Visiting with Tom, Jeannie, Anna, and Jennie

Anna loved her new Barbie. I couldn't resist buying the Barbie and the Rockers Barbie that I loved when I was a kid! I'm so glad that Anna liked it!

Isaac and Anna playing with his new police station. Isaac loved playing with Anna.

Isaac and Anna playing with the cat. Tom and Jeannie have 3 cats, and Isaac loved chasing them around! He was fascinated by them.

We had a great visit with Dave's aunt and uncle, Jeannie and Tom, their daughter, Anna, and Jeannie's mom, Jennie. Jeannie made an amazing meal with meatballs, rice and salad, followed by delicious apple pie. Anna read a book to Isaac, and we all enjoyed watching them play. We really wish we could see them much more often!

More Presents with the Dempseys

Isaac had so much fun opening more presents at Grandma and Grandpa Dempsey's! He got so many great toys including a Little People Fire Station, wooden train, and Fridge Phonics. He was eventually overwhelmed and had to go down for a nap before he got to his stocking. It's Christmas #2 and the toys are building up.

Christmas at the Dempseys

Christmas #1 this year was at Dave's parents' house with his mom's side of the family. Of course, the Michigan State Spartans were on the TV as the kids unwrapped presents. Isaac got many great gifts. We had a wonderful dinner and it was fun catching up with everyone.

Straight No Chaser

Dave and I saw Straight No Chaser in concert in Lincoln Park. They are an acapella group from IU, who recently were discovered and have released a few albums. They are incredibly entertaining. We met some of my sorority sisters for dinner and then went to the concert. They did some Holiday music and some other stuff. It was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Breakfast with Santa

Checking out the snowman

Making Christmas ornaments

Isaac was pretty scared of Santa, so this is pretty much the closest he got to him willingly.

Motorola had Breakfast with Santa for staff, so we thought it would be a great way to get a photo with Santa. It was really fun. They had a good breakfast, crafts, and Santa himself. Isaac was not interested in sitting on his lap, so this is the best photo we could get.

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.

Isaac's First Haircut

Isaac was such a good boy for his first haircut.

He watched Sesame Street quietly while the guy cut his hair.

He loved the car-chair!

Doesn't he look like such a big boy with his new haircut?

He got to pick a prize out of the pumpkin!

Then, he got a certificate and a balloon for being such a great boy during his haircut!

An Unsuccessful Photo-Shoot

This was about the best mood Isaac was in during our hour-long attempt at some 18-month Fall, Halloween photos. He was grumpy and bored. We couldn't do anything to make him smile. So, we didn't purchase any photos and just scrapped the whole experience.

Cute, huh?

"I'm bored and these leaves and pumpkins are doing nothing for me."

He was an adorable lion, but not happy.

Kohl Children's Museum

Calling Dr. Isaac Dempsey, Dr. Isaac Dempsey please.

We got free passes to the Kohl Children's Museum (http://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/) in Glenview. Isaac has never been so excited! He loved every room more than the last! He lasted all day without a nap and went to bed at 3pm for the night. If we lived closer, we would definitely have a family pass.

Isaac is soooooo big! He weighs 26 lbs (or the equivalent of ~3 gallons of milk).

Kohl Children's Museum (cont)

Isaac loves doggies. He got right in the cage with them!

The construction exhibit was the best! Not only because of the cute orange vests, but Isaac loved playing with the blocks.

He loved every room and really did not want to leave, but he was so tired.

Isaac loves Spaghetti!

Playing Bags in the Backyard

Three Generations of Dempseys

Took Isaac to ER with the croup

After we got home from the arboretum, Isaac started coughing and it was a really strange sounding cough. We thought he was just really tired, so we tried to put him down for a nap. He couldn't sleep well and kept waking up. We took his temperature and it was 103! After a call to pediatrician, we were off to the ER at Loyola. They said that he had croup, gave him Tylenol and a steroid nebulizer treatment. It was a little scary, but he was back to normal quickly.