One of the heart mom's posted this and I thought that it was a great song to share (to listen to the song, you might have to pause the other music at the bottom of the page).

I love you Emmett!

A Shot in the arm for Emmett!!!!

Ugh!!! So the flu season is among us. While some of you might find this "overboard" or "harsh" to us it is not. To us I would explain it maybe a harsh reality. For Emmett's safety we are advising that if you plan on being around our little guy AT ALL, that you will get your flu shot. There is the assumption that if you get the flu shot you will get the flu, well guess what that is false. This is straight off of the CDC's website:

The flu shot: The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that could occur are:

•Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
•Fever (low grade)
•Aches
•Nausea
If these problems occur, they begin soon after the shot and usually last 1 to 2 days. Almost all people who receive influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it.

The flu would be life threatening to Emmett, and it wouldn't be a question of he might be admited to the hospital if he got it, it is a guarentee that he would be admitted and it would be to the ICU, I don't think YOU would want to be the cause of that, would you?

Because of the risks if you don't have your flu shot, we recommend that you don't come to our house this winter. I'm sorry that may seem rude but I'd rather seem rude and avoid the hospital this winter than hold my feelings in and be at the hospital away from Morgan for weeks because Emmett caught the flu. Also we will only attend family events such as Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, or New Years Eve parties outside of our house if everyone is well. If you plan on holding him or getting close to him we will be asking if you got your flu shot and if you didn't, we will politely ask that you just wait until the summer to cuddle with him. The more people who get the flu shot the less people who get the flu, crazy concept right? So really it isn't only for Emmett's protection but for the rest of my family and also your own family's. I know alot of you have kids and babies in your homes so do it for them also! So come on all the cool kids are doing it and get a

SHOT IN THE ARM FOR EMMETT!! ♥

Life's A Roller Coaster

This is so true! This goes great with what my little family has been through this past year.

Emmett is 1!!

We made it!!!

I can't believe that my baby boy turned 1 year old today. It's crazy how fast time goes by. Some times it feels like it just zipped right past me and then I think back to Emmett's hospital stays

and remember the long days and weeks that we had waiting for surgeries and watch him

struggle through his rocky recoveries. We are so blessed to have our little guy in our lives.

Here are Emmett's stats for 12 months:

Weight: 16.13 lb. (0% for his age he isn't even on the chart.)
Height: 28 inches (10th%)
Head: 14.5 (5th%)

He has been through so much in his first year.

-2 open heart surgeries.

-6 Cath Lab procedures.

-Many heart echos.

-MRI

-EEG's

-Ct Scan

-Many chest x-rays

new born.

11 months old.

I know he will do great things in his life, because of the strong determination he has.

Fun Things About Emmett:

-Emmett is such a happy easy going little guy.

-He loves his best buddy and sister Morgan.

-Loves food and haven't found anything that he doesn't like to eat.

Today's Update

The doctors did rounds this morning and they said that Emmett looks really good, so they will be discharging him from the hospital today. I was kind of shocked that they are discharging him today, before he left the CICU they said that he would need to be on the floor for five days and today is the fourth day. I asked them why they are discharging him a day early and they said that he is doing great and that also the insurance called and said that Emmett is not meeting the requirements to stay in the hospital. But the doctors reassured me that if they felt like he needed to be in the hospital longer, they would of fought with the insurance to keep them in the hospital another day.

So I am excited and nervous at the same time for him to go home today. He has gone through quit a bit of stuff and it has been a roller coaster ride for him, for us and also for Morgan too. We have had a lot of ups and downs along this road of his heart surgery. He has a feeding tube and will be going home on it. I am not excited about the feeding tube at all. This one is in his stomach and they taught us how to put it back in if it gets pulled out or needs to be changed. I hope that he is not on this feeding tube for very long.

A couple of days ago Morgan got a high fever and I took her to the doctor, our pediatrician said that it was related to neurotic fever and that she can't be around Emmett until her fever is gone for at least 24 hours. So she is going to be staying at my mother in-laws until she is better. Which I am very stressed about her not being home, that I can take care of her and also that Emmett is also going to need me. Wow! The stress's that a parent goes through. I know that we can get through this little bump in the road.

Thank you every one for all of your prayers during this time. Thank you!

Emmett's Second Heart Surgery

For Emmett's surgery we had to be at Primary's on June 28 at 6:30am. They took him back into the OR around 8:30am and said that his surgery would be about 7 to 8 hours. At 9:30am the nurse practitioner came out and told us that Dr. Burch made the first incision. At 12:30pm

the nurse practitioner came out again and said that Dr. Burch was just finishing up and would

be out to talk to us soon.

We were very surprised how fast his surgery ended up being. Dr. Burch was very pleased on how Emmett did and was surprised that he didn't have to clean up very much scar tissue from Emmett's first surgery.

Recovering in CICU!

(Doing an EEG test to check his brain waves.)

A couple of hours after his surgery, Emmett started having right sided seizures. They would come and go through out the day and ended about 8 hours later. They tried different seizure medications and finally found one that would help with the seizures and wouldn't make his heart race. Emmett had a CAT Scan to check to see if he had any blood on his brain that would cause him to have seizures.

The next day after his surgery, they did an EEG to check his brain waves. Later the results came back and his left side of his brain was a little bit slower then his right side. It wasn't a big difference and so they weren't all that worried. The neurology team wants him to checked again once he is out of the hospital and do another EEG and maybe a MRI to see if he'll have seizures in the future.

Heading to the Cath Lab.

Holding Emmett for the first time after surgery, was such a great day for me. It was so hard not being able to hold him and you would just look at him and see that he was in pain and just wanted his mom and dad to comfort him. The looks that he would give us was very heart breaking and would just make me cry every night when we would drive home.

Morgan loved visiting her brother. She would say good night to him every night and blow him kisses and tell him that she loved him and would be back the next day. There was one day we went in and he was awake looking around. Both Emmett and Morgan got excited to see each other. When Morgan started to leave, Emmett started crying. He had the ventilator in and so you could just see him getting sad but couldn't hear him. Morgan looked over at him and started crying and said: "It's ok buddy. Mommy please make him stop." It made and Adam cry to see them like that. They are best buds and love each other to death.

7/9/11

This was the first time Emmett smiled after his surgery. It was a lot of work for him to smile at us, after he would smile he would just be so exhausted and sleep for awhile.

At Primary's they have a Child Life Specialist, they help the patients and families be as comfortable with there stay the best they can. They also have fun things to help out with the siblings that are home to help them feel comfortable with there siblings stay as well. They gave us a questioner to fill out for Emmett and then they made a cute poster with the stuff from the questioner and hung it up on his wall in his room so that the doctors and nurses could get to know Emmett better. With Morgan they gave her a doll and went over the all medical stuff that Emmett had on him and she put it on her doll that she named Morgan. We told her she could take the doll home and play with it. She said: "my doll is sick, so it needs to stay at the hospital with Emmett."

It was so hard when Emmett would give us looks like this. Just reading his face you could tell that he wanted to be held and wanted to go home.

There weren't very many days in the CICU that Emmett would smile. It took a lot of energy for him to smile and play. But when he did smile it was a great day and you knew that he was feeling a little better that day.

Emmett waiting to do his swallow study. Mommy and daddy crossing our fingers hoping that Emmett passes the swallow study. Yay!! He passed with flying colors.


After the swallow study, I got to feed Emmett some baby food. Which he loved!

Giving Emmett a sponge bath.

When Emmett moved to the Cardiac Surgical Unit on third floor, Morgan got sick and couldn't see her little buddy. On the roof of the third floor they have an area that you can go out and play. It was great that Emmett's window was on that side so that Morgan could look through the window and still see Emmett but not be to close to him. She thought it was great that she could look through the window and play pick a boo with him.

Emmett on the third floor in his room. Close to going home, scary and exciting at the same time.

Yay!! More smiles from our cute little guy.

Morgan gave Emmett this cute yellow dog name wishbone.

Playing on the floor in his room. It was so nice for him to get out of his bed and get to play.

The Day I Became a Heart Mother

One day my world came crashing down,I'll never be the same.

They told me that my child was sick.

I thought, "amI to blame"?

I don't think I can handle this.

I am really not that strong.

It seemed my heart was breaking.

I have loved him for so long.

I will not give up on this child.

I will listen to your advice.

I will give my child any chance.

No matter what the price.

I will learn all that need to help my child thrive.

I'll even use that feeding tube.

My child must survive!

Will he need a of therapy?

Will he gain the needed weight?

Please God, help me do this.

I will accept our fate.

When the monitors beep at night, it serves as my reminder.

How many parents would love that sound.

Tomorrow I will be kinder.

As another Angle earns his wings,

I run to my child's bed.

I watch him sleep for quite a while.

I bend down and kiss his head.

I cry for the parents whose hearts have been broken.

I look to You wondering why?

Oh Lord, I just can't know your ways....no matter how I try.

And yet, I trust you hold his life, and guide us through each day.

My mind says savor each moment he's here,

but my heart begs, "PLEASE let him stay"!

From pacing the surgical waiting room, to sitting by his bed.

From wishing for a good nights sleep, to learning every med.

From wondering, "will he be alright?", to watching him reach out his hands.

With every smile my heart just melts, despite life's harsh demands.

For all who see that faded line.

I look to them and smile.

You see my child is loved so much.

I would face ANY trial.

That scar I trace with my finger (It's the door to his beautiful heart).

God must have known how much I'd love him (Just as loved him from the start).

A heart mom is always a heart mom.

Now wise beyond her years.

For those who have angles in heaven,

Our hearts share in all of your tears.

Every day I will try and remember,

I was chosen for him (and no other).

I will always embrace that beautiful day.......

When I became a "Heart Mother".

-Author Unknown

The Day I Became a Heart Mother

The Day I Became a Heart Mother

One day my world came crashing down,

I'll never be the same.

They told me that my child was sick.

I thought, "am I to blame"?

I don't think I can handle this.

I am really not that strong.

It seemed my heart was breaking.

I have loved him for so long.

I will not give up on this child.

I will listen to your advice.

I will give my child any chance.

No matter what the price.

I will learn all that I need to help my child thrive.

I'll even use that feeding tube.

My child must survive!

Will he need a lot of therapy?

Will he gain the needed weight?

Please God, help me do this.

I will accept our fate.

When the monitors beep at night, it serves as my reminder.

How many parents would love that sound.

Tomorrow I will be kinder.

As another Angel earns his wings,

I run to my child's bed.

I watch him sleep for quite a while.

I bend down and kiss his head.

I cry for the parents whose hearts have been broken.

I look to You wondering why?

Oh Lord, I just can't know your ways....no matter how I try.

And yet, I trust you hold his life, and guide us through each day.

My mind says savor each moment he's here,

but my heart begs, "PLEASE let him stay"!

From pacing the surgical waiting room, to sitting by his bed.

From wishing for a good nights sleep, to learning every med.

From wondering, "will he be alright?", to watching him reach out his hands.

With every smile my heart just melts, despite life's harsh demands.

For all who see that faded line.

I look to them and smile.

You see my child is loved so much.

I would face ANY trial.

That scar I trace with my finger (It's the door to his beautiful heart).

God must have known how much I'd love him (Just as He loved him from the start).

A heart mom is always a heart mom.

Now wise beyond her years.

For those who have angels in heaven,

Our hearts share in all of your tears.

Every day I will try and remember,

I was chosen for him (and no other).

I will always embrace that beautiful day.......

When I became a "Heart Mother".

- Author Unknown

9 Month's

Wow! It's true, 9 months has passed by so fast.

Here are Emmett's stats for 9 months:

Weight: 16 lb. (5th%)
Height: 27 inches (25th%)
Head: 17 (10th%)

Emmett is so much fun! We just love this little guy so much, he is such a peaceful, happy baby but definitely lets you know when he's mad or wants something.

Emmett loves to eat. I feed him solids about three times a day and he eats about 1 1/2 jars at each feeding. He loves the puffs and could eat those all day long if he could. At dinner time he likes to eat what we are eating. We've tried mashed potatoe's, bread & pancakes, and he loves all of it.

He drinks about 4 oz. in his bottles and has about 4 - 5 every day. Night's are a little different. He still is waking up about once or twice at night and drinking a bottle, but I am ok with that, he goes right back to sleep.

We put Emmett to bed around 8:30 every night and sleeps until about 8:00 in the morning. He's still waking up about once or twice a night and drinks a bottle and goes right back to sleep. Occasionally he's had a few nights that he's slept through the night, but then I haven't slept cause I'll be so nervous and get up to see if he's ok.

Emmett has 5 teeth and another one coming in. I just love his toothy smile! One kid to the next is so different on things. Morgan's teeth were slow coming in. The rate Emmett's going he's going to have a full mouth by the time he's a year old. :)

Emmett just loves Morgan. Some times I think that Morgan is his favorite person. Morgan can get Emmett to smile every time she talks to him. They are so cute together and are the best of friends.