July was so busy for us. It all started on July 2nd (well July started on the 1st- Ha Ha)….. but Kraig started his 10 day vacation on July 2nd.

We were able to enjoy a nice 4th of July with a parade in Omro, and a party at the Stucks (the house where Konner endured his black eye on Memorial Day). No accidents on the 4th! It was kind of a wet 4th- but yet Menasha had fireworks. The boys did not make it for the fireworks- too tired.

July 5th we went to Silver Lake for a week. Kraig’s mom rented a house on the lake and we enjoyed a wonderful sunny week at the lake. We were able to rent a pontoon boat for a couple days too and enjoyed being on the water, tubing and swimming off the pontoon. The boys loved the water, loved the sand and loved fishing. It was a nice time…. we all got a lot of sun and enjoyed some nice family time.

We ended that week with Jennifer’s family reunion at the campground in Wautoma. We enjoyed the day, playing shuffleboard, basking in the sun, playing at the pool and just catching up with family. Kraig and Peggy (my cousin’s wife) ended up winning the Double Elimination Shuffleboard tournament. It is so much fun!!

Also in July, our church had VBS and we were very busy the the whole month with VBS. I took on a pretty big role for VBS and it was quite time consuming; but well worth it. Karver was able to attend the 3 year old preschool VBS; but only attended a couple days… he was missing mom. He did LOVE the group singing and puppet shows that he watched with mom. Karver and Konner really got into the group singing and doing all the motions for the songs. Throughout the week…. the kids were told different passages and everytime they heard it- they had to say “I, I” for our “high seas” theme. So for instance, when they heard “God’s word is true”…. ALL 160 kids would say “I, I”….. Karver did really well. But Konner was the Echo. All the kiddos would say it and then Konner would say it when it was dead silence…. Everytime… it was so cute! I really enjoyed myself.

The month ended with a couple days spent at the Wolfe River campground…. with a bunch of GREAT friends. I took the boys one day for them to splash around in the water and enjoy the day. Kraig and I went back on Saturday (kid free) and spent the day; tubing, laughing and just plain relaxing with so many good friends. It was a nice way to End a Very busy month. (Kraig and I enjoyed a night away together- something that has only happened about 4 times in the past 2 years.)

The boys have been really healthy and they are just enjoying being “kids”. Both boys will endure Big heart check ups in September. (I get anxious for appointments but also look forward to KNOWING what is going on in their little hearts- just to make sure that we are not missing anything).

I try hard to not worry about every little thing….. but I always find myself checking and double checking my checklist- just to make sure that I am not missing anything. Even today- Konner is a little crabby and I said “I better just check his blood pressure again”. Something seems off. His blood pressure was good….. but I would be unhappy with myself, if something did happen and I just brushed some of the red flags under the carpet. So I am proactive and keep a watchful eye on things.

July also brought us some not so good news of our good friend, Jackie. Jackie Lenth was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and will be undergoing an agressive treatment plan. Jackie is staying in good spirits (the best she can) and will be enduring some hard times in the near future. She does have a caringbridge site- where you can follow her story and leave her messages of “HOPE”. Please say an extra prayer for her and her family. www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackielenth

And if I can say it again to everyone…… >”Live one day at a time; Cherish Every Moment and Make Lasting Memories”~

Yes, you read it right…. we are HOME! After only being gone a total of 14 hours…. we are HAPPY to be HOME yet tonight!!

Konner left the hospital really sore, quite fussy and in some pain…. but yet he LEFT. His numbers looked good and he overall looked good. He really wanted his Bands off his ankles. Yes, I know- the name and blood bands bothered him the most. Not the Incision site in his neck with a big bandage over it….. Not the Incision site in his groin area with a Big bandage over it…… Not the IV that was in his foot….. Not all the leads all over his chest…… Not the Red Oxygen Probe on the end of his toe……. JUST the name bands that were around his ankles!

Konner had not peed yet when we left the hospital- so that was a thing that we needed to watch tonight. His tummy has quite hard and I think he had a lot of discomfort in his belly with gas.

So, he slept a little on the way home…… I walked into the house with him sleeping in my arms…… laid him on his changing table to change his WET diaper and he looked around at his room, turned and smiled at me. He then yelled “Daddy” and we both knew that our little boy was back and he was feeling much better.

We then took off all his bandages and he looks good. He walked out of his room…. actually kind of skipped out of his room and stomped through the house- I think looking for Karver. He walked around here tonight like he owned the place. He is currently wrestling with daddy….. and I have to keep reminding Kraig that he has to stay CALM tonight. He also ate some of Kraig’s “Eggroll”… another I can’t believe it. He turned down a cracker, turned down a popsicle, and ate Kraig’s egg roll.

We are truely blessed! Sitting in the waiting room today….. we started talking to another family and both of us agreed, that we are truely blessed. Both of our families have endured so much pain, so many surgeries, so many years of anxiety and time in the hospital…. but yet we say we are the LUCKY ones and that we are BLESSED! We shared some tears and thanked God for all the miracles that he has given us. I wish that everyone with healthy children, good jobs and lots of money could feel what we feel in our hearts. I pray that someday everyone could feel as blessed as we are. Blessed!

Thank you for all your prayers!~

Jennifer just left to see Konner in the recovery room. I expect he will be up in his room in an hour or so. The plan is that we will be spending the night and the family will be coming home some time tomorrow.

The doctor stopped by to see us a little while ago and said that Konner’s vessels, blood pressures, and heart looked good. With these findings Konner will be able to proceed to the 3rd step of his three phase repair which is called the Fontan procedure. The doctor seemed to think the procedure would be spring/summer of next year but might be as soon as this fall. We will know more in the next few months.

We may or may not post another update today. I would think it’s safe to say no more news means Konner is recovering and Mom and Dad are doing everything they can to keep him comfortable.

Thanks everyone for your support!!!

Kraig

They were ahead of schedule so Konner went back as soon as we got here. No food or milk since midnight so he was thirsty and hungery when he left.

Yes… it is that time again. Konner will be enduring a Heart Catherization tomorrow at Children’s. They will be looking to see if there is anything that needs to be coiled, or ballooned and also to get a final look at the inside of the heart before his next open heart surgery.

3 years ago… this procedure would have been a big deal. They put him under, go in through his femeral artery and look at his heart, and he will have to spend the night in the hospital. But after having 3 open heart surgeries in the past 3 years, where they stop the heart, and completely open them up….. this should and I pray will be a “cake walk”. None the less…. it still is an invasive surgery with the risk of complications- nothing to shake your finger at…. plus the anxiety that leads up to it…. is REAL for both mom and dad and Konner.

So an extra prayer for our whole family would not hurt over the next couple days. We will update as the day goes on tomorrow.

Children’s Hospital Bound~

Well our Memorial Day started off just great! We were up and at the parade by 8:30am. Karver was excited to see “March…. March…. March”. He just loves the bands. Konner watched the bands and the trucks too.

Then we continued our day at some friends houses. Had a nice lunch and then off to Beth and Al’s on the lake. The boys were in awe of the BIG swimming pool…. ie: “the lake”. Had a nice afternoon and Karver loved swimming. (okay wading in the water). Even did well when he gave mom a heart attack and fell over in knee high water and could not stand up. Just grabbed him up and went about playing. Mom’s heart was racing and really needed a DRINK!

So then it was about 5:30- fed both of the boys and just made a plate of food for me. Someone left the Screen door open off their second level kitchen/dining room and Konner went for a “FLY”. He went right out the screen door and landed about 3-4 steps down and then tumbled down a few more steps. I was right there and ran and got him and headed straight for the bathroom. I screamed and my heart stopped.

Konner has no broken bones…. but his eye sure did take the Brunt of the fall! He has a very bad Black eye. It really has not slowed him down much…. as he was wrestling with Karver later that evening and wrestling with me the next day. It is swollen shut, bloodshot and Purple!

I am grateful that an angel was watching over him that day and that he fell down the stairs instead of falling to the side and landing on the concrete below. It could have been so much more serious…. but none the less- hard for a mom to look at. Needless to say…. I was shaking, sick to my stomach and I really needed a DRINK now!!!

The worst part of all of this is that….. Kraig is on vacation on a dive boat in the Bahamas and has no phone access. You all know about this fall before he does….. and I am just waiting till Friday to tell him. Yikes!!

I usually LOVE to celebrate holiday’s with a “BANG” of fireworks- guess Konner is following in my footsteps. Just wish he would have told me…. I would have bought some BIG fireworks and saved his eye.

Celebrating Memorial day with a “BOOM” (at Konner’s expense)~

I am sure MOST of you have had this same thing happen to you? You decide that you are DONE have babies and having an 18 month old…. yields having a lot of “Baby” stuff laying around. So we started selling things. We put the big items on Craig’s list. It was Very Hard to see the “boys” Rainforest highchair go out the door. It went to a New mom from Stevens point. I told her that it was the LAST big item (besides the crib) that both of our boys used lots!

We had tubs and tubs of baby clothes……. I started to put it out on the tables in the garage for the rummage sale….. and never thought it would be as “HARD” as it was. I felt sick to my stomach, I had tears rolling down my cheeks, and I felt so many emotions, and remembered so many events of the boy’s lives.

Finally around 11:00pm or so….. Kraig asked how it was going? I said “Hard”. I then said “Should I keep some of this stuff”? I said “I don’t know if I can sell this stuff”?

We started to reminisce together. Both of us had tears rolling down our faces as we remembered the different little outfits and things that we did with the boys. We remembered what each boy came home wearing…. (We did keep those outfits). We remembered what Konner came home in after each of his surgeries. (We kept those outfits too). We remembered the little crocheted hat that we picked out at Lamaze class for Karver…. but Karver was so little that he did not wear it home….. But Konner wore that little HAT all the time in the hospital. (We kept that hat too). Other than that….. We said our goodbyes to the little outfits, I held it and snuggled with it……. and then the next door I let people rummage through it.

One good thing that made me feel really good……. a lady that does care packages for missionaries came and bought $35.00 worth of “sleepers” at 50 cents apiece. I know those sleepers will keep little ones warm and snuggly at night!!

The 3 R’s of having kiddos- Reminiscing…… Remembering……and Rummage!!! (NOT the Rest, Relaxation and Rejuvenation that the 3 r’s usually stand for!)

Wow- 2010! I have been a mom now for a little over 37 months! What a Ride it has been!

I never knew that I could LOVE anyone as much as I do! I never knew that I could CARE for anyone as much as I do! I never knew that I could FEAR for someone as much as I do! I never knew what being a MOM was all about….. until I became one.

Whether they say, whine, cry, yell or sing and they call me: Mom, mommy, momma 100 times plus a day (okay sometimes that is before noon)……. I am honored to hear their little voice use those precious words! I am BLESSED! More than I can ever imagine….. I am BLESSED!

Life has thrown us some curves to go around…… but I would not change anything about either one of these cuties!

Thank you Karver and Konner for letting me be your “Mommy”! I LOVE you both so much!

I hope and pray that all of you mom’s out there feel as blessed as I do! Please don’t take one minute for granted! And Remember that we as Mom’s are the Fuel that keeps the households burning……

“Live each day, day by day; Cherish Every Moment and Make Lasting Memories”

Happy Mother’s Day~

I will leave you all tonight on with a funny story……… about the “Signs of Advanced mommyhood”

You’ve reached a new leve of motherhood….. all the warning signs are there…….You know you’ve crossed the threshold into advanced mommydom when:
1. You count the sprinkles on each kid’s cupcake to make sur they’re equal- (Done that!)
2. You have time to shave only one leg. (Done that!- Or paint only the big toe that shows)
3. You hide in the bathroom to be alone. (Done that!)
4. Your child throws up and you catch it. (Yup- done that!)
5. Someone else’s kids throws up and you keep eating. (Done that!)
6. Your child insists that you read Once Upon a Potty out loud in the lobby of Grand Central Terminal, and you do it. (Or he makes you smell his shoe in a restaurant…. right when the waitress is coming to the table- and you do it)

Motherhood is Great- ENJOY!

I am a Heart Mother

One day my world came crashing down,
I’ll never be the same…
They told me that my child was sick..
I thought, am I to blame?
I don’t think I can handle this…
I’m really not that strong..
It seemed my heart was breaking..
As, I’d loved him for so long.
I will not give up on this child..
despite your best “advice”..
I will give my child a chance..
No matter what the price..
And I will learn all that I need..
to help my child to thrive…
I’ll even use that feeding tube..
My child will survive!
And he’ll needs lots of therapy?
And he just can’t gain weight?
Alright God I can do this..
I will not curse our fate.
The feeding pump beeps,( at 3:00 a.m.)
It serves as my reminder..
How many parents would welcome that sound?
Tomorrow Lord, I will be kinder.
Another angel earns their wings..
and I run to my sleeping child’s bed..
I watch him then, for quite awhile..
(I bend down and kiss his head)
Then I cry for the parent’s whose lives have been broken..
And I look to You wondering why?
Oh Lord, I just can’t know your ways..
No matter how I try.
And yet, I trust You hold his life..
(and guide us through each day)
My mind says savor each moment he’s here…
But my heart whispers,”Please let him stay”.
From… pacing the surgical waiting room…
to sitting by his hospital bed…
From… wishing for a good nights sleep..
to learning every med..
From… wondering will he be alright?
to watching him reach out his hands..
with every smile, my heart just melts..
(despite life’s harsh demands)
For all who see that faded line..
I look to them and smile..
You see my child is loved so much..
I would face any trial…
That same scar I trace with my finger..
(It’s the door to his beautiful heart)
You must have known how much I’d love him..
(Just as You loved him right from the start)
A heart mom is always a heart mom..
(wise beyond all of her years)
And for those who have angels in heaven..
Our hearts share in all of your tears..
On Mother’s Day I will remember..
You chose me for him(and no other)
And I will embrace that beautiful day..
When I became a “heart mother”.

~Poem written by Stephanie Husted~

This poem was written by a Heart Mom and she really captured the WHOLE realm of what it means to be a Heart mom! Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the heart mom’s out there!

“Live day by day, cherish every moment and make lasting memories”

So Thursday night started off like any other Thursday evening. Kraig and I took the boys to their swimming lessons at the YMCA. We had an uneventful swimming lesson with the boys, got them dressed and came home. We got home about 8:00pm. This is Where the night started to go Haywire!

Konner was acting pretty tired and sleepy after swimming…. but we just just chalked it up to swimming. So he started to fall asleep with Kraig rocking him. I walked past him and said “Is that him, breathing”? He sounded like a train chugging up a big hill. He was really breathing FAST! I tried to wake him and get him to get a breath and maybe calm his breathing down. He did not really wake up. So I said “Something is not right”. I went and grabbed our Dinamap machine to measure his Blood pressure and his heart rate. His heart rate was at 180+ (sleeping). His blood pressure was actually low. So I then woke him up and took it again. Blood pressure came up a little, and his heart rate stayed at 180-184. (HIGH for someone with 4 chambers to his heart- Dangerously High to Konner with only 2 chambers). I immediatly called the Pediatric Cardiologist On call in Madison. Kraig and I were debating whether or not to just take him to the ER. I continued to talk to the doctor on the phone. We also noticed that now Konner started to feel really warm (took his temp and it was 101). Doctor on the phone said to give him some tylenol for the fever and to watch him for an hour (if I felt comfortable). As I was talking to him, Konner started to become inconsolable…. And his breathing changed from FAST to very Shallow Grunting. I said “Bye to the Doctor on the phone and said we are taking him to the ER NOW.

All these Red Flags that I have always been told to look for were all happening at once. I started to SHAKE.

Got to the ER…. walked in very calmly with Konner. Kraig and Karver dropped us at the door and they went to park the car. I said “I have a heart baby here that is having labored breathing and a 180 heart rate. I went right back and was in a whirlwind of people in about 2 minutes. Monitors hooked up, Labs drawn, Doctors checking him over, nurses asking me questions, temperature being taken, ears looked at, heart listened too, chest x-rays, and an Ekg, some medicine given… and they started to work on an IV. This was just the first, I don’t know, 15 minutes?

When we got to the ER. He was around 197 for his heart rate. He had very shallow grunting for his breaths and his fever was at 102.5.

So with all the tests, nothing really came back abnormal. So after IV fluid, fever medicine, and lots of tests, His fever broke and he was sleeping and he still had a 160 heart rate. It is now 11:30 or so and they decided that he needed to be TRANSPORTED to Madison for a Pediatric Cardiologist to look at him. So into the Ambulance mom and Konner went. Kraig took Karver home to bed. I have never been in an ambulance…. oh my goodness- what a rough ride. I was bouncing all over, and i get car sick…. so by the time we got to Madison I was pretty Green. I was so happy to be in the fresh air and on solid ground.

Konner did well on the ride down…. he slept from the vibrations. His heart rate continued to go down and by the time we hit Madison, he was at 130. (Normal for him is 100-105 resting and 130-awake and active)

So we got checked into the hospital. More doctors, more questions, more tests and more hours without any sleep. It was about 4am… and our nurse brought me a contact case and said “try and get some sleep”. I got Konner into bed and crashed. The nurse came back in and talked to me about not waking him to give him his medicine and just waiting for a couple hours. (I was not even really conherent). In less than 2 hours…. I was going on being awake for 24 hours (with the last 8 hours of HIGH STRESS).

Just before 7am…. I was up and put my contacts in and holding Konner in the rocker. The on-call doctor, who I talked to the night before, came in and could not believe that we were awake. He asked me “so what medical profession are you in?” I said “No I am not”. He said “Oh the ER doctor told me that he thought you were in the medical field”. I said “No, I just have two heart kiddos”!!

So they discharged us and we got back home at 8pm on Friday night. He never spiked another fever, his labs do not show any infection, his heart rate stayed in the 130’s, his breathing went back to HIS normal. He oxygen saturations are just a little lower, (currently 78), than they were last month,…. but we knew that this will happen as he grows and nears his next open heart surgery. His chest x-ray looks great, his ears, throat and overall appreance looks great. The doctors think that he is brewing something and will declare himself in the next couple days. Other than that…. we left with a Holter Heart Monitor attached to him….. and for the most part a Happy little boy, and a very TIRED momma.

This was our first time to experience an ER situation and a TRANSPORT via ambulance and I hope and PRAY that it was our LAST. (Overall, everything went very well, everyone was very nice and competent… but just the stress for all 4 of us….. is Scary).

Resting at HOME tonight~

Kiss your little ones, Hold them tight and let them know they are LOVED!