Chromosomes...

her first car ride...


my attempt at a cute pic...I really need help huh :)

I don't know if I ever wrote this on the blog but during the first u/s that we had with the cardiologist we were told that  50% of kids that have this heart defect have a chromosome problem ( a deletion of part of the 22 chromosome) called DiGeorge syndrome.  We were therefore worried that our little Mckinley would have this as well since HALF of the cases do.  I didn't do an amniocentesis so after birth her blood was drawn and sent away for the test.  Well...we got it back and  SHE DOESN'T HAVE IT!!!!  I can't tell you how grateful we are!  After her heart surgery she will be able to lead a healthy, happy normal life!  We would have loved her either way obviously, but it is so nice to know she won't have many other things to worry about as she gets older!

After all that has happened since she was born I was just thinking about the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:11 about "opposition in all things."  I was feeling so blessed and realized that I probably wouldn't  have felt so lucky and so blessed if I hadn't gone through other things...SO I really see that opposition in our lives brings us closer Our Father...

 (here's some examples in no particular order)

**If I hadn't known that she could be blue/purple at birth due to her condition, would I have noticed just how wonderfully pink her little face was the first time I saw her?  

**If I hadn't had an u/s letting me prepare would I have been so grateful for the time she spent in newborn ICU making sure that she was okay (not to mention all the mds and nurses that were there waiting for her to be born?)

**If I hadn't gotten a cold and not been allowed to see her for three days after birth, would I have been so grateful for the time that I was able to spend in the crowded NICU at Children's, nursing in front of EVERYONE and their dog (oh I mean students/residents/mds/families/socialworkers/respiratory/childlife specialist...)?

**If I hadn't known that there was a possible chromosome deficiency would I have even thought to thank my Heavenly Father for NORMAL ones?

**If I hadn't seen the other babies in the NICU would I realize just how good my little one was doing?

**If I was able to go to the grosery store or anywhere for that matter would I be as grateful for the wonderful dinners that are being brought to us STILL! (since she can't get sick, I can't take her anywhere right now before surgery)

**If Harrison hadn't gotten sick this past weekend (the 24 hour throw up thing) would I have been so grateful that he got sick sat. morning and felt fine sunday night (just in time for Ryan to care for him so I could hibernate in the bedroom and keep Mckinley safe) and that it was just the 24 hour flu and not a cold/lung thing that could seriously harm our little girl?

**If Ryan wasn't gone starting yesterday till Thurs. out of town (my first solo with the two kids with no hubby or mother to help) would I be so grateful for him in the evenings soon or the fact that people are bringing dinner mon, tues, and thurs while he is gone AND this morning another friend offered to take Harrison on a playdate AND another friend brought dinner FOR THE SECOND TIME so that now, even wend. we will have dinner so that I don't have anything to worry about except the kids (and neither of them knew ry was gone)??

**If I hadn't delt with surgery before would I be so grateful for the fact that we moved here just in time to receive care by a world renowned pediatric heart surgeon that has pioneered some of the heart techniques used today?

**If I hadn't had two kids that DON'T like to eat ( I know its crazy!) would I be so grateful for a little girl who absolutely LOVES to eat?

**If I hadn't lost my first daughter, would I have been as grateful for another even though she does have a heart defect?  Sometimes is seems so big (the heart things) but really how small is the fact that she will have a surgery by an incredible doctor since we are blessed to live in these days, and then (if we are so blessed) be able to live a long healthy life here?

okay...so I could go on and on (as I did :)) but sometimes you just have to say something or explode...so I exploded here :)

**Would I have realized just how special all you guys are, all our friends and family, if I hadn't gone through the things I have and found so so many incredible people help me along the way...thank you...

We're home!!

We made it home!!!  After the cardiologists looked at her last echo they sent  us home!!!  We feel so blessed.  They did the echo cardiogram on Monday and her heart and lungs had finally stabilized.  The pressures were the same as the friday one and so the changes after birth had finally happened.  So since the heart and lungs were stable and she was still pink, and o2 sats were still in the high 90's they were able to send us home. 

I kept wondering why they were having such a hard decision when she was looking so good, but one of the cardiologists said that her heart didn't look good--that is looked like she needed surgery,  but then you look at her and she just looked great.  So they were waiting for her to suddenly go downhill like her heart looked.  But she never did!!  So I just want you to know that fasting, prayers and blessings sure do work--so we can have the time for her to mature and get bigger so that the surgery has the best possible outcome!!  

They are watching us closely--the home health nurse came Wed., we saw the Cardiologist again thurs. and then we saw the pediatrician today.  They all said she looked good!  So we are taking it a week at a time.  When her o2 sats are in the mid 90's they will watch us closer and when they are in the low 90's high 80's she will go in for surgery.  So we are hoping she can wait for 2-4 months!  

In the meantime we need to fatten her up and not get her sick!  She loves to eat (unlike EITHER of my other kids) so hopefully that will be easy but the not getting sick part is going to be hard.  I can't take her in crowds or inside  a lot of places, but we can go on walks and parks when the weather is nice.  So church sounds like its out for a little while and it will be really hard on Harrison if he can't see his friends during the week--but these months will go by and she will have surgery and then recover and then be a healthy little girl!  I am looking forward to those days !!  

Thanks again for all your love!

Introducing...Mckinley Linton

Mckinley Linton

March 6, 2009

7 lbs. 4 oz., 20 in.

Mckinley came on Friday, March 6.  It was my longest labor yet, due to the induction, but after I let my doctor break my water at 4:05 pm I went from a 4-10cm and she was born at 4:50!  She did incredible!  The neonatologist, the respiratory therapist and NICU nurse were there and she amazed all of them by pinking up so fast that I even got to hold her for a few minutes before they took her to the NICU!  She had her Echocardiogram done and she looked okay enough that after a couple hours they let me go in and nurse her!  

Things were going really well till the new shift came on and found I had a cold (which I told the other shift...) and I wasn't aloud to see her anymore incase I got her sick.  I was so sad but I didn't want her sick either.  So I started pumping milk.  She stayed there at that hospital till Monday, when they did another Echo and decided that she needed surgery sooner so that transported her to Children's hospital Oakland (I was finally able to see her monday!).  Then Tues. all the ped. cardiologist and the surgeon meet and decided to wait and see a few days more.  So then we thought she could go home on the following Monday.  Well, then they did another Echo Friday and put her on the schedule for surgery this Tues (march 17).  But now she still looks so good they are doing ANOTHER echo Monday and bringing it to the Cardiology group again tues morning adn they will decide then if she has surgery that afternoon, or if she gets to finally come home!

So, what the hard part is, is that her Echo does not look very good, it looks like she really needs surgery and she isn't getting the oxygen that she needs.  But then if you look at HER she is pink (with a little bluish hands and feet sometimes) and has oxygen saturations in the 90's (normal) almost all the time!  So they just don't know what to do.  On cardiologist said that "she will tell us what we need to do"  so I think that she will.  I am just praying that the doctors will be lead to the right decision for her that she will get the best outcome and the surgery will go the best.  So wether it's this Tues, or a few months from now, she will be taken care of!  

Thank you all so much for all of your congrats, thoughts and prayers!  

A few more late pics from the last month

Again, its been a month--sorry!! Here are a few pics that happened, and then a few notes about doctors appts. I've had...

Every wednesday we get together with the kids for "park group" which is now at the church for the winter.  So we bring bikes and balls for them and here is Harrison already getting "pushed around" by the girls (but when their this cute why not let them  ?!)
Another Wedn. some decided to explore the city by going to the exporitorium downtown San fran.  Well, quite the adventure....a few notes:

*three hours getting there (via BART and Bus) 2 hours there 2 hours home...next time I think we'll drive!

*5 women, 6 kids, 5 strollers + snacks/diapers/drinks don't fit on one bus...

*make sure you know the CORRECT name of the place you are going to, to ask the bus driver...

*make sure you go on the same bus as the person that is paying for you...

*Always ask strange people on the street to take pictures for you...
*enjoy the scenery...
*let the kids run around while they can...
*don't get on the bus when school is letting out...
*you must remove your sleeping children from the stroller before getting on the bus...
*ALWAYS stop at Sees chocolates to get chocolates for the ride home...
*walk home and congratulate yourself on surviving the days adventure being 8 months prego :) and having the only mom with a kid that didn't sleep the whole day...
It has been raining a lot and Harrison had to get out and of course the first thing he does is jump in the puddles, though you tell him not to...but who can deny this cute little face?

"See Mom!  I jump like a froggie!"

By the end of the jumping his pants were so wet that he had to hold them up to keep jumping, but jump he still did!!

So the last u/s on the baby's heart have been good, still growing.  I have now surpassed my normal prego size and weight (for a while now :)), and my OB wants to induce me next Friday (march 6) because I'll basically be 39 weeks, i've started dilating and because of my blood thinners and the baby's heart they don't want me to go on my own...so possibly I have one week left...I meet again with him on Monday and will try and talk him out of it!  

I met with the neonatologist and he is positive about the baby and basically said they are prepared for anything, so whatever happens the baby will be taken care of.  The surgeon I had an appt with, canceled because of another emergency surgery so I will meet him when the baby is born....So we're just waiting...  

Hope everyone is enjoying their winter!!!  

Hello Again :)

So, as usual, I'm slightly behind with things!  Hope everyone had a great Dec. and now Jan.!!  Instead of saying tons, here are some pics from the last few months (from Thanksgiving through Jan.) !


My first Thanksgiving dinner (and we didn't even get sick:)!




Harrison trying the ignore the big man in red.
Gingerbread house decorating with some friends--I think Harrison consumed his body weight in candy by sitting in his seat and just eating for a straight hour!!  Looks a little loopy to to me!






Just in time before he tore off the hat :)
Loves his Daddy!
Ry's family Christmas Eve

Christmas morning
Sledding in 20 weather with wind wan't Harrison's favorite thing.  I tried to take him again and he flatly refused to get near the edge--the things we make our kids do...
Kevin and Audrey--Another sister for me !!!

Horse riding lessons

brothers and cousins


Harrison's first snowman--he loved it!  And actually left the gloves on half the time.

Grandpa teaching him the art of "snowplowing"

snow snow and yes, snow...I wanted to make it down to Provo to see some friends (sorry everyone!)  but it snowed almost everday and not just a little!  I never made it past Salt Lake!!
Thanksgiving was nice to do things ourselves with our own little family!  Then for Christmas we had so much fun relaxing but really couldn't do much because it snowed so much up there in Bountiful (and I guess most the state!).  So we hung out with Ryan's family and then mine while they were there for the wedding and then stayed and relaxed some more while thinking how nice it would be to be back in the 60s in Ca! 

It has been nice to be back home, though sad to say goodbye to both families.  I am now 34 weeks along and the baby's heart is growing and looking the same so really all and all doing well!  I promise to write more later but hope all is well with all of you!  Thanks for all the well wishing and sorry to be MIA for so long!  Love all of you :)!