Is today over yet?!?!

Today was quite the eventful day for Miss Charlotte.

We had a chest x-ray at 2:15 this afternoon. This was pretty routine and everything looks good! Charlotte wasn't so thrilled with the whole process, but survived!

At 3:00 we had an appointment with Dr. Sami and an echo. It was strange going into the echo lab and not being the patient! I told Charlotte that mommy had spent a lot of time in that room so that the doctors could look at her little heart before she was born. She was a very brave little girl and was mesmerized by the twinkling lights on the ceiling. It must not have been too terrible of an experience since she was drifting in and out of sleep the whole time! Dr. Sami was pleased with the echo. There is still minimal blood flow into the little fistulas that Dr. Hammel tied off during her first surgery. We are very pleased with how successful that part of the surgery was, especially considering that Charlotte was kind of Dr. Hammel's guinea pig for this procedure. We like to think that she is pioneering the way for future heart kiddos. As for her right ventricle, Dr. Sami thinks that at this point its too soon to really see much growth. He wants to see her again in a month for a check up, and then in another month to repeat the echo. All in all, it was a good visit.

To wrap up the day, Charlotte made her first trip to the lab to have her blood drawn. The blood thinner that she is on, Lovenox, is dosed based on the patient's weight. They can check levels to make sure that the dose is still adequate for her.

A long day of appointments + a hungry/tired baby + a poke in the arm AND one in the foot = A whole lot of screaming! MAN OH MAN WAS SHE MAD! I almost lost it. She always had an IV line in place for blood draws in the hospital, so this was the first time that I had to experience the big pokes. My heart just broke for her and I was fighting back tears the whole time. Ugh...I don't even want to think about it any more. All that I can do is give excessive amounts of snuggles and kisses and thank God that she won't remember all of the ouchies we are subjecting her to.

So now we are finally home and Charlotte is 100% cashed out on the couch from her exhausting day. It was long and tiring, but we had good news the whole way through. Our baby girl continues to grow and amaze us every day.

Have I mentioned that I think Charlotte is the most beautiful thing ever created? This is the face that gets me though days like today!

Charlotte thinks that Maybe is her buddy. Maybe thinks that Charlotte is her pillow.