Still stable!

We had a cardiology appointment for Koal with Dr. Shah yesterday at Children's Mercy and it went fantastic! It was a noon appointment, which would NEVER be my first choice as it's RIGHT during Koal's nap time, BUT, it worked out as the little man just fell asleep during his echocardiogram and rested nicely. Ha! 

Dr. Shah said, "WOW! Rock solid!" when he came to let us know what the echo and EKG tests showed. Nothing has changed in the last 9 months and Koal's heart function still looks excellent! His pressure gradients are holding stable and while his conduit (tube that won't grow as he does) is still a bit narrow and calcified, it's nothing of concern at this point and doesn't seem to be getting any worse. Doc was cautiously optimistic saying that he THINKS we may be able to go a couple of years before Koal needs another surgery!!!!! Then he laughed and said, "But, Koalton's surprised me before, so you never know."  Hahaha :)  It's true...we prepare ourselves for just about anything, knowing something could change in LITERALLY a heartbeat. BUT, we are thankful, again, for an excellent report and even the possibility of many months or even years before more surgical interventions are needed.  We'll continue monitoring and have another appointment in about 4 months to make sure all continues to look as it should.

We can't thank all of you enough for your continued prayers and support. We feel God's blessings and peace daily though this journey and are so grateful for family and friends who pray for Koal and all of us.  

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Isaiah 40:28

Happy 3rd Birthday, Koal!

Happy, happy birthday (last Sunday) to our sweet, amazing Koal! How is it possible that you are THREE already?!? Time really does fly :)

Koal, you are the funniest, silliest little man around these days! You have been SO excited for 3 to arrive, telling me multiple times a day, "My birfday is comeen up!" Hahaha Yes, sir, it came right up! You hold up three fingers close near your cheek and smile that huge, adorable smile that shows your dimples and makes you eyes squinty. For your birthday Sunday we had donuts for breakfast and went to the downtown airport to watch the planes. Your actual party was that afternoon as well, so you got to spend time with Great Granny and Gramps, Grandpa Paul and Grandma Mari, Grandma Melanie and Grandpa Steve, as well as Aunt Kristin (Kikkin, as you call her) and Uncle Taylor, Uncle Jason, Aunt Jess and Micah, Uncle Justin, Aunt Nicole and Uncle Brandon.  What a crew!  You are so loved :)

You are a sweet little bug lately, asking me to hold you and snuggle with you all the time.  I have to oblige most of the time, of course :)  Aily usually wants to join us, but she's not a fan of sharing my lap with anyone.  You will, though, and you'd do just about anything for your Aily girl. You have such a sweet spot for her - loving her SO much and always trying to make her laugh and be silly with you. You are SO excited to see her in the morning when you wake up, and so sweetly happy to kiss her goodnight before bed. You also want to do EVERYTHING Kade and Adry are doing - playing games with them, hanging out watching a show or playing on the tablet with them - doesn't matter, as long as you can be included!

You are WAY into the color orange these days...I asked you what kind of cake you wanted for your birthday and all you ever said was "orange!" :) Hahaha  We settled for chocolate cupcakes with orange frosting and you were thrilled! You currently love chicken alfredo pasta - three or four helpings each time we have it! You also love apples and bananas, though fruit in general is a winner with you. You also LOVE to play outside - at the park or in the front yard on your scooter or slides - as often as you can. Swimming is also a favorite and you (and Adry!) ask all the time for more time at the pool...indoor or out, you don't care as long as you can play and splash and have fun in the water! You call Yukon "My puppy" and often tell me "Mommy, I hungee weewy bad!" (Or, "I tired weewy bad!") You love to run and jump on/tackle people, as well as tickle them or tease, "You a nut!" or "You siwee, Daddy!"

We love you SO very much sweet boy, and are SO thankful to have you as a part of our family. You make us laugh and remind us every day how blessed we are to have even the simplest of moments with you, and your siblings.  Not knowing if we'd ever see your first month or first birthday, let alone now your THIRD, we take nothing for granted and are so grateful for the time and blessings God has given us with and through you. We continue to pray always that your heart has excellent function and works as it needs to so you are not in any pain. We will head to the cardiologist again in a couple weeks to see how things look.

Thanks to Y'ALL who keep us in your prayers out there as well. We are so thankful for each of you and for the support and love we receive from those around us. Near the end of the month after our next appointment we will update again with news from Koal's cardiology appointment.

I thank my God every time I remember you.

Philippians 1:3