August 6 PM: Sorry it's been so long for this update. Things could not
have been better. We're having so much fun with the little guy. He is
up to 11 lbs 14 oz now, and continues to eat well. He is still one of the
most interactive babies we have ever seen. He loves to look at people and
smile. He will smile now without you even saying anything. All he has to
do is see you look his way.
August 8th PM: This has been a different sort of day for me. I just got back from
donating blood for my son's next operation. It's a strange feeling knowing he will
be using a part of me for his recovery. Donna has the satisfaction of knowing he
is able to feed from her body, but now I have a different sort of contribution. I will
have to go back another time to give a couple more units. Unfortunately, our blood
types are not identical, so they will not be able to use all of my blood. They are going
to separate out the components that he will be able to use though.
He continues to do very well. His latest objective seems to be to turn himself over.
Apparently, he gets very frustrated when he cannot make it over, but he is getting close.
We've had to give him a little assist each time so far. We had our first "I can't believe
he is growing up so fast" episode. We now have purchased a case of size two diapers! He
is really not completely ready for them yet, but it's close enough. We also had our first
"I cannot believe how expensive this formula is" episode. Kids sure can cost a lot ;-)
Monday, we have our first consultation with the Cardiac Surgeon (Dr Mainwaring!!). It's
getting closer and closer to the big day. Eeek
August 14th PM: Two big appointments this week, the Cardiac Surgeon on Monday, and the
Cardiologist on Tuesday. Tyler was mostly an angel for both of them!! We were both stunned.
He did not do his usual screaming fit at the doctors office (well, except that one time ;-).
He has passed all tests, so it is still a 'go' for the Sept 3 operation date. We are
currently lining up all the family for blood donation. It looks like we will have enough...
It is surprising how much he may need. The Cardiac Surgeon gave us a 1-2% risk for this
operation for Tyler. That was about the best news we could have heard. He expects him
to stay in the hospital for about 6 days. After that, his Cardiologist said "You can take
him anywhere you would take any infant." That was also great news.
He continues to grow and prosper. He has come up with 3 or 4 regular 'words' he likes
to say. We have no idea what they mean, other that "I love mommy and daddy a bunch." We're
both pretty sure that is what he is saying ;-). He is up to 12 lbs 4 oz as of Tuesday.
It looks as though the dairy thing has solved his blood problem, great for him but still
a bummer for Donna. We did find out that In-and-Out-Burger is ok for her!!! This is a
good thing. He is starting to play more and more as well. He even likes to be tickled,
even though he has not really laughed yet. Since he is eating even more, he seems to sleep
longer and longer. Wed night, he let us sleep 6 hours straight! Like most parents, we
were a little afraid to walk into his room in the morning, afraid of what we might see.
He was just kicking back, sleeping peacefully. I wish we could sleep that well....
August 29th AM: Wow, I cannot believe it's been this long since my last entry. We're
having so much fun with him, it's hard to take the time out. I'll try to recap some of
the last few weeks highlights:
We've also been having him sleep in
his crib in his own room for a little while. We're able to sleep a little better ourselves.
We're also hoping this will help him during his next hospital stay. We will be able to
spend the nights there with him, but we will not be able to hold him for at least a few days.
Typically, he wakes up in a better mood than the rest of us in the morning. We will walk
in and see him smiling at his stuffed animals, as well as playing with his rattle. What a
great kid...