6 Months Today! Yea!!!

Time flies when you're having fun! No telling what the next 6 will bring. But we're sure it will be non-stop, wall to wall excitement. His 6 month stats are as follows: 14lbs. and 25" in length. Some of his favorite things include: bubble baths, his woo blanket, rice cereal, stroller rides, his red wagon, classical music, and chewing on his hands. Some of his dislikes include: his oxygen cannula, doctor visits, dirty diapers, and getting dressed. He is discovering his hands and likes to stare at them. He loves to have mom and dad sing eensie weensie spider to him.

Bubblicious!

I love my bubble baths!

Grandma's, Grandpa's, Nanny's and Granny's

Thankgoodness for grandparents! Isaac is one lucky boy to have so many...including 4 greats! They all stopped by for visits in the hospital and continue to shower him with hugs, kisses and fun toys to boot! This kid is not lacking for attention, that's for sure! He adores his grandparents and can't wait 'til he is big enough for sleepovers (mom and dad can't wait, either)!

On the Mend

Wow! It has been one week since Isaac came home. It's amazing how resiliant he is. We are so grateful to have it all behind us. He will be on oxygen for a few weeks but we think it will be gone after his next appointment in August. He is becoming quite a mommas boy. It's fun to see how he lights up around Chelle. He smiles real big at me, when he's in moms arms safe and sound. We'll probably keep him under lock and key for the next few weeks until his doctors give us the green light that it is business as usual. As you can see from the picture with me, he likes to pull the cannula into his mouth and suck on it.

We made our first attempts at cereal today (July 24th). He didn't seem to know what it was. It was funny to see how he would use his tongue to try and figure it out. He was more interested in the spoon.

Home Run!

(Sunday) Isaac's stats were so impressive, he hit a HOME RUN today! WOW! He will miss his Radio Flyer wagon, his crib mobile, nice nurses and fun surprise visits from his loving grandma's and grandpa's! He won't miss the beeping monitors with their tangled up chords, nasty medications, endless poking and prodding and chest x-rays.

Mommy cried most the way home from the hospital. She is so proud of Isaac! He has taught his parents a great deal in his short 5 months of life. Isaac is a strong, courageous and determined young man who has a great mission to accomplish! We can't imagine our lives without our little man. He has captivated our heart and soul...and we will never, ever be the same. We love you, Isaac!

Play Time

Every day is getting better. His last chest tube came out and he is on oral medication only. Yesterday Isaac started to smile again and be the little boy we're used to. It has become play time for him too. We went on wagon rides up and down the hall and when we got back from the cafeteria the nurses had him in a swing at their station. He loves the musical mobile above his crib and is fixated on it.

He has also caught on that mom is much better than any bottle, so it's back to nursing. However, he is now eating more, so maybe that's okay. I tried to sleep in the room with them last night, and between the nurse pop-ins and the strange noises the building makes I was wide awake. So at 4:00 AM I told Chelle, "I'm going home". We hope that Isaac will be released tomorrow and we can try to get back to normal.

Movin' Up

Isaac moved up to the telemetry floor today. It was so nice to see him upgraded. He is communicating with us so much more now. He isn't his usual smiley self quite yet, but he recognizes mom and dad and wants some lovin'. Chelle and grandma got to hold him today and he loved it. We're not sure how long until we can bring him home, but we hope that it will be soon.

Fire Cracker in the PICU

Isaac is gaining a reputation as a "tough dude". The staff usually start off by saying, "he sure is cute...but..." Basically, he is not exactly happy to be there. He kind of gets a look once in a while, like... "what did mommy do to my crib ~ and why are all these people poking me?" He sure is cute when he's sleeping, however. Yesterday, he had some trouble breathing because he was congested. It made him very angry, so he decided to turn purple. Dad did too! We could have been two new members of the blue man group. His nurse, Suzanne, suctioned him out and then he relaxed. Suzanne also got him to take a bottle. Yea!!The things it takes to get him on a bottle.

His doctors and nurse practitioners say he is doing well. They hope to get his chest tubes out today, remove his central line and ween him off the oxygen and some other meds. If they can do some of this then they will move him up to the telemetry floor. Hopefully, we will be able to pick him up and hold him. He needs a squeeze from mom and dad. His oxygen saturation levels have been in the low 90's and he has looked a beautiful pink (when he's not mad and purple)!!

We're so grateful for all of the good care he is getting and for all of the thoughts and prayers from everyone!

Isaac's Surgery

7/9 - (Monday) Well, the day is upon us. Isaac's open heart surgery is tomorrow morning. We check in at 6 AM and Dr. Hawkin's surgical team will start at approximately 7:30 AM. From start to finish the process will be about 4-5 hours. Mom and Dad are obviously anxious, but confident that Heavenly Father is watching over him. We have seen miricales already, and know that they will continue. We are so grateful for all the thoughts and prayers on our behalf.

7/11 - (Wednesday) Isaac sailed through his surgery with flying colors! It is miraculous that the doctors are enabling his little right ventricle to grow. They did some microsurgery on his pulmonary valve, widening the opening, which will in turn allow more blood flow to his RV. His oxygen saturation levels will be in the 90's and his heart will be more efficient than the original plan. Furthermore, this could be his final surgery!!! We are so grateful for Primary Children's Hospital, Dr. John Hawkins, his NP, Linda Lambert, Dr. Michael Puchalski and the cardiology team and all of Isaac's PICU nurses who are so good to him (Ken and Sally). We have truly witnessed a miracle! Isaac had a wonderful cheering section waiting for him in the waiting room. Thank you to our dear family who kept us from pulling our hair out.

Welcome Aboard!

There's a new sheriff in town! His name is Isaac John! He's a rootin'-tootin' (mostly tootin'), gun slingin' barrel of fun! Since joining our posse on January 31, 2007, he's made some dramatic changes to our lives. Night patrol has become more exciting...no snoozin' on the job allowed! Regular daytime shifts are increasingly demanding, yet far more rewarding. Smiles, cooing and juicy kisses are the perks that make the job worthwhile. Welcome to the wild, wild, west little partner!