Happy Birthday to Zach!

Zach, you amazing little man! You are 4 years old today!

There's no way to express our thankfulness to God for what we have seen Him do in and through your life.

The warmth of your smile, your bubbly personality, and your full-throttle way of living life has touched the lives of many, especially your family.

Many special people have been a part of helping you on your journey to becoming the man that God created you to be:  doctors, nurses, therapists, Sunday School teachers, AWANA teachers, and extended family.

You have been a constant reminder to everyone to enjoy each day that God gives us.

We celebrate with you today!
Happy Birthday! We love you!

Love and Marriage...

Zach is always very observant and curious. I had a cute conversation with him in the car the other morning.

I had just dropped a card in the mail to a couple that we know that got married about 3 months ago and I was just getting around to sending them a wedding gift. Slack, I know... Anyway, here's how the conversation went...

Zach: Why they get married?
Me: Because they fell in love.
Zach: I know you and Daddy got married.
Me: Yes, we did. We met and went out on a date and went out on some more dates and fell in love.
Zach: But where was Bec-Bec? (big sister)
Me: She wasn't born yet. She was just a sparkle in Mommy and Daddy's eyes. You weren't born yet, either. You were a sparkle in Mommy and Daddy's eyes, too.
Zach: Yeah, and I said to Bec-Bec, 'When we get born, we gonna be sparkly!'

They kinda make me feel all "sparkly"!

The Call

As I was reading a tear-jerker of a devotion this morning, the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and recognized the area code. It was MUSC calling. I knew this call would be coming this week or next. I was expecting it. Maybe it was my already-raw-emotions, but I teared up even before I answered the call. I managed to hold it together through the conversation. Then I called Bill with the news...

We decided to take the first date they offered so hopefully he will be ready to start 4K in the fall.

The surgery will be July 7.

We go for pre-op the morning of the 6th, so that means travel on the 5th. Dr. B. that did his heart cath said to clear our calendars for a month, since everything depends on how his chest tubes drain (he will have 3!). After the Glenn, he developed chylous drainage, due to the thoracic duct being damaged, so he will likely have that again. She said we could expect anywhere from 2 - 4 weeks in the hospital. Can't seem to wrap my brain around a month right now, so we'll be optomistic and think 2 weeks...

Please be praying for all of us as we head down this road...

Heart hugs!
Pam

Update on Zach's recovery

Finally Zach is feeling more like himself after his heart cath. Today, he had a ball playing outside. It's really the first day that he's felt like being up and around (and I was so worried about how to keep him from running and jumping!). He has run low-grade fevers on and off for several days and still had one on Friday night. We were concerned because his fever went up to 101.4 on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I talked to the MUSC Ped. Cardiology Fellow twice and if it had continued, we would have carted him off to the doctor for some blood work to make sure there was no infection. Praise God, it never went that high again. The doctor said the dye they used during the cath can cause fever and the coils they placed also cause an auto-immune response. Hopefully we are past all that now. God answers prayer!

There's no place like home! There's no place like home!

Finally! We are home from MUSC. Praise God, Zach's cath went well. The doctor said he is ready for the Fontan sometime in the next few months, whenever we want to schedule it. She is putting in the request and we will be getting a call to set everything up. We have to look at our schedules and check with our friends who graciously loan us the use of their condo, which is about 10 minutes away from the hospital.

The cath took at little longer than expected because they had to take care of a long corollary artery. It stretches from his shoulder to the bottom of his lung and was preventing the upper area around his Glenn from adequately profusing. I really didn't understand until after the fact how this works. They had to put in 28 coils! I thought they would put in one coil and it would block off the artery. Apparently, they put the coils end to end until they fill up the artery. Amazing!

We had to be at the hospital at 6:15am to register and then were upstairs at 6:30 for prep. Let me say that the team that took care of us was wonderful! Nonetheless, by about 7:15, Zach was starting to ask for a "nack" (snack). He was hollering across the room to the nurses, "Heeeeeyyyy! I wanna 'nack!" When they didn't respond, he said "Mommy, she can't hear me. What 'da matter?" He would ask every new nurse or doctor or anethesiologist that came by to talk to us for a 'nack. This one nurse, Jerrard, was so good with Zach and brought him a bunch of those fake tattoos and let Zach pick out 3 or 4 of them. I thought they were for him to take home, but turns out, they put them on Zach while he was asleep for the cath, so Zach would be surprised to find them on his arms, tops of his feet, and one right over his heart zipper! I'll try to get a picture of this one later.

Finally, just before Zach flaked out from hunger, our nurse brought him a syringe of Versed. He sucked it down like it was good. A few minutes later, as he sat watching TV, I had my arm around him and all of a sudden he sort of laid back on my arm like a ragdoll. He had this goofy grin on his face, and his eyes were about half closed. He giggled a little bit and tried to talk, but couldn't seem to make a word. He was a happy drunk!

After the cath, with Buzz and Woody by his side, he's still very groggy and ready to "Goooo home!!!"

On the way to x-ray to make sure all those coils are still in place.

 

So, now we have to keep him still until Friday. Ought to be interesting! This boy NEVER sits still! Please give me some ideas of quiet activites that have worked for you.

Spring Break and Prayer Request

We are on Spring Break this week. So far, we have been to the beach and now we are at my Mom's. We went to the zoo yesterday with some family and had a great time even though most of the animals were asleep and it was pretty hot.

Zach loved running from the waves at the beach!

Zach with his cousins at the zoo

Dad and Rebecca visiting the zebra

Zach and Daddy on a safari

Look at this heart-shaped knot-hole I spotted. How cool!

I wanted to ask our heart buddies to pray for Zach for two reasons.

• First, Zach is scheduled for his cath for next Tuesday, April 6 at MUSC. We will travel down Monday night.
• Second, Zach has had some tummy issues the past couple of days. We hope it is just from not eating and drinking his normal stuff. He hasn't been running a fever or anything and feels good. He has just had a few loose BM's. Anyway, please pray that this would resolve itself before Monday and that Mom, Dad, and sister would be healthy, too.

Thank you for your faithful prayers!