Another Great Heart Check-Up For Erin!

Did you ever think that a large scar could be beautiful? I'm not sure I would have before Sept. 19th of last year. Today was Erin's heart check-up at the cardiologist office. After she had been thouroughly checked out and we were assured that her heart was still working perfectly, I was able to chat with the cardiologist about lighter issues. She called this the "fun" visit. As we were chatting, she commented on how nicely Erin's scar had healed. As she studied it, she said she wished there could be a way to avoid the scar, but that was just impossible (I have long ago picked up on that fact that she is a perfectionist. Fine by me...I'll take a perfectionist cardiologist any day). I explained to her how I thought Erin's scar was beautiful, a true work of art. I will always be thankful for that scar. Where would we be today if it weren't for the perfectionism of the cardiologist, and the God-given skill of the heart surgeon who left a three inch scar on Erin's chest? For us, it is a reminder of the day our little Happy got a new heart, and through that, the rest of our hearts grew a little closer to God. What a beautiful scar!




Erin's next scheduled cardiac appointment is in one year. Now that's music to my ears!!!

Katharine's Baptism

Last weekend our beautiful Goddaughter was baptized! It was such a lovely Mass and fun celebration. She is such a content baby and I was thrilled to be able to hold her throughout the entire Mass and baptism. She was all smiles. I made sure to get a little of her baptismal oil on myself because I just LOVE the smell. If you are Catholic, you know the scented oil I am talking about. The entire Mass fills the senses....eyes, ears, and yes, even scent. It is all such a beautiful gift. Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful child, Katharine Renatta.

"How Many More Years Until Spring?"

This title was a question that Aidan recently asked me. I think we were all thinking the same thing. After our long winter with record setting snowfall, we are all excited for spring! Here are a few pictures showing what we've been up to with the warmer weather.

Erin loves her new ride!

A visit to the creek to see the rainbow trout spawning (at least I think they were rainbow trout...could be wrong).






Lots of fun playtime here. The kids are masters at finding any item they can and then playing with it in an unusual way. We like to call it creative play. They do occasionally use jump ropes for jumping too; imagine that!

Time to Fire Up the Grill....

Literally!

It's Time For Croquet!

The backyard competitions have begun...

Can I have a Little Vitamin D Please?

Here's my little cherub taking in all that sunshine. What a bathing beauty if I do say so myself :) And for those who were wondering, she is still eating very well...just check out that tummy if you have any doubts.

Another Reason Why Moira Loves Irish Dancing...

On St. Paddy's Day the girls performed at a dinner party. Seated at the head table was Mark Murphy, whom Moira noticed instantly, even while dancing her opening reel. For those of you who need a little reminder who Mark Murphy is (I hope I'm not the only one), he's the president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers :) Here's the pic that Moira's friend took of her after the performance.

First Communion Pictures!

We had a perfect day for Teresa and cousin Conal's First Communion!!! Both sets of grandparents and uncle Patrick were able to be here. The Mass was beautiful. The weather was warm and so were our hearts. Teresa and Conal were so proud and thankful to recieve their First Holy Communion and we had a great celebration afterwards. Here are LOTS of pictures.

Here is Teresa's banner that she made earlier in the week in preparation for the big day.

Teresa with her doll from Grandma and Grandpa D.

Teresa and Erin before the Mass, all ready to go.

Teresa and Aidan

Peace!

Molly Grace

Teresa, Aidan and Erin

After the Mass

Cousin Conal

Kelly, Kelley and Conal

Mike, Teresa and Me

How charming! Don't they look great?!

Monsignor Klister with Teresa

Grandma M. with Erin

Time for cake!

Cousin Colleen, Bridget and friend Mark

Teresa with out newest Godchild, Kathryn

Snakes!

Bridget, Teresa, Aidan and Molly Grace enjoyed the snakes at the Big Event For Little Kids.

Just Another Ordinary Miracle

It's not everyday that you get to see the actual chromosomes in one of your cells. Recently I was able to get a copy of Erin's karyotype, which is a profile of a person's chromosomes. Along with the karyotype came the actual image of one of her cells that was examined shortly after her birth. As you can clearly see here, she has three 21st chromosomes, which happen to be the smallest of the human chromosomes. Hence, the scientific name, Trisomy 21, otherwise known as Down syndrome.





It's interesting, and may even sound a bit strange to some, but I have grown to love that extra chromosome that is found in all the cells of my sweet little girl's body. Partly, the extra 21st is what makes Erin unique; it's what makes Erin, Erin. I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to be her mother. I plan to frame this karyotype, this little fingerprint from God, and save it as a keepsake for us to cherish.