February/March Update

It has been over a month since I have blogged so this post is full of updates. February was a busy month for us.

CHD Awareness Week went great and the CHD community did a great job getting information out there, especially on the social networking sites. I spoke with a lot of parents about their experiences having a child with a CHD which was very comforting for me. I want to thank everyone who helped spread the information and supported the cause.

A few weeks ago, my cousin and her husband came down from Pennsylvania and my sister and three nieces visited from Pensacola. We all went to the beach to watch the last launch of the shuttle Discovery. It was Lu's first trip to the beach and she absolutely loved it. I was curious to see what her reaction would be since a lot of babies get scared or overwhelmed but the minute we got out of the car, she started to kick her feet and she smiled and screamed with excitement. As soon as I sat her by the water, she started to crawl in circles and dig in the sand. We had a great time and it was fun to get to watch Lu with all of her cousins.

Lu's First Trip to the Beach

Lu and her cousin, Sailor

Lu and her cousins, Sailor, Charlotte, Grace, and Kaylynn

While my sister and nieces were visiting, we got some professional portraits taken with the whole family. You can't see it in the photo but my older sister, Shannon, is pregnant with her 4th daughter (although I think it is going to be a surprise boy). She is due in May and kept it a secret until her visit. Even though she was obviously showing, it took my sister and I about 2 hours to notice. We just thought she was getting fat or wearing an unflattering shirt and didn't want to hurt her feelings by asking her. ;)

The Whole Family

All The Girls

Sweet Little Lu

On the February 26th, Little Lu's Crew drove down to Coconut Creek for the It's My Heart- South FL Chapter 1st Annual CHD Fun Walk/Run. It was a blast and very emotional for me. It was an honor to be able to participate and I am grateful for everyone who participated or donated. All of the CHD Angels were in my thoughts, especially during the survivors lap. <3

Lu with all the CHD Survivors

Little Lu's Crew

Since Lu's surgery, we have gotten to settle into a more normal routine. It is nice not having to worry about her as much as I used to. A few months before I got pregnant with Lu, my husband was laid off from his job so we had to move into my parent's house. Just as we started to get back on our feet again, Lu was diagnosed with her CHD and I decided to stay home to care for her. Since I am a nanny, my original plan was to bring Lu with me to work, on most days, but with the special care she required before her surgery and the fact that she couldn't be around other kids often, I was only able to return to work last month. With the extra income, we were able to move out of my parent's house, last week, and start a "normal" life. It is also good for my parents because my dad was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and, this way, they can have space and a more peaceful environment to care for him in.

Last week, Lu turned 8 months old. She is crawling (scooting and rolling mostly) everywhere and standing up while holding onto to something. She waves, claps, and tries to talk and sing a lot. We went to Lu's cardiologist last week for a follow-up echo and everything looked good (her mitral valve leakage is still mild to moderate and he doesn't expect that to change) so he took her off her last heart med (Lasix) and said we can try to take her off the Zantac (for her acid reflux) in about 2 weeks. That means she will be med free for the first time since she was 2 weeks old and I am so grateful!

Lu and Dada

My Big Girl