We're walking!

I just wanted to share a little video clip of Benny finally taking his first steps! It's just a short few seconds, as that's all he's able to do at the moment in between falls, but he is so excited with himself for doing it on his own! We are excited as well and encourage him everyday. Enjoy!

Also, here are some photos from the last month or so!

A Quick Note..

I just wanted to post a quick update for everyone. I'm getting ready to head out the door to relieve Darin from his weekend shift!

Benjamin is doing superb! Today was so much better for him than yesterday. Sometime early this morning while Darin was sleeping and the nurse was away, Benny decided he didn't need his oxygen anymore and pulled out his canula and threw it on the ground! So, a little later on Darin discovered this and it was decided by the doctor that he didn't need it anymore. I guess Benjamin does know best! Today he also had both of his drainage tubes removed and his line in his neck. So now, all he has left in him is the line in his hand and in his foot! He's been much happier today and even smiled for Daddy. The doctor has finally given the go ahead to allow him to eat and drink whatever he wants now so he's a happy camper! We are optimistic for a Tuesday discharge, but if that doens't happy, it will almost definitely be Wednesday. Darin told me that there is such a difference in him between yesterday and today so I'm excited to go see my little man! I'm going a little stir crazy being away (if that even makes sense)! I will most likely not be back home until Benny is discharged. Since Darin is returning to work tomorrow there is no one to relieve me but that is okay...it won't be too much longer. But it might mean you will have to wait for an update until I return home! I will continue to post on Facebook when I can though, so check there too!

Thanks again for all of your prayers!

Day 2 - Surgery

Today was the day, and Benny did wonderfully! Here's a little synopsis of our day:

Around 6:30am, a member from the transport team came to his room in the intermediate care unit (PIMCU) and escorted us down to the 2nd floor, which is where surgery takes place. We were put in the surgery holding area and waited there until about 7:45am when the nurse and the anesthesiologist came in and explained a little bit to us of what would be happening. The nurse gave Benjamin a sedative (which I cannot remember the name of at the moment) which would help him to relax and "get a little loopy". Within seconds of administering the drug, Benjamin was "flying high" so to speak. It was the funniest thing that Darin and I have ever witnessed! We made sure to capture a little video clip of his behavior just moments after he received his happy meds!

Once the laughing subsided, Darin and I said our goodbyes to our little man and the nurse carried him back to the operating room. We were told at that point it would be a good time to eat breakfast since the first update won't come until after they anesthesize him and do his echocardiogram. So, we grabbed some breakfast and took it up to the surgical waiting area, where we spent the rest of our morning. The staff was terriffic about frequently updating us on his progress, which we were most appreciative of. The began the surgery around 9am and about two and a half hours later they came out and said they were closing him up. Dr. Husain came out and told us about the procedure and how it all went and was extremely pleased with how Benjamin did. They did encounter quite a bit of scarring under the rib cage and had to spend some time trying to separate it from his heart, but after that, he did fantastic. They were able to put in quite a large valve (18 mm) which is terrific news!! This hopefully means that we have bought him some more time than expected until his next surgery.

He was transported up the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where he will be for the next couple of days. They have a great group of nurses and doctors in that unit, and Benjamin is being well looked after. It was decided that he would remain sedated today, the ultimate goal being to keep him comfortable. As you can see from the pictures, he is on a ventilator (which he should be coming off of tomorrow), and has an extensive amount of medications going into him! They have been trying to make him super comfortable all day, however, Benjamin is a mover and a shaker. He is burning through his pain meds so fast that he seems to only get about 20 minutes of relief before he starts moving again. He's already attempted to roll over a few times and constantly moves his arms and legs. He started scrunching his eyes like he was trying to cry and so they weren't sure if he was in pain or just uncomfortable. So, they are continuing to increase his pain medication as necessary. He also had a tube placed down into his stomach to relieve the excess fluid and gas that might be building up in there. That actually seemed to relax him a little bit (once it was in) so perhaps he was feeling gassy! As long as he's on a ventilator, the tube will remain in his stomach.

We will continue to keep you all updated as his recovery progresses. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for all of us. They will be taking him off the ventilator and allowing him to wake up and start moving. His pain meds will change to different ones and they will just monitor him and see how he does. Darin is staying the night with him again tonight and I will return tomorrow morning. Thank you all for your prayers. Benny is so blessed to have so many people who love him and continuously pray for him (we all are blessed by this). Stay tuned for more.....

Benjamin's Admitted

Benjamin was admitted to Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital this afternoon. Overall, he did very well there today. Cried a little when they tried to take his vitals (he doesn't like that at all), but then he got to play for a bit in his room. They brought him some toys! They also have a playroom there that he can play in too so it makes it a little easier on us parents to entertain him! They took him around 5:30p to go put his IV in, and that took about 30 minutes, which gave Darin and I a chance to eat some dinner. He came back with a bubble on his hand. It's sad but actually a bit cute too! It doesn't seem to bother him too much either so that's good! Around 6:30p the lab people came by to take some blood from him. Needless to say he did NOT like that at all. And I, being the wonderful mom I am, had to act as bad guy and hold his legs down while daddy sat on the bed and watched TV. We got a great nurse though and she found his vein instantly! That was a first for us! They usually have to fish for his vein or redo it because they lose it. And to top it all off, the lab nurse came back about 45 minutes later to get a little more because they needed a new sample for blood typing or something. Luckily, that was just a finger poke!

Finally, around 7:45p, he got a sponge bath, and got his cute little gown on. Yes, they have little infant gowns, it's adorable! I'll try to remember to take a picture of it if I get the chance! After that, a little milk, and then a little rocking with mommy. He was out in about 5 minutes. Poor little guy was exhausted! I left the hospital a little after 9p, and Darin is staying the night with him. I'll be back at the hospital around 6a tomorrow morning to make sure I have some time to spend with him before they take him, which should be around 7am. They hope to start the surgery around 9a and finish up around lunch time. I will make sure to post an update as soon as I can! I will also update the facebook throughout the morning. Well, I better be off to bed now! Thank you all for your prayers and we hope to report great news tomorrow! Good night!

Finally an update!

Well, it's definitely been a little while since I updated the blog. Sorry! I'm just really bad about it. Anyways, I thought I would catch you all up on some stuff that has been going on.

The biggest news right now is that Benny's 2nd heart surgery is scheduled for Friday, February 5th. He will be admitted the day before and will spend the night there getting prepped for surgery. Darin and I are feeling a lot better about this surgery than his first one. After speaking with the surgeons, we know now that this surgery is not as intricate because it's not focusing on all the "rewiring" like it was last time. This time around is primarily just for replacement of his valve. The surgery time is also about 1/2 of what it was the first time around! What a blessing this was for us to learn. So while we dread the idea of surgery in general, we know that Benjamin is a tough kiddo, who is in great hands (the surgeons' and God's) and he will be back to himself in no time! He's only expected to be in the hospital for about 3-5 days, which is amazing to us. We were expecting it to be longer considering that his first time around he was in the hospital for 24 days, but that was also primarily due to his feeding. We are hoping that he doesn't regress in the progress he's made but we are prepared for anything. He has been working with a physical therapist and an education specialist and they both feel he is doing fantastic! The P/T really only comes once a month just to follow him, but she feels he would fine without her too. It'll be nice to have her around post-surgery though, just in case he does regress in certain areas.

Benjamin is doing great, as I mentioned before. At his last appointment (as of Monday) he is 16lbs, 15oz, so he's just about to hit 17 lbs! It's a milestone for him! He's been at 16 lbs for so long! He's obviously nowhere on the growth chart but he's creating his own line below the growth chart! He's always been unique. He is walking along everything and anything that will support him, and has even taken a couple steps without holding onto anything. He's definitely trying! He is just a happy little boy who just loves to smile and play. He's also very attached to Daddy, but I'm working on adjusting that a bit! Tonight, he actually wanted me for bedtime and not Daddy. Highly unusual but it made my night nonetheless!

The girls are also doing well. Abi is involved in Girl Scouts and is about halfway through her first cookie sale! She's loved the idea of selling things and collecting money (too bad she doesn't get to keep the money!). She is excited though that the money they earn is going towards a trip to the zoo! She's earning all kinds of patches! Emily is jealous that she doesn't get to be a part of Girl Scouts yet, but is looking forward to the day when she can (which is still 2 years away). The girls want to get involved in Soccer this spring so hopefully we will find a league. Abi wants to play with one of the girls from her troop so we're going to try and work that out! Abi also took her first trip away from home, without her parents! She went with her friend Brianna (from Girl Scouts) and her family to an indoor waterpark in Grapevine, TX, which is about 4-5 hours from here. It was called Great Wolf Lodge, and the website looked fantastic! She had so much fun and I was happy to hear that she did a great job being on her own! My baby is growing up!!

Darin and I are busy as usual. Darin is doing well at work. It's hard to believe he's coming up on his 1 year anniversary in April! We can't believe we've been here that long. Back in November, when hours were down at work, Darin picked up a second job at a brake shop, working on Saturdays. It was great as it helped out tremendously with Christmas, and now it's helping us in other areas! Poor guy is exhausted, and we are blessed by his commitment to his family. He's hoping he can take the summer off from his job though, as we are expecting a new baby in August!

It was a big shock to us, as we definitely weren't planning on having another, but the Lord has his own plans! We are still very excited about our new arrival and look forward to making our family a little bigger! I had an ultrasound done last week with a perinatal specialist, to check for any problems with this baby, due to our history with Benjamin. Obviously, this early on, they can't see major organ development but they check other things, such as the fat on the back of the baby's neck. I guess if there's too much there, it can indicate that there is a problem. But that looked normal. I also had blood work done to check for any indicators that there is a problem, and received a phone call a few days ago that everything came back great! So, praise God, it looks like this baby will be healthy and have no major complications. I'm following up with the specialist at the beginning of March, since they'll be able to see things (like the heart and the sex) a lot better to determine if this are developing normally. But as of now, things appear to be great!

Well, for now I guess that's it! We will keep you posted with Benny's surgery, and I'll be sure to post picture of his progress as well as the pregnancy! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! We love all of you!

Podiatrist visit

Benjamin saw Dr. Goad, the podiatrist, on Friday for the first time! This appointment was so enlightening for me because it's nice to know now what we possibly will have to deal with in the future. He took x-rays of his feet and both of Benjamin's feet have all 5 toe bones, which was a surprise to the doctor. Most cases he sees only have four of the five. As you can see from the picture, Benny was deep in thought about this. I was told that Benjamin will most likely have to have surgery. It won't be cosmetic, as he doesn't do surgery for strictly cosmetic purposes. His will be more for functionality of his feet. Right now, when Benjamin puts pressure on his feet, his big toe sort of turns out and curls, almost resembling a claw. He does this to provide the balance he needs because he doesn't have that extra support from the middle toes. It's not a big problem now, but eventually, if not corrected, it could be. Not only that, but with time, his toes will spread apart even further. The surgery will be to close the cleft a bit so that he can wear normal shoes. Hopefully doing this will help his big toe to straighten out as well.

At this point Dr. Goad will just continue to follow him and give him some time to grow. We are going to see him again in 3 months. Only time will tell what exactly we will have to do. It could take more than one surgery to help him, or it could take some time in casts, or even something else. We don't know for sure yet. We just know that he will need something, and surgery is most likely in the cards.

It's nice to know. While I feel so bad for Benny to have to endure yet another surgery, I know that it will be to help him. Though this kind of surgery is not as serious as heart surgery, no surgery is without risk. I know he is a strong little boy, and that any obstacles he comes to will only make him stronger, but as a mother I can't help but ache for him...sometimes it just feels as though it's going to be one thing after another for the rest of his life. I know God will handle it all; He has thus far and will continue to do so. So I just have to pray for the strength and courage (and energy!) to be the mom that he needs, and that the girls need too! I was promised that I will never have more than I can handle...and that reassures me that I can handle this!

Thursday update 9/10

Benny had a good old-fashioned doctor appointment today so I just wanted to give you all a little update on his stats! He has finally passed the 15lb. mark!! He weighed in at 15lb, 3 oz! Woohoo! He is 26 1/4" long. He is obviously still way below the average but he is progressing well for him. He is growing and he is proportionate to his own stats. He's doing very well. He is, as we mentioned before, a couple months behind developmentally but he's working very hard!! He is pulling himself up on things now and crawling like a champ. We're still working on
his solid foods. He can handle the baby food, but he still has a bit of trouble with normal solid food. He'll get it though! These are just a few pictures of him today...he was all dressed up for his appointment, and looking oh so cute if I say so myself!







Emily was supposed to be just a spectator at the appointment, but I decided to have her get her flu shot since we were already there! She was a champ, and while a few tears flowed, she did great! We celebrated with a happy meal from McDonald's! Abi's is scheduled for tomorrow, after school of course!

It's a good thing we did grab some lunch before going home because when we arrived home, we discoverd while attempting to open our garage door, that our power had gone out...thanks to a fabulous thunderstorm!! Our front and backyard was flooded!! There was a river running through our front yard, and that's not an exageration! It was nice to get some rain though, we desperately needed it! And, both Benny and Emi took great naps!!

I also learned today that Teresa, my sister, was admitted to the hospital and is being induced. So hopefully I will have a new niece within the next 24 hours!! We're all awaiting and anticipating her arrival! I will keep you posted if I hear anything, or receive any pictures!!

Tonight I have a parent orientation meeting at Abi's school, immediately followed by a PTA meeting. Yes, I have become part of the PTA! I figure I should be a responsible parent and participate :)

Overall, today was a good day!

Finally, I know!!

I know, I really stink at updating this thing. I'm sorry to everyone for lagging, I just finally uploaded the pictures from my camera for the past couple of months! That's how behind I am. Well, as I am supposed to go watch a movie with the girls soon, I will do a brief update. Besides, pictures are what's most important, and I have included those as well!

Benny - is doing really well. His heart hasn't had too much change so our appointments are now every 2 months as opposed to every month! This is good news for us because not only is it easier on me to only have to worry about appointments every other month, but also it means that his surgery will be a bit farther away, giving him time to get bigger! Hooray! He's getting so big too! He's just about 9 months old now, and while he is getting big, he has just recently graduated to wearing his 6 month clothes. At his last doctor visit, he hadn't broke the 15 lb. mark yet, but hopefully September's appointment will show differently! He's such a sweet boy and is always smiling. We really have been blessed with a terrific boy!









Emily - what a ham this girl is! She's always into something, especially kitchen cupboards (they're her favorite hiding spot when the girls play hide-and-go-seek). She is very creative and is always making up stories about something. I definitely think she is the imaginative one! She's always inventing "friends". It's really cute! She's enjoying being the big sister to Benny. She's always wanting to help change his diaper. She's looking forward to when Abi starts school I think. She knows it'll be different, but I'm looking forward to the time I'll get to spend with just her. We have our preschool workbook picked out and the day Abi starts school is when Emily starts "school" too! She's looking forward to it!










Abigail - is starting school on Monday!! I can't even believe it! She will be an official Kindergartener. We had a chance to meet her teacher on Wednesday night, at "Meet the Gator" night. The gators are the school mascot. She will be attending Aue (pronounced ow-wee) Elementary and will be in Mrs. Ellsworth's class. There are actually 2 Abigail's in the class, kind of funny right?! We picked her name because we thought it was different! Ha! While it is a sad day for me, I also know it will be a great one as well! I definitely think the dynamic at home will be different now that Emily will be the big sister around the house. We shall see!












Darin & Elisia - are doing great. Darin just celebrated his 27th birthday (yep, he's pushing 30) on the 14th, and is currently in San Diego for the weekend as his celebration. His mom and I purchased him a plane ticket to San Diego for a long weekend. He left Thursday night and returns on Sunday afternoon. He was very excited to get to go home and see his friends! He took Benny with him so that the grandparents could enjoy him, giving mommy a break as well. It worked out well too because now I am able to do things with the girls that I normally couldn't because of Benny. We went to Sea World today with my friend Amanda, and her boys Ethan and Corbin. It was a long and hot day, but the kids enjoyed themselves! Tomorrow, we're going to go see a movie and maybe grab some lunch or something.



I hope everyone is doing well. I will try to remember to post pictures of Abi's first day of school on Monday! Hopefully none of me crying :) Love to you all!

Cardio appt update

Just a little update from today's cardiologist appointment:

Benny's murmur sounds about the same as it did last time, which is good news. It's not getting significantly worse, so he still has some time. Dr. Rogers does want to get some opinions from his colleagues so next Tuesday at their conference he'll be talking about Benny and asking input as far as when the best time to do the surgery is. He'll be asking the surgeons as well, and get their input so that we can maybe get a more definitive time line for when things will be happening. He's going to call me and let me know what is discussed and suggested. I think it's a great thing and I'm looking forward to hearing what the surgeons and other cardiologists have to say.

He has gained weight too! He weighed in at 13 lbs, 12 oz. This is 1lb, 4 oz more than last month! Wahoo! I guess that solid food is sticking! He has a well check tomorrow, more shots (for all 3 kids in fact), so we'll get some more stats tomorrow probably. He is starting to crawl, it's really quite cute. He can get up on all fours and rock back and forth but he just can't figure out what to do with his hands and legs to make himself move so for now he has resorted to throwing himself forward and landing on his hands. We figure within the next couple of weeks he'll be crawling!

I will let you all know how his appt. goes tomorrow!

Wow...I need to get better at this!

I realized this morning that I'm really bad at doing this...I should try to be better. I'm going to try, but I make no promises! :)

We've been in Texas for about a month and a half now and we definitely think we made a good decision. We just love it out here. We love that we now feel like life has slowed down a bit for us, which is definitely a good thing. The kids are having a ball, going to the pool, the park, playing in the backyard! It's wonderful for them. Although they do make comments all the time about going to Monkey's house and Nani & Papa's house! So, since it's been a while since I've poste
d anything, I thought I would do a brief update on what's been happening (it's not exciting, I promise).

Most importantly, Benjamin had a cardiologist follow-up yesterday and while his echo showed some minor narrowing again, it wasn't enough to show concern and think about action at this time. This is great news! It means that his procedure he had done in San Diego before we left is working...it's buying him some time, which is all we can hope for. He'll be seeing his cardiologist once a month from now on. While I'm glad that he's following Benny closely, I sure hope our insurance comes through soon! These visits are getting expensive! Yesterday, his appt. cost $783! Isn't that crazy!! That's a discounted, private pay rate too! Benny is doing absolutely wonderful. He's getting so big, he's like a little man now. He weighs 12 lbs, 8 oz and is 24" long. So, he's definitely growing. He's actually starting to move into his 3-6 month clothes and out of his 3 month clothes! He's started solid foods and he is quite the eater. He loves his sweet potatoes and 'nanas. But he's not picky, he pretty much eats everything we give him! He's a good sleeper at night too, usually only waking up about once a night, usually early in the morning around 3a or so. Although the past 2 nights he has slept all the way through, so we're hoping this is a sign that it's getting better! He's rolling all over the place, stomach to back and back to stomach. He's very strong. We think he'll be trying to get around within the next couple of months for sure. He's just perfect and we couldn't hope for anything more...God has definitely been watching over our little man!

As for the girls....well, let's just say that at the moment I am typing this, Emily is crying because Abi did something to her. That's a typical day here, except that moment takes place usually 2-3 times an hour. It's getting ridiculous. They want so much to play together but when they do all they do is bother each other. Abi has been a big instigator lately. She likes to antagonize her sister ALL THE TIME!! They keep me busy. But they also have good moments, as you can see by the picture. Sisterly love is great! Abi will be starting Kindergarten in August, hooray! She's so ready as am I! She is very excited about it and asks questions about it all the time, primarily about nap time...she's really tired of nap time :) Emily will enjoy the one-on-one time with me I think. It'll be good for her to spend time away from her sister too! She can become more independent.

Darin loves his job. The pace is a lot slower than he's used to, which is a good and a bad thing, but he's adjusting. He likes the people he works with, they've all been really nice. He's so close to home that he's been able to come home for a lunch a couple times too. What a treat! It's funny though that as soon as the kids start screaming he has to go back to work. I don't get it?! :)

We've been busy around the house trying to get everything situated. We're still nowhere near where we want to be, but hopefully soon. Darin's mom is coming out in July so our goal is to have it together by then! Last weekend, we built a mantel for the fireplace, it needed something desperately! Darin is quite the handyman! He built it and we both stained it together. It turned out really nice we think. It was Darin's idea to add a bit of Texas flair to the mantel, hence the stars in the corners. It is a project that we are proud of! I've taken to gardening, if you can believe it. I'm trying to turn my brown thumb to a green thumb! So far, I've been successful. My garden is in full bloom. I'm growing carrots, cucumbers, green beans, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce (although the lettuce isn't doing too well). Darin built me my vegetable bed for mother's day! How sweet huh?! I will try to post some pictures of my garden later, if I remember to take the photos!

That's pretty much what's been happening around here! Nothing too bad, just a lot of busy work. I'm going to try and post pictures more frequently of the kids. Keep your fingers crossed! Oh, FYI, I added a couple links on the sidebar for Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, which is where Benny will be having his next surgery, and for the Congenital Heart Institute of Texas. I also added his new cardiologist's name with a link to a page with info on him in case you're interested!

We're finally here!

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are finally here and getting settled in good ol' Texas. It's been a crazy week and a half but things are coming along. Darin started work on Monday and is enjoying it thus far. He's more excited about the fact that he doesn't have to get on the freeway to get to work. On a side note, the roads here are crazy...yield here doesn't mean "yield" it means "stop" apparently. There are people stopping on the freeway at yield signs! It's a bit scary. I'm adjusting better to it than Darin! The kids are all doing well and the girls are excited. They've already been to the pool and the park, and Monkey even bought them a little plastic pool for the backyard for when mommy is feeling lazy! It's been very humid here the past couple of days but we've been warned to get used to it! So we're trying.

Benjamin is doing well. We thought he was finally getting over his congestion..he had a couple of days without it! But of course, he sounds as if he's getting a little sick again! Poor guy just can't catch a break. Tomorrow is his follow up cardiologist appointment. We're going to meet his cardiologist and make sure the results from the procedure are still good. His new cardiologist will be Dr. Rodgers. He was referred to us by Benny's previous cardiologist in San Diego. Apparently he's very popular (which hopefully means he is good) because his next available appointment wasn't until June! So I just had to name drop..."Benjamin Carr"..."oh yes, I have his information here, is tomorrow good for you?" and we got in! It's nice to know people! I will let you know what I find out! I'm still waiting on a referral for a surgeon but I'm going to talk Dr. Rodgers about that tomorrow too.

Okay, off to put my bathroom together and finally take a shower!! Mugginess is yuckiness!

Procedure Update

Benjamin's Cath procedure went very well overall. I shall start at the beginning though so that you know all that has occured in the past 24 hours.

Benny's cath procedure took about 4 hours, as we were told it would. It was a long boring day at the hospital for me, as I had no one there. Needless to say, time went very slow. After his procedure I had to wait an additional 2 hours before I got to see him. When I finally did get to see him, he looked good, just sleepy is all. He looked comfortable and in no pain. I didn't stay too long because my mom had the girls and my plan was to return later that night after the girls went to bed. However, I was so tired by then that I just decided not to go. I called to check on him before I went to bed and was told that they started him on Hepirin to help thin his blood because the circulation in his left leg (the leg they used for the cath) was not up to par. His temperature in his left leg was very cool and they couldn't find his pusles. So, I went to bed just hoping that it would work and that we could still bring him home today. Around 3:45am this morning, I got a call from Dr. El-Said (the doctor who performed his cath) informing me that they were going to be starting him on a stronger drug becuase the heperin wasn't working. It had been 5 hours and they saw very little improvement. They think that he had a clot in his leg. Since there are more risks with this new drug, Dr. El-Said told me that they would be staying by his bedside over the next 4 hours to monitor him, which I must say made me feel more reassured, and that they would keep me updated on any new developments. Try falling back asleep after that phone call!

Around 7:30am, Dr. El-Said called again and informed me that the new stuff worked great and that he had greatly improved. His temps in his leg were normal and they were finally able to find the pulses. I was quite relieved to hear this! They took him off the drug and put him back on Heperin, but because he had this new complication, they decided it would be best to monitor him for another 24 hours. So, he will be spending one more night in the hospital tonight. Though I am sad that my poor Benny has to be apart from me another day, I know it is in his best interest.

My visit to him today made me feel so much better. He looks great, is moving around like a champ, and even cracked a few smiles for his momma! Thanks so much for all the prayers and I will let you know any new news!!

Benny's Procedure

I know many have been wondering when Benny's procedure was going to happen. We have been wondering too...until today. We finally found out that Benny will have his cardio-cath procedure on Thursday at 10:30am. Of course, we had already planned for Benny to leave for Texas with Patty on Thursday, but now the plans must change...again. It's obviously a less invasive procedure than heart surgery but it still takes about 3-4 hours. They will do some exploratory stuff with a camera to see if the balloon will work to open his artery up and if it will, they will do it then. If it won't work, then he'll have to have heart surgery again. This would wait until we got to Texas though. We are praying for the best, and are hopeful that the balloon is all that will be needed! It's one overnight stay at the hospital for Benny so he'll be able to come home Friday. He'll have the weekend to recover and then it's off to Texas on Monday!

The move went well today. We got the house all packed up...man do we have a lot of crap! Darin left tonight with the truck so hopefully he will make good time and get to Texas by tomorrow evening. Please keep him in your prayers as he makes his way to Texas, by himself. My dad will be leaving tomorrow morning with our car (he's driving it out there for us) so keep him in your prayers as well. We are all excited about this new adventure and know that whatever God has in store for us, it'll be great!

I will make sure to let you all know how the procedure goes and what we find out. It's time for bed for me! By the way, if you would like to email me, please use my gmail account as our central cox account is unavailable to me. My email is elisiacarr@gmail.com

Benny's appt/Texas

Yesterday Benny had his Echo done. I unfortunately was not there with him as I was delayed in San Antonio unexpectedly (more on this later). From what Darin has told me, the doctor believes that the tube that was placed leading from his heart to his lungs has an exclusion (or is it inclusion?--I think I will have to amend this post later). Basically something is blocking the flow, causing his heart to have to work harder. The doctor is going to call us this week to let us know how soon they can get Benny in to have catheterization. Better than heart surgery, yes, but still sad. He should only be in the hospital one night, which is great news for us. However, the first step will be to put a camera up there to see if a balloon can fix it. If it can't, they will have to do the surgery. So, we're all praying for the best! The reason why they couldn't see exactly what they wanted was because they couldn't sedate Benny due to his congestion (which is still lingering, unfortunately). They didn't want to risk the chance of him choking or anything while sleeping. So, this is what we know for now. We will update you all as we learn more!

As for Texas...we are officially moving. Darin is scheduled to leave with the rental truck on April 15th. The girls and I will follow shortly on the road. We will be having someone fly out with Benny as we don't think he would make such a long trek in his carseat. He hates that chair...and he sweats like a pig in it. So, whatever day someone leaves with him is the day the girls and I will leave on the road. No plans are finalized yet (though should be within the next couple days) but hopefully my dad will be joining the girls and I on the drive out so I don't have to drive alone.

Darin and I flew out to San Antonio last Sunday night, with the intention of finding a house by Friday, our scheduled departure day. We had found a house, a great one, but the owner got nervous about renting his house out and backed out of the deal, after we paid our application fee of course! The day he backed out was the day we were scheduled to leave, so we made the quick decision that Darin would fly home and collect the kids and I would stay behind to find another house. I stayed until Tuesday. Luckily, thanks to the help of Darin's cousin Tommy, we found another house in the same neighborhood for just about the same rent. We were so thankful, because the neighborhood is wonderful. There is a pool and a park for the kids, walking trails, and Abigail's school will be right down the street! We're greatly looking forward to the move! So, make sure to update your contact info! The Carr's new address will be 8107 Cooper Mill, San Antonio, TX 78255. We probably will not be getting a house phone, but we will let you all know our new numbers when we get them.

Okay, must get ready to do some major packing today! Write again soon!

March Update

It's definitely time for an update. I'm sorry it's taken a while but the last month or so has been a bit chaotic it seems. So, let's start with our more exciting news! We are moving to TEXAS! San Antonio to be exact. Darin has found a job with an RV dealership in Texas as a technician. This is what he really wants to do as opposed to cars. He's very excited about the move, as we all are. It'll be a good change for us. Darin is most excited to buy some cowboy boots. :) We're flying out next week to meet some people at the dealership as well as to look for a place to live. We'll be renting for a while. Better make sure we like the place before we commit to it! We are scheduled to leave April 20! So close I know but it only makes it more exciting for us! While that is the plan right now, things might change as we found out some other news with Benny.

He had his cardiology check up on Friday (13th). His heart murmur is not so soft anymore, like it was last check up. The cardiologist believes that one of his artery's is narrowed. His next scheduled check up was not until June, and it was going to be his Echo. However, since we are planning a move, we decided to move up his echo to March 31st. Depending on what they find, he may either have to have catheterization (spelling?) or surgery again. :( We're hoping for the best. Obviously the catheterization is less invasive so if anything needs to be done right away, we're hoping for this! So, depending upon the results of that appt, we may be pushing back our move date. Benny is most important after all and if something needs to happen sooner rather than later, we'd rather have it done here in San Diego before we leave, rather than having to deal with getting that all setup right when we get to San Antonio. We will of course let you all know what will be happening with that. Please keep Benny in your prayers!!

Now, to go back to Darin getting FIRED...it was quite a surprise. They basically pulled him into the office last Monday after work and said "we're letting you go". Apparently, Darin's attitude "is not what the shop needs right now." News to Darin, he's never been talked to about his attitude. No warning, nothing. It is convenient however that the week before this Darin asked for time off to go check things out in Texas. He was honest with his boss and told him he was thinking about leaving, but that nothing had been set in stone yet. I guess that's what you get for being honest :) Oh well, things happen for a reason! So I guess it's unemployment for the win...again! :) I guess now packing will be easier...he'll be there to help!

Abi and Emi are Abi and Emi. Getting attitudes and in trouble all the time...they're 3 and 5. Emily is quite excited about moving, and Abi is more reserved about it. Abi knows and understands that all the grandparents won't be around anymore and it makes her sad. Emily just wants to find a house with stairs! :) I guess that's the mind difference between 3 and 5!

We hope everyone is well. We will keep you updated with Benny of course, and the move, as things get closer! Love to you all!

An early bloomer

Well, apparently Benjamin is going to be a man ahead of the game. At 3 months old, he is teething...and when I say teething, I mean his teeth are actually cutting through already. The funny thing is, it's his top two front teeth that are coming in. Usually babies start with the bottoms but hey, Benjamin has never been a typical baby! He's been very irritable lately, and I've been giving him Tylenol. I talked to the nurse today and she said we could give him just a tiny bit of orajel, but only after he eats, because it can cause the babies to not be able to use their gag reflex and they could choke. So, we are going to use that sparingly. I just can't believe he's got teeth already. I will try to take some pictures and post them.

Darin is recovering from his illness, thank goodness. He missed 2 1/2 days of work and that can hurt, but he's getting back to normal, thanks to good old antibiotics. Now Abi is starting to get the stuffy nose and such...bummer. Anyways, that's the latest!

February Update

It's been a little while...I should post something. The amount of time in my day to do this seems to dwindle so fast! Benjamin had his 2 month check-up last Friday and everything looked good. He still weighs under 9lbs, coming in at a whopping 8lbs, 11oz. It's strange to think that the girls were just a few ounces lighter than this when they were BORN! He was 20.5 inches long. He is around the 3% for growth and weight! He's a little guy. But he is gaining and growing so Dr. Martinez saw no reason to be concerned. We are still on the 22 calorie diet...he obviously needs those extra calories! He's getting so big so fast. He's finally started smiling, though he must be prompted to do so. His best times are usually when he just woke up. He is sick right now with a little cold but nothing to be concerned about. We just feel bad for him because it makes it harder for him to sleep, mainly during the day. He's doing really well at night and usually sleeps straight through now, from about 8p to 4-5am the next morning. We are grateful for this accomplishment! So, all in all, Benjamin is progressing quite well and we know he'll be hanging with the boys in no time!

The girls are...INSANE! They have really put all their effort into arguing and fighting with each other these days. Emily is going through this "I HAVE TO SCREAM EVERYTHING WHEN I'M MAD" phase. We're working on that! Abi just provokes her. Sometimes I find myself getting so frustrated...poor Darin, I think sometimes he dreads coming home :)
Darin and I are hanging in there. We just found out that we don't qualify for Medi-Cal (apparently Darin makes too much money), so now we are on the search for our own insurance. Thankfully Benny has Medi-Cal for the first year, and after that we can probably switch him over to Healthy Families, which the girls have. We're so thankful though to have had Medi-Cal coverage throughout this whole ordeal. We received a bill in the mail the other day from Children's Hospital for $58,000 for Benny's surgeries and stay in the NICU. That doesn't include any other bills we 've been receiving from various doctors. I don't know what we would have done if we actually had to pay for all of that. It's a pain to sort out (making calls, forwarding bills to Medical, etc), but well worth it!

We spent last weekend redecorating our bedroom with fresh paint and furniture rearrangement. It looks fantastic! I have a brown wall now and I think everyone should have one in their house somewhere. It's beautiful. Tomorrow, Darin will be working, and the girls and I will probably be doing some Valentine's Day craft projects, including making Daddy cards. We hope all you lovebirds have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Remember to always tell those you love just how much you love them! And remember, God loves us most! Happy Valentine's Day!

Circumcision is no fun

Poor Benjamin was circumcised yesterday. I definitely know why they should get it done when they are newborns...poor guy. We ended up having to stay at the doctors office a little while after the procedure because he was having some bleeding and they wanted to keep an eye on it, especially since he's on aspirin. We were cleared to go after about 1/2 hour and when we got home I let him sleep in his chair because he was so tired. He hadn't had a good sleep at all until then. I was checking his diaper every 1/2 hour yesterday to make sure he didn't start bleeding, and of course, when he woke up (which was about 40 minutes after we got home) I checked it, and there was blood. I started freaking out, like I do, and called the doctor and left a message. After maybe 5 minutes of waiting for the phone call back I got impatient and called the appointment line and asked to speak to a nurse. Funny thing is, as I was talking to the nurse, someone from the nurse advice line called back...oh well! Anyways, everything was okay. The doctor said at that point he was okay with a little blood in his diaper as long as it wasn't running down or anything, which it wasn't.

Darin was making fun of me because I was freaking out, but I can't help it. Especially after everything that Benjamin has been through, I figured with his luck, something else would go wrong :( He's doing better now, sort of, but still grumpy. And, to top things off, today he's scheduled to receive his Synagis shot! It's a shot to help prevent RSV in babies. I guess only certain babies can qualify to receive it and since Ben was a cardiac patient born in the RSV season, he qualifies.

I just can't wait for this week to be over (it's supposed to take that long for it to heal up better). My little man needs a break.

The girls have a dentist appointment this morning so that should be fun! Abi is actually looking forward to it, she keeps asking about it.

Good news!

Benny has returned home! He was discharged this afternoon around 4:30pm. His incision looks so much better from when we admitted him! He is doing well and we are so glad to have him home. Emily cried last night when we got home because she was "sad that baby brother didn't come home with us." It was so sad, yet so adorable at the same time! The girls just love him so much! So, we are happy to say that he will be able to watch the Charger game with us tomorrow! Go Chargers!!!

Too good to be true

I wish this post was on happier news but it's not. We are asking for everyone's prayers for Benny. He was admitted back into the hospital yesterday afternoon due to an infection on his incision. On Wednesday I took him into the surgeon's office because he had been leaking some puss and hints of blood onto his clothes from his incision. The nurse practitioner looked at it, prescribed some antibiotic ointment as well as an oral antibiotic, and said to come back the next day. We went back, and she said she didn't see enough of an improvement and decided to admit him in order to be on the cautious side. We only want what's best for him, but we can't help but think he doesn't belong there. He had only had two doses of his oral antibiotic (not even a full 24 hours worth) and they made their decision based on that. We felt he should have been given another day but I guess they didn't. Probably because it's so close to his bone and his heart. Anyways, he's back at Children's hospital, hopefully only for a couple days. So please pray for quick healing for his incision so that he may come home and be where he belongs, with his family!