Update on Nadia

My little Fighter is doing really good.... her swelling is completely gone and pain has lessened too...no more morphine... well not until they have to take the chest tubes which are coming out tomorrow! By the way ...we are going to the 6th Floor!!! YAY

She played today a little and is eating as well ...more then what she was eating at home!!

We got some special visitors today!!!

The group Rascal Flatts visited all the Vandy Children and handed out gifts for them for Halloween... they personally introduced them selfs to us... they seem really nice..i have to admit i never heard of them until today!!! I know I know shame on me!! Everybody else seemed to know them... they also held a little concert for all the Cancer patient ...so sweet.... i didn't even think about getting a picture with them but we did get a Autograph!

The Vanderbilt Children's Hospital is a great Hospital they truly care about their little Patients! They always make sure there is lots to do for their little ones especially in Holidays like these.. There are bunch of activities going on today until Sunday... Sunday they do a reverse Trick or Treat were they hand out Goodie bags and let the staff go from room to room handing out Toys ( Not Candy )...That is so thoughtful.. i am sure all the kids who understand what Halloween is about will be thrilled!!

Everyone knows how much I hate Hospital food and i really don't understand why most of the food you can grab in a Hospital is a bunch of unhealthy junk like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut & Mac D's .. i think they only should have Healthy Fresh food in a Hospital.. most of people end up in the Hospital because of all their unhealthy food habits!!!

Well anyway......i got a special Treat from my Friend/Cousin in law/ Sister today... she lives all the way in Louisiana but made sure i won't have to eat the same food over and over again!! Which is Subway the only place i actually feel good about eating!!

So she send me a delicious Salad, a Cali croissant, Tortilla soup and a cheesecake(it's ok sometimes) :) from Jason's Cafe enough to feed 10 People... but that's just Rosa!! The more the better right??

Love you & Thank you so much!!

Thanks for all your Prayers i will keep you updated

Happy Birthday to me

I am having the best Birthday ever because my wish came true even a little early.....they extubated Nadia of the Ventilator last night... she needed the nasal cannula for extra oxygen for only few hours afterwords... as for right now is breathing on her own.. she is not much swollen either.. everything looks great..... she is a little irritable from the morphine and the wires but hopefully not for long... if she continues to do so well we will be on the 6 Floor by Saturday!!

God is Good!!!!

4th update...

Dr. Bichell( it is probably spelled wrong) just came out and told us that everything went smoothly and that they didn't experience any complications.. Thank you God

It will probably take a while until we be able to see her!!

Catherine & Becca Thank you for coming with the boys i always love to see them and it really meant allot to me !

Prayers are so powerful ..thank you everyone for praying for my little sweet baby!!

3rd update

We just got another call everything is going well and they just gave her a blood transfusion.. the surgeon should be done in about an hour to hour and a half... keep praying

2nd update

we just got the call that it took them longer then expected to do the pick line and Iv just because her vessels are so tiny, but she is doing fine.. they are starting her incision right about now!

Continue to pray for her now the critical part of the surgery is starting !

1 update

I did not want to hand Nadia to the nurse but i just did!! She is being rolled into the OR right now.. Please keep im baby in your prayers

Nadia Rolled over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nadia rolled over today... oh my God ...it was soooo exciting to watch ..she did it twice ....i am so proud of her she did it!!!!!!!!!

We are still scheduled for tomorrow morning.. Nadia had her Pre op appointment and got her blood drawn and this time it wasn't to bad they only had to poke her once... of course she didn't like it but it didn't take long at all... Thank God

She is Extra Extra sweet today.. really cuddly !!

May God be with my little Angel... I need her and i can't imagine life without her!!!

I am praying i find the strength to hand her over to the nurse tomorrow!!

Please keep her in your Prayers

Thank you

Bodysuits for Raef & Nadia

I made little keepsake Bodysuits for Ashley's Baby Raef & Nadia...Raef is having the same surgery as Nadia...people can sign it and Raef & Nadia can wear it the day they are coming home again!

Turned out pretty good right? :)

Ashley was the other pregnant Mom i meet during our tour around the hospital i mentioned her in my earlier posts.. Reaf was born 8 days after Nadia with the same heart defect (http://hammerbacherfamily.blogspot.com/) and we became good friends ever sence!

It's seems like we and our babies are going threw the exact same things at the exact same time and it feels good to talk to her.. It makes me not feel so alone.

I am really glad to have you to turn to Ashley!! Love ya!!!

Besides Ashley i get also great support from other Heart moms ... Rebecca (http://hitchcocknews.blogspot.com/) & Cathrine (http://www.clinkscalesfamily.blogspot.com/) are also very supportive..their boys also have Tricuspid Atresia ...i am so thankful to have you guys!

I think only a Heart mom can understand what a other Heart mom goes threw...i am sure all of us have supportive Family and Friends...I know i do... i love my Family and Friends and they are always there for me if i need to talk ... but ...in the end they don't understand or know how heavy my heart feels when i try to fall asleep at night...how much i worry and fear....how many sleepless nights i have just starring at the crib beside my bed..wondering how we got here and how it will go on... .. they could only try to imagine and even then i dont think would make them understand what me and other Heart moms are going threw!

So it think it is really important to have someone to turn to who actually knows what i am talking about and how i am feeling!

So again Thank you guys!

Lots to say

Tube In..Tube Out.....Tube In Tube Out.. i could go on and on.

Did i mentioned how much i hate the Similac company???

Anyway Miss Nadosche (as we like to call her) had lost one once last Wednesday.... which her pediatrician said was pretty common when babies get sick they tend to loose a little... but he wanted her to gain everything back within a week.

We had an appointment yesterday and as expected she gained and made up for two weeks... she is almost 15 pounds now..little chunky monkey for sure!!

Some days she likes to eat by mouth..and some days she doesn't... some days she spits up a lot... some days she doesn't at all... So it is a never ending roller coaster and i am starting to get dizzy... i am just hoping this all gets petter after surgery i am sick of seeing the Tube and putting back in... she is aware now of what i am about to do and when she sees the Tube she makes the cutest puppy face u have ever seen and wants to cry.. so it is really really hard for me lately to put it back in!! You can only imagine!!

Nadia's favorites foods are.. formula with oatmeal... homemade foods like .. mashed apples with oatmeal, mashed Bananas mixed with a fresh orange juice and yellow squash.

Sometimes i let her have a tiny bit of my home cooked meal.. she LOVEEEES Hummus (Arabic chickpeas past) and Cali flower & Broccoli but not much.. i am not sure if her stomach can handle those types of foods plus it can make her bloated!

She hates sweet peas, rice cereal and carrots! I feel that Nadia has grown and developed so much in the last couple of weeks even in the past week.. she is much more aware of things around her.. She loves her Daddy way more then me ....when she sees him coming she gets soooo excited she never did that before...she laugh out loud alll the time now..reaches out to toys when they in front of her.. rolls from side to side while holding her feet.. doesn't roll all the way over yet!

She wants to put everything in her mouth including her feet... I Love to watch her play with her hands, feet and her Toys!

Do you wonder how i am holding up? Well i am ok.... i guess... one hour i am fine the next hour i find my self crying while doing Laundry.. i am so ready to get it over with and bring her home again..

Some People around us are still very annoying and nonsensitive .

In the situation that we are in you happen to find the Ugly Truth about People and who they are as a person...!

I manage to avoid most of these people but i am not always that lucky !

I had a "Friend" call me not to long ago telling me that a woman who's son once liked me said after she found out about Nadia's Heart condition that she is GLAD we didn't ended up together...because apparently i caused her heart defect.. who knows what she was thinking when she said that.... Real nice don't you think??

Just for your Info if you ever read my Blog.. we didn't end up together because your son was a Jerk and may i mention... not very attractive either.... Shame on you!!

Anyone can have a Baby with a Heart defect....it was not my choice to have a heart baby!

I am going to end this Post with a message for all the People who don't think before they open their mouth..." I am going to pray for u tonight "

Justin's Birthday

Justin had a great Birthday... Justin told me the following morning " I can't believe how great my Birthday was... my best friend Shady was there, you made me my favorite cake.. and Nadia got me my Favorite Movie (The new Karate Kid) GOSH the Best Birthday EVER... Thank you Mom!! "Lol Justin makes me Laugh allot!! Here are some Pictures of his Birthday!

New Official Surgery Date

October the 27th.... i just feel like packing bags and run away!! I don't want her to go threw it again... i know that she doesn't have another choice but to do the surgery, don't get me wrong i am so thankful there is even something they can do about her heart defect these days..but it's just KILLING me!!

NOW i am a nervous wreck and i just don't understand why now.... i guess all this new waiting so long is getting the best of me!!

Nadia is feeling better but is still congested..i bought the BebeSounds Nasal Clear that suctions out her nasal mucus and i love it..she doesn't of course.... all the drainage leads her to throw up more often....Nadia scared the living crab out of me the other day ..when she layed on her back right beside me and silently threw up.... her mouth was covered and she desperately tried to catch some air.. i happend to look at her for a second.. i thought she was sleeping... since that day i just don't seem to get a good night sleep.. i keep waking up scared as if someone rang a giant bell right beside my ear! I even set my alarm to wake me up every 30min just to make sure she is sleeping!! I know ..crazy right!?!? Well it has gotten a little better!

Good thing is she is back on track with her feedings and hardly needs the tube anymore.. also she is eating what i call "runny oatmeal" with formula once a day..she gags if i make it even just a little thick.... she likes it but we end up taking a bath right after she is done... and when i say we i mean me too... my face and hair is usually covered in oatmeal once we are done... it's kinda funny but only kind of!

I was told that Heart babies usually have a delay on motor skills. I have noticed a few.....

Nadia is still practicing to roll over she is trying so hard but hadn't done it yet...

She laughs out loud more often especially when she watches Justin play the WII !! She babbles when she sees her self in the mirror and sings along when she listens to music...

She loves to touch her feet and everyones faces !! She reaches to toys when i hold them in front of her but won't reach for them if they just sit in front of her...i guess that's all for now!

Now i am concentrating on Justin's upcoming Birthday on Wednesday and i am really glad we get to celebrated without all the craziness... I was messing with him the other day telling him that i didn't had any money to buy him a gift.. He starred at me with those big puppy eyes and said

"It's OK Mom.. you don't have to get me anything just buy me the decoration because Teta (Grandma) is already buying me a gift"...i mean come on!!!! How sweet is that!!! ???? That just makes me want to but him the whole world and whats in it!!! Even though it's just a small Bday bash among Family i will make sure he will have a great birthday!! Luckily Justin is very easy to please!!!

Surgery Cancelled

Nadia started to get sick last night.. first she was just congested and then started to have a runny nose, slight cough and slight fever! I called her cardiologist and her pediatrician.... even though it is only a minor cold we have to play safe and postpone her surgery probably to next week sometime ! I have mixed emotions about it... i am kinda happy but then again i was mentally prepared to go ahead and get it over with! We don't have an official date yet but let you all know as soon as we know!

Keep you posted!

Surgery date has changed

It has been a CRAZY CRAZY week for us!! I feel like writing Similac a nasty letter but that would be out of my character.. and the sad thing is that i probably will have to go back to it once they reproduce it !

Nadia got her 4 months shots on Monday while still on the Good Start. The Good Start Formula made her really gassy and irritable! Those few nights she was on it plus her vaccination were a mix of pure Hell!! She would wake up every 15 min just crying and screaming... real tears rolling down her checks !! I felt so helpless.. all i could do is cry with her!

After just getting a total of maybe 2 hours of sleep.... her fuzziness continued.... i started to think this can't be normal put her clothes on rushed her into her car and was on my way to the hospital when i got a call from the cardiologist nurse..she calmed me down and told me that if she is just fuzzy and not having any other symptoms to take her to our pediatrician otherwise i would have to go to the ER and she really didn't want her to hang out there if it's not a "real" Emergency.. so i called her pediatrician and luckily they could see me right away!

Meanwhile Nadia fell asleep in the car .. she loves being in the car.. i should have took her for a ride in the car that night!!

Her Pediatrician assured me that it had nothing to to with her Heart or Lungs ( all i wanted to hear ) and advised me to get some gas drops and change her Formula.. those Organic gas-drops really did the job and only have the simple ingredients of Chamomile and Ginger.. I love it!!

The concentrated Similac was just straight up nasty it made her gag just smelling it.. and i kinda felt the same way!! So now we are on Enfamil and so far so good... a couple of days ago she started to eat some by mouth again ....Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!

Today we had Nadia's Pre Op appointment ... Weight ( 14 pounds) Hight (24 inches) EKG, Chest X.ray. & drawing blood... which was hell again.. i couldn't watch!! Nadia's Surgery got pushed to Wednesday the 6th ....I am not sure why it was changed... apparently they tried to call me several times but my home phone wasn't working right yet because we switched Company's and my cell doesn't work at home ..I Seriously hate Phones!!

Anyway.. they kept apologizing that it's last minute even though it was kind of my fold and they really just doing me a Hugh favor anyway!

It's funny i told Tommy just yesterday that i wished the Surgery was on Wednesday.. he just looked at me funny like it would make a difference! But i guess i wanted one more "Relaxed" day with Nadia!

Talking to Dr. Bichell felt good.. he is such a great Doctor.. God bless his Hands !!

I have a good feeling about her Surgery.. she will do just fine! I know she will!

I am extremely Scared but not so nervous yet... does that make sense?? I am trying to stay Poitive and calm not to drive my self and everyone around me Crazy!

I probably walk by Justin's room 100 times a day.. but yesterday the picture of my mom holding justin on his first Christmas catch my eye .. i think you can tell a lot about my Mother by the way she is looking at Justin.. it is such a Beautiful Picture!

I get very emotional when i think about her.. especially the last few weeks i just wished she was still here.. i know things would be a lot easier for me... i miss her voice and just seeing her Face again...she always knew what to say and how to make me feel better!!

Keep you Updated