Spine Check-up

Good Afternoon everyone. As I mentioned the other day Ava had an appointment with Dr. Weinstein at Iowa Children’s Hospital. He is an Orthopedic doctor. This was our first meeting with him. What a wonderful, loving doctor he truly is! It is neat to see a doctor that LOVES his job. He introduced himself to Ava and I could tell instantly she trusted him.

When we first came in Ava went right back for a full Spine x-ray. Her last Spinal check was done at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia while we were there for her two year CDH appointment and the CHOP fetal reunion in June 2008. She was 22 months old. I had not noticed any problems and her surgeon here in Iowa thought her Spine looked fine. However I like to be very sure. Many times in CDH kids they can get Scoliosis So with that warning I keep my ears, eyes and anything else alerted!

Dr. Weinstein made Ava do several bends and motions with her back. He then told me that her left hip is slightly lower than her right. You can see this in the x-ray below, if you look real close. This makes her right leg a tiny bit shorter. He is not concerned at this point he just wants to keep an eye on it. It isn’t enough of a difference to wear a shoe insert or anything. He wants her to see her in a year. He says overall her spine looks healthy. He sees no scoliosis! VERY good news for this Mama to hear!

Here is her X-rays of today. The first one is the frontal. I’m just noticing how GREAT her diaphragm looks on the left side. Also how big her lung is!!! And as you can see her heart is still a little shifted to the right as it was at birth.

Here is her side view. Again this makes me so happy to see things in their correct spots!

And here is a few pictures I took of her getting the X-rays. She immediately went and climbed up on the table. She didn’t understand that she could actually stand for an x-ray. Normally she lays. She listened to the techs very closely and did exactly as they asked. They all thought she was a doll.

“Head straight ahead Ava.”

She is getting so tall. They measured her today and she was almost 45 inches tall! Her weight 34.4 pounds! :)

Then you know the drill you wait to see if the x-rays are fine… and they were!

My oh My has she grown. Her sister’s were also at the appointment. They were only there for the “Olive Garden” afterwards!

And a few more extra pictures…

And we HAD to see the Hawkeye right? “Go Iowa Hawks!”

Ava couldn’t have ALL the fun so Lexis stepped in to help! Silly girls!

As we drove to eat I noticed I was driving the same road I often drove when I needed a short break from the PICU when Ava was very sick. I instantly felt so blessed and thanked God that second for he had done and is doing to keep Ava healthy. I rolled all the windows down in the Suburban and cranked up Lady Gaga’s song “Edge of Glory” (Ava’s favorite song) and we let the wind blow our hair. What a gorgeous day it was!No that is not probably the best song to thank God to… yet I know she is on the edge of Glory and is hanging on to the moment with us all. God has been good to us. We give Him all the Glory and Praise. He is the Healer!

I’d like to add a prayer request if I could. My Sister’s fiance, Doug is in Iowa City Hospitals right now. He just got his 4th kidney transplant today. Please band together with us and pray that he does well and no complications arise. Our family loves this man and he is the strongest person (besides) Ava I know. He was born with “Prune belly stndrome.” Here is a picture of him and my sister. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they have a long road ahead of them.

If you have not I encourage you to please thank God right now for all he has given you. Thanks again for keeping us close. We thank and love all of Ava’s blog and carepage followers!

~Terri

Sisters

WOW has it really been a month and a half since my last post? Well we are enjoying the Summer. We are trying to stay cool. Ava has been staying healthy. I’m so proud of her. She loves swimming and slides!

Today was just beautiful here in Iowa so I decided it was time for “Sister Pictures”. And did I hit the jack-pot! I’m in love with these pictures :)

A few individuals…

Ava only lasts for about 3 pictures and then she is finished. They all did great today.

She goes for an orthopedic check-up this Monday. I want to be certain her spine is growing and not curving too much. I am still quite observant to her medical needs as a CDH child. I MUST be!

Ava will be 5 this month. My mind is thrilled she is doing so well. Five years ago today we were at the New Jersey Ronal McDonald House waiting her arrival. Her future was so uncertain… today we see SO much life in her.

I’ll leave you with a few more pictures of Ava today.

I hold onto all my beautiful daughter’s and thank God daily they are mine. I’m still very involved in congenital diaphragmatic hernia and it’s research. I meet by email and face book new expectant Moms and Dads daily. This week has been hard as four CDH babies have passed away from this birth defect. It definitely hits home each time I must be reminded of how truly blessed we are to have Ava with us today. I feel for the families that don’t take their children home. I don’t have the answers. I wish I did. I do know that I was given Ava to help other’s get through this birth defect. I strongly sense a need for answers and for healing. Please say a prayer for the families that have lost their most precious gift… their babies.

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless each and every one of you tonight!

~Terri

Yearly CDH Check-up

Hello everyone. Ava’s check-up was today. We woke up very early and traveled to the hospital. It is an hour and fifteen minutes from our home. When we got there I explained that she was going to have a test but that it wouldn’t hurt. The lady gave her the contrast drink for the CT scan and she was very unsure of whether she wanted to even try it. Brian told her was okay and after a few minutes she took a sip. “Pretty Good.” was her reply. (Pictures are taken from my cell. I realized when we got there I left my memory card at home…)

She drank it up within minutes. She did great with the CT. It is like she’s done it a million times. Sad thing is she has had too many and just knows!

A little apprehensive but she still enjoys the ride.

So then we had to go to the appointment with Dr. Shilyansky. We waited for about an hour in the waiting room. Thanks goodness they had Toy Story 3 playing!

We had to burn an hour so we went up to see the Children’s Hospital museum. It has some pretty cool things in it.

This was us discovering another cool place in the hospital. This was a secluded part of the hospital that had a ton of windows and many stairs… very pretty.

Here is the toy she picked out for doing the CT scan. She loves Horses!

She sees the wipes and can’t help herself! So I’ve taught her right.

Her NP Josh and Dr. Shilyansky was very impressed by how much she has grown. She weighs 33 pounds. She is in the 15% for her weight and 87% for her height. The CT scan results came back and they found nothing abnormal. He showed us her patch (on the CT) and how it looked very secure and right where it is supposed to be. They were so pleased and amazed at her progress.

It makes me feels so relieved. ALL she has been through and all she’s overcome. I’m super proud of her.

Here is Ava just 2 years ago. So much good has happened. I’m thrilled to be done with her central line and her g tube. She is truly a Miracle!

Many times we take our health for granted… If you are healthy this second, cherish it! God is good! Thanks for your continued support, love and prayers!

I’ll leave you with a picture I took of her yesterday at the Zoo. She’s our Butterfly!

~Terri

Lexis and Emeline (Ava's Sister's) Blog Giveaway

I thought some of Ava's loyal supporters would love a chance to get in this Giveaway. The girls are working so hard on hair candy! Hope everyone is doing well. Ava is sleeping in this morning! (That never happens!)

Lexis and Emeline Creations Blog- http://lexisandemelinecreations.blogspot.com/

Welcome! What a great week for a Giveaway. We hit 200 fans last night. We are thrilled. Here is what we need you to complete for your entry to count.

One Winner will win both... {Roses Galore} and {Blue Butterfly}!

{Roses Galore}

{Blue Butterfly}

1. You MUST 'like' Lexis and Emeline Creations facebook page to enter.

http://www.facebook.com/lexisandemelinecreations#!/lexisandemelinecreations
2. You MUST fill out this form. (We do the form to protect your privacy. No one sees your information but Lexis and Emeline Creations.)

*The Giveaway ends Midnight (Central time) on Monday June 27, 2011.

*Only available to US residents.

*Random.org will select the Winner.

*I will contact the winner by email. If winner doesn't respond within 48 hours, I will draw another winner.

*Facebook is not involved in this giveaway in anyway.
Thanks everyone!

~Terri Helmick

Healing

Hello everyone! I just want to say how AMAZING you all are. I can always count on Ava's readers to help me out. I won't go into much detail but I'd ask you all to go "like" a certain page on facebook a few days ago to win a free tutu and MY GOODNESS was I surprised at the wonderful response! I actually gave, with your help, that page over 140 fans! So I was shocked when she didn't choose me... and not only didn't she choose me but she became very rude as well. In the meantime I had several of you offer to buy and make Ava one yourself. I was so humbled. God always keep me in check, letting me know that although bad things happen there is still wonderful, caring, loving people in this world and we should never feel discouraged or down. I was really feeling so loved.

However the crafty side in me took the challenge and I decided to make Ava one myself. It was quite easy and very fun. The Girls and I have a Shop on facebook. We sell hair things, hats, and now tutus! If you have not stopped by please check us out. Lexis and Emeline Creations- http://www.facebook.com/lexisandemelinecreations. We also have a blog… http://lexisandemelinecreations.blogspot.com/

Here is Ava in her Patriotic GLITTER Tutu! Made with LOVE by Mommy.

And this picture was taken at Snake Alley. One of the most crooked streets in the United States. We love this street.

For all you Dad's out there HAPPY FATHER'S Day!

We went to a wedding last weekend so I took the opportunity to take some family pictures. You know me I just can't get too many! :)

A few of the Girls around Lake Starker.

Her scraps and bruises are all healing nicely... I asked her the other day how she was going to keep herself from getting hurt. She smiles and replies, "I can't Mommy!"

This Thursday we take Ava for her yearly check-up with her surgeon, Dr. Shilyanski. She is pretty excited about seeing him again and showing him how great she is doing. She will have a CT scan to check her diaphragm and how it is holding up. This time she has no g tube so she will have to drink the dye. Not sure how she will do but praying all goes well for this test. I still marvel at how well she is doing. God has been so good to us!

Thanks for visiting and thanks again for all your support, prayers and love. I love hearing that you still continue to keep our Ava in your prayers. This means the WORLD to Brian and I.

~Terri