Back to where it all began ...

Well, not really where it all began, but where things went a little haywire.

Amanda, Nathaniel and I made a trip back down to the DuPont Hospital in Delaware yesterday -- where Nathaniel had his surgery when he was five days old. We had to go back for a sedated echocardiogram, along with a standard EKG. They had to sedate him to get a really good view of the heart to make sure the valves were growing and working properly, the arteries were keeping up with the demand, the blood was moving at a good speed, etc.

The result: Good news! Everything seems to be fine.

The stress: Incredibly high on us. It seems possible that the stuff they give to sedate Nathaniel might have a "paradoxical effect" ... meaning he was anything by sedate. He was struggling and angry throughout much of the process, then even more angry when we wouldn't let him go afterward. They eventually got a kinda good view of what they were looking for, though, and it was all OK.

Still, stressful on everyone (Nathaniel, for some reason, doesn't like to be held down; nor do we like holding him down).

But good news for Christmas is always nice.