Besides being born a giant and having his blood sugar monitored every 4 hours for the first 24 hours of life, Theo was the picture of health at birth and at his subsequent few check ups.

At his 10 day check up, the pediatrician did her normal thing and while listening to his heart she muttered "Yep, I can still hear the murmur."  She had not mentioned the murmur in the previous 2 appointments, and no one at the hospital heart it.  So, I immediately lost it.  It was the first appointment I was at without Dave and I was full of hormones (and rage, at this point). "Oh, I didn't mention it last time?" was her response to me when I asked WHAT MURMUR?!

She suggested we go see a pediatric cardiologist, but we "could also wait if we wanted".  Um, does this seem like a decision we should be making?  Needless to say, I quickly scheduled a 2nd opinion with a different pediatrician (in a different office).  Our new pediatrician (whom I LOVE), also heard the murmur and described it as "harsh", and while it is common for babies to have a heart murmur early in life, this one didn't sound the same as those, so he said we should go to the pediatric cardiologist.

We went to A.I. duPont Children's hospital September 9, 2014 to have his little heart checked out.  He had an EKG first, and we were told that the doctor would discuss those results with us right away and we'd stay for an echo cardiogram if there were concerns.  Well, there were concerns so we did the echo right then.

Theo during the EKG. September 2014

Theo was diagnosed with 2 heart defects:
Patent foramen ovale (PFO)
Pulmonary valve stenosis (PS)

The PFO diagnosis is the "common" cause of a murmur.  It is basically a small hole between the upper chambers of the heart.  It typically closes during infancy, but if it doesn't, it usually does not cause any life impacts.

The PS is the more serious cause, though Theo's is a mild form and will likely not cause an issue.  Basically, the valve that pumps blood from the heart to the lungs is thickened, so the blood creates a murmur when it is forced through the valve. 

Theo waiting for the doctor September 2014.

We were ordered to return for a check up in 6 months.  If the PS has worsened at all, Theo will need a procedure to increase the size of the valve.  If the condition has stayed the same or gotten better, he will not need intervention but we will likely have to return for check ups every 2 years until it is gone. 

Hanging out with Abbey at home after the visit to the cardiologist. September 2014.

The anxiety leading up to the first visit with the cardiologist was extreme.  I was so worried about my otherwise healthy baby.  The diagnosis was the very best we could have hoped for.  I know the situation could be much, much worse, so we are very thankful that there was not a bigger issue.  His follow up appointment is tomorrow, March 10th.

We are praying that the issues have corrected themselves and that Theo will not need a procedure of any sort.  I will post an update after his appointment.

 For dinner, we went to a restaurant that had this "all you can eat menu" for $15!  It was such a deal!  Although we ingested no vegetables all day and a lot of raw seafood, it was delicious!!



Sunday morning we got home to more snow and mild temperatures so we built Theo his first snowman!  It was nice to get outside and get a little sunshine.


Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend!

So, I deactivated my Facebook account last night.  As much as I do see the advantages of being able to interact with hundreds of people in the click of a button, I was just starting to get the nagging feeling that it was bringing me down and ultimately, wasting my time.

I don't know how long I'll stay away, but I'm also trying to detach myself from my smartphone and even the tv too.  It's time to read more books, do more crafts, roll around on the floor with the dogs and Theo, and spend better quality time with Dave. 

I'm not sure how many friends and family followed me over here to this blog, but this is how I'll post pictures and update about what's going on in our lives for now. 


ANYWAY.

Valentine's Day weekend was nothing over the top in our house.  We've never really celebrated it as a holiday, but Dave did get me a sweet card and some of my favorite candy =)

This was the first weekend in a long time that we didn't have plans and there was nothing to hunt!  So we spent the time just hanging out. 

Abbey absolutely loves this kid!

Bundled up to take a trip to the grocery store!

Snuggling with daddy before bed Sunday night.

Genny on her 5th birthday

I'm sure there are many, many articles similar to this one about losing a dog, but I read this one this morning and it touched me.  So, although we have 2 dogs in our home, we each had one before we were married.  Today, I'd like to share a little about the dog that was "mine" before she was "ours", Genny.

Abbey and Genny, circa 2012

I decided to get a puppy when I started my graduate position at UD.  The position required me to first move to Cambridge, MD (October 2009) to work as a technician for 3 months and then move to Milton, DE in January to start my research.  I knew I'd be alone 95% of the time and that this was a great time to get a dog.  I've always been a fan of rescue dogs, in fact our family dog, Shelly, was a rescue and she was by far the greatest dog I've ever known.  But, I was just getting into hunting and I wanted to get a lab that could eventually be a hunting buddy. 

September 18, 2009

I searched for a while and eventually found AKC labs in Kirkwood, PA that were born on July 19, 2009.  Dave and I visited to make sure it wasn't a puppy mill, and it certainly was not.  The pups were all in a backyard with their mother and "aunt".  When we visited there was a huge black male puppy who I nearly chose.  Until I met the little yellow one who was calm and already fetching perfectly.  We picked her up and she let us pinch her toes and hold her upside down (good ways to check to see if a dog will make a good hunting dog).  She was really a sweetheart and I knew then that she'd be coming home with me.

Genny's first Christmas and Shelly

The lady informed me that the puppy I chose was a "dudley" as far as AKC standards were concerned meaning she has yellow hair but chocolate lab genes for pigmentation of her eyes and nose.  The yellow lab "standard" is brown/dark eyes and black nose.  So, Genny is still considered a pure-bred labrador but would not be able to be a "show" dog.  Didn't bother me!

October 2009

Dave and I picked Genny up on September 18, 2009 and brought her home to live in Dave's apartment for a couple weeks before I moved to Cambridge.  She is named after the beer from NY, Genesee Cream Ale for several reasons.  It's a tasty beer, Abbey is also named after a NY beer, and the colors of the can were similar to her colors.  Abbey was not a fan of this new addition who wanted to play NONSTOP.  Abbey is a laid back dog and the hyper activity that was Genny (and still is) didn't mesh with her idea of a good time.  However, she got used to it and now they are truly great friends who even occasionally share a pillow at bedtime. =)

Playing at Broadkill Beach, DE, circa 2011

Good dog.  Circa 2011

Genny is a really good dog.  She learned to ring a bell to go outside very quickly and was generally very easy to train.  She's a great retriever and absolutely loves to run and swim and fetch.  She's easily the fastest swimmer I've ever seen and would probably drown other dogs just to get the stick.  Her favorite toy is by far the frisbee, we can't even say the word without her going absolutely nuts.  Genny is really a quirky dog though, because she is afraid of nearly everything.  I know it's my fault, she heard a gunshot too early on in life and now is pretty skittish.  She even flinches when you pour food into her stainless steel bowl, even though it has happened 2 times a day, every day, for her entire life!  I still think we could get her used to a gunshot and she'd be a great hunting dog, but she's 5.5 years old now and we haven't taken her once.  This year's season just wrapped up, so maybe we'll work on it and try it next year.  Regardless, she's a great dog and we love her so much.

Today, our son is 6 months old!!

So hard to believe that time has passed so fast.  It really seems like just yesterday we brought this little squish home.  We didn't think he was so little at the time, born at a whopping 9 pounds 1 ounce, but looking back he WAS tiny (at least compared to now)!  We are guessing he's around 20 pounds these days (his 6 month check up is next week).

Barely 1 day old.

A little about his personality:
He still isn't a big fan of tummy time even though he's always been able to hold his head up really well.  He'll lay there and play and look around quite a bit and then starts to fuss.  He's rolled over from tummy to back several times (a few weeks ago) but hasn't seemed to realize he can do it whenever he wants to.  He can sit up by himself and only tumbles backwards occasionally now.  He is such a happy, easy-going baby.  Always full of giggles and has a big smile on his face.  He sleeps awesome, typically 7 pm - 7 am every night and a couple short naps during the day!  No teeth yet, but we keep thinking they'll show up any day - he constantly drools and spits and sputters.

His namesakes: We chose the name Theodore after our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt.  Roosevelt was a naturalist and did great things for this country in the way of conservation which is important to Dave and I.  He gets his middle name, Chester, from Dave's grandfather.

Theo and Dave's grandfather, Chester!

Everyday is a new adventure with this little guy, and we're so excited for his future and to watch him grow.   There really is no love like this love.  Even on the hard days, you can't help but smile at this face.  We love you, Theo!


With a full heart,
Missy