Kim tagged me again... so here goes
About your man....
1) Who is your man? PAUL
2)How long have you been together? SUMMER OF 04, so almost 5 years! wow.
3)How long did you date? ABOUT 11 MONTHS
4)How old is your man? 32
5)Who eats more? PAUL
6)Who said "I love you" first? PAUL
7)Who is taller? PAUL
8)Who sings better? PAUL_HE HAS A WONDERFUL VOICE.
9)Who is smarter? PAUL. WE BOTH HAVE OUR SUBJECTS, BUT I STILL ASK HIM IF I DON'T KNOW.
10)Whose temper is worse? MINE.
11)Who does the laundry? WE SHARE. I DO MOST, BUT HE DOES HIS UNIFORMS AND SOME OTHER THINGS
12)Who takes the garbage out? MOSTLY PAUL.
13)Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? RIGHT SIDE, AS IN STANDING AT THE FOOT? ME
14)Who pays the bills? PAUL DOES MOST, WHILE I BUY GROC, DO 1 OF THE HOUSES & VAN
15)Who is better at the computer? PAUL, BY FAR. NEED A WEB DESIGN OR SOMETHING PHOTO SHOPPED, HE'S YOUR MAN.
16)Who mows the lawn? PAUL-HE LOVES THE WORKOUT
17)Who cooks dinner? ME, BUT HE GRILLS A LOT IN NICE WEATHER
18)Who drives when you are together? PAUL
19)Who pays when you go out? PAUL USUALLY
20)Who is most stubborn? ME
21)Who is the first to admit they are wrong? PAUL.
22)Whose parents do you see most? MINE
23)Who kissed who first? HE DID
24)Who asked who out? AFTER A WHILE OF IGNORING THE OBVIOUS, I FINALLY GAVE IN, AFTER A STUDENT SAID " YOU 2 GO TOGETHER LIKE SALT & WATER." GET IT-SALTWATER? LOL. I STARTED THE CONVERSATION LATER THAT NIGHT WHILE WE WERE AT A KARATE TOURNMENT.
25)Who proposed? HE DID ON MY FRONT PORCH
26)Who is more sensitive? ME
27)Who has more friends? IS THERE ANY 1 PAUL DOES NOT KNOW??
28)Who has more siblings? ME
29)Who wears the pants in the family? UMMM. NO COMMENT. LOL

recovery week

Some babies do well, while others do not. Torie's 1ft night in picu was a long one. She had problems when they tried to turn off the breathing machine-she didn't start breathing. Umm, not a small problem. Not a small anything when you wake up (i was sleeping in a chair) and see a doctor beside your baby and a nursing squeezing a bad of air into your babies lungs. I sat straight up and they quickly realized I was awake too. The machine was quickly turned back on of course. But I am not sure when my own heart started again. The next morning was wed and I was about to booted out for shift change. But again-something was wrong.The chambers of her heart were not working together, in synch. The nurse turned on the pacer wires that were connected to her heart-basically a pace maker on the outside. As the doctors and nurse gathered around her, they were explaining to me what was happening. Paul got stuck in the hallway because it was shift change. The charge nurse came looking for me, because Paul had tried to get through and she knew i was still in Torie's room. I was standing behind her bed, out of the way, so when she came looking for me and said I needed to leave....let's just say she accepted the look I shot her and a nice nurse saying I was about to leave. The charge nurse just said okay and walked away. Um, yeah, good luck trying to make me leave then! I waited until our favorite resident said things were going to be okay.Torie was not showing any signs of distress, it was all based on what the machine was showing. Her O2 and Bp were stable, so they were not going to panic. I finally left, 15 min later. Poor Paul was outside in the hall, only getting bits through text msgs. I told him all that had happened and started crying all over again. Torie did have a good day though. She stay stable and even came off the breathing machine in the evening shift change! We survived that night and Thursday. Friday seemed to last forever because Paul was back at work. I was alone in the huge hospital with hundreds of strangers. It's odd how you can be surrounded by that many people and still be alone. Friday night around 10 we got to move up to the cardiac floor! That mean we were in a big room and I could close the door! It also meant I got a couch vs a chair to sleep on. It was nice to actually stretch out and sleep, lol. Paul came up Saturday and stayed the night. On Sunday my parents came and saw Torie. I had made they wait until her chest tubes, pacer wires and ivs were all out. At that point Torie was drinking juice and eating real food again! She was so happy to see people visit. By Monday, I was ready to leave...while everyone was supper nice, I just wanted to be at home with my family. We had a wonderful nurse named Mercedes who whispered that if Torie's O2 cont to be stable, then we were going to leave on Tuesday. Needless to say, Torie and I had a nice heart to heart! We both wanted to be home in our own beds and were tired of the hospital. So Tuesday morning while Paul was teaching day class at karate, Kim came to visit and bring us home. We were all very excited. We made a quick stop at the ped's office to get Torie's last synigus (sp?) injection. A cold or rsv was the last thing we needed! Torie did well over the next several weeks. Her energy picked up, and she cut her first tooth exactly 1 wk after leaving vandy!Torie was finally allowed to go around people! She made her first visits to karate, family and friends. It was nice to get out of the house with her. She picked up her developmental skills and had a few growth spurts.
fast forwd to now, at 31 months old she is doing very well. She can pick out any letter of the alphabet when you ask. She knows several colors, shapes and can count by herself. She helps dress her self. Right now, our biggest changle is speech. That problem comes from both her heart problem and Di George Syndrome. Speech is a common problem for children with this syndrome. Torie loves daycare-although if you ask her about it, you better call it school! She won't answer any other way, lol. Mrs Glenda has done a wonderful job helping Torie learn and grow. Now, it's time to start planning a 3rd birthday party!!
We don't just celabrate her birth, it is so much more for us; it's surviving through all this, and knowing we did it; knowing SHE did it.
She is our daughter, our fighter.
She is victorious-she is Victoria.

Torie's story.....

sorry it has taken until today to add to her story. We have been crazy busy and getting well! So, I was filled with anger. I could not understand what was happening or why it had to happen. She was so little and just a baby.
Paul and I pushed through our fear and anger someway. I am not sure how we did it, but we did. We had to pre admit the day before the surgery, so we spent the entire Monday at Vandy. We even had one of their pagers so we could go eat while they worked on paperwork and make arrangements for us. We barely got a room at the Ronald McDonald house-we were literally about to leave vandy and drive back home for the night. i am glad we got to stay there though; we went walking that evening, just strolling along. But as night fell, I became so scared that I could not let go of Torie for anything. we had to do a pre op bath and use certain things during bath time. Torie didn't care-she loves the water no matter what! We cuddled so much that night. The next morning we made our way to the 3rd floor of the hospital. We were the first one's there, but it seemed like forever before we got started. Torie was SO hungry and wanted a bottle so badly, but I couldn't feed her. I felt bad but knew it would cancel her surgery. The nurses had to cath her to get an urine sample, and Torie faught back HARD. Poor thing. Then she went to sleep again. I was trying to let her sleep on the bed, but wanted to hold her so bad. Since she was alseep the crazy OR nurses decided it would be the perfect time to take her...I guess they were right but I wasn't ready-AT ALL. As they walked off, I burst into tears. I wanted to sit in the floor and cry. I actually felt my body crumble against Paul. Our wonderful pre op nurse gave him the tissuses and told me to take all the time I needed. I really did try to compose myself, but I am not sure how well I did. At that point, I knew the next 4-6 hours were going to be hell all over again. My baby was out of my reach and I couldn't do a thing about.
My family came along with a friend from karate. We all paced around the hospital-and to the pharmacy-poor Paul had woke up with pick eye!! Thanks for Dr Good and Delynne for calling in some medicine for him! So we made our back to the OR waiting area. We had received 2 calls saying how things were going. It had started off smooth. Then I saw him-Dr Bichell. But it had only been 3 hours-it was too soon. "Go back! Go back in there with Victoria!" I was SCREAMING in my head. "It's too soon-go back!" I looked at Paul and he looked at me. Dr Bichell made eye contact and came over to us. I remember standing and walking toward him. He smiled. "He's smiling-that has to be good right?" He said the greatest things I have ever heard from a doctor " It was not as bad I thought. I did not have to replace the valve at all. She did well and is in recovery." I almost jumped on him then and there-but I didn't. We talked for a couple of more mintues and then sat back down. We had several hours still before we could see Torie. I will con't with her recovery later. Right nw, though, I just want you to really look at her pictures. My goal is to help you realize what families go through. This disease kills more babies every year than the top 5 cancers COMBINE. Food for thought.

The day before my surgery
Our first sight of Torie after her surgery

Words cannot describe the feelings you have seeing your child like this....


Puffy from all the fluids


Recovery took a few days

her lil feet

Sitting like a lady-Daddy taught her that.

Catching up on sleep....again...

You mean I get to leave today?!?



All smiles cause Aunt Kim's on her to pick us up & take us home!! I'll just wait here until she arrives...
yea! Home sweet Home!Didn't Paul do a wonderful job picking out a coming home outfit?!? It's such a cute dress!

Torie's first Christmas
No more pictures please!

Mommy and Daddy loving on Torie!

Daddy and his little Fighter!

we continue

So, we skipped February's cardiac visit. Torie's O2 had been good, so I had this hope in my heart and in my head that maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't have to do the repair. Maybe she would just stay stable. All mom's have that hope right? At least all good mom's do! So I got a job offer to work for Dr Good again-he moved to Tullahoma! I was supper excited to have a family friend move back, and to have my old job again! Kim immediately said she would watch Torie all day so I could work. Such a blessing she is! So I start work at the end of Feb. Torie has her card appt in the 1st wk or so of March. That day was hell. I am not going to lie about it-it scared me so deep down inside that I did not know what to do...remember when I said that I never thought I could be as scared as I was at her birth-this day proved me wrong! The worse nurse ever was trying to get Torie's vitals. Torie was restless and just wanted her bottle and a nap. This lady kept going until Torie did exactly what she was not supposed to do-CRY. And boy did she every cry! I kept trying to calm her, but since her back was to me, she could not see me and it was not working. A few other nurses came in, trying to help get vitals and calm her. They finally gave up and I turned Torie to me and held her. The nurse put us in an exam room and I gave Torie her bottle. She quickly went to sleep and looked so peaceful. Dr Parra asked for an O2 monitor to be brought in a left on her. I just thought it was to get a good reading, since she had cried so much. He came back into the room a few minutes later and said " That was a tet spell. Dr Bichell is out of town but I out her on his surgery schedual for next Wendsay." I broke down. There is no other way to describe what I did. I looked at my baby and cried-HARD. Kim had tears in her eyes but did her best to stay composed. Since I could not see Torie, Dr Parra explained that she had turned blue and her O2 had dropped really bad...later-after the ohs, Kim told me it had actually dropped into the 60's!! From being so stable in Jan to this?!? I have never felt so bad for Dr Parra in my life-he made me cry and I could see in his face that he hated that part of his job. We made our way through that appt someway,somehow. But the next week Dr Bichell's nurse called stating we had to wait another wk and a half because Dr Bichell was going to be out of town. This man travels-a lot! lol. So, we are offically moved to pre admit on March 26, 2007. Open Heart Surgery was set for 7am on March 27, 2007. Again, I was so scared, but yet I had even more anger in me. See, where I had that hope that she would never need surgery, all those prayers every day, multiple times a day, family prayers, even my students and their families were praying-but at that time it seemed to be a waste because she still had to have ohs. I was so angry at God, that I stopped praying. I could not say or think a word to God. How could God do this?!? What lesson was He trying to teach me?!? and WHY did it have to be through my child, my 8 month old baby?!?

Setting a date...

Dr Parra told us that he wanted Torie to have her repair before flu season. Torie was still very small and wearing preemies even though she was 3 1/2 months old.It was a debate-she needed the repair but was she big enough? The plan was to pick a surgeon, set a date and pre op and go for it. So, Paul and I met DR David Bichell.

This man holds all of my hopes and dreams in his hands-he better have strong hands! Actually, Dr Bichell has awesome hands-you should see him draw a picture of a hear! Check out this video- http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/

We still have the drawing he did of Torie's heart-it's in her hand dandy notebook with everything else. He went into great detail of what was wrong: 1 vsd-a hole in her heart preventing O2 from going through her body. 2. a muscle that is too thick and is putting extra work on a valve. 3. That same valve is not letting blood flow thru correctly, and must be replaced with a cow valve. A cow valve? I wanted to throw up! Was this really happening?!? Omy, what DID I do for this to happen?? Dr Bichell went on to say the repair would take 4-6 hrs.

On to pre admitting: Kim drove us again. Bless her heart-I could never have a better sister! We got to spend the entire day at Vandy with Carol, Dr Bichell's nurse. She is a very sweet lady! We went through an ekg, echocardiogram and chest xray. On Sunday I got a phone call from Dr Bichell-Torie's echo showed a main artery lying over her vsd-imagine a water hose lying across a hole in the ground. He would not be able to do her repair after all. Torie needed to grow more.

Torie was still small, but slowly starting to grow by mid Dec.She 4 1/2 months old and wearing 0-3 mo clothes...I started baby food-fruits, and cereal. She LOVED the food! As soon as she saw the spoon for the first time, she opened her little mouth and leaned forward, lol. It was too cute. So, we followed up with Dr Parra in Jan 2007 for her next cardiac visit. Torie O2 was 99 and her vitals were ok. Her bp was off a Little so we began our first medicine-4 times a day. We were finally sleeping most of the night, and now we had to start waking her! Well, Dr Parra said that since Torie was doing so well, that we could skip Feb and come back in March. I remember looking at him like he was crazy. He reminded me I could call if needed, but he felt she would be okay....lesson learned later(again!) By this time we did know Torie had Di George Syndrome-a deletion of chromosome 22. Torie actually only has a small deletion-the short arm of chromosome 22. This syndrome affects every person differently. Some have severe symptoms and some people do not have any at all. We went through an immunologist and learned that Torie's immune system is weak, but is within normal limits. THANK GOD! so, our next visit is March.

on the card floor...

This is Dr David Parra. Torie's cardiologist.He is a very smart man.
So, Monday we were moved to the cardiac floor and the nurse handed over my baby. Up there, we had our own room that had everything a hotel room has-minus a full size bed. But you learn to sleep on that couch somehow. We spent most of Monday in the room with Torie, neither one of us wanted to leave.So we minimized our trips to the dinning area. I rocked Torie so much. Even though she did not have ivs, she did have monitors stuck to her little body everywhere. There was a monitor for her blood pressure, her heart rate, her O2 saturation, how many breathes she took per minute-still so many wires! I remember her 1st bottle she took all of 7 cc! That was it. The nurses and doctors kept saying she needed to eat more. Throughout the day she gradually moved up to 10cc and pretty well stuck to that. Somewhere during Monday night, she actually drank almost 15cc and were all excited. I know that may seem like no big deal, but it is. Dr Parra also told us that they had drew Torie's blood on Sunday to do a FISH test, to check for chromosome problems. I didn't have a family history and neither did Paul, so why worry right? We made it through Monday night into Tuesday morning. My sister called saying she and my mom were coming to visit. I was scared for them to see Torie with wires everywhere. I did not understand everything, so how was I going to explain them? well, Dr Parra came in and gave us great news-Torie was stable and there was nothing they were doing that we could not do at home...so we were going home around lunch! Paul and I were so excited! I called Kim, but they were already on the road.Paul had already packed because he had to be at work that afternoon, so I quickly threw all of my stuff into bags and Paul loaded them into the truck. it was just a matter of waiting at this point. My family got there and they each held Torie for a couple of minutes. Then something else happened. A social worker came in and TOLD Torie's full diagnosis IN FRONT OF MY MOM. My poor mom does not handle things like this well, and I actually thought she was going to fall out of her chair. I was torn-I actually did not know what to say. This social work explained that Torie will always have congenital heart disease and we should consider putting her on disability because that is the life she will lead. Ok, let me say right here I have no opinion on anyone on ssi, but it really threw me off when she said to put a baby on it. I had never heard of that-aren't all babies incapable to doing things to an extent? Little did I know what she really meant. That lesson was to come later. So the worker leaves and the nurse is taking off all the wires to Torie's monitors. We are discharged with detailed instructions:
DO NOT BY ANY MEANS LET HER CRY-AT ALL. SHE COULD HAVE A TET SPELL(turning blue from a lack of O2) PASS OUT OR POSSIBLY DIE.
DO MAKE SURE SHE EATS EVERY 2 HOURS NO MATTER WHAT.
CALL 911 WITH ANY PROBLEMS
umm, gee and your sending me home like this?!? Thanks.
We packed our trucks and headed home. When we arrived Paul had to leave for work, so it was just us two girls. I took Torie to her room and showed her the crib and her toys. But we snuggled into the couch, lol. I remember making a two ounce bottle, and only 1/2 being ate.
Over the next several weeks we focused on Torie eating. She was so little. Kim drove Torie and me to Vandy on 9-11 for a card check up. Torie was in the 3% for wt! That's when Dr Parra put Torie on increased calories. He wanted her to have open heart surgery before rsv, cold and flu season came. I asked what happened if she was just small like me and didn't grow a whole lot my then. another lesson a learned later. So, we saw a nutritionist and learned how to make increases calories in formula. We cont with visit to Dr Parra every month. At our November visit he said we needed to set up a surgery date. O my God! This is really happening. They are going to take my baby from me and do open heart surgery on her! Can't their be another way? Something else we can do? That doctor made me cry-right there in his office.

so...let's keep talking about CHDs

isn't Torie cute? she was so little-6.3 pounds with her little curls down to her shoulders! Ahh, I love LOVE her curls!.


On with the sTorie! LOL. (Sorry i had do) There I sat in my bed, with the doctor walking out of the room leaving me with nothing. NOTHING! No explanation, no answers, no help-just a few simple sentences ending "sending her to vanderbilt" I was so scared. I didn't think I would ever feel that scared again! The nurse practitioner from Vandy came later. With a quickly medical explanation that left me with more questions than answers, she gave me a t shirt for Torie that said " I took my first ride on Angel" How cute. I got one last look at my baby and my family and I walked with her to Angel.

Here, I want to add a small story about another baby, a baby boy. He too rode Angel to vandy.I watched his poor family walk down the hall in front of us-they were all crying and the priest and nun were walking with them. Look up at Torie-see her color? not bad. This baby boy was gray. He was doing very bad. I learned the next day(monday) that he did not make it home. That family lost their baby boy. I wish them the very best in life.

When Paul & I arrived at Vandy we were greeted by the worlds best nurse ever-try to disagree me-I dare you! Judith was the perfect 1st nurse for us, she took us straight to our baby. It was different than I expected. But at the same time, I had no idea what to expect. There was my lil girl, with ivs and wires going everywhere. Judith gingerly picked up Torie and handed to me. I sit here smiling at myself because I remember thinking " what do I do now?" LOL. I am such a first time mom! I sat and rocked my baby. Paul and I rubbed her hair,hands, fingers and toes. Our pretty little girl looked so perfect-except the blue around her lips. What?!? I almost panicked. Paul quietly said Judith's name and she stepped into our little cubby area. That NICU is so small but efficient! She took Torie from me and gently explained that was part of her heart problem. Paul & I both looked confused I am sure. So Nurse Judith explained it to us a bit more. Then two of the finest doctors ever walked into our cubby and into our lives. Dr David Parra and Dr Greg Fleming. Dr Parra is a cardiologist and Dr Fleming is a resident. Judith took care of my baby while Dr Parra explained Torie's heart and how it could be repaired. Repair but not curred?? What? No, there is not cure for heart defects, you can only treat the symptoms. Dr Parra quickly told me that her heart defect had nothing to do with anything I had ate or drank during my pregnancy. I was just as quick to point out that I had never drank worse than sun drop! I think I gave the poor doctor my entire health history in 30 words or less! I have never done drugs/smoked/drank and I work out as much as possible. But it did make me feel better, just knowing that someone knew it was not my fault. The next day was monday. yep that was all sunday-Torie's 2nd day of life!

Moday we moved up to the card floor. Torie's ivs came out and she was on room air! Woo Hoo! even better, as soon as I walked into her room the nurse had just finished putting a teen tiny shirt on Torie. I told her a quick story of how I always handed my niece and nephew back to Kim when they needed changing saying "here ya go mom!" well, wouldn't you know that nurse smiled and said " Here you go Mom!" I felt myself beam. lol. It still makes me smile. Mom-my new name. Paul and I spent the next 24 hrs on the card floor. I will con't with that tomorrow. For now, its late. my baby,who's not so much a baby anymore, is sick and will probably wake up tonight. Glad Paul took her to the ped today for meds! Get rest and come back for more tomorrow!

Andre

This is the first story I am going to share. I have permission from several families to tell their stories. I want you to look at the picture and realize he could be your son....
He is the first miracle story for this years awareness posts!
Thanks to his parents for letting me do this!





Andre's Medical Journey To Date



Diagnosis: At 6 months of gestation, he was diagnosed with Ebstein's Anomaly; by the time he was born, he was diagnosed with Critical Pulmonary Stenosis, Dysplastic Tricuspid Valve , Enlarged Right Atrium.:: May 1st 2008 - Minutes after he was born, he spent 5 days in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU);:: June 18th 2008 - He underwent a heart procedure called Valvuloplasty/Valvoplasty. Spent 4 nights in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU);:: August 4th 2008 - He underwent open-heart surgery called Glenn Shunt. Spent 2 nights in PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit), then 3 nights in recovery unit.
You can read more about Andre's heart story and detailed medical journey on the right hand side of this page, starting from the bottom.

Andre's Current Medical Lifelines
:: Garden City Pediatrics Assoc
:: Floalting Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center
:: Boston Children's Hospital

Next Medical Appointments
:: Cardiologist» February ?? 2010 (took place on December 2nd 2009 as a precautionary measure prior to trip to Australia. Next appointment date: June 2010):: Pediatrician» January 8th 2010 (postponed until we return from Australia)

Andre's Tid Bits
Last update: 10/13/09:: What is Andre's birth date?» May 1st.:: How much does Andre weigh and how tall is he?» 25.2 pounds (as at 04/16/09) and 28 inches» 24.44 pounds (as of 06/05/09) and 30 inches.» 25.12 pounds (as of 07/07/ 09). » 28 pounds and 31 inches (as at 09/18/09)Updates:» The pediatrician wants to see Andre again in July for weight check because he seemed to have lost some weight. This weight loss is to be expected but because of his heart issues, he wants to ensure we are not overlooking anything.» At the appointment on 07/07/09, pediatrician was very happy that Andre gained his weight back, i.e. 25.12 pounds.:: How many teeth does he have now?» In November 2008, 2 came out on the bottom.» In January 2009, another 2 came out on top and 2 on the bottom, all at once!Updates:» In April 2009, another 2 came out on top.» In June 2009, Andre had his first molar on the bottom right. That was painful!!» In July 2009, two new molars came out, the two top right. We were not having a fun time with those!» In October 2009, too many! All his front and bottom teeth came out, a few more molars to go!!TOTAL: too many!:: What does Andre eat and drink?» Wholemilk - 8 ounces - 3 times a day» Vegetables with or without chicken or with brown rice - 3 tablespoons once a day» Fruits - 3 tablespoons once a day» Yogurt - 4 ounces a day» Snacks - American Cheese, Cookie, Rice Puffs» Apple Juice - 4 ounces a dayUpdates as of 10/13/09»WholeMilk - 1 to 2 cups a day diluted with water 50/50;» Vegetables with or without chicken/meat or with brown rice - 4 tablespoons once a day;» Fruits - 3 tablespoons once a day;» Yogurt - 4 ounces a day;» Snacks - American Cheese, Cookie, Rice Puffs, Gerber Snacks;» Apple/Orange Juice Diluted with Juice served throughout the day.» GRAPES - LOVES HIS GRAPES!:: What fruits and vegetables does Andre eat?» It's a mixture of 2-3 different fruits and vegetables alike. They are all home-made based on Gerber suggested menu and pediatrician recommendation.» Fruits are: bananas, apples,pears, strawberries, blueberries, black berries, pineapple» Vegetables are: squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, green beans, corn, carrot, peasUpdates as of 05/01/09He eats small pieces of white bread with cheese, pizza crust, whole banana, meat, any table foods really -- not a fussy little guy so far!:: Does he eat any meats? » He only eats chicken for now.Updates as of 05/01/09» He eats meat as well.:: What are Andre's sleeping habits?» He has one morning nap around 9:30am and afternoon nap around 2:30pm. He is ready for bed at night around 7:30pm and wakes up around 6:30am. He has been sleeping through the night (since the age of 6 months) but the duration of his naps vary between 45 minutes to 1h30 minutes.Updates» As of 05/01/09 He has one morning nap around 9:00am and afternoon nap around 3:00pm. He is ready for bed at night around 8:00pm and wakes up around 7:30am.» As of 06/05/09 Andre is skipping his morning nap, has much between 12pm - 1pm, naps around 3:00pm for 1.5 - 2 hours, then he is ready for bed at between 8:30pm - 9:00pm and wakes up between 8:00am - 9:00am.:: What words can Andre say?» Dadadada (the very first one he ever said)» Babababa» TatatatataUpdates» As of 05/01/09 - Lalalalala» As of 06/03/09 - Mamama (FINALLY!!)» As of 10/13/09 - As per pediatrician's advice, early intervention is set for 10/14/09 because his vocabulary for a 17 months comprises of only consonant sounds, no specific words are articulated yet. He is able to recognize words and point to them but that's how far it goes. He also makes a lot of high and low pitching sounds as if he was having a conversation.:: How many words can Andre relate?» By asking to show the following words, he either reaches for the object or points his eyes towards the person or object.» These words are so far: mamma, dadda, balloons, pretty lights, cat, dog, bird, blanket, rattle, ball, toes, fingers, bib, winnie (the pooh), frog, phone, bananas, monkey, bunny.Updates:» 3/28/09 Andre shows his tongue when asked;» 3/20/09 Andre shows his nose when asked (only to his mommy so far); daddy did sneak in to watch once.» As of 4/2/09, Andre does it all the time with anyone.» 4/12/09 Andre opens and closes his eyes or fingers when asked.» As of 05/01/09, other new words he either reaches for the object or points his eyes towards the person or object - books, truck, bus, cars, juice (his sippy cup), shoes.» As of 05/13/09, other new words he either reaches for the object or points his eyes towards the person or object - truck.» As of 06/05/09, ther new words he either reaches for the object or points his eyes towards the person, object, body parts - Shannon and Ken (next door neighbors), Lynda (heart mom), ears, head, hair, leg.» As of 08/02/09 - other new words he either reaches for the object or points his eyes towards the person or object -heart, tummy, cheek, toes, teeth, mouth, plane, birds, trees, kiss (he gives you his cheek to kiss him).» As of 10/13/09 - we follow Your Baby Can Read program, don't watch the DVDs often but only the cards and books, and so far he knows all the words from Vol 1-4.:: Can Andre roll over/crawl/stand up/walk?Andre can:» roll over on either sides;» put himself on all fours but has not learn to crawl yet but we can tell it is very imminent;» pull himself up to stand up with a little of help. He stands well on this two feet, even does a little dance routine for us.» not walk yet.Updates:» 3/7/09 - Andre finally can pull himself to stand up!» 3/11/09 -It is confirmed - Andre can crawl now!» 5/01/09 - Andre crawls like a champ, stands up using one hand, stands on his own until he realizes it, then falls down again on his behind - his confidence is not quite there yet but he is progressing.» 06/05/09 - Andre is walking like a champ using his Fisher Price walker!» 07/26/09 - Andre is walking all on his own!:: What else can Andre do?He can:» do high five;» gives big hugs by eskimo kisses (nose-to-nose);» play peek-a-boo (his version is "where's Andre") and he puts his head into our hand to cover his eyes or he takes our hand with his hand;» he imitates some the sounds we make, like coughing, and making sound noises through his lips, leaning on one side to another when he is sitting in this booster chair;» do "bye bye" by opening and closing his hand;» laugh a lot when we make funny gestures with our heads;» laugh a lot when his diaper is changed and we use the word "poooooey", signifying to him that it stinks by also pinching our nose while we are at it - it's the funniest thing to watch;» play on his own for a significant amount of timeUpdates:» bring his toys to us when he wants us to play with him; goes to this bedroom to fetch more toys to bring in the living room or kitchen to play.» goes to do what we tell him to reach or do - like bringing the ball, truck which are in another room so that 'mommy' and 'daddy' can play with him.» finally learned to clap his hands, and raise his arms in the haor with the song "If you are happy and you know it, shout hooray"» knows who grandpa and grandma are via Skype. He even give them hugs (hugs the computer monitor), and brings them toys and books.:: What else Andre likes to do?» He loves his books, especially the story about 5 little ducks which has a button to make "quacking sound" which can be pressed when needed throughout the story. He also loves a book with all the animals A - Z and he loves to the turn the pages all by himself. His third favorite book is a touch-and-feel book about a duck, dog, pig, sheep, bunny rabbit, and a cat.» He loves to chill in this Fisher Price bouncer, watching the fishes, and play with the ornaments; when he gets bored, he knows how to bounce himself really hard by pushing on his legs.Updates:» 05/01/09 -Andre no longer uses his bouncer because he was getting too heavy for it. He now has new infant/toddler chair and he is yet to get used to it because he would rather be on the floor playing;» With the warmer weather, Andre loves his walk in the stroller,watching everything that is going on around him;» He also like to play outdoors with his toys.:: What are Andre's Favorite Toys?Andre's favorite toys are:» Fisher Price Jumperoo;» Fisher Price Sing-Along Musical Stage;» Learning Frog Musical Table;» Soccer ball, empty plastic bowl, crinkling-sound book, rattles, Baby Einstein Jaques The Peacock.Updates:» Andre received new toys for his 1st birthday and loves to play with all of them. They are: Fisher Price Interactive Baby Grand Piano, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Musical Puppy, Tonka Monster Truck (his favorite of them all!).:: Does Andre watch any TV?» The only thing Andre is allowed to watch his Your Baby Can Read DVDs once a day. On very rare occasions, he is allowed to watch Clifford, The Big Red Dog and Curious George.:: Finally, are there anything concerning about Andre's baby skills, after have been through so much in 2008?» Since his open-heart surgery in August 2008, he had to be picked a certain way for a while. Therefore he missed out on a lot of tummy time that were expected at that age. Once he was allowed to have tummy time, he completely hated it. We decided that we will not interfere, and let his little body recuperate by itself.» It was not until the age was 8 months old that he rolled over his tummy to sleep, all by himself. He now has no problems with being on his tummy time which he also does all by himself while playing with his toys.» We are little concerned about the progress he is making in terms of his ability to crawl/standing up/walking; as far as we see, he is really trying, he gets frustrated at times, and for us, that is progress and that is all we can ask for.Updates:» The pediatrician wants to evaluate Andre if he is not walking by the age of 15 months.» Andre is finally working on his own on July 26th! He went to pick up his Monster truck in the kitchen and walked all the way there from the living room. He made it by 5 days before the pediatrician wanted to intervene. Woo hoo!! Now mommy needs to wear her sneakers to keep up with his running feet!» Early intervention is set for 10/14/09 because the pediatrician suspects that he may be falling a little behind and he does not want Andre to be frustrated by it when he reaches 2 years old

Congenital heart Defect awareness week is here!!!!

I want to share our story, for those you that do not know it. I had a wonderful pregnancy; I ate well, I drank water ALL the time, I kept training martial arts( hey, it was safe) and I even taught my children's brown belt class the night before I delivered! My students were children, and they were understanding when I said I couldn't kick above my waist, but did expect them too! lol. I miss those kids. They will always remain in my heart. Anyway, I my labor and delivery was quick-too quick to get the epid! We spent the night with two pediatricians arguing about Torie's heart. 1 thought it was "just a heart murmurer, she'll out grow it" the 2nd saying it was more. As many times as we asked to see Torie, they kept saying no-you can after the tests are done. I FINALLY got to see her around 4am-after her 7:49 pm birth! yes, it took that long before I could see her. I was more than scared-I was terrified. I had no idea what to ask, to say or do. Finally a ped cardiologist came in around 6 and said "your daughter has Tetralogoy of Fallot and will need open heart surgery soon. I am sending you to Vanderbilt." It was that simple for him. I sat in my bed watching him walk out of the room. I remember looking at Paul and thinking to myself "what have I done? What did I do wrong?" I bawled-a lot. Paul is a wonderful husband who held me and let me cry. While neither one of us truly understood what was happening yet, we knew we had God and each other. Paul had go to carry Torie to the nursery. While he was there, he & Kim took a few pictures of her.

Look how long my foot is!!


Daddy's spoiling me already!




My baby girl!



My birthday!

More pictures! Some, as you can see are karate pictures. The big one is of the team in 2006. Some kids have moved on to college, and some out of town, but most of them are still there-kicking their way up the belt ranks! A few are of Kali's training. and Of course, I had to add one of both Kali and Alex! Remember, Feb 7 -14 is Congenital Heart Defects Awareness week! If you have any questions or just wondering about it, please ask me! That's the only way to learn!