Emma's annual cardiology appointment...

So today was Emma's annual cardiology appointment....at 8:30 in the morning at the downtown Cook clinic. Obviously, I made this appointment before I had two children and knew what it would take to get us all dressed, fed, and out the door. But, amazingly we did it! (I won't tell you what time I started this morning to make it possible for me to actually fix my hair and put on makeup, too!)

Emma was such a trooper! She did so well during her EKG, pressure readings and echocardiogram! She was amazing...so much easier now than when she was 1-2 years old! Here she is with all of her "stickers" during the EKG:

With her oh-so-attractive "dress"

Taking the opportunity to read while we wait!

Being so good while having her echo...and watching 101 Dalmations! You can see some of her heart chambers on the computer screen! It's much easier for me now to tell the different structures of the heart than when she was a baby!! Not only has the heart grown just slightly :) but I've had more experience now!

So we got good news and not-so-great-but-not-a-tragedy news.

Good news: She looks great and doesn't have to come back for a checkup for TWO WHOLE YEARS!!!! She will be finishing kindergarten before she goes back!

On the other front: this was the first time since her first year that Dr. Readinger talked about the real possibility that she will need an additional surgery when she is older. If she needs it, she would be a teenager probably. There is a piece of muscle below her bicuspid valve (which is a defect in itself because the normal heart has a tricuspid valve). If it grows as she grows, there will be a resulting stenosis (sp?) or narrowing that will restrict blood blow and she will need surgery again. But he said that sometimes it grows in situations like hers, and sometimes it doesn't. So we'll be praying over the next 10 years or so that it stays small!! And anyways, who know what advances will be made in medicine in 10 years!!