Finished!

Everything went as planned. The surgeon was hoping to have Ellie off the ventilator before she leaves the OR. What a relief!

Update #2

Ellie is finally on bypass. The surgeon said he would take his time getting through all the scar tissue and he did. More waiting...

Update #1

Surgery is underway! Yikes! It just doesn't get easier to send her away with the anesthesiologist! I have to say that we sent her away happy. The anesthesiologist had her talking up a storm. I'm sure the only way they got her quiet was to put her to sleep. I was really impressed with this guy. We met with the surgeon as well and know that Ellie is in very good hands.

Pre-op

We are a go for surgery #3 tomorrow! We spent a few hours at Primary's getting all the preliminary labs and chest x-ray done. Ellie was a trooper! She didn't even flinch when they poked her to draw her blood. She thought getting the urine sample was a fun activity (they told her to pee in a plastic "hat" and then I got to pour it into the collection jar). She told me that there would be no more wearing that hat after she was done! Ellie seems genuinely pleased to be going in for surgery tomorrow. Strange child. Won't tomorrow be a rude awakening! We have tried to explain what's happening and have taken her to the pre-surgery class to help her know what to expect. She simply lives in the moment. Surgery is at 8:30 am tomorrow. Here we go...

Bye Bye Binkie

So, we decided that since Ellie is over 3, it was time to say goodbye to her longtime friend, the binkie. Ellie and the bink weren't always on good terms--we had to push and push to get her to overcome an oral aversion from severe reflux and having so many tubes in her mouth. We used the binkie when she was tiny to help get her used to having something in her mouth that didn't cause discomfort. She wasn't a big fan until she was over 4 months old. Then, then she and the binkie were inseparable! 

Some friends suggested taking her to choose a stuffed animal and then have her "pay" with her binkie. Then, when she needed comfort at bedtime, she could snuggle with her new toy.  She really wanted a pink bear from Build-A-Bear but I dreaded taking her to a germ-infested mall. She had been talking about this bear for weeks, so we headed out at a time when I hoped the mall would be less busy. We lucked out and ended up being the only ones in the store--phew! The lady that helped us was so cute! She suggested that Ellie put her binkie inside the bear with the stuffing. My first thought was that it would be a great idea until Ellie got so desperate for her bink that she got out the scissors for some emergency surgery. But, Ellie was sold. We left the store with "Bubbie" (not sure where she got that one) and a very happy girl! Bubbie did everything with us for the rest of the day. However, when it was time for sleep things changed drastically. First, Ellie tried to rip the poor bear's head off to get to the bink. Next, she tossed Bubbie to the floor with dramatic flourish! Then she cried and cried. About a half hour later, she told me to put Bubbie in the doll cradle on the floor (without a blanket though) and she was done. She went to sleep and hasn't asked for her binkie since. Phew! Now we have survived potty training and binkie removal successfully. Bring on the Fontan later this year! 

This is "Bubbie" and a happy girl 

Reality hits--notice Bubbie in the bottom corner of the photo

For Becky

So all in favor of Becky taking over.... Thanks, Sis! You do a much better job than I do! So, here's a token photo at least. Isn't Miss L beautiful? We have an amazing birth mom to thank for that! Our little one is growing up too fast!

Update on the Dummers

This is Shannon's sister Becky. I have officially hacked her blog. I keep telling my sister that she needs to post what is happening on her blog so that her friends and family can be up to date. She has not listened to the wise advice of her younger sister! So I am doing it for her.

The Dummer's finally got their perfect baby. After two failed adoptions they were blessed with Elizabeth Marisa (Lizzy) who was born at the end of September. She is amazing and fits right in the Dummer clan. Shannon and Kevin were able to take a mini vacation to California to pick her up. They were able to do this because of Shannon's amazing sister who came to watch the other kids (oh wait, that's me!) J/K We were all very excited to meet Lizzy, especially Ellie! Ellie informed us all that Lizzy is her baby sister and no one else could hold her. The Dummer family is complete, unless I can talk my sister into adopting one more for me to hold!

Now on to the next great news! Ellie had her heart echo done in November. We (or I should say I) was thinking that her next open heart surgery would be in March. I am happy to tell you all that I was wrong. Her heart looks amazing!!! There has not been any real significant changes since her last echo was done. Great news!!!! The cardiologist is going to try to postpone surgery until late summer or early fall! Also, Ellie is no longer tube fed. She is a big fan of 5 guy burgers and fries. I guess that saying no news is good news applies to the Dummer family.

Check back frequently because I now have full access to the Dummer blog and will update it! Shannon picks sleep over blogging. I don't blame her. She is an amazing mom to her 5 kids! Hopefully she can get some sleep soon! Love you Sis!