Bless your heart!

A few weeks ago while at a random pediatrician visit, Isabelle and I were told that she had a heart murmur and needed to be seen by a cardiologist. Of course, I was caught off guard by this discovery and was upset by the news. We were referred to The Children's Heart Network of San Antonio and today was her exam. The nurse told me beforehand that they would most likely just do an EKG since she is so tiny, unless they heard something that worried them...in that case, they would need to do an echo cardiogram. Isabelle's blood pressure was registering high but the poor baby was scared to death of all of the stickers and clips connected to a machine covering her little body. When the doctor turned to us and said "I think I want to take some pictures of her heart"... my heart skipped a beat!

Isabelle's initial tears wore her out and luckily she fell asleep on the doctor's table which made the echo easy. The doctor was able to spend a half hour or more looking at every chamber of her heart and pointing out what everything was to Ben and I. He decided that she has a small hole in her heart, and has since birth. The bigger the hole, the louder the murmur, so we are fortunate that it is just now deciding to make itself known. It is not located where the doctor thought it would be, by listening to the sounds, and he concluded that it must be located in the very bottom of the lower chambers which is an extremely hard area to get a good look at from the outside world.

Belle's heart looks strong and she is growing just like she should, so Doctor Rogers thinks there is a good chance the hole will close on its own over the next few years. She has no diet or activity restrictions, thank goodness, and his only request is to bring her back again for another look in 2009. Ben and I both really appreciated Doctor Rogers and we are continually grateful for the good medical experiences we have had. When she was covered in the jelly from the echo, he made a joke about her being a "Jelly Belly." He had no idea how appropriate this nickname was!

When we arrived home, Belle told us "my heart is all better" and then asked to practice drawing smiley faces! She likes me to draw one for her to copy and then she tries to draw several. We are hopeful this is her last "specialist" visit for quite a while as she has had more than her share of weird procedures done in her 2 young years of life. She is such a trooper!

Happy Father's Day!

I'm so glad
when daddy comes home,
glad as I can be!
I clap my hands and shout for joy,
and climb upon his knee!
Put my arms around his neck
and hug him tight like this!
Pat his cheeks and give him what,
a great big kiss!

Isabelle adores her daddy!

Water Water Everywhere!

Isabelle has recently discovered the joy of running through the sprinklers! This week Ben was outside running the sprinkler system so that he could adjust several of the heads as our plants and bushes have grown so much. Belle was "nakey" since she had just finished eating pizza for dinner when she decided to help her daddy before her bath. She was timid at first, but after Ben demonstrated how he could run straight into the water and touch the sprinkler before he turned around, Belle decided to give it a try. We soon found her dripping wet and squealing with excitement! Ben and I both have fond memories of running through the sprinklers when we were young and I am sure there are some "nakey" pictures in our mother's albums to document it!

Heaven, I'm in Heaven

This was the song Ben and I danced to on our wedding night 7 year ago. This post is actually a few days early since our anniversary is not until Sunday the 15th but tonight I was able to taste a little piece of heaven.

Last year, for our 6th anniversary, Ben gave me a gift certificate for the spa treatments of my choice. 361 days later, I was finally able to cash it in.
After a long day for all of us, Ben and Belle dropped me off at the La Cantera Resort and Castle Rock Health Club and Spa where I enjoyed a facial and massage. It was so relaxing to wear the big fluffy white robe and lay in a quietly dim-lit room for nearly an hour. They even extracted my "impurities" which means at least for tonight, my skin is perfect!

While I was pampered, Ben and Belle went to the La Cantera mall and enjoyed a little daddy-daughter-date. They shopped, had dinner, rode the kiddie ride and whatever else Jelly wanted to do. Ben told me that at one point as they were walking down the mall, Belle grabbed his leg and said "Daddy, I love you so much!" She was having a taste of her own kind of heaven!

It took me an entire year to find a time to use my anniversary gift but it was worth the wait. Ben and I were asked to speak this Sunday in Sacrament Meeting...not exactly what we had in mind for a 7th anniversary celebration!

The messy artist!

I knew I was in trouble when I entered the kitchen and Ben greeted me with, Isabelle is being artistic! She had decided not to eat her yogurt but rather to paint with it. I take responsibility for buying the yogurt that she picked out instead of the kind I would have preferred to buy her. We didn't realize it would be blue and when Belle discovered this she had zero interest in eating it. I can't blame her. However, only her Dad would allow her to paint with it! It won't be nearly as much fun next time when Dad is not around!

To the rescue!

Isabelle had a great idea the other day while watching Super Why on PBS. She could wear her cape that Aunt Alee made her and then she could be a super hero too! She watched the show carefully and occasionally ran through the house saying "Super Why and the Power to Read!" This is what the heros on the show say as they try to solve problems while reading books. She hasn't quite figured out just how to read yet, but she does enjoy yelling the letters of the alphabet she can spot back at the TV. Mostly, she was a super cute hero...to the rescue!

What a blessing!

Isabelle adores her grandparents and it is a rare occasion when both the Christensen and Cosby paths cross! Jelly was so lucky to enjoy one of those moments this weekend as Ben's younger brother Sam and his wife Heather blessed our first niece, and Belle's first girl cousin, Anna, on Sunday in their ward in Katy, TX. We were able to make a quick 24 hour trip so we could participate in the activities and Belle enjoyed every minute of it. She was fortunate to not only see her Cosby Grandparents but her Christensen Grammy and Grandpa as well at church and she roamed from one end of the bench to the other carrying books, snacks and crayons.
She also loved holding "baby Anna" all by herself and listening to her little sounds. She kept shouting "What is she saying? She is trying to talk." Anna was quiet as can be during her blessing while Belle had a harder time sitting still. She was scared to death that it was her turn next for a blessing! What a relief it was when she learned that she was going to stay in her spot on the bench with her mom and Grandmas!