WOW Anita! You are 3yrs old

WOW baby girl, you are more than 3 years old now.  You did go into the hospital 2 times in April, but came out OK.
Just before your birthday Grandma and Grandpa McCone came to visit and saw you AT HOME for the first time. They have visited you before, but you were always in the hospital. They stayed a few days and had lots of fun, and you loved it when Grandma cuddled you.  You had a very happy birthday with lots of friends and family.
You have the doctors confused because you keep changing so much.  Some Drs. have very high hopes for you but some don't. The ones that don't have to deal with daddy and I tell them that only GOD knows what will happen. In the meantime you have nurses all day and night every day. Everyone loves you very much.  Mommy and Daddy just love to enjoy you and make you smile so big every single minute of everyday. You seem to be getting stronger everyday too and that makes everyone happy.

Just remember my lovely baby girl, Anita Rose Bushak what Daddy said when you were first born.  DADDY'S HERE, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT!

Feb. 2013

It has been so long since I wrote you a letter I almost forgot how to.  You were home for the holidays again this year, except for New Year's Eve when you wanted to go out with your friends so you went to your favorite hospital close to home and were back the next day.  Daddy needs to teach you about a thing called curfew because you weren't home until noon on New Years day.  You had been needing more and more oxygen, even though you were off of the vent since June.  You had to go back into the hospital on Jan. 16.  On Jan. 21 you gave us another big scare, the 6th or 7th time you've done that.  They put you back on the vent for 24 hours a day and you finally got to come home on Feb.8, 1 week ago today.  You did loose your day nurse, Oscar who has been with you for 2 years now, but kept your night nurses and your new day nurse is already falling in love with you.  You have had a few appointment's and have alot more over the next month. You haven't started therapy yet but we hope you can soon. Even the people at the hospital noticed how strong you have gotten.  We hope you can get off of the vent again soon but that is up to you and the Dr's.  Stay strong baby girl and keep getting better.  Daddy loves you so much that he sometimes gets scared, but then he remembers that God has his own special plan for you and right now all daddy can do is keep helping you get better, even when it makes doctors and nurses mad.  They might have gone to school for a long time and had alot of patient, but I am pretty smart and  only have 1 patient, YOU.  I love you Anita Rose and always remember what I first told you, "It's alright, Daddy's here" I love you baby girl, Daddy.

September 29, 2012

It sure has been a long time since I wrote you a letter.  The day after my last letter you got really sick and scared everyone, but you ended up O.K.  You took another plane ride to Corpus Cristi, But no surgery.  The Drs. there just added a new medicine to help make your heart work better.  You got home on April 25.
While you were in the hospital we had Easter.  You got dressed up and they let us put you in your chair.  Mommy dressed like the Easter Bunny and took candy and treats to all of the kids on your floor.  You even got a few other baskets from other sick kids.
In May you celebrated your 2nd Birthday.  You had neighbor kids and other friends like Nixia's kids.  You had a BIG pinata and cake and presents and everyone had a great time.
In June you got permission to go off of the ventilator (you had been on it for 12 hours a day).  It only took you 2 days before you didn't need it at all.  In July you needed it for a few days because you got sick and had to go to the hospital for a week.  You also needed it for a few days earlier this month when you got sick and had to go to the hospital.  Now you are doing just fine and don't need the ventilator or oxygen.  We want to get your trach removed because that is what keeps making you sick.  That decision is up to the Drs. though.  Otherwise you are doing everything you need for you heart surgery.
You are doing great in therapy and even roll over for daddy in the bed sometimes without fighting.  You smile and reach for people and things.  You open your hands more and hold some of your toys.  You even try to talk, you don't care if you have a trach or not, you just do things your way, and that's one of the reasons I love you so much.
Now, let's just stay healthy for the flu season and stay happy.
I Love You Anita Rose.  It's alright, Daddy's here.

It's been a whole week.

Well Baby Girl Anita, we've been in the hospital for 8 days now.  It turns out that you had several infections so it's good that you had to come here.  The Drs. all think that you are getting better and I do too.  Mommy has been getting better and has stopped by a few times in the last few days.  She may even be well enough to stay with you in a day or 2 so daddy can get some rest.  Otherwise you are getting better and everyone here loves you and treats you so well.
Just get better soon baby girl.  I Love You Anita Rose.  Always remember,  Daddy's here, everything is going to be alright.

March 2012

It's been a very long time since I wrote to you, but that is because I have been spending so much time with you. You made it through your first holiday season at home!  You were home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. At Christmas you got alot of presents, but your favorite was the wrapping paper.  You even ate some of daddy's polenta, and loved it.
You were able to stay out of the hospital all winter long.  You have had a few coughs and colds, but we have been able to treat them at home.  We really like your new lung Dr.  You stayed on your vent for 12 hours a day, but did great even without it.  Then at the end of February the Dr. said we could start taking you off of the vent a little at a time.  You only needed it for 8 hours a day the first 5 days, then you got sick.  You had to use the vent for 12 hours a day, then almost all day, then we even had to add some oxygen.  That's when we knew it was time to go back to the hospital.  You were nice enough to wait until the day after my birthday.  Now you are in your favorite hospital close to home, and daddy gets to stay in the room with you.  Mommy has a really bad cold too, so she is staying at home until she gets better.  The Drs. and nurses here know you real well and haven't seen you in so long.  They like that you are getting so big.  I hope that you get better quick so I can play with you some more.  I don't like when you have to go to the hospital, but you got too sick and this is the best place to get you better.
I Love You Anita.

What a mont and a half. Oct 1,2011-Nov. 10,2011

We started off the month by taking you to the hospital because you were needing more oxygen.  They sent you to Corpus Christi again to be checked out.  We did get you off of the ventilator for about a week.  Then you needed a surgery called a Modified Blallock-Tausig Shunt.  It is a piece of gore-tex that goes from an artery in your arm to your pulmonary artery.  There is a beautiful movie that we will watch with you about how the Doctors a long time ago invented the surgery called Something the Lord Made.  Mommy was sick for a while when you first went to Corpus Christi.  Daddy had to argue with Drs. and take care of you while Grandma and Grandpa McKinney took care of mommy and Grandma McCone flew down from Seattle to be with daddy, and of course you.  Mommy was in Corpus Christi real fast though and Grandma and Grandpa McKinney came to visit you.
     You had the surgery on Oct. 20 and came home on the 24th.  You had alot of doctors visits when you got home.  After about 10 days you were still having trouble breathing.  You didn't need oxygen, you just had to work to breath.  We did have to takke you back to the hospital, then again to the hospital in Corpus Christi, for 6 days.  You are getting much better now.  You still need the ventilator for 12 hours a day, but you will see the lung Dr. next week so that might change.
     In the mean time, you were home for Halloween this year.  It was your first Halloween at home.  You dressed as a Pumpkin, sat in the living room and watched all of the other kids come to see us and you saw mommy handing out candy.You are also over 18 Months old now and are getting so big.
     I Love You Anita, Love Daddy.

End of September 2011

It has been over 7 months since we came home and you have been getting stronger and healthier.  You only use your ventilator for 3 hours a night and next week the doctor is going to let you go without it.  You breath on your own all of the time and have become very used to your trach.  We found out on Friday that you might have your trach removed before Halloween.  We are all so happy.
You go to therapy 3 days a week and you are getting stronger and more importantly, more coordinated.  You like to smile alot and kick your feet and move your hands.  You grab things, but usually only mommy and daddy.  You are just starting to taste things.  You like chocolate cake batter, that was mommies idea, but you liked it.
We also have the nurse schedule set regular all week long, and on weekends mommy and daddy take over, although we mostly use the nurses as your secretary more than anything because mommy and daddy do everything anyway.
You are a very loved girl with a little angel on your shoulder.  I Love You Anita Rose Bushak, Daddy.