Happy fall and winter! It’s been quite a while since my last update. As they say, no news is good news, but quite a lot has been happening these past few months. Most of it leaves my brain unfit for composing anything worthy of publishing, however. Life is busy and crazy and we are grateful…but, boy, does it make me tired sometimes!
Click here for our CaringBridge, where I have posted some pictures:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/peterhernandez/journal/view/id/61e03f4695ae333b44280a68
All three of our kids have the first semester of school under their belts. We heard great reports from all their teachers after the first quarter. Peter goes to preschool three afternoons a week and language lab for an hour on the other two days each week. He loves school! However, he had kind of a rocky start. Because of the reality of our lives, Peter has basically been with me (or a family member) every second of the day for the past few years. Therefore, it was not a surprise, but was nonetheless heartbreaking, when he had a hard time being dropped off. For the first few weeks, he cried every time I dropped him off, although he did go willingly with the teacher. He became more comfortable every day and now he loves to go! Peter is a very young three-year-old and has some things to work on, but he has been progressing. His teacher commented that he wants to learn and work hard and wants to obey, although he’s a little bit ornery as well. Several people have commented that his speech is becoming more clear and his vocabulary is increasing. He uses complete sentences on a regular basis. His personality seems to be a blend of his siblings—friendly but not quite as outgoing as Michael; curious and observational, but doesn’t stand back and watch before participating quite as much as Aurora did at his age.
Since I last posted some significant anniversaries have past: September 17 marked three years since Peter’s first open-heart surgery, and October 12 was three years since Peter’s cardiac arrest and second round on life support. November 1 was the anniversary of being listed for transplant. Next month is Heart Month and the 3rd anniversary of Peter’s transplant. Every day we are aware of what a miracle we have living in our house!
Here are some other happenings:
- Michael began playing cello this fall and is enjoying it so far.
- He continues to invent Lego, Magnatiles, and Snap Circuit creations daily.
- Aurora began orchestra and has been enjoying it. Her violin playing is quite beautiful.
- The big kids joined 4H.
- Aurora got braces!
- Aurora participated in robotics through our school.
- Peter is in love with Paw Patrol and inherited quite a collection from his cousin.
- Christopher continues to balance growing his business, teaching two classes at our school, family life, and his college classes. He is on track to complete his degree in a year.
- I have been enjoying teaching literature and library classes.
- On a sad note, my mom passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
Most recently, we connected with Brittney, the mother of Peter’s heart donor, who was a sweet little boy named Arkaydin. We pray with Peter daily for our donor’s family, and it has been a blessing to share about well Peter is doing. In fact, Brittney, Christopher, and I (and all three of our kids, off and on) participated in an interview regarding our families connecting. Here is the link to that story: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/two-families-one-heart-how-the-tragic-death-of-a-baby-in-racine-saved-the/article_935a4db3-0648-53f7-9e95-1060979223d5.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Racine_Uncovered_News&fbclid=IwAR0LtmCGuQk46vSe9cdstgYv8z_Yj5O2r89WBX3sUJy_k8vBHqH2tdQPH2k
Brittney is in the process of raising money to purchase a headstone for Arkaydin’s grave. If you feel led, please consider donating: https://www.gofundme.com/f/arkaydin-stone?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR39BkfkxCbpxWuhlDvW9_3j0zU3wsDNlb94SMVya7OgajZ5mL4vll3O4J0
As always, we thank you for your prayers! I know many of you have prayed for our donor family and we thank you for that as well! Please continue!