Craft Time

Now that Liam is coloring more often, we have more crayon bits lying around.  I decided that it was time to recycle those crayons and use them again.  Liam and I started by taking all the wrappers off the crayons.  Then, we sorted all the crayons by color and put them in my chocolate form (farm animals).  We put them in the oven at 250* for about 20 minutes and voila - we had animal shaped crayons.  Once they cooled and hardened we plopped them out and began to use them.  This was a fun project and was a great activity for Liam to practice sorting and working on color names.

Liam's First Haircut

Today Liam got his first "official" big boy hair cut.  He sat on Dave's lap and sat pretty still, considering he is a very active little boy.  This milestone is bitter-sweet (as most moms know).  It is a rite of passage from baby to big boy and one that I was excited and sad about all at once. My little man is growing up so fast.

The finished product.  What a handsome little man!

Liam's Heart

At Liam's 18 month check-up Dr. Bollier, Liam's pediatrician, found that Liam has a heart murmur.  This murmur hadn't been detected before.  Dr. Bollier asked that we take Liam to the hospital to get an echocardiogram.  The echocardiogram showed that Liam has three areas of concern in his heart.

The first area is a hole between the two upper chambers of his heart.  Every baby is born with this hole and it usually closes by the time babies turn 1.  In Liam's case, it hasn't closed yet.  If it hasn't closed by the time he is 4 years old, then there will be cause for concern.  However, it should fix itself in the next two years.  

The second area of concern is his left ventricle valve.  The valve should have three parts.  Liam has two parts that are fused together, which is creating some leakage.  Right now, it is flowing pretty well and isn't causing too much strain on his heart.

The third area of concern is in his main artery that leads to the top of the heart.  His aorta is narrowed, which is decreasing blood flow.  This is called coarctation of aorta.

Today, we visited a pediatric cardiologist.  After another echocardiogram and EKG, the cardiologist explained Liam's results and what needs to be done from here.  The good news is that there was no change between echocardiograms, which leads the cardiologist to believe that Liam's condition is not getting worse.  It also does not appear that there is a great deal of strain on Liam's heart.  He does not show signs of having heart problems.  However, this condition (coarctation of aorta) is not something that will go away on its own.  The doctor said we should have a decade or two before surgery may be necessary.  We will go back in two months to make sure that things are staying stable.  As long as things stay stable, Liam should be able to remain active and "normal."  The worst case scenario is that Liam will have to have surgery to open the artery and replace the valve.  We will probably visit the cardiologist every 6 months through Liam's childhood.  It is suggested that Liam not play high impact sports, such as football or hockey, but other sports should be just fine.  We have signs to look for while he plays, but have been encouraged that as long as things remain stable, Liam should continue to be the busy boy he is.

Liam has been a trouper through all of this.  He has charmed his way into the hearts of every nurse and receptionist he has met.  Liam's cardiologist was especially smitten with Liam.  When he asked for Liam's medical history, we explained that he was adopted.  He paused and said, "Thank you, and God bless you.  It is obvious to me that God gave you this child because you are exactly the right parents for this boy and he is the right boy for you.  It is evident that God will use you to bless him and he will bless so many people."  We of course have always known that Liam is meant for greatness.  He has an undeniable spark (which we believe is the Holy Spirit within him).  This journey in his life is building him into the man of God that he will become.  We may never know how many people are impacted through this.  I have learned that once again, I have no control.  I need to trust that God is God and that this boy has been entrusted to me, but he belongs to the Lord.  I was so touched at the witness Liam gave today, just by being himself.  He truly is my miracle and I am thankful for him every minute of every day.

Our NIECE is on her way!

My brother Rick and his wife AnnaMaria are expecting their first child in March and today we got the news that it is a girl.  I can't wait to meet Baby Hart!

Family Day Trip

With the business of work and the stress of classes, I needed a relaxing weekend.  Dave suggested that we take Liam to Chain O Lakes for a much needed family day.  Dave and I had spent a day at this state park when we were still dating, and it is one of our fondest memories of our courtship.  We knew Liam would love to romp around in nature.  The weather was warm, and the scenery was so colorful.  This trip was just what we needed.

Dave and Liam walking to the playground

With all the things Liam could play on in the playground, he preferred the dirt - such a boy!

The beach was closed to swimming, but Liam enjoyed splashing anyway.

We took a hike through the woods with Daisy.

Hiking took us a while, since Liam found so many things to explore.  He loved tugging on this vine.  He also loved raking leaves with sticks.

Our big, beautiful boy!

Liam broke out into singing - just like a moment out of a musical.

Everyone had a great time!  We had a great picnic lunch and napped really well afterwards.  We may have to make this an annual trip.

Respect Life

This Sunday is Respect Life Sunday.  This story is a great example of why life is so important from the very beginning.  This was shared by my friend Melissa and I just had to pass it on.

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the U.S. paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life."
Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person" Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome...incredible....and hey, pass it on! The world needs to see this!

‎"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared." Author unknown