January 2008
Ok, holiday madness over, so I have some time to update now!
Arielle is almost 21 months old now. She had an appointment with her cardiologist for another sonogram on December 18, and the size of the hole has not changed. As for her weight, she is now in the 25th percentile, up from 5th percentile the last time. Of course, that is still very much at the small end of the scale, but at least she's gaining weight! The doctor said there is no change in the size of the hole, and once again, says it is remarkable that she is showing absolutely no symptoms, and that there is no sign of damage to her lungs or the rest of her heart. With the hole in such an unusual place, (so close to the valve), we need to still keep a careful watch, because she could always start to show symptoms at any time, which could mean immediate surgery. They said if she continues to gain weight, it could increase the heart mass, which could help the hole to heal.
She's starting to talk more, and although there's only a few of us who speak "Arielle", it's becoming more clear every day. She sings the "Arielle" song, and the "Night-night" song, every night when she is getting into bed, which is really sweet. After we say prayers, she says, very loudly, "Amen!" She is actually very good about going to bed. (What a relief!) Since October, we've had 6 birthdays, so she kinda learned to sing Happy Birthday, and walks around singing "Happy to you, happy to you..."
Now at Christmas, she and Mina were both very sick with some type of virus and were pretty lathargic. (Not the least bit interested in opening gifts.) They only wanted to be held. She ended up with a bad case of diaper rash, and that night after I gave her a bath, I put on some diaper rash ointment that Amanda sells (works very quick and goes on easily, and obviously relieves the burning, because as I was fastening her diaper, she smiled real big and patted her diaper and said, "Oh, tank you, Nana! Mmmmm-wah!" and blew me a kiss. That would have been a great commercial! LOL
She is very affectionate and loving of the other kids in the house. If any of them are upset or especially if they are crying, she goes to comfort them, hugging them and giving them a big "mmmm-wah" kiss. But at the same time, if they are bugging her, she's not so shy that she won't put her hand on their face, push them away and say "Stop it!"
She's such a blessing in our lives. I'm really appreciating the innocence and hoping we can hang on to this a little longer, but I know the terrible two's are right around the corner! EEEK!!
Anyway, here is a short video of Thanksgiving. At the end, she sings the Arielle song (right after Mina sings her song, which is a little too energetic for bedtime, but...)
Arielle is almost 21 months old now. She had an appointment with her cardiologist for another sonogram on December 18, and the size of the hole has not changed. As for her weight, she is now in the 25th percentile, up from 5th percentile the last time. Of course, that is still very much at the small end of the scale, but at least she's gaining weight! The doctor said there is no change in the size of the hole, and once again, says it is remarkable that she is showing absolutely no symptoms, and that there is no sign of damage to her lungs or the rest of her heart. With the hole in such an unusual place, (so close to the valve), we need to still keep a careful watch, because she could always start to show symptoms at any time, which could mean immediate surgery. They said if she continues to gain weight, it could increase the heart mass, which could help the hole to heal.
She's starting to talk more, and although there's only a few of us who speak "Arielle", it's becoming more clear every day. She sings the "Arielle" song, and the "Night-night" song, every night when she is getting into bed, which is really sweet. After we say prayers, she says, very loudly, "Amen!" She is actually very good about going to bed. (What a relief!) Since October, we've had 6 birthdays, so she kinda learned to sing Happy Birthday, and walks around singing "Happy to you, happy to you..."
Now at Christmas, she and Mina were both very sick with some type of virus and were pretty lathargic. (Not the least bit interested in opening gifts.) They only wanted to be held. She ended up with a bad case of diaper rash, and that night after I gave her a bath, I put on some diaper rash ointment that Amanda sells (works very quick and goes on easily, and obviously relieves the burning, because as I was fastening her diaper, she smiled real big and patted her diaper and said, "Oh, tank you, Nana! Mmmmm-wah!" and blew me a kiss. That would have been a great commercial! LOL
She is very affectionate and loving of the other kids in the house. If any of them are upset or especially if they are crying, she goes to comfort them, hugging them and giving them a big "mmmm-wah" kiss. But at the same time, if they are bugging her, she's not so shy that she won't put her hand on their face, push them away and say "Stop it!"
She's such a blessing in our lives. I'm really appreciating the innocence and hoping we can hang on to this a little longer, but I know the terrible two's are right around the corner! EEEK!!
Anyway, here is a short video of Thanksgiving. At the end, she sings the Arielle song (right after Mina sings her song, which is a little too energetic for bedtime, but...)
posted by Kim Brownlee at 7:21 PM
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