Sunday, November 28, 2010

We are Thankful for...7 months!

We hope all of you had a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

We ventured over the river and through the snow to Grandmother's house (Annie's parents) on Thursday morning.  They had about a foot of snow at their house in Port Angeles, but the worst part of the drive was going into their driveway.  We made it with no problems and got right to cooking once we arrived.  This year was a smaller group and we only had 2 turkeys, instead of the usual 3.  Jacob joined us at the table, sitting in his new high chair and even tried some mashed potatoes.  He really did not like them and spit them out right away.  Annie's dad got him a new teething "toy" though--a silicone barrel stopper (aka bung).  Jacob did enjoy that and it must feel good on his new teeth coming in.

Jacob is 7 months old today!  He's doing so well after his surgery and now seems pretty much back to normal.  He's getting stronger and able to sit up with minimal support.  And he's just the happiest little guy we know.

We have so much to be thankful for this year!  Here are just a few...
  • Wonderful support from friends and family through prayer, provision of meals, babysitting, etc.
  • An amazing little boy who has come through two major surgeries with flying colors
  • A warm & dry house to live in
  • A good job that keeps Annie busy
  • A great church

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Home Sweet Home

Hooray!  We're home from the hospital after just 3 nights and 4 days.  We got the green light from the doctor this morning and were home by noon.  It's so nice to be in our own space, without the constant interruptions from beeping monitors and machines and well-meaning nurses. 

Jacob is looking great, especially after getting a nice bath this evening to clean up the mess of remaining hair.  He's getting his appetite back and smiling again.  He definitely prefers to be held instead of laying down on his own.  And a bit of tylenol manages what little pain and discomfort he has.  Matt and Annie feel better too after a good shower and are recovering from their colds as well.  Let's hope we all have an easy transition back into our home routine. 

We thank God for answering our prayers for a smooth surgery and fast recovery!  Thank you all for praying too!  Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Hospital day 2 (Friday, I think)

Being in the hospital has a way of sucking you into a time vacuum and you have no idea what day it really is.  Anyway, we are writing to you from Jacob's new room on the regular med/surg floor.  Yay! 

Matt stayed with Jacob overnight and both did pretty well.  This morning though, Jacob threw up a couple times and ended up getting put back on IV fluids.  A teeny set back.  But later in the day, he got his drain out from his head and one of his IV's taken out too.  All steps closer to getting him back home. 

Jacob is now sleeping peacefully and Matt and I are stretched out in a much more spacious room.  Not much of a view, but we'll take it!  Goals for the rest of the day are to get him eating a bit more and make sure his pain is well controlled.  Hopefully his doctor will take the dressings off tonight too.  He's got some really messy hair underneath his mesh cap.  So it would be nice to get him cleaned up some too. 

Annie went to her doctor this morning and came back with a prescription for antibiotics too.  So hopefully we'll all be on the road to healing here soon. 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Hospital day 1

Jacob's surgery finished about 1pm yesterday and they moved him into the ICU.  He looks way better than we expected!  (The swelling may still happen over the next couple of days).  There's a drain coming out of his head to collect the oozing blood and he's got a big net cap on.  Both sets of grandparents stayed with us through the afternoon and then said their goodnights. 

Mom and Dad left the hospital about 5:30pm, nearly 12 hours after we got here.  We literally got home and climbed into bed, skipping dinner or anything else.  Both of us have been fighting colds and really needed the sleep.

Back to the hospital this morning, this time with the sun up.  Jacob was starting to wake up when we got here, so was a little fussy.  Matt and I have both been able to hold him, as well as feed him, which makes for a happier family.  Just a few minutes ago, the nurse disconnected his IV fluids and pain medicine--one more step towards freedom!

Jacob will likely stay in the ICU through the day and overnight again, mainly because the regular floor is crowded (this is the same thing that happened in the NICU after he was born!).  But he is comfortable and in good hands.  We even got a couple of smiles from him today.  If all goes well, he could go home by Saturday!

Thank you again to all of you who are praying with us and thinking about us.  We can feel the love!  And thanks to those friends who are bringing food by too.  We love you!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Surgery Day



 This morning we got up at 5 to get Jacob to the hospital for his surgery.  He's wasn't too happy since he hadn't eaten anything since 1 in the morning so by 5 he was pretty hungry and wanted to eat.  We got to the hospital around 5:30 and they showed us to our surgery prep room.  Jacob was happy and had given up on being hungry by that point so it was nice to have some time with him.  Then they came in and tried 3 different times to get enough blood for a blood test and to set an IV.  He screamed through that and looked like a tomato, very angry and very hungry!!  Once that was all done it took a while to calm him down and then we waited...and waited...and waited.  They had to get the blood type and get some blood ordered (for a transfusion) before they would even let him in the OR.  When they finally had the type and the order in they decided that they needed to have the blood in hand before they would even start.  Finally a little before 9 they took him back to the OR.


Now we are in the surgery waiting room.  We just got an update from one of the OR nurses--the surgery is underway and going well so far.  She said Jacob didn't even cry when they got there; he was smiling and entertained by the silly OR staff.  Looks like surgery will be done sometime between 12 and 1.  Then to the ICU.  Both sets of grandparents are here waiting with us too.