Strep Throat

Am I the only heart mom, or just person, who never heard how serious strep throat was? I also thought it was something yucky you didn't want and you just took meds for it, just another form of a cold, but maybe a little worse. Man, I was soooo wrong.

Last night I, Naomi, went into Urgent Care, because I had been battling quite the cold and I happen to get sinus infection quite easily. The way my face felt, I was 90% sure it was sinus infection. When the doctor wanted to test me for strep, I didn't care. Seems I have strep throat (my throat was severely red and almost closed, it was so swollen, but I felt nothing) and a severe case of sinus infection. She then proceded to tell me to get the kids checked as it can cause damage to vital organs like the HEART or KIDNEYS...YIKES!!! I told her I had 2 boys with CHD's and whe insisted on me getting them in immediately in the morning. I got a little nervous with her telling me this. She said people without any conditions like the boys can develop conditions because of this. YIKES!!! All I could think was, I was scared for Thomas and Jonathan, but please Lord, don't let my healthy heart boy, Samuel, develop anything.

Well, today, I talked to the nurse on the phone and she said Thomas could go to school, as he had no symptoms and his throat looked great. We went in and the babies saw the doctor. Dr. Brenner said the babies throats were really red and swollen. She said she wasn't going to put them through the test, as she was certain they had strep throat, and since they were exposed to me, that means they gets meds no matter what. She said she was confident from all I told her of Thomas, that he was fine, but she wanted him on meds to be on the safe side. She told me not to take him outta school or anything. She just wants me to watch the boys closely the next couple of days and soon we all will be feeling better. She proceeded to say that Drew needed to go in and if he doesn't have it, which he may have been the one to give it to us, that he still needs to go in and get meds due to exposure and so it doesn't return, so that's where Drew will be this evening, at Urgent Care, right after work.

We are all, now, on a bunch of meds. The alarms are set for first thing in the morning for us all to take our first dose, and right after Thomas gets home from school, our alarms will go off again for us ALL to take our afternoon dose of meds. GEESH!!! We live together, eat together, and I guess are sick together...it's the way things go!

Other than that, everyone seems to be in fairly good spirits. Of course it's no fun being sick, but we are together and that's all that matters. Babies are still full of smiles :) and the boys are still loud as can be, so they are doing pretty good :) Just praying we are all healed very soon.

Hope this finds everyone healthy and safe. If you get sick or have a strep throat, don't take it lightly. A heart mom told me she never had a heart condition until she got strep throat and now has endocartitus...YIKES!!! I know us moms put our kids first (I know I do) but we have to remember to take care of ourselves too....maybe someday I'll do better with that...lol. God Bless You All!!!

Things I've learned being a mommy...

Oh boy, can little kids/BOYS be challenging somedays. Gotta love 'em though! I've learned so much in the past almost 8 years of being a mommy, some of which I would have never guessed would have, could have, or should have happened. Some things I've learned have made me smile, cry, laugh, want to run away, want to jump of with joy...MAN I LOVE BEING A MOMMY!!!!

I've learned that when I was younger, I wanted toilet paper to swing over the top, so I could make that pretty little triangle with it. Now, as a mommy, I like it flipping backwards; it stops my silly little boys from making it go round and round and dropping all of the toilet paper on the floor. SEE, I'M SAVING MONEY!!! Or maybe, I'm just not wasting money!!!

I have always loved music. When I was younger I was obsessed with everything from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to Tim McGraw (yeah, quite the difference, but I was quite the different child...lol). Now, as a mommy, the only music I can recite from memory is EVERY SINGLE spongebob or Phineus and Pherb song, or opening credits. I'm amazed that even at a young age, my children know the words.

When I was in school I thought I knew it all. Studies came easily to me; I aced most tests without studying; I made the honor role. Now that Thomas is in school, MAN THEY START KIDS OUT EARLY WITH THINGS. He knew his alphabet and colors and shapes before school started (I learned this in kindergarten); he was reading by kindergarten (I was reading what he was reading in second grade); he's doing algebra in second grade (can you say junior high, not elementary school, let alone second grade).

I used to think my parents were so strict growing up. Why wouldn't they ever let me cross a major highway when I was in sixth grade to go buy a taco by MYSELF or go to the park by MYSELF or ride my bike on the street by MYSELF?!? Man, I can't even let my kids play in their own yard by THEMSELVES. I have my eyes and ears constantly on. Yeah, I've surpassed my parents meaning of the word "strict" I believe. 

I remember my parents moving me to Brookings, South Dakota for my first year of college at South Dakota State University (Go Jacks). I remember being so excited to move on and get away from my parents and all my mom did was cry like a blubbering cry baby. I was thinking she was nuts, but I hugged her good-bye and started my rebelling (big time). Now, I drop my little man off at second grade, and I'm a crying big baby because he's walking through the school doors without needing his mommy by his side. WOW!!! My baby boy is growing up!

I always thought love was those school girl crushes on this person or that person. Then I met my husband and I realized he was what true love was. But you know, once you have that little baby, that is a completely different love. A mother's love is so much greater than anyone can ever imagine. My boys are my world and I would do everything and anything for them, no matter what. They say our Lord loves us more than we can ever fathum. If God loves me more than what I love my boys, man, He must feel like He's going to explode with love.

I thought being teased in school, spraining an ankle, or getting into a car crash was some of the worse things that could ever happen to me and make me cry. I never realized my babies could surpass the "worse things" ever. Watching my boys go through open heart surgeries, back surgery, esophagus surgery, cut eyes, scraped knees and elbows, or even a cold would tug at me and make me cry even more. I only wished I could possibly take away all their aches and pains. As a mother, I can't stand seeing my babies hurt in any way shape or form. They are my world.

As a mother, I've learned I have strength I've never known about, love that just explodes out of me towards my children, anger towards anyone who hurts them or any child for that matter, compassion toward other parents and children in every way shape and form. I live for my children; I will die for my children; and I cannot wait to see what kind of young men they turn into. I cannot wait to see what they do with their lives, what their career will be, who they will marry, how many children they will have, etc., etc., etc.

I LOVE YOU THOMAS, SAMUEL, AND JONATHAN WITH ALL OF MOMMY'S HEART (and guess what, Daddy does too, but I know you already know that)

Sioux City, Iowa's Mayor signs a Proclamation

TODAY, ON FEBRUARY 8, THOMAS JAY ANDERSON, MY SON, ACCEPTED A PROCLAMATION FROM MAYOR HOBART, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA, DECLARING FEBRUARY 7-14 AS CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT AWARENESS WEEK. THOMAS IS A CHD WARRIOR/SURVIVOR, AND HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY FOR TETRALOGY OF FALLOT WHEN HE WAS 8 MONTHS OLD. HE IS NOW A 7 1/2 YEAR OLD IN 2ND GRADE, WHO LOVES TO PLAY BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL AND HIS FAVORITE SUBJECT IS MATH. HAD TO SHARE THIS, AS THIS WAS A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR OUR SIOUX CITY FAMILY, AS OUR 20 MONTH OLD, JONATHAN ANTHONY ANDERSON, IS ALSO A CHD WARRIOR/SURVIVOR, BORN WITH TRANSPOSITION OF THE GREAT ARTERIES, DOUBLE OUTLET RIGHT VENTRICLE, AND PULMONARY ATRESIA, AND HAS GONE THROUGH 2 HEART CATHS AND 2 OPEN HEART SURGERIES ALREADY; HE'S FULL OF SPUNK AND ATTITUDE AND HAS CAUGHT UP SO MUCH, EVEN AFTER SPENDING 3 MONTHS IN THE HOSPITAL FROM BIRTH UNTIL NOW! I ALSO SPOKE A FEW WORDS THANKING THEM FOR THIS PROCLAMATION, BUT IT WAS SUCH A HEART WARMING EXPERIENCE, I HAD TO MUMBLE THROUGH IT A BIT AND GOT CHOKED UP A FEW MOMENTS:

Thank you Mayor Hobart...I will proudly accept this proclamation from Sioux City, on behalf of all CHD Warriors, in declaring February 7-14 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week! ♥ ♥ ♥ God Bless all of our CHD Warriors and Angels and Families ♥ ♥ ♥ I am blessed with 2 CHD Warriors and SURVIVORS, Thomas and Jonathan, and my son Samuel, my husband, and myself will ALWAYS stand by and help our boys push for more AWARENESS and RESEARCH ♥ ♥ ♥ I hope with this continued support from our city and state for awareness, that more expecting mothers won't ONLY have ultrasounds done to see what the sex of their baby is, but also, at the same time take an extra 15 minutes in having an echocardiogram done, to makes sure their babies’ hearts look good and HEALTHY, and with this, will also have mandatory oximetry tests done on ALL newborns, which is cost effective and takes less than 5 minutes, to possibly save a babies' life. Without the oximetry test and our amazing doctor's intuition, Thomas may not be here today, and because of Thomas' pre-existing condition, we were given echocardiograms on both Samuel and Jonathan, while I was pregnant, where most wouldn't have been given this test, and we found out about Jonathan's severe heart condition. Because of the results of the echocardiogram, the doctor’s were ready to perform emergency surgery hours after Jonathan was born and his life was saved. Thank you again, Mayor Mike Hobart, the Council members, and all of Sioux City for your continued support. I truly believe this is a step forward in saving many of our children’s lives. Thank you and God Bless.

MOMENTS LIKE THESE MAKE ME SEE HOPE FOR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE, AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S FUTURES. THIS ONE WAS FOR ALL THE CHDers (ANGELS AND SURVIVORS)!!! ♥ ♥ ♥