The nurse looked hard at me, then at Sophie. “Doesn’t her dad usually bring her?” she asked. “Yes,” I said. “He does. But he’s out of town today.” I thought it was sweet that she remembered Ray, since it’s been a whole year since Sophie’s last cardiologist appointment. A YEAR. That’s big in our world. […]

I know Ray was not looking forward to Sophie’s cardiologist appointment today. About two and a half years ago, he brought her in for her six month appointment. The doctor pronounced her healthy, and put us down for annual visits — a big milestone. Then the doctor read the results of the eccocardiogram they’d done […]

Tomorrow is the second anniversary of Sophie’s second open-heart surgery. This afternoon Ray and Annabelle left on a Brownie camping trip (earning my husband the Dad of the Year award, since he didn’t renege when he learned he was the only father going!) so it will be just the two of us this weekend. Sophie and I will be busy […]

Yesterday morning, Sophie demanded choices, as she always does, so I yanked two tee shirts out of her very disorganized drawer. Funny — one was a tie dye with a heart in the middle. The other, her “Sweet Heart” tee. She chose the Sweet Heart. I love that shirt, too. It’s got a fairly realistic […]

The Enalapril is still in the fridge. I saw it tonight when I put the vanilla back. (Four batches of chocolate chip and two of ginger chocolate — not a bad dough night.) It’s been weeks since Sophie’s check up, at least a month since the cardiologist took her off the medication designed to keep […]

“Great day, Mommy” Sophie called as Ray whisked her out the door early this morning. It’s Monday, my day to take the girls to school, but Sophie wasn’t going to school. She was going for a heart check up. This is the money shot appointment, the one that comes with an eccocardiogram. I sent Ray […]