It's Almost Time

Today (really yesterday since this didn't post last night due someone waking up while I was typing it) was Ivy's Chest Xray, Her blood work, and her second Echo Cardiogram. She was so good at the hospital, really brave this time and forgiving to mama giving me kisses all the way out of the blood lab!
It was a long afternoon!
Lexi stayed home this time, the Bigs were all in school when we left so we had her new favorite babysitter (Thank you Miss Jenna) come over to watch her and lets just say she was in heaven!!!! Jenna will certainly be top on our list for sisters from here on!!! And she's a dancer so in Lexi's eyes, it could not get any better!
We sat with our cardiologist for a good hour going over the results and he decided that  the Heart catheterization should happen right away. Ivy's lungs look ~fluffy~ that is how he described it. Basically they have a cloudiness that needs to be looked at more closely. The ‘lung shadows’ are composed of the pulmonary arteries and veins. Apart from the pul- monary vessels, the lungs should appear black because they contain air. Ivy's have a fluffiness to them. Not a ton, but enough. Her lungs are also a tad big and her heart is a tad big. Her VSD is at least 15mm!!!! That is HUGE! But it is what has kept her alive. She leaks so much blue blood. So enough said, it's time to get moving!
 Her catheterization will take place on Wednesday of next week. If they feel she looks good enough for them to spend several days planning out her surgery they will send us home and schedule open heart surgery for the following week. If they see that she can not wait another day then they will just keep us there and do the open heart surgery right away. My doctor said he felt hopeful that she would come home, but possibly have an extra day in the hospital if she had trouble with oxygen levels when she came out of surgery. Well since she has trouble with that before surgery, it seems obvious she would still be having trouble after surgery... So we are expecting that. And while Ivy's amazing doctor is thinking we will come home, I am secretly hoping that they will just decide to wait no longer and get the surgery done during this stay and not another day. Ivy is ready, she is gaining weight, but she is blue as a berry, she is tired of waiting. She needs this surgery! Don't get me wrong, I realize they know best, and like I have said before, we have the most amazing team of doctors for Ivy and we LOVE our cardiologist Dr. Pophal!!!!! But we are human, we are selfish, and we want to see Ivy on the road to recovery. We long to see her NOT out of breath, Not blue, not tired, not hooked to oxygen and tubes, not struggling. 

And we also realize that there are still many long days and nights ahead. More oxygen and more tubes than imaginable, swelling and meds and scary times for our girl. Many dangers, many risks, many possibilities, many unknowns. We know that the next fight will be harder than the current. But the current is harder than the last. We fought like anything to get this baby home fast. We hurried everything we could hurry to get her home for surgery. We are home now, and it's time!

Playing in her bean box. Her very favorite thing to do!!

 AFTER ALL THE POKES SHE GOT TODAY< HOW COULD WE SAY NO TO SOME HERSHEY KISSES??????

GIVING RYLEE THE STINK EYE AFTER BEING TOLD SHE HAS HAD ENOUGH HERSHEY KISSES!