In need of URGENT PRAYERS!!!!

I would so greatly appreciate it if everyone could please pray for my cousin, Kate's son. He is at Cincinnati Children's Hospital right now and we're not sure if he is coming home tonight or not. I cannot disclose why he is there but please just pray for him and his mom!!!! They are SO CLOSE to us and we are very worried. Please say prayers for them all!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

The new Kidz club.....

A friend of mine from high school's mom got a hold of me on face book and sent me a message that amazed me. She told me that she is a nurse at a daycare that has a new location in my area. The day care just opened on December 21, 2009. The name of the place is The Kidz Club. I was so excited when she told me about this place because it is different than most. This particular daycare is for medically fragile children. The staff consists of RN's and medical assistants. They accept kids with all sorts of medical needs. The web site is www.thekidzclub.cc if you would like to check it out. I just loved the fact that they opened a place like this. Instead of sending your child to just any daycare, you can feel better about it because your child is in the hands of certified health care providers. I am going to stop by one day this week and take a tour of the facility. I would love for Ryan to be able to get involved with other children and just get a taste of what "school" is like. The other great thing about it is the fact that the facility takes insurance. Your child's health insurance dictates how much the fee's are. I thought I would share this info because it is HEART DAY!!!! It's so great to see that other people think about parents needs as well as kids when you have a different life. I will keep everyone posted on how the tour goes. I'm not sure when it will be because we are supposed to have 6-8 more inches of snow by tomorrow.

OTHER NEWS!!!!! I am so excited to say that potty training is OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY!!! We put big girl panties on Ryan at about noon today and she did AMAZING! She had a few minor accidents and that was IT!! At one point today she looked at Jay and said "daddy, I poo-pooed." He took her back to the restroom and sure enought, poo-poo in the panties. He put her on the potty though and she finished her business there. Another time she barely tinkled in her panties and then she realized what she was doing so she stopped and held it until she was on the potty. I'm so excited to get this going and am so proud of her for doing such a great job!!! I will keep you all posted on this too!!! Hopefully I will have some good pics with my next update!! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE.......BUT MORE IMPORTANT....HAPPY HEART DAY!!!!!

A good ole' Kentucky blizzard...

For those of you that are not familiar with the Northern Kentucky area, several INCHES of snow is a lot for us. Typically, we get a few inches and then it melts, and then we get a few more. This past weekend, we got about 4-5 inches. On Sunday, we heard on the weather update at our local news station that the snow would start last night at midnight and not stop until Wednesday afternoon. The entire tri-state area is on a winter storm watch until then.

Starting last night just before midnight and going through today, we now have about a foot of snow on the ground in most spots. It has only stopped snowing today for about an hour and we are expected to have another 3-6 inches by tomorrow. This is A LOT of snow for us to have all at once. Why not have some fun???

Ryan and me on the 4-wheeler (with a plow on the front)



Ryan in the snow. She could barely walk in it. HA

Daddy having a "heart-to-heart" with Ryan about eating snow

We had tons of fun in the snow today and we were outside for about 2 hours straight!!! It was cold but very fun. Ryan doesn't like coming back in at all!!! Jay was home today because since he works 2nd shift, they closed down early at his work so he didn't have to go in. MORE FUN FOR US!!! Tomorrow, he will probably have to go in but I'm sure at least me and Ryan will be back in the snow. She just loves it SO MUCH!!! I hope everyone is having a good week so far!! It's movie time for the family.

CHD Awareness Week....

In honor of CHD awareness week (February 7-14 2010) let's talk about what CHD really means.

Having a baby is the best time in any family's life. But, what happens when that precious baby that you have is born with a heart defect?

Ryan Sue Sweeney 8 lbs. 7.4 oz. 20 inches

This means that your life is turned upside down. A huge amount of emotions go through your mind all at once, and you're left wondering what to do next. Will my baby live? Will my baby die? What exactly does this mean for my child?

It means life will be drastically DIFFERENT.

LIFE will turn upside down and everything changes. Having a CHD child means having a "new normal."

Ryan and mommy (almost 5 months old)

CHD means family coming together in serious times of need to be there for eachother as your child grows and thrives.

Ryan-8 months

Having a child with a heart defect affects the whole family. Parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. Everyone travels on this journey TOGETHER.

Ryan and her "Bubba"-10 months old

Having a child with heart disease means wondering if birthday's will come? Every birthday that comes is a HUGE celebration. The feeling of your child making it another year is unlike any other feeling.

Ryan's first birthday!!

The "new normal" becomes hospital visits and stays. It often involves wondering when your child's next surgery will be instead of when they will walk or ride a bike.

Ryan and mommy-before consultation for first surgery

Hospitals become your new home away from home. And some kids, spend more time in a hospital bed then their own bed at home.

Ryan-January 9, 2009-cardiac cath and balloon dilation

Having a child with heart disease, means surgical procedures not going as planned. It means more invasive things are to come. It means your child going through things you NEVER wanted for them or for yourself.

It means family time becomes more special than ever.

Ryan and Jay (daddy)-Summer 2009

Being the mother of a CHD child has changed my life FOREVER. I have support from people that I've never even met. I never knew anything about this disease until my daughter was diagnosed at one month of age. I've never been so grateful in my life. Every day with Ryan is more special than the last. She is my LIFE. She is my CHD SURVIVOR!!!

Ryan swinging at the park-Summer 2009

Ryan's 2nd birthday-December 13, 2009

SO happy to see this!!!! HAD TO SHARE!!

Before I get started on what this post title is all about, I wanted to just share a couple new pics.

she is trying to get undressed but when she goes for the shirt, she always gets it stuck....she will learn eventually!!! :)



my cutie patootie sleeping on the couch. too cute!!

Ok....here it goes. I got the February issue of American Baby magazine in the mail today. I have no idea why I even get these magazines because I never signed up for it, but it got delivered. Of course, I flipped through it and when I came to page 22 in the BABY Health section, I was floored!!! It's not a big article, but THERE IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT CHD's!! WOW!!! This is amazing news because we all know that there is really not much talk about it. The article also mentions Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Here is the article:

Heart Smarts:

Each year, 36,000 babies are born with heart defects. But even kids with healthy hearts can develop cardiovascular disease later on. Keep your baby healthy with these tips from Elaine Urbina, MD, director of preventive cardiology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. It's the ultimate Valentine!!

Limit daily juice intake: Give no more than 4 ounces of 100% juice.

Serve toddler size portions: This means about a quarter of the adult version. Good examples: a half-slice of bread, 1/4 cup of cereal, 1 oz. of meat or cheese, and half an egg.

Turn off the T.V: Instead, encourage 20 to 60 minutes of daily active play.

Don't light up: Harmful toxins can linger on clothes and skin.

Talk to your pediatrician: Let them know if you, your spouse, or any of your parents had an early heart attack or stroke (at or before age 55 for men; 60 for women). Your doctor may also recommend that your child drink low-fat milk rather than whole milk.

I know this article is geared towards people whose kids do not have heart disease but I still thought it was important to share this information. It was also nice to even see the words "heart defects" in the mag. This could be the start of more info to come and it could also be the start of more information being shared with the world about this horrible disease that is responsible for taking the lives of so many innocent children. Please pass this information on to anyone that you think could benefit from it. Thank you!!!!

Hello everyone!!!! I just wanted to let everyone know that we OBVIOUSLY have a make over on the page, but that we have a new button as well. Grab it for your blog!!!

I wanted to share a picture that Ryan drew also. Jay was drawing hearts for her and then he handed her the pen, and this is what she came up with.....I'm SO PROUD!!! It actually looks really good given the fact that she is only 2!!! LOL

I hope everyone is having a good week so far even though it's only Monday.

Please keep Logan Jack's in your prayers!!! He had surgery 2 weeks ago and now, for no known reason, is having high fevers!! Visit his page at www.whenlifehandsyouabrokenheart.blogspot.com

Our prayers are always with you Stef, Ryan, Wyatt and Logan!!!

Another hospital stay coming our way??

Wow, I feel like it's been FOREVER since my last post. Sorry about that, I've been a little busy. My dad had surgery this past Thursday to have his gallbladder removed so I spent the day at the hospital with him, and then he stayed with us that night since he wasn't able to drive. He is doing well and will be able to return to work next week.

Ryan has been up to no good lately. As usual right?? YUP. I unloaded the dishwasher the other day, then went to start a load of laundry. When I came back upstairs to load the dishes into the washer, this is what I found.....

LOOK....there's a baby white tiger in the dishwasher!!! WOW!!

I asked Ryan why her tiger (whose name is Kitty Cat....ORIGINAL!!!) was in the dishwasher and she just shrugged her shoulders and RAN RAN RAN!!! She thought she was in trouble. As long as the dishwasher didn't run through a cycle with Ryan's beloved kitty cat, it's no big deal.

little ms. guilty face running away from me!!

When Ryan had gone to get her tubes put in her ears, Dr. Myer, had asked me if Ryan snores when she sleeps. YES, she does. He then asked me if Ryan stops breathing in her sleep or if it seems like she has breath holding spells in her sleep? YES, she does. He asked if she has ever had a sleep study done? NO, and why is this necessary?? Dr. Myer suggested that Ryan get a sleep study done to test for apnia. From the way he made it sound, he things it's tonsil related, not heart related, HOWEVER, if she is having trouble breahing in her sleep, not matter what the cause, it isn't good for her "cardiac status." Ryan's peds office sent a referral form to pulmonary medicine in the hospital for the sleep study. I called and spoke with them, and for the study, they want at least 6 hours of sleep from Ryan. That is next to impossible for her. She only sleeps in her bed, or sometimes will fall asleep in the car or on the couch. I really don't think they will be able to get 6 hours out of her. Ryan is scheduled to go back to CCHMC on the 22nd for a follow up with Dr. Myer from her tube surgery. One we are there, I am going to discuss it further with him and find out if the study is really necessary or if he would consider just taking her tonsils out. I'm not sure where that conversation will end up, but I will keep you all posted.

Please say a prayer for the family off Jeffrey Fite today. It was one year ago today that Jeffrey was in the car accident that changed his and his family's life FOREVER. Jeffrey was driving and slipped on some black ice. His dad and my dad used to work together and are pretty good friends. That is how I came to know Jeffrey. Please stop by his carepage and drop off some prayers. The link is on the right side of this blog under carepages family. I'm sure today is not an easy day for any of them. Thank you and I hope everyone has a good week!!!