It is nearly a month since our last post. Landon is tipping the scales at 11 lbs. now and continues to develop everyday. I (Gary) love coming home to him everyday. Allison has done a marvelous job at home with him. Through all the ups and downs we have come through that first surgery as a family, intact and stronger than we were before all of this. Sounds cliche, but it is true.
The anxiety of the next surgery is starting to set in. We are approximately 60-90 days away from step 2. Clearly, I do not want to miss anything that happens in Landon's development, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping to already be done with round 2 of his surgeries.
Emotional roller coaster is one way to put it. Now that he has much more of a personality it will undoubtedly be more agonizing to see him strapped to a bed with 20 machines attached and tons of different medications being administered through his various IVs.
We are nearly two months removed from the hospital and the month spent there seems like a distant memory on most days. But when I stop and think of what we went through, the memories are vivid and scary to recall.
Landon is taking to his bouncy seat toys actively. He is swatting the hanging toys consistently and more aggressively. He has also come close to grabbing these on a few occasions, as you can very clearly see him focusing on the toy and using some hand-eye coordination. No official grabs yet. No surprises there considering his genes and his father's heightened hand-eye coordination! He is eating well on most days, but volume at times is still a challenge. He continues to experience good weight gain so the volume is not too concerning.
Allison heads back to work next week. She will be working Monday through Wednesday every week. Her work has been fantastic through this process and was willing to let her reduce her hours so that she could be at home with him 4 days a week. This is also critical to allow us to schedule doctors appointments for him on those Thursdays and Fridays. We are very thankful that she can be with him 4 days a week.
We have found a daycare option with a friend of ours. Sadly her family has also been affected by Congenital Heart Defects. It is a huge blessing to have her take care of Landon and her experience as a mother of kids with heart defects will no doubt be a huge asset in Landon's care. I am looking forward to Landon being around other kids too as he grows over the next year or two. Mindy, who will be providing his daycare, has two boys. One is six months and the other is 4-years old. While tough to give your kid to anyone, I believe this is really an ideal situation for us and for Landon. Daddy gets his lunch partner back for Monday through Wednesday too. Bonus!
Merry Christmas! 9 days until Christmas. Where has the time gone?
