thankful thursday-cleared

today Ally Claire was completely cleared from all things hospital related. she had a 4 month check up with Dr. Isreal, the pediatric cardiologist. i wasn't all that sure why he was wanting her back when i got the card in the mail to make an appointment. i knew he had seen her to do an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) while in the NICU to rule out anything cardio as the cause of her respiratory distress. i was told at the hospital that she was fine, that there was nothing cardio related. and when i made the appointment i asked was there something i had missed and the lady at the office just said that his note said to return in 4 months. so i drop the boys off at preschool and head on over to the doc. he called us back (and there were actually 3 kids in front of us and one baby about the same age behind us...which that many kids at the pediatric cardiologist just disturbed me) and i took her top off and laid her on the table. (a procedure that i remembered b/c seth had PDA and we had to bring him back for a 4 month check to be sure he grew out of it.) and he said "ok. she had the hole between her receiving chambers." [this is the foramen ovale. it is the hole between the 2 upper chambers of the heart that is present in utero. it is how oxygenated blood is shunted from the right atrium to the left atrium to bypass pulmonary circulation...i really should start linking to this stuff...] and i said "she did? no one told me that." and he said "i also didn't tell you that you'd have to come back. it's just typical newborn circulation stuff." well, being a nurse, i knew exactly what he was talking about, but was thinking, it surely would have been nice to know that 4 months ago!! but anyway, she cooed like the little angel she is and tried taking the wand out of his hand and he said she was fine and good to go!!


and tomorrow the boys have their preschool halloween party. and as a super treat for us, our NICU nurse and friend, Harriette, offered to come over and keep baby sis!! how fun is that? and how lucky am i? that is how i know my baby was taken care of when i couldn't do it!!

i'll try to overlook the fact that she used to hum "Rocky Top" to my baby when she was on the ventilator. and she wonders why she would sometimes "lose her mind"!! Love ya Harriette!