Christmas 2007

We spent our Christmas celebration with Aaron's family (dad - Albert (Poppy), mom - Vicki (Mamaw), and youngest brother - Adrian (Uncle AD)). Even though they live about 15 minutes from us, we packed up all our stuff and slept over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night. It was very relaxing and fun. Vicki made GREAT meals and treats. We watched movies, went and looked at lights, played games and put together puzzles. Aaris got to sleep in a tent in the kid's new playroom. She got a sleeping bag as an early present from her Poppy and Mamaw and thought that was the neatest thing ever. We started two new traditions this year. We made Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas since that is what we are truly celebrating. Also, for a long as Aaron and his brothers can remember, Albert has always forgotten that you are suppose to get presents on your birthday, so he always has presents to give on his birthday. Once Aaris was born Aaron did the same thing (giving presents on his birthday). Well, Jesus is starting to do the same thing. He is giving Titus and Aaris presents on His birthday - Christmas. It's something with a Biblical basis. This year the kids each got a VeggieTales movie, a VeggieTales cup, and a snow-globe with Jesus in the manger in it. Santa went overboard this year and learned his lesson for future years. Aaris only asked for two things from Santa Clause (passing on that information to me with less than two weeks until Christmas...cutting it very close to being able to get the presents 'made'). She wanted a Jasmine princess baby to match her other ones and she wanted a silver bell from Santa's sleigh, like in "The Polar Express", and frankly those were the two presents she stayed most excited about getting. We hope you all had a wonderful time this Christmas as well. We are all so blessed, aren't we.

Pray for Aaris

We just wanted to take the time to inform you of a new development in Aaris's health. We have been hit with a lot of information in the last 24 hours and will most likely not remember who we have or have not told yet, so we thought we would pass on what we know all at one time.

I have taken Aaris into the doctor 2 times in the last 6 days due to, first a constant cough, and then, yesterday, a busted ear drum. At the first visit on Friday we saw another doctor in the pediatric practice that said Aaris just had a respiratory virus and then nonchalantly said that she still has her heart murmur. I told him that Aaris has never had a heart murmur. He said that maybe it was innocent and just caused by her being sick and that I should come back in 2 weeks after she is completely well to make sure that the murmur was gone. Well, we ended up going back yesterday to find out she had a busted ear drum. This time we saw Aaris's regular doctor. She listened to her heart for quite some time. Then she said that she would like us to get in to see a pediatric cardiologist that day if possible. She was going to make the appointment for us (this was at 12:00). I got a call from her a little after 1:00 saying we had an appointment at 3:00 with the cardiologist. Aaris courageously experienced a lot of new things like EKGs and ultrasounds. At about 5:00, right after Aaris had fallen asleep on the doctors table, he came in to tell me that Aaris has a congenital heart disease. It is called Primum Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Basically there is a hole in Aaris's heart that is 1.1 - 1.4 cm large in the wall (septum) that separates the upper chambers (atria) of the heart into right and left atrium. She has had this since birth but it has gone undetected because most ASDs do not produce symptoms in children. Atrial Septal Defect is the second most common Congenital Heart Disease and is more common in girls. The difference with Aaris is that hers is a Primum ASD. This has to do with the location. It is closer to the "cross bones" of the heart referring to where the 4 chambers of the heart all meet together. The only way to fix this problem is with open heart surgery which means that they will have to stop her heart and she will be connected to a heart-lung machine. The surgeon will make an incision in the middle of her chest through the breast bone to expose the heart. The hole is patched with a special mesh. Once the procedure is complete, the heart is re-started and the chest incision is sutured. She will be in ICU right afterwards and then hopefully moved to a regular room for 4-5 days. If all goes well, we can then go home with medications. She should be healed completely in 3 months. He doesn't want her to be operated on until the Spring or Summer because then we will be out of the cold/virus/flu season which would only throw an unnecessary risk factor into the surgery and healing. So, we will meet with the actual surgeon at the beginning of March. Her surgery will take place at the new Dell's Children's Hospital here in Austin.

Reasons we have to rejoice because it's obvious that this is all God's plan:
-They say that the best time for surgery for this defect is between the ages of 3 and 6 (Aaris is 3).
-The doctor said that the murmur she came in for yesterday was innocent and had no relation to this problem. They just accidentally came upon it. So, since most ASDs go undetected, God had to find a way to get us into, first, the regular doctor (strange cough and then busted eardrum) and secondly, to the cardiologist, anyway.
-The doctor said that of all the open heart surgeries there are, that this is the most cut and dry/least complicated one.
-She can lead a perfectly normal and healthy life after the surgery and not have the severe heart problems that would have occurred if this would not have been found now.
-When we were reading Aaris's Bible story to her last night, we opened it up to discover that the title of last night's lesson was "Looking at the Heart".
-My friend, Kristen Perkins, was flooded with scriptures from the Holy Spirit yesterday all about healing and the heart and children.
-Aaron's first ever over-night work trip was yesterday, so I was forced to draw all my strength and assurance from God first.

We are richly blessed to have you all in our lives. Through you, God has given us a huge support group. You all know how precious Aaris is. She teaches me about faith every day. She is the most prayerful person of anyone I know. So, now I ask that you say prayers on her behalf. I know that this will be a completely successful surgery because of all of our combined faith in God.

All Things Christmas

Here are some stuff we have done over the past month - all in the name of Christmas:

We bought our first pre-lit tree (LOVE IT) and decorated it. Aaris was actually a huge help in putting on the ornaments. Every year Aaron and I place the first ornament on together. It's the precious moments ornament from our first Christmas together. Then Aaris hangs her 'birth' shoes ornament and Titus hangs his 'birth' shoe ornament. Then, we all go crazy put up the rest.

A great lady from our church class and care group, Jonna, hosted the 2nd Annual Girl's Only Homemade Gift Exchange Party. It was a blast. We do it 'white elephant' style. I LOVE the gift I received. As soon as I got it I placed it nice and hidden behind my seat trying to make everyone forget out it so they wouldn't steal it. It worked and now I've finally gotten a new updated wreath on my door.

We took the kids to go see Santa in the mall. Aaris LOVED it and told him what she wanted. Titus liked to watch but cried when I put him on Santa's lap. I got him down and asked in to at least give Santa a 'five', but he wouldn't. Aaris on the other hand ran back because she wanted give him a 'five'. And on a side note, I must say that I did show quite a bit of anger towards the people at the Santa place. They wouldn't let me take my own picture OR video unless we paid for the smalled picture package they had...$20!!!!!! I couldn't believe that I couldn't even video her without paying $20. I felt so blackmailed. There was no way to have a memory for my child of seeing Santa unless I paid them. So, I did something wrong I know, but I sent Aaron up above us with his zoom lens and had him take pictures anyway...just without them knowing.

We did also go and see "The Polar Express" at the IMAX theatre in 3D with Aaris. She did fantastic. She sat threw the whole thing and only took her 3D glasses off 2 times because it was a scary scene. We went with our good friends the Perkins. Aaron took a picture of Aaris in her glasses with his phone, but he hasn't figured out how to email it to me yet...might update that later.

Titus did make it into the newspaper (Hays Free Press). His picture was about the size of a 5x7 and it was on the front page!! My mom sent this scanned copy to me, but just in case I hadn't gotten it yet, both Titus's and Aaris's preschool teachers had brought me a copy today at school. So fun!!!

Early Epperson Christmas

Me and Aaris in matching pajamas

Early Santa stocking stuffers for Aaris

Titus's early Santa stocking stuffers and Santa present
Playing with their Santa presents
Titus at the Budafest Parade
My family watching the parade and Aaris and Titus picking up tossed candy

Me and Titus at the parade
Uncle Jeremy paid for Aaris to take a pony ride
Aaris and Uncle Jeremy at Budafest
Aaris with Santa and Mrs. Clause at Budafest
Titus making some cookie cutter sugar cookies

Aaris using the cookie cutter all by herself
A very usual scene in the kitchen
Titus 'helping' Papaw stir the fire
All the family at dinner
Uncle Mark, Aunt Hattie and Uncle Jeremy ready to open presents

Great Aunt Claudine, Aaris and Aaron ready to open presents

Papaw, Mimi, Titus and Great-Grandma ready to open presents
Aaris standing behind all the kids presents
Titus took a picture of himself
Aaris in her new Cinderella dress-up clothes and Titus on his new Cars' sitting scooter
Well, this weekend was my family's (the Epperson's) early Christmas celebration. My sister likes to come in for Budafest (arts and crafts show held every first weekend in December in Buda) every year, so it was decided to just go ahead and celebrate our Christmas together as well. We do everything just like it were the real thing. Aaris was told that Santa was making a special trip just for her and Titus for the special weekend. We all slept over on Friday night and on Saturday morning Santa had arrived. Then after some playing with the Santa presents and some yummy breakfast my sister, Hattie, had made, it was off to Budafest. We got there in time to go to the library for their 'stuff a bag for $5' event. I got two completely full and overflowing bags of kid's books and Aaron got some jewels for himself. Then we were done just in time for the parade. It's always a fun event for me to watch because when I was in high school as a cheerleader at Hays, I was in that parade. The kids had a great time picking up candy. Titus mimics exactly what he sees so after he picked up his candy, he threw it on the ground...well, because after all, that is what the people in the parade were doing - throwing it on the ground. A Buda Free Press Newspaper photographer came by and took pictures of Aaris and Titus, so they might be in the paper. Then we had lunch, looked at the crafts and took off back home for the kid's naps. We watched the movie "The Nativity" (fantastic by the way), Aaron and I took naps, the kids woke up and made sugar cookies, we all ate a big dinner, we snacked on the most delicious homemade candy my mom makes, and then we got to open presents. It's hard to even remember what I got because I had so much fun watching the kids enjoy their plethora of gifts. We all crashed that night and got up and went to church together. Then back home for one big, fabulous homemade meal and then my brother, sister, and brother-in-law were back on the road for Lewisville. We left the kids at my parents for the evening and went to Aaron's Company Christmas Party at the Driskell. GREAT WEEKEND!!!!