New blog to follow....

Obviously it has been awhile since this blog was updated and well no news is good news right! Mia is doing great and in fact her one year heart transplant anniversary is Monday if you can believe it! Mia's family has a blog so please feel free to check on Mia's progress through their blog at http://www.mcdonaldfam.blogspot.com/

A tremendous Thank You to all of Mia's fans and everyone that has supported her and her family in this journey! My life has been forever changed because of her!

Birthday Pictures!!!

Look at this sweet polka dot queen! What a great party and so amazing to see Mia doing so well and looking like any other normal one year old! This little girl truly is an angel and has changed so many lives. She will forever hold a special place in my heart and I know in the hearts of many. Thank you Mia for enriching our lives! Cake time with all her friends and cousins gathered around

Not quite sure what to think about the frosting on her fingers

The McDonald Family

Cute little personalized m&m's. Very fitting since Mia's initials are M.M.M!

It was a wonderful party and luckily the weather held. Most of all though it's great seeing Mia and her heartmelting smile! I know we are all looking forward to many birthdays to come!

Mia is ONE!

What an amazing year it has been for this little miss! So much has changed and she has come so far it is really quite remarkable! Her one year transplant date will be another great day to celebrate. Mia recovered pretty quickly from her fevers and has even been with out the feeding tube for days. She is one strong little girl and the celebration of this birthday is proof of that. I thought I'd share this cute little picture collage that Mimi made. Their family wouldn't be the same without all of you.

I will post pictures from her birthday party later.

Fevers and more fevers.....

For all of you Mia followers I thought I'd give a little update. Overall not much changes with Mia. She just gets a little bigger and cuter. Midweek last week she was having fevers and by Friday night they had not improved and she had to once again be admitted to Children's Hospital. Luckily she did not have to stay the night but it's always a little traumatic and scary for her mom and dad when she has to be taken in. I saw her Weds night and could tell she wasn't feeling great as she is usually so happy and smiley and she wasn't really displaying that. It's awful to know she's uncomfortable and yet at the same time amazing to think how far she's come. She still has some battles to overcome (i.e. the feeding tube) but she is a fighter and will win these battles. This first pic is a little sad but it was also so cute I had to include it. Please keep Mia in your prayers.

Feel better Mees! We love you.

Little Miss Mia Update

Usually there is not much new with Mia (except how cute she is gettting) which is why I don't post as often anymore. She is learning the typical new things that babies learn. She has rolled over a few times and is now saying the word momma! I got to hold and cuddle her the other night and it was remarkable. It had been awhile since I'd held for more than just a quick hello and as she was curled in my arms I couldn't help but reminisce on how far she has come. There were some very sad times and unknown resolutions as she lay there day in and day out waiting for a heart. My heart hurt watching all that her and her family were going through but I always felt things would work out for Mia and they have and for that I know so many of us will be forever grateful! Mia's health is no where near perfect but has definitely come a long way. Her white blood cell count has declined again and so they will again be tweaking some meds in hopes of solving that. She still needs assistance from the feeding tube but is also continuing to get a little bit better at bottle feeding. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers and feel free to keep em' coming!

Here is a link for a clinic in ID that will be doing a huge garage sale to benefit Mia, on May 30th. Check out the link and please feel free to help out!

Mimi and Mia will also be featured in a publication called Mormon Times. I believe their story will be printed on Mother's Day!

Thanks again to everyone for helping Mia and her family get to where they are today!

Improved and on the News again!

Thanks for everyone's extra prayers for Mia. Her levels have improved and of course she will continue to get monitored for that but hopefully things will only get better. She is getting a little better at learning the bottle feeding too. Hopefully soon she will continue to improve and be able to ditch the feeding tube! Northwest Cable News did an interview with Mia and Mimi and some doctors. It was aired all throughout the day on Friday (sorry I didn't post sooner) but here is the link for anyone that missed it!

More Prayers Please!

I don't want the title of this post to scare anyone. Mia is mostly doing well but she could use some more prayers on her behalf. Her white blood cell count is low which is never a good thing. The Doctors are going to try reducing her immune suppressant drugs to see if that makes a difference, which hopefully it will. Having a low white blood cell count can increase her vulnerability to more infections and they can also even lead to the growth of cancers, neither of which is desirable or good. So please keep sweet little Mia in your prayers. On a happy note...she rolled from her tummy to her side and is now a hefty 14lbs! Plus she continues to charm everyone with her smiles!

We love you Mees!

Last Call for winner of Wallet Giveaway!

Cynthia....you are the winner of the wallet giveaway but I need you to contact me soon or we'll have to randomly pick a new winner. Please email me at nali_12@hotmail.com as soon as you can so we can get you your prize! Thanks so much!

Winner

Congratulations to Cynthia (47th comment) who is the winner of the wallet giveaway! Please email me at nali_12@hotmail.com with your contact info so we can award you your prize! Thanks to all who entered and helped share Mia's story. Without Stephanie there would be no wallet so a big thanks for her kindness and craftiness!

Don't forget Mia's benefit concert this Saturday, March 14th at 3pm.

see previous post for more info!

Thanks!

Benefit Concert for Mia

I was just informed about another new fundraising opportunity for Mia. Please feel free to come support Mia and her family and if you don't live locally but would like to help please use the paypal donate button in the upper left corner or contact me at nali_12@hotmail.com. I'm not sure who is in charge of putting this on but Thank you. I know the McDonald family have been touched by all the wonderful help and support they have received.

Here's the scoop......

Pierce College Choir Club to host fundraising concert for Baby Mia on March 14 at Pierce College Puyallup.

Baby Mia is adjusting to her new heart, but the medical bills keep coming for the Puyallup infant and her family. To help, Pierce College’s Choir Club is hosting a free, benefit concert for Baby Mia at 3 p.m. March 14 at the College Center, Pierce College Puyallup, 1601 39th Ave. SE.

All donations collected at the concert will go to the McDonald family for Baby Mia’s medical expenses.

Mia was born with a congenital heart defect. She had a heart transplant in November and is now recovering at her Puyallup home. The March 14 benefit concert will feature performances by the Pierce College choir and orchestra. The selections will be fun and child- and family-friendly. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend and to support Baby Mia’s recovery.

New update and new giveaway!

Here is a recent pic of lil' miss sunshine, Mia! I know she has her eyes closed but I still loved the picture so I decided to post it. Plus she kept closing her eyes because my flash was so bright which was kind of funny....and I love the curler in her hair and her heart outfit! Mia continues to do well. There are little hang ups now and then but she is growing and happy. She still struggles on learning to eat and until she has the hang of it the feeding tube will remain. She is off her steroid drug, so one less med is good. Plus the steriod drug suppressed her immune system even more so that's a bonus to be off of that! She continues to bring so much happiness to those around her. So many heart families have never gotten to see their child progress to the point Mia is at and that is truly heartbreaking and our thoughts and prayers go out to them.

So on top of the good news that Mia is continuing to do well the original hostess of the 1st quilt giveaway has come up with another one......

A wallet giveaway!

She graciously crafted this handy wallet to continue to raise support for Mia.

Here's how this gorgeous item can by yours....

for 1 entry: leave a comment on this post

for an additional 5 entries: post about this giveaway and/or Mia on your blog, facebook etc or post the help baby mia button (found at the bottom of this blog) or the giveaway button (found in the left sidebar) and be sure and leave a note with how many entries you get and a way to contact you in your comment! This giveaway will run till midnight on Tuesday, March 10th! Good luck! and of course if you have the means or desire to continue to help Mia financially feel free to click on the paypal link to donate to her trust fund! Mia's journey has been heartwrenching, miraculous, faith building and awe inspiring. Thank you to everyone who continues to be a part of it!

New Giveaway!!!!

Click here to learn how to win a fabulous nursing cover and some of these yummy suckers! For every person that enters this giveaway, one of Mimi's old school friends will donate money!
Don't miss out on this one! I've heard these suckers are amazing and for any nursing mother these covers are a lifesaver!
Thanks and good luck!

Happier Than Ever

I thought maybe it was time for another update on little Miss Mia! Mia will be 7 months on the 8th and what a remarkable 7 months it will have been. All in all she continues to do well. She still has frequent appointments at Children's Hospital but she is off of a few of her many medications.

She unfortunately still has the feeding tube or "torture tube" as her mom calls it. They are working on her feedings and trying to get her to tolerate formula. She is happy to give smiles freely and frequently and continues to melt the heart of her family and all the doctors and nurses that still see her!

I thought this was an adorable picture as apparently she has recently discovered her thumbs and her knees! Plus diaper only baby pictures are always so cute.
Mia continues to grow and learn thanks to her second chance at life. There are so many people who have supported and prayed for Mia and her family and I just want to again say, "thank you". And to all the wonderful families out there who have so graciously and selflessly given of organs to save another, thank you! Words don't quite do it justice but it truly is an amazing and remarkable gift.

One Day At A Time

Here are some new pics of sweet little Mia. I had the chance to go to one of Mia's weekly appointments on Weds. and let me just say, "wow!" I got a small glimpse of what Mimi's life is like trying to take care of Mia and all her needs and then being home and having 2 other children and a husband and home to care for. That woman is amazing! She has so much on her plate and handles it all so gracefully and makes it seem effortless. I know it's not effortless and some days she is just getting by but she truly is one remarkable mommy,as I'm sure most heart mommies and others with serious medical conditions have to be.

Mia's appointment went pretty well. There were some minor hiccups...i.e. a long time waiting, no lab orders and a low battery for her feeding tube to name a few. We worked through them though and it was wonderful to spend some time with Mimi and Mia again.

Here is a picture of Mia getting her echo. If you'll notice she is looking at the screen, watching her angel heart! It was precious to see!

Mia is still on many meds and I was amazed at how Mimi could just rattle each one with it's dosage off the top of her head. Mia is getting stronger and bigger with each day. If I remember correctly she was just over 12 pounds at her appointment. Life for the McDonald family may not be a piece of cake all the time but I know they are enjoying being together as a family once more!

Mia was back in the hospital.

Unfortunately after Mia's appointment on Friday she had to be readmitted to the hospital. Fortunately it wasn't too major...her sodium levels were lower than they should be so they kept her over the weekend to give her some supplements until the sodium levels improved. I know it was hard for Mimi to back there with Mia but Mimi did say Mia is doing great I believe they got discharged yesterday. All in all she doing well. Hopefully all her levels will soon get balanced so there will be no more hospital stays. Thanks for everyone's continued support and checking up on Mia!

Picture of Mia enjoying the baby swing!

A late congratulations to Stephanie, who was the winner of the necklace giveaway!