Christmas

So I really struggle at this blogging thing. I made a slide show, but I accidentally put a song on that was so dumb and I didn't know how to get the song off. So I ended up just redoing it. I am so computer dumb. Give me an iv and I can put it anywhere..........hand me a computer and I end up scratching my head. But the kids had a ball on Christmas, Santa came and we visited with family. Don't forget the tradition of Christmas jammies!

We Love This Time of Year!

With all of this snow I cannot keep my kids inside. All they want to do is play outside, which is fine by me. They love it! Christmas can't come soon enough. At this time of year I am so greatful for my Savior and all that he has done for me and my family. I love celebrating His birth and being with family.

Good Times

Just some cute pictures to share. Life is good. Getting together on Sunday afternoons with my family is tradition. (chaotic, but fun) I don't know if the lighting turned out okay in the big group pictures, what do you think Jed?

Husband Tag

So I saw this on my sister in laws blog and I stole the idea. (I'm a thief I know)
1. What is his name? Andrew, but he goes by Andy.

2. Who eats more? It depends, when I am nursing my babies I can finish my plate and then whatever is left on his plate, but for the most part he does.

3. Who said I love you first? I am not sure, because what I remember him saying was "I pray that your the one." We had gone out a couple of times before that.

4. Who is taller? Anyone who know us knows the answer to that!

5. Who is smarter? Because I am the one typing this I am tempted to say that I am, but he has the memory of an elephant. Andy NEVER forgets. He is the guru of useless facts. He has a lot of common sense.

6. Who is more sensitive? I would have to say Andy. He is always concerned for other people and their feelings. But you won't ever see him cry in a movie!

7. Who does the laundry? We both do! He is great to help out around the house doing Mr. Mom stuff!

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do! Andy sleeps on the left, he said that its better for his shoulder. (He ends up sleeping at a diagonal anyway because he is so tall)

9. Who pays the bills? I do. Andy is much more conservative than I am. He once saved his Cabellas gift cards for over a year and there was close to $1,000 in gift cards.

10. Who cooks more? We cook about the same amount. Andy, though, always is coming up with a new concoction.

11. Who is more stubborn? That would be me, unfortunately.

12. Who's the first to admit they're wrong? That would be Andy. Please refer to question 11.

13. Who has more siblings? Me, I have 5 and he has 3

14. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I think that we both do equally. We both have something to bring to the table and are aware of each others needs.

15. What do you like to do together? EVERYTHING! We love spending time together as a family. When we do get a night out by ourselves we love to drive up the canyon and just talk, set goals, and reminisce. (We always end up talking about our kids)

16. Who eats more sweets? I do!! Andy loves the carbs and give me anything chocolate.!!

17. Guilty pleasures...Cabellas (need I say more)

18. How did you meet? We grew up the same ward. But he wasn't interested until he returned from his mission, then he asked me out. I have always wondered why he didn't ask me out in highschool.

19. What are his best features? His broad shoulders, eyes, and sense of humor

20. What are his best qualities? He is the most truly caring person I have ever met. He takes his job as a father and husband seriously. He puts himself second above me and the kids. (So would that be third?) He can find humor in any situation. He is my saving grace. I know that he loves me and I love him!!

Adios Oxygen!!

I took Ada to the cardiologist yesterday and I have great news. She is now off the oxygen. YES! We are tube free!! Praxair come and get your concentrator and get these da** tanks out of my house! I skipped out of the clinic I was so excited. The echo on her heart looked amazing. He said that she no longer had a residual VSD and her heart pressures were normal. I wanted to cry I was so happy. If you would have told me 4 months ago that this day would come I would have laughed in your face. We went from day to day in survival mode. I don't think Andy and I slept in the same bed for months when Ada went through all of her surgeries. We both took turns spending the night at the hospital with Ada while the other one went home to see to the other children. It seemed like it would never end. But through it all Andy and I felt peace. What seemed like mission impossible became possible through many answered prayers. Andy and I were talking about when she had her first surgery and how much pain she was in and they had given her all the pain medication that they could. Andy rocked her while she writhed in pain and there was nothing to be done but pray. 2008 will go down as the worst and best year of our lives. We have never felt so close to the Lord as we have this year. We have been humbled. I hope that my family can learn from the Nephites and always remember that our blessings come from the Lord and to not become prideful. It seems like we as humans are either beginning a new trial, in the middle of a trial, or ending a trial. I know that I am happiest when ending a trial, but know that these trials are a part of the plan. It's so that we can be perfected. I know that the Lord answers prayers. I have felt His love for me and my family. He knows what we are capable of. (And apparently I need a lot of perfecting) I just want to be the mother that is talked about in my patriarchal blessing. I want to be steadfast and raise a righteous generation that will serve the Lord. I pray that Ada will reach her full potential that the Lord has in store for her. I am looking forward to what this next year will bring. (It can't be worse than this last year!) All in all I am so greatful for my testimony of the gospel and am greatful for the BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!

Last Minute Vacation

We went to St. George this last weekend. It was all spur of the moment. Some of our friends went down for a softball tournament and called and said we should come down, so we did. I love being spontaneous! We swam, hiked around, and vegged out! A good change from the same old, same old. The good news is Andy and I are still married after the crazy weekend.

Cute! (The baby not the mom)

Just another cute picture to share!

Kids on the Move

Kids on the Move come for Ada a couple of times a month. They are heaven sent!! Ada has a physical therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist and other providers. They teach me what to help Ada with. It is fun to learn new things and which therapies work the best. Some days I look at Ada and I think that she is the reason why I became a nurse. Ever since I was a young girl I knew that I wanted to work in the healthcare field. All of my classes at SUU were pre-med. But when I met Andy and the reality of a family came into play a nurse seemed more likely. (with much less schooling) I think that the Lord knew early on that this training would be instrumental in taking care of my children especially Ada. It is so amazing to look back through the years and see the Lord's hand in every aspect of my life. Everything has turned out the way it is supposed to. All I needed to do was trust in Him. Sometimes that is easier said than done. I know I have been guilty of trying to tell the Lord what needs to be done, and what I want right now. But fortunately for me He sees the BIG picture. It's all a part of His plan. I just need to be patient and have faith. Ada is doing so well. She thinks that she is so cool now that she is sitting up more. It's fun to see her make small improvements. All is well at the Wimmer household!! YES!!

No Clots

Just to assure everyone, Ada's arm is okay. She has had some swelling and discoloration of her right arm. I took her up to Primarys to have a doppler (ultrasound) of her arm. Her arteries and veins looked great. There was no blockage. But initially the doctor and I could not figure out why it was swollen and discolored. After some brainstorming and me explaining her last two surgeries, it donned on me......the surgeon had removed and ligated a bunch of lymphatic vessels and nodes....lymphedema. Ding ding ding we have a winner! What kind of nurse am I? Why did I not think of that before? I guess because I was more worried that it was a blood clot more than anything. But things look great. I am so relieved!

UEA, YEAH!!

We finally got a break from reality. Some friends of ours invited us up to their cabin in Park City over the weekend. We had a blast!! The four-wheelers were constantly moving, the kids even braved the rope swing, and there was good food and good company. It was much needed. Thanks Johnsens for the great weekend!

Cardiologist Visit

Ada saw the cardiologist today. Her chest xray looked great!! She is eating normal formula now and loving it. She weighed a whoppin' 12 lbs. 7oz. She still has some extra pressure in her pulmonary arteries so he wants her to stay on the oxygen at least another 6 weeks. AW CRAP! Oh its not that bad, it would just be better to not have to be attached to a cord. But the cardiologist was very optimistic. It is just a relief. She is growing and getting stronger. She has been rolling all over my living room floor, and she is the master at sitting in her corner chair. My other kids are getting excited for Halloween. I went to parent teacher conferences and got good reports on all of my kids. Halleluiah!

Trying New Things

Things have been so crazy at our house, so I haven't posted for a while. Cole started pre-school and he loves it. He gets to ride the bus to school. (Mason and Sydney are so jealous) It has taken him about a month to get used to it and not cry when he is leaving. But he is doing well. His language has really taken off and becoming more spontaneous. We can actually carry on a simple conversation. We have started Ada on rice cereal and squash. She loves it! But she doesn't always swallow it. We go back to the cardiologist this Thursday and I hope that we can get the oxygen off!! I am praying!! She is amazing! I can't even tell you how much I love her, and all my children for that matter!! I am so blessed!

Oxygen

I took Ada to the cardiologist today. Her heart looks great, but she does have a plueral effusion. (fluid around her right lung) So she is still on oxygen and will be until her next appointment which is in four weeks. But before we had the echo done this is what I went through: After she had her chest xray the doctor came in and said that her heart looked bigger than it did when she left the hospital. He said that he wanted to get an echo done. I thought that I was going to cry. It was all I could do to keep the tears from falling. This is exactly what they said to me last time before she was hospitalized. I thought, "here we go again." After her echo was done the doctor came back and said it was a false alarm her heart looked great. But he wanted her to stay on the oxygen until next visit. So I guess we are moving in the right direction slow but sure. She is gaining weight and is oh so stinkin cute. I won't tell anyone that I drove up to Primary's yesterday only to find out that her appointment wasn't until today. (oops brain fart)

Back to Normal

Ada is home and she seems to be thriving. She loves the kids and smiles all the time. She was up in her weight at the doctor on Friday. She is still on oxygen, but hopefully when I take her to see the cardiologist that will change. She hates it and I find her hanging on to it more than it is in her nose. (I don't think that her skin absorbs the oxygen, do you?) Mason and Sydney are enjoying school. Sydney says that the boy that sits across from her is handsome. Oh great she is only 5!! She says he talks to her all the time (Heehee, giggle, giggle) She is a nut. Now that things are settling down with Ada, I can change my focus to Cole. He has started preschool and I can't tell if he likes it. He has sensory integration disorder. We have been working with several occupational therapists and autism specialists. Wow, if its not one thing then its another. Things are looking up for us as I am able to get into more of a schedule.

We are Home!!

Ada was discharged from the hospital today. I am so greatful to get her back in our home. We hopefully can now get in some form of schedule. She looks so good and is excited to be home. She smiled at all of the kids and I could tell that she has missed them. Sydney and Cole would not stop kissing her, it was really touching. She has a couple follow up visits in the next two weeks. I would like to see her pass with a clean bill of health, that is our goal. Our other kids have sure been troopers through all of this and I am proud of them. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father who has blessed me with them. I love them with all my heart. I am not very eloquent with my words, but I just want to say that Heavenly Father sure loves my family. He has sure blessed us these past few weeks. For that I am thankful!

I Can See the Light!!

Okay so here is the plan for today. Ada's drainage is still low, so the doctor wants an echo done. Then hopefully we will pull the drain out tomorrow. Then they will keep her another day to make sure she tolerates things okay. So maybe Thursday or Friday she can come home. He wants her to come home on oxygen because he thinks that its helped slow the drainage. So a couple of weeks on oxygen and four to six weeks on the Portagen (nasty tasting formula). Hallelujah, I can see the light!!!!! She is smiling and talking and telling everyone that she is the best. In fact the nurse came and got Ada this morning to take her down for her chest x-ray. When they brought her back they sat her at the nurses station and talked to her and got her laughing. Everyone just can't help but love Ada!!

First Day of School

Okay, so I thought that the day your kids go to school all day was going to be the best day of my life. But to be totally honest it was bitter sweet.Sydney will start Kindergarten next week and Cole will start preschool also. I hate that my kids are getting older, but at the same time some mom time will be good. Mason is my oldest and he started first grade today. He woke up at 6:00am and came into my room asking if it was time to go to school yet. I told him no and to help him be occupied I told him to go and get some breakfast. When he was done eating he came back to my room, (yes I stayed in bed through all of this, I was tired!) and asked if it was now time to go. I said no Mason we have a couple of hours to wait. He pulled his chair near the clock on our wall and began to watch the clock. Needless to say that the morning did not go fast enough for him. We got to the school and when his teacher came out to get his class he ran up to her and gave her a hug. Ha ha! He is my sweetheart and I love him. His favorite thing about his school day was eating lunch, a grilled cheese sandwich with celery and tomatoes and chocolate milk, and don't forget mom, Thursdays are pizza days!! To be excited over simple things, such that I need to learn. Ada update: the drainage is way down, we have changed her diuretics to be taken orally and hopefully the doctor will remove her chest tube on Wednesday. There may be a light at the end of this very long tunnel..........

Sunday Afternoon

Ada's drainage has gone down considerably, in fact since 7 AM this morning to 3 PM she has only drained 3 CCs. We are hopeful that we can take her home soon. These last two weeks have been a roller coaster ride of emotion. Some days are better than others, and on occasion I read an article or a scripture that stands out particularly. In President Boyd K. Packer's 1991 talk entitled "The Moving of the Water" he addresses much of what I have been pondering.

President packer wrote, " You parents and you families whose lives must be reordered because of a handicapped one, whose resources and time must be devoted to them, are special heroes. You are manifesting the works of God with every thought, with every gesture of tenderness and care you extend to the handicapped loved one. Never mind the tears nor the hours of regret and discouragement; never mind the times when you feel you cannot stand another day of what is required. You are living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in exceptional purity. And you perfect yourselves in the process."

Maybe that is why the Lord sent us Ada, because I need a lot of perfecting. As I read his quote I couldn't help but think of all who have helped us over the last eight months. You have fed us and cared for our children and our home. You have helped both temporally and spiritually.In doing so you are as President Packer said "living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in exceptional purity. And you perfect yourselves in the process."Once again we thank you.

Sincerely The Wimmers

Extra Innings

Jodi usually creates these posts; I do so at the risk of ruining a good blog.To all who have fasted and prayed in our behalf we thank you. We feel so loved and are grateful for your support.

Ada's return home depends on chest tube drainage. Once it reaches 10-15 CCs they can take her off IV feedings (TPN) and feed with Portagen (lipid free formula). If it stays at that level she can be released. Today 44 CCs were drained. If that doesn't go down in 7 or 10 days, we may be looking at another operation. We pray that the drainage will subside and we can go home soon. Thanks again -Andy

Some Dang Cute Visitors

I think that the hardest thing as a mother is to sit and feel like there is nothing you can do to help your child. That is how these last couple of days have felt. I would gladly take her place if it were possible. Ada today has recieved a blood transfusion for a low hematocrit. They put in another picc line to be able to give her TPN. Now they will be able to pull out her internal jugular central line or iv. She has been uncomfortable since her surgery on Monday. She doesn't want to be held. When she fusses all I can do is give her a binki and sing to her. She's still draining fluid out of her chest tube. As soon as that slows then we can start to feed her again. I don't know when we can get her home yet. I just hope that it will be soon. She is such a sweetheart. Thanks to neighbors and friends and family who have supported us through all of this. We have felt the prayers in our behalf.

Out of the PICU

Ada has just been transferred out the the PICU. She looks good today. She is uncomfortable but rests well when we medicate her. As far as the surgery goes we won't know if the surgeon was successful or not about finding the leak for a couple of days. He just went in and started clipping any lymphatic vessels around the heart. Unfortunately, children with Down Syndrome generally have a large amount of lymphatic vessels, so this could pose a problem. He clipped and glued his way around her chest cavity. Hopefully it worked. So now its a wait and see game. It's hard to be patient, but every blessing that Andy and I have received we are told to be patient. That is not an attribute that I have, but apparently will have to learn.

Bad News

The doctors have decided to take Ada back to surgery to clamp the vessels that are leaking. She is not improving like they wanted. Her last echo didn't look good and they have been pulling off a lot of fluid. She will be going back to surgery tomorrow at 12:00pm. I am nervous, but hopeful that this will make her feel better and fix the problem. I love her so much and can't bear the thought of another surgery, but apparently its needed. I just want to take the time to thank my sweet husband. He has been a trooper through all of this. I am so greatful that he is worthy to hold the priesthood. That power has been used in our home often lately. He is amazing and my comfort. I know that together we can accomplish anything. Good luck Ada, We love you!!!

Dinner Time!!

We have been able to start feeding Ada again today. She is eating with a frenzy. I think we were starving her! They have weaned down the tpn. She seems to be tolerating her feedings well. She has been running a fever today. More blood culutres were drawn to see if any bacteria will grow. Hopefully nothing will. We were unable to withdraw any fluid from around her heart today and that is a good sign. Now if it will only stay that way. We may be on the turn around. I just wish that she would sleep!! I am sick of being in the hospital and hopefully we can have her home soon.

Clamped

Ada has had her chest tube clamped now for almost 24 hours. She went for an echo and it still showed some fluid around the heart. But the doctors didn't seem too concerned and I think for now they are going to leave it clamped and possibly try to feed her tomorrow then recheck the heart with some more imaging .She has had a low grade fever today and has not slept hardly at all. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some good news.

Blue vs. Pink

Okay so we are still here at the hospital. They have just started her on TPN (total parenteral nutrition) that is how we are feeding her. She can no longer eat by mouth. But I will say that she has been pretty good about it. We found that she will take a binki where she didn't before. But I will say this, if you were a girl baby would you prefer a pink binki or a nasty blue one? We replaced the blue one with a pretty pink one. So with that taken care of we can now place a picc line today. They are going to do it under fluoroscopy because she has horrible veins. That way they can place a dye in the iv she already has and see where to put the picc line. As you can see from the picture she is still putting out a ton of fluid from around her heart. Yuck!! Hopefully being NPO (nothing by mouth) will help slow the process. If not then the next step is surgery to clamp the vessels that are leaking.

Back in the Hospital

We are back in the hospital with Ada. At her follow up checkup for her heart surgery they found that she had fluid around her heart. So they decided to take her to the cath lab to tap the fluid off. When they did this the color of the fluid looked like milk. That is not good. She is leaking lymphatic fluid around her heart. It is called chylothorax. One of her lymphatic vessels was nicked during the surgery, or so they think. The drain is still in place and we are manually pulling the fluid off every two hours. It is finally starting to slow up. We checked an echo this morning to see how things are looking. If things slow down more then they will clamp the drain and recheck another echo to make sure no more fluid is accumulating. So an overnight stay is turning out to be a weekend stay. (I hope not longer!) If things don't slow up then the only other option is to go back to surgery. We are trying to be optimistic. The doctors and nurses here are wonderful and provide great care. For that I am greatful. I am just missing my other children. But I know that they are in great hands! Thanks to grandparents, family, and friends!!

Peri-cardial Effusion

Ada went for her post-op check up today. They did her chest x-ray and her heart is larger today then it was on discharge. That is not good. She has a moderate amount of fluid around her heart. They put her on some prednisone to try to help. If the fluid doesn't come off then she will have to have a drain placed to pull off the fluid. Which means another hospital stay. I hope that the prednisone works. Unfortunately I put some of the medicine in her bottle and she would not take it. AARGH! So we get to go back to Primary's next week to see if the steroid is working. The good news is she is over 12 pounds, so she is growing slow but sure.

Discharged Home!

Yeah we are finally home! Ada's abdominal xray looked good again today. So they said she could come home. She is still having diarrhea, but if it persists we will follow up with her pediatrician. She looks so good. When we got her in the house she was relieved she started smiling and talking. I think she missed being at home. We will go for a follow up visit to the surgeon's clinic on the 23rd of July. We are so glad to have her home.

One More Day (hopefully)

So Ada's blood work and abdominal xray all came back normal. The doctors want to watch her another day to make sure that nothing's wrong. She is completely off of oxygen and is only taking tylenol for pain. She is doing so well. Hopefully she won't have anymore bloody stools. She is so dang cute!

Can You Do This?

Hey Grandpa Woodruff, could you do this after your open heart surgery? Tonight has been another rough night. Today she had blood in her stool, not a lot at first, but her last diaper had bright red blood in it. So it is 10:30 at night and we drew more blood for labs and went down for an x-ray of her tummy. What next? Other than that she is doing so much better. She feels better I can tell. Today she was rolling all over her crib. She's amazing. I hope that we can figure this all out so that we can get her home!

A New Day

Andy stayed with Ada last night. He said that she had a great night. If it weren't for all the hospital interruptions she would have slept through the night. The nurse practitioner pulled out her pacer wires. These are wires that sit right on the heart so in case that the heart is not beating properly they can send an electrical current to help the heart beat appropriately. She does not need them anymore. Her chest x-ray looked better today, but there is still some fluid around her right lung. So they are going to continue with the iv lasix today. She is going to have an echocardiogram done. This is an ultrasound of the heart. It takes pictures of the heart to make sure that it is beating well and can see the vsd repair to make sure the surgical site looks well. It also shows the direction of blood flow to make sure that its going in the right direction. She is more comfortable and does not seem to be in much pain. She is eating well also. I think that we have turned a corner and that she is on the up and up. I cannot believe how fast she has recovered. We want to thank all of you who have prayed in our behalf. Thanks to family who have helped with our other children and neighbors who have mowed our lawn and those who have lent a listening ear and given us support. We could not have done this without you. And of course we need to thank our Heavenly Father who has blessed us in so many ways. When I look back and think wow how did I do that, I know that the Lord helped pull us through. THANKS!!! MUCHAS GRACIAS!! SPASEEBO! (Andy says that is how you say thank you in Russian)