As I sit in the staff room eating my lunch, I listen to the chatter happening around me. We speak about students, supplies, our families, daycare, sports and what's for dinner tonight. It's nice to be able to speak to adults for a while. Then, the discussion turns to how ridiculous it is that kids… Continue reading What little they know.
Category: Life after Transplant
Why I don’t play with Laura all day
The cleaning can wait! Seize the day! You never know how many good days you'll have together. Have you ever heard one of these statements? I know that I have. I don't disagree with any of them on the surface and quite honestly, with Laura's condition, I think about the third one A LOT! Here's the… Continue reading Why I don’t play with Laura all day
2 years later…
Two years ago, we were sitting in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit watching Laura recuperate from her first Major Cardiac Event (see Laura’s story -Part 5- the darkest hours). My family came to Edmonton to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and we were able to get away just long enough to have a nice meal… Continue reading 2 years later…
Changes
I suppose I have known that this day would come for quite some time now but that doesn't make it any less difficult/weird/exciting/nerve-wracking/weird. Yeah, I said weird twice... because above all other emotions I've had this last week the best description of how I feel about being back at work is that it is just… Continue reading Changes
Heart healthy/low sodium diet – Where to start?
When we first found out that Laura was going to need a heart transplant, we did loads of research into what that meant for her quality of life. One thing that stood out to us as something that we could control was our diet. A transplant recipient is at higher risk of two diseases which… Continue reading Heart healthy/low sodium diet – Where to start?
Learning Curve
When you become a parent, there is this HUGE learning curve that you attempt to navigate through - do I breastfeed or formula feed (or some alteration or combination of the two)? Do we allow screen time or not? How do we get them to sleep through the night? The questions are endless and it… Continue reading Learning Curve
Why feel afraid to just ask!?
The scene. Laura and I decided that on this particular cold, rainy day we would seize the opportunity to go to the indoor pool in the city. I packed the necessities - bathing suit, towel, potty seat, milk/water, snacks and a few books before buckling her into her car seat, assuring her that we'd be… Continue reading Why feel afraid to just ask!?
What it means to share Laura’s story
While we were in the hospital with Laura, sharing her story sort of seemed like the least important thing in the world. We texted our friends and family throughout the process but otherwise, most people were out of the loop. We did not post anything on social media or other similar places. I did not… Continue reading What it means to share Laura’s story
Being a Stay-at-Home mom – a new life
This blog has been pretty much exclusively about Laura up to this point - and rightfully so - it was her transplant that led to the writing of it! It's not just her life that has changed though. Being a stay-at-home mother has been a HUGE adjustment for me and it wasn't the "plan" when we decided… Continue reading Being a Stay-at-Home mom – a new life
A different kind of normal
Laura and I walked into the lab yesterday and went on with out regular routine - I gave the requisition to the receptionist who was busy making faces at Laura and asking her how she was doing. We went to sit in the waiting room but before we got there, two lab techs who we… Continue reading A different kind of normal
Our Transplanted Life 