We are just a family of five...three boys, a mom, a dad, a hamster, and dog. Welcome to our crazy world. Our adventures will make you laugh, cry, and pee in your pants...
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Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day Joe!
(ok...I couldn't find a picture with all the boys....and you know
that Chris is the phantom teenager anyway)

We had a really good weekend.  We went to a Luau at church on Saturday night.  Although, I forgot that Joe, Eli, and Isaac are allergic to grass...and there we sat, on a blanket, in the grass for THREE hours! ooops.....It didn't even dawn on my why Isaac's nose was constantly running?  And why Joe kept asking me if we could leave.  
So...this morning...they were all snotballs!
BUT...Joe represented the family...and he and Eli drove went to church (on the motorcycle)this morning.

Eli made Joe the cutest Father's Day card.  I got myself (I mean Joe) a grill!  And Chris...had a card from last year...we lost it...we found it...then, we lost it again.  (I guess someONE should clean my house!)

Isaac has been eating dog food.  The hard crunchy type.  I guess that means he's ready for some more finger foods!  He did eat a few Fruit Loops tonight!  yeah for Isaac!

OK heart moms.  I have a question.  Isaac's pulmonary valve leaks.  On a scale from 1-10...he's at a 6.  (10 means he needs it replaced).  But...I've noticed lately that he's getting really tired fast.  When we have therapy...he can only tolerate about 30 minutes...and he just lays down and falls asleep.  He's taking a four hour nap in the afternoon....and then just laying around for the rest of the evening.  I know that he's crawling around a lot in the day...but, does all the morning crawling wear him out that much...for the rest of the day??  He's satting in the mid 90s.  If his valve is leaking...does this mean the blood is mixing...and that he's just going to get more tired and more tired as the leak increases??  He's not lethargic...just, really tired the second half of each day.  Thanks for throwing any info my way!



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5 comments:

Sarah said...

Last year before Evan's pvr/homograft surgery was the most tired Evan has ever been. He would ask for a rest and say - "let's go inside." He was taking naps everyday without a fuss. Ever since his surgery in Oct. he is non-stop - the naps are gone and coming inside no matter how hot it is takes coaxing. I would think it is because they are not getting the amount of blood that is supposed to go to the lungs for oxygen. Almost like when there was a hole but, now there is not. But, that wouldn't make their blood unoxygenated - would it? Just less oxygenated blood that usual, hmm? BTW is oxygenated blood a word?

Wendy said...

Kathy,

When Emma was crawling around and the same age as Isaac, I noticed she would get very worn out, too, cranky and exhausted after therapy...the only problem I'm having is that she had her valve replaced around the same time, so was it the crawling or her heart?

I wish I could say I noticed a huge difference in her activity level after the surgery....but she still needs her long naps even now.

Sorry I'm not more of a help! I think when we know that a valve replacement is in our baby's future, it's hard not to wonder and worry if it's the cause of other things we're seeing. I find myself wondering lately how well Emma's valve and branch arteries are doing....we don't go back to cardiology until December! I guess we heart mommies will be plagued with worry for the rest of our lives, huh?

On the dog food issue....that just cracks me up! All of my older kids used to eat our dog's food, too! Maybe you should put Isaac's snacks in a bowl on the floor and see if he eats those! :) (Coco Puffs might be a good substitute for dog food...)

Take care, Kathy, and give that sweet boy a big hug from us! You guys are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Wendy (& Emma, too!)

Tina:0) said...

I'm with Wendy on the Cocoa puffs suggestion... sounds much more appetizing than dog food ;0)(LoL)

Not sure about the valve thing... but I would think that increasing fatigue would be something to watch for. Hope you get some better advice that mine ;0)

cindy said...

Hey! I'm making my "apology round" to you and Megan tonight. Darling little Jacob stepped on my laptop about a month ago and broke the LCD screen, so I've been trying to keep up with your blogs on my phone. An ok idea, but I can't ever comment!! I grabbed it tonight and am looking past the big Rorschach ink blots blocking my view to let you know that I'm so proud of everything Isaac has been doing lately! I'll bet you're just thrilled to have him crawling all over the place and getting into trouble! :) Just know that I think about you guys all the time and will be back to my regular comments when I can afford a new freakin' laptop!!! (Thanks alot, Jakey)

Sening lots of love,

Cindy
xoxo

The Portas said...

Elijah's cardiologist always tells us that fatigue is the precursor to a valve replacement. BUT...Isaac is moving around a lot now when he wasn't before, so this could definitely wear him out enough to be extra fatigued. It's hard to know. There are weeks when E will seem extra tired and I think, Great! Here we go! But then he'll get his energy back and I can breathe deeply.

Maybe you could keep a little journal, each day writing down how long he sleeps, how active he was, etc. You could bring that to your card the next time you see him??

Dog food, lovely! :) Give that boy kisses from me. Oh and belated Happy Father's Day, Joe! xo