Heart Cath Results

Harlie's heart cath was today. It went well. Her doctor came out after it was done and said, "she just got a little more complicated". She never ceases to amaze me. This is her 4th cath and each time gaining access to her heart has gotten more difficult. I won't bore you with the medical jargon (sometimes I think I do that - but the reason I do is because this is my journal, and I need to know that kind of detail).

But, they insert a catheter into a vein (takes the blood to the heart) and as they go through the heart they inject dye and take pictures and measure the pressures and oxygen saturations, etc. At first they went through her femoral veins. But they have since scarred down, and cannot be used again. Then they went through her subclavian veins (under your collar bone). But, they were not usable today. I say "today" because he said that maybe next time he could get it to work, but today it just wasn't going that way. Her pathways to her heart are not exactly normal I believe. Anyway, they have to get an arterial line anyway (standard for a heart cath) so he had to go in that way, through the arterial line. Veins take the blood to the heart, arteries carry the blood away from the heart. So, he basically had to go against the flow and backwards into her heart. So, gaining access to her heart is getting pretty tricky. I'm sure this is normal for kids like her that have to have a lot of these type of procedures. But, for some reason, it just kills me to think that major veins are damaged to this extent. She's only 2 years old!

There is another procedure that she will have to have about a year after this next heart surgery. And he said that if they have the same problem, they can go through her liver. Her liver! Ugh. But, we'll have to cross that bridge later.

Anyway, the good news is that everything looked great and she is all set for surgery (the Fontan) on April 16th.

I'm not really sure what happened after they took her away, but her hair came back a tangled, matted mess. I can only assume that she was fighting something they were doing to her. The nurse did say that she was strong and I wondered how she would know that. Anyway, here's what she looked like today (the gauze patches are from where they tried to gain access through her subclavian veins)...

I think she was trying to smile for the camera in this one.

Brandy and Harlie.

She came home wearing a holter monitor to record her heart beats for 24 hours. Just gathering some data for her surgery.

Well, it's late. Time to go to bed.

Heart Cath tomorrow

We're trying it again... her heart cath is tomorrow (Tuesday) at MCV. We have to be there at 7am. Hopefully everything will go just great and we didn't rush it after pneumonia. I'm a tad bit nervous, though. We've been monitoring her sats and for the last few days (since Wednesday of last week) her sats have been staying in the 80's. Which is good (for her). So, just to make myself feel better, we check them again today. And they hung out in the 70's. What?!?!? So, we hook her up to the O2 and watch. But, since she's feeling so much better - she wants to get up and play. And you simply can't monitor her sats (which has to be done on her toe) while she's up and walking around playing. After seeing them back up to baseline for a few days, we took off the probe and let her go. Now today, the day before her cath, her sats are low. But, she seems to feel great.

In fact, we had speech therapy today and our speech therapist said that Harlie was the most vocal she's ever heard! And she simply can't make sound if she's breathing hard or feels oxygen deprived. So, I don't know what that means. If I go by her, she's great. If I go by the monitor, she's not so great.

I guess we'll just see what happens tomorrow and go over it with them. I hope they think she's fine, because this cath and surgery looming over our heads - and all the rescheduling - is really starting to stress me out. I just don't want to have to think about it anymore. I feel like I'm going over every single detail to the point where my head hurts. How are her respirations? What do her lungs sound like? What are her sats and how low should I let them get before I turn on the O2? Is it a trach problem? Is it a lung problem? Is it a heart problem? Sometimes I just want to be her mom. That's it. Just a mom.

Well, wish us luck and I'll let you know how things go tomorrow...
Thanks,
Christy

Ukrops 10k

The Ukrops 10k was on Saturday. Luckily, it didn't rain. I'm not one of those die-hard runners that will run regardless of the weather. Well, unless I'm doing it with 25,000 other runners. Peer pressure, what do you do? Anyway, my goal was to run it in 60 minutes or less. My time was 58 minutes and 18 seconds. Not bad. That comes out to a 9 minute, 22 second pace. I am very happy with that. I ran it with my friends, Heather and Neal. We had a great time. And hopefully, if Harlie's upcoming heart surgery doesn't keep me confined to the hospital for too long, I'll be able to keep running. I want to think that I'll be able to run while in DC, but I think that might be a lofty goal. It is hard to get downstairs to get food, much less to actually leave the hospital.

Speaking of Harlie's surgery, I'll have more on that in my next post.

Later,
Christy

A Year in the Life - 2008, The Holton Family

Three months into 2009 and I finally finished our 2008 Montage. It has music, so make sure your sound is on. When I started thinking about doing a video for the year, it occurred to me how big of a year it really was. Harlie made HUGE progress and accomplished many milestones and, of course, Cooper entered our lives. So, here's a summary of what our year was like. I hope you enjoy!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Blenderized Diet Disappointment

For the past three weeks, Harlie has not thrown up. It has been a glorious three weeks (well, except for the whole pneumonia/hospitalization thing). Oh, how different my definition of "glorious" is!

Just in case you don't know - Harlie's vomiting has been out of control for a long time. At this time last year - she was throwing up an average of 40 times per day - and her day is only 12 hours long!!! And if you think I'm exaggerating - I'm not. I had to chart it so the docs would believe me. In May of last year she had nissen fundoplication surgery to stop it from happening. We tried everything first - wanting to avoid this surgery. For some reason - I just didn't want her to have to have it. But then I was told that she would have to have it in order for her to have her jaw reconstruction surgery. Since her jaw would be wired shut for 9 weeks post-op, it would not be safe for her to vomit - at all (much less 40+ times). So, nissen surgery it was. And it lasted for just over 9 weeks - weird, huh? Literally, just a few days after getting her wires out, she threw up. And over time, it has continued to get worse - up to 5-10 times per day (still better than 40, but come on!).

So, three weeks ago we tried a different way of feeding her. Oh, we've tried it all - pump, no pump, slow continuous, faster rates, slower rates, more times, less times, more meds, less meds, added some baby foods, and tried every kind of formula made, etc. Somehow, we must have found the right way (no pump, two doses of 100 mls each in a 30 minute time frame). And for some reason - makes no sense to me - she stopped vomiting. Don't ask me. I have no idea. I just go with the flow and ride the waves that come our way!

I have wanted to get Harlie on a blenderized diet for a LONG time. I have heard that many kids with Harlie's vomiting issues have found a "cure" with a blenderized diet. Hey! We want one of those! But making the change over has not been an easy task. We've tried, but there's always been too many other variables in the mix (her being sick, about to have surgery, recovering from surgery, etc.). So, now that she's getting better, and she hasn't vomited in three whole weeks - I thought we should try it again.


Yesterday was the day. We fed her and then crossed our fingers. The first feeding went down okay. And stayed down. YAY! Then her second feeding went down - and then came back up. Several times. Bummer. Real bummer. I'm very disappointed. It seems that it takes longer for her belly to empty the blenderized diet. So, it's a no go.

The reason why I wanted it to work so badly, is because if she could eat by mouth - she would be eating regular food. It just makes sense that even though the food goes in through a tube that it should be age-appropriate. Plus, I really wanted that to be the cure for Harlie, too. But her belly just can't handle it. There. That's it. For now, anyway. I guess we'll meet with her nutritionist at some point about other options.

I try really hard not to complain. I always try to find the positive - to be thankful for what we do have - and we have a lot to be thankful for. I truly believe that. But, sometimes I just wish that something would be "easy". You know, what's normal for most. I'll be fine. I'm just disappointed right now. It's not like I just learned about it and just tried it. I've been wanting to do this for a LONG time. And then to have it not work, well, I'm just bummed.

But Harlie is fine. In fact, she is so much better. She is playful again and it is so wonderful to see her back! Her oxygen requirement is getting less and her secretions are almost back to normal. Things are better and tomorrow I report to her local cardiologist about how she's doing so we can make some sort of decision on her upcoming heart cath. We should know soon so I can go about making plans!

More later,
Christy

Holy Hair-do Batman!

Good morning, Harlie!

Tom is often intimidated by her morning hair. He looked at me the other day and said, "What do I do with it - and where do I start"? It really does have a mind all it's own.

Ahh, little girls and their curls...

We're home!

Just a quick one to let you know that we're home and doing well. Harlie's still on oxygen, but hopefully she'll be on room air soon. I know it will take time for her lung to recover. It's likely that her heart surgery will be rescheduled - again. Which I am fine with (not like I have a choice, really). I want her to be at her strongest for the heart cath and surgery - so I'm thinking she'll need some time to get that way. Hopefully we're only talking a couple of weeks. I really wanted to have her surgery and be home by Murphy's 5th birthday (May 11th). I suppose that's still possible, but I'm not holding my breath.

Harlie was discharged Friday afternoon. And the second I told her we were going home, she perked right up and wanted out the door. She didn't sign "home" once while we were at the hospital. I can't help but wonder if she somehow knew she needed to be there.

I'll have more later.
~Christy

In the hospital now.

Well, there was no improvement with Harlie. In fact, she appeared to be getting worse. So, I took her back in to see her pediatrician this morning. After this long with no improvement, we needed some answers! He agreed that she looked worse and her breathing was definitely more labored. So, he sent us the ER. They took some blood, and secretions, ran some cultures, and took some x-rays. Her white blood count was 22 (which evidently is pretty high - although not as high as it has been in the past). And the initial verdict is... (drum roll please) pneumonia! The radiologist said that it is in her right lobe (she only has 1 instead of the normal 3 on that side). So, no wonder why she's needed the extra oxygen!!!

Honestly, I am pretty happy that we have a source of infection - an answer - and that it is a treatable condition. She's already on 2 IV meds and has received them every 6 hours, so hopefully she'll start to feel better soon. They told me that she'll have to be here for at least the next 2-3 days depending on the cultures. Hopefully, they will be negative for everything else.

When we got to the ER, my 2 favorite nurses (one is a fellow Steeler fan that we know from the club) were working, which was awesome. They took very good care of Harlie and got everything they needed on the first try! And that's really something considering that hardly ever happens when Harlie needs an IV. That is usually a truly horrific experience (for all parties). Then, we got admitted upstairs to the Progressive Care Unit (the one that the beds are separated by curtains) where we got the same nurse from last time. And then a respiratory therapist that we knew very well from when Harlie was a baby came in to get her humidified air all hooked up. And then, the night nurse is a past nurse of ours, too. So, really, today felt more like a reunion. It's really quite scary how well I know this place and the employees (even the security guard on the 7th floor)!! But, it really does make our stay so much more tolerable. And I am thankful for that.

The cardiologist that saw Harlie last Tuesday when we went for the heart cath (which she didn't get - back when all this began) came to visit. He said that if she tests positive for RSV, they won't do heart surgery until 8 weeks after she's recovered! So, I am crossing everything I've got that the RSV test comes back negative (although I'm not really worried about that). We should know tomorrow. And he said that the doctor that does her caths (he is out of the country until next week) will have to decide if he will still do her cath as scheduled (on the 31st) or if he'll want her to have more recovery time. Ugh. So, it's possible that everything could be postponed again. But I have to admit, it's an easier pill to swallow this time - now that I know what she has and that I can finally see an end to her sickness. WooHoo to that! I will be so glad to get my happy little girl back!

I'll have more tomorrow...
~Christy

Heart Surgery Rescheduled

It's official. Everything's been rescheduled. I was really hoping that she would make some miraculous turn around and that she could still have her heart cath so we could keep the same schedule. So, I called the doctor who is doing the heart cath and discussed her issues with him.

She is still febrile - for a full 7 days now. And she just can't have a heart cath with a fever. And it wouldn't give us accurate results with her being sick anyway, so we really had no choice but to reschedule. Whatever the cause of the fever, when she's sick (and it could be just some normal, common bug) her heart just can't compensate. Her lungs sound clear - yet her oxygen saturation levels are all over the place. From the 60s to the 70s (keep in mind a "normal" saturation of someone with a normal heart would be close to 100) and only higher when on supplemental oxygen (which she's on now all the time). But even with the oxygen, her sats are very hard to maintain above the 70s. One second she's on a half a liter, the next we have to turn it up to 1.5 liters. It's very annoying. Not to mention a tad bit unsettling as it probably means that she is getting to the point where she needs this surgery. Well, she's always needed it, but I mean that she needs it - soon. Don't get me wrong - it isn't an urgent situation - it just feels weird to know that her heart needs it sooner rather than later. It's hard to describe.

Anyway, so her heart cath was changed from tomorrow to March 31st and her heart surgery changed from April 2nd to April 16th. So, all in all, not too bad. I was really dreading rescheduling it since I feel like we had made plans and I was getting all geared up for it. But, only a 2-week change isn't bad. And now that means she'll be home for Easter, so that's a bonus.

Now to get her well...

So, Cooper got his ear tubes today. All went well. It was actually quite funny. The nurses were being all "sensitive" to me about it and I kept thinking, "what's all the fuss about?" One said something like, "tubes are a simple, quick procedure - although I know it's a big deal to you." HAH! If only!!!! And if I could be critical for just a second - a nurse called me a few days ago to do a pre-op thing over the phone. It took about 15 minutes - not really a big deal. But then this morning during all the MANY check-ins with various levels of the medical profession - I had to answer the exact same questions I did last week! In fact, the nurse had the pre-op form IN FRONT OF HER! And she read every single question to me to "verify" the answers. Now, I ask you - WHY call me ahead of time - keep me on the phone for 15 minutes - if you are just going to do it AGAIN that day??? I understand the need for accuracy - but frankly, I'd like to have my first 15 minutes back. I'm starting to think I spend way too much time in hospitals and doctor's offices...

Anyway, he was NOT a happy camper in recovery. I've never seen him so upset. Poor little guy. But after a good nap and lots of snuggle time, he was back to his happy self.

Well, that's it for tonight.
~Christy

Harlie as a Mama

Harlie is proving to be very maternal. She just loves Cooper and wants to help in his care. Here are some funny photos to prove it.

I can already tell that this one is going to be one of my all-time favorite pictures.

Obviously, she likes to feed him. I was really hoping that seeing him learn to eat solids would help her learn to eat. Not really working out that way so far.

She even likes to pretend to feed him. I'm not so sure he likes it very much... Yeah, this one will be a favorite, too. I just love the looks on their faces!

She's recently learned how to put her socks on all by herself. So, she tried to put his socks on him. He never stops moving so she got frustrated and let me finish the job.

When we went to Norfolk recently to meet with her plastic surgeon, while in the car, Cooper started crying. Harlie wanted him...

And if she can't have Cooper, she goes to get her baby doll. As I walk by and find her baby in all different places, I go and get my camera. Here's what I see:

I guess she thinks she's going somewhere because her baby's all ready to go and she's blowing kisses.

Don't ask me why the sock monkey-in-the-box...

That's it. For now. I'm sure she'll give me many more opportunities to take more funny photos.

Take care,

Christy

Fevers, still.

So, Harlie still has a fever. And this morning, she had some drainage coming out of her right ear. I was pretty excited about that, because that would give us a source of the fever. And even though her pediatrician just looked in that ear on Monday, as those experienced with chronic ear infections know, it only takes a few hours for "good" ears to go "bad."

So, since I already had an appointment for Cooper's pre-op, I asked if I could bring Harlie, too. Her ear looks pretty yucky. And then her doc brought up a great point (that I completely forgot about!) that her left ear (the one she's missing - with no ear canal) could be infected, and we would never know it. The second he said that - I remembered her ENT in DC saying that this might be a problem. Even though she has a tube in her right ear - her left inner ear could be infected - since there is no way for stuff to drain out on that side. Ugh!

But, in this case, I'm excited because that would give us a source of infection. The unknown is far worse in my opinion. And, quite frankly, I was/am getting worried. Last night she was breathing so hard and fast and her fever was 102.6. But I know that for every degree your temp is up you breathe like 4 times more per minute (or something like that). So, I was hoping that was the case and just watched her closely. And today, before her appointment, her temp was 103.1.

Anyway, she's on meds now and hopefully she will respond and the fever will come down and stay down for good. I just want her to feel better. And soon.

Thanks for checking in,
Christy

Fever issues

I spoke to her doctor today about a new heart cath date. After much discussion, we finally settled on Tuesday, March 17th. I really like this doctor and am very thankful he was willing to accommodate our schedule. He first wanted a date further out - too close to her scheduled heart surgery. Then we talked about the 16th - but that's the day Cooper gets his tubes. Too bad they couldn't be at the same hospital - I just might have been able to pull that off! Not really, but anyway... I was trying to figure out how I could make the 16th work, but when I told him about Cooper, he said, no way - you shouldn't have to do all that, I'll work her in on the 17th. How great is that?

So, the game plan is that we'll try for Tuesday. If she isn't well enough by then for the cath, then we'll have to scrap the whole plan and reschedule her heart surgery. I certainly don't want to go into her heart surgery limping if you know what I mean. But to be honest, I will be very surprised if it works out as it is scheduled right now. Last night she had a fever of 102.6 and today it was 103. With no other symptoms. Other than an absolute crazy amount of secretions. It's really disgusting around here. I know that only the moms of trached children, or my nurses can truly understand just how much is a crazy amount. For those of you that don't know - I would love to show you a video - but I don't think you'd ever come back to my blog. So, I'll spare you that kind of detail. Just trust me that it really shouldn't be this gross for a little girl. Anyway, her pediatrician says it's probably viral, so there really isn't anything we can do.

So, we'll just see how she does over the next few days and hope for wellness REAL soon!

Thanks,
Christy

Heart Cath a No Go...

Harlie

No heart cath today. She spiked a fever while there. We got there at 7am and got all checked in. Harlie was happy and fine until we were taken back into a room. Once she saw the red, metal crib, she knew that all was NOT good. I can't even say that she threw a fit. Because she didn't. She never does. She just cries, but then gives in, and ends up cooperating as best she can. It killed me - and Brandy. The whole time she kept on signing "let's go home."

I guess this is where it gets harder. And who could blame her? She doesn't know if she's in for a quick one (ear tube or bronch) or if she'll wake up with her face all swollen and her jaw wired shut! Even though she was crying, when the nurse went to put on her hospital bracelet, Harlie just held out her arm and let her do it. Ugh. She couldn't get a blood pressure - and she tried 3 times. After the 3rd time I told her she could just get one once Harlie was under. She said that she needed to get a baseline, but with Harlie as upset as she was, she wasn't going to get one, period.

Then the nurse said she needed to get an IV started. I said, "No. Not without giving her some drugs to calm her down first." The nurse said she would get the doctor. Then she came back with another a nurse and told me that he said they needed to get an IV started. I said, "Fine. As long as you give her something first." I stated my reasons:

1. She is a HARD stick. It will take several sticks before you get one. All the "experts" have had the same experience. Trust me. We've been through this more times than I want to think about!
2. It will take several of you to hold her down.
3. This is not a one time visit for her. I have to bring her back and make her go through it again in 3 weeks. Then again in the fall, then again in the winter. You're not torturing my child unless it is an emergency.
4. There are drugs that can make this experience better for her. Why NOT use them???? It's not like she's never been exposed to them before!

They again said I would have to speak to the doctor. I said I would be MORE than happy to. And, really, I was not mean, or rude. I promise. I've learned that you get a whole lot farther if you're pleasant and professional. The nurse came back again and said that they were going to give her something. Good. Thank you very much.

However, they wanted to get another temp on her because when we first got there her temp was 100.2. But she was upset, so we thought that was the cause. But when they took it again (when she had been calm for a while) it was up to 101.3. So the doctor said no cath today. It is too risky that whatever is causing the fever could change the pressures or something during her cath, which would give them inaccurate results. They know the deal with her surgery (now just 3 weeks away!) so hopefully they can get her rescheduled in time. If not, we'll just deal with it. It's not nearly the issue it was with her lung surgery (there were times I was so afraid she wouldn't make it to the surgery). So, I can handle it. OH! And was I ever glad that I didn't let them try to get an IV started!

But, oh boy, you wouldn't believe how happy Harlie was when I told her we were going home. After I got her dressed she ran to her stroller and climbed on in. Maybe this dry run will make her not so afraid the next time...

Tom

So, a while ago, Tom's shoulder started hurting. He has a hard time with mobility of his arm and is having a lot of trouble lifting the kids. So a few weeks ago he started physical therapy. While it helped improve his mobility, it did nothing to improve the pain. So, he went back to the doctor today. He will have an MRI on Thursday and then surgery within the next couple of weeks. At this point, I seriously don't know how we're going to fit it all in!

Cooper

Oh, and I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that my 5-month old and my 2-year old now wear the same size diaper. Size 3. Nice.

Take care,
Christy

Heart cath tomorrow

From my lack of posting, one would think I don't have anything to say. But I have SO much to say! But if I said it all in one post, it would be forever long and I don't have the time to write that much at one sitting, and I'm sure you don't have time to read it all in one sitting. So, I'll just start with the basics...

Heart Cath

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) Harlie has her pre-op heart cath at MCV. This will be her 4th cath so far. I've been a bit worried because she hasn't been feeling well. And at 3am today she had a fever of 101.8. So, I went on ahead and took her to see her pediatrician so he could help me decide if she should have the cath tomorrow. Since this is a pre-op cath, it needs to be done within a certain time frame and with her surgery scheduled for April 2nd, we don't have a big window for re-scheduling. Anyway, she's fine. No ear infection, no more fevers, and she seemed okay today overall. She definitely has a ton of secretions, but I think that's pretty typical for this time of year. There's always something going around so I'm hoping that she'll clear up soon. I know she is so tired of her coughing spells. Anyway, hopefully the cath will be pretty routine with no surprises. Keep your fingers crossed!

Speech Therapy

Due to the snow last weekend, her usual Monday speech therapy session was rescheduled for this past Friday. So, we had ST on Friday and again today for her normal Monday session. Friday's was pretty exhausting for me. Because her secretions are out of control, there is no way she can handle wearing her speaking valve, so we've been focusing on sign language. Michelle gets out a bunch of toys (like a baby doll with a bag full of accessories, Mister Potato Head, or books, etc.) and while she's playing with Harlie, she teaches her new signs, sees what Harlie already knows and how to put them all together.

The whole time I'm sitting there watching, I'm willing Harlie to show her what she knows. But just like a typical toddler, she would just sit there and stare at her. It is so frustrating! I would tell Michelle, "oh yeah, she knows that one, and uses it all the time at home." Then... nothing! Ugh. Plus, I'm learning new signs, too. So, after an hour of that, both Harlie and I are spent. Harlie goes home and takes a nap and I have to go on to the next item on my to-do list. But, after having two sessions so close together, I think Harlie is getting more comfortable there and with Michelle. But, it's a lot of hard work in an hour and near the end Harlie starts signing, "let's go." I can't tell you how thankful I am to be able to communicate with her as much as we do. Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of times that I don't know what she's trying to say - but those times just make me more more thankful for the times I can understand her.

Cooper

I can't remember how much I've talked about Cooper lately, so I'll give a little update on him. He had his 5-month check-up last week. He weighs 17 pounds, and is 26.75 inches long. Both put him in the 75th percentile. It's crazy to me as both Murphy and Harlie have NEVER been that high on the charts. He had 5 ear infections before he turned 5 months old, so he will get his tubes next Monday (March 16th). He's been going through a growth spurt for the last couple of weeks - waking up in the middle of the night to eat. Ugh. He hasn't done that since he was 2 months old. Hopefully he's almost done with that. And our night nurse has been out sick for the past several weeks, so between Cooper and Harlie's needs at night - we are TIRED. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, so I can sleep again. I miss it. Terribly.

Well, that's enough of an update for tonight. We have a very early morning tomorrow, so I must get some rest while I can.

Take care,
Christy

Harlie says Mama!

While I have a quick second, I thought I would share this video with you. It is a really good one I think, and it makes me very happy. As you might remember, Beth was our speech therapist and we loved her. Her last day with us was February 19th and this video was taken that day. I find that I am getting emotional very easily lately. I'm sure it has everything to do with Harlie's upcoming heart surgery - now just under one month away. So, when I saw this today, it made me choke up a bit. Sometimes when you're in the moment, it is hard to really soak it in. So, Beth, if you're reading this - THANK YOU!!!

Oh, and by the way, Beth is covering Harlie's trach so she can make a clearer sound. The trach makes air bypass the vocal cords, thus no sound is heard. But, if she can't exhale air through the trach (because it is blocked) then air is forced to be exhaled the normal way - past the vocal cords and out the mouth and nose, producing sound.

Snow!!!

Finally! A good snow day! According to our measurements on our back deck, we got 7 inches! Wow!



Murphy had a blast. He stayed outside for most of the day. The cold didn't seem to bother him at all. But, that is probably because my friend Jennifer, hooked us up with some great winter gear. We didn't have anything snow-friendly. So, thanks Jennifer!

Ahhh...undisturbed snow. So peaceful.











We took Murphy sledding at the elementary school down the street. It was a great hill and I couldn't believe that Murphy wasn't scared. He did great! The hill got really busy and in Murphy's climb back up the hill, he moved to miss one sledder and then got nailed by another. He ended up riding down the hill on top of the sledder that nailed him. It was hilarious and luckily, he wasn't hurt or upset. He really hung in there with the bigger kids.

Harlie didn't like it. At all. And after all the time and effort to get her dressed, she was outside for about 2 seconds.

Cole and Murphy playing.

Take care,

Christy