Next First
19 February 10, 2008 at 12:37 PM EST
Greetings from the RMH of Greater Cincy! Owen and I are currently BOTH residents at the RMH. He was discharged late Friday evening. It's so exciting to hold my baby and be able to move around with him, minus the wires. PLUS- also that non-stop beeping monitor has gone away for the time being. It was great yesterday morning when I dressed him for the day. When I put on his little brown preemie cargo pants, I didn't have to run the cord from his foot up through the waist of his pants. His little tum-tum is free of buttons everywhere. There was a box attached to him, too. It led to the buttons on his chest and it was always falling down. We're so glad to be rid of that for now. You don't realize how nice it is to be able to pick him up and carrying him around wherever I go. At the hospital, our traveling was limited to the rocker next to the crib. Before leaving the hospital, Owen was up to 6 pounds and 14.8 ounces. A home health care nurse will be visiting us today at 5pm and again later in the week. We have an appt. with the cardiologist on Friday morning. Susy arrived yesterday. Her son and daughter-in-law picked her up at the bus station. We all spent the afternoon together. A huge thank you to Paul & Becky for the Desitin and goodie bag. Owie's grateful, too, especially after the blowout he had last night. They also got us a sling and Owie looks pretty cute. He rode inside it this morning when I was making the bed. He still seems a little small for it, but he'll soon be a champion heavy-weight. Ha! Thanks Paul and Becky! We will continue to increase his feedings each Monday- so tomorrow he will be eating 65 mls, which is just slightly over 2 ounces. I'm starting to get more organized and preparing meds before feedings. Owie has really taken to Nonnie Susy and they get along really well. It's so nice to have an extra set of hands and she has been helpful. Friday night I was working on the laundry and I noticed the O-man liked the sound of the dryer running. So we sat in the laundry room in the dark for a while. I've noticed that when we are strolling around in the hallways, his eyes get really big. He seems to get an odd expression on his face while we are riding the elevator, too. I thought to myself- it must be weird for him after barely moving around in the hospital. Our journeys there consisted of walking down to get x-rays. I sure had a fight with the playpen Friday afternoon before bringing Owie over to his home away from home. Needless to say, I came out the winner- but I was just wondering why they parent-proof those things! A bassinet fits into the top of the playpen. I sat his boppy in there and he seems to enjoy being surrounded by his furry friends. Susy will be leaving Cincy Thursday morning. Please pray for her bus trip back to Boonville. Scott will be riding the bus up here and arriving on Friday. It will be nice for the three of us to hang out together. Our little fam will be united for the first time away from the hospital. Continue to pray for Owie that he would gain weight steadily. Pray for the surgeons as surgery approaches. Pray for smooth feedings as Owie's formula volume is increased. Please pray that Owie and I would both have peaceful sleep. I've been really encouraged by all the posted messages and packages/cards I have received. We are blessed beyond measure to know so many neat people. Pray strength for Scott, Owie, and me as we face whatever lies ahead. God is good and he never forsakes us. Owie is a fighter. He's already surprised the drs. with his great weight gain. They say he is doing very well. There was a family here about a week ago and their son died. I don't know their names, but they were from West Virginia. Please pray for them. Their 2 month old son, Kody, died a week ago Monday. Please continue to pray for Sue. You might remember me writing about her daughter, Emily. God bless all of you- Shannon
Owen came back to the RMH with me late on Thursday evening. We are both doing much better. I'm very grateful that Owen didn't have to remain in the hospital until surgery. I was able to meet with the surgeon on Thursday afternoon. He explained the plan and some of the risks involved in the surgery. To say it was complicated would be putting it mildly. I do know that Owie is scheduled for the first surgery of the day on Monday, Feb. 25th at 7:30 a.m. Dr. Manning said surgery would last 4-6 hours, with the reconstructive part being about 1 1/2 hours long. Their plan is to patch both holes in Owen's heart- the lower hole (VSD) and the upper hole (ASD). They will reroute the pulmonary veins- three of which go downward and one that goes upward to an abnormal vein. They will create a new path through the abnormal vein. When they cut into the sack which holds the heart- they will use a sliver of the sack to build the wall between the upper to chambers and repair the ASD. Some reassuring or positive things going for Owie are that his heart is enlarged due to it having to be overworked and not working as well as a "normal" heart would work. The surgeon said this would be to Owen's benefit because his heart would be larger. Also, he mentioned that everyone has been really surprised at how well Owie has gained weight. He's tolerated the high calorie formula, too. Dr. Manning said he'd done better than they ever hoped he would do. He said that a lot of heart patients cannot wait this long for surgery. He believes this is a sign of the strength of Owen's heart. I'm saying maybe it's just his sheer determination and stubborn nature shining through. Kudos to all mothers out there- I guess it's something that's hard to understand until you are there. I had no idea how extremely exhausting this would be, but don't mistaken my surprise as complaining. Every day- I look at my son and I thank God for him. When I'm frustrated and tired- I just ask God to be my strength and hold me up through the night so that I can hold Owie. Every smile, each coo- nothing can be taken for granted. Owen is a miracle. He's a strong little bull. He's holding his head up more. He enjoys tummy time and turning his head from side to side. He's been cooing more. I like to sit him in his boppy and massage his hands with baby lotion before putting on his splints. Owie is a joker as he likes to fill his pants as soon as I have changed his clothes or closed the tabs on a new diaper. He still is comforted by listening to "Jesus Want Me For A Sunbeam". His little expressions are so cute and change so fast. I wish I could capture each one. Scott arrived Friday right before lunch. It is good to have our family united. Scott's been doing a really good job with Owen. He even changed his first poopy diaper today. We're going to give our son a bath tonight. I've gotten to enjoy a little more sleep the last few days with Scott here to help. Please pray for Scott as he leaves on the grey hound tomorrow evening. Pray for my Mom and Scott as they return next weekend prior to surgery. Continue to ask for the Lord's leading pertaining to Owen's surgery. Pray God would be with the drs. as they get ready for surgery. I was able to move into a larger room at the RMH. There's more room and two beds in this room. We have a TV, refrigerator, and microwave in this new room. We're staying isolated to keep Owie away from germs before surgery. He cannot afford to get sick again or postpone surgery. Oh, and Owie has his pre-operation heart echo on Tuesday. I continue to pray that the Lord's healing touch would be over his body. Maybe things will look better on the upcoming echo and then again- maybe they'll look the same. We are praying wholeness, comfort, and healing for our little boy. Please join us in these prayers. For now, I find comfort knowing that the Lord has entrusted us with this special little treasure. Love to you all- Shan