Bring it 2012

Happy New Year!!  What a crazy wild ride 2011 was.  I want to take a moment to personally thank all of you who prayed for us and walked along with us during this trying year.  I can't believe that I am saying this, but I am thankful for 2011.  It brought me my heart and soul, Xavier.  It brought so many wonderful woman who were kind enough to share their journey as a heart mom with me.  It brought me some amazing new friends, Stacie Jackley, Stacey Lihn, Melissa Murphy, Pauliana Catarina Cristao, Britt Duchene and all my Sisters By Heart.  It made me a brand new person, a stronger person.  I have done things that I never thought I could have done.  I am sure that I am a better mommy because of the strength and fight I got to witness in Xavier.  I fell more in love with my husband as I watched him sit next to Xavier's bed.  Every time that I see him with Xavier, I just melt.  You can't even imagine the look on Xavier's face when Nate walks into the room. Nathan has had to work so hard to supplement me not working, and he does so willingly without complaining.  What an amazing man I married.

2011 was the year of the hospital.  We spent so many hours in doctor's offices.  Before X was born we were at Columbia and CHOP.  My regular OB, the high risk OB and the special delivery unit at CHOP.  We spent a week or so at the Holiday Inn in Cherry Hill and a month at Ronald McDonald house.  Xavier  spent the first month of his life at CHOP and another week when he was 3 months old.  And again he was there for another week for his Glen.

During 2011 Xavier had one heart catheterization, 2 sets of PICC lines, three visit to the heart clinic, 15 echo's, one emergency room visit, one general surgery, was admitted to the hospital three times, 25 blood draws, 15 EKG's, three blood transfusions, 4 tube's inserted and 4 tube's removed, was on a ventilator for a week, had two open heart surgeries, had 2 MRI's, countless lovenox injections, a feeding tube inserted and removed more times then he should have had to, 2 rounds of RSV vaccinations, 2 rounds of flu vaccinations, his 2 month, 4 month and 6 month shots and had his O2 stats taken more then I can remember.
That is enough for a few lifetimes, yet he continues to laugh and smile.  And that is all that really matters, right. That he enjoys the life that we all fought so hard to give him.  I take ZERO credit.  God, CHOP and of course our little warrior X-man get all the credit.  I am just thankful that he loves me and lets me be his mommy.  Here's to a hospital free year...BRING IT ON 2012!