that is due to his chest being in pain or just because he is a baby.  But those times are pretty rare and a bottle usually fixes it so we are good. 

Miller has been such a character lately.  Very independent and very funny.  He has no clue about his humor most of the time and that is fine by me.  The things that come out of his mouth.  He still has a mild case of Last Word Syndrome but it is getting better.  His first report card should be coming home soon as the end of the first 9 weeks was this past week so hopefully we will be busting out the I Am Special plate.  I have had it for years but always forget about it.  I really hope to dust it off this week.  Ok, yes I will do more than just dust it, I will wash it.  I also hope to be sharing some pictures this week of a scarecrow made by Miller and David.  It was supposed to be a weekend project but it didn't happen.  Fingers crossed that it will be a week day project!

I wish I had a picture from Friday night.  After David got home and showered  he put on a camo tshirt.  Well within 5 minutes Miller was putting on his camo shirt because he loves to be like David.  While I was busy searching Pinterest, the most addictive website ever, they were in the living room playing Big Buck Hunter.  I kept thinking it is good that they are not up in a blind somewhere because Miller does not have it in him to stay quiet. I think Miller will need many lessons before he is ever allowed to hunt, but he sure knows how to dress for the occasion!  Saturday afternoon was a first in our house.  Miller walked outside with a football and wanted David to play.  I was shocked.  Miller usually dislikes the game, he will ask which team you are pulling for just so he can pull for the opposite one.  Anyway, they tossed that ball back and forth for a good long time.  Again, it was a great moment that I wish I had my camera for.  Of course David was worried that Miller might be bruised up since he catches with his arms instead of his hands!!!  This morning he looked all good but who knows I might get a phone call tomorrow, haha!  As for today, we just watched football.  Very little of anything else.  No camera moments missed today.

Well let me get this wrapped up....LSU TIGERS ARE #1 in the BCS standings!!!!  WOOHOO!!!  Sadly, the Saints did not improve their record today as they lost to the Bucs...that hurts!!!   The Texans also lost another one and well sorry Cowboy fans, you also add another number to the loss column. 
On a happier note, it is nice to see the Rangers back to another World Series!!!  Hopefully this is their year!

Sorry this was so long, anyway here are some pics of the sweet mess and just to let you know, I do have pics of Miller but they include his friends and I am not sure how those friends parents would feel about me posting them. 

Getting Into The Groove...

It has been so nice to be home and getting into the groove of work, school and family time.  How sweet it is.  On Sunday early evening, Steven was laying on me and Miller was snuggled up with David on the couch and I thought this is all I need.  Give me a shack and my family and I will be just fine.  It will be one of those moments that I will always think about as the "Aha" moment for me.  I will try not to get on my soap box but isn't sad that so many people always expect to have more and somehow feel entitled to more but really should be just thankful for what they have.  I watch TV and I see protesters who are mad with people who are making a healthy living for themselves.  Really???  So I should be mad at the doctor and nurses that have taken care of myself and my children because they chose to pursue a field that pays them more than others?  I am thankful for the career path that they chose, I am thankful for their sacrifices that they have made.  I am sure they do not get to spend near the time with their families as I get to spend with mine.  Thank you and send me the bill.  Well me and my insurance company!  I also do not understand so many people who are ill with a case of Monday thru Thursday Itis every week...if you do not know what I am talking about check out most Facebook status updates starting on Monday morning.  I am thankful for my job and I enjoy it.  Yes I am tired, trust me I am VERY tired!  Yes, I wish I could have longer weekends to spend with my family but I am providing for them, if not I would not be able to pay the bills.  It is a cycle and a need but it is also life.  If you cannot afford to stay home then stop complaining and if you can afford to stay home, then do just that.  Someone protesting could use the job!  :-)  I guess I got on the soapbox but it is so hard for me to see people who are wanting handouts and people who are not grateful.  I am so thankful for the cycle we call life and I am grateful for so much and I think that if most people stopped to take a true look around they would see they have no right to a pity party.  And yes, I feel like I can say just that...and I try my hardest not to have one.  I am thankful for everything God has blessed me with and I am thankful for everything that he has blessed others with. 

Now, if I still have anyone reading this...this evening was incredible.  We started with homework that is not too much fun but is necessary.  Oh, how I wish I could understand how all of these assignments are supposed to come together.  But right now, we will just keep on keeping on and maybe it will click together and it will make sense to me.  After homework we carved our first pumpkin of the season.  I love a good ol' classic face.  Something I can do freehand and fast...it is a school night after all.  Then to conclude our evening, I made him some bath paints with shaving cream and food coloring.  It was a hit.  He painted and made "patterns" all over the shower walls but he enjoyed washing it off just as much.  So he had fun and he cleaned up afterwards.  I think I call the new bath paints a HUGE success!!!! 

One last little thing, Steven had a doctor's appointment today with the pediatrician.  His blood pressure was in the high 90's which is high but not as high so I will continue to pray that it continues to come down.  I will bring him back in one day next week just so that we can keep an eye on it.   I am so thankful that she is letting me do that.  We are also going to get our flu shots their as a family.  This way Miller doesn't think that he is the only one who has to get one!!! 

Well, short sports wrap...Saints are still have a good record but they didn't look too good on Sunday.  The Rangers need to find some bats that will start making contact as tonight's game is not looking like it will go their way.

A Family of Four!

I-10 East bound never felt so good as it did yesterday.  It was a long day but we did get the clear to come home.  Sorta!  The nurse practitioner said that we could go home but there is still a concern about the sweet mess and his blood pressure!  Obviously if she felt that it wasn't a good idea for him to come home then we wouldn't have but since we do have a cardiologist here she gave the green light.  So, that leads me to his blood pressure...on the 4th attempt the machine had a successful reading.  Sweet mess is no longer a fan of the blood pressure cuff, not sure if he ever was a fan.  He screamed and he cried and that machine was just on shut down.  The reading was 117 / 76...not too good but there is a good chance it was not accurate because of how upset he was.  Poor baby is on a pretty hefty dose of bp medicine and it saddens me that it might not be working.  We will address it again at our next TCH cardiologist appointment on the 24th.  My prayers are that our gracious God continues to heal our sweet mess. 

As I drove home yesterday I think I had an emotional release and unfortunately I do not think it has ended.  I am not sure why I am so emotional NOW!?!?!  I pulled into the driveway and the tears started:  happy to be home, happy to see David and Miller, sad that I was so exhausted, and worried about his overall health.  Do we need to go back and start the other appointments that we canceled because the heart was a priority?  Mentally drained.  I woke up this morning and I still had the same feelings.  I think a good night and day of sleep should help. 

Of course there was no sleeping today....HOW ABOUT THOSE TIGERS????  I need a new hobby, huh?  :-)  Does baseball count?  I love me some October baseball.  I am pulling for the Rangers all the way, while it is under a rain delay let me go back to college football.  My sympathy goes out to all the UT fans, just think it could be worse - be thankful it is not them joining the SEC because then the wins might not be in the forseeable future!  I do not think that there are many A&M fans looking forward to their new schedule.  Well we are back from the rain delay so until next time.  Happy Weekend!

Thursday's Thoughts!

To say that I am a little excited for tomorrow is a huge understatement.  I would be doing cartwheels to express my excitement but the fear of broken bones is holding me back.  Tomorrow is the day that we go back for post op and then we are heading home.  So please everyone be extra careful on the road tomorrow I do not want to be delayed due to any wrecks I-10 East bound!  Thanking you in advance :-)  Our appointment should be a relatively quick one from what I was told.  Hopefully sutures will come out with little discomfort but I plan on giving him a shot of ibuprofen before the appointment.  I am extremely anxious to find out how much the sweet mess is weighing these days.  Every 4 hours he must have 5 ounces or it is temper tantrum with tears.  Music to my ears!!!  I hope his blood pressure is also in check...I am praying that it is, as that is my one real concern.  I long for the day that the alarm on my cell phone is not going off for his medication schedule and I know that it will but right now I just want to make sure the medication is working.  After tomorrow we will have one other follow up appointment at TCH and then fingers crossed we can return to our cardiologist back home. 

Another important event taking place tomorrow is a fundraiser in the SWLA area for the American Heart Association.  I am so upset that we will not be in town at lunch time but for any of my SWLA people reading this, OCharley's is donating a portion of tomorrows lunch proceeds to the AHA servicing the Lake Area.  A former KPLC employee's son was born with the same congenital heart defect as Steven and her son also had to have surgery at 3 months, while her and husband were going thru their "adventure" they decided that when everything settled down that they were going to get involved and bring awareness to AHA and this is one of the events they are participating in.  So if you do not have any lunch plans tomorrow I suggest OCharley's, take out counts too.  You can check out the KPLC website (Sunrise section) and locate the video for more information.

I also wanted to mention that I didn't mean to offend any Cowboy fans from my last blog.  I was only speaking the truth!  :-)  Just be thankful that this is their by week and I will not mention anything about them.  However, their next game is away in New England...best of luck!  FYI, Angela this was mainly for you!  Haha

Well I am going to wrap this up now, I will update tomorrow once we get home.  Happy Friday to everyone, OCharley's for lunch for SWLA peeps and it is never too early for a LSU shout out!

For all the gator fans, you do know what happens to gators in Louisiana, right? 

Long Time No Blog

What can I say, I am a bad blogger!  I can't remember the last blog that I wrote so I am just giving a quick update of what has been going on.  Well it might not be quick, it might be long winded but here goes...

Since Miller was not able to come see us this weekend David and I had a little date on Saturday night while Mom and Dad watched Steven.  It was a really nice night out.  It was my first time out of the house since Tuesday, a bad case of cabin fever was starting to set in.  Date night came just in time before I began to climb the walls!  As thankful as I am to have the house here in Katy, it is just not home.

Once Sunday rolled around David and I loaded up and headed east.  Mom stayed Sunday and Monday night here in Katy so that David and I could both go home for a couple of days.  We drove straight in to pick up Miller (side note: I am pretty sure he grew a foot in a week) who was possibly as excited to see us as we were to see him.  He was such a sweet boy and asked about brother and when we were all going to be home.  He words to God's ears!  I cannot wait to have our family under one roof.  I cried leaving Steven on Sunday morning and then cried driving out of the school parking lot after dropping Miller off on Monday morning.  Emotional roller coaster that we have called life for a couple of weeks hopefully will come to an end on Friday.  When I start to have my pity parties, which seem to be a little too many recently, I just think about the other kids who cannot even go to a temporary home and reprimand myself.  Yes, at times I can hold a pretty good conversation with myself :-)!  See mention of cabin fever above, haha!

Now let me tell you about another reason that I should be ashamed of my pity parties...Sweet Mess is eating and eating and eating!  I am scared that when we go for his post op check up that he is going to weigh in at 15lbs!  I am joking, sorta...he is eating cereal and guzzling down some 5oz bottles like he might not be able to eat tomorrow.  Maybe he is scared that his repair patch is only good for two weeks or so.  David and I are so happy to see him eat like he cannot get enough.  I hope there is no limit to the amount he should gain in the 2 weeks post surgery.  But I am just thankful that he will be the only one on a scale because I have been eating like I am on a vacation.  Such is life when living with a parent again.  Dad has spoiled me rotten.  Let me be clear before Wesley or Brian chime in, I have always been spoiled rotten as I am the baby and the only girl.  We were all spoiled but maybe I have been just a little more than my wonderful older brothers. 

Speaking of my brothers, it brings me to something I just need to mention.  David and I are so thankful for our family.  Our brothers, our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles, our cousins and our friends that we consider family are the greatest and kindest people in the world.  I know that we might not see or talk to you all the time but it has been wonderful to see and/or hear from you all through out this ordeal.  Each and everyone of you have helped us through this rough time in your own way.  It is not without notice and we will never be able to thank you enough.  Some might say, this is when you find out who the "true" friends / family are....make no mistake we have and we know who cares about Steven, Miller, David, and myself.  THANK YOU!

So I guess I need to wrap this up because I am sure that I have put many of you to sleep...thanks again for reading, praying, keeping up with us during our adventure and not mentioning the numerous misspelled words, use of words or all out grammatical sins that I commit! 

Wait, cannot forget the Sports Wrap....in case you didn't know, LSU is 5-0, Saints are 3-1 and so are the Texans (since they have played and lost to the Saints, I can cheer for them again)!  For all of those who are Dallas Cowboy fans, well I am sorry...sorta, haha!  And how about the Texas Rangers moving on to the ALCS, who will join them????