Saving Little Hearts 2010 Calendar

They've finally come out with the SLH calendar for 2010. If you remember, I posted about it a while back, here. I had sent one of Miss Vaeh's photos from the Littlest Heroes Project shoot that we had for her. I finally saw a draft of the finished product. Vaeh was placed in January. If I read correctly, they had more than enough photos to complete the calendar. So many, in fact, that they made it a 15 month calendar! Here's a look at January's page...

If you look closely, you'll see Miss V in the bottom row, 4th in from the right! Isn't she just beautiful?! (yes, that was a VERY biased statement;0) You can go to the Saving Little Hearts site to order your calendar! I think there may even be a place to find where you can submit photos for next year's calendar.

I'm so sorry that I've been dormant here lately. I've been kinda upset with blogger, or my computer (not exactly sure which one). I haven't been able to upload any photos... ugh! But for some reason, something told me to try this morning & it worked! WooHoo! So, to back track a bit, someone asked about pics of Miss V's orthotics. Blogger still isn't letting me upload some photos & I'm not sure why. I'll keep trying to get it to cooperate with me!

In other news, Vaeh had a check up last week & here's her newest stats: she weighs in at a whopping 30.5lbs & is 36.25 inches tall!! I never thought that my little peanut would break the 30lb. mark, but yet again she has amazed me! She's doing really well in school & is making great progress with her orthotics. The therapist did tell me that they may be evaluating her for OT again, as she seems to be lacking in some (very) fine motor skills (ie: threading small beads onto a string). I say if it will help her, bring it on! She's still having trouble with drawing circles, copying things that someone else has drawn, but is still doing well & loving school!

One last little note for this post. If you all would remember my Aunt & Uncle, & their family in your prayers. My Aunt's Mother-in-law was taken to the hospital a couple of weeks ago & is still in the hospital. She's now at a larger facility where they're still trying to decide if she has a tumor or fungal infection in her brain. Its been very stressful on the family & they could use your prayers... & I know there's some great prayer warriors floating around blogger-land! Hope everyone else is doing well!

"Tickle my feet!"

That's how Vaeh described having her feet casted & then the inserts applied. She was casted about 2 weeks ago for orthotics. I'd been wondering for a while if/when she would need these. She has always had a very flat arch which she gets from her Daddy! Mommy has the exact opposite, having VERY high arches (which can be just as bad, if not worse).

We didn't really worry about it last year & over the summer. Partly because she was just learing to walk & because the therapist that was working with her really didn't seem to care (lets not get started on THAT subject!). So when she started school/therapy this fall (with therapist that I trust completely!!!) we talked about her getting them to help with he walking/running/jumping.


This morning was her appointment to pick them up. She was so excited to go in - I think she remembered being there & having her feet casted. He put them on her to get a quick fit to know where to trim them & then put them in her shoes. She did really well with them when she first stood up & has seemed as if they aren't bothering her a bit! She has some red spots after wearing them, but overall she hasn't complained once!! I think there may be an adjustment in her future, though.

Hopefully everyone is having a good weekend (even though its nearly over:0( ) & that everyone is staying healthy! We're doing okay here, but unfortunately there were confirmed cases of H1N1 in our county this past week... so needless to say, I'm on alert! Here's to a fun, healthy week!

Potty training!!

Yep. Vaeh continues to become more "normal" each day. This past week, we started potty training... finally!

This was kinda new territory for me. With Gabby, she was potty trained by a friend of mine (Thanks, Angel!) when we were in Ann Arbor for Vaeh's 2nd open heart. Gabby was trained late, too, in part because of the chaos that was our life back then. Meds every two hours from 6AM to midnight, no sleep, you get the picture. So it was Angel who had the know how & the patience to work with her.

Miss Vaeh has been telling me for a few months now "I peed, Mommy," after she wet in her diaper. I had dabbled with attempting to train her, but each time I gave her her lasix it ruined any progress that we had made. So when we finally got rid of the lasix back at the end of August, I wanted to give her some time to adjust. She had been doing pretty well the week before last in pull ups, so I decided to just go ahead & put her in panties. And it worked... fairly well. She went all week last week with only 2 accidents!! She did so well that we even had her in panties for church on Sunday!! She made it the whole day!! She's just so darn cute. We have to do the "dance" after we go, & Miss Vaeh is in charge of flusing;0) - she likes to say "bye-bye, tinkle!"

Last week went great... today, not so well:0/ She is still wearing panties, but today we've had a couple of accidents. I did put her in a pull up for school today, just so that they wouldn't have to worry about it. I think next week, though, we'll go for the gusto. Her main issue is probably the same one that plagues most kids when potty training... the dreaded "#2." That's where most of her accidents come in, so if anyone has any tips please feel free to drop them in a comment! I'm just so proud of her!

Hope everyone else is staying healthy, or getting back to being healthy!! Thanks again for checking in on us!

Still here...

Yep. We didn't go anywhere... other than to the peds twice, but that was over a week ago. Boy, am I a slacker (as my husband so lovingly pointed out last night;0)! Let me just reassure you that the girls are both finally on the up & up. Here's how things went:

The last time I posted, I re-introduced everyone to our old trusty friend. "He's" still just hanging around, but not needed nearly as much now. We're going to keep "him" on standby throughout the winter, though:0) The following Monday after I posted of "his" return, I ended up taking Vaeh in to see the doc. It wasn't her regular ped, but I settled for seeing someone different that visit as the girls were both scheduled to see their regular gal that Friday. Basically on Monday they told us that Vaeh had 'viral bronchitis' & to keep using our friend. She had had a fever (which is why we went to see them) but it hadn't returned that day. Doc told me that if it did pop back up & stick around to call & he'd order a CXR.

She did really well, until Friday when they both were scheduled for well child exams. Gabby is a whopping 42 lbs & 48 inches tall! Miss Vaeh has dropped just a bit & is now just over 28 lbs, but is up to 38 inches!! She's such a tall thing anymore!! Of course Vaeh would have a low-grade fever... ugh. So, still no flu-shot for her this season. Silly girl, she hasn't ever had one! Every time we'd go to get one, she would be running a slight temp which means... no shot. Maybe she'll get one this year, although I'm not sure how things will pan out;0)

During that appointment I decided to have Gabby get the flu mist. You know, the one where they spray it up your nose vs. sticking you in the arm. Thankfully Gabby wasn't too resistant to that option & did quite well when they gave it to her. However, come Sunday Miss Gabby decided to run a fever, have a headache & be nauseous all day... ugh. Which went into the night & next morning, so Gabby missed a day of school. Come Tuesday morning she was ready to return - I think that had something to do with them roller skating in gym class;0)

So, we're finally all healthy again in the house. Which is why I'm sitting at home on the computer on Sunday morning instead of a church. There's been a virus running through quite a few families at church & I didn't want to expose the girls since they're just beginning to return to normal! That, & Daddy didn't get home until about 8:30 last night & this way we can spend some time with him - he has to leave later tonight:0/

So we're all just hanging around for today, spending some time together as a family. Hope everyone else is doing well & staying healthy!

An old friend :0/

We've had an old friend stop in for a visit the past couple of days... I'm not really all that excited about it either. Let me introduce you all, again...

That's right. Our friendly (ugh) neighborhood nebulizer has returned from hibernation for the summer. This picture is from back in April because I don't have any current ones... its been that long since we've used it! I was hoping we'd get through at least October before having any sniffles here. Its been so long that I've almost forgotten what it is to hear the humming of that machine.

Miss Vaeh started in nearly a week ago with a simple runny nose. It wasn't anything big because everyone else had one, too... darn pollen:0/ So, yesterday she started in with the coughing & we broke the nebulizer out right away! Luckily we still had some pulmicort & xopenex left over from her last round that hadn't expired yet.

So this morning Miss V woke with a lovely "rattle-y" (is that even a word? It is now if you speak "Tina" - LoL) sound in her chest. After a treatment with her nebs, & a few good coughs, she sounds much better. Although there is still a lingering hoarseness to her voice. I may be calling the pediatrician later... still havent' decided yet.

In other news, we had a not -quite-so-fun weekend last weekend. We went to my cousin's house for her daughter's 1st birthday party. On the way home, Jon wanted to stop by & check something in his truck. What he found (or didn't find) was quite a shock... someone broke into his semi & stole his TV, Playstation, CB radio, flashlight & a bunch of CD's & DVD's, amongst other things. He also has a fairly good sized refrigerator in there & they tried to take it but didn't succeed thankfully! So, Jon called the local police department & they came out, wrote a report & dusted for fingerprints. Which meant in addition to all the lovely shards of glass that were in the truck, now there was a lovely layer of black fingerprint dust. He was very impressed with how quickly the police responded & that they actually took prints, but hopes aren't too high on recovering anything. Oh, the other thing is that the company's insurance won't cover any of his stuff. "It's all stuff that can be taken home every weekend when not in the truck." Can you believe that?!?! Oh well, we'll just have to make due I guess!

We're hoping this weekend doesn't bring any unwanted surprises like last weekend did! Hope everyone else is staying healthy & has a wonderful weekend!

Miss Moriah :0)

Meet Moriah & her parents, Justin & Victoria. Miss Moriah is a fellow heart friend (ToFw/PA,MAPCA's) as well as having been diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome & multiple other problems. She has endured 2 open hearts, 5 caths, & a tracheotomy, among many other surgeries. This precious little girl & her family have spent nearly 11 months in the hospital.

Currently Moriah is waiting to be transferred back to Stanford from CHLA, as she is having continued issues with bleeding and infections. She has endured so much over those long months spent in the hospital, as have her parents. Please join me in praying for this beautiful little girl & her family!

Happy Birthday, Miss Vaeh!!

Its hard to believe that it was exactly 3 years ago that we were in the hospital waiting to welcome the newest member of our family...

(isn't she beautiful?!)

It was unimaginable that we would end up in the NICU/PICU for the first three weeks, & many more to follow, going through helicopter rides, surgeries, crises, & nearly loosing her twice. But we did. Its been a long 3 years, but I wouldn't change them for anything. Because if I did, I wouldn't have this beautiful little girl that you see now...

I cannot begin to imagine my life without this precious little girl in it (or her big sister;0). And because of her, we now have added such a wonderful extended "family" through this journey we've been on. There are so many of you who have helped us get through these past 3 years & I hate to think of where we'd be without each & every one of you. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for joining us. We love you all!! Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!

Firsts...

So I've been waiting to put up another post, so I'd have lots to share with you all. So here goes... let's start with the firsts, shall we?

Last week, Miss Gabby started kindergarten!!! The schools here started late due to building/road construction. Needless to say, all the kids were ready to start this year. The first day went really well! Of course she said she loved it! The biggest things she told me about were having recess twice & lunch (LoL)!

Here's my big girl... Gabby, the kindergartner!

I think we both did quite well on her first day. I only shed a few tears & not until after I had dropped her off. I think it was much harder on me than her;0) She was sooo ready & had a wonderful day. She continues to tell me that she "loved it" when I ask how her day goes. I wish someone would tell me where the last 5 years went?! (LoL)

Another first happened today. Miss Vaeh went to "class" as she likes to call it. We got her back pack ready & headed over mid morning today. She was all too willing to go to class & leave me in her dust! "Bye, Mom! See you later... this MY teacher!" This is what she told me as she walked into the classroom today. When I picked her up, she tried her darnedest to stay... "me wanna stay here!" Well, of course we couldn't, but it really made me feel good to know that she enjoyed herself. The therapist that worked with her today is one of the gals that started originally when Vaeh first started therapy here at the house. Barb said Miss Vaeh is definitely behind with her extensor strength, as well as her abdominals & overall. I am confident that she'll make up the lost ground in no time!!

Here's little Miss on her first day of school!

I'm hoping that both girls keep up with their love of school. It will make life so much easier in the long run!! Now I'll just have to figure out what to do with my "spare" time - LoL!!

New editions...

Yep. We added to our family, in a rather large number... 22 to be exact. We've actually had these newest members among us for nearly 2 months, but I've been quite the procrastinator ;0) Here's a photo of part of the bunch:

Jon & I both have wanted an aquarium for the house. I've always loved watching fish swim... they look so peaceful & graceful. Jon's Dad had aquariums when Jon was little & he's always said he wanted to have one.

We started off back in January with a 5 gallon tank that we bought for Gabby for her birthday. I think I posted about how we went through quite a few gold fish in a short time. We decided after losing nearly 15 fish inside of 2 months, that we would try tropical fish instead of goldfish. Our 'dream' however was to have a larger tank. I was at my Mom's shop one day & Holly (one of their floral designers) said that her Mom had a big tank that had been sitting empty because she got tired of taking care of it. I asked her to get the particulars on how big, how much, etc. So a few phone calls later, & we have what you see in the picture.

We ended up getting the whole set up for a huge bargain, so much so that we just couldn't pass it up! So we now have a 75 gallon tank, a 5 gallon tank, & a beta bowl! In all we have 22 fish, including 2 sharks! Vaeh picked out one of the sharks & named him "Sharky" (such an imagination she has when it comes to naming things ~ LoL)! We are really enjoying having them to look at, plus its helping me teach the girls a little responsibility with feeding & caring for them.

In other news, Miss Vaeh will actually be going to preschool!... sort of. I'm not sure if I blogged about this, but about a year and a half ago, the county changed providers for therapy through the Help Me Grow program (here in Ohio). The gals that worked with Vaeh in the beginning had a tough road getting through with Vaeh, but once they broke that barrier, she really began to work with them & progress. Right about the same time, the county switched providers. As a (now former)therapist assistant I knew more than the average mom did when it came to Vaeh's treatment, although I never dealt with pediatrics. There's a world of difference, but there's enough similarity that I knew the new therapists weren't doing anything to benefit her.

With Vaeh "aging out" of that program, she was up for evaluation by the next level therapists... who just happened to be the original girls. In the spring Vaeh had a "play-based assessment" by some of the staff that would possibly be working with her. At that time they said that Vaeh didn't qualify for services. A few weeks later, I got a phone call about Norma (Vaeh's original PT) wanting to take one last look at her before she signed off on her not needing services. Well, Norma was here on Friday & she said that, even though it was by a very slim margin... Vaeh does qualify!! She still considers her about 8 months behind on gross motor skills, which boils down to she doesn't jump/hop or do stairs independently.

I was ecstatic!! Vaeh will get to work with the girls that got her so far in the beginning! Even though they still consider her "behind" they're going to be able to help her get what she needs! For right now, she'll be getting what they call "itinerant" services. Basically I have to take her to the building & then pick her up when she's done. I think they'll even get her into a classroom situation, which is wonderful!! I'm so excited.

So, both of my girls are going to start school this year:0/ I'm very excited, but at the same time sad... what will I do?! (Let's just say there's a few ideas floating around...)

Hope you all are having a nice extended weekend!