She did receive this great balloon arrangement this morning from her Nanny and Granddaddy and was so excited I had to remind her not to jump around.  Crazy girl.  Just don’t want her to hurt herself of bust open something.

We said good bye to Grandma Judy this morning and now we are taking a few days to relax and recover before school on Monday.

We all want to say THANK YOU!!!

We received so many wonderful messages, prayers and thoughts during this.  It makes such a huge difference to know you aren’t alone in anything and that we have so many people out there cheering for Ellie is awe inspiring.  THANK YOU just doesn’t truly seem like enough.

Dr. Marx informed us that the valve looked good.  The pressure was up compared to what they saw right after the dilation but it was still lower than before and the dilation hadn’t created any more problems.  He said he was happy to let us go 6 months before he saw her again.  Whoo Hoo!

As much as we think Boston Children’s Hospital it awesome ( and believe me it totally is) we were ready to go home.

Since Ellie couldn’t eat or drink we made a pact that none of us would.  We made it there and began the process of getting her settled and sleepy for the MRI and then the Cath.  She seemed fine and was laughing and joking with us until after she took the medicine to make her sleepy.  They give children a drink that makes them very sleepy and makes them loose their inhibitions.  It also contains a bit of amnesia so they only remember being with you and then waking up.  They don’t remember the gas mask or even really falling asleep.  That’s a really good thing.

I was actually ok until she started to cry (once the medicine started to work) and she keep saying “I’m so scared”.  That was when I actually got a upset.  It’s hard sending your little one into any type of surgery.  You put your faith in what you know are fabulous doctors and hope for the best.

We said goodbye around 8:15 when she feel asleep and was about to go to the MRI lab and had until 9:00 and the first update to figure out what to do.  We ate and drank coffee and tried to make time pass faster.

9:00 update still in the MRI lab

10:00 update about to go to the Cath lab

11:00 update they decided to actually try to dilate (balloon) her      mitral valve and they would be doing it soon.

12:00 update she would be out soon

Dr. Marx (Ellie’s Caradologist) was in the Cath lab and one of the ones to make the decision to dilate. He came out and explained that it seemed to go well. There was a slight tear but that it seemed to be ok and the pressure across the valve was so much better than before.  He also explained- completely unrelated to the valve- that there was a slight electrical problem.  The random elevated heart beat she has been having is actually causing her left side atrium (top part) of her heart to enlarge.  They are going to have a look at her EKGs and see how often her heart rate is elevating and decide what will be done with that later.  It didn’t seem to be a major problem or one they wanted to address right now.

The best sight of the day was walking into the room and seeing her smiling face as she ate the purple ice pop I had promised she would get.

She showed off her ET finger (the electrical device that monitors her O2 saturations).  Ellie also proudly informed us “I’m fine, I’m fine!” and that “it only took a minute and I was waking up.”  I was so glad it felt that way to her cause it sure didn’t to her father and I.

We stayed in the cath lab for a few hours and then she was transfered to the heart ward for the night.  Since they dilated the valve they wanted to observe her over night.  She was sleepy – good thing because she wasn’t allowed to move her right leg for 7 hours and keeping her still on a normal day is near impossible (which I relise now she is home).

I couldn’t resist getting her the largest most obnoixious balloon from the gift store.

Ellie was a bit sick to her stomach that night but that is normal and didn’t really get to enjoy her dinner which is a shame considering the way they deliver the food on most of the floors of the hospital.

This train carries the food from the kitchens.  It runs by itself, rings it’s bell to let you know it is coming and if you walk in front of it too closely it will automatically stop.  It’s really very cool.

Ken went back to the Yawkey Family Inn that night and Ellie and I had a slumber party in her room.

Early Monday morning Ken, Ellie and myself loaded up the van and headed to Boston.  Thanks to Grandma Judy (and Grandpa for making do without her) we were able to leave Sadie in good hands and adventure out.

Monday was spent doing pre-op appointments: chest x-rays, blood draw, and meetings with doctors.

We actually finished unexpectedly early and decided to take our minds off what was coming the next day by checking Boston Children’s Museum -http://www.bostonkids.org/.  It was worth the trip.  we took the T there and explored the museum for  afew hours.

That night we were lucky enough to stay at the Yawkey Family Inn - http://www.yawkeyfamilyinn.org/.  It is actually ran by the hospital has a really great feel.  It’s just for patients and their families.  There is a great room, reading room, huge play / tv room, kitchen and even a laundry.  Everything you would need for one night or many nights.  It was so nice to spend time hanging out and not feeling like you were stuck in a hotel room.

We made use of the kitchen and got delivery.  How could we deny Ellie the cheeseburger she wanted?

We were told if all goes well tomorrow we will be heading home tomorrow night. There is a possibility when they are in the Cath lab they might try to balloon her mitral valve which can lead to problems if it doesn’t balloon correctly. If they do that we will be in Boston for a few more days.

So how do you pack for one to ?nights? You pack for a week and pray for a night!

This past week I did a Manchester trip with an unknown crew.  Well I had flown with the lead before but none of the rest of the Flight Attendants.  They were all from Cleveland and had picked the trip up together.  I thought I would do a low key restful trip with maybe a curry take away.

Imagine my surprise when the crew was awesome and invited me out to dinner with them.  We all went (except the captain) to dinner.  A new place.  I hadn’t heard of it but what a surprise.  The Ox pub served fish and chips and Timothy Taylor Landlord on tap.  They even had a wall of fake books for decoration.  You can’t ask for more than that.

What a great unexpected layover.

If you have never heard of Lisa Klypas she is a romance writer.  One of my favorite in fact. (Yup I admit it, I like to read romance.  Light fluffy books that have happy endings and are easy for me to read between work and the kids.  They make me happy and I love them.)   My dear friend Kimberly introduced me to Lisa a few years ago and I quickly worked my way through all of her books.  If you haven’t ever read her books, I highly recommend them.  They are fast feel good reads.

In the fall she released her latest book: Christmas at Friday Harbor (http://www.lisakleypas.com/bookChristmasEveatFH.asp) and I immediately downloaded the audio book to listen to on my way to work.

Then I found out the best news.  She was having a contest of sorts.  She was going to pick fans to become “Lisa’s Divas”.  We would receive copies of Christmas at Friday Harbor to share with friends and also previews of the whole series.  We got a groovy welcome kit complete with a fun tank top and really cool sun glasses.

I was even lucky enough to get a preview copy of the next book Rainshadodow Road.

http://www.lisakleypas.com/sneakpreviews.asp

I felt so lucky to be one of the few to get the books and be apart of this really cool event and the best part is Kimberly was chosen too!  We are doing this together!  What more can a girl ask for?