We have a surgery date!

Hi there everyone! Long time, no blog. It's not for lack of things to talk about, it was because blogger was still being fussy. Today is the first day that I have been able to put pictures on! yea!

We had Patrick's appointment today at Joe Dimaggio. Wow, what an awesome hospital. It is like a baseball hall of fame, but with kids in mind. It was really cool. Lots of cool decorations, and security at every corner. They do not play around when it comes to kids, which is nice to see.

We went today to meet Patrick's doctor that will be part of his surgery team. He is having a cardiac catheterization.  They basically just went through all of his history with us, then showed us what he would be having done. They are placing a Duct Occluder. They go into his groin, and go up into his femoral vein/artery, which then goes up to his heart. Are you shitting yet? Yeah I am.  They basically put, what looks like a small mesh kitchen strainer, into his heart, and it clogs the hole, and stays in forever.

Here are some pictures. Sorry the flash shows on some of them, I can't turn all the lights on, boys are sleeping...miracle right?

Did anyone out there have one of those three tiered metal/ mesh fruit baskets that were different sizes in the 80's? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, it looks just like that.  I just read through the pamphlet. It gave me 20 bad things that can go wrong, and only two that were good. 1. Short hospital stay. 2. No scar...well thank god for that....Seriously though, they have scars all over their bodies, they get more noticeable as they get older. You can see every cath hole. It sucks, but chicks dig scars right? Keanu reeves and Chris Cagle can't be wrong...

Anyway, He is going in in mid Feb. I am very nervous, but it needs to be done. This is the last thing that is keeping him from bulking up, and being 100 %, so we really want it done.  I think the doctor was surprised to hear us say yes to it so quick. This isn't our first rodeo, we know the good and bad of all surgeries.

Anyway, Patrick was very good for his appointment. The doctor said that the procedure wasn't a rush since he has had it all of his life, and it's not causing him any discomfort at this point, and it's not affecting his eating or breathing.  He said the risks of not doing the surgery actually outweigh the risks of having it done. Did I say that right? Yes?  He could get pneumonia, and other lung issues like blood leaking into them. No thank you. Anyway, that is the word on that, and I will keep you posted for sure.

                                                                              Patrick at Joe Dimaggio. This was after he found out he had to have surgery..poor kid.

Anyway, all else is good here. The boys have been doing well. They eating like champs! As of last week, Brady is a big 15.6 pounds, and Patrick is 11.4 pounds. They have started Brady on Rice cereal with his formula. He has finally made the chart for his age group. Yeah! 

They are both doing well in rehab. Brady rolled over in front of them for the first time which was awesome, and Patrick, not to be shown up, did it a second after, haha. Patrick is going to have an OT evaluation soon to see if he needs extra help. We are still waiting to find out when that is. 

Brady has discovered TV the last two weeks. I don't let him watch junk, don't worry! I know that there were a bunch of moms that just read this, and shook their head at me for letting him watch. To that I stick my tongue out and blow raspberries at you and here is why.
1. I have two kids that had stage two retinopathy, who at one point, could have had vision problems, and still can, but thankfully are not blind. If I see them starring at something and they are fascinated by it, that shows me they can see, and that is awesome.
2. He loves the bright colors and stimulation. He kicks his legs to the music, and we dance and sing to it. That is good for his rehab since he needs to move his arms and legs. It's also good for his learning/speech for Patrick.
3. If you don't have twins, you have no idea what it's like to have two children screaming bloody murder, and you are by yourself. If I can turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and let him dance, and give me five minutes to take care of Patrick, I'm doing it. Nuff said...

Patrick is not as interested in tv yet, but he is starting to look at it, which is awesome, because his vision could still be a problem. If he starts watching, I will be overjoyed. He still could have vision loss because of his PVL. BTW, did I ever show you what the doctor uses for their eyes?

                                                                                     yeah, so they hold their eyes open with those speculums, and then they poke those metal rods covered in cotton into their eyes.

                                                                                       Also, I hold their arms down and they scream. It's an epic time for all...

Any who, here are some recent pics from this week of the boys..

                                                                  Brady in his chair. He refuses to lay back anymore. If he is not sitting up, he is not happy.

                                                                             Patrick...saving lives.

Alright everyone, I'm exhausted and it's only 930pm. I'm am off! Thanks for reading!

Love to all!
Em, Craig, Brady and Patrick