Three weeks out...

"...Every blessing You pour out, I'll turn back to praise..." this song came on as I was driving today and could not have expressed my heart more perfectly. We had Landon's three week post-surgery follow up with the cardiologist today. I am just so thankful and blessed.

I am thrilled to say our little miracle man is doing excellently. Dr Pliska was very happy with the repair that the surgeon's were able to do. There are no longer any holes in the center of his heart. One valve has very minimal leakage and the other is slightly smaller than normal but neither one is anything to be concerned about. All the chambers of his heart are normal size and there is absolutely no fluid surrounding his heart- so things drained properly after surgery. His echo shows that everything from surgery has continued to heal as they repaired it. His growth charts had showed a plateau or even a slight decline in his weight gain before surgery. He now has a huge jump and they are expecting him to keep climbing based on his progress so far. His incision is healing beautifully- we have had no signs of infection whatsoever. Normally, they would have had us go in two weeks from today for another check up with the cardiologist but since he is doing so well- they bumped it to three. We have the follow up with our surgeon this coming Monday and I am sure we will just be hearing more good things.

I have to say the whole ordeal has actually been easier than what I thought it was going to be. His recovery has been amazing. He is a different baby. He is STARVING all the time- so different to get used to- a wonderful different though! He used to go up to 5 hours between feedings and never complain about being hungry... and now- it is consistently every 2-3 hours and the 1 1/2 minutes it takes to warm a bottle makes him MAD because he is staaaaarrrrrvvvving! Plus we no longer have the tummy troubles we were having the first three months of his life and I have almost switched him over to completely formula. I am so happy to be about done with pumping- it is such a pain! As a friend of mine says, "I am a slave to the pump" I am down to just twice a day and the time it free's up is amazing- no more being chained to the chair for 20 minutes while the two year old gets into trouble every two hours...plus I don't have wash and sterilize all that stuff too. We made it to the surgery (and through flu season) on breastmilk- which was my goal. He is eating almost double of what he was eating before surgery in about half the time. We came home 6 days after surgery and within a few days- he started trying to roll over. He is soooo active and wiggly now. and HAPPY. Our little man is soooo very happy- he coos, blows bubbles, chews his little fists, drools like crazy, "talks" and smiles anytime anyone looks at him. If he thinks we haven't given him enough attention, he'll start to complain and as soon as you come over to him he just starts smiling and talking to you. He loves his big sister and will smile and talk to her the whole time she is near him. The more she bumps him around- the bigger the smile- sorta like he's thinking, "isn't my big sister so much fun?"

The adjustment of Nathan deploying has gone pretty smoothly. Of course, we miss him terribly, but life has settled into a predictable routine. I probably miss him the most when Ariana asks for him and I have to explain that he is "at work" and will be gone a long time, but we get to talk to him on the computer. She has loved webcam. We use yahoo messenger and you can also call through it so she is able to talk to her hearts content and tell her Daddy all about her little life- potty triumphs, Mona, shopping, what she did, who is the favorite stuffed animal of the day, etc. She brought him books to read to her the other day. She seems to have adjusted pretty well and I haven't really seen any acting out other than the normal two year old stuff we have already been dealing with. I know we will have yet another adjustment when Mom goes home but I don't think it is going to be too difficult. Mostly the lack of adult companionship but hopefully by two weeks from now, we will be able to get out more if cold/flu season proves to be over.

Thank you all so much for your love, support, help and continued prayers. We still have weeks of healing left but things are looking soooo good and his care is not much different than what it would be for a normal baby- more doc appointments and different ways to hold and burp because of his chest...but other than that we just get to lavish our love on him and watch him grow.

Boring is good...

Today has been a bit of a boring day...but that is exactly what Landon's doctors ordered. Not a whole lot of changes but a lot of rest and healing. Our little man has had a few more things taken out- he finally has a hand free which makes him so happy! He has been waving it around like he is conducting an orchestra all day and he has his favorite "chew toy" back! He also has gotten his smile back and is becoming QUITE the ladies man! All the nurses are charmed by this sweet bundle of preciousness. We even have nurses from other rooms popping in to talk to him, just to get a smile from him...it makes our day too.

He is pretty much strictly on oral meds now, which also means he is back to his old tricks of slyly spitting them out the minute you think he swallowed them. He has been eating pretty good a few nice big bottles and then some smaller ones as well. Seems like the morphine causes him to be snacky but if it has been awhile since his last dose of that he is HUNGRY!

He is scooching around like crazy, we have to keep postioning him so he doesn't scooch right out of bed. It's almost like a puppy- when you talk to it the dog is so excited that their whole body wiggles...that's Landon- we talk to him and those little arms and legs start going like crazy. He has been pretty comfy all day- didn't need as much morphine as yesterday.

Hopefully tomorrow the chest drains can come out- they were still draining a little bit today so we had to wait. It looks like sometime early next week, we should be headed home- which is scary and thrilling at the same time. Most of his care will be the same but of course, we have to pick him up differently and be careful of his chest. The incision site is looking good- healing very nicely. I have been given the ok for diaper changes- so I am now back on "poop patrol" (coulda lived a few more days without that!) but it is nice to be doing his normal care. I get to feed and change him and have learned how to burp him.

So all in all, its been a pretty quiet day here but we're just following doctor's orders. :)

Today has been another good day here at the PICU. It is so delightful to come in each morning and find yet another advancement in Landon's recovery. He has been taken off the "pacer" so his little heart is doing its own thing now. He had his dressings changed and one of the leads to his heart taken out. He has also been weaned off of all of his medication "drips" and is down to tyelenol and morphine for pain. And he has been much more alert- even attempting to smile and talk to me. Quite a bit of his swelling has gone down, so he is starting to look a little more like his normal, handsome self. He did get pretty mad at one point today- I think it was probably pain related- which caused his blood pressure to skyrocket. They still want that to stay pretty low but broadened the range of what is acceptable. He has been staying on the low end of that scale- which is marvelous. His surgeon and cardiologist have been delighted with the progress he has been making. He is eating again- more "snacky" which is expected. He hasn't had a bowel movement yet and his poor tummy looks like he definitely needs to! Hopefully, that will happen some and relieve some of the extra discomfort he is feeling.

It looks like tomorrow may hold removing the two chest drainage tubes, weaning off of oxyegen, and getting rid of a few other lines/tubes...Before we know it we'll be moving out of ICU to a more intermediate care (if there is a room available- otherwise we get to stay here).

Nathan and I ran out to Target to pick up a few things today and have just spent the day chilling out here in Landon's room. It's been nice to get this extra time with him. He did get a text message telling him to be ready to fly out the 15th, so I am especially grateful for this one on one time with him.

Thank you all for continuing to keep us in your prayers- we still have a long road ahead of us and we will be having alot of adjustments in our near future. God's peace and joy have been very present with us and I know that is a direct result of prayer. Thank you!

And so starts the recovery road...

Landon had a very good night! :) We were told to expect some up and down throughout the night- a sort of balancing act of increasing/decreasing medications and such to keep him calm and comfortable. Ronald, our night nurse, only had to adjust things twice! So Landon did excellent and was pretty quiet through out the night.

Nathan and I had a pretty decent nights sleep considering everything that had gone on yesterday and how exhausted we were. I did wake up a few times during the night, but thankfully, I was able to drop right back off. We got up around 8 this morning and we were out the door in about 15 minutes to come see our little man. As we drove around the parking lot, I get this happy feeling inside the closer we get to the entrance for the PICU- I'm gonna see my little boy soon! It is amazing how completely they steal your heart and how empty it feels when they are apart from you. It kills me to be apart from my little girlie right now but I know that this is where I need to be and she is in very good hands. (thanks Grammy!)

When we got here this morning, they had already started weaning him off the "vent" and decreasing some of his medications. We are waiting for him to wake up so they can take the breathing tube out. He keeps wiggling around his bed, especially when we touch or talk to him and he is trying sooo hard to get those eyes open. He has always been a very active, little guy- inside and out of me! He is a bit more swollen (fluid retention) this morning but really not too bad- you only really see it around his eyes. They are starting him on a dieuretic to flush some of that extra fluid from his system before they actually take out the breathing tube. His oxyegen levels have been very good- it is so comforting to hear the nurses report stats to each other and then hear them say, "beautiful"

He is doing excellently and we just praise God for all He has done for us. His hand has been so evident in our little one's life. "Then they will know that your power has done this; they will know that you have done it Lord...I will thank the Lord very much; I will praise Him in front of many people." Psalm 109:27,30 It is so comforting to know the One who created this marvelou,s little person is still holding him and working in his little body.

Surgery Day

First of all, I want to thank all of you who have kept us close to your hearts today and lifted us in prayer. While this has been a traumatic thing to go through and yes, our nerves were a wreck, we have felt God's presence and peace with us. As I read my Bible in the waiting room, I came across this verse- "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His love and for the miracles He does for people." Psalm 107:8 I can say that our hearts are filled with thanksgiving to our wonderful Lord- thankful that each step of Landon's surgery went smoothly with no complications, thankful for the AMAZING team of doctors and nurses he has, thankful to be with our little man here in his room, thankful for how well he is doing, thankful that Nathan is here with me and that Mom and Ariana are doing well at home...thankful that this surgery is now behind us. God's goodness is abundantly evident in our lives right now and I can only rejoice at the outcome of this day.

Last night was hard. I did not feel strong enough to go through this. I laid on the bed with my baby and sobbed my heart out- wishing that I could clutch him close to me and just run away from it all. Denial does not work...which totally sucks. Nathan and I both slept really well- right through the alarm this morning. :) We reported here to the hospital at 0600 and we woke up at 0540- it was a mad dash to get dressed and out the door. Thankfully, the Ronald McDonald house is right here at the hospital so we were able to walk here this morning. About 0700, they called us back and started the process, getting his vitals, meeting nurses, etc...They took him from us just before 0800. One of the hardest things I have ever done was let them take my baby- knowing what they were going to do and all the risks that are involved. I couldn't even handle thinking about the "what if's" I had Nathan sign the consent forms and read over the risks- I figured, I would deal with it if I had to, but I didn't need to give my mind any more fuel for worry.

They kept us informed and busy during the surgery so the morning actually passed more quickly than what I thought it would. We met his nurse- yup, our little man has his own private nurse- no sharing here! Got a tour of his room here in the ICU and everything was explained of what to expect to see on him when he got here. He is in the Nemo room :) The hardest part of the whole wait might have been after they told us everything was done and that we would be able to see him as they wheeled him from the OR to his room. Every door opening/closing, footsteps in the hall, etc. had us peering out the doorway...it was soooo disappointing to have it be just a janitor's cart but FINALLY, our little man did come. He was still sedated(and still is) and has a "jillion" wires, tubes and monitors but we were able to kiss the top of his head and whisper our love before they got him settled into his room. We met with the surgeons at that point. Surgery went well- no complications or bad surprises. He did need a bit of blood but other than that nothing major. He is currently on some medication to keep his blood pressure down- basically, his heart is pumping faster so not as much is filling his heart at a time, so that keeps the stretching to a minimum and all the stitches in place. He is on a respirator, which hopefully, he will be weaned off of tomorrow. He isn't too swollen but they say he might swell some overnight and tomorrow. He is doing exactly what he should be at this point.

His room is Grand Central Station right now- lots of nurses and doctors popping in and out but everything looks good. The goal tonight is to keep him sedated and quiet- to let his body rest and for initial healing to start taking place. At this point, if everything stays as it is now and heals- he should not need surgery again down the road. So that is our prayer, but we know that we will have the strength to face it if we have to at a later date.

Nathan and I are pretty emotionally and physically drained. (He is sleepig on the couch in here as I write) We will probably sleep at the Ronald McDonald house tonight since we really need some good sleep. He is sedated and there will be lots of in and out here, so I think we will all fare the best if we sleep there. But I know I will be so anxious to run over here first thing after I wake up!

So here we are towards the end of a very dreaded day...we are battle weary but rejoicing. Thank you for all the support you are. Your prayers and comments have touched, encouraged, comforted and strengthened our hearts. We are so blessed to have had you all here at our side through this!

-Summer

Life as it is...

I have had this mental goal to do more blogging this year...it's already two weeks into the new year (ok, we are now into February) and this is the first time I have sat down to write... Time is at a premium these days.

Basically, my days consist of baby feedings, diaper changes, pumping breast milk so I can feed the baby, dashes to the potty with the two year old, letting the dog out, making meals for the three of us who are big enough to sit at the table, washing and sanitizing things so I can once again pump milk, throwing in a load of laundry so we can pull wrinkly clothes out of the dryer tomorrow, repeat about every two or three hours...etc...Throw in the occassional doctor appointment and run to Walmart for groceries and you about have my life. Notice napping isn't really part of the scenerio...Yeah, Ariana has pretty much decided her nap days are over. She normally takes the quiet time on her bed to either eat a book or have an accident in her pull-up, which she has to immediately tell me of...It usually happens JUST as I am dozing off which effectively means even if I do get to lay back down, I won't fall asleep.

CAFFEINE...

it is a wonderful thing.

Caramel Frappe's from McDonalds are especially wonderful...I have my Mom to thank for that new addiction...and I truly am very thankful for it. Nathan very graciously feeds the addiction and brings them home for me from the errands he sweetly runs for me. He usually takes Ariana with him so I get a little break, since I most definitely am not getting any extra sleep during the day. Landon is a good, little sleeper- I really can't complain. For a new baby, well, six week old baby {already!} it could be much worse...He normally, gives me a five to six hour stretch after his last feeding of the day which means about a two am wake up call. And then the next one is pretty much right on the three hour mark. Uninterrupted sleep is a sweet daydream at this point.

Making Messes

Lately, I have been trying to have Ariana "help" me more in the kitchen. She now gets so excited whenever she sees my red mixing bowl or apron come out. I passed on the apron that I wore when I was little to her and she loves wearing it. It is so sweet to see her enthusiasm over simple things such as dumping flour or stirring. She is so proud of her accomplishments and loves to tell Daddy what she has helped me with during the day.

At this point in the game, Ariana usually just makes the mess much larger, rather than being an actual help. I know that at some point down the road, she will actually be a tremendous help to me and that is why I persist in having her "help" me at such a young age. She is normally covered in flour from head to toe. I have to watch that she doesn't constantly taste test. She constantly is telling me that it is " Ana's turn" when she sees me doing something that she wants to do. Its fun, but it is also exhausting. But it is special to share in the joy as my little girl learns to enjoy making special things to bless those she loves.
...busy with the rolling pin...

...noodles that Ariana made- she rolled them by herself and then I helped her cut them...

explaining something to Daddy as he took pictures...

Cloth Diapers...

As we wait for the arrival of our new little one, I have been doing a lot of research on cloth diapers. At this point, I am hoping to try them and at least supplement our diaper stash, if not switch over. It is amazing how many companies are out there selling them- they have come a long way from the prefolded, Gerber ones! www.niftynappy.com is one of the sites that I have loved the best and that has really solidified my decision to give cloth a try. Somehow- I think because she is a mom of 6 (you can find her as "6 and still sane" on facebook) and has tested and used the diapers herself with much success- I continue to gravitate back to her product. She is having a giveaway right now that I would REALLY love to win- it would be a wonderful jumpstart to this new endeavor of mine!

I also have been looking into sewing some of my own and have found a pattern that has excellent reviews from other moms. The savings is my biggest motivation for sewing my own- but time and whether or not my health will allow me to take on a big sewing project like that always comes into play. So I will probably end up doing a little of both.

Truthfully, I have been so excited at the thought of trying cloth out, I was a little disappointed that Ariana just potty trained! LOL! I know-crazy! But who likes to wait months to try out a new idea/plan?! Only 3 and a half more months to go- I know its going to fly by, since life is always busy! And now, we are building a house- so a move will be in the near future, either right before or after Landon comes and there is still the possibility that Nathan will deploy in January. So I really need to get moving if I am going to sew any!!! Who knows- that ambitious idea may turn out to be just that and I'll end up buying them! Either way- I am excited and looking forward to giving cloth a try!

Necklaces

I picked up these beads at Hobby Lobby (one of my new, very most favorite stores ever!) for a fun, little project for Ariana and I to do together. I am amazed at her hand/eye coordination! It didn't take her long to figure out how to hold the bead "just so" and then thread the cord through the hole. She also is doing fabulous with her colors and proudly announced the color of each one as she picked it up. She loves her necklaces- we have strung and restrung them many times already. She can say necklace but it sounds more like "nug-gets" so it took me a few minutes to catch on to it at first!

The Sweetest Dress on the Sweetest Girl

Ariana's second birthday was pretty special. She had quite the stack of presents from Mommy and Daddy, but she received quite a few packages in the mail the whole week from the rest of her devoted family! This little dress was part of the package from her Great Grandma Bette- and I think it is just about the sweetest thing out there! I love its' simplistic charm and the smocking on the bodice. I noticed on the tag that it is from Macy's and I have to say- they have some of the sweetest children's clothes. That is where I found the dress that Ariana wore for our wedding as well. I am thinking I am going to need to make a trip there to look for some little clothes for Landon as well!

Ariana wore this last Sunday for church and I had to snap a few pictures before we changed her into play clothes once we got back home. She is just the sweetest, little darling! Thank you Grandma Bette!!!

The Verdict Is....

It's a BOY!!!

We had our ultrasound this afternoon and got to see our little Landon Matthew for the first time! Ariana also got to go with us and see the "baby movie." She is very excited to be having a little "brud-der." Our little guy is VERY active and was kicking, stretching and rolling about the whole time. We got some wonderful pictures of his profile, little arms and legs and of course, the important stuff that let us know what name our little baby would be having! Nathan, of course, is thrilled to be having a little man to run around after Daddy!

My mind is going a 100mph...a boy! I was leaning more towards "girl" because the pregnancy has been very similar to Ariana's. The biggest difference that I have noticed is I am craving SWEETS like crazy! So now I am thinking blue and green, what theme to do his baby stuff in, what we'll need for him, what type of baby quilt to make, what type of diaper bag to get...it's just so exciting!

Surprise Sundress

This is an adorable, little sundress that Nana Judy sent Ariana. It is always so fun to get a surprise package in the mail- especially something so cute!
I can't believe how much like a big girl she is- this picture really shows that "baby-ness" is all gone!

Ice Cream Cones!

It was a lazy Sunday and we had spent a good part of it in the pool...and then Mommy got a taste for ice cream...We drove around for almost an hour, trying to find an ice cream stand and finally ended up going to Wal-Mart. (We have since found ONE here in the area!) We do have Dairy Queen- but I wanted REAL ice cream... hard ice cream, specifically, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough! This is Ariana's first cone and thankfully, she was in play clothes, because even with help from Mommy and Daddy- it still got all over! It has become a favorite treat after our pool time in this hot weather! Also when we were out and about- Ariana got to see her first rainbow which was VERY exciting for her!

A little on the creative side!

Since I love being "crafty" I decided it was time to get Ariana involved in some artsy things! We made binoculars (above) from old toilet paper rolls, we do LOTS of coloring with markers, crayons and colored pencils (all washable!), this super neat finger paint that is basically non-messy by Crayola, and also playdough has finally been permitted! We still have to supervise VERY closely the playdough- it beats me why every kid eats that stuff! But we have had many hours of fun rolling, poking, squishing, etc... I bought some large wooden beads and cording too, so sometime soon we will be making "pretties" (her name for jewelry). It has been a wonderful entertainer- giving me a chance to sit down and keeps her happy. I don't like her watching too much tv, so this has been a wonderful alternative!

Our Sunshine!

Our sunshine! I look at this precious, little face each day and am so thankful for this gift of motherhood that God has given me! Her smiling, little face as she runs towards me, her happy voice saying, "ahh-morning!" as she climbs in bed with me, her animated chatter, her silly antics that keep Nathan and I in stitches and entertain all of you, her sweet kisses and hugs...She brings me so much joy and I am thankful that even on the difficult days- there are still moments where her sweetest side shows and makes me love being a mommy all over again!

The little punkin grew an inch over the last two months so we had to get some new clothes for her! I have to say, I love Children's Place and their sales- plus I can always find an online coupon and get additional savings!!! Its been a little tricky to buy a size ahead, since I have no clue about the weather here, so I have been having to get things as they are needed but so far, I have still been able to satisfy this "deal-loving momma's" heart! Nothing like brand-new clothes at garage sale prices!

My new project...

As you could see in the earlier post, Ariana's room was a very brilliant shade of lime green and purple. Perfect, if you are a TinkerBell fan but not for this muted color lover! Ariana's room was the first room we painted when we moved in but it has taken me awhile to get to making the fabric wall applique's I had pictured in my head! My finished idea is that of a woodland scene- complete with little animals- but so far I have just finished the tree. I do have to say, I am liking the results of my freehand drawing and am completely thrilled that it looks like what I imagined in my head! We are planning that she and the baby will share the room, after the baby moves out of a bassinet in our room, so I wanted something that would be gender neutral since we don't know what we are having yet. The fabric coordinates perfectly with the quilt I made her- I couldn't be more excited. It has been wonderful to work on something creative again!

Big Girls' Sleep in Big Girl Beds

After waiting three weeks after we arrived here, we finally were able to move into our house. We had to wait yet another three days before our belongings were delivered. I was sooooo ready for our bed after a sucky hotel bed and an air mattress! In the process of the move, a few items were lost...one of which happened to be two of the hooks that are very necessary in order for the crib to be assembled. We had been talking about it and since we couldn't set up the crib, decided to make the leap to the "big girl bed". It has been a super smooth transition- I couldn't be any more delighted! Ariana was so excited for her new bed and this is her first night in it. (This is also before we painted her room and got everything situated in there!)

Stylin' It

Before we left New York, we got to see Grandma Bette and Grandpa Ray one more time. Grandma brought some special gifts for Ariana and this is the little dress modeled by our beautiful girl! I think the sunglasses give the outfit that extra "zing"- we all know it's all about the accessories!!!