Party

Maddie had a fantastic party. The park was great, lots of places for the kids to run and play on the equipment. When we first walked up I was a bit surprised to see other people in the pavilion since we had it reserved. I found out they didn't have it reserved which gave us priority. My Dad and I grabbed up just about every picnic table there and laid everything out.

The sky was very grey and unbelievably cool for August 22. I bet it was barely 60 that day. Everyone had on coats, long sleeves and a few even had jackets.

Maddison was spoiled beyond belief with awesome gifts. She got lots of Wubbzy and Kai Lan things. Some nice outfits and of course some dolls. Little miss CRIED when we sang happy birthday to her. I think she was afraid of the candle but it was too cute.

A fantastic year, a fantastic party.

Maddison's Echo

Today was Maddison's sedated echo cardiogram at U of M. Miss E stayed with Ye-Ye and Ni-Ni and had a great time. She got to go out to lunch, ride her bike and help the neighbor in his yard. She and Ni-Ni made some really delicious brownies for us too.

Once we got to the hospital it only took about five minutes for the sedation nurse to come get us. It was the same nurse that did her sedation for the echo before her surgery. She was very kind to us and went above and beyond for Maddie's comfort. Bret is the one that administered the chloral hydrate (sleepy medicine). Maddie took it like a pro. The nurse added some strawberry flavoring for her. It took Mads about 20 minutes to stop fighting it and fall asleep. She was very sweet and calm. She slept for about an hour and half and woke up about 10 minutes after her procedure was done. She sat right up and when I spoke to her she tried to climb right up onto me. She was able to nurse and we left about 30 minutes after that. She was so funny, a bit wobbly and a little cranky all in one. She is doing well tonight. Still a bit sleepy but that is normal.

As for her results...we *think* they are good. We wont know for sure until her Cardiologist reads the films and calls us. A staff Cardiologist looked at her while we were there and said she, "Didn't see anything unexpected." Not sure if that means there IS something with the right side of her heart or if things are looking good for her. The sedation nurse did tell us that if something had been wrong Maddie's Cardiologist would have been called on the spot and we would have scheduled an appointment right then.

So, we are thanking God and praising Him for the news we got. Thanking Him that she did so well for the sedation and praising him no matter what. Thank you all that prayed for her and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.

15 months of joy

Our little "angel" had her 15 month check up today. She is doing great. No issues as far as her heart or growth. She is 33" tall and 22.3 pounds. She is tall and lean. Her behavior on the other hand as far as strangers go is something else all together. She normally does pretty well with them but not today. The nurse came in and started to measure and weigh her and she lost it. She kept tearing the measuring tape off of her head, putting her little head down and crying. Then when the doctor came in things really got fun. She didn't even want to LOOK at him. I had to hold her hands down so he could look in her ears and mouth. He said he is going to start working out now for her 18 month appointment so he can keep up with her. Just goes to show how strong our little fighter still is. We are praising God for her continued health and enjoying her everyday. Not to mention at night when she has decided not to sleep. :)

Thankful

Today is one year to the day that Maddison had her open heart surgery. We couldn't be more thankful to the Lord for the way things turned out. He sure blessed us on the day she was born and again one month to the day when she had a successful operation. We just want to thank those of you that were there with us during that difficult time and for the prayers. It is obvious that they helped and we sure felt them during the stressful situation we faced. Big hugs from the Kloeckner house.

The last update from Maddison's cardiologist is that she is doing just perfect. She will not go back for one year and will not have any tests repeated until she is probably 4-5 years old. She said if a person didn't know Maddie's history and looked at her EKG they would never know she had a problem. Praise the Lord.

SHE WALKS!

I was certainly not prepared for this. Yes, I should have seen it coming but I've been living in denial. My sweet little baby just shy of her 11 month mark started taking steps. She can walk a few steps on her own but prefers to hold on tight. (Thank you Lord!) She also started trying to climb the stairs. Ella and I were upstairs and Maddie wanted to come up. She was crying and yelling to us. I guess she had enough because the next thing I know, here she comes climbing right up. Scared us all but she did just fine. Grinning the whole way. Time to get the gate out.