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.