It's a GIRL!!

Baby Girl Jones will show up sometime in early September! We're all super excited to meet her!! When we showed Allie the ultrasound picture she said "look at the cute little baby!" Lindsay is doing great! She's worked her way through--hopefully--the toughest part. We'll keep you all up to date.

Swimming

Allie was determined to wear her swimsuit and go swimming today, the first day of spring.....even though it has been snowing all day!



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Check-Up

Conner returned to Children's Hospital today for his first check-up since being discharged.  His cardiologist called a few times to check in, but today was the first time to see her.  He had a chest x-ray, EKG, and then  we met with her, and she removed his stitches (or, "spiders" as Allie called them).  Conner is amazing!  His blood pressures look great!  His oxygen saturation looks great! His incision is healing nicely!  His x-ray showed that most of the fluid is now gone, which is great - but she did explain that the lower portion of his left lung and diaphragm appear to have suffered one of the complications we were told about.  The nerve to the diaphragm is very close to the aorta, and damage to the nerve can cause the diaphragm to not function properly.  If it is severe enough, surgery can be done to help resolve the problem, but as of right now, Conner seems fine and we will just monitor it.  The three scenarios we discussed were, first - that the nerve will heal itself over time and restore full lung/diaphragm function, OR second - Conner will be fine and never notice the slightly diminished lung capacity, which is where he is right now, OR third - Conner could develop shortness of breath during physical activity, and need surgery to fix the problem.  Given the many unknowns and risks of the major surgery Conner had, and the fact that as of right now Conner is breathing fine, and recovering amazingly fast, we are very grateful.

We're Home!!

We are home!

A whole week earlier than expected.

Which brings both excitement and anxiety...

We are so excited to be home, because as several doctors and friends have told us, the healing process happens a lot faster at home than in a hospital.  It was so great to eat dinner as a family, and put the kids to bed.  Although Conner still has a long road ahead of him, I am AMAZED at the progress he has made in such a short time.  When putting his pj's on tonight, he wanted to show Allie and Cayden his incision - so he did.  They both looked very concerned, and I know they are very proud of their brother, as we all are.

We are also a little anxious to have the responsibilities that have been done for the last week by very skilled and caring nurses and doctors.  Will we remember his medication?  Will we hear him at night if he needs help to get up?  Will we be able to keep Allie and Cayden from being too rough with him?  I know we will be okay, and I am SOO happy to be home, but I cannot deny that I am also a little anxious about this next step.

Conner was so excited, and wanted to pack his things from the moment he woke up this morning.  When we finally began to pack after his morning tests (which he was so brave for!) he sat and looked at the giant bunch of balloons tied to his bed.  He then asked, "Mom, do you think I should give my balloons to some of my friends who have to stay at the hospital?"  I almost cried!  This kid is such a wonderful example to us.  I told him how proud we are of him, and then suggested that he pick his favorites, and give the rest away.  He was so excited to give balloons to friends he met while there, and said, "I hope you get better so you can go home too."

Here we are leaving the hospital. 

No News is Good News

Sorry for not posting anything on Sunday.  It was a great day!  Conner had lots of visitors which brought LOTS of smiles, treats, toys, and even more questions about what has been going on outside his hospital room.  He took several walks, had another x-ray, and even had a sponge bath to try and remove the adhesive all over his arms & legs.  It was hinted that Conner may be able to go home in the next few days.  We had been told to expect about 2 weeks in the hospital, and we are just at one week tomorrow.  Crazy!  Kids are amazing.

This morning Conner had another x-ray, and while there is still a little fluid build up around the lungs, they are not too worried, and say that this could take a few weeks to get back to normal - and will do so once Conner is more active, taking bigger breaths, and coughing better.  He also had an echocardiogram.  Conner is one tough kid!  An echo is an ultrasound of the heart, which means that the tech is moving the ultrasound wand all over his chest right over his incision...and he sat very still and just let her do the exam.  I was amazed at Conner.  I am pretty sure that I would not have been such a good patient under the circumstances.  (I am sure it helped that Curious George was on TV....but still.)  The Echo showed great heart function, and most importantly great blood flow to his lower body.  Conner now has very strong pulses in his feet, which was not the case prior to surgery.

We have one more test to do on Tuesday morning, and then they may start the discharge process.  The test tomorrow morning is a study on his kidneys, which isn't something that will keep us here, but could mean more down the road.  We will keep you posted.

Conner spent the afternoon in the playroom, taking walks, watching cartoons, and getting to know some of his neighbors.  One of his neighbors is celebrating a birthday today and sharing cupcakes with everyone!

Two Less Tubes

The biggest tubes are now gone!  Conner just had his two chest drain tubes removed.  They just gave little versed (so he would relax and lay on the table, and hopefully not remember the experience) and morphine (for the pain) and yanked.  Really.  His surgeon came in during the procedure, and kept instructing the nurse practitioners to pull it out FAST.  I have since been told that the speed is needed to keep air from getting in- very important!  Keir and I were in the room, and also got to see his incision for the first time.  Wow.  What an amazing brave kid!  And, what amazing doctors we have.  I cannot believe the things surgeons are able to do.  Not to mention how FAST Conner is recovering.  Simply Amazing!

Conner is now resting in bed, and we expect him to take a good nap given the extra meds and stress of the procedure.

Move'n

Conner has been doing so awesome today...even with his shallow breathing...that the doctors said that he is clear to move out of the Cardiac ICU and over to the Cardiac Floor--a whole 1 to 2 days earlier than expected!! The Cardiac Floor has a playroom and a huge fridge full of popsicles! We're sad to be leaving a group of great nurses. But so proud of Conner for all of the hard work he is putting forth to get better! If all goes as planned, Conner will be eating lunch in his new room!

Oh and Conner is very excited about two very important visitors that are on their way over to see him...Cayden and Allie!