I'm Awake!

Out of recovery and off to have a bottle! Mr. Henry woke up immediately after removing the tube from his throat. Of course, he was hungry! Dr. Karlson told Dana and Dave that everything looked really good and growing properly, even the pulmonary veins, yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Because of the heavy load of RSV patients, surgery will be scheduled in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Mom and Dad should be able to bring Henry home sometime this afternoon after 3. We are so thankful for all of your thoughts and prayers. Praise God!

In Recovery

Henry made it through the heart cath with flying colors despite the fact that he had nothing to eat for over 8 hrs. That's pretty rough on a starving little fellow. Mom and Dad to meet with Dr. Karlson in the next little bit. Henry will be in recovery for about an hour. More to follow. Keep praying!

The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades!

Henry will be going to Children's Mercy bright and early tomorrow morning for his heart cath. Even though this procedure is a minor one, it is still very scary. Henry will be on a ventilator for a short time. After, the doctors will meet with Dave and Dana to let them know just exactly what is going on "inside" of Henry. After his cardiologist has her post cath meeting with other cardiologists on Friday a date will be looked at for Henry's next open heart surgery. Talk at the hospital today was probably not until May because there is still so much RSV at the hospital and that would be very dangerous for Henry. So for now, he must just stay as healthy as possible so that when he is scheduled he is ready to go. As usual, he hammed it up for the doctors and nurses today at his pre-op appointment. He was so good despite having to be checked by numerous physicians. He even got to see one of his favorite doctors, Lori today! Mom and dad have to be up at the hospital very, very early in the morning, so hopefully Henry will cooperate with his feeding schedule. I will update after the cath and again when Henry is out of recovery. Please pray for a speedy recovery and good news!

Henry Growing Fast

Mr. Henry has taken quite a growth spurt over the past few weeks. When the nurse came to the house to give him his RSV shot on Thursday he weighed in at a hefty 12 pounds 10 ounces. He his surprising everyone, including his doctors who did not expect him to reach 10 pounds before his next surgery. He is now lovingly referred to as "Chunky Monkey". Mom and Dad cannot seem to fill him up. He has become quite demanding for food. Not only is he still eating his regular bottles, but he is also enjoying bananas, oatmeal, pears, applesauce, peas, squash and much to his dislike sweet potatoes. Hallelujah! Henry is now (once in a while) sleeping up to seven hours during the night. Mom and Dad are finally getting some much needed sleep. Please continue your prayers for Dave, Dana and Henry. They will be going to Children's Mercy in the next few weeks for Henry's heart cath. The doctors will insert a camera into his vein to make sure there are no surprises before his next surgery. This is not a major procedure, but he still will be under anesthetic and that is always scary. In the meantime, enjoy some more Henry pictures.

Meeting More Family Members

Grandma Darcy will be doing posts and updates on Henry while Danny and Kelli are on their exciting adventure in Ethiopia. In a few short weeks Henry will have as new cousin to share all his toys with.

Last week Henry was introduced to his Great Grandparents from Wyoming. Grandma Carol and Grandpa Tommy enjoyed spoiling Henry and visiting with Dana and Dave. Aunt Jane and Uncle Byron also go in on the fun.

Henry is blessed to have so many family members and friend who care so deeply for him.

Heart cath scheduled

Henry is scheduled to have his heart cath on March 29.  The doctors are anticipating this to be a relatively quick procedure and hope to have him home by that same evening.  From there, plans will be made on how and when to move forward.  We're praying the heart cath will reveal that even more healing has taken place over the last four months than the doctors are expecting. 

Henry had a doctor's appointment today and he is now weighing in at 11 lbs 8 oz!  The doctors had originally said they wouldn't do surgery until he weighed in at 10 lbs, and so this is wonderful news that he is growing and getting stronger.  Because we're still in prime season for RSV, surgery won't be happening for at least another month, so he still has several weeks to pack on the pounds.  And, to celebrate the good news: Henry got to add oatmeal to his diet!





The next plan is for there to be a heart cath in 3-4 weeks to get a better idea of how the vessels and heart have changed since the first surgery and see how the shunt is holding up.  From there, a plan should start to be formed on when his next surgery will happen.   I hope you'll join me in praying that the heart cath reveals very good things!