Happy Holidays!

This time of year brings a mix of emotions for many reasons. Of course we are thrilled to be home with Molly but it is also a reminder of when our journey began. We talk about it less now but every once in awhile one of us will bring it up. Three years ago I received a call from the doctor telling me they think they saw something wrong with her heart and wanted to send us for a level 2 ultrasound in Boston. A few days before Christmas we were being rushed around from specialist to specialist...ultrasounds, amniocentisis, fetal echos. I can remember the exact feeling that I had as we waited in the food court at Tufts Medical Center while we had lunch in between appointments. I couldn't eat because I was so nervous and Jay ate so much because he was nervous. After a series of appointments and not many answers they sent us home to wait for the results of the amnio. Two days before Christmas we received a call saying the baby didn't have Down Syndrome but we wouldn't know the rest of the results for a few more days. We felt a little bit of relief and THOUGHT we were prepared for whatever information was going to be thrown at us. It was very difficult to enjoy that Christmas. We were so sad and devastated because just a few years before at the same time of year we had to deal with a miscarriage. This time was a little different because we knew at the end of it all we were going to have a baby. She was going to be different but she was going to be ours and we were going to fight with all we had...all three of us and that is what we did!

The following Christmas was a little different. It was Molly's first Christmas. It was spent in the hospital. Of course we wish she was spending it at home but we made the most of it. I wasn't all that upset about spending it at Children's because we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Discharge was just 15 days away! Of course if you told me that we would still be there at Christmas when we got admitted I probably would've started drinking at that point. But it was good. We stayed the night before because we had to do all of Molly's cares for 24 hours to show that we could take care of her. We had a nurse that we loved. We took Molly for a walk down to the lobby to see the tree and around the unit. Of course she was still on Methadone and Ativan so she didn't see much of anything. Christmas was pretty uneventful. We had a few visitors. Fifteen days later Molly was in our care! That was the best Christmas gift of all!!!

Last Christmas was good. It was our first Christmas home. Molly was just getting over a bug that had landed her in the hospital for a few days. It was our 2nd unplanned admission since she had been home. As much as we hated for her to be sick, we were also happy that she was sick and there wasn't something wrong with her intestines that required surgical intervention. She had a busy year that year. She was bronched a few times. Her trach was removed. We were still being followed by many specialists and were always at Children's. But we were so happy to have her home with us and I think it was the most special Christmas to date.

And that brings us to this Christmas. I haven't been this excited about a Christmas since I was a kid. I'm excited for many reasons. The first reason is because Molly's had a pretty healthy year. She had one admission to Children's and that was to have her trach site closed. She's had a few colds but she handled them great. Her sats remained 97-100. She didn't get a fever (knock on wood). It's such a relief to have our first colds behind us. She has come so far and made so much progress this year. From eating and drinking everything by mouth to pulling herself to stand considering last Christmas we still had to put pillows behind her when she sat on the floor. She is only on 3 medications and once she turns 3 we hope to get rid of her thyroid medication along with her Endocrine doctor. We have one more appointment with Growth & Nutrition in March and then we'll be done with them. That will only leave cardiology which we will never get rid of. We were also able to successfully turn down her pacemaker! And most recently we have converted her crib into a big girl bed! She's growing up so fast and I love every second of it. As much as I love that she's still little her "baby years" have been so tough. I love the little girl she is turning out to be. She is so sweet and stubborn and independent and strong willed. I couldn't have asked for more perfect little girl!

This has been the best year for Molly so far. I'm so happy that she is where she is. My hope for the new year is that she remains as healthy as she has been. I hope she continues to meet her milestones. I hope she enjoys the life we are giving her. She is so deserving of everything that is brought her way. I'm definitely not saying that she's more deserving than any other child because I don't think that's the case. Every child deserves the best! Unfortunately not every child will have the best or even a shot at the best and we have witnessed so much of that this year. So we are more grateful this year for Molly and her health than any other year. We hope for nothing but health and happiness for all of our family and friends that have continued on this journey with us. Your support, love and interest in Molly means more to us than you'll ever know. Happy Holidays and we love all of you!

Kerry