Decorating the Tree

We weren't sure what Isaac would think of decorating the Christmas tree. We put up the tree and put on the lights while he napped. Then, we got out the ornaments. I put one on the tree and then gave him one. He knew just what to do. He put it on the tree and asked for more! He loved it and couldn't get enough. We put the breakable ornaments at the top and let him hang the others near the bottom. He loved the Tigger ornaments and his favorite is the bicycle (or "sickle" as he calls it) we got at Mackinaw Island. He likes to take it off and play with it.

Thanksgiving

Melissa's brother, Dave, and his famiy visited Indiana from Denver for the week of Thanksgiving. So, we drove Wednesday night to Fort Wayne to spend some time with them. I can't believe how big Cameron and Noah are! Isaac loved playing with the balls on my Dad's pool table with Cameron and Noah.

On Thursday, we drove up to Lansing, MI, to spend Thanksgiving Day with Dave's family. Isaac didn't eat much, but he loved playing with Meredith and all of Aunt Dardi's toys.

We hung out more on Friday with Dave, Gidget, Cameron and Noah and then came back to Chicago on Saturday. It was great getting to see everyone over the long weekend, while not having to drive too far, and getting back to Chicago on Saturday.

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

Getting on the train to go downtown for the first time (I can't believe we haven't taken the train downtown in 18 months!).
Isaac really enjoyed the train ride!

There were lots of people, but we took turns putting Isaac on our shoulders and he could see everything!

Dave and I spontaneously decided to go downtown for the Lights Festival. We've never been to it, but it wasn't super cold, so it seemed like a good time to try it out. Isaac loved it!

Isaac's Hospital Stay

Isaac had on-and-off fevers all last week, so I scheduled an appointment at the pediatrician's for Monday morning on the 3rd. He had no fever on Sunday or Monday morning, so I figured it would be a routine follow-up. Dr. Cabotaje looked Isaac over and said that he lookedver fine. However, he said that his heart was beating very, very fast. His heart rate was around 200 and it should be around 100. He said that I should take Isaac to Children's Memorial Hospital Emergency Room right away.

At the ER, they checked Isaac's heart rate in triage and then took him back to a trauma room quickly. About 7 people flooded into the room and hooked him up to an EKG. They said that they needed to put ice packs on his face to stimulate a reaction that would slow down his heart. It was one of the worst things I had to watch. He was terrified, but it worked. His heart slowed down to a normal rate.

After some tests, the cardiologist explained to us that Isaac has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW). He has an extra piece of tissue in his heart that causes a short-circuit. This makes him prone to episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) or the fast heart rate. I guess the episodes aren't that big of a deal if they happen for a few hours or up to 6-8 hours or so. They can cause permanent heart damage if they last for days.

The plan was to put Isaac on a medication (propranolol) to slow his overall heart rate. This should make him less likely to go into SVT. Getting the right dose was difficult. We spent the week in the hospital increasing his dose. He had a procedure on Thursday (Nov 6) to test him. He didn't do so well, so we had to increase the dose further. Finally, we convinced them to let us go home on Friday and take care of Isaac at home. After taking turns sleeping at the hospital and keeping Isaac entertained, we all needed a break. We returned to CMH on Monday morning for a second chance at the test. Isaac did better, so we had an appropriate dose.

Now, we check Isaac's heart rate (with a stethoscope or just our ear to his chest) at least three times each day. He takes his medicine every 8 hours. So, we have to wake him at midnight for it. Luckily, he really likes the medicine and is learning to tolerate the heart rate checks. His daycare has been great. They give him his medication at 4pm (I still call to remind them) and check his heart rate once during the day.

Someday, Isaac will probably have a surgical ablation to correct the WPW. Then, he'll never have to worry about it again. We can't do the ablation until he's at least 4 or 5 years old, so for now, we keep using the medication.

ASHG conference in Honolulu

Melissa needed to attend the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting in Honolulu, HI for work, so Dave decided to come along to make it a little getaway. Melissa flew out on the 22nd for the conference and Dave came out on the 24th. We planned to spend a couple days at the resort in Honolulu and then fly to Kaui for 4 days. Melissa's mom and Dave's parents both agreed to split the time staying with Isaac.

However, on October 25th, we got a phone call that Dave's mom, Doris, was in emergency heart surgery. She had a pacemaker placed a couple weeks prior and was apparently having complications. It was very scary, but the surgery came out well. Fluid was building up around her heart and lungs, so several stents were placed to drain it. We couldn't just sit in Hawaii and wonder how she was doing, so we got the first plane back to Chicago that evening.

We got Isaac and drove to Michigan on the 27th to see Doris. We spent the week at their house. Dave spent most of the days with his mom in the hospital, while I watched Isaac. Doris improved slowly throughout the week. Isaac, however, had some mysterious fevers (with no other symptoms). We weren't sure when Doris would come home from the hospital, so we headed back to Chicago on November 1st, planning to return to Michigan the next weekend.