Libbi's Christmas Gift

We delivered the gift to PCMC on Monday night. To read more go to Libbi's Christmas Gift blog.

All is well

I was a little freaked out last night but everything was just fine! Her heart function is great! We don't take her back for 6 whole months!! Wow. We did find out some things we were unaware of though. I think that'll happen everytime we go probably. One thing i was wondering about was what her actual diagnosis is. At first it was Ebsteins anamoly, with a small RV and a VSD. Then it seemed to me that she was more like HRHS. I asked him today and she actually has both, which he said they have never seen before at PCMC. Ebsteins is very fatal but because of her VSD, her heart is functioning well. Weird i know. He also mentioned she has tricusped atresia. I hadn't heard that before. Maybe if i knew more about anatomy i would've known that but i didn't. So the final answer.. He said she would be HRHS. She is not the average HRHS patient, her condition is very rare. Each heart defect is so different, no two babies are exactly the same so it doesn't make me nervous that she is rare. It just makes her special :) He said she is going to need the Fontan around 2 or 3 years of age, and he said that in Utah, or higher elavations, they usually need is sooner rather than later. I'm ok with that. Another funny thing he said (well not funny) is that after her Fontan, we may want to consider moving to sea level! We both started laughing thinking he was kidding. He was serious! He said they do better at sea level than in the high elevations! He did say there are plenty of Fontan patients here in Utah and they do just fine so no worries, we aren't moving :) We were joking telling him we have never left a 10 mile radius our entire lives! We are not moving to CA. Grammy thinks she should move to Disneyland with Libbi! Anyway, it makes sense, i just had never heard that. I love Dr. Menon, he is so great! He is so personable. Everytime we go he asks about our other kids, who he has never met, and he always asks how Kurt's job is. He is way super nice. If anyone needs a good pediatric cardiologist, he's your guy! So today is a good day! O and LIBBI GOT HER FIRST TOOTH THIS MORNING!!!!! Now i have to buy 3 kids meals! Ha ha just teasing, no nuggets yet Libbi Lou :) :) So as far as the blog goes, i will keep it open but there will probably not be many updates. I will post her monumental successes but if you want to keep up with the everyday craziness of our family please send me your email and i will invite you to our family blog! mindidixon@msn.com Also, check out the blog named Libbis Christmas Gift on our side bar to see what we will be delivering on Monday to the familes in the PICU!
Thanks and have a wonderful holiday season, i know we will!!

December 18

Sigh*** Tomorrow is December 18. The day we found out that our lives would forever be changed. In a good way :) I feel like Christmas 2008 and Christmas 2009 have just meshed together with everything in-between being a blur. We were told on December 18, 2008 that our baby girl had a heart defect. They weren't sure what, they just told us that she would need surgery within the first week of life, and that i would deliver her at the U of U. That was all the information we received that day. Ironicly, tomorrow just happens to be Libbi's cardiologist appiontment with Dr. Menon. This will be her first one with him since surgery. We went in for a post op appt, but not with him. I debated changing the appt when i realized it was December 18. I didn't. I am not superstitous. I'm hoping to turn it into a good day. For this year at least. It will always be 'THE DAY' i'm afraid. Sorry to Kurt's brother, James, who has a birthday this day, i will always remember it as a bad day. I remember going to Javiars for his birthday dinner and telling Kurt not to tell anyone. After dinner i went shopping with Kurt's mom and when i went to pick her up, i went in and told his parents. I don't even remember telling my mom, or anyone else, so if you do tell me? My brother had a baby December 14, just 4 days earlier. I didn't tell them for a while. I remember going over to their house and having to leave because i was so emotional seeing their sweet baby girl. They probably thought i was so rude. I felt rude, but i didn't know how to control my emotions at the time and i didn't want to spoil their new baby fun. My good friend, Natalie, had a baby girl on December 19 and i remember going to see her in the hospital. I left with our neighbor and i started crying. I didn't know how to keep it in. Natalie knew something was wrong, as hard as i tried to hide it. She called the next day to see what was going on. These all seem like such a long time ago. It's hard to believe it's only been a year.
We saw the perinatologist on December 23, he didn't tell us much more, only what he thought it was (TOF) which it didn't end up being, and that we needed to consider having an amnio done to see if she had downs syndrome. *Sigh* Merry Christmas?!? We tried. I remember Christmas Eve with Kurt's extended family and again, i told him not to tell. A few already knew and showed their concern. It was a hard Christmas Eve. I don't remember Christmas being too hard. I do remember my dad and Janiel giving me a coat and blanket for our baby and it was hard not to cry. But i didn't until later when they were gone. I did good. I did it for my kids, so they wouldn't have a sad Christmas. I don't remember anything else about Christmas day. It wasn't until January 15 that we went to see Dr. Menon at PCMC that we got more answers. That was a looonnnggg 3 and a half weeks!
I am really nervous to go tomorrow. She is fine. How could she not be? She plays, eats, sleeps, laughs, giggles, crawls, stands up, back talks (yes she really does!), pulls my hair, throws her food, throws fits, smiles, and melts our hearts! She is fine. I would know if she wasn't, i just know it. I know i will probably feel this way every time she has a checkup. The disease is blind. It sucks. But at the same time it is GREAT, we just go on living not even realizing she has a problem because she looks and acts fine! She is fine. I will re-assure you after i am re-assured tomorrow morning. Until then, good night and sweet dreams :)

Libbi's b-friend

Meet Cohen. Cohen is my good friend Jamie's baby that was born just one week before Libbi. Our other kids are the same ages as well. And the opposite sex so they are already arranged for marriage! When i found out Libbi was a girl i told her that she was having a boy because that is just how it works with us! She didn't find out until he was born and sure enough it was a boy! Libbi and Cohen met for the first time the other night at our friend Christmas party and can you see that Libbi doesn't get out much?!?! Ha ha she is SOOO happy to be playing with kids! She had so much fun crawling around and playing ball with Cohen. It was adorable.
Look at her already bossing him around. He's gotta learn sometime that the girls are in charge, right?
... and she's gotta learn that when the boys are done, they just knock you over, crawl on top of you, and leave you in the dust! Ha ha ha They had fun playing together :)

Another milestone

Now she's standing! I went in her room and sure enough, she had pulled herself up! She was standing there smiling with a scrunched up nose (her new habit). Guess it's time to put the crib down a notch or two! O and she climbed up a stair. She's wearing me out, before long she's going to be driving! She's going to be just like Jerzi i can already tell. We call Jerzi a bull in a china closet, everything she touches either breaks, ruins or spills!

Bulldog and baby legs

Do you see why i say she looks like a bulldog? On all fours it's even better!! Love those cheeks!!


We finally got her first dose of synagis, along with the H1N1 booster and prevnar. Yikes. They keep assuring me it's fine so i'm hoping 'they' are right. It scares me alot to give her so many shots at once.

I think these baby legs are the perfect thing to wear when getting shots! They keep her legs warm without actually touching her ouchies! Anywho, theres my plug for baby legs :) Plus, how adorable!?!

Hold it missy

Lil Miss Libbi thinks she's all grown up!! That is her pulling herself up on the chair!!! Slow the heck down! She is all of a sudden doing EVERYTHING and it's freakin me out.

She is feeling better, her cough is going away a little at a time. The H1N1 came back negative so they figure she just has a nasty cold, with double ear infections.
2 side notes. ..

1. It is not 01/02/2005, the kids must've got my camera, it's 12/01/2009.

2. Is that spilled milk on my floor?? Guess i better mop tomorrow :) Good night!!