Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Long Overdue & Livy's TOF Repair

I have neglected this blog for what I would consider to be obvious reasons, the least of which is the fact that I am a mother to 5-month-old triplets. I need not elaborate, but such brevity would make for a rather uninformative blog. That said, long story short, we just received temporary orders to relocate from Corpus Christi, Texas to Cleveland, Ohio. Following receipt of those orders...and by following receipt, I mean following said receipt by approximately one week...we are now Clevelanders...or Strongsvillers...whatever floats your boat. Did I mention that our house was packed up and moved within a week of receiving those orders? Need I remind you that this happened while caring for 5-month-old triplets? The truth is, we were more than ready to get the hell out of Corpus Christi. Having spent eight of the last nine years in San Diego, California...and having pretty much grown up in Cali, those 15 months in Corpus elicited about as much excitement as a silent movie to a blind man. It didn't help that 7 of those months were spent pregnant with triplets and confined to our house...but on the other hand, it probably didn't hurt, either. So away we went to Cleveland, Ohio...and here we are. It's comfortable, strange, and not home. Although Paul grew up here, he no longer feels an attachment to this place, and we are both left longing for San Diego. That's the only place that has ever truly felt like home to the both of us and we can hardly wait to return with our girls some day. In the meantime, here we reside, and for the best reason: our little Livy and her broken heart.

Olivia is currently settling into her Pediatric Intensive Care Unit room here at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. We have yet to see her following an 8-hour surgery to repair her heart. As you may recall, she was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot one day after birth. We chose to head North in order to seek the best possible medical care for our daughter, and more pleased we could not be. Livy's surgeon performed a number of repairs on her heart and it should now function normally. With any luck, she will require no further surgeries, though the likelihood of further catheterizations is high. She certainly has a long road ahead, but she is off to such a great start. Following recovery, our next step is to fully diagnose any complications arising as a result of her chromosomal deletion, DiGeorge Syndrome.

As for the trio, they are doing amazingly well overall. Makenna doesn't stop smiling and "talking"...she's as chatty as her mother. Lauren is always wide-eyed and stares at EVERYTHING. Livy is less generous with her smiles and has a tendency to reserve them for the most deserving of people and occasions. She has mastered the "dirty look" and has a real knack for flashing at anyone who doesn't meet her standards. Mommy, however, always elicits smiles and if Livy's in a good mood, so does Daddy.

The only other real "milestone" any one of the girls have reached is starting solids. We haven't even attempted this with Livy, but Makenna and Lauren have both tasted their first solid foods. Makenna tries to suck her spoon and thus feeding her is a giant pain in the ass. Lauren, however, is so freakin' hungry all the time, that she has figured out how to eat like a big girl. In other words, she swallows more than she spits out.

So that's about it. I suppose I should update with some pics at some point soon, but for now I'm exhausted and dying to see my little girl.

6 comments:

Lucco Girls said...

Hugs and prayers!!!! Hope the move didn't take too much of a toll and hope you guys can all adjust quickly!!!

Haymonds said...

WONDERFUL. So glad the surgery went so well. Best wishes and yay for solids!! After they get on solids consistently, they seem to sleep better. Yay for more sleep!! Best wishes.

The Russell Family said...

So glad to hear you are all moved and off to a good start. My thoughts are with Livy and I'm glad to hear the other two are doing great!

Megan Jannise said...

I am so glad her little heart is mended. I seriously had tears when reading. We mommies of triplets are a special breed and God doesn't deal us any more than we can take. You are doing good and I am praying for your family!

Email me anytime: Megan_Jannise@yahoo.com

Meg

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad to hear that Livy's surgery went well! I'm been checking on here for an update and so relieved to see this! I'll let the other girls know!
--Trisha (HopeandPray from 2WW)

Nicole said...

Wonderful and life-altering news...glad to read all is well. I've been following you for a long time now and am officially de-lurking--want to also welcome you to Cleveland (we live in Medina).

~nicole
allgrownup

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