What a weekend.

We love our long weekends. May, being a month-long party for us, is no exception. My parents were in town and so we all decided to head over to Mayne Island to visit my sister and her family. What a great idea! A nice, secluded island full of nature and wildlife and quiet living. An entire weekend of slow days, mother nature and catching up and calming down. Sounds pretty nice, no?

Well, it turns out a good portion of the GVRD also thought that sounded like a lovely way to spend a weekend.

So on Sunday morning (after shirking our church duties), we headed to the ferry, thinking to walk on, only to find out there was NO parking at all. Not in the long term lot, nor in the lot down the road (the big gravel lot that is never full. Yeah, it was packed).

Ok... so we drove on. It doesn't sound all the dramatic but it kinda was. We got some of the last tickets to even get on that boat (the next was at 6pm) and we dashed on board, safe and sound.

This is Piper's second ferry ride, and she wasn't a big fan of the wind, but enjoyed all the faces. She is always making friends everywhere she goes.

Then we finally got to Mayne and we really did spend a good portion of the weekend relaxing and soaking up all that was around us. My sister and hubby (plus 2 nieces) live on a great piece of land about 5 minutes away from the "village"/main drag of the island. My sister had just planted her garden, so we got a tour of that and all the girls got good and dirty (even our oldest niece in her pretty "poofy" dress that only ever came off for bedtime). But a little roughage never hurt anyone.

Here is #1 niece teaching Piper to read (as any almost-three-year-old, she already knows everything).
Our other niece and Piper are only 2 months apart and are always pretty close in size. In a stroller, they sure look like they could be twins. Not a fun idea.
We all went to visit the lighthouse. Such awesome weather. Yes, and an opportunity for a photo op. Even the dog got in. Piper dipped her toes in the ocean (with help from Daddy) and I don't even think anyone got hurt on those rocks (covered in barnacles).
Piper spent most of the weekend outside. Of course, we forgot her sun-hat, but her hood was up most of the time. But she did get a healthy amount of sun. She really seemed to love it outside, especially watching her cousins. Oh, and we even saw a seal!
Piper is so close to walking. We are right on the cusp of a big life change coming up. Even this weekend, she took more steps on her own. The kind when she is walking purely to get herself to where she wants to go, not to impress anyone or put on a show. I know once we get to the walking part there is no turning back, so I am enjoying these last moments of my little bum-scooter.
We camped that night, as a family. We thought it would be a good experiment to try tenting with a baby near a house that we could bail in, if the night went terribly bad. But it was acutally ok. Matt had built a little nest for Piper beside our bed, but she wiggles so much in the night she ended up way past our heads, with her face on the bare tent floor and wall. We promptly brought her into our big nest and we all did much better. Piper is still breast-feeding, so it is always easier to nurse in bed with a baby right there. All in all, a good experiment. I think she thought it was the funniest thing to wake up with Mom and Dad right there. She could stick her little fingers right up our noses. A lovely way to wake up.

As our ferry home left at around 8, we thought to get there early to be sure to get on. So we bathed all the girls in the tub and stuck them all in their respective jammies. They were all so stinkin' cute in the tub together. Yes, good fodder for the wedding slide-show.
You can see Piper's scar healing up nicely. The top is looking better all the time, as there is no more scab or anything. We've got a scar cream we're putting on, though I might need to get a new vitamin E, as the stuff I put on her gave her a rash. Dang. She is less sensitive about you touching it, too, which helps when we are trying to put stuff on there, but this summer she is going to be wearing UV shirts all summer (if not all year) long. The doctors said to keep her scar out of the sun as it will burn easier and stay dark. So if you see Piper with long sleeves under what should be a summer top, that is why... She will thank me when she's older.

Alas, our ferry home was 100% booked. We had to wait until THE very last minute and we were actually the second to last car on the boat... and then the last car off of the boat. What a journey. Yikes. We thought we'd spend another night over (which, really, would have been great fun! minus the lack of clean underwear), but we are glad the ferry could squeeze us in.

Thanks for the squeeze, Mrs. Queen of Nanaimo. We really appreciated it.

We got home at around 10pm and all crashed right away. Now, it is just unto uncovering the house from the mess of the weekend. I know my kitchen is somewhere hidden under all of that mess. And the laundry machine might be running for a while.

All worth it. What a weekend indeed.

Big Birthday: Bonk + Bash!

Ok. It's happened. Over and done with. Piper is now one year old.

Big sigh.

But what a day/week/month/year!

Piper's actual birthday was really great. Matt ended up having the day off, so we could all spend it as a family. That was so special. She might not have a first birthday like that again.

She had some birthday pancakes with yogourt for brekkie (big fan, it seems) and made a good mess. I snuck some sweet potato in them pancakes and they were quite yummy! Nice and sweet and a nice warm colour.

And at some point, Matt brought his little Laser sailboat out and was setting it up for fun, and we realized that maybe we should keep it up for the party on Saturday. That ended up being the best idea ever! The kids loved it! And it was a great conversation piece, to boot.

The rest of the day was pretty low key. Piper had a massive wipe out on the drive way, which gave her a nice scrape right in the middle of her forehead, but nothing to mark off the year with a good bump. She survived.

We chilled the rest of the day, got some work done and then went out to dinner with friends in the evening.

Turning one wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. There were a few times when I looked at the clock and thought "this time last year we were...". It was pretty amazing thinking about time time last year. So much has changed, so much has been learnt and so much has happened! Who could have ever thought we'd have a year like this.

Wow.

And then onto our party on Saturday! If you didn't know, we all have birthday's within a few days of each other (Piper May 13, Frances May 16, Matt May 19), so we just tossed all the parties together. Though, really, the party was really for Piper. Not nearly as many people would have showed up just for us. She is a pretty special girl.

She had a special dress that her aunty bought for her while she was having her surgery and I had been saving it for just such a special day. (I like to think that) Piper's favourite colour is orange, so it suited well. We love lots of colour. Even though she slept through a good portion of the party, it was still great.

Lots of food, friends, some family and an all around grand ol' time. I am so glad we chose to celebrate in a loose, come-and-go-as-you-please sort of way as we got to actually visit with a good number of our guests, which I don't think we would have got to do if it had a shorter timeframe. We had people show up just before 11am, and the last people left just after 12am.

Yeah. Good long partaaay! We loved it. I think I'll buy more burgers next year.

I made approximatly 1 zillion cupcakes and they all disappeared, so that was a success. And I didn't take any pictures of them. As it happens, I totally forgot to take pictures until about 6pm. Yeah. And I sometimes call myself a photographer. Gah. Ain't that always how it goes?

Then it was onto the weekend.

Oh- time travel back to Friday! Totally forgot to say that Matt and I went on our birthday date! We went to an awesome concert to see David Gray in Vancouver and we had such a good time. I couldn't stop smiling for hours and hours after. It was a whirlwind day, but so worth it. I am glad we opted out of gifts this year and just acted like a young, dating couple (no, we didn't act like teenagers. Too tired). Did I say it was awesome already? Well, it was so stinkin' awesome! We've got to do that more often. Maybe not on the same night as the Stars on Ice, as parking was a whopping $23. Not cool.

Here is a family picture of us, taken on Sunday, my birthday. I am now officially 25. Yes, I know that makes me sound like a baby, but oh well. So far, I like the number.
Check out that bump! And she is pushing through the world's biggest molar, too, so she was pretty cranky and really clingy and really soother-bound. That night was really rough. Oh! And then got her shots the next day. Oh my. The day after that, she actually slept all day on me. She spent at least 80% of her awake time of the day in the sling and the rest, we spent on the couch, napping. I have never seen her like that. I did manage to finish my book (finally completed the Twilight series. Yikes. Bane of my existence! Took forever to get through that last one, but I am now done. And I am slightly underwhelmed. Sorry Twilight-ers).
Special cuddle times. Few and far between. But I savour them all.

So, where exactly will we be next year? This year has brought so many changes and surprises, I really don't even dare to dream what this next year will hold. I can be certain that the adventure-o-meter will be way up there. But only time will tell.

Happy birthday family. I am so blessed to call you mine.

And here is a little compilation of Piper from 10-12 months. I had a lot of fun with this one. I don't think I will be making these movies every 2 months... but we'll see. Enjoy :)

Almost One.

As I am sitting here, I can vividly remember where I was exactly this time last year. So vivid. So clear and yet so foggy.

I was deep in the labour process and really, really feeling it. For some reason, I feel so much more overwhelmed about this idea now. I am just blown away by what one can go through to get that little baby home. I was so focused on breathing and breathing and breathing... there was no time to actually think about what was really happening. It was just survival, until the next contraction.

In that fog, I remember one idea that kept me focused was seeing myself pushing our bright green stroller down the street with a baby finally in it. I pictured that stroller often, whenever I could. For some reason that really helped. The things that get you through.

And oh the things you don't know.

This time last year we were hours away from our baby girl, seeing her perfect little head and squinty eyes and long yellow fingernails. This time last year all of strength was being drawn to my belly and my brain as I felt wave after wave of my future approaching. She was so close, right there, just waiting for that perfect moment.

"Mom, you're not ready yet. I'm not ready yet, ok? Just a bit longer. Almost there. I can't wait to meet you".

Almost a year ago we had no idea what was coming. All the joy, mystery, exhaustion and bliss; all the confusion, worries and tests; all the moments of realization of what the rest of our lives would hold. How can one person, in one moment, alter the rest of all of your moments? None of my moments will ever be the same.

By having labour and delivery be such an emotional moment is almost like God's way of tattooing his love on us somehow. We couldn't possibly forget, even though the memories ebb and alter somewhat, we never truly forget what bringing our baby into the world was like. We went through so much to have this little person in our lives, and yet we still love that itty-bitty person to pieces. It is just an itty-bitty taste of the love that Christ has for us. So much pain and emotion for such a rich blessing. I get the gist of what God's love means. Just a taste, mind you.

So I send out all the love a mother can have for her child and I pour it out on my baby. My brave little baby girl who can't possibly be one year old! What a journey, in a mere 365 days, we've discovered so much already. What will tomorrow hold? What will the next 365 days hold? What will you teach me? How will you challenge me? Who will you help me become?

There is so much adventure out there and I want to have so many more adventures with you. One day at a time. I can't wait for tomorrow. I eagerly await every day I get to spend being your Mommy. What a gift.

I finally made a short little video about Piper's heart surgery. It's not much, but I know I always like looking at moving photos to get a real feel for what things were like.

Wow. So glad we can move on.

Tickity-boo.

Do I dare say that everything looks good? I just might!

As I was in the change room at the Gap yesterday, mid-way through a pants change, I got a call from BCCH. It was our lovely cardiology nurse telling us that Piper's last check up looked great, that the infection should just keep getting better and that any wheezing she has should just be monitored by us in case it gets worse (which it hasn't). She then said that the cardiologist wouldn't need to see us again until November sometime! Ta-da! That is that.

That seems so odd to me, but so good at the same time. I mean, at our last visit, we were dealing face to face with the surgeon (such a cool dude, by the way) and he felt really great about how Piper was doing, and now, with her repair, there is not too much to worry about. How crazy is that? I really do think the worst is over!

Yes, we will still have to have periodic check ups (and we'll most likely have a hematology check up in between there), but really, they are just for maintenance and record keeping. Wow. Officially done.

Piper's scar is healing up, slowly but surely. She just has a tiny scab from where it bled before and it is almost gone. Then we can begin some scar treatment.

Anyways, long time coming, but here is an example of the other little issue Piper HAD with her heart (no longer!). It was called a Double Outlet Right Ventricle, which, from what I understand, it effects both of the hearts "outlets" (aorta and pulmonary artery), as they both come over the right ventricle instead of the aorta coming out of the left ventricle and the pulmonary artery coming out of the right. The surgeon told us that they were kinda "stacked", and over the hole in her heart, and they should really be going in the proper direction. Anyways, as with all heart surgery, it was just a quick little extra patch over the pulmonary artery to make it a bit bigger and then the patch that closed the hole in her heart just had to be kinda scooted around that aorta so that is always arises out of the left side.

It doesn't make a big difference for us, but I figure I should document this anyways.

Yet again, I just stand in awe at how crazy all of this is. Piper's heart is still so tiny, and they can fix all of that, just as easy as anything.

I forget, too, how common heart surgery is in little kids. It is such an intricate organ, it is even more amazing how many times it gets made right first shot! But I am just so glad for all the smart, brilliant people who are able, gifted and available to fix babies hearts, and in particular, my baby's heart.

We are so glad to have that part of the journey behind us, though it is part of what makes us us. We wouldn't trade it for anything. This is all part of Piper's story.

And Mother's day was lovely. Last weekend was one of the most relaxing weekends in recent history. Lots of lounging about, walks, food, chatting and friends. I felt really refreshed after it all. I did get some lovely flowers (lily of the valley- May's flower) and we all had a really great day celebrating and loving Mom's (even though neither of us could see our Mom's).

A lot of the day I thought of how I was last year Mother's day...

I am so glad I am not that pregnant right now. This was just before our date for "cervical ripening". Gahhh... Doesn't that sound special. I wanted a baby so bad for Mother's day last year... we were so close. Only 10 days overdue. We spent the day skipping church, finishing reading The Hobbit (outloud- Matt did most of it) at Crescent Beach and then we went to Home Depot and bought a garden hose. Ahhh... when life was simple. Hobbits and hoses.

Still, as chaotic and colorful as this new life is, I love it in a way that I can't quite put words to. Most mothers can probably relate. And again, wouldn't trade this for anything. This is part of my story.

And here is a picture of Piper, because I know that is what you are really here looking for:

Tiny infection.

So it appears that the very top of Piper's incision is a little infected. We went to BCCH on Thursday and they looked at it being a little red as a sign of infection. We said it hadn't really gotten any better, nor had it gotten a lot worse, but they figured to deal with it.

They called the surgeon down (the one who did the surgery) and got him to basically, open that tiny bit back up and take a look around. Ummmm... Matt and I were just in the room with him and the cardio nurse, kinda curling our toes in agony.

The surgeon just whipped up his sterile tweezers and just with a tiny little motion, unzipped the very top of Piper's incision, maybe 1/4 inch? bit more? And then, with his trusty and steady tweezers, he started pulling out about 3/4 inch of stitch, which just looks like fishing wire. As it came up, the nurse said "aha! There is the culprit!" and he agreed and quickly snipped it short.

Oh my. I was on bubble-duty (yes, that is just blowing bubbles for Piper to watch- a minor distraction when someone has just picked an infected scab on your chest, no freezing, no nothing), and it mildly worked. Piper was screaming bloody murder. I've kinda blocked it out. That was more than I wanted to deal with, I think. It was maybe only one minute long, but I had never really seen blood coming out of her wound like that, and it did make me a tiny bit woozy.

But both the nurse and the surgeon were so good and fast. In another second, they had wiped up the blood and taped her up real nice and she was back in my arms, all sweaty and shaken. Poor babe. But I really do think that needed to happen. I am sure her having 0 neutrophils wasn't helping her fight that infection (we did get our customary blood withdrawal that day, too... of course). So it was nice to have that taken care of.

They sent us home with a prescription for some antibiotics and off we were. They are the fun kind of antibiotics that have to be given every 6 hours for 7 days straight. Oh joy. Luckily (insert sarcastic tone here), Piper has been waking up every 2-3 hours in the night, kinda a-la-newborn style. Tres not chic.

Anyways, since then, she has actually been sleeping better (I got my first 5 hour stretch since pre-surgery!), so I wonder if her infection was bothering her, or was it something else? We'll never know. But she seems better.

We go back to the hospital on Thursday, just to check in again, and maybe try again for an echo, as this last time did not go well. As in, it did not happen. Piper was livid at the thought of lying still and having a strange woman touch her chest. So yeah. No dice. The cardiologist had a good listen once she was calm and said she didn't need one right away anyways. But we'll see what they think this week.

Piper is wheezing a tiny bit and I don't like it much. It might just be diaphragm stuff or just that her breathing system is still recovering from all the interruptions or who knows. They will fill us in a bit more on that, too.

The surgeon mentioned that that part of the scar might not clean up as nicely as the rest. Hmmm... of course it had to be at the top. But, this is all part of Piper's story now and she'll never know any different. And besides, it is the perfect place for a pendant, one day... I'll try to get a picture soon, but we don't leave it uncovered long, as she soon feels for it and it's still kinda an open wound, no real scab yet.

So pleased with herself that she can climb things now!

Other than that, Piper is getting bigger and better all of the time (actually, she has just now reached her pre-op weight again of 17 ish lbs). She is taking steps on her own between things and people, has tried cow's milk here and there and been fine with it and has pushed through 2 molars (10 teeth total!). Not only that, she is almost 1 year old! I can't even really fathom it. Really. But it is happening.

She is such a big girl now, I've even felt funny sometimes calling her "baby". But she is still such a baby, but just a more mobile and active one.

For some odd reason, and maybe it had something to do with the intensity of surgery, but I feel so strongly that I am falling more and more in love with her every day. Such a strange and powerful and beautiful feeling.