We had a happy 4th of July. We went to the Hooper parade for the first
time. The kids got a ton of candy. It was so fun. Alex had been up late the night before from
playing Xbox so we let him sleep. He
might not have the strength of a teenager yet and walks like an old man still
but he still has the mind of one and has really been enjoying all the gaming
time he gets now. Just so everyone
knows, I do not usually let the kids have free reign of playing video
games. I keep the controllers in my room
and monitor their playing or they would never stop playing other than to
breathe. Later we had a nice BBQ and went
to the fireworks in Hooper. We started a
new family tradition of sitting by Ryan’s grave to watch them. It was the perfect spot. We were by ourselves and the view was
great. We could even hear the music playing
from the fairgrounds and see fireworks going off in about 5 other locations as
well. The kids made glow stick necklaces
and bracelets. We put a few on Ryan’s
grave and then Ethan proceeded to take some to the other graves. He said he was sharing with the other dead
people who were his friends. He said he
loved them. It was very cute of
him. We ate some snacks and even put a
few cookies out for Ryan. It was a
special time to be there and yet hard as well.
We really missed Ryan and some tears were shed.
As we looked in the sky we noticed the full moon glowed orange. It was beautiful and it didn’t last for too long. I told the kids Ryan did that for us. Mike asked others from different locations if it was orange where they were. They said no.
As we looked in the sky we noticed the full moon glowed orange. It was beautiful and it didn’t last for too long. I told the kids Ryan did that for us. Mike asked others from different locations if it was orange where they were. They said no.
Yesterday we spent the day in Provo at the pediatric
cardiologist. Long story short, the kids
all seem fine for now. They all had EKGs
and echocardiograms. Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy usually shows up in teenagers so we will have to get our kids
tested each year when they are between the ages of 12-18. As adults we will all need to be tested every
five years. Mike and I go in for our
echocardiograms in a few weeks. I am
sure we are fine but it will be nice to know for sure. If either of us shows signs then our siblings
will need to be tested.
We were at the doctor’s office for around 4 hours. Our kids were very good. I had brought treats, a portable DVD player
and some iPods. Thank goodness for
modern technology. We even brought a
reclining lawn chair so Alex wouldn’t have to sit up straight. The kids had to lay still for about 45
minutes for the eco. We wondered how
Ethan would do and he fell asleep and that made that easy. The doctor did discover an extra heart beat
with Ethan. I am not exactly sure what
that means. He isn’t too concern since
his eco came back good but he did want to monitor him for 24 hours. Ethan had to get about 6 wires hooked to his
chest. We wrapped him up with an ace
bandage so he won’t mess with the wires.
The wires and machine would moniter his heart and send the report back to the doctor. Wow. Crazy. He pretty much looks like he had a bomb strapped to his chest. It is so cute and we can’t believe he is
actually keeping it on.
The staff at the doctor’s office was great. They treated us so kindly and gave special
care to us. It really made things go
very well. Mike’s mom Jeri came with us and we played
musical kids as we took turns with different kids.
It was sure nice to have her there, especially with Alex unable to
help. Alex wanted to go eat at the Olive
Garden so we went there for dinner. We
let the waiter know that we needed to hurry because he couldn’t sit for long. The waiter was very kind and we had a nice
meal. We were so happy to see Alex eat
his first meal in 2 weeks. He finished
it all and we were so shocked. So far he
has lost about 10 lbs. He still doesn’t
have much of an appetite and is still super picky. I did enjoy feeding him a Frosty the other
day while he was playing video games. I
just kept shoving it in. When he wouldn’t
open his mouth I just let it drip on him until he did. He learned his lesson quickly. He finished it all!!
Alex is doing very well.
His incision looks kind of yucky and we are concerned it might be a
little bit infected. We do have him on
an antibiotic and hopefully that will take care of it. He isn’t in too much pain and that is
wonderful. We love Alex.
He had been so brave through this all.
It has been a very bonding experience for us all and has brought our
family closer to one another.
Again, I would like to thank all those who have reached out
to us and especially to Alex. You have
helped lift his spirits and make him smile.
As a mother, that means so much. Hug
your kids more and don’t let a moment go by without showing them you love
them. Life is much too fragile and they
grow up way too quickly.
We love you all.
Thanks so much for continuing to check the blog. It still touches our hearts to see how many
are concerned about our family. Catherine and Mike
