Our first Mother’s Day was nice. We took my mom out to lunch on Saturday so we could spend the day together as a family on Sunday. Each Sunday we have every intention of going but something ends up derailing our plans. Once again, we did not make it to church. Jen got busy running errands and by the time we got ready we decided we would be very late.

We had planned on going for a picnic after church, so we decided to fast forward to the park. We placed our blanket and chairs near the river. There was a sweet breeze flowing off the water to cool our skin. It was nice to sit out there in the sun but also partially shaded by the trees. I tried to enjoy every minute of it because I knew that the week ahead would become hot and humid. I generally do not like any type of weather, hot or cold. Jen made amazing ham and cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread with dill pickles. We also had some really creamy potato salad. She had also packed mango for me but I was pretty full from the sandwich so I ate the mango once I got home.

There were quite a number of families present but it just made me feel like now I was part of the club. I would like to go back when it is a bit less crowded. I took a few pictures of Andrew and we played with him for a while. After lunch, we decided to hike one of the short trails in the park that runs along the river. I know Andrew had a big day but so did we. I was exhausted by the time we got back to the car. On our way home we stopped at Baskin-Robins for sundaes. I took a three hour nap once we finally got home.

Over the weekend Andrew’s breathing worsened. He was breathing rapidly and wheezing. It felt like he had acquired a new infection. I tried to aspirate his nose to no avail. The bulb aspirator did not inflate once inserted into his nostrils. It felt as if his sinuses were inflamed as no air seemed to be passing through his nose. There was no point in calling the pediatrician because we already had a previously scheduled appointment on Monday. We just had to get through the weekend.

At the pediatrician Jen started to cry in helpless frustration because Andrew has been struggling and sick for the last 10 weeks. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and there was not much more to do. That evening I was not satisfied so I called the pulmonologist and scheduled an appointment for the next morning. He suggested a stronger antibiotic and discussed doing an upper GI test to see if there are any “rare” conditions that they have not ruled out. We go back to see him tomorrow for a follow up.

I also took Andrew to the cardiologist recently. The VSD (a hole) is causing his heart to grow at a faster rate than the rest of his body. This is causing extra fluid to go in his lungs and making it harder to breathe and fight off lung infections. The cardiologist explained that in a normal person, an infection lasts about a week but in Andrew an infection lasts about six weeks. He gets infected with new viruses before the old ones have gone away. This is why he has been continuously sick since February. He will likely have some sort of an infection until the summer.

The solution is to do open heart surgery to close the VSD. So the little guy is having a really hard first year but I am optimistic that things will improve after all is said and done. I know his angels are watching over him and I’ve prayed for my angles to watch over him as well.

The thought of him being so sick and to have to go through such serious surgery at a young age frightens me. I can’t imagine what we would do without him. I try not to think about the surgery or even the illness. I keep reminding myself that God has blessed us with THIS child for a reason. That reason could be to help him get through the critical early years of his life.