one year, plus a little more, post surgery update

We were lucky enough to meet at the Riverton clinic this time. Problem is, in order to get momma and daddy to work on time, your appointment had to be extra early! But you didn't seem to notice it was still dark outside once you got some breakfast in that cute round tummy.

You had the first appointment of the day. I had hoped this would be a good sign, and that they number of minutes we sat in rooms waiting would be less than normal. I was sorta right. And sorta not. The appointment took forever, as always, but not due to waiting rooms.

The problem with appointments at our small Riverton Primary Childrens, is the fact that they dont have the means to sedate your sweet body to sleep in order to do an echo. So instead, they thought that putting on a movie would do the trick. Yes, A movie. Little do they know, my wild child, my 18 month old, can't sit still or pay attention to a movie when a gooey electronic device is circling his chest, and when he is forced to lay down, and he has no treats! You cried enough to make a technician of a pediatric hospital uncomfortable. She called for re-enforcement. At one point we had three people making facing, blowing bubbles, and singing along with sesame street attempting to distract you from the lady rubbing stuff on your chest. At one point they were so desperate to get you tos top fighting, they asked me if i brought your bottle, and why i hadn't given it to you yet. "A bottle? No, he hasn't had a bottle for 6 months!" I wasn't sure if we would get this this appointment after all.

Finally, I asked if i could be of assistance, since watching the professionals be unprofessional in every way wasn't working. I sent our team looking for suckers, after all it was a pediatric ward, this couldn't be too crazy. I then laid on the bed with you and stroked your hair. It took the technician by suprise, but we were desperate weren't we? Running my fingers through your thick hair typically only works when you are tired, but it seemed to help. Eventually you were distracted enough that the technician could start doing her thing. We only ran into problems when your hand rested into that yucky goop on your chest. You weren't having it. The fit started all over. And unfortunately the fit got worse when your dad stood up to comfort you. You love your daddy, and knowing he was in the room made you want to be in his arms more than ever.

We finally got you calmed down again. You slowly started to doze off to the sound of your own heartbeat on the monitor. I was glad when it was over. You hated it, and my arm was beyond numb lying on it for so long.

Then they attempted to do their standard blood pressure test. You were so riled up that the nurse left really concerned with how high our blood pressure was since they had last seen you. She came back 15 minutes later, and said she just had to try again. We found another sucker and she played peek-a-boo with you, and fortunately your pressure was normal after all.

Dr. Mart eventually arrived. He shook momma and daddy's hands and said hello while you played in the corner with your white tiger and brown bear. You then strutted up to that Dr. Mart and insisted on shaking his hand too. It obviously wasn't fair that he shook our hands and not yours. You even said "hi!" with a giant grin.

Everyone seemed super amazed at how healthy and strong you had become, including Dr. Mart. We couldn't be more happy. We were of course were informed in that appointment that your Big hole, you know the VSD, was closed properly. It was looking great. We had a feeling that was the case since we hear this good news every time we meet with these people. He said that your heart tissue should have grown all the way around your device and it is safe and snug, not going anywhere!

Then we heard, "but..." We hate pretty much all sentences that start with "but (long pause)." Turns out the news is not as bad as I had let my mind believe it would it would be. It wandered aimlessly during that long pause. Then the news. You have another little hole, right below your device. It seems to not be affecting your health, but... with the amount of blood rushing in and out of that hole, there is a lot of turbulence and room for bacteria to build up. Infections in the heart are never a good thing. If i thought we hated "but.." i hated "turbulence" and "holes" a lot more. Again, my mind started to wander. But if momma could focus for more than a second or two at a time, she would find out that they are not worried about that hole, and as long as we followed special direction and give you the right kind of antibiotics you were going to be fine. Phew!!!

Not to make matters worse, it turns out you have another small hole somewhere else as well. I know I know, it feels like they are multiplying. Together, these two holes are making that weird "thud" sound or heart murmur. Good news is, we were cleared to go, regardless of the holes, and excused to leave for an entire year with NO appointments!!! It may have been a rough appointment for a tired baby, but the good news is, it was worth every second. It feels good to hear it from somone other than your dad that you are perfect!