Betcha didn't know!

Family history.....

It's fascinating to look back at family trees and the history that we do know about our ancestors. On the Schmidt side, there is documentation of our family back to 1536. Very cool to read little snippets about their life, their faith and their different settlements both in Prussia and Holland.

But, I think one of the very coolest things that we've learned about our heritage, is about my dad's Great Grandpa Solomon (born 1818). We he was 30 years old, he fell in love with Maria (born 1824) an adopted child who was of oriental lineage! They had 11 children. The family sailed all by themselves on The S.S. Circassion and settled in Blumenfeld, south of Winkler.

The amazing thing is that a physical oriental trait has certainly been seen in old photos of the Schmidt family, and some of my generation as well! These traits seems to randomly appear in different extensions of the family, especially in the eyes and the jet black hair of some of them. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of Maria, but I can just imagine her beauty (and why Solomon was smitten!!).

Maria would be my Great Great Grandma, giving me just a sliver (1/16) of oriental descent!

Here is a picture of my dad's father, as a child. I never met him, as he passed away before I was born.

You can't miss it!

And a picture of my dad, as a child.

And here's Brady and Grandpa - I just couldn't resist throwing this one in here.....I know he's doing a goofy face, but if you look for it, there is maybe just a glimpse of the orient in his eyes!!!!

How about you? Tell me something, big or little, that I probably don't know about you!!!

Outtakes

It finally feels like I am on the mend....and it couldn't have come at a better time. The diet consisting of ice cream and jello, with the occasional bowl of soup was ready for a change. Although ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner isn't all bad!

I've been working on getting some pics of the boys, long overdue. The last two evenings we've tried to take advantage of the mild evenings and sunshine. Even though for every hundred photos taken, there may only be a couple that are useable, sometimes the 'outtakes' are just as fun!

Here are some of our outtakes. They won't qualify for any cards or exchanging with friends, but they are fun, none the less!

Outta there!

My date with the great oral surgeon (Dr. Canosa) went well: translate: I have absolutely no recollection of it!!

Perk: got a hefty chunk of Visa points as a result of this procedure.

My face is an Ice Pack Sandwich.

I count down the minutes till my next T3 cocktail.

My breath is foul. I've been told.

I have a handsome male nurse tending to my needs.

He gave me a walkie talkie after I couldn't get his attention by knocking on the wall.

So thankful for my gracious drivers (sisters!!) who drove me to and from the appointment.

Wonderful to now have regained control of all facial muscles.

Hmmmmm....just realized I have nothing to put under my pillow tonight. We're talking FOUR here. That could have been a good haul. Anyone want to text/email my tooth fairy to remind him?

Sent from my iPod

The Scoop

Nate was an A+ patient today! I was so impressed and very proud of him. Lying down on the different tables as required, no fuss, no question. Not even needing the usual BIG story/distraction from me. He was a star!

The echo shows no positive changes. The leakage is still severe. The gradient on the band is still unchanged, not serving any purpose at this point. His ventricle (pumping chamber) is showing signs of being tired, a change from August. His liver is also larger than at his last appointment. These are both red flags, so for now, we are increasing his Lasix dosage slightly to help alleviate some of his symptoms (wet cough and laboured breathing). Dr. Soni is also going to discuss Nate's situation with Dr. Redington (head of cardiology at Sick Kids in Toronto) again. He has previously discussed Nate with Dr. Soni, after our return from Edmonton. She'll be seeing him next week, so she will talk to him about Nate's options, in light of the current changes, and get back to us the following week.

And now it's my turn to get some advice from Nate, him being the star patient and all, to see if he can give me any pointers. The day has come for my wisdom to be removed, by way of my 4 wise teeth on Friday! But, hey, if my little boy can get through heart surgery, I think I shouldn't be complaining too hard about a bit of dental surgery!

Here we go again!

Just a quick Nate update! We weren't due to see his cardiologist until December, but in the last 2 months we've been noticing some changes, and Dr. Soni wanted him to come in to see her. He's had more 'wetness' to his cough and his breathing has become a more laboured or heavier with exertion. I'm hoping it may be as simple as increasing his meds, but they'll do an echo just to see what's really going on!

You can pray that Nate does just as great as he did (for the first time) at his last appointment. They key to getting awesome diagnostics is a very calm and still child, (ie. not wiggling and crying!). Thanks - and I'll be sure to update when we get home!

Happy Thanksgiving!

That is, if you're north of the 49th!

Wishing you a great weekend! Hope it includes a lot of fun with family and friends, along with great food and at least one piece of pie!

I have so much to be thankful for.... a list that would have no end. Here are just 2 - they rank pretty high on my list!

And thank you - to each one of you. For the countless times and ways you've supported our little family. Exactly 7 months ago, Don and I, and our sweet little Nate, got on a plane, unaware of what kind of adventure we'd be in for. But your prayers, love and support surrounded us. God bless you all!!

Watch this...

I was checking up on Bowen, and watched this video that his dad (Matt - from Sanctus Real) had posted. Watch just one minute of it, and I guarantee, you'll watch it to the end.