California McMillans

Our family will be blessed with baby Maddox in about 10 days. Heather and Jason are going to be such great parents. Although it was insignificant to Heather, her stress test for her heart showed that the baby turned. Keep her in your prayers. Her heart and the baby seem to be doing great.

Growing up I never gave much thought to organ donation. It's not a general topic talked about. I checked the organ donation box on my driver's liscense from merely thinking, "why not?" Tyler's heart journey, his need for an eventual transplant and following the stories of people saved by organ donation makes me want to plead to the world to become an organ donor. So if you are considering it here are a few reasons to do so..... Owen has HLHS and is a little younger than Tyler. He is awaiting his new heart. http://simmonsfamilyupdate.blogspot.com/ Gracie is getting her new heart right now. The left ventricle is having a hard time so please pray for her. I just found this family's blog. Paul Cardall is awaiting his heart. He is the proud dad and husband to an amazing family. He received his Fontan as a child. http://mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com/ Kaidence. This miracle received her new heart and is doing great! http://www.4mykaidence.blogspot.com/ A

I need to write about people in my life more. One of my heros is my only sister, Heather. She is expecting a little boy in about 1 month. I can't describe how excited I am for them. After two miscarriages and in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, Heather and Jason discovered they were pregnant again. They have been full of patience, love, kindness and gratitude throughout this long and difficult journey. The baby is transverse right now so we will see if he turns. While other often complain about the possibility of a c-section, countless trips to UCSF due to her heart condition or prengnacy woes, Heather has always remained so positive, filled with happiness and joy that the baby is doing well and the opportunity to become a mother. She is such an example to me and many others of gratitude and counting blessings! It is evident why everyone who knows her loves her. I love you Heather!

I love Carl's gravestone!!  It is so simple and so perfect for what he represents.  I love that he shares Christ's birthday.  What a blessing Carl was and continues to be in our lives.  I love the constant reminder he gives me of hope in Christ.  He is one of my miracles!!   

Please keep this precious Gracie girl in your valentines prayers. This week a cath showed elevated pressures not allowing her to receive the Glenn, her 2nd open heart surgery. She went home to await placement for a transplant and had 'watershed ischemia, an insult to her brain due to low blood pressure due to heart failure. Her little heart is having a really hard time right now, she is intubated and will be in the PICU until receiving a new heart. She has been such a miracle thus far.  Please pray for the family during this difficult time.   http://thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com/

Erik and Charlie invited me and Scott to motocross in San Francisco.  They brought the dirt to the Giant's baseball stadium and it was a good time.  I brought my earplugs, and Scott got so rattled by the fireworks that he wore some too.  

When we bought our condo, I didn't do much research, but it felt right. Initially, we worried about the economic dowturn, but now can see great blessings. It is so interesting how things come to light years later. We love where we live, are able to have a rental without overextending on a house purchase, and led to a different community than first thought. It is amazing how things come together for your good in unexpected ways. If you have been watching the news this week, you may have noticed that the debate in Washington has finally turned toward real stimulus for the housing industry. This has been expected and finally in the forefront. The Lieberman/Isakson Amendment was included in the senate version of the Economic Stimulus Bill by a unanimous voice vote. This amendment would provide a Tax Credit to all home buyers at the rate of 10% of the sales price up to a limit of $15,000. The credit would be available for a one year period to all purchasers of primary residences.  

I met with the geneticist and genetic councilor today to discuss Carl and Tyler. It was interesting. I wanted to be a therapist of some form growing up and have always been interested in figuring out the "whys" of life. This profession is basically a mix of the two. They council people and try to make sense of medical puzzles. (Side-not: A friend of mine is a Marriage, Family, Therapist and I realize I wouldn't be a very good therapist because I am not a very good listener. She can sit and listen and not interrupt. I talk to much. I give suggestions or try to find answers too much. Bad Heidi. I am going to try to work on that skill. Add that to my New Years Resolutions). As Danny and I assumed, it was a difficult autopsy due to the fact that Carl was most likely dead for a couple of days. All body parts, with the exception of his brain looked normal. Doctors assume his brain had a large arachnoid cyst. Interestingly, they said his facial anatomy was normal. Although

  I started writing a book about "Children Of Hope". I am really excited about the idea and look forward to this endeavor. As inadequate as I am, I do feel the Lord's hand in my writing which gives me peace. This is a brief idea of the book: People form hopes at different stages of life. Some dreams begin in adolescence, others when married and others during pregnancy or adoption. Although these dreams begin at different stages, it is certain we all want the best for our children, family members and friends. We want them to have a happy, healthy and successful life. At some point our hopes will collide with reality. Some dreams are lost during miscarriage, a health diagnosis, accident, bad decisions or misfortune. My dreams collided with reality during my second and third pregnancies. I was blessed with a healthy child, than a child with a severe heart defect and recently a stillborn with neurological complications. Many of my initial hopes and dreams for Tyler and Carl,