Good News All Around.

I know it's been awhile. I feel bad that I've been a little absent in the past month or so. I promise there is good reason. I've been busy in an extra good way. I'm working on two big projects, but more on those in just a second.

I wanted to update about Lukas' last cardiology appointment Friday. We saw our beloved cardiologist, Dr. Farrell, and she loved to see how much Lukas had grown and changed. You wouldn't believe how big he's gotten. He's 15lbs 2.5oz (the 45th percentile) now. Holy cow. He's got rolls galore. He's also in the 70th percentile for height, which is amazing! We started out in just the 8th percentile across the board, so he's really grown by leaps and bounds. Anyways, back to our appointment. Our little fella had an echo, which was interesting. He's rolling all over the place, so he gave the echo tech a run for her money. As a result, the echo itself took a bit longer than anticipated. The tech took her images and had Dr. Darragh (the pediatric cardiologist who gave Lukas his diagnosis back in January) and he said they had everything they needed. So we got our boy dressed up and we saw Dr. Farrell after she reviewed the echo.  

Lukas during his echo - chewing on his beloved Sophie the Giraffe (the best baby toy EVER)

You see, I was really anxious about this appointment. I didn't sleep well the night before. So when she handed down the news of what they had seen, I was relieved. Everything looks really, really good. His conduit is stenotic and leaky, but they said this is to be expected. Its not so severe that they need to intervene at this point. Dr. Farrell explained to us that Lukas is now twice the size he was when the conduit was placed. Since these conduits do not grow with them, they will begin to narrow and leak. We knew all along this would be the case. She said in most cases, its not really a problem unless it happens too rapidly or the narrowing/leakage is too severe that it affects its function. She said in these cases, they won't necessarily always replace them immediately. The goal is to get as long between operations as possible so that during each subsequent operation they can place the largest size conduit possible. The larger the conduit, the longer he has to go between operations (ideally). She said if they notice the narrowing becoming too severe, they will attempt to balloon it in the cath lab first to see if they can buy a little more time. Of course, they can't always avoid a subsequent operation in the time frame they'd like, but they do give it their all.

Dr. Farrell also told us there was a tiny "squirt" over Lukas' VSD patch, but it was such a scant amount that it poses no threat at all. She said his heart muscle looks wonderful as well. The contractions of his heart were good and strong, his heart rate was appropriate, and the EKG looked great. She went on to tell us that one of the most crucial components in truncus is the aortic valve, what used to be his common truncal valve. She said its so important for this valve to be functioning correctly and to look good because they really want to avoid valve replacements at all costs. As you may remember, Lukas only has a bicuspid aortic valve. Luckily, Lukas' valve looks amazing despite only having the two leaflets. She said there was absolutely no narrowing, hardening, leakage, regurgitation, or anything. The leaflets move perfectly and the valve itself looks perfect. This is wonderful news! 

All in all, it was a really wonderful appointment. Before Dr. Farrell left the room, she gave me a big hug. She received a letter from my grandfather after Lukas' operation saying how grateful our family was for her and how much we all appreciated everything she does in her career and for Lukas. She really appreciated it. She wished us a happy holiday. Everytime we see her, I am constantly reminded why we chose her as Lukas' cardiologist. I just love her.

Now, I told you I had been working on two big projects. One is well underway now and the other will be in full swing after the first of the year. The first big thing I'm so happy to share with you all is that I have launched the first ever chapter of Its My Heart here in Indiana. This is the first resource in the state really available for heart families like my own. When we found out about Lukas' diagnosis last January, I searched high and low for support groups, resources, anything. Sadly, I was disappointed to learn nothing like that existed here. Had it not been for the support I received from this blog and the friendship I have made, I'm not sure what I would have done. Its been such an honor to try to make a difference to heart families. I'm so excited to bring all of the invaluable resources Its My Heart has to bring to Indiana and I'm so excited that heart families in the state will no longer feel so alone. That's my goal anyway. You can find my chapter website here and if you'd like, come and "like" my chapter's Facebook page to keep up to date on what I'm doing and what the chapter is doing. This is something I am so very proud of and I am so thankful for the opportunity.

The second "big" thing is that I am opening a store called Ruffled Sewl. It will sell handmade goods, things for the littles, fellas, and ladies. Remember those soft-soled crib shoes I made for Lukas? That's just one of the many things that I will be stocking the store with. I have my own website that I've been working super hard on developing. All of that HTML code and formatting has been a journey, but I really love how its looking and can't wait to unveil it all to you. You can visit the website now, but the maintenance sign is out so you won't be able to actually see what everything looks like just yet. I'm getting everything stocked up, listed, and enjoying the holiday with my family before its grand opening at the beginning of 2012. We're going to start the year off with a bang! I'll be doing some giveaways and offering tons of discounts, so stay tuned! I'm so proud of it and I am donating a generous portion of every single sale to benefit those affected by CHD (both children and families). Its just my way of attempting to give back to a community that has given ours so, so much. 

So there you have it folks! I promise some better pictures of my little fellas this week. I'm photographing an event at Marian University this evening, so I will be editing away this evening. I've got some great ones to share with you all.