The Excellent Adventures of Trevor, Kara and Allison

November 6, 2009

Trick or Treat

We had a busy day on Halloween. The kids dressed up and went trick or treating in Downtown Arlington. We went with some friends. The kids had a blast. The weather was dry until the last 10 minutes, then it started to rain. Trevor was dressed as a bumblebee and the girls were pumpkins.

Later that afternoon we went to my Mom's house to celebrate her birthday. The kids went in costume and had cake and ice cream, then trick or treated in the neighborhood.

We went back to our house and met up with friends there. We went around the neighborhood, only Trevor got candy. A lot of people asked if the girls wanted candy, but we declined as we would be the ones eating it :) Once we got home we looked at Trevor's bag of candy, there was way too much in there! But it sure was fun. Now we'll have candy for Trevor's birthday pinata again...

October 22, 2009

Uh oh, and Hi

Kara and Allie have learned some new words besides mama and dada. They walk around the house saying "Uh-Oh" and "Hi". It is so cute to listen to them. They also love waving bye-bye. Kara will walk around the house putting Trevor's hats on her head. She also likes to put clothes around her neck and walk around. I think she is going to be the one to love dressing up!

We went to the pumpkin patch with our MOPS group on Tuesday. I had all 3 kids with me and they all did great! Trevor went on the bouncy house and enjoyed some popcorn. I took all 3 on a hay ride and train ride. The girls didn't get their morning nap in but they were awesome during the field trip!

We had to hurry back home for lunch, then turn around and go back to the pumpkin patch for Trevor's preschool fieldtrip. So the girls once again missed another napping opportunity. Again, they were awesome! Trevor even got to have snack and pick out two pumpkins this time! We went on the bouncy house, train and hay ride again! It was a very busy day, the girls finally got a nap in around 3:30. I had to wake them at 5 so they could eat dinner. They slept a lot the following day!

October 17, 2009

Silly G's

Today we went on a hunt for the perfect pumpkins. Since it was pouring down rain all morning we skipped the pumpkin farms. We found them at Haggen instead. Trevor asked where the store was. Scott asked him if he seen the store with the big green H. Trevor said "yes, you mean the one with the silly g's" ? Yes, the g's do look silly, we never thought of it before! To look at things through a 4 year olds eyes is so fun!

Trevor helped pick out 5 pumpkins for Mommy, Daddy, Trevor, Kara and Allison. He reminded us that on Tuesday he gets to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out two more for Jazzy girl and Fuzzy Buddy (our cats).

Kara and Allie are both getting their molars in. There has been a lot of sleepless nights for me. Hopefully those teeth will come in quickly! I started taking the girls to the living with toddler class at the hospital where they were born. Hopefully I will be able to keep it up. I may have to take Trevor some days, so we will see how that goes :)

Trevor passed his swim lessons! He now goes onto preschool 3. Way to go Trevor! He loves the water. A complete 180 from last year where we had to force him into the pool. He loves everything about the water. We will try and put him in swim lessons in a couple months so he doesn't lose his interest in the water.

Trevor is loving preschool. He talks about his new friends all the time. He loves playing outside on the swings, and the fun art projects they get to do. Of course he loves snack time too! His teacher says he is doing very well and is a good nurture.

Trevor is looking forward to Halloween. He will be a bumble bee this year and his sisters will be pumpkins. Hopefully it will not rain. They have warm costumes, so I am not too concerned about it being cold.

October 5, 2009

Allie is now officially walking!!!

As of Oct. 3rd Allie is officially a walker! She has been walking everywhere in the house! Every once in awhile she'll start crawling to get somewhere faster. She is so proud of herself and she should be!

September 21, 2009

Kara is officially walking!!

As of Sunday the 13th, Kara is officially walking! She was taking a few steps at her birthday party, but the next day she wanted to walk and do nothing else! Even though it takes her longer to walk somewhere she would rather do that than crawl. She is so proud of herself, and she should be!

September 15, 2009

Trevor's in preschool!

Today was Trevor's first day of preschool! He is such a big boy now! First we had MOPS in the morning. He loved it. Especially seeing all his old friends he hadn't seen since May.

After MOPS was over I walked Trevor to his classroom. I took some pics and he kept asking why? I told him that he will never have another first day of preschool and I wanted to always remember this day. He kept asking when he could go in and play with his new friends :) We got inside and he sat down next to all the ABC's of course!

He got to finger paint in pudding. Make a 'Trevor' tree, play on the playground and eat snacks! He asked when he got to go back. I'm so glad he had a great first day!

September 9, 2009

It's twice the fun when twins turn One!

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girls! They are one today! The time has gone by so fast, it seems just like yesterday we brought them home. They were so tiny they could both fit into a bouncy seat together. They even shared their swing, and slept in the same bassinet for a couple months.

In the morning we had their one year check up. Yes, I had them get shots on their first birthday, bad mommy... But hey, they won't remember it, right? Allie is now 18lbs 15oz and 28.5" long. Kara is 19lbs 4oz and 28" long. They have more than tripled their birth weight! Hard to believe a year ago they were only 5 lbs.

After morning nap we met up with our friend Sarah and we took the girls to lunch. We went to Boston's Pizza. The girls and Trevor were awesome at lunch! After lunch we came home and played a little. We took the girls' afternoon bottle away today and they didn't even notice.

Later in the evening we went to Grandma and Grandpa A's. for dinner. The girls had a preview of what was to come on Saturday for their party. We gave them cupcakes and they did great! They got nice and messy. Wait until they have a whole cake for themselves this weekend! Pictures to come!

Happy Birthday Allison and Kara. Mommy and Daddy Love you!

Quotes from a 3 year old...

• "I'm tired of being 3, I want to be 4 now" - the night before his 4th birthday.

• "What is your letter?" - when asking someone what letter their name starts with.

• "What's your number?" - when asking someone their age.

• "You puttin' your seatbelt on?" - while watching Daddy put a belt on his pants.

• "Yippee yi yay, mini sirloin burgers"

• "Be careful, Mommy, don't broke yourself" - when watching Mommy cross the street.

• "Daddy is home with the babes" - told to the checker at Safeway.

• "D V D...that spells movie"

• When, I'm a fish, can I swim in there?" - while looking at our fish tank.

• "Daddy, your coffee is peeing"

• "I love those babes" - referring to his sisters.

• "I wanna watch Hannah Montana" - when given the choice between watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Little Einsteins.

Trevor's Heart

I had open heart surgery on April 20, 2006 at Children's Hospital in Seattle to have a right ventricle outflow tract patch put in my heart. The doctor made a vertical incision on my right ventricle then spread the tissue apart slightly and applied the patch to keep this area of the heart larger. This will allow more blood to flow through my pulmonary valve. The surgery was a great success, but I will need lifelong appointments with a cardiologist to monitor my heart. Additional surgeries will also be needed in the future for valve replacement. No worries, I am up to the challenge.

I have a congenital heart defect called Pulmonary Atresia with Intact Ventricular Septum. The information below describes my heart condition. It was copied from a medical website so the language is dry. My Mommy and Daddy can give you more information about this. Also, you can check out this blog to see specifics about my case.

Pulmonary Atresia with Intact Ventricular Septum (PA / IVS)

Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) is a rare congenital heart disease. Pulmonary atresia is when the valve that lets blood flow from the lower-right chamber (right ventricle) of the heart to the lungs has not formed properly or is closed. This abnormality is present from the very early stages of heart development (around the first eight weeks of pregnancy), resulting in an underdeveloped right ventricle, which is the pumping chamber of the heart.

Before birth, while the baby is developing, this condition does not threaten life because the placenta provides oxygen for the baby and the lungs are not yet functioning. Blood entering the right side of the fetal heart passes through an opening called the foramen ovale that allows oxygen-rich (red) blood to pass through to the left side of the heart and circulate throughout the body. After birth, the placenta no longer provides oxygen for the newborn — the lungs must provide it.

Two connections within a newborn's heart can provide temporary help in getting blood flow to the lungs — the foramen ovale and the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). As these connections spontaneously begin to close after birth, the baby becomes critically ill due to an inadequate blood flow to the lungs where the blood picks up oxygen. This situation cannot support life, since oxygen-poor (blue) blood cannot meet the body's demands. The baby becomes very blue (cyanotic) and sick.

Receiving a diagnosis of PA/IVS can be frightening and overwhelming; however, there are surgical options for treating infants with this condition.

Diagnosis

Upon diagnosis, the baby is admitted to an intensive care unit. The baby may be treated with oxygen, a ventilator to assist breathing and intravenous medications to help the heart and lungs function more efficiently. In addition, the drug prostaglandin is administered to prevent the ductus arteriosus from closing, thereby maintaining blood flow to the lungs. This helps stabilize the baby while subsequent treatment decisions are made.

Treatment

Once stabilized, there are surgical treatment options:

Cardiac Catheterization

This procedure can be used as an initial treatment and a diagnostic tool for some cases of PA/IVS. A cardiac catheterization usually will be performed to evaluate any heart defects, establish whether the foramen ovale or ductus arteriosus are still open, and determine the amount and proportions of oxygen-rich (red) and oxygen-poor (blue) blood.

Balloon Atrial Septostomy

This procedure may be performed as part of the cardiac catheterization to improve the proportions of red blood and blue blood between the right and left atria (upper chambers of the heart). A special catheter (tube) with a balloon in the tip is used to create an opening in the atrial septum (the wall between the left and right atria). The catheter is guided through the foramen ovale and into the left atrium, and the balloon is inflated.

Radiofrequency Perforation

Radiofrequency Perforation of the pulmonary valve: In some cases it may be possible to burn a way through the blocked pulmonary artery. A fine tube is inserted into a vein and passed through the heart. A hot wire is used to burn into the pulmonary artery. A balloon is then inserted and used to stretch the pulmonary valve and artery. This does not leave any scar.

Open-heart Surgery

Ultimately, surgery will be necessary to improve blood flow to the lungs on a permanent basis. The types of operations for pulmonary atresia varies quite widely depending on the individual child’s cardiac anatomy and condition. A series of operations may be necessary to bypass the blocked pulmonary artery. These are open heart surgeries - the heart will need to be stopped and opened to repair it. This means that a machine will have to take over the job that the heart normally does – the heart bypass machine.

Following surgery, the baby's circulation may be normal. However, patients receiving a valve replacement may need another heart valve replacement surgery within the next 10 years as the new valve slowly wears out. The right-side pumping chamber (ventricle) is typically smaller than normal, so the baby may require another mechanism for blood flow to reach the lungs so enough oxygen can get to the body. In such a case, an artificial connection (shunt) between the aorta — the large artery that leaves the heart and provides oxygen-rich blood to the body — and the pulmonary artery is created to deliver blood to the lungs.

Additional Heart Surgery

Additional surgery is needed when the child is older, particularly in cases where the right ventricle was very underdeveloped. The kind of surgery recommended depends on the size of the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. If they are normal size and the right ventricle is able to pump blood, open-heart surgery will make blood flow through the heart in a normal pattern. If the right ventricle is small and unable to pump, doctors may perform an operation called the Fontan procedure, in which the right atrium is connected directly to the pulmonary artery.

Follow Up

Children who have PA/IVS require intensive monitoring both before and after surgery, including blood tests, X-rays and urine tests. The child will also need lifelong monitoring by a congenital heart specialist.

Patients born with PA/IVS have a risk of developing endocarditis, an infection in the heart's walls or valves. Consequently, they require antibiotics before dental work and certain surgeries to prevent endocarditis.