Hanging in there

We are still hanging in there. The last few days have been more of a waiting period. The swelling on the outside of his body has come down to almost normal. But there is still fluids on his lungs, which has been a problem from the beginning. The surgeon wants to wait for the fluids to clear up before he puts the other shunt in. He's thinking later in the week or the first of the next week. If he cannot make it that long and they have to do it sooner, the surgery will be riskier. I am asking prayer now for the fluids to clear up so that there will not be a problem with putting the shunt in by going in his side. If they do it sooner they might have to go through his chest again. I will have to be honest here, we have been so blessed through our lives, this is probably the most trying time any one of us have been through.

My grandson is so special to me already. He was two weeks old on Thursday. My daughter is so ready to be a mother. My heart aches for her. She longs to hold him again, but until after the next surgery, that will not be possible. So she touches him and talks to him whenever she can. He knows our voices, and when he is not medicated he moves and tries to open his eyes. My prayer is that the fluids decrease, and they do the surgery through his side to put the shunt in. I ask for all your prayers for this also. Please pass this along to anyone you know that will pray. Through God all things are possible. Thank you, Debbie

Update on surgery

Sorry its been a while since I've been able to post. I'm still at UAB. Nathan had his surgery on Tuesday. The surgeon said that his surgery was successful in a lot of ways. The shunt that they put in is not doing what its suppose to do. He is swollen right now from everything that he has been through. They are taking a day or two to drain the fluids, then check the shunt again, its not getting enough oxygen through his blood, if it still is not working, they will put another shunt in. These have been some very trying days. I'm trying to stay composed for my daughter, but it hurts to see her hurting and to see my grandson like that. Don't get me wrong, my daughter is a trooper and is holding up very well, I am so proud of her and Neil. I ask that you continue praying for Nathan, and that we can continue to be strong too. He is a fighter, and he keeps everyone on their toes. I'll update again as soon as I can. Thank you all so much. Debbie

~A little Tour~

Hey everyone. Today has been a pretty good day for me. Nathan is doing wonderful while waiting on his surgery. They took him off the ventilator yesterday. He loves laying on his stomach now. I'll be going back to UAB on Monday so I will get more pictures of him. His surgery is still scheduled for Tuesday morning. I am so thankful for all the prayers, please continue to keep him in your prayers. If there is no major setbacks, he could be home in 5-10 days after the surgery. Heres a few pics of his room he'll be coming home to.

Here's his bed.....



And here's where he'll lay his little head.....


Here's his changing table and dresser......notice all the diapers...there's still more in the closet.



Me and my daughter painted the letters of his name....that lets you know whose little head will be laying in this bed....lol


This was my daughters rocking chair when she was 1...this is 26 years old, my youngest, Lauren, painted it to match his room.


This bookcase was made by my dear husband and Lauren....it was made out of old wooden doors.


And I think this says it all.........I can't wait till he gets home.



Well, just a little tour of my sweet grandson's room. I hope you enjoyed seeing it as much as we enjoyed doing it. Debbie

Another Update

We have a change of plans again. They have postponed Nathan's surgery till Tuesday. He has a slight infection from having fluids on his lungs. Another small setback, but his vitals, numbers and anything else they are watching look good. Thats a praise. Just pray that this infection goes away so he can have his surgery. This has been such a hard day knowing he was having open heart surgery tomorrow and now its not happening. I just had to stop and say "God in your time." I just had a peace about it and felt much better. There are lots of emotions I've been feeling, but that sums it up a lot. Thank ya'll so much for your prayers and concerns and please continue keeping us in your prayers. Debbie

Update on Surgery

The doctors have Nathan's surgery set up for 7:30 in the morning. They expect it to take about 2 1/2 hours and they give him a 95% chance of survival of the surgery. I will take that. I will go up early in the morning for the surgery and will be there till I know he will be fine. I will try to update from there with my daughters laptop. Please pray specifically in the morning that the surgeons will have the steady hand to operate on my grandson. I don't know how I would make it without God right here with me and my family.

The surgery will consist of them putting a shunt in. With the catherization and balloon not being successful, and since they will have the heart right there in sight, they will put a dialator in his pulmonary valve to puncture the hole that he needs for the blood to flow. If that doesn't work then they will use a patch. All of this is hard to understand. Its very terrifying to think about. But he's so strong, you can see the fight in him already. Brandi said he was opening his eyes again last night, his eyes are a little swollen from the medicines he is taking and because of his heart condition, which they say his normal, but he keeps trying. Doesn't my daughter look so happy. This was before the first procedure and before the ventilator.


Please pray as I travel early in the morning and the surgery. Thanks so much. Debbie

My precious Nathan

We have had a lot going on since coming home Sunday night. Here is some updates and please keep praying. We still have a long way to go. Monday was the heart catherization and balloon which did not go as well as we were hoping. They took him in Monday at 1:30 p.m. and we did not hear anything until almost 7:30. I was a nervous wreck. They said the procedure would last at least 2 hours and up to 3, but it was 6 hours. The valve was too small for the balloon. While they were in there the doctor seen a blood clot, which if it went into an artery or the lungs it would be fine, but if it went to his brain he could have a stroke, seizures or possibly die. They started giving him blood thinners not only for the clot but his right foot, which is the leg that they went through for the procedure, it started turning blue. When my daughter called me, it was very hard to contain myself. My friend took me back to UAB right then and we stayed at the hospital all night waiting. I am thankful to say he made it through the night and that is very good. His vitals and tests that were taken all day yesterday, Tuesday, all came back good. The doctors were very happy with results. One hurdle over. They took him off the blood thinner last night and they will take him off the ventilator today if all goes well. This morning early they had to put him back on the blood thinner because his foot started turning blue again. Please pray for that. His open heart surgery is scheduled for Friday, but if he is not off the blood thinner, I don't believe it can be done. We are taking baby steps at this moment, but he is worth every moment.

Brandi doesn't want any pictures of the ventilator so here is one before the procedure. Please keep Nathan, Brandi and Neil in your prayers. I thank you so much for everything so far. There are churches and people everywhere praying for him and I believe in that. Debbie

~IT'S A BOY~

We have a beautiful baby boy. Nathan Tyler was born on February 12 at 6:07 p.m. weighing 6 lbs, 6 ozs, 19 3/4" long. Today he will be having a heart catherization and a balloon to see if they can widen the valve that is needed for the blood flow. Please keep him in your prayers for this procedure. If this works, that will be the major part of anything they will have to do. Praise the Lord! I was able to be in the delivery, and that was the most precious and special thing I have ever witnessed in my life. Isn't he gorgeous?!

Thats his mommy's hand beside him. She just glows when she looks at him. She's going to make a great mother! I'll update later and more pictures. Thank you everyone for your prayers and please continue to pray for them and for the procedure today. Debbie

We are getting ready!! UPDATE included

Well, we got the word yesterday after Brandi's doctors appointment that she has started dialating. The doctor doesn't want her water breaking, if it does she will deliver down here and then send the baby to UAB by ambulance. So the doctor wants her to go up a week earlier. We will know more today exactly when. I'll keep you posted. Her original date was Feb. 23, now we are looking at next Monday or Tuesday. I have been doing so good, but when I heard that I just started to cry. I am so ready for Nathan to get here, but I'm anxious, nervous, and excited all in one. I guess I can't take but one at a time. Anyway, Brandi is totally excited and is definitely ready.


Isn't she adorable? Please continue to pray for us as we go through this journey, especially Nathan.......The Lord is good! Debbie


UPDATE

Brandi and Neil leave in the morning for UAB for a amnio to see if Nathan's lungs are ready. If so, she will be induced Thursday. If the lungs are not ready, it will be the first of next week, but they will stay up there until he is born. I'm not able to go up there, I'm waiting for when they actually deliver him, because I still have 2 in school. I don't want them to miss too much school. As soon as we know, we will all be up there. I'm on pins and needles because I want to be with her the whole time, pray that I can maintain to be a mother while I'm waiting...lol....I'm ok, I will make it (trying to convince myself)....thanks so much. Debbie

Trash to Treasure

Well I finally got my trash to treasure ready to show. I mentioned a few posts back that I was working on something, but I had to wait for my dear husband to get home to help me finish it. This is what it looked like before, of course I had already taken the mirror out, and the hooks were half falling off, so they are already gone. I got it at Hobby Lobby for, get this, $6.99, regularly $79.99. I love a bargain.


Not very much to look at but I love the size and detail of it. So I got out my trusty can of black spray paint and went to spraying. I put the mirror back in and bought new hooks. The hooks were hard to screw in, so my husband did that for me, after numerous times of me trying to get it in myself. With no luck I might add. But I think it took on a whole new look.

And then my husband hung it for me in the foyer. I love a mirror in the foyer for a last look going out the door, also the hooks can come in handy when needed.


This is my first transformation. Let me know what you think. I love transforming anything for the better. Even myself when necessary. Debbie

My Baby is having a baby!!!

I am getting soooo nervous. Brandi's inducement is getting closer. I am so ready to see little Nathan and see what the Lord will do in his life. But it also terrifies me too. Is this normal? We have been so blessed in our family to have healthy babies, so this is so new.

Brandi and Neil have some friends who are having a baby, there is a problem with their baby's heart too. She was suppose to go in on the 10th to be induced in Birmingham also. She started having contractions last night. She went to a local hospital here, and today they took her by ambulance to Birmingham to have the baby today. Brandi is so worried this will happen to her also. We need to be in Birmingham for her to have the baby so the cardiologist will be there.

The crazy girl moved her baby bed the other night to get a sheet on. I told her, "Thats a good way to go early". She said, "I didn't think about that. And its one of those grow with you beds, not the lightest thing. Now my daughter is very smart in book sense, she just lacks a little of the common sense. I don't think she'll be doing that again.

I try to keep myself busy, when I don't think about it, my anxiety level stays down. Just pray for me too as we get through this. Because MY BABY IS HAVING A BABY!!!! What an amazing concept..lol...I will make it though. Maybe this will help me lose some weight or at least some fingernails. I will keep you updated. Thanks and God bless, Debbie

UPDATE: Brandi's friend made it to Birmingham to have the baby, but her husband and parents didn't...she was alone. Brandi was upset, she's afraid the same thing will happen to her.
I gotta keep remembering...God is Good....all the time. D

My youngest daughter had her first dance Saturday night. It was an exciting time going shopping for her dress, getting her toes done, fixing her hair, doing her make-up. Wow, its hard to believe she is growing up. I always loved doing girly things with all my girls, starting with Brandi and going through all of them. Lauren, being my last one, it seems to be going much faster with her though.

This is her on the night of her dance.


This is Lauren and her best friend Jessica.


Nothing is more precious then your children, except of course grandchildren. And I never thought that would happen either. Oh well, I guess there is a lot in store for me yet. Debbie

My Thoughts

I love going through all of my blogs that I love to read. It takes a while as you all know to do just that. This afternoon as I was reading more for the day, I was in one of my favorite ones, Davene @ Life on Sylvan Lane. She is pregnant with her fourth child. If you haven't read hers, go visit, it will be a treat. Anyways, as everyone knows that reads my blog, that my daughter is pregnant with her first child. I know I have been quilty of using that same response when someone would ask me, what would you want her to have, as in boy or girl. I have responded with I just want him or her to be healthy. I've never really thought about that response in the way that Davene described it, but I see what she is talking about. We do know that there is a problem with baby Nathan's heart, my daughters baby, but to be in this situation does not change the fact of how much this baby is wanted, is loved, and we can't wait till he has arrived. There are so many people who cannot accept that fact that there is something wrong with their baby, and do the unthinkable like walking out on them from birth. That breaks my heart.

I know when they wanted Brandi to have an amnio, they said it was to know if there was down syndrome involved, or if there were any other problems, so when she delivered they would know what they needed for the delivery. She struggled with rather to even have one because it didn't matter to her, this was her baby, her child, her miracle that she had prayed for. When you as a mother, watch your grown child, go through emotions, trying to figure out the right thing to do for the right reasons, and when your child goes through it with faith, grace and the most beautiful attitude that you could ever witness.......it brings tears to my eyes at this very moment.

Exactly three weeks from today she will be induced. I don't know if I can contain the excitement that is surrounding me. When your baby is having a baby, thats a totally different feeling then anything else. We still don't know what the problem will be with Nathan's heart exactly, but we know the Lord is in control, and however the Lord sees fit, rather he will be completely healed, or there will be surgeries that Nathan will have to go through, it is all in his hands and what God wants to come out of this. Whatever happens... To God be the Glory!!!

On a little different note, I want to thank Dot from Picket's Place for teaching me how to do a link. I love learning something new. Thanks so much Dot.

Well thats it for today, I'll be back soon. Debbie