Evie the Extraordinary and Her Mommy: The Journey As We Go

Thanks for all of your prayers and good wishes. This morning when we said goodbye to her in pre-op, she was smiling and looking around. After 5 hours, Evie's surgeon met with us and said everything went smoothly. The scariest part for me was know that they had stopped her heart to put her on the bypass machine. The magic words that she was off the bypass and her heart was working on its own was music to my ears.   Now we will wait to see how her body readjusts.   We just saw her in the Cardiac Intensive Care unit, and she looks good. The faux hawk is still intact.  They don't allow pictures in the ICU, so sorry I can't show you.  We are tired, but relieved and thankful!  I can't say enough how much it meant to me to know that so many people were praying and thinking of us.  We definitely did not feel alone, and God was watching over all of us.  Evie will write again when she feels better!

Hi Mommy, This was a funny day. Last night instead of putting me to bed, you stayed up with me and played with me, and kept asking me to eat. I didn't want to eat. I wanted to play.  Then you hooked up my feeding tube early and we got in some extra cuddles. I started giggling because this was more fun than going to bed.  Sometime soon after that, I think you forgot to hook up my feeding tube like you usually do overnight. My tummy was hungry! I had to make smacking noises all night to tell you that you forgot to feed me on a continuous feed like you usually do!  You woke me up when it was still dark! Was it because you wanted to play with me, Mommy? I thought you did, so I smiled really hard at you and said a big hello!   We got in the car and Daddy and I both fell asleep. Daddy usually has as much trouble staying awake as I do!   We got to the hospital and got in a little room with a big bed for me. They stuck big stickers with wires on me, and ...

Thanks to all those who entered my first giveaway!  The winner is Monique E.! (The original post, for those of you who missed it.) Baby Evie says congrats! We are getting ready to be in and out (and in) of the hospital this week.  I've gotten so much good advice from other moms who have done this, and I'm looking forward to posting what I've learned.  Thanks for your prayers!

Pre-Op day for Evie went pretty smoothly overall.  However, we started the day with much of the county losing electricity right before we were going to take the elevator down to the garage.  Thankfully we weren't IN the elevator when the power went out, but this obviously cramped our style, as we had to carry everything and Evie down 7 flights of stairs. The morning rush hour traffic in Boston is never pretty either. We were 30 min late for our 7:30 am arrival time, but the staff in Cardiology Pre-Op were so awesome and welcoming when we arrived. 1st stop: Lab workup Evie, Pepe (feeding pump), and Ollie (oxygen tank) were wheeled down to the outpatient lab.  This brave girl did not make a peep when the very competent phlebotomist put in the needle.  She usually screeches, so I was really impressed. Her assistant kept stroking Evie's head and telling her how cute she was.  Then she asked me where Evie's earrings were. Um...haha.  I told her not until Evi...

Update:   Hi all, I am doing my first giveaway! If you read my blog post the other day on the miraculous Zipadee Zip, then you know how this thing has changed our lives as parents.  The makers of Zipadee Zip liked my review so much, that they offered to help me do a giveaway. All you have to do is 1) "Like" their Zipadee Zip Facebook page and 2) leave a comment about why you could use a free Zipadee Zip on this post! The contest begins Wednesday, May 27 at 12:00 AM and ends on Sunday, May 31 at 12:00 AM.  Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway  ------------------------------------------------------------ Original post: There was a point in time when I was just proud I could swaddle teeny tiny Evie with a hospital blanket. Then she came home and started busting out of the blankets, and woke herself up all the time. Her arms flailed and her legs kicked while she was sleeping, which of course woke her up. But then she got bigger and craftier, and I...

Evie and her daddy like to read books together every evening.  She is well versed in the adventures of Caillou, Moo La La, Goodnight Moon, and Sophie the Giraffe (yes, Sophie also has a book). Early on, I decided that I would make a scrapbook about how we prepared for her to arrive, so we could read it to her. Thanks to Shutterfly, I could tell Evie the story of how Mommy and Daddy got ready to meet her.  Erick has already been reading the book to her.  I hope that by reading it, she will know how much she is loved!  The first page of the book. Some of our current favorites books are "Daddy Hugs 1-2-3" and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom."  Our absolute favorite right now is called "God Gave Us You."  It makes me want to cry every time I read it with her.     "God Gave Us You" is about a baby polar bear asking his mommy where he came from, and she tells him throughout the book how excited they were to meet him and how t...

Evie was less than cooperative during our photo shoot, but I am making the most out of the shots I got with her eyes open!  If I'm going to be open and real in this blog, I have to show you what happens behind the scenes.  Evie fell over on the fluffy pillows, lifted her dress at the wrong times, and tried to eat the 5 month sticker.  Evie is going to be the kid in the front row of the Children's Christmas Choir who lifts up her dress during the performance. Blue Steel Mommy, do I have to do this anymore? This is really getting old. Can we go now? I am SO bored. I call this "Living with Abandon" Happy 5 months, Evie!  Mommy and Daddy love you so much!  Next month you will have a stronger heart and we will say goodbye to Ollie the oxygen tank!!