Kauai-Day 7, September 9th

Noah's Cardiologist Appointment....or as I like to call it......He might need a WHAT!!!

Life is full of up and downs, and with a child with CHD, the ride seems to be continuous.

Noah had his yearly cardiology appointment, which ALWAYS turns me into a ball of nerves for days preceding the actual appointment. Having to take your child to a cardiologist is one of those things that is hard to 'explain' to a parent of a healthy kiddo. It isn't somewhere you ever want to have to take your child, but it is our reality.

As usual, I had to keep convincing myself that everything was fine, he is fine, he has not been complaining about any of the symptoms that we are always watching out for. I told myself to relax, because it would be over soon, and they would tell us everything looked perfect...see ya next year. Everything was moving along smoothly....the echo went good. Really quick and they saw everything they needed to. We went to our room, and they came in to check his saturation levels. They were at 97% on room air....which is amazing for him. Good....one more thing out of the way. They hooked him up and did his EKG and we just waited for the Dr. to come in and tell us to get the heck out of there.

Well....that didn't happen. After all the good news that was making my butterflies disappear, we were hit with the fact that his EKG was not normal. So now we have him hooked up to a Halter monitor to see how his heart functions daily with his normal activity. If it looks good, the will use the results as a baseline for any future tests. If it is not normal, we will be having a discussion about having surgery to put in a pacemaker. This was NOT something I was prepared for, or something I even thought of as a possibility. A pacemaker, I know, is something some heart kids have. However, I thought that kids that were 'sick' had pacemakers, and I don't view Noah as sick, so I am worried. I am terrified, is more like it. I will focus on all the great news we received today...but I would be lying if I didn't admit that my brain is swelling with questions and fear.

I held it together really good while we were with Noah. We even teased him about looking like Iron Man with the Halter monitor on. But the second I was alone, the second I was out of his sight, I lost it. I had a 3 hour meltdown that I am trying to recover from. I am grateful for science, and the ability to intervene and correct something now if needed. But, I am a MOMMY, and I am scared, and worried, and full of love my little man who means the world to me.

Kauai-Day 6, September 8th

Kauai-Day 5, September 7th

Kauai-Day 4, September 6th

Marathon Day

After Kim and I dropped Gabe off at the marathon start line, we drove to a spot where there was a turn about, so we would be able to cheer him on at miles 9 and 18. We parked in front of some guys yard and waited. Kim took a nap, and I read until we started to see runners coming. I couldn't believe the amount of spectators...just coming out to support the runners. We met some amazing people while waiting, all of which turned into a 'Go Gabe Go' cheering squad. You know why everyone is so nice in Kauai?? Because they live in Kauai...

We saw Dean Karnazes...'Ultra Marathon Runner' go by, so we snapped a shot.

Here comes Mr. Perfect....he is completely soaked. It rained more than half the race. He had a sponge he would use to soak up all the wetness from rain and sweat.

Some dumb ass lady drove her car down through the finish line! Luckily no one was hurt, but it was ridiculous that she did it. Several runners were in danger of being hit, and even had to go off course so they could finish safely.

Here is Gabe about 50 yards from the finish line. HE DID IT!!

That my friends is what you call a bloody nipple.

It sounds like a cocktail, but it is actually the result of so much moisture from running in the rain, and his nipple band aids wouldn't even stay on.

Later after we repaired the damage one!

(I'm sure he is going to love me for posting that picture)

After we got back from the run, we cleaned up, had lunch and took off for some sightseeing that required a lot of driving. We didn't want Gabe to cramp up in the water.

Our first stop was Glass Beach.

It is an area where glass from the dump washes up onto shore and has transformed into these amazing pebble looking objects.

Funny Sign at the Beach

Spencer found some glass that looked like pointy teeth, so of course he had to act like a goofball. We love him for it.

All the glass is in the sand. It makes the whole beach kind of glisten.

Gabe and I chillin' at the beach.

After Glass Beach we stopped for Shave Ice before heading to Waimea Canyon.

Gabe had been waiting to try this island treat from the moment we got there.

I guess running 26.2 miles a few hours before entitles you to a treat.

I guess.

There should be pictures of Waimea Canyon here, but my camera battery died, and Spencer has all the pictures. When he gets me a copy of them, I will have to add them to another blog entry.