This is from earlier in the week. I took Linc to the local library, we've been going there since we moved to Indiana. The last couple months Linc has gotten very interested in the computers. This trip we used them to watch some sesame street. This is the face I got. ;)
On Friday bright and early we packed into our car and headed down to Indianapolis for Linc to get an echocardiogram. It was a 3 hour drive and Linc stayed awake the whole time. He read books, played with some toys and looked out the window.
He is a reader and I LOVE it!
The drive was very smooth the only downside was when we got to the hospital it was well past nap time and for the echo he needed to sit still.....something Linc never does.
He freaked out as soon as we got to our room. They had to do an EKG where they put lots of stickers on his chest and monitor his heart rhythms. He's had these done every 6 months since birth so he's used to them but the combination of no nap and a new nurse set him off. I'm not one to cry or tear up at a doctors office. Shots aren't fun but I haven't cried yet, yesterday at the EKG I almost lost it. He was crying for me and I was holding him but it was just hard to watch him be so scared. It doesn't hurt at all. Luckily it is a children's hospital so the staff was ready to jump in and help. They brought a duck puppet & bubbles and put on a show for him. He was still nervous and held on tight to Mommy but we got the EKG done.
After the traumatic EKG we went into the echo room. The echo is basically like an ultrasound, I can't tell a difference really except for the picture quality. Linc was already sleep deprived and freaked out from the EKG so we didn't have much hope. Once again the wonderful nurses were prepared. They brought in a ton of light up toys (that we didn't even need), turned on Disney Jr. and gave him a sucker. This was his first real taste of candy and he loved it. With echos they've always let Linc lay on my lap so the lovely sucker and the echo goo (ultrasound goo) was all over both of us. Linc was covered. He would constantly take the sucker out of his mouth and rub it on his belly. He also loved to take it and rub it all over his face. Oh we were a mess!
Can you see the sticky-ness!
Linc getting his Echo
After his echo we cleaned up as best we could and went over to talk to his doctor about the results. The doctor said everything is healing nicely. She doesn't expect him to need any more surgery for the time being as the mesh patch and the cadaver patch are holding their own. She did say that as he grows he will have a small amount of limitations on his physical activity. (That was new to us) She said he will never be able to do tons of strength training as that will put stress on his heart. No weights for him. Hope he doesn't mind that.
After talking with her about Linc she asked about little brother's heart. We told her we would be coming back to Indy to do a fetal echo later this month at a different hospital. My OB just put in a work order for it and they go through a different group. She said she could put in an order and we could do it that day. The staff even arranged it for right then instead of 2 hours afterwards. We were so thankful not to make the trip twice.
During my fetal echo Linc was all energy. Poor Ryan chased him everywhere. We turned on some cartoons and he sat with me on the bed for a little while. He was very concerned about me while he was running around he would keep coming back to the bed to check on me.
Baby's heart looks good. We were pretty sure it would but I still got nervous during the echo. So hopefully this will be his only echo.
After a long day of driving and playing at the hospital we packed up and headed home. We had originally planned on spending a night and playing the next day at the children's museum, but after a bad rental car experience we decided to save our money and just drive home.
We built Linc a shade palace and he was out before we got back on the freeway. Actually we took this picture at the gas station. He slept the whole 3 hour drive home.
We found a shortcut to Mexico on the drive.
When we got home we face timed different family members who had been asking about the results all day. Marie played peek-a-boo with Linc and he went crazy!
Unfortunately this isn't her peek-a-boo picture. This is how she talked to us for a bunch of the time. It reminded me of facetiming my grandparents for the first time. They didn't really include much of their faces ;)
Today, Saturday, we went up to Niles, MI for their Ice Festival. We went with a bunch of our neighbors and it was incredible. There are some positives to living where a high of 40 degrees is reason to celebrate.
On the way home from Niles (which was only a 10 minute drive) we stopped and got some sweets from a bakery. Linc's face says it all.
What a great weekend.
