Denver Appointments

So as Gary said, we had a few appointments in Denver on Friday afternoon. We got up there early and had plenty of time to park and find our way where we needed to go. We met an OB at University Hosiptal and a pediatric cardiolgoist for a fetal echocardiagram at Denver Children's Hopsital. The two doctors as well as the nurses at both offices were great. Both of the doctors were straightforward and knowledgeable, but also specifically made efforts to address the emotional side of what we're in the midst of. They reiterated that there is nothing we could have done to cause or prevent this heart defect and talked some about the things that we will need to be prepared to face together as we go through this process.

Between the two appointments, we had a few major "takeaways". One- the heart valve that dictates whether or not the baby needs that 1st surgery is looking good right now. Blood is flowing through it, but it doesn't look like too much. If there is too much or too little blood flowing through that valve at birth, then surgery will be required within the first 7-10 days. However, if this valve continues to remain a good size, there is a possibility that he could skip the first surgery altogether. This would be a wonderful thing to give him time to grow and get stronger before the 2nd surgery which now sounds like it would be around 4-6 months.

Two- If it is pretty certain the baby indeed will not need surgery then I may not have to go up to Denver to deliver; I could instead deliver at the hospital less than 10 minutes from our house as originally planned. This is still a very tentative thought, and the whole team of doctors will collaborate to make this decision as they continue to monitor the baby's heart. The possibility of delivering close to home is wonderful, but also a little bit frustrating, since now I'm not even sure which city I'll be in. Of course, being wherever Baby W can get the care he needs when he's born is the MOST important thing. All the same, I'm a planner, and having a set course of action helps me prepare, but I guess I need to get used to a lot of changing plans!

Three - if I do end up going to Denver for delivery and surgery for the baby, then they would want me to be up there staying close by the hospital at about 36-37 weeks. This came as a little bit of a surprise to Gary and I, because we hadn't anticipated I'd have to be up there that early. I could likely get hooked up with the Ronald McDonald house or something, but just the idea of being away from home for that much longer just throws me off. However, if it means that the baby can be in as controlled of a setting as possible with the care he needs close by, then I'll do whatever I need to!

So overall, the day was filled with some GREAT news that the baby might not have to go into surgery right away and some unexpected news that if I might have to get up to Denver a lot earlier than we thought (if I end up there). Overall, we feel great about the team of doctors that we have in both cities and the care that will be provided no matter where we end up.

After a long afternoon of appointments, we enjoyed a nice dinner at D Bar in Denver. It's just a delightful restaurant I've been to several times that Gary hasn't been to so I wanted us to go together. We enjoyed some tasty food and had a good chance to process some of what we heard. (There was a lot, believe me, this is the cliffs notes version.) Now we just wait for more fetal echos in several weeks and hopefully the doctors will be able to make the call about where they want me and when!

Allison

Appointment in Denver Today

Today we have an appointment(s) in Denver.  Please be praying that this goes well and that we can be put at ease through a strong relationship with the doctors we meet today.  Allison will be posting later today (likely) the synopsis of the visit. 

GW

Summertime equals Baseball!

Allison captures the beauty of a freshly lined baseball field

Allison and I got to experience an entire weekend of baseball.  The Tigers were in town against the Rockies and this seems to happen every 5-6 years because of interleague play, so it is a rare occasion to witness my favorite team in person.

The Rockies won the first two games, which made me nervous of an impending sweep.  However, the Tigers possess the best pitcher in baseball... Justin Verlander.  He pitched a complete game 4-hitter on Sunday and sent A LOT of Tigers fans home happy after a frustrating first two days at Coors Field.

I think this series has brought me to grips with the fact that Allison is a Rockies fan first.  I respect that.  At least she loves baseball and enjoys going to the ballpark(especially to take in all the sights, sounds and tastes!).  I think we both had our fill of stadium food over the course of three days.  Coors Field is great because you can bring in all the food and drink of yours that you want.  I wish all venues were like that. 

I also got to "technically" celebrate father's day on Sunday.  The funny thing is I got a gift for my baby boy from Allison... although it is definitely a gift for me! (See picture to the left!)

Baseball is something near and dear to me and is a sport and hobby that is passed down from generation to generation in this country.  I look forward to passing this down to my son, even if he can only play it on a limited basis or is only able to be a fan of it.

With that, I will leave you with my favorite definition of baseball from a childhood best friend that I never met.... longtime Detroit Tigers radio announcer, Ernie Harwell, who passed away about a year ago.

"Baseball is the President tossing out the first ball of the season and a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That's baseball. And so is the big, fat guy with a bulbous nose running home one of his (Babe Ruth's) 714 home runs.

There's a man in Mobile who remembers that Honus Wagner hit a triple in Pittsburgh forty-six years ago. That's baseball. So is the scout reporting that a sixteen year old pitcher in Cheyenne is a coming Walter Johnson. Baseball is a spirited race of man against man, reflex against reflex. A game of inches. Every skill is measured. Every heroic, every failing is seen and cheered, or booed. And then becomes a statistic.

In baseball democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team's uniform from another.

Baseball is a rookie. His experience no bigger than the lump in his throat as he begins fulfillment of his dream. It's a veteran too, a tired old man of thirty-five hoping that those aching muscles can pull him through another sweltering August and September. Nicknames are baseball, names like Zeke and Pie and Kiki and Home Run and Cracker and Dizzy and Dazzy.

Baseball is the cool, clear eyes of Rogers Hornsby. The flashing spikes of Ty Cobb, an over aged pixie named Rabbit Maranville.

Baseball just a game as simple as a ball and bat. Yet, as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.

Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World's Series catch. And then dashing off to play stick ball in the street with his teenage pals. That's baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrig saying., 'I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.'

Baseball is cigar smoke, hot roasted peanuts, The Sporting News, ladies day, 'Down in Front', Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and the Star Spangled Banner.

Baseball is a tongue tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball! Thank you."

GW

1,2, Buckle My Shoe

I'm getting to that wonderful part of pregnancy where I have to conciously tell myself not to grunt every time I have to pick something up off the floor (especially at work). And I'm finding it particularly difficult to buckle and tie my shoes. My back is starting to hurt a little more after sitting at my desk all day and I'm on my way to the" aches and pains" of the last trimester of pregnancy.

We've been trying and trying to get around to getting the "baby room" all set up and it's just taking much longer than I thought. We are still on step 1 of clearing out the "office" which will soon no longer be an office. I will feel much more prepared for a baby when we get get all the junk cleared out and we have the room painted however we're going to paint it. We're still working on figuring that out too :-) I'm starting to realize how much stuff we're going to acquire for a baby and how much stuff we already have. We just have too much junk and sometimes it's overwhelming to deal with.

Just the fact that we're going to have a baby is becoming more real too, especially as I feel a lot of movement from this little guy. The reality of having a baby has not quite set in yet, but I think it will once our house is ready for him!

The Baby is Kicking and .... Screaming (Will Farrell Pun-Intended)

Our baby boy has been kicking up a storm lately.  I bet he is anxious to get out and see his parents.  He isn't screaming yet, but I guess that part will come later!   I keep telling Allison that he has to be a brave little guy for what he is going to encounter.

Everyday is more exciting.  I feel very close to him and I can't wait to impart useless sports knowledge to him on a daily basis.  Anyone who knows me knows I have lots of it.

We went to baby boy Walenga's first baseball game last night (Sky Sox - Colorado Rockies AAA affiliate).  He couldn't see anything obviously, but he could definitely hear his obnoxious father carrying on like only he can do (this is Gary by the way).

Also, baby boy Walenga has been excited at the Detroit Tigers recent winning ways and is excited that he will be out in time for the Tigers anticipated long playoff run.  He also wanted me to thank everyone for all the prayers and thoughts thus far and to keep doing so for the long journey ahead.

GW

God's Purpose

I (Gary) wanted to also share a few thoughts that I feel God has been putting on my heart over the last three weeks.  I know that at least for me I have felt tremendous peace the last week or two.  I am supremely confident in that God will only give us as much as we can handle. 

Not that I/we are wishing for such circumstances, but we feel confident that God will provide for us physically and emotionally through this process.  I also look forward to the process (as hard as it will be) and know that God is going to bless my son with a tremendous story no matter what happens.

We have been reading a few other blogs in the process and that has provided tremendous hope for us; reading through the process and the emotional roller coaster that will ebb and flow.  I have been amazed at how someone living a 1,000 miles away, whom we have never met, can have such a profound impact on our life.  If you have eight hours and want to read about a tremendous family, knock yourself out here.  

It's funny how in church I constantly hear about life circumstances that families go through and wonder why I never felt like life had been that hard for me.  I am sure my faith will be tested beyond comprehension throughout this process and to be honest, despite a few hard initial days, this has been easy thus far because there is nothing we can do right now except lean on my relationship with God and trust. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

New Living Translation (NLT)

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.