How fast the days go by...

I am not sure how it seems to you, but the days here in the Mortenson home seem to be quicker and shorter than ever! I guess it is getting darker earlier. But when we stop and realize that this weekend marked the month anniversary of Sophia's heart being fixed, we are very aware of how quickly the moments are passing.

I am sorry I have not written on here for so long! We feel more tired after Sophia came out of the hospital than during the whole ordeal! I guess that is what happens when we get back to the "norms" of life and we have a toddler whose energy level and personality has tripled!! She really is doing well. We think her new energy level has led to her catching up on many things...mainly the terrible twos!! Our favorite thing we have noticed about Sophia since surgery is that she laughs!! Not just her old laugh but a big belly full laugh all the time. What a beautiful thing it is to hear her fill the house with laughter!

Another anniversary coming up is our two year mark of having Shane and Jesse with us. It feels like years and days all at the same time! Sometimes when the days are long and we don't have eyes to see, it feels like we will always be wrestling the pain in the boys and how it affects them. But when we stop and look at the truth, we see two boys who are truly healing and changing every day. Jesse is playing violin, getting good grades, and talking about his feelings which is such a change from where he was two years ago. Shane is very 16! He is such a smart kid who is really struggling through the fact that his disability is taking from him all the time. He is starting to lose the ability to feed himself and we realize that though we can try to make things ok for him, we cannot stop this terrible thing called Muscular Dystrophy. Please pray for Shane as he works through these days and for us as we need wisdom on how to love him in this. He had his spinal surgery one year ago next week! I cannot imagine what he would feel like or look like without having that surgery. He is such a handsome guy!

Ben is working hard and is an amazing dad and husband. He really is such a wonderful partner in ministry and life. I really did marry up! We are really hoping to get some time for just the two of us soon. Aunt Ellie's river house has never seemed so appealing!!

So, all in all we are blessed...and though at times we might feel consumed:) we are not crushed!!

We are so thankful His strength is made perfect in our weakness!

Much love,

The Mortensons

Grateful

Two full weeks...

Today we had our first follow up appointment for Sophia at her pediatrician's. Dr. Star was the one who initially told us we should let her cardiologist know he thought she was looking a bit worse. Today we got to thank him for getting us to where we are today...Sophia is healing!
He thanked us for our words and said that he doesn't get to do the bit life saving things but that he is always on the front line and it is encouraging to hear that he has made a difference. It made me think of how many people have surrounded Sophia and our family, in prayer, provision, and love to help us be where we are. You may not have done surgery, but you have been a part of holding us up as we have let God do His things with our lives, with Sophia's life. Thank you! We are amazed at those who choose to love the Lord by loving us during this time.

Well, it has been a few days and I am sorry about that! We have had quite a busy few days for many reasons. Our wonderful friends James and Kimmie were married Saturday and we were able to be a part of it thanks to my wonderful Mom and sister who came back down from Connecticut to love us. My cousin Sarah and her two girls(see the picture above (aubrey, sohia, and kaylee) were in town and we were able to spend a little time with them before they left today to move to California to work at a young life camp there. It is a bitter sweet thing...but we are really so happy for their new role there. Sophia also got to meet her aunt Abby who is Ben's twin's wife. She was in town for a funeral and was able to get a little bit of time to meet Sophia. Sophia loved her auntie!

It has been quite an interesting few days as we have seen Sophia be more joyful than we have in months, but also have had some bumps as she has still had a hard time sleeping. Sophia is dealing with a bit of Post Traumatic Stress. She is crying in her sleep and really having what seems to be bad dreams. She did sleep one or two good nights and a few good naps but last night was pretty bad. She got her stitches out of her stomach today where her drains were and seems to be doing well! Her doctor was just so amazed and it is so beautiful to have staff from your pediatricians office tell us how much they have been praying for our little girl! We are still praying for her lungs as she still is congested. As long as her fever stays down we are OK. She has been a bit clingy to mom but we know that it will just be a short time when I wish she would cling to me!! The boys are good. Shane will get his new aid this week and we are hoping it is a good fit. Jesse started playing the violin this week...YES, we are crazy.

We are amazed it has been two weeks tomorrow morning that we went into Hopkins!

To God be the glory!!

Please continue to pray for Sophia to be able to sleep...that her dreams would become peaceful ones and that this ordeal will be less of a bad memory as she heals.

Please pray for Carissa in particular for sleep. She really is not functional with such little rest.

Pray for the boys and our family as we work to get back into a routine. It is a very important part of our family functioning!!

Much Love,
the Mortensons

"no rest for the weary??"

I think we spoke too soon about the peaceful sleeping happening at home! Our night was not peaceful or full of sleep! Sophia is doing ok but really was just uncomfortable and so she was up every hour. We know that this too is a transition time for her, but we do miss the additional help of a nursing staff! We commented this morning that we had more sleep at the hospital than home! Ben and I are really feeling exhausted but we are so thankful!

The kids are happy to be together again. It was great to see the boys more settled with us all at home. So, pray for sleep!! Pray for Sophia's lungs to clear...but as you can see from the picture on this post...she is really getting back to being typical sophia!

Peacefully sleeping...

Just a quick note to say that Sophia is peacefully sleeping in HER bed! We were discharged around 1 pm with such little fuss that it seems strange our daughter had a serious heart operation just a week ago today! She didn't even have a prescription to fill!I think I cried more driving away today that I have the whole time! She was so happy to be outside was thrilled to see Shane get off the bus. We are just so happy to have all five of us at home today. We are praising God for His goodness today and just grateful for His mercy to our family.Please keep praying that we can heal without infection (in her lungs and her wounds),
MUCH love! Ben, Carissa, Shane, Jesse, and Sophia!

Heading home...

It is amazing to me that the last time I wrote was when we were just coming out of ICU. I am sorry for not getting an update out before now. Life on the floor is very different than ICU. I realized tonight that I did not set foot outside of our little room for over nine hours! Unfortunately with the MRSA diagnosis, she is not able to go to the playroom or anything. BUT...the amazing child life staff have filled our time by bringing in paints and toys to help us push through this time. Sophia is doing wonderful. She is going on around 40 hours without any additional oxygen and has amazing stats. She is getting back to being herself, charming and feisty...
If all goes well tonight we may be taking our little girl home tomorrow! We can hardly believe it!
Tonight her surgeon stopped in on his way home. Sophia was coloring and it was a quiet moment. She looked up at him and said hello. I told her that this was the man who made her heart better and to say thank you. She said thank you and then blew him a kiss. He said she looked wonderful and made a comment about God blessing us and our kids we have chosen. It was a great moment to be able to say to this man who reformed my daughters heart, that Ben and I know that God brought her all the way here because she needed her heart fixed by him. We are still in awe of the skill God has given him.
We are so thankful again for all of you who have been on your knees for us. Pray that she is able to come home, that her lung still clears up, that the boys will be ok as we all transition, and that we can all get some real sleep. (we are getting a bit weary).

Out of ICU!!!!

Friends,

Sophia is out of ICU!! We are so amazed at her strength and that we are already on floor 6 at Hopkins. She was ready this morning and moved this afternoon. She is doing well and is resting in her Dora pj's, hair has been washed, and she is finally able to get her fingers in her mouth and nose! (We are not going to fix that right now!!) We are thrilled but cried when she left Megan, our amazing ICU nurse who is now a friend! Please keep praying that her left lung will clear up. It has some fluid on it still and we need it to leave! This is the first time in her life that her oxygen saturation is at 100!!

We are just amazed.