Over three weeks have passed since Robert’s surgery, and I am watching him now walking around with a flashlight and happily shining it on everything he can think of. He is back to his happy wild self and is as cute and delightful as ever. His only limitations in activities are activities that he probably shouldn’t be doing anyway- flipping over the couch, climbing out of his crib, flipping in and out of the pack-n-play, etc. These activities require him to put pressure on his ribs which hurts as his sternum is still healing.
At Robert’s post-op appointment with Dr. Salazar, we were told that there was a tiny bit of fluid behind Robert’s heart and as a precaution, Dr. Salazar asked us to come in the next week for another echo. We went back the next Friday and the fluid was gone! We have a regularly scheduled appointment with Robert’s cardiologist this Wednesday where we hope to be told that we can cut back on some of Robert’s medication. Then we need to see the pediatrician to check his overall health (Robert and Alex both currently have a nasty cold that Christopher and I passed along to them) as part of the post-op process. We expect a good report from both doctor visits.
Alex is coming up on his first birthday! He is such a sweet happy baby and he has been quite a delight, just like his older brother. Christopher is especially delighted with Alex because Alex seems to be a daddy’s boy. He definitely loves his momma but when daddy walks through the door, he is the only one who exists in Alex’s little baby world. Alex is as fat and round as ever and a wonderful eater which thrills my soul. I am so glad that God has blessed us with these two precious boys and that Alex is a healthy child. I don’t think I could bear a huge scar on the chests of both my babies.
To wrap it all up, I leave you with a couple of pictures of my sweet boys.
Alex lounging on the couch with his dada.
Robert trying on his fireman hat from Firehouse Subs.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A couple of Saturdays ago, Christopher and I planned to roll out of bed, get everyone dressed, and head on over to IHOP to take advantage of their all you can eat pancakes deal for $4.99. Through a series of misunderstandings, this did not happen and we settled at the table around bowls of cereal. But this morning, we revisited the plan, there were no misunderstandings, and we got everyone to IHOP at 9:00. We enjoyed coffee, eggs, hash-browns, and as many pancakes as we could eat (which turned out to be less than four apiece). Robert ate a bowl of oatmeal before we left the house so he had a few bites of my pancakes and then entertained himself with crayons and bouncing around on the bench before eventually slipping and hitting his head on the table. After that, Robert put his finger down the straw hole of his apple juice lid and I had to yank it out for him. Hopefully, the lesson is learned there, unless he is truly his mother’s child in which case he’ll have to stick his finger in several more straw holes before it finally sinks in. Alex was his usual chunky cute self in a high chair. We gave him some Cheerios and Goldfish to munch on, and half of them ended up on the floor. And three times, Alex just decided to bang his head on the table, so he must be his mother’s child, too. Right at 10:00 both boys started to fall apart so we high-tailed it out of there, but by then Christopher and I were both filled to bursting and happy to get away from the enticing pancakes still staring us in the faces. Overall, it was a successful IHOP morning, and we all had a good time as a family. Now Alex is settling down to a morning nap, Robert is enjoying “Woody” yet again, and Christopher and I are taking turns finally getting our showers. It’s so nice to enjoy time with one another in our own home. God is good.
I cannot believe it has already been a week since Robert’s surgery. I can’t believe that this precious boy on the couch eating his grilled cheese sandwich while watching “Woody” is the same boy who, just one week ago, was attached to all kinds of tubes and wires and could barely croak a single word with his dry throat and mouth. Robert has done so well all week long. He’s still catching up on a lot of sleep lost while in the hospital so I’m not noticing an improvement in his energy level but his appetite seems to have improved. Any readers of my blog will know that this is a huge relief to me.
Robert’s post op appointment was at 9:00 this morning and we didn’t leave the hospital until noon. It was a long and hard few hours with both boys feeling very sleepy and hungry but we made it through and the great news we received has made it all worth it. God is still working His miracles in our boy. Dr. Salazar says that Robert’s valve looks like it has improved in the past week, and in his words, “I just can’t figure this out!” But we know that God is on our side and we know that we have had countless numbers of people praying for our son. Isn’t it wonderful seeing how God hears and answers our prayers? And even goes above and beyond what we ask. I am amazed at His goodness.
There is a slight fluid buildup behind Robert’s heart, but Dr. Salazar is not worried about it. However, just as a precaution (and I am perfectly fine with this), we will be going for another echo next Friday. Please pray that the fluid will be cleared up and that his heart will continue to improve.
As I said above, I know we have had countless numbers of people praying for Robert and for us, his parents, and I can’t thank you all enough. It has been a humbling experience seeing God’s people come together to bear this burden with us. And this has been a huge burden for us, but God has heard all of our prayers. Thank you, thank you, thank you for interceding on behalf of Robert. You all have been a huge blessing to our family.
Well, it was bound to happen one day. Alex fell off the couch head first and got quite the bang up. As far as I can tell, he landed on his forehead and slid a bit. He has a very red nose from rug burn. Poor thing. Good thing he is a tough little guy. He bounced back pretty quickly, but it looks like we have a little Rudolf in our home.
We had Robert’s pre-op appointment today. Robert did so well and it was not as bad and Christopher and I dreaded it would be. Robert played most of the time with his cars and had a grand time bouncing around and acting like a frog on the exam table. He got an x-ray, a short physical, and some blood drawn. The blood was definitely the worst part. Four people had to hold him down and Robert kept turning his eyes up at me (I was holding his head) and begging me to hold him. I admit it- I cried. But then I realized that I needed to be strong for my little guy so I started trying to encourage him. It didn’t really help him calm down any but it was definitely the better attitude for me to have in the situation.
We spoke with several different doctors about Robert’s surgery and were told what to expect on Wednesday, the day of the surgery. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30 in the morning. Ugh. It’s going to be a really rough day and then a difficult week after that, but once it is all over, God willing we will have an active, happy, healthy boy. I’m really looking forward to that.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. People say all the time that they “feel” the prayers of others and I get to experience that once again during this week. I truly do feel everyone’s prayers. God is keeping me calm and somewhat peaceful about all of this. I still have my fears but they currently are not ruling my emotions as they were a week ago.
Christopher and I will try to keep everyone posted on this blog throughout the surgery so be sure to check it often this Wednesday. And keep praying. :)
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was Alex’s first Christmas, but at 10 months old he’s still pretty clueless about how the presents thing works. He was more interested in playing with the packages or the paper or his big brother’s presents. But Robert had a great time. He was interested in each individual gift and wanted to play with each item. It took four days to convince him to open all of his presents because he was more interested in playing with what he already had! That’s definitely a good thing, although I have never seen a kid do that before.
Now that Christmas is over, we are looking toward the New Year with fear and hope. In October we took Robert to see a surgeon and the surgeon said that Robert needed surgery within 3 to 6 months, although 6 months would be pushing it. Christopher and I were shocked to hear that news. We thought that we still had a year or two before the dreaded surgery. But now it is on the calendar- January 12. Two weeks from tomorrow. Next Friday we will bring Robert to the hospital for his pre-op appointment and the following Wednesday we will bring him back for his surgery. This is the scariest thing I have ever had to deal with. I was terrified when, hours after birth, the doctors told me that Robert had a heart condition that may need surgery and I was terrified when he actually had that surgery, but looking back, that surgery was nothing compared to what he will face on the 12th. This is serious business. The surgeon will take out Robert’s aortic valve, replace it with Robert’s pulmonary valve, and then use a donor valve to replace Robert’s pulmonary valve. Ideally, this surgery will get Robert through the next 10 to 20 years, but he will need another surgery in the future. We’ve been told by all of Robert’s doctors that this is the best heart condition to have but that doesn’t make it any less scary for Christopher and me or any less stressful for Robert. We are blessed and grateful that this heart problem is the only problem Robert has- usually patients with heart disease also have problems with their lungs or other organs- but when the doctor looked at us and told us that our son was in the beginning stages of heart failure, those things were very difficult to think about. So this New Year we are scared, but we are hopeful because we know that God is good and that all things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) and that is the promise that we are clinging to. We beg you for prayers for our son and for us as we go through this with him, and we thank our family and our friends who have been our support and have been offering up prayers for our son every step of the way.
Monday, November 22, 2010
We have kept Robert in the worship service since the first time we brought him to church. He has only stayed in the nursery once or twice since he was born because Christopher and I firmly believe that our children need to be taught early how to sit quietly during the sermon and how to participate in worship. It’s really difficult at first as a little baby just can’t sit still or quietly for that length of time but we learn by doing. Christopher and I persevered and worked with Robert even at home, and now he is two years old and actually participates in worship. He strives to repeat the congregational responses (like the title of this post) and he adds his little “amen” to the end of prayers. He turns to a random page in the hymnal and tries to sing along. And at the end of the service when the congregation stands and joyfully sings The Doxology with arms raised, Robert raises his arms too and it warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes. This is what we are working for. This is what we are striving for. To teach our precious children how to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
I am super paranoid about Robert’s eating habits. He eats very little food, seems to be extremely picky, and meal times are battles each and every day. I force him to eat because he is tiny and has not gained more than a pound in the past year. These past few days I have learned a lot about Robert and about the amount of food a toddler should be eating. First, because of Robert’s heart disease his appetite is probably a little bit diminished and most of his energy is spent playing all day long. So when it is time to eat, he doesn’t have much energy for it. Second, I’ve learned that a toddler really only needs about two meals a day and it’s normal for a toddler to eat only a tiny bit of food at dinner or to skip dinner altogether. According to www.wholesometoddlerfood.com, a toddler serving is only about “one tablespoon per year of age”. I was shocked to learn this and to realize that Robert really is getting enough food each day. I have spent so much time and energy worrying and fighting with Robert to eat and I’m seeing more and more that I need to relax- Robert is not going to starve himself. Thank you, you wonderful and more experienced mothers for helping me and for all of your great advice. I am working hard to relax and make meal times pleasant for Robert instead of a constant struggle.
Two years ago on this day we welcomed our sweet first son into the world. That day was filled with so much joy as my family gathered around me to welcome Robert Joseph. He was a beautiful baby with a full head of black hair and the most gorgeous deep blue eyes I have ever seen. The joy of the day quickly turned to fear and sadness and confusion but we won’t talk about that now. What I will say now is Robert is a special precious gift from God to us and I am so glad that God has blessed us with him. Robert is the best little son a mommy could ever ask for. He is sweet and loving and obedient and he brings such joy into our lives each and every day.
And now for some pictures!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Alex will be 8 months old on Sunday and it is high time he gets used to eating good wholesome fruits and vegetables. Since Robert didn’t start eating baby food until around 9 months or so (I had my reasons), I had no clue where to begin with Alex. A friend told me about a wonderful website: wholesomebabyfood.com. This site is amazing! It tells what kind of foods baby should be eating and at what age, and it tells how to make these foods at home! I poured over this site for about an hour and made an initial plan for making my own baby food. I have a good stash of butternut squash and sweet potatoes in the freezer and I make fruits (bananas, pears, etc.) as I need them. I need to make a batch of green beans and peas and then venture on to carrots at some point but so far my efforts have been wildly successful. Alex happily eats what I offer and then cries for more when his portion is gone. I am so proud of myself for making food for Alex! I can’t believe how easy it is, and it is so much cheaper than buying baby food from the store. I bought a squash for $.69 and made somewhere around 20 ounces of food or so from that one squash. It costs at least $.50 for 2 ounces if you buy squash already packaged. If you are desperate to cut corners and save money like I am, this is the way to go!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I love being a mom to these two precious boys of mine. It is so much fun watching Robert learn and understand new things every day. Lately, he loves pointing out the moon and identifying when things are on or off. I love it that I can ask him where something is and he’ll show me. I love being able to tell him to put his toys away or to put his books back on the shelf and he obeys.
And Alex. The sweet chunky little thing. Alex is trying to learn to crawl and it is so funny to watch him get up on his hands and knees and rock violently back and forth. And then he cries and cries and cries when he can’t quite figure out how to move his hands and knees to make himself move forward. Poor baby. And I love his wet, slobbery, incredibly messy baby kisses. Heart treasures.
One thing I find hard to deal with, though, in all of this, is what my boys are teaching me about myself. The other day Robert was trying to put a spoon in a hole in one of his toys and it wouldn’t fit. He made this really loud sigh/growl and I told him not to get frustrated but to be patient. Then I immediately realized that he learned that sigh/growl from me! I’ve realized that I do that a lot when I am upset or frustrated. There are also times when I stop and yell to let off steam and Robert has done that, too, a couple of times. Is this really how I want my children to learn how to deal with frustration and anger? I want my boys to be composed and polite and to learn how to deal with their anger in a godly manner- not throwing a fit, yelling, or growling. But in order to teach them to behave in a godly manner, I have to model this godly behavior. Which means that I have to redouble my efforts to be a godly mother and read my Bible and books that can help me grow as a wife, mother, and woman of God. I am responsible for raising these boys to be godly men, and this is a HUGE responsibility for which I feel completely inadequate. I pray that God gives me the wisdom and grace to be a good godly mom to my children and, to you more experienced and godly moms, I am more than happy to listen to your advice.
