6 month cardiology check up

Colin had a great 6 month check up with his cardiologist yesterday. We don't have to go back for another 5-6 months! Thankfully Matt's mom came with me, the appointment was 3 hours long, it's good to tag team a toddler!
Colin had an echo done, which was non-sedated. The technician and I were worried about a 1 1/2 year old sitting still for it, but he did great. At first when I put him on the hospital bed, he cried, so I laid with him. He laid on me, watched cartoons, and ate a lollipop and let the echo tech do her job. I was very proud of him.

Then they took his height and weight - 29 inches, and they had just under 20 lbs but pediatrician has just over 20 lbs.. So basically he is 20 lbs. Which they are happy with, he has gained over 2 pounds since our last visit. His cardiologist says because I am small and Katherine is small, Colin might just not have it in his jeans to be a big baby anyways.

Blood pressures were good. Colin's oxidation saturations were around 85/86 which is about right.. He ranges anywhere from 85% - 90%.. Most of the time about 87%. So they are happy with that. His echo looked good, no change from last time. We are keeping our eye on one his heart values, it has a slight leak. It had a major leak, but during his 1st surgery (Norwood) they worked on it and it has remained unchanged since then. As long as it stays as is, they are happy with it. If it gets worse, we will have to address it. But his doctor was happy enough with it, that at his next appointment we will not have to get an echo, just a chest x-ray.

I told his doctor the best thing that has changed since our last visit, how much Colin LOVES to eat. How he begs for food, he wants food, he loves food, all kinds of food. For so long my prayers at night were related to feeding & reflux issues. Feeding is a basic fundamental of life and to watch Colin be in so much pain for basic survival wore all of us down. It was more difficult that the heart issue really. But now, his favorite word is snack and he gets ALL the snacks he wants! Colin did have to come home with a halter monitor for 24 hours to make sure he can stay off his propanol, he has been off it for 7 months now and they just want to make sure he is fine without it. Daycare said they would just spoil him extra since it has it on today ;)

The goal still is to have his next surgery (step 3 - Fontan) at 4-5 years old, as long as Colin's heart remains as is. If he regresses, it will be sooner, but his doctor really wants him to be as big as possible. It was a great visit, a little long, but well worth it!
We are so fortunate to only live 15 minutes from the # 3 Pediatric Heart Center in the nation. I love and feel confident in the care Colin receives. It really helps out with such a stressful situation to know you are getting the best care available. So we continue on our journey with very blessed news. There will be appointments in the future where we have to handle more than this, which makes these appointments a gift. A gift we are very thankful for!

I am very thankful for all that support us. I may not say it as often as I should, but thank you all so very much. Our family, our friends, our heart friends who are our lifeline on some issues, my co-workers who are so supportive, and our pediatrician who is also so happy and amazed by Colin's progress. This is easier with you all by our side. We are very blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.