At long last...

Hi all! I hope this post finds you all well and having a wonderful Holiday Season so far. I have never posted about Christopher's most recent visit to the cardiologist and pace-maker specialist. So, I will proceed to update you now.

Chris' appointments went really well overall. He is growing well and the cardiologist was very pleased with his color, energy, and size, saying upon entry, "wow, he's big, what a big head". The ultrasound revealed some narrowing in his new aorta, as a result from scar tissue build-up, which will have to be remedied in the next 6 months. To alleviate this problem, Chris will go to cath lab. An abbreviated term for a common procedure done to scope out the heart and it's vessels, as well as do a little fine tuning. During this procedure, Dr. Kiezer (another cardiologist), will actually do an angioplasty, using a balloon to widen the vessel, thereby improving flow. The collapsed balloon is inserted in the femoral artery access in the groin. It is then fed through the artery, to the narrowed area and inflated. Usually, these procedures are uncomplicated, but as his parents, it is never a small thing to take your child to surgery, even day surgery. I commend the parents of children, and the children, who have had this procedure done multiple times, and after each and every heart surgery. We are fervently praying that there will be no surprises during this, as we have been told that sometimes there are other problems found at catheterizing, that are otherwise undetectable. The cardiologist was otherwise very pleased with the function of Chris' heart.

His pace-maker specialist was also pleased, and informed us that Chris is sensing 100%. Originally, this meant that his pacemaker battery could last upward of 15 years before having to be replaced. We were informed at this appointment, however, that probably due to scar tissue build up, the pace maker was using much more battery to do its daily scan. This means that his battery will probably only last five or six years. That was disappointing to hear, but we are so glad that his heart is functioning all on its own and isn't relying on a machine, something we were once told it would always have to do.

Other than that, Chris is thriving. He had his 9 month well-child check-up on Friday. We were very happy to find a new pediatrician who is knowledgeable and has spent some time in NICU. We were informed that his length and head circumference are above the 25% and his weight has reached the 10%, something that has been a long time in coming. After doing all the normal checks, and a few extras and mom's request, she was happy to inform me that Christopher meets all the normal milestones for a healthy 9 month old!!! I already new that, but it is nice to hear, considering all he has gone through and how far he's come!

Anyway, I think that's about all I can throw at ya for now. I am going to do another update soon, with pictures of the boys. I don't want to overload anyone. So, I'll end my post by sharing a super awesome (that's right) slide show I whipped up in my spare time. Enjoy! Huge hugs from US, the Wirts.