Family Fun

Today, we went to Kiftzuba, an outdoor small amusement park, not far from Beit Shemesh (and our hospital). We got there 15 minutes after they opened and spent about three and a half hours there, with absolutely no lines. It was pretty empty while we were there. When we were ready to leave, we saw that it was filling up. We were very happy that we had an early start on our day.

This place has things like bumper cars, bumper boats, huge 4 story gymboree play areas, arcades, rides, some animals, and many little toddler play areas. I think it was perfect for the range of our kids' ages.

I took Tehilla into several of the toddler areas to play. It was very strange to see the comparison between babies within her age range. One thing that we have been asked, not by our doctors, but from many of the hospital pediatricians that have checked her throughout her various visits, "Does she tire easily? Is it strenuous for her to move around?"

For many heart kids, having the limited circulation in their heart makes it harder for them to do physical activity and they do tire much more easily. We have always answered, "We're not at that stage yet. She is just starting to crawl and cruise."

Each healthy baby follows their own individual rhythm to their development and truthfully it isn't wise to compare children. We have always seen Tehilla as climbing her pattern in a steady path, without cause for concern.

Today, I saw many babies varying in age range, and they were crawling and climbing all over the place. Tehilla crawled a bit, but mainly stayed close.  A big part of it was that Tehilla was completely overwhelmed by her surroundings. But it did make me wonder- does she lack energy to be active?

Whether the answer is yes or no, with her Glenn surgery her heart circulation improves and she will gain more energy. Later, after the Fontan, again, her heart circulation will improve along with her energy levels.

But regardless, we had a great fun family day!