Harvest Ball 09'

Every fall here in the Tri-cities, the local guild for Children's Hospital holds their annual fundraiser called the Harvest Ball. This year the committee asked if they could feature Teagan's story in their brochure and I was so excited! The Ball isn't until October but the brochures were mailed out to local businesses and healthcare centers last week. We all get to attend the fundraiser in October and I'm supposed to get up and say a few words. (nervous already!) Here's a look at what they included: Teagan Maxwell was born with a unique heart defect that left the left side of her heart severely underdeveloped and nonfunctional. On the seventh day of Teagan's life she received life-saving, open-heart surgery at Seattle Children's Hospital. It wasn't until 35 days later that she was able to come home.

Thankfully, the same week that Teagan returned home the Children's Tri-Cities clinic opened its doors. With Seattle Children's hours away, the new local clinic was a blessing to the Maxwells, saving them from driving to Seattle for weekly visits. And, the family had great peace of mind with the expert pediatric cardiologists available in the Tri-Cities.

At 6 months of age Teagan received her second open-heart surgery. This time her recovery was much smoother; she was home in 14 days and no longer required a feeding tube. Between her second and fourth birthday, Teagan will need to undergo a third open-heart surgery so her heart will function as a single-ventricle or "half-heart" for the rest of her life.

In her short lifetime, Teagan has shown tremendous strength and courage that brings hope for other miracles. Your gift to Seattle Children's hospital means all children like her can receive expert medical care when they need it the most.

I don't have the information yet on how to purchase tickets to attend the dinner, but I will post as soon as I do!

Catching up!

Its been so long since I've posted that I don't quite know where to begin! The last month has been full of fun summer activities, re-roofing our house, Trent and I seeing our cardiologist, new teeth coming through, cancelled appointments, anniversaries, and a fun visit from Grandma!

We survived the re-roofing project, and the 3 days of no napping... (it was loud!) Here's a look at the roof, halfway done...

Trent and I both had cardiology appointments a few weeks ago that went really well. We had ekgs and echos done and were both given a clean bill of heart health. I had been really anxious to get through these appointments, nervous that something would come up- so this was a huge relief and answer to prayer!

Speaking of answered prayers, Teagan was scheduled to have eye surgery tommorrow to clear up her clogged tear duct she's had since birth. The surgery that she was supposed to have is pretty invasive requiring her to be asleep and intubated while a small tube is placed in her duct which stays for 6 months to open up that pathway. Amazingly, in the last 2 weeks her eye seems to have cleared up on its own! We were always told that it could clear up on its own as she grows bigger, but if not by 1 yr. then probably not at all without surgery. I have been praying about this for some time, dreading yet another procedure/hospital stay, and I'm happy to report that her surgery and related post op procedures have all been CANCELLED!

My mom (Grandma) just left to go home yesterday after a fun-filled two week visit. During her stay Trent and I celebrated our anniversary and spent the evening out to dinner and a movie!(thanks mom!)

It was so nice having my mom here the last few weeks and we miss her already! The kids got a few new toys, we laughed a ton, went to the park and pool, baked lots of goodies, took a few day trips, walked, and just enjoyed having her around!

Here's a picture of Teag saying,"pleeaase!" Probably asking grandma for something, she knows the answer is always- yes!

First trip to the pool... the water was cold so I only let her put her feet in. That was enough to get her lips the same color as her swimsuit but she loved it!

My little "Ralrus"

Lately....

Lately we've been doing great and keeping busy! Teag is active as ever and growing new teeth everyday. She is turning into a toddler before our eyes, where did my baby go?

This last weekend, we headed up to Trent's parents house to help brand a few calves, hike to our favorite spots, and enjoy the start of summer! On the way up we stopped at one of our favorite lookout spots, Dry Falls. Gav fell asleep in the car but Teag enjoyed 'walking' around with us and enjoying the view!

Here are the guys getting ready to 'throw down some calves' as Gav was saying... My cowboys!
This was Gav's first branding and he was excited to watch and cheer the guys on. It won't be long before he's in there with them!

Here's a pic of the girls watching the men work! Tara & Jason came up with us for the weekend and Tylar & Ashley met up with us at the house.

Here's a pic of the guys, just finishing up! Jason, Trent, Tylar & Gary- Happy to be done!
Trent's parents have a beautiful ranch right on the river. Gav loves driving his gator down in the meadow by the river.

We took a drive up to some of our favorite spots on Sunday, the weather was beautiful! Here we are on the way up to Hart's Pass.

Gav & Teag had a great time playing in the yard with their Nana & 'Pacaw'!

We went out to a yummy breakfast in Winthrop and went through some of the shops...

Trent and I even managed to sneak away with friends saturday night for dessert and drinks at Sun Mountain Lodge! We had a great time and enjoyed our first night out since Teagan was born!

Monday here at home it was 95! To celebrate our hottest day of the year so far, I thought it would be fun to pull out the kiddie pool. Teag loved every minute of it and looked adorable in her swimsuit. She only lasted about 10 minutes in the sun though (with sunscreen on) before she started turning pink! I guess thats what long term lasix does for you!

In other news, Teag is scheduled for eye surgery on June 29th to finally clear up her clogged tear duct. I'll blog more about that later, but we're looking forward to having it taken care of for good! Trent and I are scheduled for our own echos on June 3rd just to see if there's anything we should be aware of. Teag's cardiologist said that we're looking to see if either of us have a bicuspid aortic valve, which is a big indicator of Teagan's 'class' of defects. Trent and I are feeling great and do not anticipate anything abnormal showing up, but I am definitely anxious about it! Please keep us in your prayers that all goes well!