It's Official

Last night, November 8th, we got the call from our transplant coordinator that Addi has officially been put on the heart transplant list.  We are so excited and ready!  We have no idea about the timeline.  We were told that they could call in two weeks or it could be a year...that's going to be the hardest part.  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

What's Next

I wanted to keep all of our family and friends updated with Addi.  After Cade passed away, our next step was take Addi to Texas Children's to get her heart checked.  At the beginning of June we took her to TCH and had an echo and ECG done.  The tests came back showing that she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with restrictive physiology.  The HCM means that she has a little thickening of her heart and the restrictive physiology means that her heart never rests.  Because of the restrictive physiology we were told that she would need to have a heart transplant.  The problem would lead to high pressures in her lungs and then we would be in a situation where she would need a heart and lung transplant.

Darrell and I have talked to several doctors and we truly feel good about what lies ahead.  The truth of the matter is, we don't have another choice either.  The odds are REALLY good with the heart transplant.  One of the surgeons told us that 95 out of 100 children do "remarkably" well.  We have prayed a lot about this and we believe that Cade is saving his little sister's life. 

Where we are now--yesterday Addi's case went to the medical board for approval (we should be approved) and then it will go to our insurance.  Once the insurance clears it she will officially be put on the heart transplant list.  Then we wait for the call.

Addi is amazing!  You would never know that she needs a new heart.  She acts, plays, talks, and carries on like a "normal" 17 month old and we are so blessed for that. 

I am going to try really hard to keep this blog updated with what we're doing and especially when it is time for transplant.  That way all of y'all can be informed with what is going on and how she is doing.  I have actually been following two blogs of families whose little girls have just gone through a heart transplant.  I loved the idea of keeping people informed this way.  I find myself checking their blog every day awaiting for news.  Both of them have been doing really well.

I know so many of y'all have had us in your thoughts and prayers and I just ask that you continue to pray for Addi.  God is in control and I know that he has great things in store for us.  Thank you so much for your love and support.  Please feel free to send our blog address to anyone who you feel would like to know what's going on with us!

In October Addi had a heart cath done to check the pressures in her lungs to see where they were at.  At that time, her pressures were normal (YEAH!).  Here are a few pics of her at the hospital while they were monitoring her.

Taking a quick nap with Mr. G.  We don't go anywhere without him!!

Up from her nap eating a little snack.

Addi Turns One!!

May 27, 2010

May 28, 2011

So, I had some issues with uploading pictures so this is why this post is so late.  Sorry!  I'm going to try and get better about keeping it up to date (I know I've said that before).

We just celebrated Addi's first birthday.  Man, time flies.  It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home.  We had several friends and family over to celebrate.  I decided to go with a hot pink, black, and white cupcake theme.  Aunt Lala gave her the birthday outfit and there wasn't one piece missing.  It was perfect.  My friend, Andrea, and I made the cookies that I used for party favors.  I got really creative and made the birthday banner on her high chair.

Her birthday hat that she kept on!

Addi didn't want to have anything to do with the cake.  It was a little disappointing, but I guess the little princess didn't want to get her outfit dirty (haha).  She loved playing with all of her friends and really didn't care much about the presents either.  Oh well, I know that won't last long.  It was great having everyone over!

Please get this icing off my fingers!

Carrying On

Well needless to say, the past month has been the roughest time of our lives.  We could have never prepared for what happened to our sweet boy, but God has plans of His own.  We are taking one day at a time and  continuously asking God for strength to carry on without Cade here with us.  It is definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions, but each day we find ourselves being a little more at peace with this situation.  Darrell has been my rock and a great comfort to me when we talk, when we pray, and when we laugh at the funny pictures and videos we have of Cade.  The memories we have with him are priceless and we think about them ALL of the time.  Addison is growing and learning new things every day and we love spending time playing and laughing with her.  We are getting glimpses of her personality and are looking forward to her first birthday.



At the rodeo

First time at the dentist

Playing with his monsters trucks with Addi

Trapped in the nets with his sister

The family, there's that smile!

At the Astros game...this is one of my favorites!!

At the Pasadena Rodeo with Dad...my two handsome boys!!


We can't thank our family and friends enough for all of the continued prayers, thoughts, kind words, and encouragement.  This has been a tremendous help in the healing process.  It is amazing what God's love has done and we know that we will see Cade again. 

Jacob and Rachel Addie

Jacob and Rachel, two of our very close friends, are expecting their first little bundle of joy mid-June.  We went to San Antonio for a shower for both of them and had a great time.  We don't get to see them very often, but when we do, we make the most of it.  The two of them are about to move to Arkansas.  Jacob is relocating with his company.  Darrell and I wanted to make sure we were able to see them before they made the move.

One of Jacob's parent's friends hosted a shower for the two of them at their home and we went and had a great time.  Cade absolutely loves Jacob, so needless to say a lot of wrestling took place.  I think Jacob also found a special place in his heart for Addi.  He asked to hold her while he and Rachel opened their gifts.  While they were opening the presents, he even managed to get her to go to sleep.  I think he's a natural!

The Four of Us

Rachel and Me

Jacob and Addi

Addi fell asleep!

Rachel and Jacob are going to be amazing parents are we are so excited to meet Aiden!

BONUS**Check out Addi's hair!

Crazy hair!

The Kiddos

As usual time is flying by and I'm realizing I'm doing an awful job keeping up with  my blog.  The sad part is when I go to check on what all of my friends are up to, I say to myself, "Man, I really need to update our blog."  Then before I know it more time has passed by and I still haven't updated it yet.

Addi turned nine months old on February 26th.  It's so amazing how many new things she does and how much she grows every day.  I look at old pictures and can't believe how much she is changing.  She smiles ALL the time and absolutely loves her brother.  It's crazy how funny she thinks he is.  I love watching the two of them together.  Of course, she already has figures out that Cade's toys are way cooler than hers and those are the ones she always wants to play with.  According to Cade, several of his toys are "too small" and "too dangerous" for her.  "Addi could choke on them" he likes to say (even about the toys are that are perfectly fine for her to play with).  She is crawling everywhere and is now pulling herself up onto things.  Every once in a while she gets stuck and can't figure out how to get back down to the floor (it's just so far away).  We just watch and eventually she figures it out.

Addi 9 Months

Cade has started his second season of soccer and they won their first game!  Hopefully this season he will have more of a winning record.  There are a couple of kids from his team last year on his team and his really good friend, Luke, is also is on his team.  He LOVES soccer and is always asking when practice is and when his next game is!  He has enjoys riding his scooter and we're still working on teaching him how to ride his bike without training wheels.

Bath Time Fun

I have to say that bath time at our house is VERY entertaining!  Cade loves to make Addi laugh and in the bath, for some reason, she thinks everything is funny.  At the end of EVERY bath Cade likes to have a "spit-off" with Addi.  He starts and then she goes, then he goes, then she goes, etc.  It's really funny.  She can even tell when he spits harder, so she'll spit harder too.  Gotta love having an older brother!

Before her bath



Cade wanted crazy hair too, but his is a tad short!



Too cute!



I think she looks like a kid from Whoville!

By the way, check out her hair.  Isn't it crazy!!  I can't get over how much it is growing.

After her bath, getting ready for bed.