2023 in Review: a Year of Resilience
Another year that has flown by. Here’s a not-so-short recap:
January - March
I returned to work from maternity leave and Sofia started daycare. We started to get concerned about Sofia’s weight gain as she only gained 2 pounds in 4 months. She should have doubled her birth weight by then (16 pounds) but was only 10 pounds, and less than the first percentile. Her provider heard a heart murmur so we were quickly referred to CentraCare in St. Cloud where we learned that she had a VSD (ventricular septal defect) and ASD (atrial septal defect). In simple terms, this means she had two holes in her heart between the upper and lower chambers of the heard. Sofia’s heart is not able to effectively and efficiently pump oxygenated blood out to her body. Essentially her heart had to work incredibly hard to support her and essentially she was burning calories faster than she could consume them.
Our pediatric cardiologist quickly referred us to Children’s in St. Paul, where Sofia underwent a cardiac catheterization, which is a procedure used to analyze and diagnose heart conditions. Essentially Sofia’s cardiologist wanted to gather as much information as possible to allow them to be best prepared for surgery. Here’s some interesting information about Sofia’s heart condition:
On the scale of 0-6 Sofia’s heart murmur was rated a three.
Blood flowed three times (3:1 ratio) the normal amount from the left to right side of her heart.
Sofia’s VSD measured 4.5 mm (about the size of a pencil eraser).
Sofia had open heart surgery on March 22, 2023 at Children’s hospital in St. Paul. It was a long 8 hours but everything went incredibly well. It was a relief to see her after surgery. Medicine is nothing short of a miracle; I understand the purpose it brings people in the industry. We were told to plan to be at the hospital for 7-10 days. But, Sofia kicked butt and busted out in 4 days! It was great returning home and putting the surgery behind us. We were thankful to our brother-in-law’s parents for letting us stay at their place and of course are grateful to both of our parents for watching Mia and Andre while we stayed with Sofia.
We did get to enjoy a few things those first couple of months. Mia turned 6 and had a fun birthday party with family and friends. Jose went to Mexico for his brother’s bachelor party and we snuck a quick trip to California for Jose’s brother’s wedding. It was a beautiful celebration and we were happy to be able to be part of it.
April-June
Things got back to normal in the spring. I enjoyed a fun girls vacation to Las Vegas in April and had a couple of trips for work. We spent Memorial weekend at Madden’s on Gull Lake. Mia and Andre spent hours in the pool. We enjoyed slowing down for a few days and having time together. Friends and family also visited, making the time even more memorable.
Mia graduated kindergarten and Andre graduated from 3’s preschool. The kids were ecstatic for summer vacation and summer activities. Mia did so many activities, including swimming, volleyball, basketball, soccer, gardening, arts & crafts, and more. Her favorite activity (by far) was gardening. Andre enjoyed swimming, golf and preschool camps. Golf camp was Andre’s favorite. The kids also took advantage of going to Grandpa & Grandma’s farm and playing with their cousins.
July-September
We said goodbye to Grandma Yolanda in July while she visited her mom and family in Mexico for 6 weeks. We are happy she’s able to visit even though she is missed at home. We spent time on the lake with friends and the kids were able to partake in some birthday parties. We tried to sneak in a little golf when we could. Andre and Mia enjoyed golf camp. Sofia started catching up and crawling. She is feisty and wants to keep up with her brother and sister. She also likes to pick fights, even though they take great care of her!
This summer we were fortunate to spend a lot of time with family. Jose’s siblings visited us from California. Some visited in July and some came in September. We enjoyed taking them to some of our favorite places and the kids had a great time playing together. Jose was also able to go to Mexico to visit his grandma and other family for a week. And we also somehow managed to spend a quick weekend in Las Vegas celebrating our sister-in-law’s birthday.
We enjoyed time with friends as well, including a couple of birthday celebrations, including Sofia’s first birthday in September!
Mia started first grade and Andre started 4’s preschool. Both kids love school and are doing well. We feel blessed they have excellent teachers and are surrounded with great support.
October - December
I competed in my first bikini body building competition. I enjoyed the process of the competition and accountability I had from friends. I am currently scoping out my next one (anyone else want to join?!)!
Andre enjoyed his long awaited birthday party with family and friends. We enjoyed a bouncy house in our yard and luckily had good enough weather for it.
We have slowly been investing in real-estate and this fall we took on another endeavor. We are enjoying the learning process of real estate and putting our leadership skills and business skills to the test.
Work is often the busiest for both of us in the fall. It requires a lot of communication and grace to support each other while the other is gone or simply tired from the long weeks. That said, we both love what we do and enjoy the people we get to work with.
We enjoyed some fun weekends with friends, including a Halloween bus, CentraCare’s Hollyball event, and most recently a friends vacation to Austin, TX.
Last, we are ecstatic to see Sofia taking her first steps!
As I reflect on the year, the word that comes to my mind is ‘resilient.’ I am proud of us for persisting through obstacles and taking on new challenges. Whether it be learning how to read, tie a shoe, get through a surgery, or starting a new work project, it is all a challenge. I am grateful for this past year and all that we accomplished. We look forward to whatever 2024 has to bring.
