We have been moved up!

Today, we were moved out of the PICU and up to the patient rooms on the 6th floor! This is the final resting spot before going home! Gabe is no longer on any lines. The pic line was removed this morning. He still has the IV port in his scalp, in case they need it. They checked the vein and it is still good, although possibly not for long. Of course, he still has his saturation and blood pressure monitor as well as his leads measuring his heart rate but none of those are invasive.

We did get some bad news today. We had thought that since he had eaten well yesterday, that he would have no problem gaining weight. Weight is a big issue with heart babies. It is important that they consume so many calories daily. Well, Gabe decided that he would not eat well today. He would latch onto the bottle for a few swallows but then make faces and quit eating. Because of this they put in a feeding tube tonight. Hopefully, temporarily. To me, it looks as if his throat is sore from the ventilator and it hurts to swallow. We hope that this will change before going home. They taught me how to insert the tube through his nose, but it still makes me very nervous. I really am hoping that this will not be something I need to worry about once we go home. Regardless of this, he now has a full belly and is sleeping peacefully in his crib right beside me. He is such a sweet little angel.

Gabe's Busy Day

My little guy is exhausted! He is sleeping so soundly. Let me tell you about his busy day! We were moved to another pod this morning. There was another more critical baby moved in that needed immediate surgery. Gabe is doing so well that they put him in a less critical area where he shares a nurse with another baby. (He had his own nurse all to himself earlier). Right after they moved him, they extubated him. Yes- you heard right, extubated!! As in "removed his breathing tube!!" I thought that was a rather large victory, but oh no...Gabe didn't. He couldn't just stop there. He improved so much that he even got his chest tube, central line and an IV out of his shoulder. So all that is tied to him is his blood pressure monitor and his pic line. (They did keep an IV port in his scalp, in case they needed it. Oh- but he didn't stop there! He also, proceeded to try some pedialyte to see if he could keep it down. And he did! So a couple of hours later, he got an ounce of milk in a bottle. He did fantastic with that and followed up the rest of the night with more feedings. He really is such a strong little boy. Thank you for your prayers, everyone! Keep 'em coming! And while we are all praying...please take a minute to pray for all of the sick children in the PICU. They are all in similar if not worse situations as Gabe. They need all the prayers they can get. Lets pray that they all get to go home and be with their families soon enough.

Below are some pictures of the little guy and some of his victories.

He's settled and stable!

My little munchkin was placed in his pod this afternoon at the PICU. He is very stable and very swollen. He didn't seem so bad initially, but as the evening progresses his little face and body gets fuller and fuller. They say it is only temporary. It is the body's reaction to what it's been through. He is doing incredibly well. (Told ya he was tough!) His vitals are fantastic and they are slowly weaning him from his breathing tube. There is minimal drainage from his chest tube and if it continues this way, then he may be rid of that soon enough as well. That is the worst- the chest tube. I can barely stand to look at it. It looks so uncomfortable.

Of course all of this fantastic news can always change in the blink of an eye so please continue to keep Gabe in your prayers. He is such a cutie!

Out of Surgery and in Recovery

Dr. Christian just came out. Gabe is doing great. He is stable and in recovery. He did really well. "No big surprises" (no little surprises, either- I asked). She said that he may have his ventilator removed tonight or tomorrow. We are now waiting for him to be moved to the PICU so that we can see him. It may be a while. The pod they had for him was given to another child that was critical. I will give you another update later. THANK YOU for your thoughts and PRAYERS. They were answered. Now lets pray for a good recovery and that he will be home soon!

First Update

The nurse just called. Gabe is stable and doing well. They had a problem getting his arterial lines in but everything is well now. They are in and Dr. Christian has completed the incision and is currently working on him. Keep him in your prayers.

Day of Surgery

Here we are in the waiting room waiting for our first update from the surgeon. After a futile attempt at sleep last night, Jeff and I were in Gabe's pod at 6 am this morning. They were running behind so they actually did not come for him until 8 am. We met with the anesthesiologists and they returned soon after to take him back. They allowed Jeff and I to walk with him up to the OR entry. They said we should get an update within an hour. So here we are...waiting.

Please, please if your reading this blog- pray for our little boy. He is so tiny and seems so fragile but yet he is the strongest person I have ever had the great fortune of loving. I would trade places with him in a heartbeat, but can't. Pray that the Lord guides him through all of this safely and that his guardian angel is right there holding his tiny hand.

I will post as soon as we hear from them.

Update for Tomorrow's Surgery

We were notified this afternoon that Gabe's surgery has been bumped up to 7 am. So he will now go first. Please, please pray for our little baby. We are terrified and nervous but ready to get on with it. I will keep the blog updated as they notify me during the surgery.

Here are some pictures I wanted to share

A close up. He sleeps with his mouth open like his sister!

Here is Jessie's gift from Gabe.. A KIT-TAR!!!

Jessie and her Big Sister shirt.

My little guy with his eyes open!

Update for yesterday and early today

Well yesterday started out pretty uneventful. Gabe had managed to stay stable for most all of the day. He is so sweet. When he gets upset, his little brow puckers and he looks like he could tear up something (wonder who he gets that from??) But he just tosses his head around and turns red. He cannot cry because of the breathing tube, so it looks so pitiful. I will really welcome the sound of his cry when I get to hear it again.

Jeff and I were able to hold him for several hours yesterday. The nurses are great here. They want to give us as many chances to hold him as possible before surgery. Jeff was really excited. He hasn't held him since the brief minutes after his birth. Here is a picture of the boys together.

His surgery is tentatively confirmed for tomorrow. He is a case 2, which means there is one surgery ahead of him, then he will go in. Of course, this is all subject to change, based on the status of the other heart babies awaiting surgery. We met the surgeon. Her name is Dr. Karla Christian. I have heard good things about her. I hope they are all true since my babies heart will be in her hands tomorrow. She explained the procedure. They will be placing the Blalock Taussig shunt via an incision into his right lower back. This means no open heart and no bypass machine!

We signed the consent forms, which was really hard to do. I think that may have been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I didn't want to upset Jeff but I think he saw through me. It's done, and I can't look back. He needs this surgery and we have no choice. But I know that the Lord will be with him every step of the way.

Last night was a little more eventful- to say the least. There was a funnel cloud over the Vanderbilt campus. The nurses all rushed to cover the incubators in the pods and put blankets over them. It was a little unnerving. Then right in the middle of the chaos, Gabe decided to have his oxygen sats drop. He was very fidgety and his color began to change. I started to panic! The alarms were going off and of course, the nurse was trying to protect babies from the impending tornado. She came to his rescue quickly and basically gave him a gas treatment and then suctioned his breathing tube out. He settled down and got his color back. His levels have been where they need to be ever since! This was so terrifying. It is a reminder of how vulnerable he is and how quickly things can change.

This morning all seems well with my little guy. Just counting down the day until surgery. Every minute I get more and more nervous. The staff here is fantastic. His nurses are wonderful. They are trying to get us a sleep room for tonight. There are rooms here with little twin beds for families that have critically ill children and live far away. Although Gabe is sick enough, our proximity to Nashville has not allowed us to have access to one of these rooms.

That just about covers it for now. I will post more information as we know it tonight and tomorrow during the surgery. Thanks again to everyone for your support and prayers. We would not be as strong if not for you and the Lord!

The highlight of my weekend

Gabe was so stable throughout the day yesterday that they let me bathe him and hold him!!!!!! It was so amazing and wonderful to actually be a mommy to my little boy!! Jeff got to change a pee-pee diaper! He was so good at it, that I think he should be on permanent diaper duty!


They did adjust his ventilator again yesterday. It seems he was doing so well breathing on his own that it would require that they extubate him. Ordinarily this would be awesome, but since he is still on the Alprostadil to keep his valve open, he will still have moments of apnea. We don't want another "thursday night" so they have changed the ventilator to do most of the breathing for him. Hopefully he will be well enough after surgery on Wednesday to breathe on his own. We'll see... in the meantime here are more pictures of the little guy. I will update on today's events later on this evening or tomorrow morning.

Well we are learning a lot about the world of the NICU. Everyday we learn a new word or a new term used. It's very insightful, although I would rather be completely ignorant and be sitting here in the hospital room with Gabe waiting for our discharge!

As of yesterday, Gabe was doing well for the most part. He is having trouble with mucus buildup in his chest from the breathing tube. This is causing a slowdown in his respiration. They suctioned him very often. They also said that they were planning on doing a heart catheterization on Monday to get a closer look on how his heart and blood flow operates. Basically to get a clearer picture on the game plan for surgery, which they are planning for Wednesday. Of course the surgery date is not set in stone. It may get pushed back or pushed up depending on how he does or others with greater or more serious needs. They have been keeping a close eye on his lactate acid levels. Apparently, this is something they monitor because a high level alerts that there is something wrong within his bodily function. They were high Thursday night but with careful monitoring and gas treatments, they can get it under control. Normal range is between 1 and 2. His oxygen saturations have been excellent in the normal range. A chest and head xray found an air poket in one of his lungs but it cleared itself on its own. And lastly, they found a small bruise between his skull and brain but they are not concerned. They say this comes with over-monitoring. It is fairly common in newborns but typical healthy newborns are not xrayed so it goes undetected. If it were a larger bleed or bruise it would be cause for alarm but that isn't the case. I should also mention that Gabe was baptised yesterday. This is a huge relief for Jeff and I. We appreciate Father Mark having come down to perform this and also do a quick annointment for the sick. We will celebrate his baptism in a good spanish tradition when he is home!

Todays update is a little different: Although, he is still having problems with mucus build up, they are suctioning him regularly. They have lowered the amount of help he gets from the tube and he is basically breathing on his own. The tube only kicks in when he forgets to breathe every once in a while. This is to wean him from the tube and get him accustomed to breathing on his own. he seems to be doing very well with that. They are going to keep the tube in however since he will need it for surgery on Wednesday. They have cancelled his catheterization, which is fantastic news. The cardiologists think that there is no need for it and that they have a game plan for surgery. His lactate levels are down to 1.4 which is great news. They are going down so they are only giving him gas treatments every 8 hours now. They are using a pic line now and have taken one of his IV's out. Basically, as of this morning, he is doing fantastic. That is the little fighter in him. He's been a fighter since the beginning!

We appreciate everyone's phone calls and texts. We are very grateful for your support and prayers. Your support means the world to us. A lot of people have asked about visitation. The thing is, that he is in such a vulnerable situation right now, that Jeff and I feel that we should keep visitation to a minimum from immediate family only. There are a lot a sick babies in the NICU and a constant flow of traffic through there interferes with the caregivers and their jobs. Also, they are all so vulnerable to germs and sickness. It would just be simpler to stay updated through this blog. We will post as many pictures as possible and we promise that you will get to meet Gabe as soon as this is all past and the Dr's allow it. I will post more updates later!

First Night

Isn't my boy handsome????? He reminds me in some ways of his big sister yet they look so different! Yesterday was such a long day. Jeff and I finally fell asleep at 9 last night. It was very busy and neither of us had slept well the night before since I went into labor at 1:00 that morning. We aren't completely well-rested and probably won't be until Gabe is home with us. I was up at 4 this morning anxious to head to the NICU and visit my little buddy.

His night went well. There was no change in his stats. They stayed along the same lines as yesterday. It is so hard to see him with that horrible breathing tube. It breaks my heart. We came back to our room to eat breakfast and are about to head back to the NICU. His Dr's are making their rounds and we want to try to catch them to get an update. I will post more when we have spoken to them. In the meantime, here is a picture of my boys that I took this morning. What lookers, huh????

The big guy is finally here! He was born at 10:09 weighing 7lbs 11oz. He has already made the trip to the Childrens Hospital but we did get to hold him for a little while. We will not be able to go see him for about an hour. He has to see the cardiologist before we can go see him. Everything looks good right now but we won't know anything else until the doctors have seen him and done all their tests. Please keep Gabe in your prayers. Thanks for all the calls and texts.

Sandra is now at 8. Shouldn't be to much longer!

Today is the day

Sandra woke up this morning about 1 with contractions so the doctor told us to go the hospital. She is currently at 5 and doing well since she got her medicine. Stay tuned for more info as the day progresses.

OK- I'm horrible!!
I know that I have not written as promised. Let me begin by apologizing. It's been a very busy last couple of months. I love summer, its my favorite time of year, but it sure does keep you on the go!

Let me update you on what has been going on. As I mentioned in my last entry, I have been going to the Dr for bio-physical profiles and non-stress testing twice a week. (Sometimes three times a week- with my maternal fetal apts from Vanderbilt thrown into the mix). Besides a hiccup a couple of weeks ago, Gabe has passed these tests with flying colors!! He is showing no signs of fetal distress or heart failure. There is no fluid build up and he is practicing his breathing. And boy is he growing!! They approximate his weight to currently be around 7 lbs and 12 oz. Of course, this could be off by a pound since it is an approximation based on how he is measuring in his bio-physical profiles (an ultrasound, where they measure everything and look closely over his organs and movement.) His Doctors are happy with his size. They say that it is common for heart babies to not be very big. (These kids must not have daddies with "Moose" for a nickname!) So the fact that he is gaining well is fantastic! This will be a huge benefit going into his first surgery! Let's just pray that he continues to gain this well outside of the womb! The hiccup I mentioned earlier was a little arrhythmia. They noticed an extra little beat in his heart rhythm. That was an eventful day! At first the Dr's seemed a little worried. But upon further inspection, my Ob and Gabe's Cardiologist, where not overly-concerned. Dr. Brown, my OB, thinks that this comes with being monitored too closely. He has seen other situations in completely healthy babies where there was an irregular beat this late in pregnancy. It usually corrects itself. The cardiologist, thought that it may also be due to some preterm contractions that I had been having. Anyway, they told me to stay off the caffeine (which I have) and the following week the arrhythmia was gone. Guess they were right!

In June my girlfriends threw us a baby shower. (I should also mention that one of my gf's is my sister-in -law, who is amazing!) It was so much fun! It was wonderful! We ate good food, the kids swam, and had excellent company. It was a fun evening at the Big Kahuna. Thank you all so, so much! Everyone has been so supportive. Jeff and I realize how lucky we really are!! You guys are a huge part in how we have managed to get through the past months so smoothly.

Which now leads me to where we are now. Today I am 38 weeks. At my apt yesterday, everything went well, during the non-stress test but they did notice that i was having contractions about 8 minutes apart. I felt them, but they aren't crazy-crazy painful, so I thought they were simply braxton-hicks. I am dilated at 2 and possibly almost-30 % effaced. Basically, from what he could tell, he was concerned that I would go into labor this weekend. The concern is because he is not on call so he would not be delivering Gabe if this were to happen. He told me to rest and not do anything physical. He said swimming would be wonderful, because it would relieve the pressure on my cervix. So, I guess, we'll spend the weekend at the Big K! I did meet the Ob on call. She seems very nice, but obviously, I would prefer that Dr. Brown be around for the delivery. Therefore, I will do exactly as he said! If I make it past this week, my induction date will be the 27th. So basically, everything is set! We are just waiting....excited to meet our son, yet terrified of what he has to go through upon his arrival. It's a good thing we have God in our corner!

Whenever Gabe does decide to make his arrival, please know that we will keep this blog updated and keep everyone informed on what is going on. This labor and delivery will be very different from Jessie's. Although, everyone means well, we ask that you all stay home and keep us in your prayers. It will most likely be very emotional for Jeff and I and it would be easier to keep visitors at a very minimum. Gabe will not be accessible to anyone in the NICU other than us, and our focus will be to be with him. I am planning on spending minimal time in my own room! We will post pictures for everyone to see and when he is home and released to go out in public you guys will all get to meet him!

Again, thank you for your prayers, love and support. Please continue to pray for a miracle!!!