Elijah's Heart Journey: July 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Summer Fun

I have been on summer break for a few weeks now. Elijah is still breathing fast, but better than before. We think that fast breathing may just be his baseline for now. His cardiologist thinks that he may need his Fontan next summer. This would be an early Fontan. For those of you who may not know, the Fontan is the last of three open heart surgeries that our little guy needs. I was really hoping we would have until he was at least three. He needs to gain quite a bit of weight between now and next summer. Weight gain is not an easy task for this little guy. He now weighs 18lbs. He had lost about 10oz after his last cath. For those of you who have been following the blog, you know that Elijah does not recover well from any cath and this one was especially difficult. All of that said, he is doing well overall and is loving spending so much time with his brother.

Keeping both boys busy has been our main goal this summer. My mom came for a week and gave us a few days to go away together. Dion and I went wine tasting in Temecula and had a great time. When we got back, my mom and I took the boys to Knotts Berry Farm and the Long Beach Aquarium. They both LOVED these outings. My mom also took the boys to the Zoo. It was like a mini vacation for all! Last Sunday we, along with Auntie Tren, took the boys to the Orange County Fair. We all had a blast. The weather was perfect, although a bit warm, and Noah loved all of the rides. It had been a very, very long time since I had been to a fair and it brought back a lot of good memories as a kid. Dion had never been to a fair. All in all it was a perfect day!

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The Chosen Mothers by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. Did you ever wonder how mothers of children with life threatening illnesses are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger. "Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecilia. Rutledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint Gerard."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and says, "Give her a child with cancer." The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy." "Exactly" smiles God, "Could I give a child with cancer a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But, does she have patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she will handle it." "I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has it's own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she believes in you." No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps -"Selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take anything her child does for granted. She will never consider a single step ordinary. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them." She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side." "And what about her patron Saint?" asks the angel. His pen poised in mid-air. God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."