Updates to come...

It's been a long time I know, haven't been in the "blogging" mood...for the 2 or 3 readers out

there I promise I will update soon! 

We've been extremely busy getting ready for the holidays and our little man turns 4 this Sunday!! 

How does time go that fast?!?!

A Rainy Day...

6 week follow-up

Yesterday was Hudson's 6 week post-op follow-up.  We went in and he got an x-ray.  Dr. Sapire came in and said that his x-ray looked GREAT!  He sounds and looks WONDERFUL!  We were given the *ALL CLEAR* and told that we have NO restrictions!  I am not sure who was more excited Hudson or me - haha!  As we were leaving the appointment he kept saying, "we get to go to the park!"  We have been telling Hudson that the doctor had to tell us when we could do those activities again.  We go back in 6 months for another follow-up. 

Thank you God for healing our sweet boy's heart!  We are amazed everyday at his progress and so very thankful!

Let's just say....LeT ThE GoOD tImES bEGiN!!!

Our *No Restrictions* started out with a playdate with our besties at their house playing on Ethan's swing set.  We headed to the pool to continue the CeLeBRaTiON!  Then a trip to get SNOW CONES!

(I took this picture with my phone so it's quality stinks, but I had to post it.  Hudson was so HAPPY!)

This is what happens when you haven't played all summer and mommy tries to make up for lost time!

We already have playdates lined up for summertime!

We hope that you are enjoying your summer, we sure are!!

HuDsOn'S pLaYHOusE turns to oUtHoUSe

Monday started our "potty training BOOT CAMP".  We had an overall successful day, only 8 accidents.  (Hudson is on a fluid medicine still from his surgery, this will make ANYONE become a free flowing fountain.) 

I know that this was / is going to be a difficult task because we have a difficult, um...hardheaded, um...no, just plain stubborn child on our hands.  We converted his playhouse into his outhouse!  He has loved running in there to go potty.  There are some things you don't think of when potty training a toddler.  I have to put the potty in the back of my car to run to get my Mam or to go pick up Chick-fil-A.  I'm sure I got some crazy looks pulling over in Target's parking lot, opening the back, and putting Hudson on the potty - haha!

Tuesday was better.  Only 2 accidents (I'm not counting poo-poo as an accident.  For some reason this is really freaking him out.  Any advice to make "going" to the bathroom easier?) and that was after his "water pill"!  WooHoo - Mommy & Daddy are oh so PROUD of you Hudson!  Hudson did run around naked a lot of the day - which I think actually made him more aware of his need to go.

Today proved to be an even better day!  We had 1 yucky accident in which we actually threw his underwear in the trash!  I thought that I would make a point after he was completely grossed out by the mess on his bottom & leg.  We both marched out to the garage trash and dumped Queenie & Mater.  I think Hudson was just glad that it wasn't ON HIM!  We only had 1 other accident!  I think that we are making baby steps toward having a toilet trained little boy!  WooHoo! 

I must say that the best decision we made was to dump the pull-ups besides at night and during rest time.  We will work our way up to those.  (I really don't want to be up at all hours of the night changing sheets.)  On a side note - Hudson is staying dry during those times! 

Sorry about all the details, I NEVER want to forget this!

Hudson - Mommy & Daddy are oh so proud of how WONDERFUL you have done!  We love you!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from us to you!

HuDsOn'S pLaYHOusE

With boredom setting in BIG TIME for mommy & Hudson (and mam a little too!), we decided (Mimi actually) that we should create a pLaYHOusE!

We had a box from the jogging stroller and started brainstorming.

Hudson decided where he wanted his door and window.

Working hard...

We even created a window box with flowers.  Okay, so I was getting into this little project too!

Front of playhouse.

Mam was working on the roof while Hudson was doing a little painting inside.

Hudson's completed pLaYHOusE!

What a fun day!  This project took us literally the whole day and we had a blast!  I have a feeling that this little box while be a new addition to our decor for a while!  Now all we need is about 20 more boxes to make it through our "house arrest"!  haha

Thankful Thursday

I am so very thankful that Hudson is doing so well...

 

I am also very thankful for Sonic! Since we are on "house arrest" with limited visitors we (mainly me) are going stir crazy. Sonic has become our daily outting! Hudson has become quite fond of his cherry limeades.

Happy Thursday!

Cardiology Post-op

Today was Hudson's follow-up with Dr. Sapire, his cardiologist.  Hudson amazes me that through all he has been through he is pleasant and cooperative!  (I wouldn't be - haha!)  He had an x-ray today.  Everything looks great!  Dr. Sapire was very pleased with how well he looks and is recovering...so are we! 

Hudson will continue to be on "house arrest" for several more weeks to stay away from yucky germs.  I was sort of hopeful that we could begin some interactions with other kids, but Dr. Sapire recommended waiting a little while longer and then slowly introducing a few people at a time to him.  Oh well, we would rather have a bored mommy & little boy than a sick one.

We go back in a month for an echo.  Please continue to pray that Hudson's heart heals completely!  Thanks for all the prayers and support - they are felt!

Post-op

Today we headed up to TCH for a post-op appointment at 2:15, we left at 4:30!  Hudson did so well letting them weigh him, take his blood pressure & temp and even take out his stitches!  He had an x-ray done as well.  Everything sounds / looks good, praise God! 

Please continue to pray for his complete healing!  Pray that his heart heals like it should without any complications.  We go Tuesday to the cardiologist and will probably have an echo done.  These appointments bring great anxiety for me.  I literally hold my breath until I hear good news.

Thank you so much for the prayers lifted up already!  Please continue to think of us during the next few weeks.

My Mam came into town to help me contain Hudson.  He has loved every minute with her!  Thankfully it has been a help to allow me to keep the house somewhat in order.  Thanks Mam!  We love you!  (Please excuse the picture placement - not cooperating!)

What a great day!

I don't even know where to begin...what an incredible day God has blessed us with!  Today marks the 2 year anniversary of Hudson's first heart surgery and nothing could top it more than us going home today! 

We were released today around 2:00.  Hudson was asleep in my arms when we left the 15th floor.  We were escorted down and waiting on our car when he woke up.  Talk about one surprised little boy!  He didn't know what to think.  Our sweet little boy smiled from the time we put him in his carseat until we pulled into the drive.  We were welcomed home by Uncle Kenneth's (one of Bryan's best friends - who's a chef) yummy spinach lasagna.  It was delicious!  Hudson was greeted with a special sign made by Aunt Mel that says 'welcome home Hudson'.  I have a feeling that sign may have to stay up for a little while!  Mimi & Pop brought over his much anticipated water table.  Uncle Jason, Aunt Alicia & Kaleb even stopped by to say hi.  

 

 

God has answered everyone of our prayers more than we ever could imagine.  We give HIM all of the praise and thanks for healing Hudson's heart and helping us through this trying time.  We continue to ask Him to have His hand on Hudson's healing in the time to come. 

 

 

Thanks to you for your prayers, kind words, sweet letters, visits and phone calls!  They carried us through at times!

CVICU Pictures

Hudson after they removed the vent. & g-tube.

Mommy holding Hudson for the 1st time.  Pure heaven!

Resting comfortably.

Our fav nurse Jill!

Eating a green popsicle - YUMMY!

Daddy, Hudson & Mommy the morning before surgery.

Sorry the pictures are so out of order...

15th floor

As I was typing a new update we received a phone call saying that Hudson was moving to the 15th floor!  Hudson has been very tired today.  He also has some mild discomfort and is not liking taking his meds by mouth!  He has wobbly legs and hasn't wanted to get up and walk around.  He was saying that he "wants to go home".  I know sweet boy, I know!

Thank you so much for all of the prayers!  Please continue to lift us up.  Pray for: Hudson to gain strength, him to be comfortable, walk around without discomfort, tests results to be good and for us to go home when the time is ready.

It's been a long day, long week really...will try to post pictures soon.

Day 2 CVICU

The night went relatively well.  Hudson was able to get much needed rest, thank you God!  He is running a slight temperature, but they say that is completely normal.  Mimi, Pop, Nana & Aunt Alicia (we sent Aunt Mel home to get some rest too) took shifts during the night so that Mommy & Daddy could attempt to get some rest.  It's sad when the floor of the waiting room is more comfortable than the chairs!

The plan for today is to take Hudson off the ventilator and g-tube (the tube sucking his stomach out).  Hopefully that will happen in the next few hours.  They are wanting him to wake up a little more.  They will more than likely monitor him overnight and if all goes how it should we hopefully will be moving to the 15th floor tomorrow at some point. 

Thank you God for having YOUR hand on Hudson during all of this and we continue to lift him up to You!  Please pray for everything to continue going smoothly.  We cannot thank you enough for lifting our sweet boy & our family up in prayer! 

He's in CVICU

We were able to go back and see Hudson.  He looks good and is doing relatively well.  He is still on the ventilator, hopefully tonight or tomorrow morning they will take him off of it.  Please say prayers, Hudson's blood pressure is a little high and he's draining a little more blood than they like.  They are giving him platelets.  They will continue to monitor him and check his levels.  We still need our prayer warriors, we need God to continue to have His hand on Hudson's healing. 

He's Done!

Thank you God for a successful surgery!  We thank you that YOUR hand was in the operating room before, during, and we continue to ask that it's with him after his surgery.  We praise You for what You have done and will continue to do during this!

We talked to Dr. Fraser and he said the surgery went really well.  They were able to fix the VSD, valve and the muscle band.  He went on/off bypass really well.  They only had to give him 1 unit of blood.  HUGE PRAISE!  We should be able to see him in the next hour or so. 

Thank you all for your prayers!  Please continue to pray for Hudson's sweet heart that it heals completely!

Update #2

Thank you God for having YOUR hand on Hudson's surgery & please continue to watch over my sweet boy!  Thank you for the progress that's been made and for Hudson's heart looking so good!

We spoke with Erin, Dr. Faser's nurse, and she gave us a great update!  They already have Hudson on bypass and he is doing great!  Dr. Faser was looking at his VSD and deciding what to do.  Then was going to move onto his right ventricle and the valve.  She said that we should be getting another update around 5:00.

Please continue to lift us all up in prayer.  Pray for Dr. Fraser and the team to continue the surgery successfully.  Pray that Hudson continues to do well.  Pray that they are able to fix it all!

Again, thank you for all the prayers, kind words and visits!

Update #1

We just got a buzz (they have buzzers that go off when there are updates and you go to the consult room).  They did a thoracic echo and almost decided to not go through with the surgery.  Dr. Faser said that the size of the VSD is so minimal as well as the muscle band in the right ventricle. 

Prayers now that surgery goes smoothly. That scar tissue is minimal, that they fix EVERYTHING for good!  It's hard to hear that they almost decided not to do surgery and then go ahead and do it. 

Will update as we get updated!  Please continue to pray hard! 

He's Back...

They gave Hudson his sleepy medicine and took him back at 11:30 am.  The anesthiologist said that it will take a few hours for them to get Hudson prepped with all the iv's and "real" drugs.  Prayers please that everything goes completely smoothly & perfectly. 

Side note - laying in bed last night Bryan & I were talking and I told him I am at a loss for what to pray.  Yesterday was good.  We got home from the doctor yesterday and Hudson took a good nap!  He woke up and we stuffed him with food the whole night.  He did really well this morning coming back to the hospital and not being scared.  (an answered prayer!)

As you can tell my mind is racing in every direction, sorry if this doesn't make sense.  We will update the blog as we get updates.  Thanks again for the prayers! 

Pre-Op

Today was our pre-op day at TCH.  It was a relatively good day for Hudson!  He had blood work done, EKG, X-Ray, height / weight, temp and meet with a whole bunch of people.  What a trooper he was (and he charmed everyone of them)! 

His surgery is scheduled for the afternoon, which could be anytime between 11:00 am - 4:00 pm depending on the case before his.  The surgery itself should last around 6 hours from prep to final echo.  We arrive at the hospital tomorrow morning at 9:00 am to begin the waiting game.  Hopefully we will be able to entertain Hudson without him getting upset that he can't have anything to eat or drink (no food after midnight, clear liquids until 7:00 am).

Here are some specific prayer requests:

* For Bryan & I before, during and after the surgery for our anxiety to be minimal.
* Hudson for him NOT to have anxiety even after surgery!
* When I’m weak for Bryan to be strong, when Bryan is weak for me to be strong.
* For us all to get a good night’s rest tonight.
* For the doctors and everyone who will be involved with his surgery – steady & thorough hands.
* For the surgery to begin closer to noon than later.
* For Hudson not to be hungry tomorrow (we are going to stuff him tonight!)
* For a successful surgery: 1st try iv going in, scar tissue be at a minimal from previous surgery, heart to look good, for them to find EVERYTHING and fix it, for his heart to work completely normal after, not have ANY complications
* For his CVICU stay: that he is able to rest comfortably, not have any complications, recover quickly, give Bryan & I (and our families) strength to help him recover quickly.
* For the nurses to be compassionate & caring.
* For our families to have comfort & strength as they comfort us.
* For this to be his last surgery that he has to have.

Thank you so much for all the prayers, kind words and support that you have shown us!  Please keep us in your prayers.

Heart Wednesday

We are 14 days out from Hudson's open heart surgery. 

Birthdays & Pictures

This past weekend was much fun!  We started out Friday night at Cadillac Bar celebrating Bryan & my birthdays with some gReAt FrIeNdS!  Saturday Melissa & I had planned a family photo session for my m-i-l for Mother's Day.  We headed down to Galveston to the Strand to take pictures.  Here are a few AmAzInG shots that Adria got...

the sweet cousins

our little model - haha!

our little family - love it!

I love this picture because this is SO Hudson! Silly boy!

We got to spend the evening with my family enjoying YUMMY cake & BURNT steak!  haha  My poor dad accidently burnt our steaks - uh oh.  It was such a great weekend and I feel so blessed that we were able to spend time with both of our families!

Jesus in the Room...

Today marks 4 weeks out until Hudson has his next (and hopefully final) Open Heart Surgery. As the days pass and the surgery is quickly approaching I am having to quote scriptures and say little prayers throughout the day to keep my anxiety level down. (I think this second surgery is more nerve-racking because you know more of what to expect.) I was looking at blogs of fellow CHD people and came across this...

This is exactly what I want to picture in my mind when I think about Hudson's surgery.  I want to envision Jesus standing in the operating room guiding every move that the team of doctors make.  I can't imagine anything that is more comforting than that picture to me! 

Gift from God

 

I stole this picture from my s-i-l's blog, thanks Mel!

I love my precious Hudson and thank God everyday for him!