Chirstmas card

I thought I would post our card in case I forgot to email it to any of you. Maybe next year I will be on top of things enough to send cards via the U.S. mail. Have a great Christmas Eve.

Lizzy is home!

This afternoon the nightmare ended and our sweet baby is home again. I feel lucky Lizzy was only there for six days. I can't imagine how hard it is on parents whose kids are in the hospital for weeks.
This picture is when I held her for the first time since the surgery. It was so hard that first day to see her cry and not be able to pick her up. I was so happy when they let me hold her the next day but it still felt wierd because she was hooked up to so many monitors.


By day two and three she slowly got tubes and things removed and seemed more like our Lizzy again. It was hard to get her to eat and she was throwing what little she ate on the second day. She absolutely refused a bottle and we were desperate to get her to eat so I stayed night and day to try to get her to breastfeed. After many nights sleeping with my clothes on and alarms beeping every five seconds I am very excited to be able to be in my own bed tonight. Lizzy is eating well now and she is her old happy self. She has a lot of bruises, needle pokes, and skin rashes from all the tape but she doesn't act like it bothers her too much. Tylenol is all she needs for pain and we have to be extra careful when holding her. The latest echocardiogram showed that the hole is fixed and working great. The bad news is that her tricuspid valve is slightly damaged (The surgeon works through that valve to repair the hole). It happens about 40% of the time after this surgery and usually doesn't cause a problem. It is something that will require a close eye throughout her life but hopefully won't be a big deal. A big thanks to Marilyn who kept our apartment spic and span while taking care of Tyler. I missed Tyler so much this week but it was comforting to know that he was in good hands. Thanks again for all the phone calls, prayers, and support. I love you all.

Lizzy After Surgery

This is Lizzy in the intensive care unit right after surgery.

She has:

• 2 IV's; one in her foot and one in her right wrist
• an arterial line in her left groin area
• a central line from her neck through her jugular vein to her heart
• a Foley catheter in her bladder
• a chest tube draining her thorax
• those wires are a temporary pace-maker
• a pulse-ox monitor on her left thumb
• temperature and cardiac output monitors on her forehead and lower back

She is a little out-of-it from all the meds, and she mostly just lays there and groans occasionally. It is a little sad, but we know it won't last long.