Life as a Wife

Robert had a very good first Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We were at my dad and LuAnn’s house for Thanksgiving and it was quite an event.  LuAnn’s two kids stopped by with their families, LuAnn’s sister came by, my siblings were there with their families, and my mom’s mom and brother and his family came.  So we had three different but connected families celebrating together for Thanksgiving and Robert was held and cuddled all day long.  I hardly saw him at all.

For Christmas we flew up to NY to visit Christopher’s family.  Robert got to spend time with his grandma and grandpa and uncles JJ and Nathan.  Everyone went crazy over Robert.  Again, he was constantly held by someone, but I tried to tear him away when I could see that it was naptime.  I didn’t want him to become overstimulated and the rare occasions of alone time seemed to be really good for Robert.  He had fun when we went to Pennsylvania to visit some great-grandparents, etc. and was again very good at another set of great-grandparents’ house in New Jersey.

I cannot believe how much Robert grew while we on vacation.  I packed almost all 0-3 month clothes and within a week he had grown out of most of them.  Thankfully, Betsy and I went shopping one day when most of the guys were out of commission from food poisoning and we bought Robert some new 3-6 month clothes that he could wear for the rest of the trip.  He had a cardiologist appointment on Monday and his doctor said that there still has been no change since the surgery.  Robert’s heart is no better which is sad but at least it’s not worse so we are rejoicing in God’s goodness.  Robert now weighs 12 lbs 11oz and is over 25 inches long.  He is bigger than a couple of the three or four month old babies at our church, and he is only 11 weeks old as of yesterday.

This past week or so, Robert has discovered that he can use his hands to grab things and to wack the little cow that dangles from his car seat.  It’s so fun to just watch him sitting in his seat hitting the cow over and over and over.  He definitely knows what he is doing and that he is in control of the movement.  It fascinates him and entertains him for 30 minutes to an hour sometimes.  He is also figuring out that I’m his mommy and he prefers me over anyone else, although he’ll still let other people hold him.  I don’t want him to become too clingy.  He needs to be able to go to other people sometimes, especially his daddy.  He’s also starting to meet eyes when someone is talking to him and smile at the speaker.  He laughs full out belly laughs sometimes, and he responds with a smile when I first smile at him.  He is absolutely amazing and it is so much fun to watch him grow and learn. 

Robert is now sleeping through the night which is such a huge blessing.  He goes down anywhere between 8PM and 10PM and will sleep until about 7AM.  Then he’ll eat and about half of the time he’ll go back to sleep and the other half he’ll want to play for about a half hour or so and then take a nap.  He is such a sweet baby, and we are so blessed to have him.  He was definitely worth the wait.

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Robert has had a pretty good week.  He’s finally learning that nighttime is for sleeping and, as a result, I have not gone insane in over a week!  He usually goes to bed at about 11 or 11:30, and he’ll wake around 4 and then 7 to eat.  He goes right back to sleep after eating and then I can go back to bed, too!  We are trying to use a schedule outlined by Baby Wise, and it’s working really well for us so far.  Robert eats, is awake for a bit, and then when he starts getting fussy I put him down for a nap.  The only problem we’ve encountered is that Robert now cannot get to sleep without his Nuk.  This is a problem that we can deal with.  We’re just glad he’s finally sleeping better at night.

Robert had a cardiologist and pediatrician appointment this past week and both went well.  He still has leakage in his heart and a little hole, too, but the doctor is not worried.  We’ll see him again in January.  At the pediatrician appointment we learned that Robert weighs over ten pounds now and he is about 22 inches long.  He’s getting to be quite the big baby, but he’s still oh so cute.  He is hitting every milestone properly which is such an encouragement.  It means that his heart really is okay for now.

Robert was baptised two Sundays ago.  Lou Ann bought Robert a really cute white suit to be baptised in.  It was complete with tie and vest.  It was a very special time watching my child receive the first sacrament.  Now when he’s old enough to start eating solid, soft foods he’ll get to take communion!

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We’ve been home with Robert two weeks today and it has been wonderful and exhausting.  We have learned so much about our little boy in these two weeks and we have learned a few very necessary parenting skills like bathing and changing baby.  Robert really likes bath time as long as the water is running directly on him but he screams as soon as it’s time to get out.  He hates getting his diaper and clothes changed but he forgets pretty quickly his indignation as soon as we pick him up again.  He’s a very sweet, snuggly baby, and I still can’t get over how cute he is.

We had Robert circumcised yesterday and although we made sure the doctor used anethesia Robert screamed and screamed.  He did not like being tied down to that table.  He was inconsolable all day long, poor baby, but by around 8 or 9 last night he finally started acting like his old self again.  Monday he has his first cardiologist appointment and next Friday he’ll go to his pedi for the first time.  Robert will be baptised on Sunday, so overall this little guy is going to have a busy and exciting week.

I am doing well.  I seem to be completely healed up from the birth, but the exhaustion is never-ending.  I can never get more than two hours sleep at a time and it’s horrible, but it comes with the territory!

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Robert was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and we flew home with him on Friday.  He did so well on the planes.  He pretty much slept the entire time and ate during the layover.  He’s such a beautiful baby and a delight.  We are very much enjoying having him home with us, although we are trying to rearrange his sleep schedule.  He tends to love the hours between 11PM and 3AM, and Mommy and Daddy are not happy about that.  Christopher and I have been trying to tag-team baby time so that we don’t go too crazy.  It’s very difficult work figuring out what Robert needs and when, but I think we are learning.  Robert is doing very well health-wise, and his first cardiologist check-up will be on November 17th.

I just can’t get over how cute Robert is or that I have a little baby.  God has really blessed us with him.

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Wednesday has come and gone and Robert continues to improve. We’re reservedly optimistic, but it look like we might be able to have Robert discharged tomorrow. He got hungry at all the right times and he ate voraciously each time. That was the main concern and hopefully, his blood test tomorrow will show that Robert’s hemoglobin levels are back up and they will let us take him home.

Since we don’t know for sure, we’ll have to wait to book return flights until we hear definite word of discharging Robert, and since Friday is one of the businest travel days of the week, we may wait until Saturday regardless of whether Robert is released tomorrow or Friday. The extra day will give us more time to get to know him and will also allow us time to visit with my grandparents who live nearby.

Thank you all for continuing to pray for little Robert. God has certainly been kind to him.

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Robert’s had a great day. He got transferred out of intensive care, he got some wireless monitors so he no longer looks like a marionette, and he’s off all his meds. The doctor says if he’s eating and still pink, he might be able to leave tomorrow! As great as this hospital is, and as amazing as his nurses and doctors have been, we’d like nothing better than to leave as soon as possible and never come back.

Robert is currently sleeping soundly after a big meal and Mommy, Daddy, and Grandpa are hoping to get one very soon. Please continue to pray for our little man. He’s been doing great and our God has been gracious to all of us.

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In honor of Robert’s first week of life, here are some pictures fom the past couple days:

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Well I forgot to post another update yesterday, but this is truly one of those no-news-is-good-news situations. Robert had his echo and while it indicated roughly the same amount of valve leakage as the original one performed after the procedure, Dr. Gillespie said that the heart still doesn’t sound leaky and the way it sounds is more important than the way it looks. In other words, Robert may quite possibly be in much better shape than we had even initially thought. So please keep praying!

There was no further talk of blood transfusions and his nurse just told me they’re going to give him some iron to help his blood. They’re not to worried about it, though, because he is pink and warm as a baby should be.

Last night after dinner, Robert was wide awake and looking all around. It was adorable and a really special moment for us. Rashell and I would both get down near him and talk to him and his eyes would follow whoever was talking. He was really looking at us and acknowledging us and it was really amazing. I got to change his diaper after he soiled it while I was holding him. I’m sure it won’t be long before that sort of thing becomes annoying, but last night, it was really fun.

Today is starting out well. Robert’s nurse said he ate well this morning and that they’ve taken him off the Heparin and the IV fluids, so he no longer has anything in his lines, which is great. She said they are going to give him oral iron for his blood, and that he will probably be moved to a “step down” unit today, which is also exciting. That gets us several giant steps closer to taking him out of the hospital for the first time since ne was born last week!

Can you believe Robert is already a week old? It’s been a long, hard week, but God has sustained us and He has been gracious both to us and to Robert. Thank you all for your continued prayers and check back for more info.

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Robert is getting an echo at this very moment. The doctors are of course talking to themselves and not translating most of it for me, but what I gather is that there is not much residual obstruction of the valve (which is good), but there is still some concern over the level of aortic insufficiency (leaking of the valve). I’m pretty sure Dr. Gillespie will need to look at the images and compare them with yesterday’s, so we don’t really have any news on Robert’s valve leakage one way or the other.

The other issue is that his hemoglobin count is pretty low and a blood transfusion was mentioned, but they’ve decided to let him try to rebound on his own. He was put on Heparin yesterday to aid blood flow to his leg below the catheter entry point in his groin. They’re finding only a weak pulse in his foot, but they’re not concerned because his leg is warm and his color and oxygen saturation are good.

So for now, we finish the echo and get some opinions, we wait and see how Robert’s hemoglobin levels do, and we try to get a stronger pulse in his foot. We had thought his lines might come out today, but it looks like they want to keep his peripheral IV in at least for tonight.

More news as it breaks…

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