Happy Valentines Day
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Day 13
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Throwback Thursday!
Remember when my baby was actually a baby, Awwweee!
Day 11
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Day 10
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Day 9
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Day 8
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This little cutie had a rough day. He took a spill at the park, resulting in a bruised chin and a scratch on his thumb. His nap was short and his tantrums were many. And we couldn't love him more. Even on the fussiest of days he lights up our lives.
CHD awareness day 7
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Kickin' the soccer ball with daddy!
Day 4
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Day 3
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Playing with cars and Stella. His two favorite things to do.
CHD awareness month!
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February is CHD awareness month.
CHD stands for Congenital Heart Defect. HLHS is rare, it "comprises 4-8% of all congenital heart defects. It occurs in up to four out of every 10,000 live births. HLHS appears slightly more often in boys than in girls. Beyond family history, there are no clear risk factors for it, and no known way to prevent it."
It's funny to think that with everything we've been through with Santiago, (two open heart surgeries, a total of 7 weeks at CHLA, 4 months on oxygen) we rarely think of him as different or as having a heart defect. We rarely think of "all he's been through!" He is SO normal (whatever that is?!). He is just a charming little guy who's almost two years old.
I love sharing his story and instilling hope in other families. Santi is proof that modern medicine is marvelous. He is proof that you can still be a regular kid, even with a rare CHD like HLHS.
Santi overload is coming! 28 days of Santiago Banks in honor of CHD awareness!
Cattlemans
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There is a famous steakhouse just east of El Paso, called Cattlemans. The property surrounding the Restaurant is an actual ranch and small zoo. We took Santi last week and loved seeing all of the animals up close. He made friends with the bunnies, goats, longhorns, llamas, a donkey, peacocks and buffalo! So cool!
Echocardiogram
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Last month, before we left for El Paso, Santi had a sedated echocardiogram at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. I didn't post about it because we didn't have a follow up with the cardiologist after the echo. So really, there was nothing to post about.
We will meet with Santi's cardiologist next week to get the results of the echo, find out how his overall heart function is doing and maybe, hopefully get a date range for his third surgery, the Fontan.
These guys!
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Our best friends in El Paso have a son who is just 7 months younger than Santi. It's so fun to watch the progression of their interaction. The age gap is slowly closing. Also, unplanned matching jackets!
El Paso zoo
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We had a lovely visit to the EP zoo with our great friends. Santi was more enamored by seeing the animals than ever before.