Enjoying My Ten Day Break Between Terrible Two Episodes...Christopher is now 3 and Jacob won't be 2 until Thursday!!

Christopher blowing out his birthday cupcake and jamin' on his birthday guitar and microphone

Last Monday was Christopher's third birthday. Brad and I were in California, so we celebrated his birthday before we left. On the kids birthdays we let them choose to do whatever they want. Since Christopher is scared to death of Chuck E. Cheese, Hugo (Hornet's mascot), Chick-fil-A cow or any type of mascot type thing - our choices were limited. The only thing I could think of to suggest to him for his birthday was Celebration Station. A local place where we go and ride go-carts. They also have a little train ride, mini golf and arcade games. The kids usually have a good time there and they don't have any thing that Christopher is scared of. I just assumed that is where he would want to go. He did not want to go there. I suggested a local pizza place he likes and the ice cream place that has fun rides he likes too. He did not want any of them. I could not think of anything else for him so I just asked him where he wanted to go for his birthday. He wanted to go to the kangaroo restaurant and then go to the camping store...So for his birthday we went and ate at Outback Steakhouse and then headed over to Cabela's. Not your typical three year old birthday destinations, but that is what HE wanted!

Cathy and the boys brought us to the airport. Brad and I about to leave...David insisted that he was going too...until Cathy told him they were going to the zoo after dropping us off! Cathy and the boys leaving the airport.

Brad, Dave Ramsey and Julie at Champions Club Recognition Dinner

Brad and I went to Los Angeles last week. I agreed last year that I would go with him if he were to win another Symbol of Success award for Chick-fil-A. Three years ago he won the truck as a "Symbol of Success" for his exceptional increase in sales. This year he had his best year in sales and profits (even with the economy hoopla, hurricane closures and then the snow storm in December). WARNING...Bragging Wife Here...Instead of winning the Symbol award he won the most prestigious award for Chick-fil-A...he is now a member of the Champions Club. He not only increased his sales significantly but also the profit percentage increase. He is superb!! :) I am super proud of him and after sitting next to him at his recognition dinner, I realized that he really is the best of the best and a super businessman! Actually I've been knowing that from working with him professionally ten years ago. I was reminded of that business side of him this past week. To help honor him, we were invited to a special dinner Chick-fil-A had coordinated with Dave Ramsey. He is a national speaker and author of a few books that promote financial freedom with biblical references. Brad has been listening and following his plan for a few years now...before it was "cool" to be debt free. We really enjoyed spending some time with him and seeing how down to earth he is. And he is oooohhh sooooo funny! I thought I was going to wet my pants I was laughing so hard. While we were there I also got to see Kirk Cameron...yep, a few months ago it was New Kids on the Block and now Kirk Cameron. Next it will be Paula Abdul or Zack from Saved by the Bell! :) ...speaking of meeting celebrities - on our flight from LA to Dallas we had some guy that was booted off of American Idol the night before. I haven't been watching this season so I had no clue who he was. We were also on the same flight as Jessica Simpson. She was acting very diva like in her first class seat...as I passed her on my way to the back of the plane! :)

Julie and Kirk Cameron...No, he had no clue we took the picture -especially since he just told us NO pictures! OOPS!!!

The Oscars were being set up while we were at the Kodak Theater. We had gone a few years ago and were able to take our pictures in front of the statue Oscars. This year they were covered. I guess because of the yucky weather. We still had a good time even with the rainy cold weather. While we were in California, Cathy (my twin sis) and Chris stayed with the boys. The first night we were there Cathy called quite a few times and I was a bit nervous. After I answered they were all for very minor things and I calmed down. Actually one of the times she called to see if I would mind if she washed the bathroom rugs...of course not, but why do they need to be cleaned since they were just cleaned the day before we left?? She said because Christopher and Jacob just peed all over them! :) That is when I really started relaxing and enjoyed my time away from the potty messes! :) The boys had a great time and loved that Cathy would do or buy anything for them that they asked. She brought them to the zoo and even fell for the pleas to go into the gift shop. I never let them go in and if they do...we certainly don't buy anything ...unless they break it! :) Cathy and Chris both seemed to be all in one piece too and hopefully they enjoyed it as much as the boys did. They said they'd come back!?! Next time we are heading to D.C. and will try to stay gone longer than five days!

Julie and Cathy acting silly in Grand Isle. We were behind the last car in the parade so we acted like unknown celebrities at the conclusion.

Cathy and Chris live on a little island off the coast of Maine. Most of the people on the island are lobster fishermen (including both of them). After Hurricane Katrina, Cathy organized a fundraiser to help the fishermen in Grand Isle. She raised over $10,000 in just a few weeks. None of us have ever been to Grand Isle so we took a road trip down on Sunday and ended up getting at the tail end of their Mardi Gras parade. If you can't beat 'em - join 'em...and that is just what we did. We had a good time and are hoping to go back a day early next year and rent a beach house so we don't miss the parade.

Master C (Christopher) on the parade route

The parades Grand Finale...David Arton! :)

After a couple of blocks of us being silly and taking turns being the finale...we stopped the car and watched the parade. The kids loaded up on goodies from the last two floats.


Thursday is Jacob's second birthday. I am enjoying my ten day between Christopher and Jacob's birthday without a 'terrible' two year old. I asked Jacob what he wanted to do for his birthday and he said he wants to ride in an airplane. I asked him where he wanted to go on the airplane and he just said, 'bye bye'. I mentioned earlier in this post that we pretty much let them do what they want on their birthday...this is an example of where I will have to guide him on what 'he' wants...I foresee a trip to celebration station, New Orleans children's museum, zoo, aquarium, the ice cream shop or pizza place...NOT an airplane ride!

David and Jacob at the Hornet's game. Christopher is too scared of Hugo (their mascot) to even go to the Hornet's games. He and I hung out shopping together this night while Brad, David and Jacob high fived the players going to their locker room.

Happy Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day!

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day!

It is hard to believe that three years ago this week, our little Christopher was born. The next day we were told of some news that would forever change our life and the way we look at it...

Congenital Heart Defects are the #1 birth defect in America. Nearly 1 out of every 85 babies are born with a Congenital Heart Defect in the United States. More than 50% of all children born with a congenital heart defect will require at least one invasive surgery in their lifetime. Our son was one of them, Christopher Patrick was born as what we thought to be a healthy baby boy on February 16, 2006. Later that evening, I decided to send him to the nursery so I could get some much needed rest. While he was in the nursery, a nurse heard what sounded like a heart murmur. As a precaution, our pediatrician asked that a pediatric cardiologist listen to Christopher to determine if the sound was anything serious. We were informed that many babies are born with these abnormalities and that most of the time the heart continues to perform adequately, allowing the child to live a normal, active life. This was not the case for Christopher. After Dr. Brumund, the pediatric cardiologist, examined Christopher we learned that he had four defects in his heart that were not allowing his body to receive adequate oxygen. He was diagnosed as having Tetralogy of Fallot, one of the 35 different types of congenital heart defects. Little is known about the cause of Congenital Heart Defects and there is not a cure for any of them. Many of them can be managed and monitored and some innocent murmors can dissolve on their own, but unfortunately, no cure for CHDs. We were blind sighted by this because, throughout the pregnancy, we thought we had a healthy baby. Instead, we were informed that Christopher would have to have open heart surgery soon and the best pediatric cardiac surgeon for Christopher's case was located in Boston. The thought of our newborn son going to have such an extensive procedure brought many questions of logistics, the future, and of course, probability. We began to wonder...."Would our son make it through this surgery and if he does, will he be able to live a 'normal' life?" We had worried how David, Christopher's three year old big brother, would react to his "new" brother. We now had the added fear and guilt of having to leave David behind with his Grandparents to help care for Christopher in Boston.

Christopher's open heart surgery lasted over seven hours in Boston. Our time was spent praying and waiting, only to be interrupted by a brief update of the procedure and the comfort of the arrival of David and his Grandparents. A big sigh of relief was breathed as the surgeon approached us with the greeting, "He is OK!!" Although Christopher's stay in Boston had a few unforeseen delays, our baby's heart would end up functioning on its own and relatively normal!

This week, Christopher will be celebrating his third birthday with his six year old brother David and his two year old little brother, Jacob. He enjoys running, climbing, rough-housing and any other typical active little boy activity.

I am so thankful that we sent Christopher to the nursery and we are forever grateful for the wonderful and thorough nurses at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge for detecting Christopher's heart defects. 1 in 10 babies who die from CHDs in the first year are not diagnosed until death. This could have easily been the case with Christopher. Some of these babies could be saved by a simple non-invasive pulse oximetry test or echo cardiogram, but for some reason they are not routinely performed. We were also blessed to have Dr. Brumund, the pediatric cardiologist on call that weekend of his birth. Early detection is one of the keys to survival with Congenital Heart Defects. Although I wouldn't wish a Congenital Heart Defect on anyone- it has truly enriched and made us re-prioritize our life...and for that, I am thankful.

...That was a written up for a local publication...Here is where we need your help! Congenital Heart Defects are a very serious problem, far more common and killing more children than ALL of the childhood cancers combined. I know that three years ago this very day, I did not know anything about children having heart disease. I had never met anyone that had a CHD child and I never in a million years would have thought that I would have a child born with a heart defect (much less four!!). Christopher ended up being the one of 25,000 that were born that year alone.

Many of you remember the many e-mails and pleas about us organizing the first fundraiser for the Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology Foundation. On March 26-29, we will be hosting the third annual LPCF Tennis Tournament at the Country Club of Louisiana. If you play tennis, the players have had a great time the past two years. If you don't play tennis, you are welcome to attend our Gala at CCLA on Saturday, March 28. Tickets will be available soon. If you have a business and would like to help sponsor this major event - we need your help to help the local CHD families!!

Your financial support is so very important, but if you can't give financially, please consider helping by keeping us in your prayers or another important way - GIVE BLOOD! All of our children that have open heart surgeries are given blood transfusions. The cheesy gifts and t-shirts they give don't compare to the fact that you could have been the one that helped save my son's life!

For more information on LPCF, click on our website below. If you click on my name you'll be rerouted to another CHD website (not local) that has a lot of great info too!

Happy Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day!
Julie

http://www.lpcf.com/

WHY? For every dollar provided by the national medical funding arm of the American government, the National Institute of Health (NIH), only one penny is provided for pediatric research, and only a portion of that penny goes to support research on heart defects, the most common birth defect. (Children's Heart Foundation)

Christopher's Surgery Went Well

This morning Christopher had another set of tubes put in and his adenoids taken out. He did great. The pediatric cardiologist had warned us that he would have arrhythmia's during the anesthesia, so as any Mom would be, I was filled with a bit of anxiety. My neighbor is an anesthesiologist and had comforted me quite a bit about the location of the surgery not making that much of a difference, since it is near the hospital. As soon as we arrived in the parking lot, Christopher was upset. "No Man, No Man". The surgery center is at the same location where he had some throat scopes done a few months ago. He did not forget! :) Once we got into the big surgery waiting room he was fine and even better when got to the back in a pre-op room. He was clowning around and playing with the nurses.

This morning I let him choose what comfort item he wanted to bring. We usually bring Mickey Mouse to the doctor with us but this morning he wanted to bring his Diego card. It is actually a birthday invitation, but I let him bring it anyway. Whatever made him happy. When the nurse came to get him, he went straight to her to show her his invitation. They went together to show the doctor. I had warned him ahead of time that only big kids could go back there to see the cool Doctor tools. They don't even let Mommys! According to his surgeon, he never got upset or cried until he was coming out of the anesthesia. His surgeon said he did hold on to his Diego invitation the entire time! They watched him closely and the anesthesiologist said he did great. No dip in his O2 levels and no fluctuations in his rhythm either! We were back at home by lunch time and he was jumping on the bed with David and Jacob by 2:00! That is my tough man... until it came time for a nap, then he put on his pouty face and showed me his bobo. The bandage on his arm from the IV. I fell for it and he and David are resting in my bed watching a movie instead of "sleeping" in their rooms.

While I was waiting at the Surgery Clinic, David's principal called. Yesterday morning he was sent home from school because he had fever. I went to pick him up and he had a temperature of 99.3. I personally don't consider that a fever- possibly an elevated temperature, but not fever! I picked him up anyway, just in case he was coming down with something. Nope, instead I ended up staying home from Bible Study and missing a baby shower for him to stay home and run around like a normal wild child. Since he was fine yesterday and last night, I brought him to school before Christopher and I headed to the Surgery Center. Twenty minutes later she called. Brad stayed at home with Jacob, so after I received the call, he ran and picked David up too. The principal said he "looks like he is getting sick". I am sorry, but "looking" like you are getting sick does not sound like a good enough reason to keep a child home from school and I'd suggest any adults that may be reading this...Don't use that excuse to try and get off of work!!!He does not have a fever (or even an elevated temperature) no signs or symptoms of ANY illness, but now he has missed two days of school! Now, in their defense, on Monday he had nine children in his class that were out sick with either the flu or strep throat. So in some ways I don't mind him staying home to avoid exposure to those illnesses. I can appreciate them being so pro-active at the first signs of illness. But today, why? Today was his 100th day of school and they were suppose to have some fun games and a party. He is upset that he missed it!

BOYS! Instead of using a basketball, he dunks himself!