Hope

Last night Dr. Baker-Smith called me to tell me that Dr. Kaushal is feeling a little more confident about just doing the one surgery on Adriana, to make her heart a 2-ventricle heart (meaning he will just close the VSDs). Of course, he cannot say for sure that he will not have to do a shunt in conjunction, or instead of closing the holes. Unfortunately, it is still a "wait and see" situation. He cannot really know for sure until he goes in. I was also informed that they found a few more small holes in the ventricles--but they are most certain that they will close on their own once the larger ones are closed. Toward the end of December, we will be meeting with Dr. Baker-Smith and Dr. Kaushal in the same day so they can explain. There are images and videos, which I am thankful for, because I am a visual learner. I will be sure and update any further findings. Until then, we will be praying...

Surgery Time Frame

Yesterday the cardiology department discussed Adriana at their conference. Addy's surgeon has decided that he will operate on her at the end of January. She will be almost 6 months old, bigger, and tougher by then, they say. I know her prognosis is a lot better than we first thought, and I know she is strong. Things could have definitely been a lot worse. Addy was able to put off surgery for this long and she was able to thrive. In fact, she still isn't even on any medications. Adriana has surprised all of us with her strength and she is by far the happiest baby I have ever met. Despite the fact that she has proven she is strong, I am still terrified. A surgery date makes her condition real; though this whole time it seemed like it never existed. It is difficult to wrap my mind around it, still. It seemed like she was such a normal, happy, and healthy baby. Now, it's back to reality. Adriana's next appointment is on December 20 with Dr. Baker-Smith. She will discuss the operation more in-depth with Matt and I. We hope and pray that Adriana will only have to have one surgery.

Happy Thanksgiving From The Schoonvelds!

Our menu: Turkey(smoked and stuffed w/apples & cranberries), green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, 3 bean salad, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie! I forgot about the corn & crescent rolls, unfortunately...

And now for some pics!

All Growed Up

It has now been 5 whole days since Tateum gave up her beloved Sea-Wha and she has been such a big girl. On Sunday she randomly decided to throw it away. We made sure she understood that she would not be getting another one, and told her to really think it through. Tateum nodded and replied, "I am a big girl. Big girls don't need Sea-Whas."

Though she cried the first two nights when Daddy and I put her down to bed, she has not mentioned Sea-Wha since Tuesday! Our lil girl is growing up :-)

Long Day in Baltimore

Addy had to be put under anesthesia today in order to have a 3D echocardiogram and an MRI. Unfortunately Matt and I were unable to be with her during the procedures, but she did very well.

Adriana is now 11 pounds, 10 ounces and her oxygen saturations are still around 90%.

The 3D echo and MRI were in preparation for surgery--basically so Dr. Kaushal (Addy's pediatric heart surgeon) has better measurements. It ensures that he will know exactly what he is dealing with beforehand. The cardiology team at UMMC will meet on Monday to go over the pictures and videos of her heart and discuss her case. They will then determine a game plan. Dr. Baker-Smith will call us back in a week or two when they have all made a decision on exactly what the operational procedures will entail.  Surgery is still planned for sometime between January and March... Though Matt and I will never be ready for it :-(

Halloween!

Halloween was cold but it was also a blast!  Here are my butterflies and me!