June started off on a positive note as Sophia celebrated her half birthday on June 1st! She is so smart and funny but is rapidly developing her love for defiance! She really is a sweet thing but loves to tell Mommy and Daddy "no!" with much enthusiasm. We wonder if her terrible two's have started early?!? On June 2nd, we traded in my Jeep Liberty and bought a brand new GMC Acadia. I am still getting used to all of the bells and whistles but I must admit it is a really great ride. It will also accommodate our rapidly growing family a little better than the Jeep. After purchasing the Acadia, I went to the Salon & Spa to use my mother's day gift card from Joe. I was totally pampered with a 60 minute massage, a facial, and then a hair cut. It was a very, very nice gift! On June 5th Sophia had her 18 month check up and is one healthy girl! She weighed in at 25lbs 6oz which I think is about the 60th percentile. They also measured her head circumference and length but I forget what those numbers were...all I know is that she is doing just fine in those categories too. On June 7th Joe and I drove to Denver to meet with all of the specialists we will need for Tyler's arrival. We were so thankful to have Aunt Melissa staying with us in Clovis as she was able to take care of Sophia for the 3 days Joe and I were out of town. It was so nice to know that Sophia was in such good, loving hands : )
At 8 AM on June 8th we began our day at the University of Colorado Hospital with Tyler's ultrasound. During that appointment the sonographer was looking at Tyler to make sure he looked healthy in all body parts other than his heart defect. Much to our relief, he looked GREAT! We then met with my OB doctor, Dr. Joel Schwartz. He is such a nice doctor and I have no doubt that I am in the best hands possible with him. Afterwards, we went to Children's Hospital Colorado which is right next door to the University hospital. At that point we had a fetal echo so that the pediatric cardiologist could get a look at Tyler's heart. Tyler's pediatric cardiologist is Dr. Lisa Howley and she is just as fantastic as Dr. Schwartz. Dr. Howley reconfirmed Dr. Sam's diagnosis of HLHS and told us that the right side of Tyler's heart was looking very strong...more relieving news! We were educated though, that there was a slight possibility that Tyler may need to be born via C-section. In order to determine if a c-section would be warranted, Dr. Howley wanted to perform one more echo once we relocated to Denver. Afterward, Joe and I had the opportunity to sit down and meet with Dr. James Jaggers, the surgeon who will more than likely be performing Tyler's first surgery. He provided a lot of information and insight regarding Tyler's first surgery and what we can expect for Tyler's cardiovascular abilities as he grows. He also informed us that they have a 90% success rate with the Norwood procedure (the surgery Tyler will need) which again was such a relief. We truly feel blessed to be in such good hands here in Denver! Throughout the remainder of the day we got to meet the cardiac coordinator, Carey and our social worker, Katie. Katie took us for a tour of the Children's Hospital to include a look at the cardiac ICU and the cardiac PCU (which is the step-down unit Tyler will go to once he is more medically stable days/weeks after his surgery). Again, everyone is just so amazing...we are so thankful to everyone here for all that they have already done for us! After such an encouraging day, Joe and I celebrated all the positive news with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We headed home to see Sophia and Auntie Melissa the following morning, on June 9th.
On June 15th, Joe got some really exciting job news...it was time for him to fill out his dream sheet since it is almost time for him to fly a new aircraft! We are so excited that Joe is on the cusp of starting his next adventure in the Air Force. We were told we should know what our next assignment will be in late July. On June 16th, my sweet friend Stacy threw us a baby shower for Tyler. Again, he was totally spoiled and we were overwhelmed by our friends' generosity! The following day, June 17th, was Father's day which we celebrated by going to brunch at the club on base after church. On June 19th I had my final OB appointment in Clovis at 9 AM followed by a meeting with the pediatrician on base at 1PM. Joe and I met with the pediatrician in order to start the EFMP (exceptional family member program) paperwork for Tyler before we relocated to Denver. The medical staff at Cannon is concerned that Tyler will not have access to the medical care he will need after birth at Cannon and in the surrounding community. Therefore, they recommended we start the EFMP process early in hopes that it will expedite Joe's next assignment. Also, we were encouraged not to bring Tyler back to Clovis after his discharge in Denver so Sophia, Tyler, and I will be moving to Cape Cod while we wait for Joe to meet up with us wherever our next assignment may be. We are thankful that my parents have so graciously offered to have us stay with them and are thankful they live close to a pediatric cardiologist and are so near to Boston Children's Hospital which is the #1 nationally ranked hospital for pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery.
On June 26th Joe, Sophia, and I relocated to Denver. We were planning on staying in Colorado Springs but were evacuated from our hotel that evening due to the wildfires. It was unreal to see the fires and meet some people who may lose their homes because of this tragedy. Please keep all of the families and people working to control the fires in your prayers! On June 27th we had our follow up fetal echo with Dr. Howley and she told us there is a 10% chance Tyler may need a procedure done immediately after birth in the cardiac cath lab. This procedure is a minor one compared to the other surgeries he is up against but may be critical if he does fall in the slim 10% of needing it. I was given the option to plan a c-section in order to ensure the proper professionals were on staff and the procedure room was available for Tyler if he needs it. Although a c-section was not my ideal mode of delivery, I opted to have one to make sure Tyler has the best odds possible. We are now scheduled to meet our little man on Monday, July 9th around noon. Since that appointment, Joe and I have been trying to spend lots of quality time with Sophia since we know in just a short week and a half she will no longer be our only child...scary thought!! So we have gone to the neighborhood pool, checked out downtown Denver, and even went to the Denver zoo today (June 30th).
As I finish up this month's blog post it is becoming very apparent to me that I may need to update my blog more frequently throughout the next 6-8 weeks as we go through this journey with Tyler. A couple of days ago we met with one of the Cardiac ICU doctors at Children's Hospital (she was also fabulous...surprise!) and she told us to expect to be on one of the worst emotional roller coasters of our lives while Tyler is in the ICU. I hope that you will all join us on this terrifying yet hopeful path that we must experience with our precious son!! We know that we are in GREAT hands with all of the amazing medical professionals and are so thankful for the continued support and prayers from our family and friends. We thank God for allowing us to be Tyler's parents and are hopeful that He will heal Tyler's broken heart.
The cake Melissa made for Sophia's half birthday
I think Sophia likes the new car
Out with the old, in with the new...
34 weeks
Sophia loves hanging out with Aunt Melissa
Sophia loves holding baby Mia...
...although sometimes it looks like she is trying to choke her
Someone loves sidewalk chalk!!
And chocolate chip cookies!
Aunt Melissa in the fetal position after a tough workout :)
Joe and his red velvet cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory
I went with the brownie cheesecake...YUM!
35 weeks
The beautiful diaper cake Stacy and Kelsey made for Tyler at the baby shower
Sophia loves playing with all of Lucas' toys!
Sophia going down the big slide at the Henrikson's house during the baby shower
Stacy also set up a pool for the kids at the shower...
...Sophia loved it!
Splash!!
Sophia hated getting out of the pool :(
She loved the cupcakes Stacy made!
Happy Father's Day!
Time for brunch at the club!
Sophia was not impressed with the chocolate cake they served. On the other hand, I loved it!!
36 weeks
Sophia loves chocolate pudding!
Sophia in her new Nike outfit from Grandma and Grandpa
Worn out from a long walk with Mommy
Park time with Auntie Melissa
Playing with chalk with Aunt Melissa
Sophia-- can you see where you're going?!?
Somebody loves dipping EVERYTHING in ranch!!
Sophia holding as many baby dolls as she can handle!
Girl time with Aunt Melissa
Sophia decided to start a new fashion trend (this is how we found her shirt after nap time)
37 weeks
The car is all packed up and we are ready to relocate to Denver!
It was early though and we were all a little sleepy.
The fire in Colorado Springs. These are a couple of shots I got as we drove away from our hotel room that night.
Sophia enjoying some cinnamon sugar bagel bites from Einsteins.
Mommy's girl
Sharing a sip of Mommy's strawberry banana smoothie
The Denver Zoo!
The huge tiger that jumped up on the glass right in front of us! It was by far the coolest part of our trip there.
Such a big, beautiful animal
Sophia really loved walking all around and checking out so many different animals!
Sophia saw the bear stick out his tongue so she wanted to demonstrate for Daddy what she had seen :)
Danielle, I loved reading your blog today and catching up with your sweet family. We are praying for you guys and for Tyler as you start this journey. We would love to live close to y'all again. Love you guys!
Danielle, I loved reading your blog today and catching up with your sweet family. We are praying for you guys and for Tyler as you start this journey. We would love to live close to y'all again. Love you guys!
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