CHD Awareness and busy busy busy!

I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated! We've been running around super busy lately, so I am sorry I never got back to everyone with the cardiology plans. Here's a bit of what we've been up to lately.

Cardiology:
Our cardiologists all discussed the ideas for surgery versus cath. They decided that we should do one last cath attempt before the open heart surgery again. What we'll do is place a covered stent (just like the last cath) and scope out each of the other collateral arteries. If any of the other stents need ballooning then we'll take care of those at that time. I do have concerns obviously since placing the last covered stent was so traumatic to Ethan's body - his bleeding issues were so difficult to stop since the catheter is so much bigger to use for this type of stent. We'll be discussing all the specifics at our pre-op appointment on Feb 28th. Please just keep Ethan in your prayers for a very smooth and easy cath - with no bleeding issues this time! The cath is scheduled for Monday, March 4th.

Pulmonology:
We've been dealing with a nasty cough that just wouldn't go away for a couple months this winter. With breathing treatments and time Ethan is starting to do so much better! I'm so relieved that his lungs seem to be clearing up so well - especially with this cath coming up so soon! Hopefully he'll continue to stay clear!

School:
We're still working on this. Ethan loves going to school this year - thankfully that's much better than last year. But he still doesn't seem to care about actually "learning". He just wants to go to play with his friends, the toys, and do art projects. His teachers comment that they're still having to work with him on his concentration and focus on schoolwork. He just seems to struggle so much in paying attention to schoolwork! He does still do much better when doing work on an iPad or computer as opposed to a worksheet or flashcards. He's also excellent at doing work like building letters out of blocks, solving puzzles, and hands-on things like that - even if they involve the same things that a worksheet would be showing. Oh well, hopefully he'll improve with his attention and ability to focus on things on paper soon. I have a feeling kindergarten is going to be rough for him next year...

Callie:
Callie's been keeping VERY busy lately! She's been busy having fun with her Girl Scout troop. One activity we did was attend a K9 unit show at our local library. The girls loved it and had a great time!

Callie's in the pink all the way to the left

She's also finishing up her basketball season and doing so well! She has improved so much this year, and actually starting scoring baskets, stealing balls, and becoming quite aggressive on the court! :)

She also was invited to help her friend's indoor soccer team play some games this season. She played last weekend and this weekend (doubleheaders each Sunday). Indoor soccer is a totally different game than she's used to with her outdoor team, but she seems to really like it. She's going to participate in an indoor soccer training program starting in two weeks. That will also improve her outdoor game I'm sure, but I think she's wanting to sign up for winter soccer with her friend too. *sigh*

In addition to all this, she auditioned for the children's Honors Choir. The kids had to individually audition in front of the music teachers, and the top 7 students from each school in the county were selected for this choir. We are so proud of her that she was selected and will perform at our Community College in March!

Softball and spring soccer seasons are fast approaching, so things don't look like they'll be slowing down soon. Oh well, at least there's not much time for boredom!

CHD Awareness:
Onto the big week! Ethan is one of the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital (our hospital) Littlest Heroes for the week! He was able to have a photo session at the hospital and they used one of the pictures to make a poster and explanation of his heart journey! It is so exciting! :) Here is a picture of the poster they made.

Here are some of the other pictures that were taken - these are just some of my favorites from the shoot.

 

 

Here's a picture of Ethan showing off his muscles and scars to promote CHD awareness!

And once again I haven't made a new video. One of these years I need to start much earlier than February! Here's the video that I made when Ethan was 1 all about his first year's journey with heart defects. I guess it'll just have to do. :) Just click this link below to watch the video - and there is music so make sure your volume is on.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=7f65c3ff418f1ce42ccd29&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url


That's about all I'll update on for now! I will have a Callie post coming up later this week about Callie's big trip! Please continue to keep Ethan and our family in your prayers!