22 Months...SO Much Going On!

My princess peanut is 22 months today.  She is amazing!  I have been reflecting lately...like I do so much of the time.  I often wonder if I will always spend so much time reflecting on the past.  I have found that once the Fontan is done, many heart families don't blog as often.  I wonder if that will be me.  Will I be able to stop sharing all the little milestones?  Will I feel I can catch my breath and not worry all the time?  I am not sure when Hope will have her Fontan.  She is still really little, so I am guessing it will be next summer...or maybe the summer after.  I pray all the time that her heart doesn't make her actually 'need' the Fontan...that it can happen when she is doing good and not have it be an emergency.  I pray all the time that her kidney's continue to handle everything and they don't cause her any problems.  I know they will eventually...realistically she will eventually need a transplant.  I pray it is far into the future...maybe when they have found a different way of transplanting kidneys (hopefully with artificial or stem cells).

We have been having a blast this summer.  We spend as much time outside as possible.  The kids would be outside all day if I let them.  Hope runs and plays with the boys and they are really good about including her.  Jerry even picks her up and carries her over the rocks in the driveway so it won't hurt her feet.  He is a great kid and so good with Hope.  They have these little discussions and I know they are really close and I can tell Jerry knows Hope needs a little extra love and support sometimes.

With that said...I am thinking Hope is getting a little spoiled.  Or...it is the terrible twos coming on a little early.  There are days when she fusses all day and wants mommy to hold her all the time.  I really don't think it is heart related because she only wants mom.  It seems like a power struggle too.  She does just fine and can play really well when I am not in the same room.  If I go to the play room to check on her and the boys, she will scream to be picked up.

Finally...the other day we were all hanging out in the living room.  My husband looked out the patio doors and saw a hawk on the picnic table by the lake (we have four picnic tables).  It was a beautiful bird and I grabbed the camera.  I thought for sure it would fly away when I tried to go take his picture.  Nope...we found out he broke his wing and couldn't get away.  I got a bunch of great pictures before taking him to this cool Raptor Center nearby.  They take care of all sorts of birds and they are all wonderful people.  I didn't know anything about the center, but it is now on my list to donate.  They have hawks, eagles, buzzards, and every other kind of bird you can think of.  Here is their website if you want to check them out.