That Day

Today was That Day. That Day sneaks up on you and is glorious for absolutely no reason and every reason all at once. Maybe it was the 70 degree late afternoon hang out time on the front lawn. The dog was bathed, baby was happy nibbling on her teething biscuit and Grant was pouring us each a glass of wine. Maybe it was that. There were piles of dishes in the sink, dinner wasn't prepped yet and mountains of clothes still had to be sorted (all in the 3-6 age range) and stored. But that wasn't a deterrent. For the handful of stressful, hard and emotional days we've had in the previous (almost!) 10 months, today was just a sweet reminder that That Day exists, is a wonderful thing and can happen if you'll only take the time to look. I'm so happy, thankful and blessed today. Life with our wholehearted girl is very, very good. Even in light of those lingering dishes.

Here is a tiny video from last night, a small snippet of life after we finished dinner at our favorite local burger joint.

Feet and Such

I've been obsessed with Abby's feet recently. Suddenly, they're big. (Well, to us they're big!).

Who doesn't love chubby feet? (And if you don't think those are chubby, you should've seen her before surgery).













Did you know they make Teva's for babies? Me neither. Really cute. Thanks, Karis!














I swear her feet didn't reach this footrest, like, yesterday.

Summer's Comin'...

It was warm here today -- like in the 80's. Waahoo! Abby got to wear her first official summer dress (a fab hand-me-down) but had to wear a onesie underneath. Gotta protect that scar from the sun so it won't be seared into her skin forever. As I've said before, I never really want it to go away completely. But that's just me talking. And not in the 7th grade at a swim party with all my friends, sick of explaining "what happened." But I digress. Her teeth still seem to be working their way in, and bunny's ears are a favorite to chew on.

These days, our daylight hours look something like this : breakfast, play, nurse, nap, dog walk, lunch, play while i shower, nurse, nap (if i'm lucky!), an errand or two (if i'm lucky!), dinner and the whole bed time routine. Thankfully, a year ago Grant got me my wonderful iphone and I can actually check my email while I'm waiting at a red light...err.....while I'm at home.

Chomper - Singular

And, then there were teeth! :) She's been looking like this for quite awhile now...




This week, along with some interrupted night sleep, her bottom tooth came shoving through. I can't wait for her first "crunch."

I've been realizing lately that I am getting quite used to the idea of Abby with a whole heart. With this comes a mountain of things I find myself no longer worrying about. For this, I am so thankful to God who shouldered those burdens even when I didn't know how to lay them down.

Bring on the big girl food... :)

Mommy Works, Abby Plays

I did my first wedding job since Abby arrived few weeks ago. Grandma and Papa coming down to watch Abby while I gave it a go. Thanks, Jenny, for giving me the opportunity! Abby had lots of fun -- eating :





Going for walks with Grandma in the ergo (she's a pro!) -- and head-butting Papa :




And this is what happens when Daddy works and Abby plays!

Big Week...Big Girl

Abby seems to be changing every single day. She did two very "big girl" things this week -- and now that I'm back to reading my Baby Books, I see that most kids her age are beyond this -- but hey! those kids don't have an awesome to scar to show for all that they've been through, right? She took her first walk facing forward in the stroller instead of using her carseat, attached to the top and she rode in a shopping cart (thanks Auntie Tam for the germ-fighter!). She made friends with everyone we met, especially those that were talking on their phones since she thought they were chatting to her. :)

Reality Check

I got a great reality check today when I received some pictures that were taken 2.5 months ago.

Here is Abby last December, two months after surgery, to the day. She was still a very little peanut and we didn't take her out much. She was a bit overwhelmed at little Tate's birthday party but eventually warmed up to our friend Laura taking a few shots of her. And now, two and a half months later, our little monkey looks mammoth in comparison.

We had our cardiologist appointment on Monday and it went great. Abby has hit a new phase where she isn't really thrilled with strangers and we had a few tears from time to time as the nurses and doctors approached her. I kept thanking God that we had surgery when we did, instead of now. Originally, that was the plan - to get her to 7 or 8 months and then proceed, knowing the risks were less the older and heavier she got. It would've been much more traumatic for all of us if we would've waited, in my humble opinion. We did an echo of her heart again and the cardiologist said he can't even see where the tiny hole was that remained post surgery. He also said the stitching was very, very clean in her heart. She still has a bit of a leaky valve from when he heart was enlarged but he thinks it will go away with time. If it doesn't, he said that there is a 99% chance that there will be absolutely no problems because of it. Can you believe it?! We are so thrilled....

And now we go to sleep thinking about Abby's chubby little thighs and smiling.

9 Month Madness

Here is our very big girl... doing what she does best -- putting things in her mouth!

9 Month check-up Friday....and all went great. She's getting a little timid with strangers now which is really funny -- watching her "check out" the doctor again and again as he looked in her eyes, her ears, and pokes on her tummy. I think her favorite part of the appointment was ripping apart the paper that is on the exam tables. Who knew she could destroy a room so fast? It's just wild watching her little personality start to develop. She's in the 25% for head size and height and she's in the 3% for weight coming in at just over 14.5 lbs. Our doctor was very pleased. In fact, he could hardly hear a residual murmur in her heart. The first post-surgery visit he could still hear a little something -- it's just where a stitch most likely fell out when they were being careful around the electrical center of her heart so as to not nick it and require a pacemaker -- it isn't anything they'd ever do anything about. No surgery, no worries etc. However, the fact that his super-sonic ears picked up the huge hole in the first place, it was great to hear that he "really couldn't hear anything anymore." We hope that gets confirmed on Monday at the cardiologist. I must say, it's pretty fun breezing into a normal doctor visit without having to worry about upcoming surgery.

Horticulture with Grandma

Grandma and Abby had some fun recently while I was inside getting a few things done. I think Abby wants Grandma to come over every day. Maybe she'll inherit a green thumb from Grandma because she sure won't be getting it from me! And, a picture of her and her daddy. She's really changing these days... and I think she really looks like a big girl in this picture. This week, 9 month check up! She's rolling over like an expert, loves to stand and she's up to 14 lbs, 5 ounces.







Yeah...crazy that I caught the "a-ok" sign, right?

Trish Reda Photography

As promised, you know Trish is amazing when she can make our house look cool. Pump up the volume and enjoy our 8 month old girl...

http://www.trishreda.com/slideshows/nieporte/

Trish Reda Photography
www.trishreda.com

Happy Heart Day

Not only is it Valentine's Day, but it's Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Day as well. With the thankfulness that comes from knowing that Abby is asleep in the other room with a whole heart, comes a responsibility to pass along what we've learned about CHDs since her diagnosis. Here are a few staggering facts :

-CHDs remain the number one birth defect and the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths.
-About 1 out of every 100 babies are born each year with some type of Congenital Heart Defect. (approx. 40,000/year)
-Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.
-The American Heart Association directs only $0.30 of every dollar donated toward research. The remainder goes toward administration, education and fundraising efforts. Of the $0.30 that goes toward research only $0.01 goes toward pediatric cardiology for CHD.
-The cost for inpatient surgery to repair Congenital Heart Defects exceeds $2.2 billion a year.
-14-16% born with CHD have Ventricular Septal Defects (this is what Abby had -- the most common!)

Here is a drawing of a VSD, what Abby's heart looked like before surgery (the big hole in the middle is where her patch went):



I am on a message board about CHDs and when the moms sign off, they put their child's name and what type of CHD they have. I am continually amazed at how many children have multiple heart problems-- things they will be dealing with for the rest of their lives. Even though what we went through was very stressful, Abby is doing wonderful and had a successful surgery that, we pray, has solved her problem. That time is starting to feel like a distant memory - all of the worrying and fretting over her heart, her surgery, her eating, her lack of weight gain. I actually find myself wanting her vanishing scar to remain forever as a sign of God's faithfulness to us. We are extremely thankful for this past year, every hard moment of it and are reminded on this "heart day" that all of you upheld us in ways we can never repay. Thank you for your friendship and generosity. Our God has been so kind and generous to give us each of you who, quite literally, carried us through.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling....

BIG week for our growing girl! She's sounding sleeping for 11.5 hours a night on most nights. It's a HUGE relief. Her naps are still just okay - somedays she's on a total nap strike still and other days, she sleeps for an hour or so twice a day. She's eating really well -- 3 full meals a day. The high fat foods are her favorite so far and I couldn't be happier. Avocado, almond butter and egg yolk handily come out on top. And, finally, she's big enough to sit in a high chair. Wahoooo! (and look at those cute socks that Grandma H made!)

While Daddy was away this week on a work trip, she started rolling all the way over really, really well. I know people say that overnight these things happen - and literally - it did. She's more happy being on her tummy and now I finally believe that she actually might crawl before she can walk. This weekend, the crib gets lowered. Another milestone!

In a few weeks we have another cardiologist appointment as well as a 9 month check up. I'll keep you posted on all of that.

Oh, and speaking of firsts... Grandma Nieporte was here and brought Abby her first brush and comb. For the first time in her life, she has brushed hair!

Tomorrow, in honor of Happy Heart day on Valentine's... I'll have some fabulous Trish pictures to share, as promised.

Almost Famous

Our fabulously famous photographer friend, Trish, came by today to snap some pics of the little (growing!) girl. Trish swings in, tea in hand, as if she's an old friend just popping by to say hello. And, so the rest of the time goes. She and I jibber jabbering away with her taking pictures here and there, super casual, while Abby falls in love. I hate to tell Abby, there isn't another one like her -- Trish is one of a kind. I can't wait to see what she shot. Here's Abby and Trish, iphone-photo-style.

Swinging!

Abby's first time in a swing was today. I don't think she was too enthused... but then again, the sun was super bright, we were at a brand new park and the seat was huge for her. And when I say "swing" i actually mean "gently rocked." I've really been reminded lately that this time is starting to go quickly. Sure, she's till in 6 month clothes and she's 8.5 months old. Sure, she's not at her target weight. Sure, she's small! But she's doing great, gaining weight and (thank the good Lord!) sleeping through the night (thanks to all of you who prepared me to train her!). This is a new feeling, this "she's getting bigger and I need to savor this" feeling. For so long, all I've wanted is for her to grow, for her hair to grow, for her feet to grow....and now -- it's happening. I already miss my 6 pound peanut.

Jumping Bean

You know when you're in a restaurant (of course this is before you have kids) and you hear a child screaming and you think you've popped an ear drum? My next thought was normally, "why can't they get that little one to zip it?" Well, I'm learning a good lesson in compassion for others because Abby's really been using her voice recently (read : she's been screaming a lot lately). No matter what I try, the decibels just won't tone down. On a good day, she lets it out here... instead of in a crowded Starbucks.