Heart Update

This summer was filled with lots of different appointments.  I tried to schedule everything before school started up again to make life a little easier: well-child checks, dentist, orthodontist, eye doc.  But Matt's cardiologist couldn't get us in for a check up until today.  So, here it is the end of the third week of school and already Matt has missed half a day for a doctor's appointment.  Oh wait, I nearly forgot last week when I had to check him out early to get a cast on his arm.  Man.  There's nuthin like starting the year off just right, eh?

Matt and Josh on Matt's baptism day
July 2012

Today's appointment actually went pretty well.  If you don't remember, Matthew has Pulmonary Atresia and there's a pretty descriptive post about it you can find HERE.  Last summer Matt had an MRI and you can relive that adventure HERE and HERE.

First we had to do the obligatory EKG.  Matt got all the stickers all over his torso.  When the nurse went to pull them off, they all stuck a LOT.  Poor boy was stuck in that place between laughing at the absurdity of the situation and crying out in pain.  Luckily, he chose to laugh and the nurse said, "Just wait until you have your 'man hair.'"  I can only imagine how much more the EKG stickers will hurt in ten or fifteen years.  Yikes.

We went into the echocardiogram room and Matt and Millie happily watched Over the Hedge while I tried my best to read the echo myself.  Yeah.  That didn't happen.  I've seen many of those echoes over the years and still have no idea how to know what's going on.  I always come out of that room determined to go back to school to become an echo tech so I can be much less ignorant than I am.  Maybe when I have all the kids in school.  Eh, probably not, but it's a nice thought.

The doc came in with a medical student.  I love it when the students come in.  Matt's heartbeat is so unique that it's kind of fun to watch for that look of, "Holy cow, what was that?" when they listen to his heart.

The final verdict came back that Matt's heart seems to be as good as it was ten months ago at his last check up.  The next step is for another MRI next summer.  His pulmonary valve has significant enough leakage that his right ventricle is at risk for enlarging too much and causing permanent damage so that will be evaluated after the MRI.  That information alone could cause Matt to need his next valve replacement.  Or if he becomes too sleepy and lethargic.  Otherwise his heart is good enough to avoid surgery until at least next summer.

Once again the doctor mentioned that they are beginning to use catheters in lieu of open heart surgery for valve replacements.  Matt could be a candidate for that, especially if we can get him to hit a growth spurt of two before the next replacement.  The doctor's practice has already been a part of 15 or 20 replacements with that method.  They try the catheter first and then go to open heart as a last resort.  I can't tell you the relief that is to me.  No one can ever tell me that miracles don't happen in this day and age.  The use of this procedure is proof enough to me!

Recent Videos

I realized recently that I've begun to fall into the stereotypical "lots of pictures of the older kids and hardly any of the younger kids" trap.

So, I've been trying to take more pictures but also make some videos of the kids, particularly of the littler girls.

Here are the latest in the series:

Millie is meditating.  (I love Emma's near-teenage comment of being in a "Nerd-fest".)

And....

Can you name that movie?

I tried to upload the one of Sarah laughing.  If you haven't seen it, I'll try to upload it again sometime.  It's worth seeing, but might be too big for Blogger.  Darn it.  

But these girls keep me laughing!

The Daily Prophet: Off To Hogwarts!

The Daily Prophet

First Years Hie To Hogwarts

On July 31, Hogwarts welcomed the next generation of First Year students.

The students were playing at the park when their invitations to Hogwarts arrived.  They were delivered by a particularly handsome wizard who drove his enchanted motorcycle to the park.  A few minutes later the students were picked up by the Knight Bus and brought to Diagon Alley to purchase their school supplies.

First stop, Gringotts Bank.

The goblin that greeted them was dreadfully scary.

Next, they picked up their wizard robes from Madame Malkin's shop.

Finally, they stopped by Ollivander's Wand Shop to pick out their very own custom made wand.  They met Mr Ollivander's apprentice Rufus Ignacio Podmoore (or RIP as we call him) and had to try and test their wands to be sure they had the right one.  After all, "it's really the wand the chooses the wizard, of course."

After they got all their supplies, the students headed for Platform 9 3/4 in King's Cross and boarded the Hogwarts Express.

(There's no photo of the Hogwarts Express, but many Muggles refer to it as a Ford F250.)

They rode the train and finally arrived at Hogwarts!

Then the fun really began.  The Sorting Ceremony placed the students in their new Houses.

Somehow, a strange phenomenon occurred and all the new First Years were sorted into Gryffindor.  The Gryffindors' received their House Badge and gold and maroon scarves.

Then it was time for the first day of school.  The first class was Potions.

Professor Snape was absent, having been accused to terrifying too many First Years in years past.  So Tonks the Auror filled in, just as she had during the Sorting Ceremony and at Madame Malkin's Robe Shop.

The students were all shown how to make the Felix Felicis potion.  Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom had previously come and assisted Tonks in making the potion.  The clear, bubbling liquid was meant to turn gold.  It worked for everyone, but Emma, whose liquid turned green and must have been prepared by Neville.  Luckily, she didn't die when she drank it!

 The also learned how to take Mandrake root powder and make the Mandrake Restorative Draught.  Although the Mandrake root powder was white and the students added yellow dandelion powder, the draught itself turned to a purple state.

Cameras are not allowed in the Divination room, but the students headed up to the attic where they learned to read their futures.  Using unicorn milk, different colors of tea, and dragon saliva the students read their fortunes and many discovered apple shapes, signifying great feats of education in their near futures.

The final course of the day sent the students back to the lower levels of Hogwarts for their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Professor "Mad-Eye" Moody taught the Gryffindors how to identify real dragon saliva from fake dragon saliva, a real problem in some areas of the world.  He showed them that rubbing the dried saliva on his fingers created smoke.

Afterwards, they went outside to learn what happens when you set Thestrel dung on fire.  The photographer was unable to capture that moment on film.

Finally, it was time to head to Hogsmead for a trip to Honeydukes Sweet Shop for lots of treats, The Hog's Head and The Three Broomsticks for butterbeer, and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for Muggle magic tricks.

The day ended in the Great Hall with a feast and a private showing of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone.

The house elves had quite a task of cleaning to do after all was said and done.  But everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and are ready for the upcoming school year.



Where I got my ideas:

• Butterbeer labels
• Signs and Mandrake Restorative Draught
• Chocolate Frogs
• Gryffindor Scarves
• Wands
• Felix Felicis Draught
• Detect Real Dragon Saliva
• Divination Unicorn Milk 
• Gryffindor Badges
• Wizard robes: I can't find the link I used but I took 2XL men's black t-shirts, cut them down the front and put a piece of Velcro on the collar to keep the top closed.
• Sorting Hat: my awesome sister made that one.  I have no idea how she did it, which is why I asked her to do it in the first place.
• Acid pops: Blow Pops which were wet and dipped in Pop Rocks.
• Every Flavor Beans: Just a bunch of Jelly Bellies.
• Gringotts money: I used buttons and spray painted them gold.  I found some little bags at Walmart in the baby shower section.
• Invitations: I printed nearly word for word the letter Harry received in the first book on some parchment.  The Hogwarts symbol I found online.
• Muggle magic: Kits I found at the dollar store.