6 months of cake

Hello friends and family,

I am 6 months old today. That's 1/2 of a year for those that are good with numbers. Six months and so many milestones equals a whole lot of cake and celebrations. Today is another one of those milestones of time and we celebrate with another cake. We went the non traditional route with this one and Mom made me a brownie cake in the shape of a number six.

Here are a few pictures of what I have been up to since I last blogged.

I have learned to eat all by myself... just kidding, but I can hold a spoon for a little bit.

We went to Colorado Springs on Saturday to see my Grandparents' new house, this time on the inside. We had a nice dinner with then in their new kitchen. We also met with my friend Kristi for my 6 month pictures that we are looking forward to getting back in a week or so.

Grandma time is good fun.

There is a nice neighborhood park with s swing just across the road. We looked both ways and then crossed the street. Its never too early to practice good habits.

Mom and Dad put up our outside Christmas lights while the weather was nice this weekend. Can you find me in my big winter suit?

Here I am with Dad. Can you see me better in this picture?

I am telling Mom to light my six candles on my number 6 brownie cake. Pretty cool eh?

Yeah she lit them and they sang to me. I'm so happy!

Check it out!

Boscoe says "Um can I get some brownie too? Um okay, Merry Christmas (using you best Boscoe voice)"

I'm Thankful for....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I just wanted to give you all a short list of what I'm thankful for:

1. A loving and healing God
2. Health and Strength
3. Mommy and Daddy
4. All of my friends and family who pray for me everyday

I think I'll just stop there, because my list could go on and on!!

We had a lovely day today, just relaxing at home and then heading down to my Aunt Lauren's Mom and Dad's house for Thanksgiving dinner and fun times with all of the others in attendance there. Man I'm tired... I think that tryptophan is airborne because even though I was not allowed a single bite of turkey, I slept through the entire meal. I was a little perturbed that no one bothered to wake me even for stuffing, but Mom and Dad secretly enjoyed me not needing to be held during the meal - they ate like champs!

Mom shows me off as I sport my cool turkey outfit - it says, "Thankful for Mommy"
I even have matching turkey socks!

I don't know if you can read it, but just to make Dad feel a little more loved, Mom put my "I love Daddy" onesie under my turkey clothes.

This week has been pretty busy with everyday life and with some out of the ordinary stuff as well. Last Saturday we got to go see my grandpa and grandma's new house in Colorado Springs (dad's mom and dad - just to clarify). It's really nice and Dad and Uncle Jason are going down to help them get moved in tomorrow since the closing was on Wednesday. I wanted to help, but Mom and Dad think I'm too little, so Mom and I will hang out at home instead - bummer!

Here's the outside of Grandpa and Grandma's new house. Mommy and I and Uncle Jason and Grandpa are checking out the house.

Mom and Dad left me on the doorstep of G'pa and G'ma's new house.... fortunately, they were back in seconds to pick me up!

G'pa and G'ma took all of us out for lunch at Red Robin after looking at the house. From left to right are: G'ma and G'pa, Uncle Jason, Aunt Lauren, Daddy and me.

Mom's still trying to fatten me up... she tried to feed me a french fry!

I tried something new this week... I tried to eat with a spoon. I'm going to stress the word "tried" once more because this is a work in progress! Mom reassured me that no one gets it the first time and that she would not get mad at me for the messes I make during my efforts.

What is this stuff... it's like my usual food, but it has lumps in it!!

I just thought Mom and Dad should see how ridiculous they look while coaxing me to eat with a spoon.

You know... I think this would work just as well if you put it in my bottle!

That's about all I have for now.
Love you and I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Picture pages, picture pages, lots of fun with picture pages!

Hey everyone. I don't have too many updates so I thought I'd just share some pictures with you all. The one health item I have to share is that I took my last dose of Lasix (strong diuretic) today and I really didn't like that one, so I'm excited about that.

As for the pictures, here we go:

Last Saturday Mom and I went to a flag football game that Dad was playing in - it was a bit chilly, so I needed my stylin' hat.

My shirt was a little tight. When Mom was taking it off, it pulled my eyebrows up! For those of you looking into getting a face lift - this could be the non-surgical answer.

I'm starting to practice my sitting. This orange chair really helps me in my efforts.

Every once in a while, I need to sit back and think.... "Really - you expect me to believe that?"

These next pictures are a progression of how I like to move around my toys - keep in mind that I don't crawl or roll all the way over right now!

I haven't really gotten far here, but Mom thought this was a cute photo.

This is about as far as I go.

And now I head back towards my fun toys.

I shared a funny story with Dad and we both had to throw our heads back and laugh!

That's all for now.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures.
Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Love, Lydia

Happy 5 months!

Hello friends and family.

As always there is a lot to report. My Mom and Dad always have so much fun with me. On Thursday night we all headed over to Scott and Andrea's house to watch the Broncos game and hang out. I am glad to say that the magic of my cheer leading outfit has inspired the Broncos to win. Every time I have worn it for the whole game they have won. I don't think my Dad is going to forget to have me in my gear before the next game.

On Saturday I turned the wise old age of five months. I celebrated the event by going out to dinner with my Mom and Dad and my Aunt Lauren and Uncle Jason. We had a good time and returned to the house afterwards for a cake my Mom made. How else would my parents celebrate such an occasion. Unfortunately we did not get a picture of the cake until a good portion of it had been consumed.

The celebration aftermath.

Sunday afternoon we went down to see Molly and her friend Chris. My parents are not the best with getting pictures even though they know that I could use them in my blog. So I am going to apologize on their behalf for not having a picture of me with Molly and Chris. We did have a good time seeing Molly's new place and catching up with her. It had been a little while since we had hung out. I like Molly a bunch and I hope that we will hang out again soon.

On Monday we went to see my cardiologist. Things went very well and I only need to have my oxygen on while I take long naps and for sleep at night. Mom can attest to the fact that I don't really take long naps so I really only need it at night. This was a good thing to hear from the doctor. I was also told that I could come off the Lasix all together on Friday 11/21. My chest x-ray looked good and it seems the fluids are all but gone from around my lungs. I am still hoping that I will be completely off the oxygen for our trip to Iowa for Christmas. My cardiologist seemed to think that this was very possible and that the Iowa air would be enough in its self to keep me happy while I sleep. We will have another appointment in a month so we will learn more then. All in all it was a very good appointment and the cardiologist is very happy with my progress and healing. Thanks for all of the prayers for this to happen everyone.

I have started to pay more attention to my buddy Boscoe and I think he really likes me. As soon as I get old enough to sneak him a treat every now and then I think he will start to pay more attention to me.

Come here Boscoe!

Good boy Boscoe!

I do have a bit of sad news to report. It turns out that Boscoe suffered some kind of a cut on his tail. Mom and Dad noticed that he was biting at his tail but did not think too much of it for about a week. Mom took a closer look and found that there was a pretty good sized wound. Boscoe needed his annual shots anyway so he went to the vet to have it looked at. The vet had to shave some hair off to investigate the situation. It did not seem to be infected but Boscoe has a bare patch on his tale that he is a little self conscious about. I'm sure he will be fine.

Boscoe's white spot on his tale.

Boscoe is a little bummed out.

Other than that we have been just doing our normal thing and hanging out. Life is very good and God is great.

Extreme close-up!

Love,
Lydia

6 weeks - the medical profession magic number

Hi Friends!

It's November and I am happy to say that it has been an eventful month thus far - in a good way this time. Last Wednesday marked the 6th week since my surgery and according to all the Dr's, that's the magical time when I can do so many of the things that I've missed since surgery. For example, Mom and Dad can now pick me up under my arms, I am now eating regular formula (I ate Mom's frozen supply of breast milk in 6 days - I was very excited to leave the slim fast behind), I am now cleared to have my 4 month shots - and I had those yesterday, and I am now able to go out and about!

Yep, it's crazy the things your body can accomplish in just a month and a half, but boy am I glad that all of those things are now on the 'ok' list.

Here's the order of events since that magical 6 week day arrived:

I dumped the Portagen down the toilet and said adios hopefully to never have to see that stuff again.

I started eating breast milk - I went from eating 18 oz. per day of Portagen to 26 oz. per day of breast milk.... that's why the supply lasted for such a short period of time!

On Friday I had Mom drive me to Boulder to have lunch with Daddy at Chataqua (not really sure how that's spelled, I'll check on that once I reach Kindergarten) Park. It happened to be Halloween (or Reformation Day, which ever you choose) so I wore my festive outfit for that. After lunch Mom brought me to the YMCA where she used to work to show me off to her former co-workers - they all said I was cute - I've never heard that before. Then we met Tricia and Spencer (Spencer is one of my boyfriends - he's super cute, Mom should've taken a picture of us together).

Here are some pictures of the family in the park. Daddy cracks me up!I like to look over Mom's shoulder to show off my strong neck.

Here's my festive outfit - I think my cousin Erin might find it familiar.

Once we returned home, it was time to get ready for Trick or Treaters and for the party that Paul and Heather had at their house - it was a costume party, I went as a Broncos cheerleader... I think you can view a picture of me in this outfit if you view a previous blog. The party was fun, I slept for some of it, but we were out until Midnight... I think Mom and Dad were really excited to get out and see some of their friends again.

These glasses were part of Mommy's costume... the funniest part is that they used to be her real glasses when she was a huge dork!! She maintains that they were the style then - I don't buy it!

Saturday we re-cooperated with a quiet day at home.

Sunday was a church day... I was able to stay out of the Baby Skybox the whole time - I was such a good girl.

Monday was uneventful, back to me and Mom hangin' out.

I was so tired from our eventful weekend that I fell asleep while playing with my toys.

Tuesday - I witnessed my first presidential election and in the meantime had a pediatrician appointment, x-rays and 4 month shots. I felt really bad for myself, but then the Dr. told Mom and Dad to get flu shots as well.... that took away from some of my pity party. I know you all like to hear about my growth, so it turns out that I'm now 11lbs. 4.5 oz. and 24 inches tall - yeah, that's right, I'm two feet tall... look out, I'm huge!

Well, that's the run down for now... I'll have more to report after Monday when I see Dr. Karrie about my heart - I'm hoping to report that I no longer require oxygen during the day, I'll keep my fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I'll just keep playing, eating, sleeping and keeping Mom and Dad on their toes!

Mom and Dad took some pictures at bath time to show you all how well my zipper is healing... I begged them not to take the pix, but alas, they always get their way - how embarrassing!

Here's the main zipper and the three chest tube "extra belly buttons"

It's so nice for Mom and Dad to see me without my O2 tube - I really like not having it in too!

Love you all,
Lydia

Settling In

Hello friends!

I know it's been awhile, but for once in my life there is little excitement!

I guess I shouldn't say little excitement, just no crazy stories of white coats and temper tantrums - on my part. Believe me, there's still excitement... If you ever get the chance to be here when Ania, the Occupational Therapist, is here you'll see how mind-blowing pulling a toy into your mouth can be! Let me explain:
Even though I haven't had any run-ins with the medical community in the last two weeks, I still have a weekly appointment with my OT. She is always so blown away by my progress. And I'm just like, what's the big deal lady, all I did was grab a toy and then proceed to put it in my mouth - I'm told that in a few months, Mom and Dad will be yelling at me for such behaviors! Anyway, even though I think it's no big deal, I guess I'm making some pretty good progress on my gross motor skills (I'm not sure why they call them gross, it seems kinda weird).

So, Dad is back at work full time and so now Mom and I hang out at home and wonder what day it is until Saturday rolls around and I get to hang out with Daddy more. I actually got to go see Dad at work last week Monday, it was pretty cool. Daddy's already explained to me what he does at work, unfortunately, I just have to smile and nod when it comes to Dad's work - I learned that from watching Mom!

We went to church for the first time on Sunday since my surgery... I ended up getting to watch the sermon from the "Baby Skybox" as Mom and Dad call it (aka. cry room). It was really nice to get out of the house and see some new faces.

As for medical updates, my next appointment with the pediatrician is on Tuesday of next week and my next cardiology appointment is on Nov. 10th. I'll be sure to let you all know how they think I'm doing... Mom and Dad, in their professional opinions, have decided that I'm pretty much healed.

Well, here's the section most of you look forward to, the pictures:

A few weeks ago, Grandma and Grandpa T came up from Colorado Springs to see me. I entertained them with all of my crazy antics... here's an example of how I like to eat my hands.

These next few photos are of how Mom and Dad usually find my oxygen tube:

It's pretty common to find me like this, with my O's going into my mouth instead of my nose.

Here's another almost Halloween-type O2 position - Not really sure how I accomplish this one, but it does tend to get a bit uncomfortable with one tube in the mouth and one outside.

This is an extremely common resting place for the O's. Sometimes I can't quite figure out why my eyes feel so dry.

The other night there was a very impressive sunset, so we got a few pix from the backyard.

Here's the fam in front of the sunset - that explains the funny lighting - don't I look thrilled?!

Thanks for taking the time to read about my comings and goings.
Love you all,
Lydia

A Case of the Weekends - It's Bananas!

Hello everyone,
I am doing very well this evening. I'm feeling great, playing with my toys, watching my Mom and Dad make fools of themselves trying to entertain me and listening to all of the great music that comes from my awesome 'boom box.'

Here's me with my sweet boom box - it plays some great tunes!

I had a cardiologist appointment today. I know you're all holding your breath in anticipation since it is a Monday and all.... well, it went very well. I am now down to 2x a day Lasix, and got rid of the Zantac all together (that's my least favorite of the meds - so I'm stoked). As for the O2, I still have to have that, but I've been given the green light to go O-less for short periods of time throughout the day. Dr. Karrie said that next visit she'll probably let me be off O2 during the days and I'll just need if for long naps and at night... that sounds really good to me! She also said that the fluid around my lungs look much improved, however, it's not all the way cleared up... that's why I will still be choking down the Lasix 2x a day for awhile longer.

This is me just hangin' out on my mat with my O2.

So things went well on this Monday, but as the title insinuates, the weekend was not as honky-dory. Just so you're not really worried, I actually felt great throughout this whole ordeal, but things just were not going our way. Here's the story:

Mom and Dad took me to the local hospital to have x-rays and blood work done on Friday before my cardiologist appointment on Monday. I actually cooperated very well for all aspects of the visit. However, shortly after returning home, Mom and Dad received a call from the pediatrician saying that my blood test said that my potassium levels were way too high. She said that she thought it was just an error in the method of taking the blood - the method used was that of administering a heel prick and then coaxing the blood from my heel with in a milking motion - and wanted me to get another blood test just to be sure. So, on Saturday we headed to a different clinic that was open on the weekends and asked to have the blood test again.

This time, Mom and Dad said that they insisted on the lab techs administering the test with a veinous blood draw. Lab technicians are very reluctant to do veinous blood draws on infants, as some of you may know, so they put up a fight and said that I probably did not have any good veins left to poke since I'd had so many IV's and other blood draws and said that they had another method of getting the blood sample by still doing a heel prick, but by taking the first few drops of blood and using them for an instant sample that goes directly into a cartridge read by a computer. Since, Mom and Dad don't always trust the lab techs to find a vein, this sounded like a good alternative. After watching them do this method I realized that they were still "milking" the blood from my foot and my doubts began to rise. For this reason we stayed at the clinic to make sure we were not going to be called back as soon as we arrived home because of another misreading.

Well, turns out they got a reading that my potassium levels were at a 9... I guess they must be hiding some bananas in my slim fast. I'm not really sure about the normal levels, but because of this reading, they brought me back to one of the treatment rooms to be seen by the Dr. on duty to make sure I was stable enough to be brought to the Children's Hospital ER by my parents instead of the ambulance!

This is how I felt when I heard the news that I would once again be visiting Children's Hospital.

Mom and Dad drove me down to Children's thinking, "Wow, Lydia seems to be feeling really well, we were not expecting this at all!"

Once we arrived at Children's and got all checked in at the ER desk, they brought me back and proceeded to put an IV in and in the process took a veinous blood sample. Well, that proved to be all they needed. Once the lab results were back they let me go home, saying, "Your potassium levels look completely normal Lydia, keep up the good work - you're eating just the right amount of bananas!"

Can you believe that! Mom and Dad have learned that they know more than they think and they're now going to be more persistent when it comes to my blood work and the methods used to get it. Those tricky lab techs can't fool my mom and dad anymore!

Technical stuff - for those of you not interested, you can stop reading here.
When they administer heel pricks for testing blood, the blood cells are damaged because of the milking motion they use to get the amount of blood they need. The milking causes the blood cells to burst leaving them damaged and with the potassium just floating around in the mix. Potassium levels are the most affected of the levels being tested. The term for this damaging is called hemalized (not sure on the spelling) blood samples.

That's enough blogging for tonight... I best be off to bed!
Love you all,
Lydia