Thursday, December 11, 2008
16 months!
Not much new to report on since I just posted yesterday but I wanted to take the time to acknowledge that Ethan is officially 16 months old today!!!! We are so proud of him - how healthy he's been this year and how much he's grown and accomplished with walking and exploring everything!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Walking!
I think I forgot to mention in our last blog entry that Ethan's finally walking! He's been taking a few steps at a time since early November. Each day he gets a little more confident and Monday he started really picking up the pace and doing laps around our kitchen bar/living room! So he's officially a walker now. He is still working on learning how to stand up when he falls/sits down - he has to crawl over to something that he can use to pull up on - a table, sofa, etc. - but he's getting there!
Now if we can just get the boy to talk more! He knows a few animal sounds - cat (he meows or sometimes hisses since that's what Mimi's cat usually does to him! LOL) , lion (he roars/growls - his favorite sound!), snake (he hisses) . We're still working on what a dog says (I thought he would've learn that first since we have a dog). The pediatrician isn't concerned right now so we're not either.
Now if we can just get the boy to talk more! He knows a few animal sounds - cat (he meows or sometimes hisses since that's what Mimi's cat usually does to him! LOL) , lion (he roars/growls - his favorite sound!), snake (he hisses) . We're still working on what a dog says (I thought he would've learn that first since we have a dog). The pediatrician isn't concerned right now so we're not either.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Health and Family Update
I (Julie) took Ethan for his 15 month pediatrician checkup yesterday and all is well. He weighed in at 23 lb. 9.6 oz.! He's also grown to 32" long. He got his shots and was pretty brave - only cried for a moment. Then he fell asleep on the 7 minute drive home and slept for a couple of hours afterward.
He slept well last night and is pretty much on schedule today, not really feeling any side effects of the vaccines, although he is pretty clingy and cuddly! He's had a cough for about 2 weeks now so we had the doc check it out while we were there and they said he's fine and didn't really give a reason for the cough but didn't seem concerned so I guess there's no need for me to worry either. It's kind of odd to actually hear him cough because he spent all last year not being able to cough, and thus the reason for the thickened bottle feeds, due to some paralyzation of his nerves in his chest/throat area from his surgeries. Before I realized he didn't know how to really cough, he would just (how do I describe it?) kind of start to cough but turn it into a yell/loud noise/extended cough. Oh, the little things we take for granted! Poor little guy - I always thought coughing was more of an involuntary action that we do in response to choking or having something bother our airway. I guess it's encouraging that we definitely know he's regained the feeling in his throat in order to have the need to cough!
Well there's Ethan's health udate, now for the family update. We had a really nice Thanksgiving and trust you did as well. Dan and I both are fortunate to have our parents and siblings here in town so it's always fun to get to pitch in together for two big Thanksgiving day meals - one with each family! Ethan loves food in general (except any kind of meat/poultry) and found a new favorite food this holiday - cranberry relish! He mainly loves cheese and fruit (same things I craved when I was pregnant with him!) so it's really no surprise that he likes the tangy/sweet taste of the cranberries - he had several helpings at each meal and again for leftovers.
The rest of our family and extended families are doing well. I've got some kind of sinus problem that I've put off going to see the doctor about for the last couple of weeks but otherwise feeling good. I've also finally started going back to the gym to try to get in shape and hope to get in a good routine before the new year when the gym will be crowded with people trying to start their resolutions. My mom (aka Mimi) is also starting to finally feel better from her mono that she's had for nearly a year and a half. That's probably the biggest answer to prayer lately!
Uh-oh, I left the gate open and Ethan's headed for the stairs so I better run (he can crawl all the way up but doesn't know how to get back down without falling)!
He slept well last night and is pretty much on schedule today, not really feeling any side effects of the vaccines, although he is pretty clingy and cuddly! He's had a cough for about 2 weeks now so we had the doc check it out while we were there and they said he's fine and didn't really give a reason for the cough but didn't seem concerned so I guess there's no need for me to worry either. It's kind of odd to actually hear him cough because he spent all last year not being able to cough, and thus the reason for the thickened bottle feeds, due to some paralyzation of his nerves in his chest/throat area from his surgeries. Before I realized he didn't know how to really cough, he would just (how do I describe it?) kind of start to cough but turn it into a yell/loud noise/extended cough. Oh, the little things we take for granted! Poor little guy - I always thought coughing was more of an involuntary action that we do in response to choking or having something bother our airway. I guess it's encouraging that we definitely know he's regained the feeling in his throat in order to have the need to cough!
Well there's Ethan's health udate, now for the family update. We had a really nice Thanksgiving and trust you did as well. Dan and I both are fortunate to have our parents and siblings here in town so it's always fun to get to pitch in together for two big Thanksgiving day meals - one with each family! Ethan loves food in general (except any kind of meat/poultry) and found a new favorite food this holiday - cranberry relish! He mainly loves cheese and fruit (same things I craved when I was pregnant with him!) so it's really no surprise that he likes the tangy/sweet taste of the cranberries - he had several helpings at each meal and again for leftovers.
The rest of our family and extended families are doing well. I've got some kind of sinus problem that I've put off going to see the doctor about for the last couple of weeks but otherwise feeling good. I've also finally started going back to the gym to try to get in shape and hope to get in a good routine before the new year when the gym will be crowded with people trying to start their resolutions. My mom (aka Mimi) is also starting to finally feel better from her mono that she's had for nearly a year and a half. That's probably the biggest answer to prayer lately!
Uh-oh, I left the gate open and Ethan's headed for the stairs so I better run (he can crawl all the way up but doesn't know how to get back down without falling)!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
15 months!
Happy 15 month birthday Ethan. We're so proud of you that you have been doing so well with your heart as well as being on track developmentally. Thank You Lord for another blessed month with our sweet son.
Oh, and as promised in the last post, here are a few pictures of our trip to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia!
Oh, and as promised in the last post, here are a few pictures of our trip to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Long Overdue Update
Sorry for not posting sooner about our fun weekend getaway in Columbia. We've been busy and sick since we got back and so time just got away from us. We certainly did have a good time while we were away though! This blog entry will get way too long (trust me - this is my 3rd revision!) if I go into all the details of the trip so I will just summarize as best as I can!
Ok, my first two attempts at describing our weekend ended up being pages long so I'm going for the bullet format this time to make it as short as I can (which is difficult for a detail-oriented person like me)!
- We left at 8am Friday with our minivan loaded down with toys, Pack & Play, snacks, luggage, 2 laptops (Dan's work and personal ones) and more
- Arrived in Columbia around 11 (took an hour longer than planned because Ethan and Dan needed stretch breaks)
- Had lunch in the school cafeteria with Jenny and got to meet a lot of her friends and see the campus
- Checked into the hotel (great deal we got on priceline.com - 2 nights for price of one at Courtyard Marriott
- Dan spent a few hours working on his resume (in case you forgot - he's got terrible benefits at his current employer and doesn't enjoy the job anyway so he's been looking for something better for over a year now) because he received a call from a recruiter, saying they liked his resume and there's a company that wanted to interview him on Monday, 10/27!
- We had dinner Friday night with another heart family - Scott, Rebecca & Wyatt Butcher (Angel Annabelle's family! - see link to the right if you're not familiar with them). It was so great to meet them and spend some one-on-one time with them. God has really used them these last 7 months since losing their daughter to be a blessing to other heart families through their ministry of creating and giving Annabelle Baskets to other heart families in SC and beyond. Thank you Scott, Rebecca and Wyatt for taking the time to hang out with us while we were down your way!
- Went out with Jenny Friday night for dessert at this really cool little cafe downtown - Nonnah's. Poor little Ethan didn't get a nap all day but he also doesn't like to miss a minute of the action so he was a little trooper and stayed up until we got back to the hotel around 11. To our surprise, the sweets didn't affect his sleeping and he slept great that night!
- Saturday morning we made it to the zoo and had a lot of fun. I think Ethan's favorite part was getting to pet the goats and let them lick his hands! He also did surprisingly well with the Lorakeet feeding (these are very loud little birds about the size of cockatiels). But after 3 hours at the zoo, he was DONE! We bought him a rubber snake in the gift shop (his top pick - we found him chewing on it!) as his souvenir and it's now his all-time favorite toy at this time (move over Elmo!).
- After the zoo, Jenny called us to come pick her up from Wal-Mart. Her car key broke in half and she need a ride to the dealership for a replacement. Then we had a really late lunch (about 3pm) at McD's before she had to go back to school to help her hall decorate their dorm for Formal Dorm (more about that later).
- So then we headed over to see some dear friends of ours that were in our wedding 6 years ago. We got to spend about 4 hours talking and catching up with them and letting their kids play with Ethan. Thanks McConnells for letting us hang out with you - it was good to have some "down time" between all the rest of our running around that day!
- Saturday night we went back to Jenny's school (Columbia International University - CIU) to see the big presentation of Formal Dorms (an annual tradition where the female dorms team up with the male dorms to decorate all the female halls in the year's theme - this year was Children's Storybooks). It was hard to believe that all the work that was put in to transforming the halls (and some dorm rooms) was all accomplished in one day!
- Sunday morning we went to church with Jenny at her church - a very small, Brethren church of about 30 people (much different from what we're used to - a non-denominational church of about 3,000!)
- After church, Jenny followed us down the road a few miles to go find our old house - that's right! Jenny was actually born in Columbia and we lived there until she was 3. We were amazed and excited to see that our old house is for sale! We snagged one of the realtor fliers as a "souvenir" and even got to go look up a virtual tour of the inside on the realtor's website!
- Then we met one last friend for lunch before heading home. My (Julie) college roommate and her husband and 3 month old daughter live in Greenville, SC - about 1 1/2 hours away and they agreed to come meet us for lunch to catch up a bit! It was good to see them and meet their little daughter and let them meet Ethan too.
- Very uneventful drive home - Ethan and Dan slept about half the way - exhausted from the business of the weekend!
Well it still is a long blog entry but trust me, it's a lot more condensed than how it started out! Dan made it to the interview and thought it went really well. In fact, the recruiter called him the very next day and told him the hiring guy gave him the thumbs up and really liked him but had to interview a couple other folks. Yesterday, 8 days after the interview, Dan finally heard back from the company and it turns out he did not get the job. Sooo... the search continues for a new job.
As for the mention in the beginning about being sick - we're slowly recovering. I think Ethan's just got a cold - he's had a runny nose for a week now. Dan had some kind of fever/stomach bug thing over the weekend, and I've got an occassional cough but we're surviving. We took tons of pictures at the zoo and will try to post a few soon - this entry is long enough!
Ok, my first two attempts at describing our weekend ended up being pages long so I'm going for the bullet format this time to make it as short as I can (which is difficult for a detail-oriented person like me)!
- We left at 8am Friday with our minivan loaded down with toys, Pack & Play, snacks, luggage, 2 laptops (Dan's work and personal ones) and more
- Arrived in Columbia around 11 (took an hour longer than planned because Ethan and Dan needed stretch breaks)
- Had lunch in the school cafeteria with Jenny and got to meet a lot of her friends and see the campus
- Checked into the hotel (great deal we got on priceline.com - 2 nights for price of one at Courtyard Marriott
- Dan spent a few hours working on his resume (in case you forgot - he's got terrible benefits at his current employer and doesn't enjoy the job anyway so he's been looking for something better for over a year now) because he received a call from a recruiter, saying they liked his resume and there's a company that wanted to interview him on Monday, 10/27!
- We had dinner Friday night with another heart family - Scott, Rebecca & Wyatt Butcher (Angel Annabelle's family! - see link to the right if you're not familiar with them). It was so great to meet them and spend some one-on-one time with them. God has really used them these last 7 months since losing their daughter to be a blessing to other heart families through their ministry of creating and giving Annabelle Baskets to other heart families in SC and beyond. Thank you Scott, Rebecca and Wyatt for taking the time to hang out with us while we were down your way!
- Went out with Jenny Friday night for dessert at this really cool little cafe downtown - Nonnah's. Poor little Ethan didn't get a nap all day but he also doesn't like to miss a minute of the action so he was a little trooper and stayed up until we got back to the hotel around 11. To our surprise, the sweets didn't affect his sleeping and he slept great that night!
- Saturday morning we made it to the zoo and had a lot of fun. I think Ethan's favorite part was getting to pet the goats and let them lick his hands! He also did surprisingly well with the Lorakeet feeding (these are very loud little birds about the size of cockatiels). But after 3 hours at the zoo, he was DONE! We bought him a rubber snake in the gift shop (his top pick - we found him chewing on it!) as his souvenir and it's now his all-time favorite toy at this time (move over Elmo!).
- After the zoo, Jenny called us to come pick her up from Wal-Mart. Her car key broke in half and she need a ride to the dealership for a replacement. Then we had a really late lunch (about 3pm) at McD's before she had to go back to school to help her hall decorate their dorm for Formal Dorm (more about that later).
- So then we headed over to see some dear friends of ours that were in our wedding 6 years ago. We got to spend about 4 hours talking and catching up with them and letting their kids play with Ethan. Thanks McConnells for letting us hang out with you - it was good to have some "down time" between all the rest of our running around that day!
- Saturday night we went back to Jenny's school (Columbia International University - CIU) to see the big presentation of Formal Dorms (an annual tradition where the female dorms team up with the male dorms to decorate all the female halls in the year's theme - this year was Children's Storybooks). It was hard to believe that all the work that was put in to transforming the halls (and some dorm rooms) was all accomplished in one day!
- Sunday morning we went to church with Jenny at her church - a very small, Brethren church of about 30 people (much different from what we're used to - a non-denominational church of about 3,000!)
- After church, Jenny followed us down the road a few miles to go find our old house - that's right! Jenny was actually born in Columbia and we lived there until she was 3. We were amazed and excited to see that our old house is for sale! We snagged one of the realtor fliers as a "souvenir" and even got to go look up a virtual tour of the inside on the realtor's website!
- Then we met one last friend for lunch before heading home. My (Julie) college roommate and her husband and 3 month old daughter live in Greenville, SC - about 1 1/2 hours away and they agreed to come meet us for lunch to catch up a bit! It was good to see them and meet their little daughter and let them meet Ethan too.
- Very uneventful drive home - Ethan and Dan slept about half the way - exhausted from the business of the weekend!
Well it still is a long blog entry but trust me, it's a lot more condensed than how it started out! Dan made it to the interview and thought it went really well. In fact, the recruiter called him the very next day and told him the hiring guy gave him the thumbs up and really liked him but had to interview a couple other folks. Yesterday, 8 days after the interview, Dan finally heard back from the company and it turns out he did not get the job. Sooo... the search continues for a new job.
As for the mention in the beginning about being sick - we're slowly recovering. I think Ethan's just got a cold - he's had a runny nose for a week now. Dan had some kind of fever/stomach bug thing over the weekend, and I've got an occassional cough but we're surviving. We took tons of pictures at the zoo and will try to post a few soon - this entry is long enough!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Fun Weekend Planned and Ethan Update
This coming weekend, Dan, Ethan and I are planning a trip down to Columbia, SC to visit my sister (Ethan's Aunt Jenny), as well as a few other friends - including one of our heart friends that we only know through their blog. If you have been following us and our heart friends then you may have guessed it already! That's right, we're planning to meet Angel Annabelle's family - Scott, Rebecca and Wyatt! We know it will be a busy weekend but it will be a great time to get away. We haven't traveled anywhere as a family since May when we went to Myrtle Beach with my family, so we're really looking forward to getting away! Please pray for safe travel for us as we leave early Friday and return Sunday night.
And I guess since this blog was originally created to update you on Ethan's health and life, I guess I should mention that he continues to do extremely well. We don't see the cardiologist again until the end of January so life has just been pretty normal for us lately. Ethan's got 4 more teeth that he's cutting so that's been our biggest challenge lately. He is still not walking independently yet but is very close. He has given up his bottle, just using sippy cups, and has almost given up his paci too - we just use it at night now. It's hard to believe our little guy is growing up so fast - he'll be 15 months old in a few weeks (Nov. 11).
Ethan also loves electronics - remotes, phones, laptops, etc. He drives us crazy "typing" on the laptop and teaches us short cuts we never knew about. He has recently learned that my cell phone does not have a number lock so he's started using the speed dial to call various family members. So for all family reading this - now you know why you may have received calls lately from me with nobody talking on our end or hanging up quickly after the call's been made. He even managed to text a message to his Aunt Amanda, saying "Please call." I don't know how that happened - I don't do the texting thing. She called us back to make sure we were OK and we both laughed about the incident! What a smart kid - just like his Daddy!
Ok, well speaking of this kid and electronics - I better run because he keeps trying to take over the laptop as I type - pulling the screen back so I can't see what I'm typing!
And I guess since this blog was originally created to update you on Ethan's health and life, I guess I should mention that he continues to do extremely well. We don't see the cardiologist again until the end of January so life has just been pretty normal for us lately. Ethan's got 4 more teeth that he's cutting so that's been our biggest challenge lately. He is still not walking independently yet but is very close. He has given up his bottle, just using sippy cups, and has almost given up his paci too - we just use it at night now. It's hard to believe our little guy is growing up so fast - he'll be 15 months old in a few weeks (Nov. 11).
Ethan also loves electronics - remotes, phones, laptops, etc. He drives us crazy "typing" on the laptop and teaches us short cuts we never knew about. He has recently learned that my cell phone does not have a number lock so he's started using the speed dial to call various family members. So for all family reading this - now you know why you may have received calls lately from me with nobody talking on our end or hanging up quickly after the call's been made. He even managed to text a message to his Aunt Amanda, saying "Please call." I don't know how that happened - I don't do the texting thing. She called us back to make sure we were OK and we both laughed about the incident! What a smart kid - just like his Daddy!
Ok, well speaking of this kid and electronics - I better run because he keeps trying to take over the laptop as I type - pulling the screen back so I can't see what I'm typing!
Another update on Mimi
So much has happened since my last update. Ethan, Dan and I went over Friday night to spend time with my grandma and take her some dinner. Mimi (my mom) didn't get discharged until lunch time on Sunday. She's doing a little better now that she's back home, but still has a drainage tube that she should be having removed tomorrow (Thursday). My grandma left yesterday (Tuesday) and is now back home in Chattanooga, TN. Thank you to everyone who has been lifting my mom up in prayers. With her mono and then this appendectomy - her recovery is slower than normal but we're praying that this surgery will help her body to be able to allow her body to heal faster from the mono now.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Update on Mimi
Thank you to anyone out there that read my last post about my mom (Mimi). She's still hospitalized and having to work on getting up and walking around before her doc will let her leave. We were hoping and praying for a Friday discharge (today) but now they're saying it will probably be tomorrow. So please, everyone, be praying that the docs will either change their mind and let her go today or else let her go home tomorrow at the latest. Anyone who's ever stayed in a hospital knows that it's hard to get any decent amount of sleep and also the longer you're there, the more chance you have of catching some kind of illness going around the hospital.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Urgent Prayer Request for Mimi
Ethan's doing well right now, but his Mimi (Julie's mom) is not. Mimi (real name Rhonda) had sharp stomach pains all day yesterday so last night around 5pm Pop-Pop (real name Mike/Julie's dad) took her to one of the nearby satellite hospitals. They did a cat scan and determined her appendix was about to rupture. So they rushed her in an ambulance, across town to the main hospital campus (WakeMed - same campus we take Ethan for his cardiology appointments for those of you out of town folks). Around 3am they did an appendectomy surgery and during the surgery her appendix did rupture but everything was successfully removed.
Please pray for Mimi to get lots of rest today and to be able to come home by the weekend since she's got her mom (Julie's grandma/Ethan's great-grandma) in town until Tuesday from Chattanooga, TN. Also pray for Pop-Pop as he is sleep deprived today from the overnight surgery. He went home to get a short nap and change of clothes and get some work done and now he's headed back to the hospital for the day.
Oh, and in other news - Ethan's going to have another little cousin! Aunt Jessica and Uncle Brandon found out on Monday that they're having a girl! So we're super excited for them!
Please pray for Mimi to get lots of rest today and to be able to come home by the weekend since she's got her mom (Julie's grandma/Ethan's great-grandma) in town until Tuesday from Chattanooga, TN. Also pray for Pop-Pop as he is sleep deprived today from the overnight surgery. He went home to get a short nap and change of clothes and get some work done and now he's headed back to the hospital for the day.
Oh, and in other news - Ethan's going to have another little cousin! Aunt Jessica and Uncle Brandon found out on Monday that they're having a girl! So we're super excited for them!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
More Pictures and Prayer Request
Here are some more pictures that I wasn't able to put in my last post. Most of these are just random pictures I found on our camera's memory card. You'll find that this kid loves his food and makes a mess of it (what kid his age doesn't?)! Also, please be in prayer for this little guy as he's still teething - I can actually start to see where 2 of his 4 next teeth have broke through the gums but he's still feeling miserable. He was inconsolable all day yesterday - crying pretty much any time he wasn't eating or asleep. He also can't seem to get rid of this runny nose and he was also running a slight fever last night and this morning. If his fever doesn't end by tomorrow morning then I think I'll take him in to the pediatrician to make sure he doesn't have any kind of infection. Thanks for checkin in on us and keeping us in your prayers as Ethan tries to get over his fever this week.
Guilty as charged! Ethan loves to play around on the laptop, just like his Daddy! 
Ethan's other hobby (again, just like his Daddy!)
One of Ethan's favorite places to play - under his Exersaucer!
Did I mention he enjoys piano? :-)
Pop-Pop and Mimi getting some Ethan sugar!
Just chillin' after a meal
Another meal time - we're not feeding him fast enough!
Ok, finally to the peanut butter pictures!
Yum, peanut butter!
Makin' a mess!
Here you go - want some?
Monday, October 6, 2008
First Haircut!
Ok, so we've put off the inevitable long enough! Last Saturday (10/4/08) Ethan had his first haircut. No more cute curls :-( and (hopefully) no more strangers calling him such a "beautiful girl" for now! Ethan's Mimi (Julie's mom) has a wonderful hairstylist that she uses named Rachel and she's known and been praying for Ethan all along - Rachel even has one of our blue "Pray for Ethan" wristbands that we distributed during my pregnancy last year. Dan will probably be the official hair cutter for Ethan most of the time, but we wanted to give Rachel the honors of being the first one to cut it and give it some style so that Dan will just have to trim it. Below are some pictures of the momentous event!
Waiting in the lobby for our appointment
One last close-up of the curls
Rachel begins cutting - bye-bye curls
Trying to keep Ethan distracted with toys and baggie of his clipped hair!
Toy distraction not working, trying food!
Ta-Da! All done!
Oh and another first - Ethan tried peanut butter today and loved it (like there isn't a food yet that this kid doesn't enjoy!) Blogger's taking too long to upload those pictures so I'll try to post again tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Baby Gracie update
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for baby Gracie after hearing about it on my site (or theirs). It is with a heavy heart to post that Gracie went home to be with the Lord at 8:08 this morning. She was a strong little fighter for the 7 months here on Earth and God finally decided to call her home to heal her heart for eternity. Please continue to lift up her parents, Todd & Amanda, as well as her 3 year old brother, Haddon at this time.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Update on Baby Gracie
Baby Gracie came through her Glenn surgery and is in recovery in the PICU at Duke. The first 24-48 hours are always the most critical for heart patients so please continue to keep Gracie and her parents, Todd & Amanda in your prayers. Even though the 2nd heart surgery is now behind them, they still have quite an upward hill to climb before she's completely stable and out of the woods. Nothing ever seems to be easy or by the books for the heart babies I've found. Keep checking their blog (www.caringbridge.org/visit/graciejeanlockyer) for more detailed updates.
As for our family, Dan just left town for work and won't be back until Friday night so I just hope to not go too stir-crazy being home alone with Ethan and the dog all day. Fortunately, I got to spend most of the day out of the house with meetings at church so my mom got to watch Ethan this morning and Dan's mom watched him tonight. Tomorrow is a slow day with not much planned but our neighbor's little boy across the street just got a drum set and he spent all afternoon (the 3+ hours I was actually home today) playing with his new drums and driving the dog crazy so we may have to get out just to escape the noise tomorrow if the drum practice continues! LOL
As always, thanks for checking in on us and for lifting little Gracie up in prayer!
As for our family, Dan just left town for work and won't be back until Friday night so I just hope to not go too stir-crazy being home alone with Ethan and the dog all day. Fortunately, I got to spend most of the day out of the house with meetings at church so my mom got to watch Ethan this morning and Dan's mom watched him tonight. Tomorrow is a slow day with not much planned but our neighbor's little boy across the street just got a drum set and he spent all afternoon (the 3+ hours I was actually home today) playing with his new drums and driving the dog crazy so we may have to get out just to escape the noise tomorrow if the drum practice continues! LOL
As always, thanks for checking in on us and for lifting little Gracie up in prayer!
Urgent Prayer Request
Remember Baby Gracie that I mentioned a few days ago? Well, her blog was just update last night after I went to bed, saying that since she's doing pretty well right now and the OR's available, they feel that she'd have a better chance of survival from her Glenn surgery (same surgery Ethan had back in January) if they go ahead and do it at 6:30 this morning! Please join me in prayer for her and her family as they await the outcome of the surgery, which most likely won't be over until at least noon. I've linked to her blog on the side of this page, along with all the other heart babies I've found so you can follow along, or you can just visit the site directly from this link: www.caringbridge.org/visit/graciejeanlockyer.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Cardiologist Appointment
Yesterday was our quarterly cardiologist checkup. Despite the drought we've been in for over a year now, it never fails to rain the day we go to see Ethan's cardiologist and yesterday was no exception! Fortunately Ethan didn't seem to mind the cold drizzly rain as we walked from the car, through the parking lot, and into WakeMed's Heart Center. Ethan usually doesn't mind going for his cardiology checkups and behaves very well but yesterday he was just as fussy as he could be! Dr. Robinson said that all his patients were fussy yesterday and we thought it might've been the weather.
Ethan's fussiness began the second I put him on the exam table and undressed him and had to make him lay down so the nurse could measure his length. He calmed down for a few minutes while we went to the next room over to get weighed but then started fussing again when I had to hold him while the nurse measured his pulse ox. He was so wiggly that we weren't getting a very good reading at first - hovering around 76% but then I started singing his favorite song, "If You're Happy And You Know It" and he calmed down and we were able to get his normal pulse ox reading of 82%. Next, Dr. Robinson tried to listen to his heart and lungs with his stethoscope but Ethan was crying again so much that it was hard to get a good listen. From what he did hear, Dr. R did say everything sounded good and he wanted to get an echo done if Ethan would cooperate.
The echo technician was very sweet and patient with us. Usually this is Ethan's favorite part of the visit and he stays very still but he's at the age now where he doesn't like to stay on his back very long - he'd rather be sitting up playing or crawling around. The tech even brought in a TV/VCR for Ethan to watch an Elmo movie but that didn't last very long and he was squirmy and fussing again. We must've have a pretty skilled tech to do Ethan's echo because even with him not cooperating, she was still able to get a few clear pictures of his heart. The RV (Right Ventricle) function looks great with no leakage. Unfortunately they didn't really get a good look at anything else like the aortic valve or the pulmonary arteries (the ones that were worked on during the 2nd surgery) but Dr. R was confident enough with what he did see that he doesn't need to see us back for another 4 months - the end of January!
Thanks as always for checking in on us and continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are so thankful for all the support but more importantly for the good health that God has blessed Ethan with over the last year. Please continue to also keep baby Gracie in your prayers as her parents patiently wait for her 2nd surgery next Thursday and also baby Lindsay is having her heart cath today in preparation for her 2nd surgery probably next week as well.
Ethan's fussiness began the second I put him on the exam table and undressed him and had to make him lay down so the nurse could measure his length. He calmed down for a few minutes while we went to the next room over to get weighed but then started fussing again when I had to hold him while the nurse measured his pulse ox. He was so wiggly that we weren't getting a very good reading at first - hovering around 76% but then I started singing his favorite song, "If You're Happy And You Know It" and he calmed down and we were able to get his normal pulse ox reading of 82%. Next, Dr. Robinson tried to listen to his heart and lungs with his stethoscope but Ethan was crying again so much that it was hard to get a good listen. From what he did hear, Dr. R did say everything sounded good and he wanted to get an echo done if Ethan would cooperate.
The echo technician was very sweet and patient with us. Usually this is Ethan's favorite part of the visit and he stays very still but he's at the age now where he doesn't like to stay on his back very long - he'd rather be sitting up playing or crawling around. The tech even brought in a TV/VCR for Ethan to watch an Elmo movie but that didn't last very long and he was squirmy and fussing again. We must've have a pretty skilled tech to do Ethan's echo because even with him not cooperating, she was still able to get a few clear pictures of his heart. The RV (Right Ventricle) function looks great with no leakage. Unfortunately they didn't really get a good look at anything else like the aortic valve or the pulmonary arteries (the ones that were worked on during the 2nd surgery) but Dr. R was confident enough with what he did see that he doesn't need to see us back for another 4 months - the end of January!
Thanks as always for checking in on us and continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are so thankful for all the support but more importantly for the good health that God has blessed Ethan with over the last year. Please continue to also keep baby Gracie in your prayers as her parents patiently wait for her 2nd surgery next Thursday and also baby Lindsay is having her heart cath today in preparation for her 2nd surgery probably next week as well.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Special prayer request
This is a somewhat urgent special prayer request for another HLHS baby I recently learned about. Her name is Gracie Jean Lockyer. She is 6 months old and awaiting her 2nd heart surgery - the Glenn. She's had a lot of complications so far in her little life and after her parents met with her doctors today, they said that in her current condition, she only has a 10% chance of surviving from the surgery. To put that in perspective, we were told with Ethan that he had a 75-85% survival rate with his Glenn surgery because he was in optimal health at the time. The Glenn surgery has been scheduled for next Thursday, Oct. 2. Given all this news, please pray for her parents, Todd & Amanda as they are faced with the bleak reality that if God chooses not to work a miracle (which we all know He can do and has already done multiple times in Gracie's life after having coded multiple times now) this time around, they may only have 8 days left with their little girl. Please join me and invite everyone you know to join in praying for this sweet little heart baby! To learn more, please visit their blog at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/graciejeanlockyer
checkup
Ok, so Ethan's always been a good sleeper - from the time he was about 2 months old until 2 weeks ago, he's never had a problem sleeping through the night. Starting the day we went for his 1 year checkup, he's started waking up every night - exactly 8 hours after going to sleep - screaming his little lungs out for 2 hours straight then falling back asleep for a couple more hours before getting up for the day. So now I'm back to being a sleep-deprived momma again. I'd rather have the sleep-deprived days of taking care of a newborn than this any day though. At least when he was a newborn, I knew it was just hunger and could feed him and he'd fall right back asleep. But with constant screaming with nothing working to console him is downright exhausting and frustrating. I gave in and finally took him to the pediatrician yesterday (of course the night before I went - Monday night - he chose to sleep through the night!).
The doctor looked Ethan over and diagnosed him as teething - why didn't I think of that! But with a heart baby, you don't want to take any unusual behavior lightly. The doc pointed out to me that he's getting ready to cut 4 more teeth - 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom right next to the center 4 top & bottom teeth he already has! So she told me to give him Children's Tylenol or Motrin right before bed, which should last him through the night. So before bed last night, I gave him a dose and prayed for a good night sleep but to my dismay, he woke up 8 hours after bedtime, so I gave him more Tylenol but he continued his pattern of screaming again for 2 straight hours. I'm just glad that teething doesn't last forever!
Tomorrow we go to the cardiologist for a checkup. If everything goes well, we hopefully won't have to go back for 6 months this time instead of our usual 3 month checkups!
The doctor looked Ethan over and diagnosed him as teething - why didn't I think of that! But with a heart baby, you don't want to take any unusual behavior lightly. The doc pointed out to me that he's getting ready to cut 4 more teeth - 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom right next to the center 4 top & bottom teeth he already has! So she told me to give him Children's Tylenol or Motrin right before bed, which should last him through the night. So before bed last night, I gave him a dose and prayed for a good night sleep but to my dismay, he woke up 8 hours after bedtime, so I gave him more Tylenol but he continued his pattern of screaming again for 2 straight hours. I'm just glad that teething doesn't last forever!
Tomorrow we go to the cardiologist for a checkup. If everything goes well, we hopefully won't have to go back for 6 months this time instead of our usual 3 month checkups!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
1 year checkup
Dan and I took Ethan for his 1 year checkup on Monday morning (yes, I know he'll be 13 months tomorrow but that was the only appointment they had when I called the week of his birthday last month). Everything looked good! They said he passed his developmental milestones (which is encouraging since not all heart babies are on track developmentally due to their condition plus extended time spent cooped up in a hospital bed). He weighed in at 21 lb. 12 3/4 oz. He is in the 50% range for head circumference and weight and in the 90% range for length! What a tall boy we've got!
Ethan had his finger pricked to test his blood for lead levels and also anemia (standard 12mo. checkup test - nothing related to his heart defect). All those levels came back normal! Then he had to get 4 vaccines, one of which (MMR) the doc said could cause a fever spike of 103 in about 10 days so we'll be watching out for that. So far he seems to be doing fine from the shots, although he did wak up about 3 hours early yesterday morning (around 5am) whining and crying a little so I gave him some extended cuddle time and a little Tylenol and he was able to settle back down and nap from 7-9am, until it was time for us to leave to go to church for MOPS.
Speaking of MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers), I'm excited about getting together bi-monthly with other moms of young kids (really birth-kindergarten age) and build some new friendships and let Ethan get a chance to socialize in the nursery. Hopefully I'll be able to attend all fall/winter without having to keep him out of the nursery too much.
I really debated about whether or not to get involved since we're getting ready to hit cold/flu/RSV season in a few months. Even though Ethan's been staying so healthy and doesn't have his final surgery for a few more years, we still have to be extra cautious during the cold/flu and especially RSV season. Ethan's pediatrician wants us to get the RSV antibody shots again this year but we just don't think we're going to be able to afford it. Based on our most recent medical bills from Ethan's hospital for his 2nd surgery and the bills for the RSV shots, Ethan's surgery and hospital stay was a lot cheaper than the shots - INSANE! I don't like to talk about finances on here much (although it is a real part of life and we do help teach a finance course at our church) so I won't say anything else about this issue. Just please pray for wisdom for us as we decide what to do. The pediatrician said that he was even surprised at our out of pocket costs (even with the help of insurance) and said that they'd talk to their insurance rep to make sure that everythings getting filed properly so hopefully it won't cost as much this time. But even if we took insurance out of the picture, the cost of the RSV shots was still much higher than the surgery/hospital stay!
Well enough rambling for today. Thanks for checking in on us and continuing to think about and pray for us. We continue to praise God daily for keeping Ethan's heart functioning so well and for all the days He's given us with our sweet little boy. We go back to the cardiologist in about 2 weeks for another checkup and we just pray the docs continue to be amazed at Ethan's good health. Well I hear Ethan screaming in the other room so I better go check on him!
Ethan had his finger pricked to test his blood for lead levels and also anemia (standard 12mo. checkup test - nothing related to his heart defect). All those levels came back normal! Then he had to get 4 vaccines, one of which (MMR) the doc said could cause a fever spike of 103 in about 10 days so we'll be watching out for that. So far he seems to be doing fine from the shots, although he did wak up about 3 hours early yesterday morning (around 5am) whining and crying a little so I gave him some extended cuddle time and a little Tylenol and he was able to settle back down and nap from 7-9am, until it was time for us to leave to go to church for MOPS.
Speaking of MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers), I'm excited about getting together bi-monthly with other moms of young kids (really birth-kindergarten age) and build some new friendships and let Ethan get a chance to socialize in the nursery. Hopefully I'll be able to attend all fall/winter without having to keep him out of the nursery too much.
I really debated about whether or not to get involved since we're getting ready to hit cold/flu/RSV season in a few months. Even though Ethan's been staying so healthy and doesn't have his final surgery for a few more years, we still have to be extra cautious during the cold/flu and especially RSV season. Ethan's pediatrician wants us to get the RSV antibody shots again this year but we just don't think we're going to be able to afford it. Based on our most recent medical bills from Ethan's hospital for his 2nd surgery and the bills for the RSV shots, Ethan's surgery and hospital stay was a lot cheaper than the shots - INSANE! I don't like to talk about finances on here much (although it is a real part of life and we do help teach a finance course at our church) so I won't say anything else about this issue. Just please pray for wisdom for us as we decide what to do. The pediatrician said that he was even surprised at our out of pocket costs (even with the help of insurance) and said that they'd talk to their insurance rep to make sure that everythings getting filed properly so hopefully it won't cost as much this time. But even if we took insurance out of the picture, the cost of the RSV shots was still much higher than the surgery/hospital stay!
Well enough rambling for today. Thanks for checking in on us and continuing to think about and pray for us. We continue to praise God daily for keeping Ethan's heart functioning so well and for all the days He's given us with our sweet little boy. We go back to the cardiologist in about 2 weeks for another checkup and we just pray the docs continue to be amazed at Ethan's good health. Well I hear Ethan screaming in the other room so I better go check on him!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Birthday pictures!
Ok, as promised, here are some pictures from yesterday's festivities. Ethan and all his guests seemed to have a great time celebrating together!
The Birthday Boy after he woke up!
On the move!
Mommy decoating the Elmo birthday cake!
Party decorations!
Ethan surrounded by all his presents!
Another birthday gift - from Aunt Jessica and Uncle Brandon!
Elmo birthday cake !
Digging into the cake with Mimi and Pop-Pop's help!
Did we mention it is Cake Time!
Yummy cake!
August 11, 2008 - 1 Year Old!
August 11 - we made it! I remember last August as this date quickly approached (which, by the way, was Ethan's due date!) that I had no clue what the future would hold for us and if we'd even have the opportunity to be celebrating Ethan's first birthday. It is with great joy and humble gratitude that we thank our Heavenly Father for allowing us to be able to celebrate this first year of Ethan's life!
We had a great family cookout and birthday party for our little guy yesterday. Ethan was able to have both sets of grandparents, one of his great-grandma's, all his aunts and uncles and cousins in attendance for the celebration. It's so nice to have all our immediate family so close by! Ethan had a great time chasing balloons, eating cake (he ate more than his cousins which are 3 & 5!) and helping open presents!
You'll have to check back in later today for pictures, I'll get those loaded during his nap time. Right now, it's all I can do to keep his little fingers off the laptop as I try to type this!
As always, thanks for your continued prayers for our sweet son. We deeply appreciate them and we're very humbled that God has been so gracious to us to let our son turn out so healthy.
We had a great family cookout and birthday party for our little guy yesterday. Ethan was able to have both sets of grandparents, one of his great-grandma's, all his aunts and uncles and cousins in attendance for the celebration. It's so nice to have all our immediate family so close by! Ethan had a great time chasing balloons, eating cake (he ate more than his cousins which are 3 & 5!) and helping open presents!
You'll have to check back in later today for pictures, I'll get those loaded during his nap time. Right now, it's all I can do to keep his little fingers off the laptop as I try to type this!
As always, thanks for your continued prayers for our sweet son. We deeply appreciate them and we're very humbled that God has been so gracious to us to let our son turn out so healthy.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Less than a week
Hey everyone! Sorry for having not posted an update in so long. Things have just been going so well in the Miles' household that there really hasn't been anything to upate. So in case you're wondering what's happening in less than a week... Ethan will be turning 1!
It's hard to believe it's already August again! Looking back on the past year, we are so thankful to celebrate such a big milestone in our son's life! Ever since Ethan was born last August 11, we have done our best to make the most out of every day and not take a single day for granted. For our first heart family friend, today, August 5, marks the one year anniversary of Isaac's death here on earth but the start of eternal life in Heaven with Jesus. I remember this time last year how sad I was for this family's loss and a little uncertain about my own son's future. Baby Isaac's funeral was the same day as my scheduled labor induction so it was a very emotional time for me.
Also in the last year, we've known of two other HLHS babies to pass away. Even though the other 2 families are out of state and we had never met them, it was still a hard time for us as we grieved with them. We (at least I-Julie) have felt a bit of "survivor guilt" over the loss of these other 2 heart babies - thankful that Ethan has done so well yet wondering why God has spared our child and not theirs. They all have tons of people praying for them, just like we have tons praying for Ethan. We continue to lift them up in prayer and also continue to praise God each day for Ethan's continued good health. God has really given him the strength to press on and to be a healthy little boy with no other complications and to that, all I can say is "to God be all the glory forever and ever, AMEN!".
Oh, and by the way, Ethan finally cut one of his top teeth over the weekend! So now he's got 3 teeth. He also had his first little fall that resulted in a little blood on mommy's shirt from somewhere inside his mouth. Nothing that a little Italian Ice couldn't fix though! Were it not for the tradition of having a birthday cake, I think Ethan would be fine just having some Rita's Italian Ice for his birthday - that kid is hooked! So I think we'll have a little as an appetizer then save the cake and ice cream for dessert for the "big people" (all our families) at his birthday party!
Well thanks again for checking in on us, we promise to not wait so long until our next post!
It's hard to believe it's already August again! Looking back on the past year, we are so thankful to celebrate such a big milestone in our son's life! Ever since Ethan was born last August 11, we have done our best to make the most out of every day and not take a single day for granted. For our first heart family friend, today, August 5, marks the one year anniversary of Isaac's death here on earth but the start of eternal life in Heaven with Jesus. I remember this time last year how sad I was for this family's loss and a little uncertain about my own son's future. Baby Isaac's funeral was the same day as my scheduled labor induction so it was a very emotional time for me.
Also in the last year, we've known of two other HLHS babies to pass away. Even though the other 2 families are out of state and we had never met them, it was still a hard time for us as we grieved with them. We (at least I-Julie) have felt a bit of "survivor guilt" over the loss of these other 2 heart babies - thankful that Ethan has done so well yet wondering why God has spared our child and not theirs. They all have tons of people praying for them, just like we have tons praying for Ethan. We continue to lift them up in prayer and also continue to praise God each day for Ethan's continued good health. God has really given him the strength to press on and to be a healthy little boy with no other complications and to that, all I can say is "to God be all the glory forever and ever, AMEN!".
Oh, and by the way, Ethan finally cut one of his top teeth over the weekend! So now he's got 3 teeth. He also had his first little fall that resulted in a little blood on mommy's shirt from somewhere inside his mouth. Nothing that a little Italian Ice couldn't fix though! Were it not for the tradition of having a birthday cake, I think Ethan would be fine just having some Rita's Italian Ice for his birthday - that kid is hooked! So I think we'll have a little as an appetizer then save the cake and ice cream for dessert for the "big people" (all our families) at his birthday party!
Well thanks again for checking in on us, we promise to not wait so long until our next post!
Friday, July 11, 2008
11 months old!
It's hard to believe that our sweet little boy is quickly approaching his first birthday! Part of me, honestly, wasn't sure we'd make it this far but most of me believed we would. Thank you Lord for another month with our precious baby boy! He is quite a mischievous little thing and has the best eyesight - picking up the tiniest of objects and sticking them in his mouth! Sometimes we don't even believe anything's really there but at closer examination, we're continuously amazed at how he manages to find the smallest crumb (or lint) or light colored hair on the floor.
Recent accomplishments:
- pulling up (just this week!)
- crawling more (instead of sliding/slithering along)
- exploring more "big people" food like various fruits, breads, chicken, etc.
- learning to use a sippy cup
- open cabinets/doors
- dancing to music (he moves both arms like he's punching something)
Thanks, as always, for checking in on us. We will try to have more pictures (and maybe video if we can figure it out) up soon.
Recent accomplishments:
- pulling up (just this week!)
- crawling more (instead of sliding/slithering along)
- exploring more "big people" food like various fruits, breads, chicken, etc.
- learning to use a sippy cup
- open cabinets/doors
- dancing to music (he moves both arms like he's punching something)
Thanks, as always, for checking in on us. We will try to have more pictures (and maybe video if we can figure it out) up soon.
Friday, July 4, 2008
First Fireworks!
Last night, another town close to us had a concert and fireworks display at the local high school. We (Dan, Ethan, & I) joined Dan's mom and all my immediate family for the big event. The music was loud and the fireworks were even louder (I've never been so close to them before - we were sitting in the bleachers and the display was just across the field behind the other bleachers). Dan and I both enjoy watching fireworks but we weren't sure how Ethan would react to the loud noise. Turns out that he loves watching them too and wasn't scared a bit by the noise. He wouldn't dare turn his eyes away as he watched each of the explosive displays in the sky. Now that he survived the "test run" last night, we may go try to see more fireworks tonight. Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
update
Oops, sorry for not posting an update last night after Ethan's procedure. We were all exhausted and went to bed early last night. All went well, we were told on Friday that we had to be there at the hospital to check in at 7am, the procedure would start at 8:30 and we'd be leaving by 10am.
Well nothing ever seems to go according to schedule in a hospital! We got there at 7am, got checked in, hoped Ethan would go back to sleep but he didn't. He started getting fussy and hungry but wasn't allowed to have anything since midnight so we did our best to keep him preoccupied with toys, walking the halls, etc. They finally called us in to get vitals and sign the consent form a little after 8am. Then more waiting... the anesthesiologist finally took Ethan at 9am. We ran and got breakfast in the cafe and quickly returned to the waiting room because we were told that his procedure would last anywhere from 30min-1hr. Sitting there in the cafe brought back so many memories from Ethan's first two surgeries and we both thanked God that this was such a minor OUTPATIENT procedure with no chance of being admitted! We got to go see Ethan about 10:30 then we got discharged around 11am.
After discharge, we went up to the CICC floor (step down unit after his heart surgeries) and visited all our favorite nurses. They were excited to see us and see how big Ethan is getting. They love having their patients come back and when we were in the area last month for the parent panel of the cardiology conference, they reminded us to come visit their floor any time we're in the area. Ethan was still groggy from the anesthesia but he did manage to give the nurses a little smile.
Ethan slept the whole hour-long drive home plus the time it took for us to run by Target to get his 2 prescriptions filled - one was an antibiotic ( to prevent infection) and the other was Tylenol with Codeine. He'll be on the antibiotic for 5 days and the Tylenol just as needed. Once we got home, Ethan had a bottle with his Tylenol w/codeine then slept from 3:30-7:30. We woke him up to feed him and give him his antibiotic then he went back to bed around 9 and slept till 6:30 this morning. He's slightly off schedule but we're catching up.
He doesn't really seem to be in pain today, which is amazing! He's back to "slithering" on his tummy (he can crawl but doesn't like it as much), which makes Dan cringe - afraid that being on his tummy is causing him unnecessary pain - but it doesn't seem to bother Ethan a bit! What a tough little guy we have!
He's got a clear bandage over his surgical site which will fall off in 3-10 days but we've still been instructed to not immerse him in water (no baths or swimming pool) for 3 whole weeks! Poor little guy, I know how much he'll miss that - he's getting to be a good little swimmer. :-(
One final update - Dan took the whole day off to be with us yesterday and as we were letting Ethan watch a cartoon before taking his nap, we both got to see him wave for the first time (at the cartoon characters). It was so cute! And today, I introduced Ethan to bananas. He's had the Gerber baby food but never had the real thing until today and he loved it.
Thanks for checking in on us. We are so thankful for all the fervent prayers and continued good health of our precious son. Tonight we're off to celebrate the life of another special person - my sister (Ethan's aunt) Jessica. Happy 25th birthday sis/aunt!
Well nothing ever seems to go according to schedule in a hospital! We got there at 7am, got checked in, hoped Ethan would go back to sleep but he didn't. He started getting fussy and hungry but wasn't allowed to have anything since midnight so we did our best to keep him preoccupied with toys, walking the halls, etc. They finally called us in to get vitals and sign the consent form a little after 8am. Then more waiting... the anesthesiologist finally took Ethan at 9am. We ran and got breakfast in the cafe and quickly returned to the waiting room because we were told that his procedure would last anywhere from 30min-1hr. Sitting there in the cafe brought back so many memories from Ethan's first two surgeries and we both thanked God that this was such a minor OUTPATIENT procedure with no chance of being admitted! We got to go see Ethan about 10:30 then we got discharged around 11am.
After discharge, we went up to the CICC floor (step down unit after his heart surgeries) and visited all our favorite nurses. They were excited to see us and see how big Ethan is getting. They love having their patients come back and when we were in the area last month for the parent panel of the cardiology conference, they reminded us to come visit their floor any time we're in the area. Ethan was still groggy from the anesthesia but he did manage to give the nurses a little smile.
Ethan slept the whole hour-long drive home plus the time it took for us to run by Target to get his 2 prescriptions filled - one was an antibiotic ( to prevent infection) and the other was Tylenol with Codeine. He'll be on the antibiotic for 5 days and the Tylenol just as needed. Once we got home, Ethan had a bottle with his Tylenol w/codeine then slept from 3:30-7:30. We woke him up to feed him and give him his antibiotic then he went back to bed around 9 and slept till 6:30 this morning. He's slightly off schedule but we're catching up.
He doesn't really seem to be in pain today, which is amazing! He's back to "slithering" on his tummy (he can crawl but doesn't like it as much), which makes Dan cringe - afraid that being on his tummy is causing him unnecessary pain - but it doesn't seem to bother Ethan a bit! What a tough little guy we have!
He's got a clear bandage over his surgical site which will fall off in 3-10 days but we've still been instructed to not immerse him in water (no baths or swimming pool) for 3 whole weeks! Poor little guy, I know how much he'll miss that - he's getting to be a good little swimmer. :-(
One final update - Dan took the whole day off to be with us yesterday and as we were letting Ethan watch a cartoon before taking his nap, we both got to see him wave for the first time (at the cartoon characters). It was so cute! And today, I introduced Ethan to bananas. He's had the Gerber baby food but never had the real thing until today and he loved it.
Thanks for checking in on us. We are so thankful for all the fervent prayers and continued good health of our precious son. Tonight we're off to celebrate the life of another special person - my sister (Ethan's aunt) Jessica. Happy 25th birthday sis/aunt!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Minor Procedure
Please keep Ethan (and us) in your prayers as we go to UNC tomorrow morning for Ethan's circumcision. Obviously, this was not a priority at the time of his birth and we've just been waiting to get past his 2nd surgery. Now that several months have passed and the pediatric urologist has time in his schedule, we can finally get the procedure done. The appointment's from 8:30am-10:00am but we have to check in at 7am (meaning we have to leave our house at 6am - yuck!) This is certainly a minor thing compared to all he's already been through, but your prayers are still appreciated since any time anesthesia's involved there's always risks associated with it. Assuming all goes well and he wakes up from anesthesia without any problem, we should be headed home shortly after the procedure's over. We'll update again tomorrow night with results. Thanks for checking in on us!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Cardiologist Appointment
Yesterday we went back to the cardiologist for a checkup. It had been 3 1/2 months so we were curious as to how Dr. Robinson thought Ethan's heart is doing. Ethan weighed in at 9.6 kg (21.1 lbs.) and measured 29 5/8 in. His blood pressure and oxygen saturation (o2) levels looked good - his o2 sat was at 82%, which is about where it should be and the same as it was when it was checked back in March at the last appointment. Dr. R also listened to Ethan's heart with his stethoscope and all seemed well but they still ordered an echocardiogram (echo) just to be sure.
Ethan was a very good boy for the echo technician - I told Dan that the only time I've even seen Ethan be so still is when he's asleep! The tech laughed and said it worked out good for him! Thanks to Ethan's cooperation, the tech was able to get some really good pictures of Ethan's heart and after Dr. R reviewed the pictures, we were told that Ethan's the best looking HLHS baby he's seen in a while! The RV (right ventricular) function looks really good and the atrial arch that was repaired during Ethan's 2nd surgery back in January is still wide open so we are very pleased! We don't go back again for another cardiologist visit until September and if all continues to look good, we will start going in 6 month increments!
Thank you Jesus for keeping our son so healthy and having good heart function and for using the wonderful staff at UNC Hospital to medically "fix" Ethan's heart as well.
Well thanks for checking in with us. I'm off to put Ethan down for his morning nap then it's off to Mimi's house (my mom) to go swimming!
Ethan was a very good boy for the echo technician - I told Dan that the only time I've even seen Ethan be so still is when he's asleep! The tech laughed and said it worked out good for him! Thanks to Ethan's cooperation, the tech was able to get some really good pictures of Ethan's heart and after Dr. R reviewed the pictures, we were told that Ethan's the best looking HLHS baby he's seen in a while! The RV (right ventricular) function looks really good and the atrial arch that was repaired during Ethan's 2nd surgery back in January is still wide open so we are very pleased! We don't go back again for another cardiologist visit until September and if all continues to look good, we will start going in 6 month increments!
Thank you Jesus for keeping our son so healthy and having good heart function and for using the wonderful staff at UNC Hospital to medically "fix" Ethan's heart as well.
Well thanks for checking in with us. I'm off to put Ethan down for his morning nap then it's off to Mimi's house (my mom) to go swimming!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Busy Boy
And they say boys are easier to raise than girls... I'm still willing to debate that one right now! Ethan's quite a little busy body - not quite wanting to crawl (although he likes to sleep on his knees and can easily support himself and rock back and forth while on them) so he "slithers" along on his belly, pulling himself with his elbows and helping himself move along with the force of his right knee. He's getting to be quite speedy and certainly keeps us on our toes all the time!
He's also got quite the eyesight - picking up every single speck of dirt/crumb/hair/etc. off the carpet and putting it in his mouth! Most recent findings in his mouth include silk plant leaves, carpet & dog toy fuzz, dry dog food, half-popped popcorn kernels and a few tiny pebbles. The funniest is watching the pink drool drip down his chin from the red pieces of dog food. Fortunately Dan & I are getting quick at reading his cues and have been able to remove nearly all items before swallowing (have only missed a few tiny pieces of lint I think!).
Oh, Ethan's also (in the last week or so) been able to go from lying down to sitting up all on his own! Several times we've come in to his nursery to get him up from naps and have found him sitting up in his bed and he's also doing it consistently on the living room floor!
As for his heart, all seems to continue to be going well. We'll know for sure though when we go back to the cardiologist for a checkup next Thursday, 6/26, so please keep that visit in your prayers. He is even doing well with increasing the amount of non-thickened bottle feedings to where we haven't been thickening them for a couple of weeks now!
Thanks for checking in on us and for continuing to pray for us regularly, we really appreciate it!
He's also got quite the eyesight - picking up every single speck of dirt/crumb/hair/etc. off the carpet and putting it in his mouth! Most recent findings in his mouth include silk plant leaves, carpet & dog toy fuzz, dry dog food, half-popped popcorn kernels and a few tiny pebbles. The funniest is watching the pink drool drip down his chin from the red pieces of dog food. Fortunately Dan & I are getting quick at reading his cues and have been able to remove nearly all items before swallowing (have only missed a few tiny pieces of lint I think!).
Oh, Ethan's also (in the last week or so) been able to go from lying down to sitting up all on his own! Several times we've come in to his nursery to get him up from naps and have found him sitting up in his bed and he's also doing it consistently on the living room floor!
As for his heart, all seems to continue to be going well. We'll know for sure though when we go back to the cardiologist for a checkup next Thursday, 6/26, so please keep that visit in your prayers. He is even doing well with increasing the amount of non-thickened bottle feedings to where we haven't been thickening them for a couple of weeks now!
Thanks for checking in on us and for continuing to pray for us regularly, we really appreciate it!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Some long overdue pictures!
Thank you Aunt Jenny for all the great pictures of our time at Myrtle Beach and the pool (May 18-21, 2008)! Ethan sure seemed to have a fun time with you and looks forward to much more swimming this summer at your neighborhood pool!
Mommy & Ethan getting lathered in sunscreen
with Pop-Pop keeping watch from the lifeguard stand
Future Lifeguard?
First Water Bottle
Posing for the camera
Hot Stuff!
Pop-pop introducing me to the beach
This water's kinda cold Pop-pop
Chillin' in my new swim gear
Aunt Jenny introducing me to the pool for the first time!
Ahhh, this is the life!Monday, May 26, 2008
more firsts
Wow, this has been a busy month for us. Sorry for the long delay in updating. This month, Ethan had lots of "firsts"! We hope to have some new pictures soon too.
Here's a quick rundown of all Ethan's "firsts" for this month:
- May 10th: we went Strawberry Pickin' (for my birthday - a family tradition for me growing up)
- Also on May 10th: Ethan had his first late night of staying out past "curfew" (aka bedtime) with his cousins and aunts & uncles while Dan took me to a nice birthday dinner!
- May 11th: first Mother's Day (he even colored a card for me with Daddy's help) and he turned 9 months old!
- May 17th: first time in the church nursery while Dan & I helped lead a budget conference (he was very good, didn't cry at all and kept the workers entertained with his babbling & overall cuteness!)
- Also May 17th: Ethan & I went to our first heart reunion at UNC Hospital' Farm for all the pediatric cardiology patients (it was a fun cookout with games for the older kids and a chance to see alot of our nurses and of course the surgeons who have helped fix Ethan's heart)
- May 18-21: Ethan's first vacation (we went with my parents to North Myrtle Beach)
- May 19: first visit to a beach - he enjoyed playing with the sand and watching the waves but the water was a little too chilly for swimming
- May 20: first time in a swimming pool, again it was a little chilly but his Aunt Jenny had a fun time teaching him to kick and float with her help (she's a former infant/toddler swim instructor for the YMCA)
- May 26: first Memorial Day cookout
Ethan also went to the pediatrician last week for his 9 month well baby checkup. He weighed in at 19lb. 13 3/4oz., putting him about the 35% mark. He also measured 29 in., putting him about 70%. He continues to be a busy baby, exploring everything he gets a hold of. He's doing great with rolling all over the floor and has started making diaper changes a challenge by wanting to flip over onto his tummy. He seems on the verge of crawling but he may skip that phase altogether, we'll just have to wait and see. We continue to thank God daily for each day we have with him and for how well he's doing physically with his heart, developmental progress, and hearty appetite. Until we hear if we'll ever be able to do another swallow study, we continue to help him "practice" his unthickened bottles 2x/day and do the rest still thickened with the rice cereal. He enjoys eating Cheerios, Gerber Puffs and all his baby foods. Ethan has also started saying "Ma Ma" randomly!
Thanks for checking in on us, we should have some vacation pictures to post soon!
P.S. We are looking forward to an exciting event on Wednesday. We are going back to UNC to be on a parent panel for their annual cardiology conference. This year it's all about Single Ventricle heart defects like Ethan's! We are one of only 4 families selected to answer questions from all the nurses attending this conference. We pray that we can be of assistance by participating and that we glorify God through our responses.
Here's a quick rundown of all Ethan's "firsts" for this month:
- May 10th: we went Strawberry Pickin' (for my birthday - a family tradition for me growing up)
- Also on May 10th: Ethan had his first late night of staying out past "curfew" (aka bedtime) with his cousins and aunts & uncles while Dan took me to a nice birthday dinner!
- May 11th: first Mother's Day (he even colored a card for me with Daddy's help) and he turned 9 months old!
- May 17th: first time in the church nursery while Dan & I helped lead a budget conference (he was very good, didn't cry at all and kept the workers entertained with his babbling & overall cuteness!)
- Also May 17th: Ethan & I went to our first heart reunion at UNC Hospital' Farm for all the pediatric cardiology patients (it was a fun cookout with games for the older kids and a chance to see alot of our nurses and of course the surgeons who have helped fix Ethan's heart)
- May 18-21: Ethan's first vacation (we went with my parents to North Myrtle Beach)
- May 19: first visit to a beach - he enjoyed playing with the sand and watching the waves but the water was a little too chilly for swimming
- May 20: first time in a swimming pool, again it was a little chilly but his Aunt Jenny had a fun time teaching him to kick and float with her help (she's a former infant/toddler swim instructor for the YMCA)
- May 26: first Memorial Day cookout
Ethan also went to the pediatrician last week for his 9 month well baby checkup. He weighed in at 19lb. 13 3/4oz., putting him about the 35% mark. He also measured 29 in., putting him about 70%. He continues to be a busy baby, exploring everything he gets a hold of. He's doing great with rolling all over the floor and has started making diaper changes a challenge by wanting to flip over onto his tummy. He seems on the verge of crawling but he may skip that phase altogether, we'll just have to wait and see. We continue to thank God daily for each day we have with him and for how well he's doing physically with his heart, developmental progress, and hearty appetite. Until we hear if we'll ever be able to do another swallow study, we continue to help him "practice" his unthickened bottles 2x/day and do the rest still thickened with the rice cereal. He enjoys eating Cheerios, Gerber Puffs and all his baby foods. Ethan has also started saying "Ma Ma" randomly!
Thanks for checking in on us, we should have some vacation pictures to post soon!
P.S. We are looking forward to an exciting event on Wednesday. We are going back to UNC to be on a parent panel for their annual cardiology conference. This year it's all about Single Ventricle heart defects like Ethan's! We are one of only 4 families selected to answer questions from all the nurses attending this conference. We pray that we can be of assistance by participating and that we glorify God through our responses.
Monday, April 28, 2008
first weekend away from my baby
So in case I didn't mention it already, Dan had his first time away from Ethan 2 weeks ago. He was out of town all week for work. Now it's my turn. Over this past weekend (Friday and Saturday), I went on a trip with my mom and two sisters to Indianapolis for our cousin's wedding. We were only gone about 36 hours but it was still hard being away from my boys (Dan & Ethan)! Dan's mom came over for the weekend to help him out and they all seemed to have a fun time together.
Our whirlwind trip was fun and definitely a memory-maker. It was filled with late nights and action-packed days. It was great getting to see all of my mom's side of the family again (we all met up a few days before Christmas in Knoxville, TN except the bride-to-be) Besides the fun of the wedding, I also really enjoyed the plane ride. It's been nearly 6 years since I've had a reason to fly anywhere (last time was our honeymoon) and I love being up in the sky and looking out at the world below.
We will try to get some more pictures of Ethan up soon. His 2nd tooth has come through and we think more are on the way because he's been fussy today and still gnawing down on everything in sight (he especially likes my hair today for some reason). We'll try to see if we can get a good picture showing off his teeth but that's a rare sight. Usually if he's got his mouth open wide enough to see them, he inevitably sticks his tongue out!
Our whirlwind trip was fun and definitely a memory-maker. It was filled with late nights and action-packed days. It was great getting to see all of my mom's side of the family again (we all met up a few days before Christmas in Knoxville, TN except the bride-to-be) Besides the fun of the wedding, I also really enjoyed the plane ride. It's been nearly 6 years since I've had a reason to fly anywhere (last time was our honeymoon) and I love being up in the sky and looking out at the world below.
We will try to get some more pictures of Ethan up soon. His 2nd tooth has come through and we think more are on the way because he's been fussy today and still gnawing down on everything in sight (he especially likes my hair today for some reason). We'll try to see if we can get a good picture showing off his teeth but that's a rare sight. Usually if he's got his mouth open wide enough to see them, he inevitably sticks his tongue out!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tricia's Discharge!
Our friend's blog, Nate & Tricia, just posted that Tricia's finally getting discharged today from Duke Hospital! She'll still be an outpatient for a few more weeks for some therapy and treatment. By the time that's over, their sweet little girl, Gwyneth Rose should be about up to an acceptable weight and also be discharged! Please continue to keep this family in your prayers with all the adjustments they'll be going through! Thanks.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
First tooth!
Our suspicions were correct, Ethan cut his first tooth on Saturday! I thought I saw it starting to break through but once he grabbed a hold of my finger and jammed it in his mouth and bit down, I felt it and knew for sure! We keep trying to get a good look at it but everytime we try to open his mouth, he sticks out his tongue so we have a hard time seeing it.
In other news, Dan's out of town for work all week. This is his first time to be away since Ethan was born. Fortunately, his company only makes him do overnight travel once a year (for this conference) so this will not be a common occurence. I'm having lots of fun getting Ethan all to my self this week, yet, at the same time trying not to kill our dog (a mini dachsund) since she doesn't have Dan around to play with her at night!
I'm doing my best to stay busy and get out of the house some this week while Dan's gone before I go stir-crazy! Tomorrow, we go over to UNC Hospital to visit one of our heart buddies - Shelby. She's the little girl that we saw a couple of weeks ago for her first birthday party. You can keep her in your prayers as she is over there to get her tear ducts unblocked (eye surgery). I'll give an update when I have one.
Well thanks as always for checking in on us and our crazy life! We are so blessed to have so many people who care about us and are praying for us. God has been so good to us through all your prayers and has kept Ethan as healthy (heart and otherwise) as possible and we continue to praise God daily for his goodness to us. To God be all the Glory!
In other news, Dan's out of town for work all week. This is his first time to be away since Ethan was born. Fortunately, his company only makes him do overnight travel once a year (for this conference) so this will not be a common occurence. I'm having lots of fun getting Ethan all to my self this week, yet, at the same time trying not to kill our dog (a mini dachsund) since she doesn't have Dan around to play with her at night!
I'm doing my best to stay busy and get out of the house some this week while Dan's gone before I go stir-crazy! Tomorrow, we go over to UNC Hospital to visit one of our heart buddies - Shelby. She's the little girl that we saw a couple of weeks ago for her first birthday party. You can keep her in your prayers as she is over there to get her tear ducts unblocked (eye surgery). I'll give an update when I have one.
Well thanks as always for checking in on us and our crazy life! We are so blessed to have so many people who care about us and are praying for us. God has been so good to us through all your prayers and has kept Ethan as healthy (heart and otherwise) as possible and we continue to praise God daily for his goodness to us. To God be all the Glory!
Friday, April 11, 2008
8 months old!
Ethan turned 8 months old today! We are so thankful that God has given us so much time with our little guy and do our best to not take a single day for granted, since we have no idea how many days or years he may be with us. Thank you to everyone, as always, for checking on us, praying for us, and encouraging us through our journey thus far!
A few new things to update with Ethan's development. He is getting better at sitting up on his own and he's started rolling over from back to stomach much more this week. For the past 2 days, every time I go to get him out of his crib (in the morning and during both his daytime naps) I find him on his tummy and fussing because he hasn't quite mastered how to roll back over yet! We also think he is teething since he chews on EVERYTHING and has been a lot fussier than normal this week. Oh, and one more new accomplishment - Ethan managed to pull his jeans off today while he was lying on the floor!
Well that's all for tonight, it's bedtime!
A few new things to update with Ethan's development. He is getting better at sitting up on his own and he's started rolling over from back to stomach much more this week. For the past 2 days, every time I go to get him out of his crib (in the morning and during both his daytime naps) I find him on his tummy and fussing because he hasn't quite mastered how to roll back over yet! We also think he is teething since he chews on EVERYTHING and has been a lot fussier than normal this week. Oh, and one more new accomplishment - Ethan managed to pull his jeans off today while he was lying on the floor!
Well that's all for tonight, it's bedtime!
Monday, April 7, 2008
last RSV shot!
I nearly forgot about the appointment until about 30 minutes beforehand, but we did make it to the peds for Ethan's last RSV shot of the season! We won't have to do this again until October or November so that will be a nice break! Ethan's weight is looking good, he weighed in at 18lb. 11 1/4 oz. (8.5 kg) today so I'm pleased!
As always, thanks for checking in on us. Things are going so well that we haven't had too much to report lately. We praise God for Ethan's continued good health and continue to pray for comfort and strength for baby Annabelle's family as they grieve her loss. We also ask for prayer for baby Julianne as she goes for her swallow study tomorrow. She's been on a feeding tube her entire life and if she doesn't pass, then the doctors are talking about surgically placing a G-tube button on her stomach for feeding so she doesn't have to have a tube down her nose any more. Please pray God's will to be accomplished for her tomorrow. I know her parents desperately want her to pass but, more importantly, are trusting God for whatever the outcome!
As always, thanks for checking in on us. Things are going so well that we haven't had too much to report lately. We praise God for Ethan's continued good health and continue to pray for comfort and strength for baby Annabelle's family as they grieve her loss. We also ask for prayer for baby Julianne as she goes for her swallow study tomorrow. She's been on a feeding tube her entire life and if she doesn't pass, then the doctors are talking about surgically placing a G-tube button on her stomach for feeding so she doesn't have to have a tube down her nose any more. Please pray God's will to be accomplished for her tomorrow. I know her parents desperately want her to pass but, more importantly, are trusting God for whatever the outcome!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tricia's new lungs!
A few weeks ago I posted a message entitled "For Tricia". Tricia is a special lady about my age at Duke that has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and has been awaiting a double lung transplant for over 3 months, ever since she gave birth very prematurely (24 weeks gestation) to her little girl Gwyneth. Well tonight is the big night that Tricia is going to receive her new set of lungs. What an answer to prayer for this family! It is also her husband's birthday today so that makes today even more special for them all. Please keep this family in your prayers, Tricia went into surgery around 7:30pm and the surgery is expected to last about 7-9 hours. Also be in prayer for the donor family, because they are grieving the loss of their loved one in order or Tricia to get her new set of lungs. For more information on this family, visit their blog: http://www.cfhusband.blogspot.com/.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
update and pictures!
Sorry for the delay in any posting lately. Things have been going great and we haven't had any doctors appointments lately so not really anything to update. Ethan continues to do well sleeping at night - sleeping on average, 12-13 hours a night, plus several long naps throughout the day.
We are continuing to work on getting him used to non-thickened bottles by doing one bottle of regular formula when he is most alert (usually first thing in the morning or after a long nap). He is also enjoying trying new baby foods like pears, carrots, and even chicken (all pureed thanks to Gerber!).
Ethan's still not sitting up on his own, but we're almost there. He can finally roll over and has started doing it nearly every time he's on his changing table so we have to keep a close eye on him!
We had our first little "accident" with him last Wednesday. We decided to go for a family walk after dinner but somehow forgot to buckle him in the stroller. Next thing I knew, the stroller felt a little lighter and I looked down, and there was our son - face down on the road! What a scary sight for all, but fortunately Ethan came away without a scratch! After a brief moment of cuddling with mommy, Ethan calmed right down from his screaming and we put him back in the stroller and continued on with our walk. We've put Ethan in his stroller several times since then and he hasn't seemed to be traumatized by the even, so that's good!
Below are some recent pictures of life in the past couple of weeks for you to enjoy!
Tipping over!
Mommy propping me back up.
Mommy & me watching the jellyfish at the aquarium.
Are we done yet?
my tongue...
Easter at Grammy's - my first taste of mulch!
Playing in my highchair (notice the massive amounts
of drool covering my shirt!)
Playing in my Exersaucer!
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