Miles Visits Hood and Muno

Yesterday was a really long day!

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to join the Olympic spirit and go play in the snow like Shaun White:



We drove up to Government Camp, the town at the base of Mt. Hood, and strolled around town, enjoying the fresh air:





Daddy asked me if I wanted him to show me how to be cool, and we took these pictures:





I guess by "cool," he meant "chilly," because he's a dork.

Then we drove back to Portland. Grandma Carolyn and Grandpa Greg had given us tickets for the Rose Garden last night. Mom and Daddy didn't tell me what the event was, but I knew it was special because I got to skip my bedtime. Here's a video of me discovering the surprise:



Here I am, posing with Muno:



I was disappointed DJ Lance Rock wasn't around to sprinkle his magic onto Muno so he could come alive, but I guess he was busy DJ'ing for the Blazers' game going on in the other room.



At one point, I thought I saw DJ Lance Rock across the Garden (why do they call it that? It's not as pretty as Mom's):



Here I am, looking for DJ Lance Rock during the 2nd half of the game:



All in all, it was a great day. First I got to pretend I was Shaun White, then I got to meet Muno. Finally, my favorite player's team won the basketball game over my favorite team in overtime!

Here's my favorite NBA player, standing with Daddy's favorite player:



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P.S. Why do I have a sudden urge to buy a Kia Sorrento?

Happy Belated Presents Day

Due to a camera cable mishap, I wasn't able to get this up until now, but I meant to wish you all a Happy Presents Day last Monday.

Have I grown since you last saw me?



To celebrate the three-day weekend, Mom and Daddy took me to the coast to play.

We stayed with Grandma P and Grandpa J in Rockaway Beach, which is known for its "Twin Rocks," seen in the background here:



Here are some pictures of me and Daddy, after I gave him the Valentine's Day Card that I got him:





Daddy told me all about how much fun it is to play on the beach:



So I started to train for my big trek on the beach later:



And here I am, testing out the sand on my own two feet:







The beach was a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, I didn't even notice that I didn't get a present for Presents Day this year!



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Happy Congenital Heart Defect Week!

You may remember my post from last year about Congenital Heart Defect Week. Well, it is that time of year again, and I am happy to say Oregon and Portland have both signed proclamations this year, so they officially acknowledge the holiday (as opposed to last year when they ignored it!). The event was created to increase public awareness of Congenital Heart Defects and Childhood Heart Disease.

Did you know that, "Nearly twice as many children die from Congenital Heart Defects in the United States each year as from all forms of childhood cancers combined. Yet funding for pediatric cancer research is 5 times higher than funding for Congenital Heart Defects."? I learned that from It's My Heart's website, which has a lot of great information about CHDs. I certainly don't want to take funding away from pediatric cancer research, but maybe we can come up with some more funding for CHDs? I'm still looking for a PAC to donate to that is related to CHDs, since Oregon has a $50 tax credit for all residents (not to state the obvious, but I am only 16 months old, so if you have questions about this tax law, consult a professional). But if you find a CHD PAC, let me know!

Alright, I'm not sure what a soapbox is, but I've been told it is time to step off of it. In the mean time, stay cool.



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Update about Friday's Procedure

Well, Friday's procedure was a bit of a bust. I'm fine, but the conduit they put in back in April was too rigid to expand (well, they were able to balloon it out but it pretty much just snapped back to pre-procedure size). And they cracked it. So I stayed in the hospital overnight, but we got home Saturday am. The doctors will discuss my case next Thursday but it looks like I'll need a new conduit within a few months, which means a third open heart surgery. As always, we'll keep you up to date! I'm off to chase the cats and enjoy being out of the stinky hospital.

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PS, and apparently, despite what my pedi said, I am sick. Well, I made it 16 months before projectile vomiting, so I guess that's probably pretty good. My drs have been notified and they all say it isn't related to the procedure...either way, I will accept Vit C infusions.

Update

Ignore my last post... for now. I've been a bit wheezy/coughy lately so the cardiologist wants to hold off until I get better or they figure out what's going on.

3:30pm update: Um, so ignore that.... the procedure is now back as scheduled. I'm healthy and ready for the cath lab.

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Round 4

Hey all, I'm going in tomorrow, Friday, for another cardiac catheterization procedure. Hopefully it will be outpatient, but I might have to stay a night in peds (knock on wood I won't!).

The first cath procedure was last June, when they injected some dye inside my heart to watch the blood flow and were satisfied by what they saw.

Since then, my cardiologist has been monitoring increased constriction of my pulmonary value and replaced conduit, and it is time to try to balloon it out. Hopefully it will lessen the pressure and give my heart's right ventricle a chance to thin out.

The procedure should last only a few hours, and then they'll keep an eye on me for another few hours (boring, unless the music lady comes by with her fun instruments like last time). Hopefully Mom and Daddy will also bring some of my favorite books:



So, wish me luck! We'll post an update after the procedure when we get a chance.

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Lost!

Somehow this post never got published, but here's an update about November :)

After Halloween, we celebrated Daddy's bday. Last year I was a little young to know what was going on, so this year I wanted his birthday to be especially special so I asked Mom to take us to the beach. She cooked, cleaned, sewed, took care of me, and let Daddy sleep in. When I'm older, I hope I get that kind of birthday!



Then Grandma Patty had a bday. Grandpa John organized a dinner for her, so we all gathered and had a good night.



We had Heberlein/LeTourneux Thanksgiving Part Deux. We missed Linda, but otherwise it was similar to last year. All 4 of my grandparents, my Great Uncle JJ, my parents, my uncles, all gathered for food and fun. Unfortunately the weather wasn't as nice, so I didn't get to walk (aka be carried/pushed) to and from P&Js.



There were a few gorgeous days so we did some day trips too, like this one up the Gorge:



As for the rest of my days, I've been busy teething. Hello #s 10, 11, 12 (and since then 13, 14, 15, and 16... only 4 more to go!).

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Resolution Update

How's your New Year's resolution going? Mine's going great! I resolved to stop walking with help, and I'm doing it! I can stand up on my own, kick a ball (future soccer star?!), run with some control, and I walk wonderfully as long as Mama doesn't try to hold my hand (what does she think I am, a baby?).

As long as it isn't pouring down rain, I usually get to walk to the car, all on my own:



Keep up with your resolutions,

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