Merry Christmas

I believe Jake enjoyed his first Christmas...not that he really understood it :) He still isn't too sure about unwrapping packages, but he does already enjoy getting new toys. His big present from "Santa" was a red Radio Flyer wagon. He actually sat in it for almost an hour playing with his other toys. After lunch we took him for a stroll around the neighborhood and I do think he enjoyed being able to see so well in it compared to his normal stroller. His favorite toys of the day were the $3 bath foam letters I put in his stocking. He wouldn't put those down all morning. I love that babies are so easy to please :) We definitely had a quiet Christmas this year and spent most of the day just enjoying Jake. Al and Jonesa came over for a late lunch and stayed to watch a movie with us. We enjoyed them coming over and sharing the day with us. I did miss my family since it was supposed to be our year to be in Oklahoma for Christmas, but I talked to them frequently over the phone on Christmas eve and Christmas day and enjoyed being there vicariously.

On the 26th Jake had his first follow-up appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Grenier, down at the Med. Center. Seeing her was really like seeing an old friend again. She is so positive and encouraging and is always Jake's biggest advocate. She thinks Jake is doing fantastic and was pleased with his progress. We have her pager number so if we need anything or Jake gets sick we can call her. We will see her again in two weeks for an echo cardiogram. She can still hear some regurgitation from Jake's valve which she expected, but she thinks with time and as the size of his heart decreases, the regurgitation will too. It will take about a year for his heart to get back down to a normal size. She reiterated how "huge" Jake's hole was and how glad she was we got the surgery done now. She noticed Ty was interested in the surgery report so she printed off a copy for him. Dr. Grenier is the doctor who prints off information in word form for me and in chart form for Ty because she realizes we learn differently. Jake is in good hands!

Jake is just a ball of energy this week and you would not know he had heart surgery a week and a half ago. He is more curious and active than ever and keeps us quite busy. Al noticed on Christmas day that Jake even seems to have more confidence now after his surgery. I know he just feels so much better...he can even drink a bottle without sweating now. He will definitely keep me busy these next few weeks...I'm sure we will be taking many walks with his wagon to get out of the house!

Off and Crawling

As you can see, Jake looks like a healthy baby! His energy level is definitely on the rise and he has been smiling, laughing, and babbling non-stop for the past two days. He knows his boundaries and if he does get sore from crawling, he will sit down and play with his toys on the floor. We have coffee table that has 6 baskets in the middle and the baskets are filled with Jake's toys. He'll crawl over and pull out a basket and play...Before surgery he would just dump the toys and crawl on so maybe his attention span will grow longer through all of this. In the first picture you can see him posed on his side...this is how he maneuvers from sitting to crawling as not to end up on his chest. What a smart kid! He is babbling much more than before surgery as well--maybe he's trying to tell us what those mean doctors did to him. He also has started shaking his head when he gets excited. It looks like he's telling us "no," but he does it when he's happy about something. I'm experimenting with adding video to the blog. I took a brief video of him shaking his head at his high chair tonight. It was just with my camera and does not have sound, but I wanted to see if it would work. Happy Christmas Eve everyone...

We're Home!

We are officially home from the hospital. Jake was checked out around noon today and by that time was actually standing in his crib looking quite pleased with himself. He obviously was ready to go home. He's done wonderfully this afternoon--already crawling a bit and climbing the stairs. He honestly amazes me! Ty is so proud of him and his strength and determination. The doctor said we are to let him set his own boundaries for recovery. If it hurts him, he won't do it. I'm just going to post a few pictures tonight and call it a day. Hopefully, Jake will go to bed early and sleep well in his own crib. It will be nice not to have nurses come in every two hours and for Ty and I to sleep in our bed instead of a small couch :) We just feel very thankful today...

The bear in the picture with Ty and Jake has a great history. This is the teddy bear Destin brought Ty after his heart surgery 11 years ago. Ty is now giving the bear to Jake. In the second picture Jake is smiling at his balloons and flowers Ty's work sent him. When they were delivered earlier in the week, Jake broke out into a huge smile. That was the first time he had really smiled since the surgery so we were thankful for those balloons!

Day Five

Day five was officially a success! Jake's fever broke in the middle of the night so consequently he decided it would be really fun to play in his crib from 1 a.m-3 a.m. I kept hearing this loud banging sound and found he was entertaining himself by banging the blood pressure cuff the nurse had attached to the bed against the crib...over and over and over...I must say under normal circumstances I would have been annoyed, but since we seemed to finally have our "Jakers" back, I thought it was adorable! His temperature stayed down all day today as well. Dr. Heinle came by this morning and said we are set to go home tomorrow (Saturday). He kept us today to monitor Jake's temperature and blood pressure which has been slightly high. He increased the doses of his two heart medications to control the blood pressure and keep any fluid from gathering in Jake's lungs. Dr. Heinle's P.A. will be by in the morning to discharge us...she came by today and is one of our favorite people here. She's checked on Jake daily and has such a sweet spirit. Mary (the P.A.) gave us detailed instructions for caring for Jake at home as well as her pager number if he starts to get sick at home. She did say he needs to stay in for the next six weeks except for doctor's check-ups...she said to avoid church, parties, malls, etc...which are very "germy" this time of year. His immune system has been compromised since he was on the heart/lung bypass machine so we have to be extra careful. She said we can only have a few visitors at a time and to keep kids away from Jake for awhile. So...I think Ty and I will be watching lots of movies at home, taking Jake for LOTS of walks in his new wagon, and reading all the books we've been meaning to catch up on. After Ty goes back to work in January, he can watch Jake some in the evenings so I can run errands and get out of the house a bit. I'll have to pray for patience for the next month and a half as I do have a hard time being still. Obviously this is another lesson God wants to teach me! We will just be so glad to have Jake "fixed" though...staying in for awhile is not a big deal.

Today Jake was in such a good mood and finally started really laughing again. Destin sat him in the window sill and he enjoyed laughing at his reflection for quite awhile! My parents had to go back this morning which was really sad. We have been so blessed with such wonderful support and care from all of our parents and of course Destin as well as our family from afar that continually calls to check in on Jake. Mom and Dad made it home to Oklahoma safely though and I know they'll be back before too long to check on Jake. They had plenty of time this week to bond with Jake.

We just took a few pictures today...

Here's Jake looking adoringly up at Poppy. Dad was such a great comic relief for us in the hospital and can really make Jake smile.

We took Jake for another wagon ride today, but you can tell he enjoyed it much more than yesterday's ride. He actually sat up and waved at people in the hallway. Ty and Destin entertained Jake for a long while with videos on You Tube of other babies...he smiled and giggled. Destin also got him to eat ice which it turns out he loves! We were worried about him not having enough to drink today so the ice helped. I think he just likes feeding himself...Mr. Independent already.

This should be my last post from the hospital. I hope to write tomorrow night from the comfort of our home :)

Day Four

Its Thursday evening and Jake is continuing to do better in many ways. He smiled today for the first time post-surgery and started babbling again. He also wanted to give us all sweet kisses continually. He's had some tummy aches due to the pain medication but his tummy is finally feeling better this evening. He seems to be tolerating the chest pain very well and has even flipped himself over in his crib. Jake is running a fever this evening and we're waiting on the doctor to come back by to decide the reason for the fever. They've talked about sending us home tomorrow but it will be dependent on if Jake can get rid of the fever. I won't write much tonight but here are some highlights of our day:

Last night we all took Jake in a wagon ride around the unit floor. I think he enjoyed seeing the sights and getting out a bit. Ty and I got him a wagon just like this for Christmas so it was fun to test it out.
This is how we spend our days...sitting around staring at our baby boy. Poppy is holding Jake in the picture and you can see the two grandmas eagerly awaiting their turn next.

Aunt Destin read to Jake this morning and this is when he started babbling and cooing. He wanted to kiss the pictures in the story and help narrate. We were so excited he was finally feeling better!
Jo Mama and Jake are giving each other a kiss in this picture. Jake has maintained his loving spirit even after his invasive surgery.

Here he is with Grammy this afternoon. He was fighting sleep so hard and eventually fell asleep sitting up. Its remarkable he's already sitting up so well!

Jake's very own room

Jake was moved to his own room just a little over 24 hours after surgery. He is indeed our miracle baby! Yesterday around 1:30 they removed the central line that was connected to his heart and just added an extra IV in his arm for medicine. After resting for a few hours, they had a room ready for us on the 15th floor and took us down around 5:00. Here is a picture of Jake with his nurse Kate who we really loved. She is Irish with a great accent and really liked Jake since he's a McCathran.

It was a relief in many ways to leave the CCU unit since we all could now stay with Jake and not be limited to two of us at a time with him. Also, his room has a bed for Ty and I to sleep in the room with Jake. We met many people in our short time on the CCU floor and came away realizing how blessed we are that our baby is doing so well so quickly. Jake was by far the most "well" baby in the CCU as all of the others seemed to have countless complications. One of the little girls two rooms down died while we were there. It was completely heartbreaking to watch her family and especially her mother go through the excruciating pain of losing their little girl. Pray for that family as they cope with such a difficult time. They only spoke Spanish and had a hard time communicating which made everything even more difficult. By the time we got Jake to his room last night we were overwhelmed, tired, but thankful for Jake's miraculous recovery. Jake was quite hungry and he was thankful for the pedialyte they gave him Tuesday evening. Here is he already holding his own bottle and then resting comfortably with a full stomach:

We were all exhausted Tuesday night and everything became quite funny. The hospital here has an in-house radio station where the kids can call in and request songs. A representative from the station came by to ask if we wanted to participate in a contest they were having. The kids could decorate holiday cutouts with glitter and stickers and the winners got prizes. Unfortunately we were the last room and they were out of Christmas trees to decorate so we got a menorah. Destin and I gladly decorated our construction paper menorah and even wrote Jake's name in glitter on it. We started laughing really hard as we posted it on the wall with stickers since we're definitely not Jewish. I'm pretty sure our nurse thought we were crazy. Nonetheless, Jake did win his first prize for our craft, a cute stuffed dog that we can record messages for Jake in. It was perfect comic relief.

After our craft party, Ty entertained himself with a very strange website he found where he could play a game which simulated open heart surgery. It was harder than it looked and Ty and I both struck out as heart surgeons. We should keep our day jobs, but in a strange way it helped us understand better Jake's surgery.

We slept fairly well last night in two hours increments with the nurse coming in to check on Jake. Jake did pretty well too except when he got mad and ripped out his oxygen tube. Early this morning a surgeon came by and took out Jake's chest tube. Its been a rough day for him since he's more alert and realizing that he is in pain. After the tube came out it was wonderful though because we got to hold Jake for the first time. The first time I held him he got pretty upset though which was hard. Its difficult to watch your baby cry when you can't help. The nurse today has been extremely helpful and has worked hard to keep Jake as comfortable as she can. Jake is doing really well, he just doesn't know why he's hurting. We've taken turns holding him this afternoon which he is starting to enjoy more and he actually just woke up and smiled for the first time. Ty got him to even play with his toy basketball. Our boy is a fighter and a trooper.

We're in room 1533 here at Texas Children's in the West Tower for those who have asked. Its a nice floor...we're planning to take Jake for a ride in a wagon this evening around the floor. Jonesa, Destin, and my parents have been here all day and have been a huge help. We're very thankful for family! We'll continue to keep this updated. Thanks for the continued prayers...they're definitely working :)

Successful Surgery!

So many emotions. Its hard to know where to start...we are just incredibly blessed. Jake came through surgery so well and is currently the star of the ICU. Every doctor, nurse, and therapist that came in last night reiterated how well he is doing and how pleased they are with his progress. I'll share some pictures and some of our journey yesterday.

We got to Texas Children's Monday morning at 5:45 to check Jake in for surgery. Here he is in his Spiderman pajamas having no idea what the day holds for him.

Ty and I were able to stay with him in a holding area until surgery. We met the anesthesiologist who was very friendly and reassuring. I had given Jake his OU pacifier because I figured he needed a little "Sooner magic" and the doctor asked me right away if Jake knew what the wishbone offense was yet. I knew he was a kindred spirit :) We also spoke with the surgeon, Dr. Heinle, who reassured us that Jake's surgery would go well and he was glad that we were going ahead with the surgery now. They gave Jake what they called a "baby margarita" which basically was Valium and that made his pretty loopy. You can see in this picture that he was in a funny mood...he was laughing but couldn't hold his head up.

The surgery got pushed back from 7:00 to 8:00 so we had extra time to spend with Jake. Right before they took him back, the anthesiologist came and asked if he could hold Jake for a second. After I handed Jake over for him to hold for a second, he told us to tell him goodbye for surgery. He definitely tricked me into letting him go which I realize made it much less emotional. The doctors and nurses here obviously understand how to deal with parents...Our wonderful family was here in the waiting room with us during the surgery. All six of our parents were here as well as Destin and three friends from church. The nurse updated us three times on Jake's progress and each time held good news. Dr. Heinle explained the hole was definitely very large, and he was able to patch it with a portion of Jake's pericardium. The right side of his heart was quite large as well so he was glad Jake went ahead and had surgery now. He repaired the mitral valve by stitching it together; he had to leave it a bit loose because his valve is small and so that he can grow into it. We were able to see Jake about 6 hours after we let him go that morning. We were overwhelmed with how great he looked. We knew he would have many lines and tubes in his small body and were prepared for that...his color was great right after surgery and he had little swelling. Here are a few pictures from when we first got to see him.

By Monday evening Jake began moving around in his bed. Once he really woke up and was alert, the doctor and respiratory therapist was able to take out his breathing tube. They came out telling us Jake had a great set of lungs and was strong...that was a nice way to say he threw a fit! Of course, anyone would throw a fit having a giant tube pulled out of his neck. Jake's nurses have been absolutely fabulous and kept him comfortable all night with doses of morphine. Several of us took shifts staying with Jake last night so we could each take naps. Here's Jake after the tube was out. You can see how he already looks so much better!

The next pictures are from this morning. Jake had his eyes open and posed for a picture with Dr. Heinle. They just now removed his central line from his heart and we are waiting to go back and see him. The plan is for him to be in his own room tonight...just a little over 24 hours after surgery. Jake is just recovering at a rapid rate and we know our good Lord is indeed the Great Physician. We will keep the blog updated through the week with more information.

The Weekend in Pictures

Thursday afternoon we were all going a bit stir crazy so Ty, Jonesa, and I took Jake to Market Street to enjoy the crisp, cool, sunny day we were having. Ty worked from home all week and had just finished up a big project. Jake has really started babbling lately...he will babble and then throw his hands up in the air and laugh like he's just told a hilarious joke. He's obviously told a good one to his Jo Mama in these pictures. We had coffee, Jamba Juice (my favorite...and Jake's too) and had a nice afternoon.

Friday evening Ty took Jake and I to eat at Chuy's for my birthday. This is my absolute favorite place to eat Mexican food which is my favorite type of food so I was really happy. They have the best creamy jalapeno dip in the world. Before going we snapped some pictures in front of the Christmas tree. I love our Christmas tree...I really wish we could leave it up year round, but then I guess it wouldn't be so special.

Saturday evening we went over to Robert and Lauren Hance's Christmas party. It was nice to visit with some friends and get our mind off the surgery for a bit. Obviously Jake had a great time too as you can see in the picture. He's with Clara and Leah here who were both wanting to take great care of "baby Jake."

Today we got a call from the surgeon's office that Jake's surgery will be tomorrow morning at 7:00. We will need to get him there by 6:15 to check in and then he'll be the first surgery of the day. We're waiting for my parents, Ty's dad and stepmom, and Destin to make it in this afternoon. Although I do have a knot in my stomach just thinking about tomorrow, I also have a peace that has washed over me. I know it is from all of the many, many people who are praying for our baby Jake. I can feel God calming me down as I know he's preparing the surgeon, surgery team, and everyone else that will work on Jake in the morning. Pray for Ty to feel better because he does have a cold he's been fighting. We'll be updating the blog all week with pictures and info. about the surgery.

Officially Neurotic

I've decided that I'm officially neurotic...I've also decided that I have the right to be since my son is having major heart surgery on Monday. Tuesday I noticed a slight rash on Jake's neck so I called the nurse on Wednesday. She thought it was probably more of his excema which to this point has just been on his legs and cheeks. Last night after he ate dinner, I noticed the bumps were all over his chest and stomach as well so I panicked. I first thought that this could prevent him from having surgery so that scared me. I researched online and looked at all sorts of disgusting pictures trying to match what I saw on Jake. I called my mom and discussed it with her for about an hour. Finally, this morning I took him into the doctor and they've concluded it is just his excema and nothing to worry about. Jake just has sensitive skin and its reacted to something. I've started letting him feed himself and last night I stripped him down and gave him bites of peaches. It could have been a reaction to the juice...who knows? All is well.

I know I've always been slightly neuortic, a little bit of a hypochondriac , and a tad OCD. Here's an example: In college my RA noticed I had several bruises on my legs. She noted that I should have that checked out because excessive bruising could be a symptom of lukemia so I started worrying. I was on the phone with my friend Jordan and he overheard our conversation. He thought that sounded serious and that I should visit the school nurse. The next day I was accompanied my six of my best friends to Harding's nurse's office where I informed the nurse I thought I had lukemia because I had some bruises. She nicely suggested I just had bruises and nothing was wrong. The poor woman probably thought I was crazy (bless my heart!). If you know me well, you know I am extremely clumsy and that would be why I had bruises. Looking back, its quite embarrasing that this stayed on my nurse's chart at Harding for four years. Every time I came in after that, they probably got a good laugh. I guess I've always had a flair for the dramatic. Who goes to the school nurse with 6 friends?

All this to say, I think I've handled Jake's heart problems well to this point. I've tried to stay calm and not constantly jump to conclusions. I've been level headed about his upcoming surgery to a point. But this week I'm at my breaking point! I'm ready to get all of this past us and worry about normal kid stuff. I did speak with the surgeon's nurse this morning and they don't want us to bring Jake in on Sunday to spend the night. We are just going to bring him in Monday morning for surgery. I have a number to call on Sunday to double check everything and to get a time to come on Monday. So we have 2 1/2 days to go....

The picture below was taken by Papa Al. It is a huge blessing for Jake to have a grandpa that owns his own photography buisness, Bluebonnet Photography. We used this picture for our Christmas card this year. I thought it nicely displays Jake's Texas roots :)

And we're waiting...

I knew today would be a day of waiting; I just expected to be in the hospital while doing so. Instead we're back home today waiting for next Monday for Jake's surgery. Yesterday we checked in the hospital at 7:30 in the morning and spent about 4 hours having tests done on Jake. He had an EKG, chest x-ray, a nose test, a blood test, and met many nurses, a nurse practitioner, and a PA who all said he was ready for surgery. About 11:30 the surgery nurse came in to let us know Jake would not be having surgery the next day. Apparently, there was a baby who was in need of a heart transplant and another baby who needed immediate surgery on Tuesday. In the second case, they had been waiting for weeks for an instrument needed to do the surgery and it came in on Monday. At first we were a bit heartbroken since we were emotionally prepared for the surgery to be on December 11th. But we soon realized there is a bigger reason why he was not to have surgery today. If we believe God is hearing all the many, many prayers offered on Jake's behalf, we also have to believe that He did not see fit for Jake to have surgery today. He knows why we must wait. We also are so thankful that Jake is not so critical that it was mandatory that he have surgery today. So the new plan is that he go in the hospital on Sunday and have surgery Monday morning. We have a number to call on Friday to verify this all and we will of course keep everyone posted if anything changes again. Monday is my 31st birthday. I was hoping to bring Jake home from the hospital that day, but instead we'll get him "fixed." We'll have double the reason to celebrate December 17th in the future! We are also so thankful for all of our family and friends and the support and prayers. We are blessed.

The pictures above are Jake at the hospital yesterday. The first is in his hospital gown and the second is him asleep with my dad. My parents had already come into Oklahoma for the surgery, but they went home this morning and will come back on Sunday.

The pictures below are of Jake at the Lanier Law Firm Christmas party we went to on Sunday. In the first picture Jake is with Clutch, the Rockets' mascot who was at the party. In the second picture, he and Ty are in the Luminarium. It is a huge blow-up sculpture that has really cool lighting. Apparently, there are only three of them in the world and they tour the country. This was my first year to go to the Lanier party and it was spectacular! I taught two of Mr. Lanier's daughters at Northland. They have a huge party every year at their home with a big band. This year's entertainment was Brooks and Dunn. The party has a petting zoo, many blow up moonwalks, a train ride, wonderful food, and many other activities. I got to see many of my former students which is always fun too. Jake enjoyed the lights in the luminarium and listening to Brooks and Dunn.