Swimming

At the beginning of summer (doesn't that seem like forever ago? Will this heat ever end?)I posted pictures of our first time swimming for the year...



Notice how both our boys were wearing floaties and had no idea how to really swim? It has been fun to watch them progress this year. At the beginning of June we had swim lessons through the city for Caleb. He had fun but he just didn't learn much.

A few weeks later my friend Karli asked if we would like to do private swim lesson with her cousin. I'm so glad we did because now Caleb is jumping in and swimming all over the place. He can't quite swim all the way across the pool yet because he gets tired but he's very close. He has learned how to use his "big arms" and he is actually pretty good at it.




I have also been amazed with Kyson's progress this summer. When we began swimming lessons he didn't even know how to hold his breath under water and would always drink tons of it. Now he can jump in and swim to the steps or out to someone. He loves to do "superman arms" and is learning to use his "big arms" still.

And just for fun I thought I'd add this picture of Kyson. He has this silly face he makes as he rolls his eyes and I just happened to capture it. It cracks me up!


Caleb loves his new goggles I got 75% off. He had fun diving for things at the bottom of the pool.

Of course Kyson wanted a turn also. I think they just squished his eyes because it didn't last long!


And now just to add my favorite pictures of the day. My sweet boys...




We have had a lot of fun swimming this summer...especially since that's the only thing to do outside in the miserable heat! I am SO ready for temperatures in the 80's. Even under 100 would be nice:) It's almost here. I'm excited!!!

Surgery date

This morning I dropped Caleb off at a friend's house and Kyson and I headed to officially meet his new surgeon, Dr. Pearl. I've heard great things about Dr. Pearl, but I have been anxious to talk with him and hear his opinion on things. Gratefully he was very explanatory and I understood everything he plans to do. The big question is still whether he will try and fix his leaky tricuspid valve. There are pros and cons to this.
Cons
1. You have to stop the heart to work on the heart. If they just do a normal Fontan they don't have to go in to the heart so they don't have to stop it.
2. Sometimes when you try to fix something as delicate as a valve you can make the problem worse. The chances of making it worse are slim, but the chances are still there.
3. It will make the surgery longer thus Kyson will have to be on bypass longer.
Pros
1. Kyson's leak is currently moderate; there is a chance Dr. Pearl could put in a simple stich and it will become more of a mild leak.
2. Kyson's heart currently has good function (it squeezes the blood like it should) but fixing the leak will allow it to not have to work as hard.
3. As Dr. Pearl put it, when he does the Fontan he is thinking long term for Kyson. He wants to give him the best possible shot of allowing his heart to last as long as possible. If he is able to help the leak at all he will have a better chance of keeping his heart (and not needing a heart transplant) for a very long time.

Dr. Pearl will present Kyson's case in front of the team of doctors in the next few weeks. He will let me know what they all think is best and what he plans to do. For now we have set the tentative date of March 7th for surgery. That is still six months away but it is the first break Jared has from school besides the holidays. We will continue to meet with Dr. Alhadheri to do echo's until his surgery to make sure everything is staying stable. If any concerns arise we will move his surgery up but as long as he stays looking good, that will be the day!

HOPEKIDS!

A few months ago we heard about a program called Hopekids. It is for children with life-threatening medical conditions, such as cancer or CHD. They provide fun activies for families of these kids to allow them associate with other families going through similar things. One of the most amazing parts of the program is most of the activities they provide are completely free for the families. Most families have so many medical bills they wouldn't be able to afford doing activities like the ones hopekids provides. It is such an amazing program! When I first signed Kyson up, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I am SO GLAD I did! We have met several other children with CHD's and it is so nice talking with them and sharing stories. Often when people ask me about Kyson and I start explaining his heart defect I soon get blank stares because I know it's confusing!!! It's nice to talk to other Mom's who know what I'm talking about because their kids are going through similar things.


I know I already posted this picture, but it's the most recent one that I have showing the scar to his amazing heart.

The reason I'm telling you all about this is because on Sept. 26th, Hopekids is doing a HopeWalk to raise money in order to continue providing fun and exciting activities for Hopekids. If you are interested in donating to this amazing organizition you can go to Kyson's Team Page and make a donation. Every little bit helps. Thank you so much to everyone who has already made a donation! We appreciate your support so much.