Quick Update

We have had the most crazy few weeks. August is always nuts at our house now this year we get to celebrate Madelyn's first birthday. So since Carl and I come from very small immediate families I thought that I would open up Madelyn's first birthday to a bigger crowd. There are many people out there that have been praying for Madelyn and she has done so well, I am still in awe when I think back a year ago.

I started by planning a BBQ supper and making a list of people that might like to come to a little girls birthday party on the last friday in August. I was so pleasently surprise on how many people wanted to come, they even postponed camping trips.

We have been very busy getting the yard in better shape to show off to the crowd. Thanks Dad!

Carl I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long. We have had an amazing time. We even got to go on a two dates. One was out for supper a great local resturant. The other we went in to Winnipeg for some home decor shopping and fast food. It's amazing how quickly you can spend money in just a few hours, but our home is more homey because of it. Thanks to Ang, and grandma and grandpa for looking after Madelyn.

We also took in the local festivals that always makes a weekend fly by and you wonder where your lazy Sunday afternoon went.

This last week we went to see Dr. C for Madelyn's one year check up and then on the same day I booked an appointment with Dr. W, Madelyn's surgeon, just because I have many questions about Madelyn's Pectus and development of it.

The appointment with Dr. C went great. Madelyn is now 19pds and 8oz. That puts her into the 25th percentile. Woot, woot! We have been hoping for getting back into the 20th percentile since birth. I am so pumped, but she is still on formula at 1.0 cal/ml. That is down from 1.1 ca/ml. I had high hopes of moving to whole milk.

I did find out that Madelyn will have to see an opthomologist, because her daddy had a lazy eye, or inturning eye. I don't know the medical term for it. This can be a genetic problem and if caught early is easy to treat. I'm not at all worried.

After a little bit of Costco's great buys, and an hour lunch at a playland McDonald's it was time to see Dr. W. Now I made this appointment on my own because I have noticed that Madelyn is developing a pectus. I know that nothing will be done until she is a teenager but I wanted some real answers to the questions that I had.

Dr. W was gracious with me and answered every question over Madelyn's crying and fussing. Yes, she has a pectus. On a scale of 1 to 10, its about a 1. Yes is can get worse, but there is nothing to do right now. What can be done in the future we that all depends on medicine in the next ten years. Bracing the torso does work, but can be long and uncomfortable. If it is very severe Dr. W. right now fixes the problem, but there is a verticale scar on the chest. He does not do the "Nuss" procedure yet. Manitoba does not offer it as of yet, since it is still now widely practised. Can that change in 10 years when Madelyn might (and I say might, because we don't know yet.) need to have this done. Well yes, because we always know alot more in ten years. Just look at her and the results of CDH. Ten years ago, I would have delivered her in a rural hospital and she probably would not have survived. Praise God for technology!

So that pretty much sums up the month of August for us. I'm sorry for the ramblings. I promise to get more organized and have better more frequent posts.

What is up for September? Mommy is going back to work, so it time to figure out how to fit that in.

On another note, I had the privilage of meeting an expectant mom with a baby of CDH and an ompheocele. Here is her blog: http://crystalandnathanrachul.blogspot.com/ As Madelyn is doing so well, I was forgetting all the worries and heartache we had only a year ago. As Crystal was talking, I was just finding myself fighting back tears. My heart goes out to this couple. Please pray for them as they will need all the prayers and support in the next few months.