4 more weeks

11 lbs. 11.4 oz. today- up 4.4 oz. over the last week.
O2 saturation was a bit lower than it has been (low to mid 80's), but an expected occurrence between the 2 surgeries.
His next appt. is October 12th.
Surgery is a short 4 weeks away.

Rom. 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

4 months old

Mitchell had his 4 mo. check up this week.
11 lbs 7 oz.- an increase of 6 1/2 oz. for the week. Just shy of hitting the growth chart.
He did hit the 5th percentile for length at 23 1/4 inches.
He has maintained a steady growth, just small.

We are thankful to have a healthy house!
Mitchell was protected from all of it!

He sees his cardiologist on Monday.
Still scheduled for October 27th for his next surgery.

Thank you for your support.

Guest Book

We have been curious as to how many people are following Mitchell's progress.
It is an inconvenience to set up an account and be a "Follower", but under comments you can select Anonymous and sign or leave a comment.
We appreciate everyone praying for him.

Flu Update

Just wanted to let everyone know that the girls are feeling much better- fevers are gone.
Madison is still coughing; she said she only feels bad at night. Looks like we're getting to the end of it.
We are very thankful that Mitchell hasn't developed any symptoms. We'll keep him back in his room a few more days to be safe.
THANK YOU to Heidy for making house calls! Your help was a blessing to us.

Mitchell seems to be doing better on less continuous feeding time. It usually stops about 3 a.m., and the last couple of nights he hasn't had trouble until about 4 a.m. (while it's off). I've waited until about 6 to get him started again. I feel like I am able to get more rest.

Hope you have a nice weekend!

Talking to mommy

Thought I'd share a little of Mitchell with you.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. Unfortunately, we can't do anything special. Of course, she is very understanding. We just want to tell her how much we love & appreciate her! We are so blessed to have her as our mother and the kids' grandma. I don't know how we'd be making it through all of this without her. I wrote her a 'thank you' note a couple of weeks ago- it kept getting longer...and longer..., and I imagine I probably even forgot some things. I think she has made it her mission to help us.

So far, all we have given her is Tamiflu! Hoping to give her her actual gift when we see her after all of this passes.

Flu Update:

Ted stayed home, & is continuing to keep the girls in our room. It was fairly easy to isolate Madison, as she understands more; and was content to rest and watch movies or read. Mackenzie, understandably being only 3, doesn't feel well; and she would like her mommy. Madison was doing her best to look after her, but it helps having daddy home.

Their fevers have improved- only 99.6 this morning after several hours without medicine. To be safe, we need to keep them away from Mitchell for a few more days.

We are thankful that Mitchell is doing OK; no fever or signs of the flu at the moment. But we do need to make it through the weekend (incubation period).

I will do my best to keep you updated.

Thank you for praying for his protection.

Swine Flu

Please Pray for Mitchell's Health

We have kept Mitchell home, only to go out for doctor's appointments in an attempt to keep him healthy.
During the summer months, we were all able to stay healthy.
Since school started, the girls have now gotten sick for the 2nd time.
Our Wonderful friend & Nurse Practitioner came to the house yesterday to assess Madison & swab for the flu. She just called to tell me that the test was Positive for Swine Flu. Mackenzie developed the same symptoms yesterday afternoon. As a preventive measure, she ordered Tamiflu for all of us yesterday, but Mitchell is too young to take the medication. As of today, his only symptom was a slightly elevated temperature- 99.
Madison's symptoms started Sunday evening with Mackenzie following Tuesday. They would expect to see something within about 72 hrs of exposure. We are praying that he is spared from this illness.
Thank you for praying with us for Mitchell.

Another Good Report

Mitchell saw his cardiologist today.
His weight was 11 lbs. 0.8 oz.- an increase of 6 oz. in 11 days; they'd like to see at least 5 oz. a week. He's on a steady growth curve, so they are pleased.
His echocardiogram was consistent with his previous ones- function of his right ventricle is good, and his shunt (conduit from his right ventricle to his pulmonary artery) also looks good.
His oxygen saturation varied from 85 to 89%, slightly lower than his trend; but quite acceptable given his condition.
Because of his feeding difficulties, his cardiologist called his GI doctor while we were there. He actually came and saw him in the same office, so we didn't have to come back another time. He was also pleased with his growth, and commented that it is likely for him to have an aversion to eating. He said not to worry about the oral feedings so much right now; once he recovers from his second surgery (in 6 weeks), we can be more aggressive.
Since he is having trouble with his continuous feeding at night, we are going to switch to more boluses and give him some time off. I think I'll try him continuous for 5-6 hrs (so I can get some sleep), then give him a few hours off before starting his boluses for the day at 5 a.m. We can still get our desired total that way.
Madison still had a fever of 101 today. She has spent the day at grandma's house- hopefully grandma will stay healthy! We are thankful that it hasn't progressed to more than a fever, sore throat & mild headache.
Thank you for praying for our family.
To all of our church family- we sure do look forward to being back as a family. We just need to protect Mitchell for now. He'll have a whole world to explore- the only thing he knows is our house & the doctors' offices.

Grandparents Day

Not so healthy after all

Madison has developed a fever today- 101; she also has a headache and sore throat.
We are hoping to keep this from spreading. Before she was feeling sick, she was holding Mitchell.

Thankful

This past week has been a bit eventful for us.
Anniversaries of events tend to bring back memories & emotions-
Friday, Sept. 11th marked 6 years since my dad passed away after having heart surgery. He was a wonderful man, and I was blessed to have him as my father. Ted was very sweet & brought lunch & roses home for me & mom yesterday.
Thursday brought a bit of a scare- Ted was returning from a business trip in Gainesville and was in an accident. A young driver was trying to turn left in front of a truck, didn't see Ted; and ran right into his drivers' side. He spends a fair amount of time on the road, so I spend a lot of time praying for his safety in travels. He had taken many an uneventful trip until now. I am so thankful that he was not hurt. He tried to convince me he was just fine, but I had to keep checking on him. Thank you to Pastor Cooley who brought him home (His accident was about an hour away, and our pastor happened to be right there when it happened.).
We are thankful that everyone is back to being healthy; we have gotten over the colds/flu that we had.
Mitchell remains stable- he looks great considering everything he is experiencing.
Since our appointment is Monday, we didn't go for the weight check yesterday. I will try to update progress after that appt.
He is still experiencing difficulty tolerating his feedings- his nights seem to be getting worse- more wretching/spitting up & just general GI discomfort. This has been a bit exhausting, but someone lets me get some extra rest when I really need it.
He also isn't making any progress as far as the oral feedings go- I keep trying, but he is just not interested. He needs some coordination with sucking & swallowing. I plan to take a bottle to his appt. on Monday, so his doctor can evaluate. He will likely need a swallow study to make sure it is safe to proceed.
Wishing all Grandparents a Happy Grandparents Day tomorrow!
We sure appreciate our Grandmas and Grandpas...that includes our adopted Grandma Carolyn & Papa Bob Humphreys.
Thanks for everything you do for us!

Quick Update

Ted, Madison & Mackenzie are almost completely recovered from their illnesses. The girls weren't much more than cold symptoms; they were under the weather a couple of days. Ted's was a more significant flu. Unfortunately, mine seems to be starting like his did. Hopefully the Airborne and vitamins will help.
Mitchell has had some cold symptoms as well- runny nose, sneezing... Thankfully, it has remained upper nasal congestion & not gone to his chest. Other than sounding "stuffy" the last couple of nights, he has been doing well.
His weight on Friday was 10 lbs. 10.6 oz.- only 2 1/2 ounces for the week, but at least it is an increase. We have managed to give him an extra ounce each day since then, and he has tolerated it fairly well. Still spitting up some, but not too significant.
Oh, and Madison celebrated her 8th birthday! Thanks to mom buying & preparing her dinner selection & cake, we had a nice family dinner including Juliane's family. Don't know what we'd do without Grandma! I have always been thankful for family, but even more so the last few months!
Mitchell goes for a weight/O2 sat/Blood pressure check on Friday; then his next Cardiology appt. is on the 14th, followed by his 4 mo. pediatrician visit for immunizations on the 21st.
His heart function has remained stable.
We continue to work on his bottle feeding without much success. We are thankful that he is able to get his nutrition thru his feeding tube, but would like to see him advance to oral feedings.
Hoping everyone is having a nice holiday weekend!
Thanks again for praying for our little Mitchell.

Germs

Right now we are working on keeping Mitchell healthy!
Madison came down with a cold Saturday and was sick thru the weekend; it is still lingering a little, but she is feeling much better.
Ted started feeling a bit under the weather on Sunday; by yesterday he was quite sick- looks like he may have a case of the flu. It takes a lot to keep him from the office (& the fact that he needs to accumulate more PTO for Mitchell's next surgery), so missing now 2 days says something about how he is feeling. He hasn't been out of bed since he went to bed Sunday night.
This morning Mackenzie woke up with a runny nose, cough & sneezing. She said, " I think I caught Madison's cold; How did I do that? Because I love her?"
So, Mitchell's room is off limits to everyone except mommy; we are holding him up in here trying to keep him healthy. So far he is doing pretty well; however, he is sounding a little congested, and his noises are a little hoarse. Going to keep up with the nasal spray & try to keep the germs at bay.
...and everyone is using a lot of sanitizer!

We are hoping that everyone will be healthy soon.