Back to Life

So, it's back to life as usual since we've gotten home and honestly, you wouldn't even be able to tell what an ordeal little man has been through! Everything has been great. The day after we got home, we were out walking bright and early with our friends and we are officially back to normal (except those dreaded doctors visits but that IS normal for us now!).

Okay, so I've decided after spending so much time reading everyone elses blogs (since that is what I did all day long being in the hospital...) that mine definitely needs a little fixing up. I'm not sure when I'll get around to doing it, but if anyone has any good suggestions for websites to pull things from, let me know! I'll never be a die hard blogger (it's just not in me) but I will definitely try to keep up. And I think that might be once or twice a month for me!

So for those of you that need some last mintue Christmas gift ideas, here are some that I just bought for friends (4 girlie ideas and 4 guy). I don't have to worry about them reading this because i don't even think they get on to check e-mail!

1. Tiffany earrings - they are round bulbs that are classic. they were $60
2. Knit scarf - from Lucky Brand. they have lots to choose from but this one was $48 and it was all cream color
3. Microderm - okay so I'm all about your skin these days (probably because i'm turning 30 and i'm freaking out), but i looove getting these (i've had 2) and it's only $65 if you buy more than one. Dee at High Style - tell her i sent you if you go! (i bought gift certificates)
4. Novaform Pillow - okay, i know it sounds strange but believe me, anyone will like this. It's one of those pillows from Costco for $30 that is double sided -one side is a foam top and the other is feather. i love to cozy up on the couch so i give a pillow, super soft blanket and those soft socks as a gift. And if it doesn't work for you're friends, it will always work for the grandmas :)

1. Larry the Cable Guy or Mitch Headberg - stand-up comedy. okay these guys are HILARIOUS and i don't know any guy who wouldn't like these. I think the DVDs are about $20.
2. Garage Gorilla Electric Hoist - this would be for someone that needs to clean-up their garage alittle. It attaches to the garage ceiling and keeps things like bikes off the ground for space. depending on size $100-$170 You can get it on Costco.com
3. Vintner Grill - gift card. i know guys love good food and this is good food. it's a good stocking stuffer
4. SEA Landing - anyone that dives or likes off-shore boat adventures. I got a day dive trip for $110 (perfect for the dad that has everything) check out http://www.sealanding.net/

Enjoy this crazy week of shopping!

Home Sweet Home

We're home! I cannot believe it - today was a whirlwind. We woke up, did a few tests, pulled out the rest of the IVs, and then were on our way! Mason has been put through so much in such a short amount of time, he was so ready to get out of there.

Once we left the hospital, we had a celebration lunch (awesome Cajun food), packed and then went straight to the airport. I'm beat. I was so sad because when I tried to put Mason to sleep, it was like he was terrified to have me leave him - he was disoriented or something. I feel terrible - I think he has just been messed with and hurt too many times in the past four days. Can you believe it - four and a half days after heart surgery and we're discharged! Crazy!

I'm so tired so we'll catch you later.......

these pics are leaving the hospital and eating out!

ouch!

So a rough but good day! They caused Mason a lot of pain today but all for the good - besides a few shots, he got his last chest tube out and his pacer wires removed. This means we're coming home soon!!! And we've had big brother here to distract us a little. Cole loved taking Mason around in the wagon and I loved that they were wearing each other out :) The RN said that we might be able to get out of here tomorrow late afternoon!? Wouldn't that be great - record time! I'll be anxious and cautious though until we are actually exiting the hospital - but that's just typical of me.

It was definitely busy around here with Cole and grandma and grandpa. But they just left so now we're ready for a good night sleep (yeah right!)... We'll let you know when we're heading home. We are so thankful for our speedy recovery!

Well we made it through the night in our new room! Well actually Justin and Mason did - I went to the hotel and got the first full night sleep I've had in I don't know how long! It was niiiice. And today things have been alittle rough for Mason. I think he got so excited yesterday that today he's worn out. And things are starting to get sore. I've tried talking the nurses into some of the heavy duty pain meds but the docs have got us limited to tylenol and motrin ... NOT good enough!

So Nana Nae came to the rescue this morning with new toys! That definitely got him happy again. And we snatched a wagon and went for a ride - that was fun for him to get out. Then by the time we got back to the room, he passed out. And he's still out.

So I'm just hanging out eating yet ANOTHER hamburger! Yuck. I can't wait to get out of the hospital mainly so I can get off my butt and start eating better - or at least when i'm eating bad, it's something that i can enjoy while i pack on the pounds!

Big brother, grandma and grandpa are flying in soon and Nana is leaving so we'll get back later...

Thanks for the love.

Clingy

Okay, so this afternoon Mason was alittle clingy (who wouldn't be after all this ordeal?) - and these are pictures right before he was ready to take a nap. He was doing good sitting up and was not wanting to stay in bed. But after his nap, he was a different kid! It's like he woke up and said; "okay, i'm done and ready to blow this joint!" the picture below is right after he woke up. He was like a girl in a pagent show- waving to everyone and smiling up a storm. He totally had the nurses hanging all over him. Look out Cole, you've got competition! The nurses were so excited to have a happy baby in the CVICU (cardiovascular intensive care unit) ... i guess that doesn't happen very often. And then they shipped us out! They took one look at him and since he looked so good, they moved us out of the CVICU into the peds unit upstairs. He is recovering in record speed :) (knock on wood!) And he has been so active since his last nap, we don't know what to do with him! He's wanting to crawl and stand up and I'm freaking out beause it hasn't even been 48 hours since his surgery!

Eggplant

Things are still looking very good. And after being crazy yesterday, coming off some of his meds and going HYSTERICAL for food, he finally is getting back to his normal chill self. He slept so good last night - giving his body time to relax and then was wide awake and ready to play this morning. He has been checking out all his nurses and doctors and can't quite figure out these IVs in his hand. Maybe if he looks at them just a few more hours....

We were able to get rid of a few more of those annoying lines. They took out his breathing tube, catheter and Gtube all yesterday. Then today, first went one of his chest tubes then two lines - one from his neck and the other from one of his hands. Boy, is he more comfy now! And food - whoooaaa was he happy about that. He got a tray brought in just for him since we all know he looooves to eat. Some of the guys last night nicknamed Mason "EGGPLANT." They were asking me if he eats table food and I told him about our last meal before surgery. Justin and I took Mason out for a nice Italian dinner and he ate all my eggplant parm! So much that we had to order another one just for me! He definitely has a taste for good food. ...I think he gets that from his papa. And now like his nurse says, we just wait some more. We want no surprises - and just to continue to heal with no problems. So I'm the sanitation nazi. I don't care if anyone rolls their eyes at me! I've even said to one of the nurses (ever so politely!)... are you guys supposed to change your gloves between beds??? (she went from her other patient to mason without switching.... you better believe i said something!)

Thank you to my college girlfriend, Kristin, for driving in and bringing us yummy homemade bread and a cozy blanket for Mason. And to the Aye's for bringing sweet little Orion to say hi and leave us with a bag full of treats and drinks - that homemade fudge is WAY too good! It's so nice to see familiar faces! And of course our sweet family for coming to sit with us and Mason - he loves the familiarity just as much as us. And as you all know, the prayers that everyone are saying for Mason. We'll keep saying how thankful we are because we think about it ALL the time!

So after a long night, things are looking good! Mason did very well during surgery and Dr. Hanley was able to enlarge his right artery. He also made a judgement call regarding Mason's valve and chose NOT to replace it in hopes that we will be able to put off another surgery for longer than if he had replaced it. So Mason will keep his valve and we will continue to watch it with his growth very carefully.

Now they are trying to keep him drugged up pretty good with not much success! Our little guy is fighting his way out of here! He freaks out when he starts waking up and has been trying to pull out his breathing tube and all the lines. His nurses are a little stressed and keep asking if they can move up his extubating time (taking out the breathing tube). Hopefully by noon we'll be working on it. He is such a sweet baby through it all. Even our nurse last night said "he must be pretty special" because the operating team made little hearts with his bandages and placed them over his incision and chest tubes. She said the operating team doesn't usually do that, it's usually the nurses, later. I personally think it was because I was sweet talking the anesthesiologist and buttering him up hoping he'd take special care of little Mason!

So the next few days are very important. We are so thankful for you and your prayers. I wish I could describe to everyone how we can FEEL your prayers. Thank you for remembering us and loving our family.

Justin's probably been in there holding Mason down this hole time so I should go relieve him.... Here are some pictures before surgery.

Family Update

I know, I know... it's been sooooo long since we've done anything to our blog but this time around, we'll make a better attempt at sticking with it! Thank you to Jennie for giving us a fresh look!

The past nine months have been so much fun getting to know Mason and watching him and Cole interact. We have been crazy busy with trips to Idaho with Grandma and Grandpa and to California with Nana and Grandpapa. Now we're back to Stanford for Mason to have another surgery. Thank you to all our friends that have been so supportive and have been praying for our family!!!! WE LOVE YOU ALL.

We will get some pictures up tonight - and keep everyone posted. Mason is scheduled to go in a couple hours but for those of you who have been through this with us, know that that could change very easily and at the last minute. So we'll let you know!

....okay, they took Mason back at 3:45p today so now we just sit and wait...

they said we should hear something between 6 and 10 hours from then (maybe between 10p and 2am).

Free At Last!

We were able to take our baby home! On Monday, February 26th the last little wire came off Mason and they discharged us from the hospital that night. Free at last! No more needles, IVs, monitors - just peace and quiet! Justin and I couldn't be more ready to have our little boy all to ourselves. And now we're home. This has been a life changing experience for our family and we are so thankful for what we have learned going through this. Although Mason will most likely need more surgeries in the future, we are ready to move on, enjoy our time together and fight those battles when they get here. We have truly been so fortunate to meet the most wonderful people along this journey and can't thank everyone enough for their love and support. And especially for the prayers - thank you.

Moving Along

Hi Everyone,

No news is good news. Mason has done great these last few days. Since we last posted the doctors have removed many of the IV and monitoring lines that were making him so uncomfortable. Now when we hold him he only has the oxygen going to his nose and one IV line which they are using to finish a course of antibiotics. Mom has been feeding Mason a couple of times a day and he has also taken well to the bottle. Our little guy is finally starting to gain some weight and is awake quite often during the day. He looks and acts so much like a normal baby now. They moved him from the CVICU to NICU on Wednesday and if everything continues to go well they will release him on Monday or Tuesday. This was just a quick update as soon as we know more we will let everyone know. We will try to post some more pictures tonight.

Love,

Lisa, Justin, Cole & Mason

A Breath of Fresh Air

Family before Surgery

Fresh Air

It's been awhile since we posted because the last couple days were rough. But things are looking good now. Mason's surgery went very smoothly from Dr. Hanley's perspective. The right pulmonary valve was extremely small so Dr. Hanley had to make an incision to enlarge it in addition to placing a patch. He also closed the VSD with a patch and so far his heart has been functioning well so we're hoping there was no nerve damage. The other main fix was his LPA (left pulmonary artery). The gap was larger than they would've hoped for so Dr. Hanley opted to use part of the ductus tissue along with homograph tissue to connect the LPA to the main PA instead of using a synthetic material. The hope is that the ductus tissue will not constrict and will grow with Mason. We'll have to watch it very closely and pray that he will not need another surgery in the near future.

The breath of fresh air came today, two days after surgery. They removed Mason's breathing tube without complications and we were able to feed him a small amount of liquid from a bottle! This is a huge milestone and we are soooo excited! Mason looks and acts like a different baby already. We are taking everyday slow and with no expectations. We can feel the love and prayers from everyone and know that they have been helping our little Mason through this journey. We will continue to pray for his smooth recovery and safe return home. With love, Lisa & Justin (Cole and Mason too!)

Early Morning Wake Up Call

Instead of getting bumped as everyone had prepared us for our little guy got moved up on the schedule. So we rushed to the hospital early this morning just in time to give him a big kiss and lots of love. Sending him off was really hard but we are so excited to finally be at this moment. The surgery may take up to 7 hours so once again we find ourselves anxiously waiting. Thanks to everyone out there for your prayers, support and words of encouragement.

Patiently Waiting

Our little guy is doing great as he waits for his day. Friday is still the scheduled date for his surgery and we are very happy that he is doing well, but anxious because they tell us we could easily be bumped. They say the surgery could last up to 7 hours so Friday is going to be a long day to say the least. We are so happy we are at Stanford as we have already met families that have been helped by these surgeons who perform miracles on a daily basis. We continue to pray that Mason will be one of those miracles. Take a good look at me now because after surgery you may not be able to see me through all of the tubes and equipment.

Getting Stronger for Surgery

Surgery is inevitable so we are trying to get Mason stronger every day while we wait. Today he made big improvements. We got to see his eyes for the first time in four days as he decided to take a peek at the world around him. He must have not been to impressed because they didn't stay open for long. Mason also ate some of mom's magic juice today. Since we are waiting for a few days for the surgery his doctors thought it would be good for him to try eating on his own for the first time. Nobody new what to expect but it appears he has the makings of a strong appetite. We were able to hold him while he ate about 5 ml (20 ml = 1 ounce) but he was very happy to eat, all of which took about 5 seconds for him to finish off. We still don't have a firm date on the surgery but hope that it will happen by the end of the week. Until then thanks for your prayers we'll take all that we can get.

Love,

Mason's Mom & Dad

More Pics!

Mason is stable and doing well. He is still groggy but no longer completely out of it. This morning he made some faces, baby noises and is moving a little. Our little boy rarely cries, hopfully saving all his energy for more important days.

The picture with the breathing tube in his mouth was taken yesterday morning the other two pics were taken early this morning.

Pics

My Diagnosis

Our little Mason has been sleeping for the past day so hopefully those drugs will wear off soon! They had to intubate and transport him for his CT scan so that was alittle scary for us. He did good during the scan and had a few problems coming off his breathing machine but finally pulled through :) The results from his CT scan are pretty much what they've been telling us with a few additions. He has tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary stenosis and a discontinuous left pulmonary branch. The good news is that there are no collaterals and the medication they've got him on are keeping his oxygen levels good! He's been a real trooper and we're very proud of him.

We don't have a date for his surgery yet but it will likely be next week - at least we're hoping! The sooner we can get him healthy the better!

That was the easy part!

Finally! I was born early this morning at 12:40 AM weighing in at 7 lbs 3 ounces and measuring 20 inches. I cried at first but haven't made much of a peep since. I'd rather be sleeping then have all these people around me. Oh by the way you can stop calling me little baby Manning my name is Mason. See you soon.

I'm still waiting patiently while the doctors on the outside figure out how to get my mom to let me out. The drugs are working very slowly but there is some sign of progress. They think maybe I'll come late tonight or early tomorrow morning. See you soon!

Day before my birth Day.

Ready or not here I come! My mom is being induced on Monday night, so if I time this right I'll show up just in time for all the doctors to be there waiting for me.