Faith's Mom's Blog

Faith loves to bake. And as she informed her respite care provider the other day, "I'm really good at mixing!" She likes to watch all of the ingredients go into the bowl, and then I help her stir it all together. She watches intently as I put the baked goods - usually muffins or cookies - into the oven. I turn on the timer and she knows our creation is ready when the bell goes, "DING!" I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not that I don't really bake all that much. Probably better for weight control but those baked goods sure are yummy with a cup of coffee. Faith still gets her baking time in though as all of her respite care providers have baked with her at one time or another. One of her providers even bought her the cutest little apron. Yesterday, while Kimberly was watching Faith, she informed Kimberly that she wanted to make something in the kitchen. So she and Kimberly searched in the pantry for something they could make. Aha! A little bo

Growing up, I really never thought about having children. The fact was, my cardiologists always told me I would never be able to have a baby. It never really bothered me. Instead of having children, I figured I would just have cats and dogs. Seriously, I loved animals and the pets I had while growing up gave me great comfort and lots of joy. Then one day, as a twenty-four year old, I went to visit a co-worker who had just had a baby. When I left after seeing my friend and her tiny little girl, I felt sad that I would never be able to have that experience. Fast forward two years. Due to the heart surgery I had when I was 25, I was doing very well, healthwise. I was also seeing different doctors - those from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester instead of those in Minneapolis. These cardiologists told me they had success with women who have had the fontan surgery having babies. So, after getting married in 2002, my husband and I decided to go for it. When I did find out I was pregnant. I w

We do not travel with Faith very often. Once had to take her to Minneapolis because Rob had an interview with the INS and his wife and child were required to be there. She was only about 10 months old at the time. We also flew to Toronto for Christmas when she was fourteen months old. Both of these trips took place pre -wheelchair and pre -feeding tube so it wasn't so bad. As she got older, however, she attained more equipment and it became more and more difficult to travel with her.   There was one trip where I had to go to Rochester for possible gallbladder surgery and we actually rented a jeep in which to fit all of our stuff. The only vehicle we had was a 2001 Hyundai Elantra . It was January and very cold. We took Faith to the Mall of America (where she is shown to the right getting a feeding) so we could try to warm our spirits on such a freezing cold trip. Two years ago, we flew once again to Toronto. It was a nightmare and we vowed never to do this again. Faith had her K

It's one of the most anticipated events of the summer. We wait and wait and try to be patient. We moms question each other why it hasn't happened yet. We begin to stalk the school, driving and walking by even when it's well out of our way.  Then, finally, it's there. We see it! The white paper with typed names posted on the school door. The class list is out! Moms, dads and kids alike rush to read the list. And then everyone walks away, some with smiles on their faces while others with tears in their eyes. I was one of those with tears in my eyes as I looked at the class list. Faith did not get the first grade teacher I was hoping she would get. She did not get into the same classroom as one of her best friends. And she will only know a few little girls in her class. BUMMER! I felt a little better after talking to one of my good friends. Her son had the teacher that Faith will have this fall. She said she believes Faith will do well with her. I had been hoping Fai

Faith likes dogs. Let me rephrase - Faith likes quiet dogs. And today she met one of those quiet dogs, a cute little pom-a-poo named Molly who is now her new friend. Today Faith and I took a stroll down Ithica Drive to our friend, Mrs. Volk's house. We became friends with her when she was assigned to work with Faith during kindergarten. They became quite fond of one another. I was so thankful all year for being able to have someone I could completely trust to take care of Faith during the school year. When we got closer to her house, we saw Mrs. Volk outside walking her dog, Molly. When we got inside, Mrs. Volk held Molly up to Faith so Faith could pet her. Faith was very gentle and really liked to touch her soft, fuzzy ears. Faith also liked it when she saw what tricks Molly could perform. Molly was quite the entertainer, sitting pretty, shaking hands, rolling over and speaking - all for treats of course. Faith sort of jumped when Molly "spoke" but then Faith mad

Faith was around two years old when she got her Mic-Key button and began eating via feeding tube. And honestly, it was a nightmare. She hadn't been eating enough to gain weight or to meet her nutritional needs so this was really our only hope. She had the surgery and was discharged that night. When we brought her home we did just as the nurses told us to do. We hooked up a large syringe to her feeding tube that was connected to her button and slowly allowed the liquid to go into her tummy. When we first started out, she was receiving three ounces of Pediasure every three hours, four times a day. Sometimes the liquid went into her tummy too quickly and she ended up with an upset stomach, vomiting it back up. We learned to go as slow as we could and it took a lot of patience. It took us about 30 minutes to get all three ounces into her tummy. Another issue with her enteral feedings is that if she moved too quickly after receiving her feeding she would throw up. We had to learn to a

 Due to logistics and other reasons, Rob was not able to witness Faith coming into the world. She was born in Rochester, over 600 miles from home. Rob found out he was a daddy when he stopped in Fergus Falls, Minnesota to make a call to his mother. She told him he was a daddy! He got to Rochester just before midnight on the day of her birth - October 25, 2003. When Rob first saw Faith's tiny little body - just over 2 lbs., she was covered with tubes and lines all hooked up to different apparatuses. What was supposed to be one of the most joyful events of his life was one of the most frightening. After spending time with a daughter he couldn't even hold, he came down to the hospital to see me. I was still pretty out of it but I do remember coming up with Faith's middle name - Faith Jean Armour. (Faith has both mine and Rob's middle names). We visited her in the NICU as much as we could. She looked so tiny and fragile but we knew she was a fighter. Finally, one week a