Doctor's Visits

Well, last week was a busy week for us and it started with multiple DOCTORS!!! Monday morning we drove to Sioux Falls, to go to the Sanford Children's Hospital, and started out with Jonathan having and esophagram done. HE SCREAMED THE WHOLE TIME! Even with him being very uncooperative, they got some great images, and he's doing great :) She even gave him the clear, once he turns 2 years old, to be able to have a hotdog on occastion, as long as they are cut the long ways. We don't eat them too often, but the boys love them at baseball games and such, so will be nice for Jonathan to join in on the fun.

After we were done getting Jonathan's esophagram done, we did have a few moments to be able to go get some lunch and play in the waiting area. It's so nice that they  have it set up as a Castle Theme. The boys love it. Gives them something to do, while waiting for things to get going. They also had some fun video game equipment set up, where the kids could play (or fight over) coloring a picture on a screen with their fingers, and once they were finished, they would press play, and the picture would start dancing around and such. How cute is that?

Once we were finished playing, we went in to see the cardiologist. Again, Jonathan was very uncooperative, but Thomas was such a trooper and so well-behaved (as always). I'm sure it's quite refreshing for them, as I'm assuming, many little ones aren't very cooperative. At one point, Drew, myself, and a nurse had to hold Jonathan down, to get the EKG and Echocardiogram done. Once we finally got all the results in, it was AMAZING!!! The boys are doing great. They do not have to be seen again for a year. PRAISE JESUS! I know, before the appointment, I was nervous for them to say a year for Jonathan, as that artificial piece inside of him scares me quite a bit, but if the doctors think he's well enough...then...YAY!!! And Thomas asked if he could play hockey, which makes me a tad nervous, but Dr. Stamato stated, that as long as Thomas wears a protective chest guard, he's clear fo hockey. The boys are just doing absolutely wonderful. She told us to just watch for signs and anything that seems odd or if the boys get really tired, to contact her immediately. She also stated in a year or two, that Thomas will wear a halter for a 24 hour period to monitor him for any arrythmias. She stated that she didn't believe he's having any of this now, and his heart truly looks great, but kids need to be watched, as things can develop. But NOW, right now, today, MY BOYS ARE DOING GREAT!!! I'm just so happy! What mother wouldn't be.

We've now gone over 6 months without any big surgeries or hospital stays. Last year at this time, we were planning Jonathan's 2nd open heart surgery in one year, had already gone through two heart caths, an esophagus surgery, and had already spent over two months in the hospital; one year ago, tomorrow, he was going to the hospital to have his second open heart surgery, that was cancelled, because of a minor cough; ago, tomorrow, Dr. Cicollo made the best choice not to operate on Jonathan, as we don't know if he could have made it through, because a few days later, Jonathan landed himself in the hospital for over a week with a bad cold/infection. Last year at this time, we were all scared, miserable, and nervous wrecks, but TODAY, all I can say is PRAISE JESUS! We've had many people come into our lives the last few years and just offer wonderful words, hugs, and blessings. All I can think of is all the people who have helped us in our journeys. Everyone has been amazing, all our family and friends, and complete strangers even. THANK YOU!!!

And with that said, we had an amazing family weekend this last weekend. We took the kids to the Ramada in Sioux Falls and met some friends there and the kids did tons of swimming in the Pirate Ship swimming area, and Thomas just absolutely loved the huge slide. Jonathan wasn't the biggest fan of the water, and Samuel started out unsure of the whole thing, until the end of the trip, he realized he loved jumping in the water to daddy from the edge of the pool. Just a nice, very much needed, couple days away.

Well, we hope this finds all of our family, friends, and fellow bloggers healthy and well. God Bless you All!