Quick Update!

We have been super busy this week but wanted to give a quick update!!  Zachary went in yesterday to see his Cardiologist.  It was a two hour appointment!  He had an EKG and an ECHO (ultrasound on his heart).  Both take a long time to do and it's even trickier when you have a tiny little body that doesn't want to hold still!  But the good news is that we got them both done and Dr. Alexander was very pleased with what she saw!  Everything seems to be working as it should and she approved him for surgery!

We are still waiting to hear a date for surgery but they are working on coordinating every one (surgeons) for possibly next week! 

Everyone else is doing great and we are keeping busy!!!  Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Good News! Good News!

Guess who no longer has a paralyzed vocal cord???  Yep, that's right!!!  He can cry and be heard!!! Such a blessing to have his left vocal cord working again!  Besides allowing him to be heard, it will also help keep his food from coming back up!!! 

This morning we went to see the Ear, nose, throat doctor.  She confirmed his vocal cord is working and checked his ears.  He has fluid in both ears (we assumed as much since he deferred on both hearing tests) and she would like to put tubes in his ears when he goes in for the other surgeries in October!

He is healing so well from his heart surgery and I will post a picture so you can see how great his scars look!  I think that's all the updates for now!  Oh, he's up to 7lbs. 4 oz.! 

What's Next??

Well, there went another week!  It seems to have flown right by!  That little jaunt to see Sam and Colt and sweet baby, Calvin in the middle of the week made for a strange week.  I kept thinking it was the weekend.....when it really wasn't.  It will be back to normal this week!

Last Friday, Zachary had an appointment to have an upper G.I. done.  Before they put his feeding tube in his tummy, they wanted to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be.....and it is!!  This week we should hear the date for surgery when they will do his cleft lip repair and put his g-tube in!

It's amazing the changes in a week!  This week he is more alert and awake  It's so fun to see him looking around and taking everything in!  He has realized that being carried in the front pack is waaaay more fun than laying in his bed!  Needless to say, I'm glad we have done the trial and error over the years and found the BEST front pack carrier in the world!  No doubt he will log a lot of miles in this thing!  I added a picture of Isaiah so you could see how cute it is!!

Sweet New Baby....Grandson!!!!

He's here, he's here!!!!  Sam was scheduled for a C-section on Wednesday....however, 'he' didn't get the memo!  Sam wasn't feeling great Monday night and shortly after midnight, she woke up Colt to tell him she was having contractions.  Shortly before 4, they were headed to the hospital.  Their baby was in breech position still so surgery was scheduled for 6 am.  Calvin entered the world at 6:16, weighing 6lbs. 13 oz. and 19" long!  He has lots of dark brown hair and looks just like his Daddy!!

At some point he swallowed some meconium into his lungs which automatically landed him a trip to the NICU!  They decided to start a round of antibiotics so he will stay there until next Tuesday! 

Samantha is doing well, as she recovers from surgery.  She did such an awesome job through the whole thing!  We're so proud of her!!!

I headed to see her hours after she gave birth.  Of course Zachary wanted to come, and I also brought along Tanner and Vanessa.  We couldn't stay too long but we're anxious to see them again in a few weeks!

I'm so glad Sabrina is there to help take care of her sister and nephew!  They are in good hands!!!

Welcome to the World, Calvin!!!  We love you!!!

So Sweet!!!

On Saturday, I went to a baby shower for Samantha!!  I took Vanessa and both Grandma's with me as well!  Sabrina also went.....and stayed.  She is at BYU-I and is sooooo excited!!!  It will be so fun to have both girls there!  They will be able to hang out and reconnect since they haven't seen much of each other the past two years.  Plus it will be so nice for Sam to have her sister there to help after the baby is born!!! 

Sabrina was supposed to be in the Ukraine right now, teaching English to school children.  When she found out about her new baby brother and the health challenges he would be facing, she put her life on hold and volunteered to go to Oregon and stay with him for as long as necessary.  What a huge sacrifice!!  She knew Scott and I would not be able to be there every day and she also knew how important it was for someone to be there with him every single day. 

When she told the program director that she would need to back out of her trip, she really hoped they would refund some of the $$ that she had paid.  They didn't.  $2500 bucks gone!!!  She was heartbroken, as was I.  I knew how hard she worked to earn that money!  All winter, in the freezing cold, she bottle fed 60 baby calves, cleaned their pens, drug the dead ones out, came home covered in cow slobber and poop every single day, gave shots, tube fed the sick ones and froze her butt off!  She worked harder than anyone I know!!!  And doesn't have a penny to show for it!

But her 'pay' will come from her Father in Heaven.  He will watch out for her.  He will make sure she finds a new job while she is at college.  He knows her heart and the sacrifice she made for her brother.  Her act of selfless love will not go unnoticed by Him.  The bond she created with her baby brother will last a life time. When he's older, he will realize what an amazing sister he has!

Sam and Colt will probably have their baby on Wednesday, via C-section.  He is currently breech.  They will check him again tomorrow and if he hasn't moved, then he will be born the next day.  I'm excited to be able to go back down for the birth!!!  And of course, pictures to follow!!  :)

 Our oldest and our youngest!!!

Bye baby girl!!!!  We will miss your beautiful smiling face around here!! 

Update!!

Just a quick update of our week with Zachary!  The home health nurse came by on Monday to do a check.  He was up to 6lb. 5oz. and doing well!  Tuesday the Occupational Therapist was here.  She is always full of information and help!  Wednesday we went to see the Pediatric Plastic Surgeon who will be doing his cleft lip/palate repair!  He said at this point we are shooting for doing his lip repair at the end of the month!!  Today, we met with the Dietitian to go over his feeds.  She thought he was doing well and will continue to monitor his feeding schedule/amount!  We also had an appointment with our pediatrician.  That visit was mostly just a check in to see what all the different specialists are doing or will be doing in the future.   He also did a weight check and he is up to 6lbs., 14 oz.!!!  Also he has grown an inch and a half!

Tomorrow we will go see the Gastric Specialist to schedule putting in a G-tube.  That will probably happen early next week!  That will help eliminate so much going on with his mouth right now!  We're excited about that for him!!

Saturday we're headed to Sam's baby shower in Rexburg and we will also leave Sabrina at college there as well!  Sam is scheduled to have a C-section next Wednesday because her baby is breech at the moment....we're praying he turns before then! 

Whew, that's the latest!  Everyday is an appointment with a different specialist, so it keeps us hopping (and wears him out)....it should start to settle down a little after another month or so!  :)

Sunday Cutie!

We have been pretty busy with doctors appointments!  We had one every single day last week and this week looks the same (currently Friday is open but I suspect that will change!)  Wednesday is the day we head to the Pediatric Oral /Plastic Surgeon!  It will be interesting to see what he has to say!  He's the one that will be repairing Zachary's cleft lip/palate! 

He's doing well and his weight is up to 6 lbs. 5 oz!!  The home health nurse will be here tomorrow, so we'll see if he's gained anything since his last weigh in!  Here is a picture we took of him today!!