New Pictures

We've had two great doctor visits over the past week. First was the pediatric ophthalmologist. His verdict? Owen's eyes are completely normal! Whew!

Next we went to the cardiologist yesterday. It couldn't be better news! Owen is in sinus rhythm, his color is great, his saturations range from 80-83%, and his physical exam was perfect. He wasn't too happy to be there; he bawled through the whole appointment whenever anybody other than mommy and daddy was in the room! However, he's doing so great that his next surgery does not appear to have to be for another year or so... in fact, we're not even going back to cardiology until APRIL! Can you believe it? It's so far out they wouldn't even schedule us; they're just going to send us a reminder card to schedule later! What a praise!

Here are some recent photos of the boys; both are growing and changing every day!

Wow!

Hard to believe it's been so long since I posted! We've been incredibly busy with the boys. They already look so much older than the pictures I posted in June!

This month is a doctor-heavy month for us. First up was the developmental pediatrician. He was very pleased with Owen's growth, interaction, and overall appearance. He pretty much told us to keep doing what we're doing for now, so we're in a holding pattern with his therapies and feeding.

Next was the regular pediatrician; both boys saw her last Friday. And they both got shots. It was a little hairy - they were both really unhappy at the beginning of the visit, but they eventually calmed down and we got things taken care of. Gavin is 50-75th percentile for height, and 25-50th percentile for weight. So he's like Owen, longer than he is heavy. But unlike Owen, Gavin actually has a chubby tummy on him. It's adorable. =) So as of Friday, Gavin weighed 13 lbs 14 oz, and Owen weighed 18 lbs 7 oz. It won't be long before Gavin is overtaking his big brother in the weight department!

Next up is the pediatric ophthalmologist on the 26th, and the cardiologist on the 31st. That will be the big appointment, the one we're most anxious about. I have a feeling the cardiologist will look him over, do an ECHO, and release us for several more months in order to let Owen grow more before his next surgery. Everyone (medical professionals included) keeps telling us how great Owen looks, especially his color. And he really doesn't appear to tire out terribly easily to us. So I really think there will NOT be a surgery this fall, and that it'll happen closer to next fall. But we'll see. We may go in and find out his heart function really isn't so great after all. We're praying that's not the case.

Developmentally, Gavin was ahead of the game with rolling; he started rolling over both ways when he was just over 3 months old. It was a little sad for me. In fact, I cried when I first saw him roll over on his tummy. I'm happy he's growing and developing well, but it just seems too fast!

Owen is sitting on his own very well lately; in fact, he's started to appear much more comfortable and "normal" doing it. His favorite toys right now are his star stack up tower and his Duplo table. Today while he was playing with his Duplos, he stood up from his chair all by himself! He still is unable to transition from lying down to sitting, or from sitting on the floor to standing. He just doesn't want to put any weight on his hands. This is one of the main things we're working on in therapy.

And that's about it - everyone really is doing great and we're very thankful for Owen's continued good health. We still are able to function fairly normally as a family, and we're having a wonderful time being the parents of two sweet little boys!

Pictures

I tried to take a picture of the boys for Mark for Father's Day... It's tough to wrangle two babies and get them both 1) to look at me 2) not to close their eyes and 3) to smile at the same time! And apparently for Owen the temptation to deliver a few jabs at his brother was just too great!

Happy Anniversary!

One year ago today, Owen came home from the NICU. At 10 weeks of age, he slept in his bed, in his house, for the first time. I, on the other hand, barely slept at all that night! I have to say that God really knew what He was doing when he gave us Owen first. At the time, we didn't know any other way than having a baby in the NICU. That's just the way it was, and we dealt with it with relatively little emotion.

Now, our Gavin is 8 weeks old, and I canNOT imagine him being away from us and enduring what Owen did. When Owen was in the NICU, other parents would look at me in amazement - that I wasn't constantly breaking down, that I was able to carry on and prepare for Owen to come home. I didn't understand, but now that I've had a newborn at home, I do. And I don't think I could have gone through it if the boys had been born the other way around. I hate that NICUs have to exist, but I trust God's infinite wisdom. After all, He gave us Owen first.

Owen's first day home

Owen today!

Garage Sale-ing

This morning I got up, got the boys up, packed up their accessories and the double stroller, and we went garage sale-ing! I definitely got some cute, fun things for the boys, but after about an hour of pushing the stroller around with Gavin sleeping and Owen fussing, I began to doubt my sanity. I was about to turn back to the car, when I decided to head down just one more street.

And then it happened.

At the next garage sale I visited, it was time to feed Owen. I hooked up his tube and gave him a pour. The two little boys at that house were curious, and their mother apologized for them staring. I told her it was no big deal and explained to them what I was doing, and that it was because Owen has a heart condition. Another woman at the sale asked which one. I told her it's hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and that he also has a chromosome abnormality. She was shocked and said her daughter had also had the same condition, including a rare chromosome abnormality.

We chatted for a while, and the way she looked at Owen told me there was a reason for me deciding to head down that street. In fact, I don't believe I "decided" as much as I was led that way. She was amazed to see a child with Owen's conditions doing so well, and I know Owen was able to be a testament for the glory of God today.

What a blessing that Owen's purpose in life is revealed to us daily in such wonderful ways!

New Baby Sweetness

Whirlwind

Well, a baby came! Gavin Drew was born at 12:50pm on April 11, 2009. He's our bruiser at a whopping 9lbs 9oz and 21 inches long. We went in to the hospital at 6am that day. I was hooked up and getting Pitocin by 7:30, had an epidural placed around 9:30, and was ready to push by 12:30. Pushed through two contractions and Gavin arrived! We were thrilled to meet our new baby boy.

Since then...

I fell in the hospital and hurt my foot. Thought it might be broken, actually. Got it x-rayed and found out it wasn't, thankfully. But still, I could barely walk for several weeks. It made taking care of two babies really difficult for a while, but it's all better now!

In the meantime, I spent 6 weeks at home taking care of Owen and Gavin. 5 of those weeks were by myself, and I must say, I don't know how you stay at home moms do it! They rarely slept at the same time, but they inevitably needed fed at the same time. It was enough to drive me bonkers, although I did love that I had the time to spend with them. That said, I've been back at work for a week now, and it's nice to feel like a grown-up again!

Pictures coming soon!

A Week on the Edge

So remember last Saturday, when I mentioned I could go into labor that night? Well...

Mark and I went out that evening. We planned to go to PF Chang's and see a movie. As soon as we sat down to dinner, I started having contractions. Over the next 3 hours, they got stronger and closer together, till they were about 4 minutes apart. So we went to the hospital. They hooked me up and checked me out, and sure enough, there were the contractions on the screen. I was still about 3cm. They had me get up and walk around for a while, then hooked me up again. Contractions were stronger (painful by this point) and about 2 minutes apart. However, STILL only 3cm dilated. So they sent me home, saying I would probably be back within 24 hours to deliver the baby.

We've yet to go back.

Since then, I've had a couple of periods of fairly regular contractions, some of which were pretty painful. But nothing had progressed. At this point I'm counting on Saturday morning, but I guess I could still go into real labor at any point. Anyway, no baby yet!

Right now it's 5:30am and Owen and I have been hanging out for about an hour. He's watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I'm about ready to get his first bottle of the day going. I think he's restless because he's getting new teeth; he was up with Mark from about 3:30. Today is Owen's last day of daycare for a while. Mark will be home with him tomorrow, and then we'll keep him home as much as we can while I'm off. Hopefully I can handle both bubbies by myself!

As much as this week has been frustrating and exhausting, it's nice that we've still had some time to prepare for the baby. We hadn't even packed our bags by last Saturday, so it was a good reminder that we needed to get ready - a baby is definitely coming in the next few days!

Ain't That a Kick in the Head...

There have been many of you who, upon seeing me within the past few weeks, have emphatically declared that I'm going to have Bean before the induction date. I have mostly laughed and said, "I'm not that lucky." Because with Owen I went the full 40 weeks and my body had made ZERO progress toward labor. I guess it's true, what they say about every pregnancy being different, because...

I'm dilated 3cm and 25% effaced.

I'm pretty shocked. It doesn't mean much; pregnant women can walk around like this for weeks before going into labor, or I could go into labor tonight. But it does mean my induction is likely to go smoothly. So now we officially go in next Saturday morning at 6am (ugh) and by Easter we'll probably have a baby! YAY!

Plus, my doctor lets her patients have their epidurals right at the beginning of their inductions - no wait! Double YAY!!!

ONE YEAR!

It's been such a long time since I updated that I hardly know where to begin! Today is Owen's first birthday. Twelve months ago today, he came into the world, we got a short glimpse of him, and he was quickly taken away. About two hours later, we got to see him and hold him for a bit. And then not again for several days. We got to hold him the day before his first surgery, and that morning before they took him away. And then not again for several days. He went back to the NICU and remained there until he was 2.5 months old. We saw him as much as we could, while also preparing for a move and with me trying to finish school. One year later, I don't really understand how we made it through all this, except by the grace of God.

So what is Owen like today? The little boy who could easily not have survived his heart condition, who easily could have been so affected by his chromosome abnormality that he would be completely unresponsive to us, is thriving! What's new with Owen? Well...

1) He can sit on his own, unsupported, for short bursts of time while he plays with toys. He loves to stand. He needs help with balance, but he supports himself and tries to take steps (yikes!) He is not very close to crawling, but is getting there. We will insist with him that he learn to crawl before walking, since crawling is tied to good language and speech skills later on. We are in PT and OT to accomplish these goals.

2) Owen has two teeth, and a couple more on the way!

3) At this point, he is completely G-tube fed for his formula. He started refusing the bottle around Christmas, when his first tooth came in. We are in speech therapy to work on this, and the therapist is optimistic that we'll get the bottle back. Aside from formula, he hates baby food, but loves to try what's on our plates!

4) Owen definitely recognizes strangers now, and has become a bit of a mama's boy. He loves to cuddle.

5) His favorite games are to see his daddy hop around like a bunny, see his mommy take slow steps toward him and tickle him, and see his soft toys get thrown around. He laughs up a storm anytime we do these things.

6) His favorite toy right now is his red bird that chirps when you squeeze its tummy. It can bring him straight out of a shrieking fit into smiles and coos.

7) Finally, and best of all, his heart function has remained great! It couldn't be any better given his funky anatomy. In fact, we last saw cardiology in February, and they released us until the end of AUGUST!!! Much, much praise to God for this blessing! The truth is, we *never* worry about his heart. Isn't that amazing?!


We know his next surgery is coming, either this fall or next fall. But we are at peace. Our baby boy is a joy to us, and whatever time we have with him is the time we're meant to have. We are thankful for it all.

The next several days will be big for us. Baby Frossard #2 is coming by scheduled induction next Friday/Saturday, April 10/11. We go in that Friday evening at around 5 for me to get checked, and if no dilation has occurred (as was the case with Owen,) they will give me some medicine, and we'll go from there. The reason I think we could still have the baby Friday is because Owen's induction began at 6pm and he was almost born that same night!

In the meantime, we are trying to get our house straightened and cleaned. The boys' rooms are almost completely finished. Owen has moved into his new, bigger-boy bedroom, and the nursery is put together for Bean. I feel the nesting instinct, but I am too tired to act on it! We let our house go so much that it's all we can do just to complete a decent cleaning.

I plan to start updating regularly again, especially now that Owen is getting a new baby brother to interact with! I have lots of pictures to post, once I get them downloaded. Owen was pretty cute with his birthday cupcake last night, though he didn't actually eat any of it. He definitely didn't inherit too much of my sweet tooth!