In Cath Holding

We are still in holding waiting. Mitchell is the 2nd case this morning. Anesthesia has come and talked to us, and we are waiting to see the Interventional Cardiologist. Shouldn't be too much longer. Mitchell said, "All done. Time to see the girls." :) but he is staying entertained playing cars and throwing the ball with daddy.
Praying for a smooth procedure without complication.
Thank you for remembering us today.

Heart Cath Friday Morning

Just an update on Mitchell's procedure Friday - it is scheduled for sometime between 9 and 9:30 a.m. EST. Thank you again for your prayers!

Heart Catheterization

As you know, Mitchell has a stent in his Pulmonary Artery. This was placed after his 2nd surgery, October 2009. As he has grown, he is now requiring a larger area for blood flow. He will be having a heart cath on Friday morning to dilate the stent.

He has been stable, but we had noticed increased shortness of breath with activity. His last echocardiogram (earlier this month) was similar to the last, but given the images, symptoms and known size of the current stent; Mitchell's cardiologist consulted with the team in Atlanta. They decided it was time to address it. This cath can also serve for diagnostic purposes for his 3rd heart surgery, the Fontan for up to 6 months. I guess that means sometime before spring... Ready or not!

We appreciate your prayers as we travel to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon, and for Mitchell's cath on Friday morning. I will update once we have a time. Our timeframe for now is 6-10 a.m. EST.

Anticipating an overnight stay, since it is Interventional in nature.

Thank you!

Ted, Jodi, Madison, Mackenzie & Mitchell

2 year old pictures

Not much to report.

Mitchell continues to make progress- more active & very happy.

His vocabulary gets bigger every day.

His new favorite is, "Why, cuz?" about almost everything :).

And he is quite appreciative- everything is followed with a "thank you, welcome"

The most exciting is the "I wuv you, mommy or daddy or mimi or sissy..."

He really is a sweet boy!

He is starting to show more interest in foods. He doesn't consume a lot, but he is licking a lot of things, taking small nibbles of crackers, and taking sips of drinks.

I finally took his 2 year old pictures this week. He looks like such a little man wearing his tie.

Here are some updated pictures:

Also took the kids to Palafox Pier last week:

Isaac Joseph Ausk

My cousin delivered her baby on June 6, 2011.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for them.

They have had a few bumps in the road so far. Initially, they had hoped to do his surgery today; but will re-evaluate in 2 weeks, and hope to do it then.

Isaac required a procedure via cath the evening of his birth to enlarge an opening in his heart to allow the flow of mixed blood. This improved his blood oxygenation.

He also had a second catheterization procedure to help provide more specifics required for his heart surgery. At some point, likely due to the cath procedure(s), Isaac suffered a stroke. An MRI of his brain confirmed this as well as a small bleed.

If you would like to pray specifically, we are praying for resolution of this bleed; and that he will be strong and ready for surgery in 2 weeks. Also for my cousin, Karlee, as she is recovering from delivery; and as both of them are dealing with stress & sleep deprivation.

We are thankful that my aunt and uncle as well as Brandon's parents have been able to be with them; and that my my aunt has been able to stay to take care of their daughter. Grandparents are such a blessing!

If you would like to follow their journey & pray for Isaac & their family; send me a message, and I'll provide a link to Isaac's Caring Bridge page.

Thank you!

2 Years Old!

We so enjoyed celebrating Mitchell's 2nd Birthday!

It's hard to believe that 2 years has already passed.

We are so thankful for his progress. It is amazing to see the resilience after everything he has been through. We are thankful that God has protected him- seems like so long ago that we were sitting by his side praying for him, unsure of what his future would hold- bleeding on both sides of his brain, a severe hypoxic episode- seeing the fragility of his little body.

We can't help but smile watching as he walks and talks and laughs. God has blessed us so much. There was a time we thought we would never forget those negative situations; they have now become distant memories and just a reminder of God's Blessings.

God has a plan for all of us. It's easy to get caught up in day to day activities, but we desire to be open to God's leading. What does He have for us today? How can we be used?

Mitchell is a daily reminder for us of Jeremiah 29:11- "For I know the plans I have for you..."

We are so thankful that God has allowed Mitchell to be a part of our lives. Thank you for praying for him and for us; and thank you for helping us celebrate the 2nd anniversary of his birth!

He weighed in at 22 lbs 2 oz., and measured at 32 1/4 inches at his 2 year visit. Still below the chart, but back on track with his own curve. At the moment, he doesn't have any appointments scheduled until his Cardiology visit in September! The spitting up is still an issue, but has improved greatly with smaller more frequent feedings during the day and a continuous feeding at night.

He continues with OT, PT and Speech Therapies as well as a weekly visit from his Developmentalist.

Matt Hammitt's song, All of Me, is now available on iTunes. Updates on Bowen can be found at www.bowensheart.com.

Cardiology Update

Good Cardiology appointment. Stented pulmonary artery still has adequate flow, function stable, mild valve leakage. Sat 90% even with his congestion right now. Oh, and he's back on a growth curve- still under the charts but back up on his own curve. Overall, a blessing! Follow up in 4 months.

Currently on an antibiotic for an ear infection. Our wonderful nurse practitioner saw him on Sunday afternoon.

We are so thankful for his progress. After everything he has been through we are just amazed!

We have been following Bowen's blog. He is the son of Matt Hammitt, lead singer for Sanctus Real. Below is a link to their blog and a song he wrote entitled, All of Me. If you'd like, you can listen to the song by taking the link below and clicking the play button below the 2 video news postings.

http://bowensheart.com/2010/11/25/happy-thanksgiving/