Well it's been a few weeks since we've posted anything, not necessarily because we haven't had time, but because there hasn't been much major to report. Landon's eating has continued to get better and better and he's pretty much where they want him now in terms of his daily volume. He's getting more fun to watch every day as he observes and watches the world around him. He loves his little bouncy seat with the toys that hang in front of his face and hits the toys pretty frequently to make them swing back and forth, though I'm not sure he's really doing it on purpose.
We went back to Denver this week and they were pleased with everything- the healing of his incision, his weight, and all of his stats. It's still looking like his next surgery will be when he's about 4-5 months old (end of Jan-Feb). They'll do a cathaterization first which is kind of like an internal xray. They feed a catheter in through on of his veins and measure pressures and stuff inside his heart. The surgery will be about 2 weeks after the cath but may be moved up or back as a result of what they find.
Today was his 2 month checkup. I can't even believe it! Our baby is 2 months old (or he will be on Friday)!! I realized today that I need to get some professional pictures done of him before he's not a little baby anymore! His weight was 9lb 6oz, which puts him in the 5th percentile for his age. So he still has some weight to gain, but considering that he is a heart baby, I don't think that's too bad (I wish they had a separate scale for kids who have been through heart surgery!)
Unfortunately I (Allison) started getting sick yesterday and woke up last night with a fever so I've quarantined myself in the guest room and been staying away from Gary and Landon today so I didn't get to make it to the appointment. It was his first round of vaccines too so he's been pretty fussy tonight and I hate that I can't help take care of him. The doctor said he's already been exposed to whatever I have and would likely start to show symptoms in a few days if he was going to get sick, but he recommended that I stay away from him for at least today. He's getting my antibodies through the breastmilk so hopefully that will keep him from getting sick.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we're not traveling this year, ironically to try and avoid Landon getting sick. We had planned to go over to a friends house for a Thanksgiving meal but since I'm sick I'm not sure we'll go. Even if we don't celebrate with a big turkey dinner and can't be with our families, Thanksgiving will not go by unnoticed for us. We have SO much to be thankful for , especially this year. Thankful doesn't even sound like an appropriate word for it for some reason- I think of how I'm thankful for the roof over my head, but that is almost on a different scale of how thankful I am to have my son healthy and at home with us. I am thankful for a positive experience in pregnancy and labor, for an amazing army of medical professionals who have cared for Landon so well, for his incredible healing from surgery, and for the beautiful little face I get to see every day. I am thankful that I am an amazing husband who is the most incredible dad and for the tremendous support we have received this year, especially over the past few months, from so many friends and family (and even a few strangers!)
God has so graciously provided for us in every way and for that we are truly thankful!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
A Good Report Card
We had an appointment in Denver yesterday and Landon gained 6 ounces from last Monday to yesterday, which is great! He's still pretty behind in the weight department (apparently he's only in the 3rd percentile, but I know that is compared to normal kids- I should have asked where he is in comparison to kids with heart defects and surgery), but he's trying to gain some ground!
Overall they are still pleased with where he is but want him to continue to gain weight. For now he is staying on the same calorie level of fortified milk which is good because his little body already seems to be having some trouble processing what he's on! He's been eating pretty well the last several days, but the poor guy hasn't been pooping as much as normal so he seems a little uncomfortable sometimes! The doctors at the cardiac clinic in Denver recommended trying to give him some apple juice (like 1/2 oz) every day to see if that will help things along. It's amazing how the "basics" become such a big deal with a baby!
Gary's mom (Connie) leaves tomorrow and we are sad to see her go- she has been such a great help as was my mom (Pam) when she was here. It's wonderful sometimes to have an extra set of hands around to help out with lots of the little things, but it will also be nice for us to have some time as a family just the 3 of us to figure out our routine. Our friends Jessica and Kyle had a baby girl yesterday and we got to meet up with our small group and visit them in the hospital tonight! We are so happy to have another "member" of our group and it was great to see them and their sweet girl Annabelle. There have been so few non-doctor visit outings that it's been hard to feel like we can get out of the house at all- especially me (Allison)! But tonight Landon did really well being out and in a group of people so it gives us the confidence to be able to take him out some to run errands, go to social things, etc.
Looking back I can't believe all Landon has been through over the last 6 weeks and all that Gary and I have faced as well. God has been so incredibly faithful during this time to give us the strength for each day! We have become so much more aware of (although we could never fully understand) how amazing of a gift it was when God gave his son Jesus Christ up as a sacrifice for us. We know that God loves our baby boy even more than we do and to know that his love for us is so great that He willingly put his son through such pain and agony gives us a whole new perspective on how much He loves each of us. Going through something so difficult makes you appreciate the little blessings and the big ones too, and it also makes us more cognizant of who gives us those blessings! Praise God for giving each of us life- what an amazing gift!
Overall they are still pleased with where he is but want him to continue to gain weight. For now he is staying on the same calorie level of fortified milk which is good because his little body already seems to be having some trouble processing what he's on! He's been eating pretty well the last several days, but the poor guy hasn't been pooping as much as normal so he seems a little uncomfortable sometimes! The doctors at the cardiac clinic in Denver recommended trying to give him some apple juice (like 1/2 oz) every day to see if that will help things along. It's amazing how the "basics" become such a big deal with a baby!
Gary's mom (Connie) leaves tomorrow and we are sad to see her go- she has been such a great help as was my mom (Pam) when she was here. It's wonderful sometimes to have an extra set of hands around to help out with lots of the little things, but it will also be nice for us to have some time as a family just the 3 of us to figure out our routine. Our friends Jessica and Kyle had a baby girl yesterday and we got to meet up with our small group and visit them in the hospital tonight! We are so happy to have another "member" of our group and it was great to see them and their sweet girl Annabelle. There have been so few non-doctor visit outings that it's been hard to feel like we can get out of the house at all- especially me (Allison)! But tonight Landon did really well being out and in a group of people so it gives us the confidence to be able to take him out some to run errands, go to social things, etc.
Looking back I can't believe all Landon has been through over the last 6 weeks and all that Gary and I have faced as well. God has been so incredibly faithful during this time to give us the strength for each day! We have become so much more aware of (although we could never fully understand) how amazing of a gift it was when God gave his son Jesus Christ up as a sacrifice for us. We know that God loves our baby boy even more than we do and to know that his love for us is so great that He willingly put his son through such pain and agony gives us a whole new perspective on how much He loves each of us. Going through something so difficult makes you appreciate the little blessings and the big ones too, and it also makes us more cognizant of who gives us those blessings! Praise God for giving each of us life- what an amazing gift!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Landon's going home outfit
Ready to leave the hospital!
Resting in the car seat after we got home
Our amazing welcome home banner! (Thanks to our small group friends!)
Landon's first day at home
After his first bath at home
Landon enjoying his swing
Lazy morning in bed with daddy
Ready for the Lions @ Broncos game! Daddy went to the game, but Landon cheered from home
Halloween! Landon was a turtle! (Slow and steady wins the race- sounds just like him huh?)
Cutest turtle around
Ready to leave the hospital!
Resting in the car seat after we got home
Our amazing welcome home banner! (Thanks to our small group friends!)
Landon's first day at home
After his first bath at home
Landon enjoying his swing
Lazy morning in bed with daddy
Ready for the Lions @ Broncos game! Daddy went to the game, but Landon cheered from home
Halloween! Landon was a turtle! (Slow and steady wins the race- sounds just like him huh?)
Cutest turtle around
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Our First Week at Home
It has been a crazy first week at home with Landon (as anyone would expect with a newborn!). We're still trying to get down a "routine" and find our way through the first phase of parenthood. My (Allison's) mom left last Thursday and Gary's mom got here on Saturday to stay for about 10 days so we have had lots of help which has been a huge blessing! Landon has been doing well- we still don't have a schedule nailed down yet- he keeps jumping back and forth between "eat every 3 hours" and "snack all day long" which makes it hard to establish any eating/sleeping patterns. His eating is still not quite where it should be, but we're hoping he'll continue to make improvements!
We have doctor's appointments all the time it seems! Last week he had 2 visit from a home health nurse (which is great because we don't have to go anywhere!) and appointments with the pediatrician and cardiologist (both in Co Springs). This week we have 2 home health appts again as well as one in Denver yesterday for a follow up with the team there (surgeon, nurse practitioner, dietician, etc) and the cardiologist here. It was so cool to be at the Children's Hospital on Halloween- all of the staff and so many kids were dressed up in costume and having a great time- you'd hardly know it was a hospital at all! It seems crazy with all of the appointments, but I'm grateful to have so many people checking up on Landon! The team in Denver wants to see him eating a little better and gaining weight more rapidly than he has been. Yesterday we was 8 lbs though, so he definitely has been growing since birth when he was 6lb 9oz!
Gary is back at work aside from trying to make the occasional doctor's appointment but it's a very busy time in college sports so he's needed there as much as possible! Right now the biggest thing for Landon is gaining weight so that's our focus right now and it takes up a lot of my time! He's still in fortified breastmilk and if he doesn't gain weight at the pace they'd like to see then they would likely up the calorie count of the fortification but at that point (28 cal/oz) it can start to be really hard on his digestive system to process. A feeding tube it also not out of the realm of possibility but we are really hoping to not have to go that route.
It sounds like the 2nd surgery (the Glenn Shunt) will likely be when he is about 4-5 months old so that is a ways away but he's already 5 weeks old so it will be here before we know it! We have been so overwhelmed with all of the cards, emails, facebook posts, etc of everyone's prayer and love for us and Landon. We even had a "welcome home" sign greet us when we got back from Denver and found that our freezer had been stocked with meals! Thanks so much for your prayers and support- it will be a long road for sure but God has shown us time and time again that He will provide everything that we need for each day. I'll try to post some pics to the blog tomorrow- many of you have seen them on facebook I'm sure. Landon is such a cutie (in my unbiased opinion :-) He even had a costume for Halloween- he was a very content little turtle!
We have doctor's appointments all the time it seems! Last week he had 2 visit from a home health nurse (which is great because we don't have to go anywhere!) and appointments with the pediatrician and cardiologist (both in Co Springs). This week we have 2 home health appts again as well as one in Denver yesterday for a follow up with the team there (surgeon, nurse practitioner, dietician, etc) and the cardiologist here. It was so cool to be at the Children's Hospital on Halloween- all of the staff and so many kids were dressed up in costume and having a great time- you'd hardly know it was a hospital at all! It seems crazy with all of the appointments, but I'm grateful to have so many people checking up on Landon! The team in Denver wants to see him eating a little better and gaining weight more rapidly than he has been. Yesterday we was 8 lbs though, so he definitely has been growing since birth when he was 6lb 9oz!
Gary is back at work aside from trying to make the occasional doctor's appointment but it's a very busy time in college sports so he's needed there as much as possible! Right now the biggest thing for Landon is gaining weight so that's our focus right now and it takes up a lot of my time! He's still in fortified breastmilk and if he doesn't gain weight at the pace they'd like to see then they would likely up the calorie count of the fortification but at that point (28 cal/oz) it can start to be really hard on his digestive system to process. A feeding tube it also not out of the realm of possibility but we are really hoping to not have to go that route.
It sounds like the 2nd surgery (the Glenn Shunt) will likely be when he is about 4-5 months old so that is a ways away but he's already 5 weeks old so it will be here before we know it! We have been so overwhelmed with all of the cards, emails, facebook posts, etc of everyone's prayer and love for us and Landon. We even had a "welcome home" sign greet us when we got back from Denver and found that our freezer had been stocked with meals! Thanks so much for your prayers and support- it will be a long road for sure but God has shown us time and time again that He will provide everything that we need for each day. I'll try to post some pics to the blog tomorrow- many of you have seen them on facebook I'm sure. Landon is such a cutie (in my unbiased opinion :-) He even had a costume for Halloween- he was a very content little turtle!
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December 2012