Latest news on Tyler

Good morning everyone. I suppose it's time for an update. I've got good news and bad news.
The good news is that Tyler does NOT have Chagas OR holes in his heart. The bad news is that the next step is a 30 day monitor which sucks, and Tyler is in the last couple of weeks of ALS so he really can't be gone from class. So he'll put that on the day after graduation, which is February 16th. The crappy thing about this monitor is that it doesn't do what you'd think it would do. It doesn't record the whole 30 days. How this thing works is that when you feel a symptom (light headedness, dizzyness, black outs) then you push a button. The monitor then records 30 seconds before you hit the button then a minute after. When it's recorded then you have to use a land line, call a number that they've given you, make a voice recording of what you were feeling, then put the monitor on top of the phone and it transmits it's little minute and a half of data. If you don't transmit it before the next time you hit the button, then it records right over it. It's very hands on and annoying, And the really crappy thing is that when Tyler's heart stopped last time he was on a monitor, he wasn't aware of it, and they already saw that his dizzyness wasn't caused by low heart rate. So this is what's going to happen, and I can almost guarentee it, he's going to wear this annoying monitor for a month, we'll have the follow-up a week later, then he'll say that the symptoms and the low heart rate aren't related, then he's going to recommend this other monitor that goes under the skin but that really does record everything, whether you're aware of it or not. And he'll have to wear that monitor for another 30 days, then it'll probably be a couple of weeks before they can sort through the data and get it compiled into a report for the doctor to read. Which means that it could be May or June before we find out whats wrong with his heart. Why not start with that second monitor you ask? Because it's "more invasive" and they only want to do it if "the external monitor doesn't show a cooralation between symptoms and heart rate". Apparently the requirement for a pace maker is "2 seconds with symptoms, three seconds without" meaning how long his heart stops. So how much do you want to bet I'm right? :P Anyway in the meantime Tyler has an appointment with his Primary Care doctor to see if we can FINALLY get that referral to see a neurologist and get his headache taken care of. Originally they wanted to "see what the cardiologist says" but we are NOT waiting another 2 months at least to get his headaches gone. It has been a constant migrane for 6 months now. Rediculous! Anyway, so that's what's going on. I will update as things happen.

My guardian angel had another birthday.

So some of you know that we had a late-term miscarriage/stillborn (depending on if you're going by size of baby or time in uturo) shortly after we got married. On the 25th our little angel Elizabeth would've been 4. That day is always, even 4 years later, a crappy crappy crappy day. I find myself reliving the day, going over every detail, looking at the few pictures I have of her, and trying to picture what she would look like if she was actually a happy, healthy, living 4 year old. I can't. I can't even picture her as a normal baby. Maybe something's wrong with my imagination, I don't know. Anyway, this isn't what this post is about. Every year since she was born, I haven't lived close enough to where she is buried to leave flowers. The first couple of years were really hard, because it felt like I was forgetting her like everyone else. But then last year, my best friend Brianna, and my sister-in-law both went and dropped off flowers. It was really sweet. This year, I bought the flowers and had them sent to Brianna, and she took them over for me. And she also took pictures. I can't even express how much it means to me to know that my little girl isn't forgotten. And I know that a lot of people think I should "get over it" because she wasn't "a real baby", she wasn't born alive, I didn't get to see her smile at me or learn to crawl or have a little personality. Unless you have gone through the same thing, you can't understand. The second you find out you're pregnant, you begin to have dreams. About what your baby will look like, what they might be when they grow up, taking them to school, everything. When that life ends, even when you haven't gotten to hold, feed, or play with her, your dreams about that life ends too. And you do have to go through a mourning process. In our society, it seems that women who have had a miscarriage or still-born never talk about it. Like how someone never talks about it they're struggling with depression. I think we take it as a personal failing as woman, like it's OUR fault that the chromosomes had an error. Someday I'd like to be able to spread awareness. 99% of the time it is NOT your fault. The only times that are the woman's fault is when she is abusing drugs or alchohol, or when she doesn't leave a violent environment. Most miscarriages occur because of chromosome errors, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the woman. You are ALLOWED to mourn, it is not shameful, you shouldn't be pressured into "getting over it" because you didn't "know" your baby. It was a life, your baby's life. And he or she deserves to be loved, mourned and cried over. Don't let it take over your life, but don't pretend like that life didn't ever exist.

Anyway, that was a tangent, what I really wanted to do was post a couple pictures that Brianna sent me and also, this year I made a cake for her. This is the first year I've felt comfortable enough to share Elizabeth with all you. Thank you again Brianna!























Around the statue it says, "He shall gather the lambs in his arms" and the plaque on the ground says, "For all the born and unborn, known only to God" also in spanish



































My note says, "I miss you baby girl. Love, Mommy"

Jillian is 10 months old!

So today Jillian is 10 months old! Crazy right? Does it seem like the time flew faster than it should have to any of you? It's amazing! So here are some stats;
She is 16.8 lbs, little compared to alot of babies but much bigger than Kari was at her age.
She is now officially too tall for 6-9 pants and sleepers, time to switch out clothes again *sigh*
She crawls like a pro
She is always pulling herself up on stuff and then letting go. She'll stand by herself for a few seconds before she falls on her bum.
She REALLY tries EVERY DAY to climb those stairs. Kari stands at the top and says, "come on Jill, you can do it!"
She will not eat baby food in any way, shape or form but she will eat anything that the rest of us are eating.
She has 8 teeth!!!!
Her favorite person is Kari, and the feeling is mutual.
She LOVES pasta, gold fish, ritz crackers, juice, nesquick chocolate milk, cherrios and puffs.
Her favorite thing to play with (besides Kari) is a clean diaper. Seriously.
She LOVES bath time.
She is our smily happy, giggly little girl!

Update on Tyler's heart

Okay everyone, I have an update. And no matter how you slice it, it’s not pretty. We’d been told that if “something comes up” they’d call us. We thought that really meant if something comes up. So the 14th rolls around and no phone call so when we walked our happy butts into the office I was fully expecting to be told, “His heart is fine. It’s just naturally slow because he’s young and in shape” so when the doctor started talking I just about had a melt down. So apparently there is one of three things wrong with Tyler’s heart:
1. The right two chambers in his heart are “larger than we’d expect them to be” which could indicate that either his heart wasn’t fully developed or he has a degenerative heart condition that would have holes on the left two chambers in his heart making the right side have to work harder, therefore the muscle gets larger. On Monday Tyler had another echocardiogram this time with saline to see if bubbles make it from one side of the heart to the other. If that is the case, it will require surgery. If there is enough issue around the holes and the holes are small enough, they can go in through a vein in his groin area, if not, it would be a full on open heart surgery to repair the holes with a patch.
Option 2: while on the heart monitor Tyler’s heart stopped for almost two seconds and he wasn’t aware of it. If his heart isn’t compensating for holes, then they will put Tyler on another monitor, this time for 2 to 4 weeks to see how often and for how long his heart stops. This will lead to a pacemaker.
And finally 3. While we were talking to the doctor he’d said that infections in any organ could mess up other organs. I’d been talking to my mother-in-law and she’d reminded me that while Tyler was serving his mission in Brazil he’d gotten parasites. I’d mentioned that to the doctor and he asked a bunch of questions and then told him to go to the lab to be tested for Chagas disease. Now this disease is very rare in the United States, but it’s not rare at all in Brazil. The worst news is that it leads to heart failure, is incurable and the medicine out there that can prevent the symptoms work best in the acute stage, which would have been while he was in Brazil. I’ve been doing some research and this particular disease has a lot of similarities to Tyler’s case including the right side of the heart being larger.
I never thought I would actually be hoping for heart surgery, but that’s the only thing that isn’t permanent/or can’t be fixed at all. Our next follow up is on the 27th. Wish us luck. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures.

So there's not much new here, so I'll just give you pictures. Happy day everyone!







Run-away baby!!! She escaped me during a diaper change (hence the diaper butt)
























Rub a dub, dub, fun in the tub.














For some reason the dishwasher is a thing of eternal entertainment for my little ones. Usually I can't do the dishes if they're up. Jill trys to stand up and usually ends up bonking her noggen on the corner of that door.



















Cute baby!!



















I got a new hair cut. I LOVE it. I have the best hair dresser ever!!


















Jill standing up.





















Jill in her adorable outfit that Auntie Tasha gave her

















Matching outfits from grandma Haueter (they are pink, but they look red in that lighting)



















I love it.




















Best mugs ever! :D