Today Izzie had a ‘blue’ kind of day. Her nails were purple, her lips matched her nails and her face a tad on the pale side. There are many days when I forget that she has half a heart with two open-heart surgeries. And then I get little reminders like purple lips after a few minutes in the bath tub. We were playing outside today and her cheeks were ice on my lips. Time for the one-piece fleece bear suit!
She eventually pinked back up and her little hands felt warm to me again after a good 45 minutes in the suit. As we walked through Walmart people commented to us on how cute she was in her little pink suit. I was relieved that her cheeks had some rosy color and her lips didn’t look like she ate raspberry chapstick. I always wonder if people can tell that her circulation isn’t quite what it should be. Addie is starting to figure out that Izzie may be a little different than her since she becomes purple in the bath and she doesn’t. And then her attention goes to something else…like making tea.
For me, it just reminds me that yes, in many ways she is just like any other toddler. But if you look closely, you can see that she is small for her age, that her face is a just a little paler than most kids, and there is a blueish hue around her mouth. I am looking forward to her next surgery hoping that will bring a little more normalcy into our lives. We are in a good place right now with her gaining weight consistently and growing a little at a time. I see other families struggle with their heart babies and know we are in an incredibly good place. I enjoy every minute I have with her. She wants to go up the stairs and all I want to do is hug and kiss her face. It drives her crazy but I don’t care. I appreciate every minute I have with her.
hopeinaheartshape 