Slight Change in Plans

Mommy and Katie enjoying some quiet time

We were back at Yale yesterday for another echo.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, Dr. Asnes wanted to keep an extra close eye on some things in Katie’s heart.  Instead of our normal 3pm time though, we were stuck with the 1pm slot.  It was bad b/c it really interfered with my work day, but it was good b/c we hoped that we wouldn’t be the last ones out of that area of the hospital as we had been at our other visits.  Guess again.  We left the hospital after 5pm!!!!!  Yet again, we were the last family out.  It was a more interesting afternoon than we had anticipated. 

Katie is having her catheterization on Tuesday.  That’s right- 3 days from now.  The leakage in her tricuspid valve has gone from non-existent, to very insigificant, to modest.  Furthermore, there seems to be a “velocity issue” with her aorta which could be nothing or could be some form of blockage.  Rather than wait and keep tracking, Dr. Asnes has moved up her Cath’ and decided to see for himself.  We’ll go into the hospital on Monday night, Katie will undergo the procedure on Tuesday in the late morning, and we hope to be home on Wednesday.  That is the plan…(the results of the Cath’ will determine the timeframe for the next surgery).

Vickie and I are very comfortable with the Cath’ happening now versus in a couple of weeks as we had originally thought.  We knew that it had to happen, so why wait if there are some unanswered questions or lingering concerns.  Our only issue is the fact that Katie has to do this at all, at any time.  Whether it is now or later is immaterial- the notion that she has to be interfered with at all remains a frustration, but certainly beats the alternative!!!

Katie’s Cath’ should take approx 3 hours.  There are a number of possible scenarios that could come about which I’d rather not go into in detail.  The main one that is worthy of note is that she may have an angioplasty (dilation of her aorta) during the procedure if need be.  It’s funny, b/c a dilation doesn’t sound so bad, does it?  But angioplasty sounds so serious!!!  My dad had an angioplasty a couple of years back and I remember being so concerned.  It wasn’t life or death but my Dad was having something done to his heart-  I recall being so somber waiting to get word of how it went.  Now Katie is simply whipping in and out of the hospital to get a quick “thing” done to her heart.  Either my Dad is soft or Katie is a powerhouse, and I KNOW the first one isn’t true!

big cheeks, blue eyes…

There really isn’t much else to report.  Katie is getting bigger and bigger.  She is developing more and more of a personality.  And besides the meds, visits, and scars, she’s a pefect little bundle of joy.  Just this evening I commented to Vickie that it never gets old to look at her or play with her.  No matter how bad a day you are having, all I need to do is look at her and it’s better.  She puts everything in perspective.  She makes life easy.  Like everything beautiful, elegant, or great it is the simplest activities with my wife and daughter that make my life so special.  You know? The nicest cars have a simplicity about them…the best athletes are not the flashiest performers…and as I always claim, the best looking people look good as good in shorts and a t-shirt as they do in expensive outfits.   Katie’s impact on me is in essence the same thing.  Lying next to her, listening to her babble away, smile in my direction, and react to my voice makes every other “grown up” problem disappear.  SImply being in her company is perfection!

Mommy is done feeding the little one, so I’m out of here-  I’ll keep you posted.  I suspect I will write more from the hospital. Life isn’t as much fun there!

Poor People of Yale, I Fear for You

Happy 2 month birthday, 5 year anniversary to us!

So we were back at Yale on Friday afternoon for another wonderful cardiology appointment.  Unfortunately, since our last visit Katie has grown a bit and has become her own woman!  I fear that she’ll no longer lay there as the technicians perform her echo…if this is anything to judge by, those poor employees are going to earn their money at Katie Manning’s visits.  While she is generally a placid and happy baby, she decided to play the role of Katherine, daughter of Satan, when being examined this past week.  I have to say, at some level it was funny to watch the poor lady grow more and more frustrated with our stubborn little one. 

After a herculean effort by all (Mom and Dad were holding arms and legs so that the tech could complete her examination), the news was generally positive.  Katie’s leak hasn’t worsened, so no need for an expensive plumber!  However, after looking at her stats and reviewing her echo, Dr. Asnes has modestly adjusted our short term timeline.  We will be back to visit him next week (rather than in 2 weeks), we’ll have Katie’s catheterization in the next 2-4 weeks, and the 2nd surgery when Katie is 3-4 months old instead of the originally planned 5 month point. 

To be honest, Vickie and I are happy with the new timeline.  We both see the 2nd surgery as a major milestone, so we’ll be glad to cross that line.  Granted, we don’t want to move too quickly, but all indications suggest that our little Monster will be ready soon.  Get this, I think that Katie will be over 4Kg’s tomorrow.  She was 2.9Kg’s when we came home from the hospital…she is growing a lot!!!!!

After our appointment we went back to the NBSCU (Newborn Special Care Unit)  to visit Nurse Erin.  Erin was amazing during our short time on the floor and we are lucky and happy to stay in touch with her.  I was suprised at how difficult returning to the “4th Floor” was.  While the people there very obviously saved Katie’s life, it is also the location where we learned of Katie’s condition and made numerous life & death decisions.  Overall, it was a nice visit-  seeing people’s reaction to Katie’s development was a great reminder of Katie’s progress.  And the coolest part of the visit-  when we went to the front desk to let Erin know we were outside they announced that “Baby-Girl Manning, a graduate of the NBSCU, was at the front desk.”  While on some fronts this is a very strange type of announcement, it felt amazing to Vickie and I.  Unfortunately, some of the children that arrive at the NBSCU under the same terms as Katie don’t always have the successes that she is currently enjoying (knock on wood).

First Real Bath

The rest of the weekend was spent as planned.  A quiet Friday night of family time.  A fun Saturday where Vickie and I played tennis and went out on a date (albeit a lunch date).  We came home for another evening of low key family time, that was highlighted by Katie’s first real bath.  Her incision has healed well enough that we can now enjoy the full-contact fun of a big-girl-bath.  To be fair, I think that Vickie and I enjoyed it more than Katie…but that’s okay too, right?  Sunday to date has been much of the same. 

Saturday was the numbers day-  5 years married, 4 years at my current job, 3 places of residence since we were married, 2 happy parents, 1 miracle daughter, and 1/2 a good heart…we’re working on the last part!

I’m off to enjoy the waning hours of the weekend. 

PS-  icing on the cake– Padraig Harrington wins the British Open.  Katie’s streak is alive and well!!!!!!  There is no sport impervious to Katie’s magic…soccer, basketball, tennis, golf…maybe we should look into the horses- there’s money there!