No Training Wheels for Brody!

Brody has been asking us to take the training wheels off of his bike for several weeks now, but we have been stalling. We were a little worried about how he would handle the first big spill that is inevitable in those first few learning rides, but the weather was nice Sunday and we were out of excuses. So, off came the training wheels, and to our surprise, Brody did amazingly well!! He was riding completely by himself with confidence after only about 20 minutes. I never dreamed it would be so easy for him. This is a big accomplishment, and we are so proud of him! How did our "baby Brody" get so big so fast?!?!?!

Ready or Not

Colby had an unexpected visit with his cardiologist last Tuesday. He was not scheduled to go until April, but he has had several troubling symptoms over the last few weeks...longer blue spells, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue. I knew something was wrong when he would lay his head on my shoulder and ask to take a "map" (nap) after several minutes of playing. This was breaking my heart to see!!

The appointment went really well. All of his tests (echo, EKG, sats) looked good, but Dr. Doyle did have some concerns with his worsening symptoms. He suggested that we get the ball rolling on his final surgery, so ready or not...it is time for the Fontan Operation.

We have known this time would come, but I don't think this is something we will ever be "ready" for. The thought of him being back in the hospital and enduring another open heart surgery is NOT easy to think about. The thought of being away from Brody for 2-3 weeks is also NOT easy to think about. I catch myself sitting and just worrying about all of the "what ifs." I know this is not what I am supposed to be doing, but it is so hard not to! It is in these times that I have to remind myself that God has taken care of Colby and our family over the last two and a half challenging years, and I have no doubt that God will continue to be with us and carry us through this next trial.

Colby will go in for his Pre-Fontan Cath on Monday, March 14th. That will only require an overnight stay. Pending the results of the cath, he will have his Fontan Operation on Tuesday, March 29th. We have been told that the recovery time for this surgery is around 2 weeks, but it will all depend on how much drainage he has in his chest tubes. Again, it is all of the unknowns that make me a nervous wreck!

For now, we are just continuing to enjoy every second we have with both boys at home, and I am doing the best I can to not dwell on the upcoming surgery and separation from Brody. I would greatly appreciate your prayers for our family over the next several weeks...prayers for peace, faith, strength, and endurance to get through.

Happy Birthday Poppy

Poppy's birthday was the day before Jason's on February 7th. We got together with Jeremy, Tammy, Emilee, Kylee, Daphne, Ya Ya, and Flora to celebrate his big day this past Sunday. The kids didn't stop playing the whole time we were there. It was a challenge to get them to sit long enough to eat. We hope you had a great birthday Poppy! We love you very much!

This was the card that the kids gave Poppy for his birthday. It was a Toy Story card that sang the "You got a friend" song from the movie. It was not easy getting this card away from Colby! We probably should have bought him his own to keep.

The Biggest and Best Yet

Our 3rd Annual Blood Drive and Bake Sale was our biggest and best yet! We are once again blown away by the love and support from family, friends, and even strangers. We had four people that we have never even met come to give blood in honor of Colby on Saturday. They told us that they saw his story on the news and just wanted to help in some way. These are the things that absolutely amaze and inspire us.

We are so appreciative to everyone who donated blood, donated baked goods, volunteered, bought baked goods, made a donation, or just stopped by to show their support. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!!!

I do want to mention a few people that helped make this event so successful. Holly and Tim Bewley, Jill Castle, Jason Frazee, and Jenny Slaughter kept the Registration Table running smoothly, which cut down on all of our donors' wait times. I know the donors were very happy about that! Sarah Farley, Monica Sartain, Marye Rowell, and Cecili Smith were amazing at our bake sale tables! Thank you all for taking time out of your Saturday to come and help us with this event. We are very grateful!!!!

Thank you to Jeremy and Tammy Hitchcock for bringing us lunch for the third year in a row. Thank you to Mike (Poppy) and Daphne for helping us find a few seconds to actually eat the lunch! Thank you to Al and Teresa (Gacky and Poogie) for helping keep Brody and Colby happy through our very long day! The boys always enjoy their special attention!

As I mentioned, Saturday was a very long day for us, but it was totally worth it...

Donors Signing in: 82
Productive Donors: 77...14 of these were first time blood donors!!

Bake Sale Proceeds and direct donations: $2331.55

This is the total money raised as of today, February 16. I have had several people, that were unable to attend Saturday, tell us they would like to mail us a donation. So, Jason and I have decided to wait 2 weeks before donating the money to Vanderbilt CHD Research. If you would still like to make a donation in honor of Colby, please send us a check by Wednesday, March 2nd. If you need our address, please send me a message and I can get that to you. Checks should be made payable to "Monroe Carrell Jr Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt." Write "CHD Research" in the memo line.

Thanks again for helping make this event so successful for the third year! We are very excited about the Red Cross having 77 more units of blood in the blood bank and about being able to donate some much needed money towards CHD Research! We will plan to do it again next February!!

Happy Birthday Daddy

Jason's birthday was Tuesday, so we celebrated this past weekend with his family. On Saturday, his mom, grandparents, and brother and family came over for food, cake, and fun. Then, on Sunday, we went to a Birthday Brunch at the Club with his dad. It was a busy and fun weekend celebrating the best husband and daddy around!! We love you very much Jason, and we are so blessed to have you! Happy Birthday!

Doughnuts with Dad

On Friday, Brody's school held a "Doughnuts with Dad." All of the dads were invited to come and eat doughnuts and drink juice with their kids. Brody was so excited to ride to school with Jason that morning, and he LOVED having him there in his classroom eating breakfast.

Brody's teacher, Ms. Marianne, helped all of the kids complete these "What I know about my daddy" papers, and she displayed them on the wall for everyone to read. Brody actually knows more about Jason than I expected him to. I think he might have been the only one in his class to get his age correct. Some of the dads were in their teens and some were in there 70's. Of course, I think Jason definitely weighs the least according to Brody...33 pounds! Needless to say, these were very entertaining to read!! This is one of those papers that I will want to keep forever!