2.21.10 - Night Out

Last night, Dustin and I enjoyed a wonderful evening out while my parents kept Liam overnight.  We went shopping for a little while, then went to dinner at Del Frisco's - so yummy!  After dinner, we stayed at A Loft in Frisco to get some much needed rest and relaxation.  We had a great brunch this morning at Blue Mesa before we came home to see our little man.  We really missed him!  He did great for my parents, thank goodness.  This was the second time since Liam's birth that we have been able to get away for a night and I'm hoping we can keep up the tradition every couple of months.  I think it really helps Dustin and I reconnect and get that time for just the two of us - something that seems to get lost in the daily shuffle of life.  Although, I did wake up at 3 am, worrying like I do.  I had a dream that my parents had forgotten to give Liam his medications ...of course that was not the case, as I called my mom early in the a.m. to ease my worries.  She quickly told me, "stop worrying and go back to sleep! He's fine." I know...I KNOW! 

It was harder this time to leave Liam overnight.  He is getting to be so much fun now, responding to us, laughing all the time and really showing a wonderful personality.  I miss him more and more when I am away from him, even when I am at work.  But I must say it was nice to get out of the house for a night.

Liam is continuing to do well with his feedings through the G-Tube.  He is gaining weight right on track, weighing in at 14 lbs. 14 oz this past Thursday at his Synagis shot appointment.  He has surpassed doubling his birth weight, so I am so grateful!  I really think that the G-Tube has been a blessing...I know it sounds weird to think that it would be a good thing, but honestly, it has worked well to keep him growing and it is less stressful on us to not have to worry if he is eating enough.

This past Tuesday we went to our first Amazing Little Hearts support group meeting at Medical City.  It is a group formed by parents of heart babies to offer encouragement, support and raise awareness for CHD's.  We got to see Liam's old roomie, Tucker, and his parents Dena and Trent.  We also met some really great new friends.  It was really nice to feel like a normal family...everyone there knew exactly what we were going through, had some great advice, and shared stories about their experiences.  We took Liam with us too, which I was a little hesitant about, but am glad we did.  I don't think he had ever been around a group of people that big!  (And it was only about 20 people or so!)  It was also a new experience of feeding him in the car on the way in rush hour traffic...luckily he slept and the feeding machine alarm did NOT go off. That took some planning time to figure out!

Wanted to mention one last thing before I post some pictures and call it a night.  DUstin and I watched a movie called "Something the Lord Made" this afternoon.  It is a movie about a true story of the three doctors who developed the "BT" shunt, which saved Liam's life.  It is a great movie, depicting in one scene, almost the exact scenario Dustin and I faced with Liam ...brought me to tears.  If you get a chance to rent it or catch it on HBO, it is worth watching.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

2.16.10 - KU vs. MU

Funny story to share from this weekend, about an EXCEPTIONAL item I found while out bargain shopping with my mom Saturday. To give a little background info, let me start off by saying that my dad and his brother (my uncle) both went to Mizzou and are HUGE Tigers fans. I grew up with the latest Tiger attire plus an amazing assortment of stuffed Tigers, tiger blankets, you name it. Well, I’m not big into sports since my dad and brother took care of that for me growing up, but anyone who knows sports knows about the huge rivalry between Mizzou and the Kansas Jayhawks. In fact, some of my dad’s cousins went to KU, so there has always been a sort of personal rivalry among them. Two of those cousins, Sue and Randy, just happen to be visiting my parents this weekend… Let the fun begin!

So my mom and I stopped by our favorite Goodwill store (Yes, I’m thrifty and am not ashamed!) and while thumbing through the baby clothes, I happen to stumble upon a one of a kind item for around these parts….

Yes, that’s right folks, an official KU Jayhawk baby jacket…and what size was it? A perfect 6 month size for Liam. Seriously?!? What are the odds of finding such a thing?….I’m no practical joker by any means, but this was too good. As many of you know my dad keeps Liam everyday while Dustin and I are at work. Needless to say this practical joke may end up costing me my full time child care….yes, I’m serious….this was serious business. My mom even told me I’d have to deal with the consequences and she vowed not to have any part of it…if you’ve ever met Mizzou fans you’d understand….I was about to tread on scared ground here.

So of course I bought it and started scheming on how I should go about this. My dad’s cousins were coming to meet them to go out to dinner, so I stuck around until everyone was there. My plan was to have my dad get Liam ready to go home and hand him the jacket to put on him. It didn’t work out exactly as planned because they decided to leave while I was still feeding Liam, but it was still pretty funny. I simply asked my dad to hand me my purse because I wanted to show him something I got for Liam…I handed it over to him and in total dismay he actually uttered my full name for the first time since I was a kid…. I don’t think he thought it was funny….I thought it was hysterical. You might be thinking, "Where are the pictures of Liam in the jacket?"...I may be crazy, but I wasn't gonna risk it! 

Cost of jacket = $1.99, look on dad’s face = priceless.

2.11.09 - SNOW Day!!

Let it SNOW!!  We have about 4-6" of snow on the ground right now and it's not over yet.  It is so beautiful outside....I wish Liam were a bit older so he could remember this day...But, we did get some good pictures of our little bug all bundled up...(Thanks to my aunt and uncle in good ole NJ for Liam's adorable pea coat and hat!  Couldn't find anything like that in Texas...)

 

  

  

  

  

Liam continues to be doing really well on the new feeding tube.  He should be getting his button placed in about 3 weeks, beginning of March.  They decided to wait 6 weeks after surgery, instead of the 4 weeks they had originally told us.  We are up to feeding him just about 5 ounces, 6 times a day, which is right were he needs to be for his calorie intake.  

Everyday, Liam gets more and more active and responsive to everything around him.  He is a lot of fun and a really happy baby...we are SOO blessed!

2.2.10 - Follow up

Today Liam had his follow up appointment with the cardiologist to check and make sure things were rolling right along with the new tube and Liam was eating well.  Liam weighed in at just over 14 lbs. (they measure him in kilograms, and sometimes they forget to convert it for me, so I have to do it myself....not sure on the ounces) and is 2 feet tall already!  The cardiologist is still projecting at least another two months before the next surgery.  The tube is working out great and we are slowly trying to build up his calories and feedings.  Right now we do 6 feedings a day, every 3 hours from 5 am to 8 pm.   He is getting 130 ml (a little over 4 ounces) each feed right now, but we need to work up to 150 ml.  The more we can get him growing right now the better, so the larger he is for surgery.  He is growing up so fast....

Speaking of fast, the past week just whizzed by me...so much for my lofty goal of blogging twice per week.  Tomorrow we go visit a new pediatrician.  The pedi we go to right now does not specialize is Liam's type of condition, so it just wasn't the right fit for us.  Hopefully, this new pediatric group will be familiar with CHD's and will be better equipped to give us the guidance we are looking for. 

Other than these two appointments back to back this week, February looks pretty quiet on the schedule...thankfully.  We are still being paranoid parents and really do not take Liam out of the house unless it is to doctors appointments or for a visit to Mimi and Grandpas.  The flu/cold season is really rough this year, so we are trying to protect our little one as much as possible.  We did however, get to venture to church this past Sunday (leaving Liam with my parents).  It was so great to actually get out of the house and go somewhere besides work.  We so miss our church family and the "God fill up" we get when we go to church.  I have been struggling a lot lately with getting back on track spiritually becuase it looks so different now than it used to...No longer do I have hours a week to devote to a bible study or going to a women's group study.  I have fleeting minutes and moments during the day that I am offering up quick prayers and "Lord, help me" 's.  I am definately on a new path with God, and I really need to let him be the leader, because I'm just not figuring out which way I need to go...I desire and long to spend quality time with Him, but wondering where I am going to steal the time from...I know He is always there, no matter where I am though and I love Him for that. 

One last note, I bought Liam a "Nap Nanny", seen in the pictures below.  If you don't know what it is, you definately need to google it and tell your mommy friends.  It works like a charm and is definately a piece of baby furniture every mommy needs.  Love it!