Dr. Orie appointment

We had Drew's cardiologist appointment the other night. He was to say the least very naughty! Poor Dr. Orie, he tried very hard to get a temperature, weight, height and pulse ox from Drew. It was a challenge. Then it was time for the echo. He was not good for that either. Dr. Orie told us that for doing the echo on a moving target it looked good! His function remains the same, no leaky valves or blockages. All in all he is doing well. His pulse ox was even 80. That is actually very good for Drew. Dr. Orie anticipates that drew's next surgery, the fontan will be in a year and a half to two years. Fingers crossed that we are able to go that long.

Snack time

Drew did not want to leave school when it was time for dismissal, so I asked him if he wanted to go and eat lunch, he said " sure" then sat down at the classroom's table!
His Teacher, Mrs. Colleen said he really enjoys snack time. I am not surprised.

School

Drew Loves school. This picture is from the first day of school. He now goes 2 days a week and learns how to play with other children as well as listen and follow directions! I did expect him to at least want to give me a kiss goodbye, but no, he could not have pushed me out of the door fast enough.

The writing on the wall

Drew found his favorite activity at the Crayola Crayon Factory, writing on the glass wall with markers! You can see how much he loved it, it is all over his shirt. Yes the new shirt and shorts we had to put on him since he went "swimming" in the last clean outfit! He really enjoyed the crayon factory.

The Swimmer

We decided to take a pit stop on our way home from Ocean City and we stopped in Easton PA. We really wanted to take the boys to the Crayola Crayon Factory. We were all clean and just about ready to leave the hotel room when we heard Drew say " thwim" (aka. swim) and we ran into the bathroom to see what he was talking about. Drew decided he wanted to swim in the draining bath water, clothed and all. He really keeps us on our toes!

It's 5:00 Somewhere

Well Drew and Will had to wear their beach shirts while we were on vacation. Drew was very happy with his dinner, a hotdog and french fries. He was actually well behaved during this meal. I think the salt water and beach air might have affected him for the better during this meal!

Beach Bum

Here he is being a ham for the camera and just hanging out on the beach. We went to Ocean City, Maryland.

Beach Vacation

Drew went to the beach for the first time this summer. He LOVED it. He became such a water baby. He had absolutley no fear of the ocean and all the waves. He became braver in the water each day. He did look so cute in his surfing suit!

Drew Loves his Doctor

We met our new Pediatrician and we all agree he is wonderful. We are so excited to finally have a great Pediatrician that listens, cares and takes his time with Drew. WOW what a difference from our old Doctor's office.
We are encouraged and relieved that our boys will be under the care of such a great new Doctor.

New Pediatrician

We have not been very pleased with our Pediatricians office and they have made a few mistakes that are not OK with me, so it is time to look elsewhere. After some exploring and phone calls, I think we are going to look at one particular office first and I have picked out the Doctor that I want both boys to see. We will go on Thursday to see the office, meet the staff, talk to the Doctor and Drew will have a physical (that should be tons of fun). All I have to say to the new Pediatrician's office is Good Luck with Drew. He is not the most well behaved patient, but who can blame him. That little guy has seen more doctors, had more procedures, and been to the hospital more than some adults. I guess it is only natural for him to have such an aversion to physicians.

Cardiologist Appt

Since Drew was not acting like his usual self on the 4th of July and a few days after that, I decided that he needed to get in to see Dr. Orie. I was thinking the worst and fearing that maybe we would need to have the 3rd surgery sooner or that maybe he had a leaky valve. All sorts of things were running through my mind when he was excessively tired and not his wild child self. His Cardiologists office is wonderful and got him right in. He had an echo done (Drew was not to pleased about the echo) and the function of his heart remains the same. So at this point that is good. They wanted to get and EKG on him, but he REFUSED! He was not the most cooperative patient. Dr. Orie said that he was just an active toddler and his body was letting him know that he needed to slow down. He said that if his body is telling him to sleep or rest than it is OK. We will just watch and see what Drew needs and if he needs to slow down then we will make sure he does. Dr. Orie did let us know that Drew will probably get a pacemaker put in during his 3rd surgery.
Everyday is a new adventure or worry with Drew. He sure keeps us on our toes!

4th of July

Our family went to a friend's house for a great 4th of July party. Drew was kinda miserable because he just could not decide what to do with himself. He really wanted to run around and play with the other kids, but he seems to get tired more easily now. He enjoyed eating and swinging on the swings, but we decided it would be best to get him home early and tuck him in for the night. Papa as Drew calls my Dad was his babysitter for the rest of the night. That was the best part of the night for Drew, just spending one-on-one time with his Papa!

What a scholar

Drew loves to "read" everything. Now he has decided to read the newspaper. Maybe he is advanced!

"The Chief"

Drew definitely thinks he is in charge all the time, but riding in the sheriff's car at the kiddie amusement park definitely makes him look in charge!

Ronald McDonald House

For Drew's birthday we asked friends and family to help bring in items from the Ronald McDonald wish list. I also asked the wonderful faculty that I work with at my elementary school to join in our cause. Between our family, friends, and my colleagues we had a whole car load of food, cleaning supplies, everyday items, and gift cards to give. It really felt great to give something back to the house that supports us while we spend time at the hospital for our son.
Drew was pretty excited to see all of the wish list items too! Check out the picture.

Let him eat cake

Drew loves cake. He ate two Elmo cupcakes at his party and then continued to eat one more later that night. I know we really gave in to him on this one, but he will only turn 2 once in his life. I think the cupcakes were his favorite part of having a birthday party!

He made it to 2!

I can't believe Drew is 2 years old. Where does the time go? I look back at the last two years of his life and I thank God everyday that he is strong, healthy (in every way but the heart), and a determined child. He keep us on our toes, but makes us laugh everyday. If you would have asked Brian or I two years ago what Drew's future looked like, I don't think we would have said it was going to be this good. He continues to amaze us in every way. I know that we do not know what the future holds for Drew, but I hope that in 10 more years we can look back and say, wow, it has continued to be so good!

Our Little Rocker

Drew would not stay in one place for a picture on Easter Sunday. He was on the move and into everything. We finally got him to sit and play the drums. This is one of the only pictures I got of him in his plaid jacket! He loves the drums and finds it really funny to bang as loud as he can on them.

No Fear Factor

We took the boys out for an early dinner and ice cream on Sunday. Drew had one of his favorite meals, a hot dog, fries and ice cream for dessert! After everyone was done eating it was time to play on the playground. Drew and his big brother Will were all over the place. They loved being outside and climbing on everything. Drew started off on the swings. Grandpa pushed him on the swings until we took him off kicking and screaming. Brian and Will showed Drew how to climb up the slide and then slide down. No surprise, Drew did not want any help! He climbed up the slide and went down the slide all by himself. I know we will be at the playground a lot this Summer.

Luck of the Irish

Andrew did not do anything special on St. Patty's day, but he still enjoyed the day. Andrew Patrick definitely has the luck of the Irish on his side!

Patron of the arts

Brian and I took the boys to see Elmo makes music at Shea's theater. Both boys had a wonderful time. Drew could have stayed for the next performance if we let him. He was so mesmerized by the lights, music and of course, Elmo that he did not make a peep until intermission. I think he might be ready for a few more theater productions!

He finally jumped!

Drew fell out of his crib the other night. I don't know who was more scared, myself or Drew. He was pretty shook up, but after a while he decided he wanted to color and eat goldfish crackers. I knew he was feeling alright at that point. He has not tried to get out of his crib since that one and only episode. Yet one more time Andrew Patrick has made his mother's heart skip a few beats!

Little Monkey 2/7/09

As if we did not worry enough about Drew. He tries to climb out of his crib a couple of times during the day for his naps and at night when it is bedtime. He is such a climber. We call him a little monkey because he never stops climbing, jumping, or getting into something that he should not be. We might have to think about a big boy bed much sooner than I thought!

Feeling better 2/2/09

Drew is feeling better. He is still taking his antibiotics and becomes a bit more exhausted at times, but is doing well. Tonight he climbed on every piece of furniture we own and is back to being a little dare devil! He keeps us on our toes.

January 31, 2009

Drew has had a cough for a couple of days now. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and we decided it would be best to get a chest x-ray. We took Drew to have a chest x-ray done and it was determined that he has pneumonia. He has been a bit blue, but continues to try and keep up with his big brother. We are going to monitor him very close and make sure that it does not get any worse.