Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

As you could probably guess this Christmas will be a bit different. We won't have our traditions and home and family around us but all of that pales in comparison to the Miracle we have witnessed this December. Still, we are trying to get some Christmas cheer into the holiday season this year as well. On the 22nd there was a lunch held for all pediatric patients and families and we came with Tobias and Sarah and enjoyed some yummy food with all the other families. We even managed to take some pictures of the kids (mainly the younger two) even if most of them were in front of the Christmas tree in the Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Administration area. Maybe Photoshop will be helpful. ;)

It didn't take long before they were bickering. She was just too tired poor thing.

She doesn't look impressed by the brother lovin'

SQUEEZE!

Gotta love that grin!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Catching up?

Oh, how to catch up? So much has happened since the day in September when Lydia started Kindergarten... I've been faithfully keeping up with the Carepage updates but the blog, well it just didn't happen. I'm feeling inspired again so maybe I'll get back into it.


Okay, where to start? I was excited about blogging about Kindergarten, lunch pack ideas and Fall. We had a wonderful early Fall with auntie Becky's wedding on the Thanksgiving weekend. Lydia and her cousin Micah had the very serious and important task of being flower girls. Looking back now, it was the last good days for a very long time.

It is bittersweet to look at those pictures now. Lydia looked so healthy and happy. I guess there was a lot luring under the surface.

On Thanksgiving Day (in October here in Canada) we were celebrating with her cousins and family at Michael's uncle and aunt's house. While she was playing outside, Lydia collapsed to the ground. We didn't realize what had happened right away, thinking she had just fallen and hurt herself. But when she wasn't getting up we ran over and realized how out of it she was. She tried to speak but the words slurred and she had trouble standing up. We rushed her to the Children's Hospital where they did an echo and other tests. They didn't find out what caused the event but knowing her condition and how close she was to sudden death at all times we all decided that the best option for her was to go to the bigger heart center hospital and be put on the Berlin heart, an artificial heart pump that assists the heart's pumping action. She spent a week at the local Children's Hospital first and was then transferred. Sarah and I came the next day and we left Tobias with his cousins and uncle and aunt back home. After a week of observation Lydia had the Berlin put in during open-heart surgery.

It has been a very very difficult two months. Until Lydia recovered somewhat from her surgery Tobias stayed with family. It was hard to be separated and even harder to watch Lydia suffer day after day after day. While on the Berlin she suffered 4 strokes and was affected on her right side with weakness in her arm and leg. She has slowly improved some. Tobias joined us after a month and we found with help of our awesome friends a cute little house to rent. Tobias is in daycare and we'd all settled into a routine when on December 10th we got The Call: a heart was available for Lydia!!!!! The heart was in and beating early in morning on the 11th and a new chapter of our lives began. It wasn't until they opened her up during surgery that they discovered the infection in her Berlin cannulas that would have taken her life within days. It was a true Christmas miracle...

Hopefully it won't be as long until my next post here. :)

Kindergarten

Yesterday I was the one with butterflies in my stomach as we prepared for Lydia's first day of school. I packed her bag and hung up her outfit all ready down to the underwear. The lunch and snacks were ready in the fridge and her hair was washed and teeth brushed. I think I checked the list of what to bring at least ten times. I felt like this will be the test of my mettle as a mother, how well I've prepared her for this day. This morning she bounced out the door happily with her too-heavy and too-big backpack crookedly on her back and the hood of her jacket sticking out sideways. She is so innocent, so openly walking into this sometimes cruel world. My mother heart begs the world to treat her with love and kindness. Hopefully we have loved her well enough and given her all the safety she'll need for this new adventure.

When we got to the school (I was pushing Sarah in the stroller and also had Tobias with me since Michael wasn't home) I met with the teacher to discuss Lydia's health issues. It was almost funny to see her expression when I explained about her risk for sudden death. She very quickly assured me that she would be updating her CPR, lol. ;) Leaving was made difficult by Tobias' sudden wails that he wanted to stay at the "school-bus" too (don't know where he got the bus part from). It was altogether unfair. So we took a detour and got some yummies at the bakery before heading home. It has been so quiet here today. Tobias has seemed a bit bored and wanting some extra attention. With Lydia only going every second day this first month it should ease the transition a bit I hope.

Here are the pictures I took of her this morning. I can't believe how big she is getting...

My Matching Munchkins!

On Sunday we dressed the kids in their matching outfits that Mommo bought them in July. It was almost impossible to get them to sit still enough for a picture but I think these ones captured their enthusiasm. Michael actually agreed to take the pictures before leaving for church, even though it meant a greater possibility for being late. In the end we made it just in time. ;)

Summer memories...

When I got up this morning and took out the garbage I noticed the sudden chill in the air and realized that our Summer is just about over. I love Fall. I love the crisp air, the changing leaves, the air of expectation as a new school year starts. But I also felt a bit of sadness. Maybe because it means the littlest member of our family is moving beyond the newborn stage. With her cooing and smiles and general awareness of the world she is no longer the fresh new bundle we brought home in June. I can't wait to get to know her but I also want to savor the newness for as long as I can. Another reason could be that for the first time in my life I will be the one to watch tearfully as my firstborn goes off on a new adventure by herself: kindergarten. She is sooooooo excited and talks about school and her teacher and learning French all day long. She truly is ready. But I wonder if her body is ready... With her penchant for developing every cold into pneumonia and the accompanying hospital stays (five in the last year) I worry about all the runny noses and dirty hands that school entails. Hopefully a full arsenal of hand sanitizers will do the trick.

Have a Happy September!

I'm taking the plunge!

After reading and following many great blogs in the last few years I have now decided to brave it and try writing my own. There certainly are some interesting things in our life to write about. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up. ;)