Olivia’s Tenth Day

Olivia is napping at the moment. Over the past few days we have had many conversations about which labs to draw, if any, and when and how to draw them. The options of a mid line or a PICC line have been discussed at length, but we have found other options that did not involve poking her again, so we have chosen those. Her one and only IV, which is in the left side of her neck, has held up so far. I did notice today that is has come out about one-quarter inch, but it is not leaking so I hope it will still hold for however long we need it. The options are not fun.

Amy has come out every day and played with Olivia a lot. Yesterday they got out of the room and spent the day meandering the hospital. There are lots of lights and colors, a toy train that rides on an overhead track, and large Seuss-ish plastic creatures that hang from the ceiling and slowly turn. These seem to keep her attention pretty well and take her focus off how she feels at the moment. Olivia loved being carted around so much yesterday that she was quite unhappy to be put back into her bed that evening.

Design thought for a children’s hospital: putting fun things just out of reach is a great way to get kids up on their feet and working their bodies in a way they haven’t done for a little while. It’s just enough motivation to encourage movement, which helps the healing process. Good job, Children’s Mercy!

In just a bit, Amy will be arriving here at the hospital with Kayla and Maddie. I’ll have the three girls in the hospital for a few hours. We’re gonna play a few games, have a small meal, and allow them to be around each other for a bit.

I spent time at home with the other kids yesterday; first time in nine days. While Amy was with Olivia at the hospital, I came home at nap time and stayed until all the kids were asleep. The kids were having emotional meltdowns so we thought it would help for Amy and me to switch spots for a few hours. However, it seems that they now know exactly what they were missing, whereas before it was only a generalized frustration without knowing what was missing. It’s very hard to know what the right strategy is in this situation. Should Amy and I switch places every few hours or every few days, or is it better for us to stay in our separate locations until it’s all over? There is not a definitive answer in this situation.

The schedule is going to get real crazy starting today: I still have school, Amy needs to work, I need to work, the kids need attention from both of us, one of us has to stay with Olivia at all times, the lawn and housework needs doing, etc. Many, many people have already pitched in and we are exceedingly grateful to all who have helped already in what ever way they could. Thank you so much!

Olivia's Surgery Complete

Friends and Family,

Olivia's surgery is complete. It went very well and the surgical team is very happy with the results. They chose not to insert the middle wall in her heart; instead, they basically rerouted all the blood to make it go in the top of the heart (the atriums) and come out the bottom (the ventricles) to the rest of her body.

Olivia will be fine until about two or three years old, at which time she will need to have one more surgery to complete the re-routing of the blood (called a Fontan procedure).

Reasons for not putting in the middle wall:
—Not enough heart muscle to sew on to.
—Too much wall to reconstruct.
—Reconstructing the wall would most likely have led to a heart attack.
—Reconstructing the wall would have been more of a "messy" procedure, and it would have led to at least 3 or 4 more surgeries through age 18.
—Doing the in-the-top-out-the-bottom surgery will only necessitate one more surgery at age 2 or three.

The plan for the rest of the day:
—Olivia has enough anesthesia to keep her comfortable for a few hours, so they will let it wear off and allow her to rouse herself and start breathing on her own (she's on a breathing machine now).
—They will take out the breathing tube this evening once she has proven she is breathing on her own.
—She will be given enough pain medicine to keep her comfortable (and sleeping) for the rest of today and into tomorrow morning.
—She is on three normal medicines now, but they should be weaned by tonight or tomorrow.
—Amy and I are spending time with Kayla and Maddie. Once they are in bed, we will go back to the hospital.

Olivia will be in the hospital for about the next week or two as she recuperates. Thanks for all your prayers!

Check It Off The List

—Completed an assignment for a Philosophy class, complete with my choice of words: non-sequitur, apophatic philosophy, axiom and surd. Where else can you quote Descartes, Einstein, Ecclesiastes and C.S. Lewis, and throw in an avalanche and the 1755 Lisbon earhquake as examples? I love this stuff.
—Made a John Mayer station on Pandora.com. Free music of your choice is awesome.
—Talked with my younger brother. Ten years difference; still chasing after God; everything is yours if you are God's.
—Regrouted and caulked our bathroom tub. For a perfectionist, this takes longer than it sounds like it should.
—Wrote a busy schedule for tomorrow ... including playing drums at IHOP.
—Played with my girls. Some of the best times of my life.
—Encouraged Amy to buy makeup—the once a year purchase. [UPDATE: For all the confused guys, it's skin care, not makeup. The difference is makeup is what you paint on (which can either be good for your skin or bad for your skin), skin care is the in between stuff like cleanser, toner (whatthe?), astringent (again, whatthe?), eye cream and the like.] How many husbands actually do this? Gentlemen, three questions for you: what do you want her to look like in twenty years, or fifty? And how much is her self-confidence worth to your relationship? Lastly, how many things do you spend money on that can last an entire year? The cheap stuff makes you paint it on heavier each year to cover the damage being continually done. But the better stuff continually reveals the beauty residing in her. This isn't “slather it on so you look good,” this is taking care of your body while drawing out inherent beauty. Like most people, I am moved by beauty, but Amy ... oh, she compels greatness in every area of my soul more than the passing of the moon compels the greatness of daybreak.
—Bartered for fair wage at a part-time job.
—Worried that Kayla knows more about Starbucks than about shapes and colors.
—Listened to a little Marc Broussard.
—Caught the mouse. Amy stayed on the couch and screamed while I chased it down the hallway, both of us slipping on the wood floors like a cartoon, and finally caught it under a spaghetti strainer. Easier to see that he's still there with a strainer. Slipped a glue trap under and waited for him to get stuck. You'll have to imagine the rest. RIP.
—Discussed with Amy when and how to approach a fellow Christian friend about their foray (if there is such a thing) into homosexuality.
—Stayed up too late for my busy day tomorrow.
—Got an iced peppermint mocha. Good stuff. Iced is great for spring or summer, hot is great for autumn and winter. It's the do-it-all drink for each season.