Post-Op Check-Up

This afternoon we had another check-up with Dr. Uitvlugt, the surgeon who repaired Henry's omphalocele.  Everything considered, he was very pleased with Henry's progress.  With a surgery such as this, it's quite common for the skin around the incision to break down and for the patch that holds his muscles together to become exposed.  If this were to happen, it's not critical, it would just require an additional surgery to remove the patch.  However, at this point, the doctor sees no sign of such erosion, and so unless we start to notice the patch peeking through, we won't see him again until Henry is one year old.  He did mention, though, that he will likely want to remove the patch at that time.  While I'm not eager for Henry to have yet another surgery, he reassured me it would be a rather simple out-patient procedure.  So all in all, a good report.  

I am so grateful for Dr. Uitvlugt, such a wonderful surgeon and caring man.  Everytime I see him, I just have to hug him.  I feel indebted to him for my son's life and health.  I'm sure we will continue to pray for him and his practice.      

Twosies

My two year old and two month old.

Henry is doing well.  The speech pathologist, who sees him twice a week to work on his eating, feels he is beyond the feeding tube.  Nothing would thrill me more than to throw out all his feeding tube supplies!  She also feels that his feedings have been improving consistently, and if he has one more week of solid weight gain, we can start moving from a two hour to a three hour feeding schedule.  OK, that's perhaps the one thing that might thrill me more.  Way to go Henry!   

Claire continues to spread sunshine around our home.  Well, that and countless toys, books, and other household items.  She's become my little shadow, mimicking with her baby how I change Henry's diaper and give him bottles.  She'll say things like, "Oh, wow.  Good poopy diaper, baby."  Also, she's obsessed with the ABC song and sings it all day long.  You would think this would be endearing, but I tell ya, it gets a little old after a couple dozen times.  Nevertheless, she's a great little girl, and I always look forward to hearing what she's going to say next.   



07.07.11

Four years ago today...



Happy Anniversary, Honey! 
You're my best friend, my lifeline, my true love.  In times of hardship, you've supported me.  In times of celebration, you've danced with me.  I love you.

Andrew Peterson "Dancing in the Minefields"
" 'I do" are the two most famous last words.  The beginning of the end.
But to lose your life for another, I've heard, is a good place to begin.
Cause the only way to find your life, is to lay your own life down.
And I believe it's an easy price for the life that we've found."

Fourth of July

I hope everyone enjoyed their Fourth of July festivities.  What a perfect weekend to celebrate!  Here are some pictures of our day at the lake with Joe's family.

Lovin' the lake

The play-dough was also a hit!

On the boat with Grandma



Henry with Great Grandma...

...and Great Grandpa

The Men

A New Kind of Normal

Before leaving the hospital, I confessed to our nurse that I was nervous to take Henry home.  Over the course of his 38 day stay, our new routine, while initially difficult, began to feel normal, even comfortable.  The nurse looked at me and said, "Jen, being in a hospital should never be normal.  You'll take Henry home and create a new kind of normal for you and your family."  Of course, she was right. 

Henry has been home for 10 days now, and so here we are, creating our new kind of normal.  While we have loved having him home, it isn't without its challenges.  Our new normal consists of putting in feeding tubes and checking incisions.  Our new normal means packing a stethoscope in his diaper bag.  Our new normal includes many, many appointments with doctors and specialists - at least one a day, but sometimes more.  But our new normal also includes a lot of love and a great deal of fun as we learn the joys of becoming a family of four.

Yesterday I spoke with a mother who also has a child that was born with an omphalocele.  She said her daughter was 6 months old before she really "rounded the corner" in terms of her healing and feeding.  We talked about the struggles and frustrations, the uphill battle it seems to be at times, but we also talked about how much we love our children and how they are truly miracles.  In fact, as I type this, I look down at Henry and sure enough, he has a great big grin on his face, just for me.  I can't imagine my life without him, and he is, without question, worth all extra effort.

Well, enough jabbering - let's get to some pictures! 

Our happy boy

Free from his feeding tube - on a trial basis

Brother and sister bonding

Fresh from the bathtub

A walk to Riverside Park



From the Top

It strikes me that there might be a few new people following our blog recently, and for those of you who are unfamiliar with our story over the last 6 months, you'll find at the bottom of this post, in small letters, a link that says "Labels: Baby Boy".  You can click on that, and it will  bring up previous posts about Henry.  They'll be in reverse order, because despite my meager efforts, I'm not very computer savvy...so that's the best I can do :)



A Home Run!

                                  

Father's Day will never be the same. 

Each year on Valentine's Day we reminisce about Claire's homecoming, and now we will, in years to come, certainly remember Father's Day as the day we brought our little Henry home. 

Henry is dressed to impress in his "Later Gator" t-shirt, plaid shorts and

and his sandals, which are more fashionable than practical. 

Ready or not - here he comes!

And of course, we can't forget to honor our own Fathers. 

After all, it's their day, too!

...and Grandpa Dan Rosen in absentia :)

We love each of you! 

Thanks for your presence and your handiwork in our lives.