Monday, August 30, 2010

News Story

Apparently this aired on Saturday and we missed it. Here is the link to Matthew's news story from surgery.

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=83001@wcco.dayport.com

Here is the written article:

http://wcco.com/seenon/childrens.hospitals.clinics.2.1884611.html

Friday, August 27, 2010

WE SAID YES!

After MUCH consideration (months, in fact), we have accepted a job transfer to Georgia! The house will be ready to market in 2 weeks and as soon as we sell, we will go.

This was a HARD decision to make...the biggest reason being...we came to Minnesota to save our children's lives. It is REALLY hard to walk away from our WONDERFUL medical team here who have literally been the hands that have kept our children alive! Starting over with 13 or so doctors is, well, OVERWHELMING to say the least! When we told our Cardiologist last week that we were going, he laughed. He was shaking his head and said, "I would LOVE to see the face of the guy when he first meets Matthew." Georgia's Children's Hospital is ranked #7 for cardiac in the nation and Minneapolis is not on that top 30 list so I think we should be in good hands. And, our Cardiologist has a buddy out there and has already put a call in for us to help us to the right place.

Mike has been traveling to Georgia every month and it has gotten really old. We have LOVED Minnesota and will miss it and everyone here! We are up for a new adventure!

By the way, Matthew's news story is finally supposed to air next week sometime...channel 4 news for local people.

Friday, August 20, 2010

GREAT NEWS!

We had cardiology follow-ups today and both Joshua and Matthew look great! No surgery for Joshua yet!!! Josh didn't change at all from last year so hopefully will last another year. AMAZING! This will give him time to grow so when he does have surgery, they are more likely to fit an adult size valve so he won't ever have to have surgery again. YAY!

Matthew's physical restrictions have been lifted. He gets to stop his coumedin, so no more monthly blood draws. His pacer settings were changed to 80 from 90 and pacer is working wonderfully. No casts for 16 days! Stopped the nebulizer treatments.

I hurt a tendon in my thumb really bad last Saturday and have not been able to use my hand all week so this typing one handed deal is pretty obnoxious. I can't tell you how frustrating this week has been with no hand!!!

SO GLAD we are not having surgery right now!

Friday, August 13, 2010

Busy...busy...busy

If it's not chronic illness, it's house projects keeping us busy. I'm way behind in blogging so this post has a bunch of random things so I can just be done.

I have to go way back and say that we had lots of July birthdays...lots of cake...and now lots of big, grown up boys! Birthdays were very low key this year.
This is Isaac in his new big boy bed hat he loves.




This is Noah's birthday...



After I posted about the big ugly tree coming down in our front yard a few weeks ago, I walked through the living room and was blinded by the sunshine coming in.


Matthew likes to do the harvesting from the garden.


We are currently re-finishing the bedroom downstairs. The bedroom was huge and only partially finished with carpet on concrete. We had an egress window put in and now Mike is framing and dry walling to make a little bit smaller bedroom and a nice size storage room.
This is the before.


The new window.


The room now...before framing begins.


After this, the basement will have been completely re-done and then we will do the bathroom upstairs and be finished.

This is Matthew getting to swim after the cardiologist gave him the ok.


Matthew coughed up a total of 7 casts but has not had one for 9 days so I think we are finally done with those. He has a follow up with cardiology next week where I think he will get the ok to resume normal activity. He will be so happy! It's been hard to have to sit and watch the other kids play. He is doing GREAT! We ordered a book to be printed of the caring bridge site from surgery so we now are in posession of a hard bound copy of his whole site...journal entries, pictures, guest book and all. I think it's awesome that they offer that. That will be so nice to have in the future.

Joshua also has his cardiology follow up next week so we will be finding out if he is ready for his valve replacement.

The boys are really bummed that there are only 3 more weeks of summer left before school starts. We are not ready!