One year ago, almost to the moment, we were sitting in our level two ultrasound anxiously waiting for the tech to get through with the scan so we could go merrily on our way to our parenting group. As you know, this did not happen.
It is very hard to write the post because we have been through so much this year but we feel very blessed and thankful to be in the position that we are. It is a weird dichotomy. Of course, we wish that our daughter’s heart was not underdeveloped on one side. But given all that could and did happen in the past year, we are in a good place.
Right now, we wish we could travel back to the bad news room we were sent to after receiving Audra’s diagnosis and tell our past selves that everything is going to be okay. Then again, right now I wish that our future selves would do the same. Of course, this is not going to happen. All we can do is keep on keeping on, as the saying goes. We do not know what is around the next corner and we never did. That is the ironic part. You never know what the future has in store for you. We were just in a place of ignorant bliss that allowed us to ignore this fact. Now, we cannot ignore it. But despite this fact, we are in a good place.
Audra is thriving! She has continued to gain weight and develop on track. She is eating solids three times a day and loves everything we put in front of her. She loves when her older sister makes her laugh (and her older sister loves making her laugh). She is getting up on her arms and her legs to start crawling, although not at the same time. She can sit on her own but not when she gets too excited – she will still topple over. All is well, although I would be remiss if I did not mention her hate of sleep. It is such a change from our older daughter who loves sleep. Audra, on the other hand, is a huge sleep fighter and would probably stay up all night if we would let her. So if any parent who was once sleep deprived and found a trick to help your baby sleep, PLEASE let us know. We will take all the advice you guys have :)
We have a cardiologist appointment next week on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving of 2011 was the first date we met Audra’s cardiologist before we went over to UofM. We are hoping that this year’s meeting does not uncover any unexpected complications and that things continue on the status quo. We do, however, plan on discussing Audra’s third surgery – the Fontan. There are some different theories out there for the Fontan and we plan on getting more information about them. There are two different types of Fontan surgeries offered and different centers have different timings for both types of the Fontans. We want to make sure we have the most information possible so that we are making the best decisions possible. It is hard because hindsight is 20/20 and we don’t have the luxury of hindsight right now. Again, where are our future selves to help us out?!?
Anyway, if you are reading this, we want to thank you for your support! We couldn’t have made it through the past year without all of you. From reading these posts and knowing what was going on, to the phone calls, to the emails, to the cards, to the texts, to the thoughts and prayers, to the meals, to the gifts – we appreciate it all… more than you know.
All the best!
No comments:
Post a Comment