So sweet Joey had a heart check up on Monday. We had been preparing her the night before since her appointment last year didn't go so well {nice way to say....she kicked and screamed and didn't behave so great}. She knew that she was going to have to take her shirt off and the doctor was going to look at her heart. We told her about the sonogram and how they were going to put some lotion on her chest and use a stick to see inside her chest. She was prepared and when asked what we were going to do that day she would say "we go docker he look my heart it tickles!!!". So we woke up and took Sammy to Holli's and were on our way! I brought the stroller because it's a hike from the parking lot up to the doc's office on the 8th floor!! We got there and this is the first time Joey was big enough to play in the "tree house" in the lobby :] {For those of you who don't know, we have been going to the heart doc since Joey was about 4 months old for several reasons...you can read about it here, and here, and here!} Anyway, here's some shots of her in the tree house....forgive the quality, all I had was my iPhone!!
From the waiting room, we went to get weighed in and measured up...She's 24.8lbs, and 32 inches tall! Then we headed into the Sono room. I'm not sure how these people work all day and don't fall asleep. It's dim, warm, and the hum of the Sonogram machine would lull me right to sleep...I'm actually yawning just thinking about it!
Here we are with the Sono tech. What is Joey looking at? I was smart this time and brought a Dora DVD on the off chance that the TV usually playing Baby Einstein was able to play DVDs and that it wasn't something played office wide. The unit was self contained, so we got to watch Dora which made the Sono Tech's job so much easier! Joey had moments of claustrophobia, but all in all she did great! No kicking, no screaming, and not 1 single tear!!!
From there it was off to the waiting room where we waited for the Doctor to come in. I brought some things for Joey to play with and all she wanted was my iPhone to play on. I let her since she behaved so well during the sono! Since Joey was playing, I decided to snap a few shots of the random decor in the room...if you missed my last post about Sammy's visit, it included other random decor that made me go "hmmmmm?" you can check it out here.
One thing I love about our Pediatric Cardiologist is that they are Christians. There is some sort of Christ paraphernalia in each room, and in this one it was the Armor of God! Got it :]
Other than studying God's Word, I was also able to brush up on my geography....
....and also dream of being on a mountain top!
So the doc finally came in, and Joey was a bit leery. She let him listen to her heart and talked a lot while the doc was trying to explain their findings from the Sonogram. He said that her ASD has completely closed up, so that's awesome!!! He also said that her Pulmonary Valve Stenosis is stable....not improving and not getting worse, so that's great!! Then he brought out his little notepad with a drawn heart and said there was a "new finding" this time.
Joey has a subaortic membrane. Please click on the link to find out what it is, because when I try to explain, I get jumbled and tell people the wrong thing :]. Basically what everyone needs to know is that Joey is OK! She is a happy healthy girl who is thriving! The Doc did say that if the membrane grows that Joey could have to have surgery, but right now her case if VERY MILD, and he's not too worried about it! I told Dr. Laird that we know the Lord is in control, and he knows Joey, and he made her who she is for His purpose! We can handle anything with Him at the helm! He agreed and said it was refreshing to not have a parent freak out when he gives them "news". It's different when you have an eternal perspective I think!
Anywho, that's the deal. Again, our Doc isn't worried about Jo and we don't have to go back until next year, so that's good!! We will keep you posted if anything changes! Thanks to those of you who stuck this one out to the end...long post, I know :]
So the doc finally came in, and Joey was a bit leery. She let him listen to her heart and talked a lot while the doc was trying to explain their findings from the Sonogram. He said that her ASD has completely closed up, so that's awesome!!! He also said that her Pulmonary Valve Stenosis is stable....not improving and not getting worse, so that's great!! Then he brought out his little notepad with a drawn heart and said there was a "new finding" this time.
Joey has a subaortic membrane. Please click on the link to find out what it is, because when I try to explain, I get jumbled and tell people the wrong thing :]. Basically what everyone needs to know is that Joey is OK! She is a happy healthy girl who is thriving! The Doc did say that if the membrane grows that Joey could have to have surgery, but right now her case if VERY MILD, and he's not too worried about it! I told Dr. Laird that we know the Lord is in control, and he knows Joey, and he made her who she is for His purpose! We can handle anything with Him at the helm! He agreed and said it was refreshing to not have a parent freak out when he gives them "news". It's different when you have an eternal perspective I think!
Anywho, that's the deal. Again, our Doc isn't worried about Jo and we don't have to go back until next year, so that's good!! We will keep you posted if anything changes! Thanks to those of you who stuck this one out to the end...long post, I know :]