Monthly Archives: June 2022

My sweetest Simon turned four years old early this June. We celebrated with friends in our back garden with hotdogs, cake, and a pinata.
Simon is an old soul. He is peculiar, silly, and excentric. He’s shy around new folks but loud and boisterous when he feels comfortable. Simon is careful, and he is cautious. Simon exudes joy everywhere he goes. He loves to bake with me, pick flowers, play baseball, His Golden Messenger, his new friend Zephyr, and most of all his new brother Amos. Simon finishes every single sentence with ……right? His voice is so high-pitched it could crack a pane of glass. His current favorite outfit is his pirate pants with his preschool shirt. He is a super clever guy. He is kind, and sweet, and sensitive. Tyler and I prayed that he would grow in confidence this year. That prayer was answered ten-fold.

He calls himself my medium-sized baby. Simon has grown leaps and bounds this year. I will never forget his third year of life and what a delight he was. I wish he could stay little forever, but alas, one more year down and closer to that not being my reality. I love you, my Si.

So much has happened in the past few months that it all feels like a flurry of commotion. My family drove to Ohio, and Van was in the hands of some of the most prestigious doctors at one of the highest-rated heart hospitals in the world Clevland Clinic. Most importantly, Van received his third SUCCESSFUL open-heart surgery. During his surgery, he received a new flesh aortic valve which replaced his mechanical one. After opening his chest, they found no evidence of infection seen previously on scans. (This was huge, and we firmly believe that the infection was healed before surgery). Van has been recovering at my parent’s house back in Franklin and doing amazingly. His body feels better so far with the new valve. The road ahead remains a challenge. He continues to face ups and downs, but for today we are so thankful.
As for Amos, his little heart is doing great! He had his last echocardiogram weeks ago. Heart echos will be routine for us to check in periodically, ensuring that all infection stays at bay and there are no leaking valves etc.
Our family is exhausted and thankful as we look ahead, anticipating and hopeful for no bumps in the road as both Van and Amos recover.