You know you're a heart mom/dad when.....

Every mom and dad have struggles in their lives. Kids get sick, it's scary! You might have a kiddo who undergoes a surgery or two. Maybe eartubes, adenoids, tonsils? Things like that are scary to any parent. When you're a heart mom, you might have to deal with that too, as well as a few other things. Some moms on my heart moms boards have posted things that show you know they are heart moms. Since February is heart awareness month, I thought I would do a post, including some of those things, as well as some things I have been thinking of over the past week. You know you're a heart mom/dad when:

•  When you carry sanitizing wipes in your purse, and hand sanitizer on the side of your purse, and are willing to hand them out liberally.
• When you hear someone sneeze and you unconsciously pull your child away from that direction.
• When you decline parties at indoor play places during cold and flu season.
• When you don't go many public places the week before a biopsy/cath/surgery etc, because you can't risk the illness. 
• When you ask people at the door "how are you feeling today? Here's some hand sanitizer. Please take off your shoes." 
• When you can talk about heart rates, respiration rates, diapers, milestones, and the weather, all in the same conversation. 
• When you are glad for new friends that know what you are going through, but not for the reason you became friends. 
• When you sanitize the shopping cart and then put a shopping cart over it before putting your heart baby in. Just in case.
• When you get to go right back to a room at the dr's office so your baby isn't exposed to others illnesses for longer than they have to be.
•  When even if your child is fast asleep, you go check on them, just to make sure they're breathing. 
• When you put extra blankets on your baby because they might get too cold. 
• When you have to carry 11 syringes of medicine if you are going to be gone for the day. 
• When you worry if your child spit out a little bit of his medicine. Was it 1 ml, or just a half a milliliter? Should I redose now or later or not at all? Will he reject if I don't redose? 
• When you have the hospital, transplant team, cardiology and transplant pharmacists phone number all on speed dial.
• When you are both excited and nervous for your child to come off of another medicine. Yay for losing the antiviral, but also, uh oh, now I have to worry about viruses. 
• When you take your child in for every minor illness because you never know if it is a serious infection, rejection, or just another cold. 
• When you are glad to hear him snore because it means he is breathing. And then you worry when he doesn't snore and have to put your hand on his chest to make sure.
• When you worry too much. 
• When you can't bring your child to the gym daycare with you because you don't know what germs are there and what the kid next to him might have. 
• When you have to figure out a way to explain to your preschoolers why your child needs a new heart, in terms they will understand. And then explain his scar. 
• When you also have to explain to your preschoolers how very important it is to wash hands and learn to cough in their elbow.
• When you bring your heart baby to the doctor and the first question your preschooler excitedly asks is, "are we staying at Ronald McDonald house again?!" 
•  When you pray/think good thoughts/send out good vibes for a miracle for your baby, and then feel sad for the child that lost their life to save your child's life.
• When you have a new normal that you never could have imagined. 
•  When you worry about the future, knowing that the longest an organ has lasted was 31 years.
• When you are happy for every day that your baby is alive due to the miracle of modern medicine. 

I'm sure there are many more. If you are a heart mom, or have any other "you know you're a heart mom/dad when" feel free to add them in the comments.