This week

Tyler was in the hospital from Sunday to Tuesday night.  The surgery was supposed to be on Friday, but they moved it to Wednesday.  He was on milrinone to give his heart a little rest prior to surgery.  The good news was his echo looked much better this stay than in August when they cancelled his surgery due to his heart function.  So Tony was really pleased with how his increase in meds helped his heart over the past couple of months.

Tyler did pretty good.  His IV's kept failing which was a pain.  I was not on my A game during his first IV attempt when I let two different people poke him before asking for the best.  The resident told me she was confident in herself and would try one more time.  I politely said that I believed her but wanted to know who the best was.  Luckily the charge nurse came in who I LOVE, heard our conversation and immediately got an attending cardiologist and anesthesiologist. They reminded me this was a training hospital and I needed to be firm. My only job in the hospital is to keep Tyler happy so I did a better job throughout our stay with that.

The best part of the stay was ice-cream and chicken nuggets for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The first two days we couldn't go to the playroom because he was on ICU status.  It got much better when he went from the intensivist/cardiologist care to just cardiologist care.

I met with the surgeon around 5pm, one last pre-op set of labs were taken at 6:30 and suddenly around 30 minutes later a surgeon came came to tell us something came up with Tony, the lead surgeon and his surgery was cancelled. They felt really bad and we were home by 9pm.

So for now we just wait to hear from UCSF.  We were hoping to be out of the hospital by Christmas so we could go to Utah but now we will have to stay.  We know that the Lord is over this whole plan and have faith that everything will happen in his timing.  Until then, we will really enjoy the time we have with Tyler and our family.

Grammy came out from Utah for the second time to help with the kids during surgery.  While it was an inconvenience for everyone, we made the most of it and all had fun playing with Grammy for the rest of the week. So instead of surgery we went bowling.

A quick stay

Not again

I was all ready for Tyler's surgery tomorrow.  Then Heidi called to say that something came up in the surgeon's life and he couldn't do the surgery.  So the surgery is canceled.  Weh.  Bah.  Phooey.  Daaaaaaaa!  Heidi and Tyler are on their way home.  I am quite disappointed because last time we were all ready, they postponed it.  There have to be good explanations and reasons for all of this but hearing this news agitated me.

I feel like standing up on a soapbox and ranting, but I'm in healthcare too and I don't have all the answers anyway.  I just feel like we're getting a big run-around that's becoming inconvenient.  But I am glad to see Heidi and Tyler again.  Since I can't ride my motorcycle to UCSF, getting out there is a timely deal.  I actually considered getting a collapsible cane, putting it in my backpack and riding the VFR to UCSF.

What would my orthopedic surgeon say?  He'd say no.  Then I'd ask, "What would you do if your kid were in the hospital?"  I'm pretty sure he'd say, "I'd do what I wanted."  Right.  Still, my muscles are weak.  I have had a lot on my mind and I feel like Heidi, the kids and I have done a good job of managing, but now I am unraveling.  Okay.  That's all for now.  Daaaaaaaaa, I could yell!

Surgery is tomorrow

Yes, they have moved Tyler's Fontan from Friday to Wednesday.  I'm glad about this because that means two more days for him to recover before Christmas.  Heck, he may be feeling good for Thanksgiving!  Eh, we'll see. 

Milrinone underway

Tyler, Heidi and I went to UCSF Sunday afternoon.  We got a suite in 7 East, like old times, and a lot of things had changed.  First, they don't let you ride the regular elevators to the 6th or 7th floors.  They don't let you use the stairs, either.  Second, there were many different pieces of equipment and color schemes.  I was fascinated by the vein finder, which I discovered, upon scrutiny, was a broad band laser.  It adequately showed the veins in Tyler's hand, but the people still struggled to get a valid IV and had to do five attempts.

Poor Tyler was screaming, "I don't want a shot!  Take it out!  I WANNA GO HOME!"  Eventually he calmed down and the milrinone began pumping.  He watched some DVD's and then it was time for bed. 

Tyler's Heart

Tyler goes to UCSF tomorrow for a second attempt at the Fontan.  He will be placed on Milrinone and have the Fontan on Friday.  Pray for our little man.

33

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband and best friend Danny.  Danny worked the entire day at UOP on the day of his birthday.  Before you feel bad, he was so excited to finally be able to work a whole day after surgery. Perhaps the best present is to be back to work. His colleagues brought him out to lunch and he said he had a GREAT day.

The following day, we opened presents and had some friends over to surprise Danny.  He was surprised and we had a great time with new friends from Brentwood and old friends from Walnut Creek.  One of my best friends recently moved to Sacramento and she was able to come with her adorable family which was so much fun!

33 has been a great year for Danny full of good changes.  Top 5 blessings of the year:

1. Work.  Danny continues to love being a dentist and teaching at the school.  When you are first married you just want any job.  As you mature as a couple you want nothing more for your spouse to find a love and fulfillment in what they do each day.  None of the money in the world can buy that and I feel so blessed that Danny has saught a profession that he loves. One of the greatest blessings in our lives.  He is working at an office that he loves and that loves him.  Yeah for Danny!

2.  Brentwood.  We moved to a community that we love.  We miss being close to our Walnut Creek friends. We had some great friends.  But this is right for our family.  Scott loves his school.  There are tons of kids and Danny has a 5 minute bike ride to work.

3. A new Hip.  So blessed that Danny will not have to live in pain the rest of his life.  Blessed for the doctors that worked so hard to help Danny.  Blessed that we could afford for him to stop work and pay for the medical bills for him to have surgery.   Hopefully next year he will be able to walk to work if he wants (which he won't but at least it can be an option).

4. Family. Our kids make us laugh every day.  It is so neat to see them achieve new things.  Every morning, the kids go into the driveway waving bye to Danny and blowing kisses.  Nothing compares.  We also have a great family in Walnut Creek and UT.  Not to mention ward family.

5. Life actually gets better with every passing year.  Our bodies might not agree, but our love for each other, life and the Lord increases and adds excitement for the adventures of the upcoming year.

Happy Birthday Danny!  I love you!  You truly are the best husband and dad.  I couldn't be any luckier!

A nephew and a niece

We had a nephew and niece born September 20th who are both so cute!  Danny's sister, Michelle, had an adorable little boy, Brockton, who is a true Olson...just as cute as big sis and bro.  David, Danny's brother and his wife Juliann, adopted a precious little girl, Clarissa.  David and Juliann have been waiting for years to welcome a little baby into their lives and we are thrilled for their dream to become a reality.  Clarissa is a true testament of the power of miracles and miracle of adoption.  I was excited when Juliann told me she was going to post about her precious girl on her blog so I could share this wonderful news.  Thank you to all who have prayed for David and Juliann during this journey.  Brockton and Clarissa are precious and we can't wait to make it to Utah as soon as our lives calm down to snuggle (Heidi) or throw in the air (Danny) these little ones.

Mi Pueblo

Heidi, Kira, and I went to Mi Pueblo in Pittsburg for dinner since Grandma had the boys.  I drove the swagger wagon for the first time since my surgery and it was great being behind the wheel again.  Good old swagger wagon.

At Mi Pueblo, we ordered some tacos al pastor and some tacos con carne asada, as well as a burrito with carne al pastor.  It was the best burrito we had ever had.  Mmmm, Mi Pueblo.  The next day, I tried to make some carne al pastor and it wasn't the same.  My beans were still good, though.  I'm also into making my own tortillas and Scott helped roll them out.  It took about twice as long, but I'm glad he's into doing things himself.

The spanish experiment

Me:  Kira, me das ese toalla? (Will you give me that towel?)
She gives me the towel.
Me:  Gracias.  Sabes que significa eso?  (Thank you.  Do you know what that means?)
Kira:  Thank you.

The spanish experiment is working!

Silver Tongue

Tyler:  Mommy, my tummy hurts.
Mommy:  Oh, then no candy today.
Tyler:  My tummy doesn't hurt anymore.
[laughter]
Tyler:  Stop it!  I'm not your friend anymore!