Caleb's First Birthday

I just realized that I never posted anything about Caleb's birthday. We invited family and a few close friends over to the house to celebrate Caleb's big day. Most of my party photos are on our old computer, but here are a couple that I have on my new computer.

Rather than gifts, we asked Caleb's birthday party guests to bring donations for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of OKC. The house needed cleaning supplies, paper goods, snack foods, bedding, etc, and our family/friends were so generous! The cargo area of my Jeep was packed with donations! When Brad, Caleb and I delivered the donations to the house, we had the opportunity to meet with the executive director. She took us on a tour, and we discussed some volunteer opportunities. Brad and I are still discussing how we want volunteer, fund raise, and collect donations for the local house. We'll be sure to share more as we recruit our family and friends for help!

After the party guests left and Caleb went to bed, Brad and I spent some time reminiscing about the last year. As we were talking about all the wonderful nurses Caleb had, I received a call on my cell phone from an unknown number. I usually ignore those calls, but I went ahead and answered. It was Caleb's first nurse! She was in the delivery room with us and took amazing care of Caleb during his first few hours before he was transferred to a different hospital's NICU. She also went out of her way to make Brad and I feel at ease during a very uneasy time. Her call on Caleb's birthday was so unexpected but so appreciated! I still cry every time I think about it!

The day after his birthday, we took cookies to the NICU where he spent his first ten days. We got to see a couple of his nurses and doctors while we were there. It was a great way to end a wonderful first birthday weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

We spent a lazy day at Ronald McDonald House. Southwest Airlines cooked breakfast for the house guests... bacon, eggs, fruit, and heart-shaped pancakes.

Uncle Chris came to visit this evening and brought Caleb a new toy. Caleb is beyond spoiled by his uncles, aunts, and grandparents.

Caleb's post-op appointment and follow-up EEG are tomorrow. If all goes well, we should be able to go home tomorrow afternoon/evening!

Out of the hospital!

Caleb was discharged from the hospital this afternoon! He still has some pulmonary hypertension, so he's on a small amount of oxygen. And he's not taking his full bottles, so he still has the NG tube. We're hoping that we can get rid of both within a few weeks. Caleb's incision and chest tube site look like they're healing very well. While he has been cleared to do tummy time, it still seems to bother him some. We'll have to gradually reintroduce that over the next several days/weeks.

As for the spasms, we still don't know for sure what they are. We met with a gastroenterologist today, and we think that they may be related to reflux. He's now on Prevacid, so we'll see if that helps. Caleb will have another EEG on Friday to help rule out any neurological causes for the spasms.

Caleb will also have a cardiology post-op appointment on Friday. If all goes well at the cardiology and neurology appointments, we should be cleared to return to OKC on Friday evening or Saturday.

Until then, we will be spending our time at the Ronald McDonald House. My plans include snuggling with my little man, catching up on some much needed sleep, and burning off all those unhealthy hospital snacks in the fitness center.

While getting out of the hospital is great progress, Caleb still has weeks of recovery ahead. Please continue to pray as his body heals from surgery.

Ronald McDonald House donations

As I was getting ready for bed my first night at Ronald McDonald House, I realized that I didn't have my toothbrush and toothpaste. We had moved that day from a hotel, so I figured I must have left them there. Fortunately, the Ronald McDonald House has a closet stocked with toiletries, paper products, and other essentials. From the closet, I was able to get a toothbrush and toothpaste. Since that night, I've been thinking about how glad I was that someone had donated those items I needed. Another family may get "home" after spending a long day at the hospital and then realize they need a tube of toothpaste. I want to pay it forward, and maybe you can help!

Please consider making a donation to the Ronald McDonald House in your area. Both the Dallas house and the OKC house have wish lists on their websites.

RMH Dallas Wish List

RMH OKC Wish List

If there's not a Ronald McDonald House near you, there might be a hospitality house in need of donations. For my family and friends in the Wichita Falls, TX area, consider donating to the Rathgeber Hospitality House.

Rathgeber Wish List

I'm sure they will be grateful for any donations, large or small. While I can't thank the person who provided the toothbrush and toothpaste for me, I can thank you for helping me pay it forward.

Ronald McDonald House & a Caleb update

I spent last night at Ronald McDonald House - Dallas . I'm so thankful for such nice, affordable accommodations so near to the hospital.

Caleb had a good day yesterday. Shortly after midnight, he started taking bottles. He did well with them all day. He was much more alert, but had to get some pain/anxiety medicine every now and then. He had a fever early yesterday morning, and we have to wait 48 hours for blood cultures to see if there's an infection. The fever broke and hasn't returned, so I don't think we have much to worry about with that.

Brad stayed with Caleb last night. I haven't talked to him yet, but I'll hear about how the night went soon. Today potentially could be a big day. I was told yesterday that Caleb's chest tubes might get removed today! If so, we might get to hold him! I hope so! It's been three days since I've held my little man.