Today our boy is a year old!  It seems just like yesterday we were bringing him into the world, watching and waiting to see if he’d pull through his heart condition and surgeries.

I vividly remember the sights and sounds of the NICU at UAB.  I remember scrubbing up and carefully manipulating the wires attached to him just to be able to touch and hold him.  We saw him for all of two minutes after he was born, then had to wait six hours to see him again.

He was the biggest baby in the NICU, but he was still tiny and had a hard road ahead.  I remember seeing him for the first time that December morning.  I cried so much looking down at him.  We prayed, and we stayed with him.  We loved on him as best we could.

Three days later he had his first heart cath.  Three weeks after that he had a shunt implanted above his heart.  Three weeks later, we brought him home.

Now the little man is eating us out of house and home, and he brings so much joy to our lives.  He’s a happy boy.  He smiles a lot, and he loves to flirt with the ladies.    That’s my boy!

He’ll have another heart cath in January, but they’re not expecting anything major.  In fact, during our cardiologist visit last month, his ventricle is growing nicely, and his oxygen levels are awesome!  We don’t know what’s next, but we know his doctor is very happy with his progress.

I haven’t updated the family photos page recently, but I hope to over the Christmas break.  If you’d like to read and remember with us, you can go back and start here.  There are more entries about him before that one, but that’s the entry after he was born.

Happy birthday, my precious David.  I love you so much, and I know God has so many wonderful things planned for you.  I’m so happy you’re mine. 

I took David up to UAB Monday to see his cardiologist. He is doing so well. Little man’s oxygen levels are up, and his blood pressure is down. Dr. Law was extremely happy with how he’s doing.

Yesterday, Amy and I went to Emory in Atlanta. She’s having to see a cardiologist there because her heart rate was very low back in January. A few doctor visits here at home, and we were off to get some sort of answer in the big city.

What we found out is her heart is okay for the most part. However, her left ventricle isn’t as smooth as it should be on the inside. That’s a problem because blood can clot in the little areas. She’s now taking a baby aspirin a day to control that possibility. That’s not the biggest problem, though.

Her aorta is too large. It should be 2.5 cm, but it’s 4 cm. The doctor told her if it reaches 4.5 cm, then they are going to opt for surgery to replace it. The one crushing blow is should we decide to have a third child, her aorta could rupture because of the physical stress of the pregnancy and birth. Needless to say, she’s crushed by that because it looks like two kids may be it for us. I grew up as an only child, so that’s not too big of a deal for me, but I don’t like having choices taken away from me. I guess it’s great we have one girl and one boy. But she is taking medicine that will hopefully help shrink the aorta.

So, we got a mixed report from the cardiologist. Her heart is fine for now. We just have to take preventative measures to avoid major problems in the future.

On top of all this, we lost the house we really wanted. We (especially Amy) have busted our tails trying to get our house ready to put on the market. It was supposed to be listed today, but we’ve decided to hold off. We’re tired and annoyed with packing and moving stuff to a rental unit, so we’re going to slow down. Hopefully by the first of May we’ll be ready.

Sorry for the lack of updates on the blog. Life has not been fun lately, more like since last October. We’re trying to keep our heads up, but it’s hard. I’ll try not to make this a place to vent, though.

Well, maybe not ALL quiet, but it’s settling down.  The sweet princess is down for the night, and little bro is not feeling well.  He’s got some congestion, and it’s working its way into his chest.  That means one unhappy boy.

We had a great visit with his cardiologist at UAB Monday.  His right ventricle muscle seems to be softening up, which means it could start growing  more.  That would be a tremendous blessing if so!

Alyssa turns three Saturday.  I can’t believe it’s been three years since she was born.  She is such a little angel, and she’s my baby girl.  I love you so much, my beautiful princess.

Work is going very well.  I was so happy in television news that I never thought I could find a job I love more.  It’s hard to believe I found one.

I tend to talk a lot about work, but I have no reason to stop.  I’m sometimes at my happiest there.  We all have a lot of fun.  I’m getting a lot better at Photoshop because of it, too.  You should see some of the pictures we all create of each other.  That seems to be the favorite prank of the office.

If you love “The Office” like I do, then check out my new site, http://www.cousinmose.com.  I haven’t done anything with it yet, so I would love some feedback as to what you would like to see.

Also, check out the photos page.  I’ve updated it with two new autographs I’ve collected, Amy Adams and James Caan.

I don’t have a whole lot of significant things to say.  I just don’t want this blog to go stale.  Maybe my creative juices will flow again soon.   Have a great night!

I just wanted to thank the City of Auburn for hosting its 20th annual “Daddy-Daughter Date Night.”  It was the first time Alyssa and I went, and we had a blast.  She was dancing, jumping and having a great time!  I’ll post the photo from the actual event when I get it.

I love my little girl so much.  I know we’ve all been stressed out since about October, but God is in control.  He has blessed me with such a beautiful family.

I really should be working on my main freelance Web site right now, but the house is finally quiet.  I love my kids so, so much, but one of the main things that raises my blood pressure (literally) is all the noise they make.  I grew up in a house that was just me, Mom and Dad.  I also grew up in the country, so I cherish the silence I never seem to get anymore.

I honestly think I need to see a doctor about my stress because I’m not enjoying my family as much as I should right now.  Besides, if you’ve kept up with this blog, or (more particularly) my Facebook / update e-mails, you know how much stress we’ve all been under since last October.  Please don’t think I’m absolutely miserable, or dislike my kids because I don’t.

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