Friday, August 1, 2008 in the Evening

Hello all! Happy Friday. We just returned from the hospital seeing Zander. FINALLY, CHRISTIE WAS ABLE TO HOLD ZANDER! In all my life, I have never seen a more beautiful sight. Thanks to all for the prayers for us to be able to hold him.

Christie was able to hold Zander for about 30 minutes. She was also lucky enough to change 2 diapers in the span of 10 minutes. Zander is resting well and his feedings should be increased tomorrow (up to 35 ml). We are waiting to hear from Dr. Kelley concerning the traction sutures. There is still a concern that they have come undone, but hopefully we will know more tomorrow. Zander is resting well and everything continues to go forward....slowly.

We are very thankful that Christie was able to hold Zander. That meant so much to both of us. Up until this point, I was the only one that held Zander and that was only when he was 10 minutes old. Zander smiled and rested comfortably in his mother's arms and I cannot express in words the emotional high that we are both on this evening.

I will write again tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for the specific prayers about holding Zander. God is listening and he still answers prayer.

Sweet dreams son. Daddy is looking forward to holding you tomorrow. We love you.

Clancy

Thursday, July 31, 2008 in the Evening

Good evening all! We have had a hectic, but busy day. Houston had orientation/registration this evening at the new SMMHS. Wow! They would not have spent this kind of money on any school that I went to (for good reason). It is a beautiful building in a picturesque setting. Houston is excited that he has a locker with a real combination on it. We are taking bets as to when he will have to ask his Mom for the combination.

Christie is returning to school tomorrow. The teachers report tomorrow and have in service for the next 8 or 10 days. After much prayer, both she and I feel it is a better course for her to return to school at this point and then take leave when Zander comes home from the hospital.

Jackson is also doing well and he and Houston went with Christie to see Zander late this afternoon.

As far as Zander is concerned, he continues to progress well. His feedings have been increased to 30 ml every 3 hours. Earlier today there was some concern that his traction sutures "let loose"; however, the surgeon on call said that they were still in place. The traction sutures are the sutures that are pulling the proximal esophagus down into the chest cavity from the throat. Whew! Good news...yes.

Zander is resting comfortable and his airflow from the trach was turned down today. He barely has any air going into the trach and he is breathing on his own through the trach for the most part. As the picture above indicates, he has such a gentle spirit and he is smiling more and more. We still have not been able to hold him, but we are keeping our fingers crossed for this weekend.

We love the comments and are thankful to everyone for the prayers! We hope everyone has a great Friday.

I will write again tomorrow evening. Sweet dreams Zander....we love and miss you.

Clancy

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 in the Evening

Good evening all. It has been a long but good humpday. Christie and I did not get to see Zander until this evening as the room/pod he is in was closed for most of the afternoon due to admissions and procedures being performed in Zander's pod.

As far as Zander is concerned, they tightened his traction sutures for his upper esophagus again today. They also gave him a detailed bath and he is a new man. He is still receiving 25 ml every 3 hours and he is doing well. We spoke with Melanie (the nurse practitioner) and she said he was doing well and resting well. For now they will continue to monitor his lungs, but it appears they are growing stronger each day. Zander now weighs 8 pounds and 6 ounces, so he is taking after his Daddy when it comes to eating.

We hope to know more tomorrow, but for now, all is well. The prayers, comments and calls sustain us. Our thanks is an understatement.

Sweet dreams to all and to Houston, Jackson and Zander. Boys may your dreams be big and your night restful.

Clancy

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 in the Evening

Good evening all. It has been a long day for all of us. Nothing bad, just on the run since getting out of bed this morning.

We just returned from seeing Zander this evening and tonight he had both eyes open for the longest time. He was a bit fussy, but we saw him just before he received his pain meds and sedative. He was in a good mood for a large portion of time, but once he was readjusted by his nurse Tara, he drifted off into never land.

His feedings have been increased again to 25 ml every 3 hours. He is taking them well with not rejections. His lungs looked better on xrays and his air through the trach have been decreased. This means he is breathing more on his own power.

Houston had a rough first day of football practice and Jackson helped his Mommy for most of the day. Christie saw her doctor today and it went well. She will return for her 6 weeks check-up in about 4 weeks.

All is well here on the mountain. The crickets are churping and we are quickly fading into the night.

I will write again tomorrow evening. Thanks to all for the prayers and comments. We hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

Sleep well Houston, Jackson and Zander...we love each of you dearly.

Clancy

Monday July 28, 2008 Later in the Evening

Hot off the press! Just spoke to the hospital. Dr. Kelley is on vacation, but he called in and reviewed the chart and xrays (presumably on his phone). He increased Zander's feedings to 20 ml every three hours and decreased his TPN fluids that are being put in via IV through the central line. The nurse indicated that this was a good sign because the nourishment he is getting from mom's milk is doing him well. He does not need as many calories from the protein and lipid drips that he is receiving. That is all for now. We may hear more from Dr. Kelley tomorrow. Good news all around at this point. I will write tomorrow if not sooner. Good night all.

Monday, July 28, 2008 in the Evening

Hello everyone. Hope everyone had a nice Monday (if that is possible). My return to work was good, but I struggled to stay focused throughout the day. Houston picked up his pads for football today and as you can see from the pictures Jackson is running around the house in his football uniform. I just finished getting the mouthpieces ready for Houston and of course Jackson wanted his fixed also.

I visited Zander at lunch today and Christie and I also saw the Zman after work. He continues to rest well. His feedings were increased today to 17.5 ml every 3 hours. He has not had any rejections of milk since his feedings were increased. ZANDER DID TAKE A PACIFIER TODAY SO THIS IS A GOOD SIGN CONCERNING HIS MOUTH AND THROAT DEVELOPMENT.

We also met with Dr. Lisa Collins (one of the neonatologists) as she did her rounds and examined Zander. She indicated that his right lung is still a little smaller than his left lung and the air that is being pumped into his lungs via the trach assists in development of the lungs.

Zander will also have a blood oxygen test again tomorrow as well as additional chest xrays to look at the lungs. Dr. Collins indicated that she will also run a culture to determine if Zander can be taken off the antibiotics. She did indicate that he has not had any infections so she thinks the culture will come back entirely normal.

Although Zander continues to rest well, Dr. Collins did indicate that the trach will likely be a long-term temporary thing. The determinative key for the trach is the trachea and the cartilage in the trachea becoming more firm.

At this point in time, we are continuing to pray for Zander's complete healing and recovery, but for the short term, we continue to pray for positive news about his lungs and him being taken off the antibiotics. Additionally, we pray that when the surgeon looks at the esophagus it is stretching and growing closer and that the trachea is growing stronger.

We still pray to hold him in our arms, but in due time this will come. Thanks to all for the positive comments and prayers for our little boy. We love each of you dearly and pray that all is well with each of you.

I will write again tomorrow night after seeing Zander. Wishing you sweet dreams son...we love you.

Clancy

Sunday, July 27, 2008 in the Evening

Good evening all. I hope that everyone's Sunday has been one of rest and relaxation. We returned to church this morning for the first time post Zander's arrival and Christie and I were overwhelmed with encouragement and uplifting words.

Houston has finally hit his stride when it comes to sleep. As noted yesterday, he returned from Charleston, SC and has slept for most of the day. Before going to the hospital, Jackson drew a picture for Zander of the family.

Christie and I visited Zander twice today. Everything remains about the same. He was a little fussy early in the day, but he is still eating well (15 ml every 3 hours). He is still on sedatives and pain medicine, but the Zman continues to rest well for the most part. His frog blanket (thanks Anna and Abby) continues to be his sleeping companion. His respiration and oxygen remain high, but I still have a hard time watching the little guy hooked to everything he is hooked to. His initial surgical site (on the right side just below the armpit is about healed, but I am sure it will be re-opened with the next surgery.

We have not talked with Dr. Kelley (the surgeon), but know that he or his partner will be looking in on Zander tomorrow. Zander will also have more xrays done tomorrow on his chest to see how everything is coming along. His right lung was a little compressed due to all the activity from surgery, but they say it is getting better. Zander will also have a blood oxygen test performed on Monday, so we are praying that both the xrays and blood tests yield positive results.

I am returning to work tomorrow. I can only imagine at this point what is facing me upon my return. Fortunately, I have been blessed with Susan and everyone at the firm that have gone the extra mile over the past two weeks. They always do and I am sure that I owe them more than these simple words of gratitude on this post.

I will write again tomorrow after seeing Zander. I plan on seeing him at lunch if it is not too crazy around the office. Christie is doing well and we are settling in for the night. We still have not held Zander and we continue to pray that day is soon on the horizon.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the comments, prayers and encouraging words.

Sweet dreams to all and especially to Zander....Mommy and Daddy love you.

Clancy