We were fortunate enough to have Hailey's pediatric cardiac appointment scheduled during spring break so that both she and Trent didn't have to take time out of school. I wasn't really worried about the appointment - I felt in my gut that she was fine and the holter monitor readings had come back in the normal range. Of course there is always that little nagging voice in the back of your mind saying what if? but I try my hardest to quiet that voice until I have facts in front of me. The night before we went to her appointment while I was tucking Spencer into bed, I explained to him that Dad and I had to take her in so he and Evan would be home alone for a little bit. I could tell he was a little concerned by his eyes tearing up a little as he asked me if Hailey would have to have surgery. I assured him that Hailey would be fine because like I said, my gut told me she would be.
It turns out that the holter monitor never picked up any of the problem. Her irregular heartbeat kind of comes and gos and as luck would have it ( Murphy's Law anyone?) for the twenty four hour span that she wore the monitor, her heart was beating mostly normal. That explains why when our pediatrician called to tell me the results he seemed a little stumped and pressed on for the cardiac consultation.
Luckily on the day of her appointment her heart cooperated. She had an EKG which was wonky and when the doctor listened to her heart he said it sounded like she had a jack rabbit in there. It was beating all kinds of crazy, but the good news is that for as bad as it was, he wasn't really concerned. He said most likely it will just go away some day or she will learn to live with it. The only problem we have to watch for is if her heart beats in a tachycardia rhythm (faster pace) for an extended period it could cause damage to the heart muscle. If we witness that happening (though he said it would be rare) we are to take her to the ER where they can shoot her full of something to kick it back into the normal pace.
They did do an ultrasound on her heart to get a baseline for reference. The ultrasound tech seemed surprised by how irregular her heartbeat was. That is not really the way you want your kids to impress people. The ultrasound was kind of crazy. You don't really expect to see your child's actual heart beating on a monitor once they are out of your womb. It really made me appreciate that for all the rigmarole we have been through so far this year with her heart and Evan's eye - it is nothing compared to what some people have to go through. It really puts things in perspective and makes you feel blessed.
We left the appointment feeling very reassured. I really liked the pediatric cardiologist and feel like she would be in good hands if any problems persisted. Although we are going to pray that we never have to see him again. We decided to celebrate by heading up north to the cabin. The boys were anxious to fire the bows they received for Christmas. While the boys were setting up their firing range, Hailey and I walked down to the little bridge.
As soon as we were back from our walk she made a bee line into the cabin and emerged with their favorite book. We read this story every time we are at the cabin. The book is ancient. I am sure it belonged to Trent or his brothers back in the day.
Then the archery began.
I swear that Spencer is well suited for a job as a sharp shooter or an assassin. The kid is dead on target with BB guns and now bows. I feel sorry for any deer that cross his path this fall.
Once Evan got the gist, he quickly improved. It does not come quite as natural to him as it does to Spencer, but practice makes perfect. I was proud of how he persevered and kept taking advice from his dad and never got frustrated or fed up when his arrows went flying into the woods instead of hitting the target.
When he was tired of shooting arrows, Spencer grabbed his book and a lounge chair and started reading. There is nothing better than sitting in the warm sun reading a book at the cabin.
The landscape looks so different without the trees being full of leaves.
We had a great day celebrating our first trip up north and the fact that our little girl is perfectly fine.
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