The Start of a FABULOUS New Year!

Call me naive. Call me an eternal optimist. Call me down-right stupid.  I don't particularly care.  But I've decided that 2011 is going to be a FABULOUS New Year!

2010 was not my favorite of years by any stretch of the imagination.  I am 3 hours into this new year and I've decided that I am NOT going to have a repeat of last year.  Nope. Not me.  Not gonna happen. Nuh huh.

As I took stock of 2010 and began forming the goals for this upcoming year I realized that I had sacrificed last year by doing all the  nasty, icky, hard-to-do framework that will be necessary to make this year a good one.

Sure, in 2010 we spent about 6 weeks in the hospital, and numerous other days talking to doctors and specialists.  But in 2011 we will FINALLY be getting our heart surgery, and progressing down that road of recovery which will include a much happier, healthier, and more active little Jacob in our lives. Yay!

Yes, 2011 will have it's ups and downs but the experiences from the last 2 months have taught us to be better prepared both emotionally, and physically for what the next several months will bring.

Plus, I've never been the sort of person who lays back and lets life 'happen' to me.  I seem to have a tendency to run after it, catch it, and mercilessly beat it into submission until it bends to my every whim and desire.  KC often refers to me as a charging bull. 

Either way you look at it, I CHOOSE not to freak out this year.  I CHOOSE to make this year a FABULOUS one filled with joy, excitement and a sense of awe and wonder at each and every one of the blessings Heavenly Father sends our way. 

Thank you everyone for the love, support, words of encouragement, and numerous acts of service you have sent our way in 2010. In spite of it all, we have been truly blessed by each of you  and are privileged to call you family and friends. 

I hope that 2011 is just as fabulous for all of you as I'm SURE it will be for us!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Heart Failure and Reflux are Progressing, Jacob Has Discovered his Daddy!

Just 24 hours after visiting our doctor and being told that Jacob is in excellent health, we were back in her office watching her intently listening to his chest through her stethoscope.

After about an hour of her on the phone with various different specialists they finally concluded that Jacob needed to have his Lasiks increased to 3 times per day (instead of twice) and added another medication, Captopril, to his cocktail of drugs 3 times per day as well.  I'm not sure whether to be happy to stay out of the hospital again, or to be frustrated that he has yet another drug to add to his list of medications.  Plus, I soon discovered after leaving the doctor's office that the drug was so unique (she wants it in liquid form), our pharmacist doesn't even make it and it's a drug that insurance won't pay for so we'll be paying for this drug out of pocket.


This, coupled with the fact that he is now officially unable to handle ANY form of substance orally without gagging or vomiting it up.  This includes his own mucus from his cold, or the .2 ml used to attempt to get his Prevacet down twice a day. It's a frustrating feeling to know that he's getting worse and there is nothing we can do but sit and watch this train wreck happen.  Luckily, we have 1 more week to go until we meet with the cardiologist to set a hard date for surgery.  I'm hoping we can hold out until then.

On the brighter point, it's been so much fun watching Jacob grow physically stronger.  He's holding his head up although he's still not able to keep it from wobbling (baby steps!) and he's beginning to take control of his hands - he spends lots of time swiping at me as I try to give him his medicines.  He's become much more alert as well.  Last night he spent the evening in KC's arms as I tried to get my to-do list done.  All evening he would crane his neck upward and just stare at KC and make the funniest faces as he watched KC talk and go about his tasks.  You could tell that Jake was just loving spending the time in his daddy's arms, playing with his glasses, and playing with his beard.  His personality is finally beginning to emerge and it looks like he will be a VERY busy little boy full of smiles, mischief, and oodles upon oodles of curious energy.  Heaven help us!!! ;)

No News is Good News

Christmas was wonderfully uneventful at the Allred home this year!

Jacob laid on my chest as we watched our children and family open presents. Particularly fun was watching Courtney, our 19-month-old, open presents. Last year SHE was the baby in my arms as presents were being opened. But this year she discovered Christmas in full force!  The entire time we opened presents she was squealing with delight and we'd hear a chorus of, "Oh my goodness!", "Awesome!!!", "So Pretty!", and so much more!  I wish I'd had enough forethought to break out the camcorder for the event.  That little girl was in her element!  And it seems that each and every present she opened was received with the most enthusiastic squeals.  I don't think there was a single present she received that she didn't absolutely adore. Watching Courtney open presents with all of her enthusiasm was absolutely precious!


As for the rest of the day, it was wonderfully low-key.  I had spent much of the few days prior to Christmas secretly holding my breath that Jacob wouldn't suddenly find himself in the hospital again. So when Christmas came and went, I was able to sigh with relief and silently give thanks to Heavenly Father for the little miracles in our life.  Especially since December 26th, I came down with the crud.

So, Monday I dutifully called our pediatrician to have her check on Jacob (with the sheer amount of time I've been holding him, there was NO WAY that little boy was not going to get what I seemed to have caught). In deed, Jacob did have a small cold, but so far there is nothing to worry about and we just needed to break out a humidifier and keep an eye on him. Yesssss!!  I'll take "relatively healthy" any day!


Oh, and he BROKE 10 LBS!!!! :)

Our little boy is now 10 lbs 2 1/2 oz.

Yay!!!

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