The Best Christmas Ever!

It truly was the best Christmas that Andy and I have had since we’ve been married. For the past two years we’ve hoped and dreamed and prayed for a baby. When we first found out that I was pregnant we called Andy’s Mom and broke the news to her by saying, “Is it okay if we bring a baby to your house for Christmas this year?” Of course she said “YES!” It was so exciting to spend this holiday with our little man.

Christmas Eve we opened all of our gifts at home. Daniel sat there with, just a happy little guy. On Christmas morning we got to Grandpa and Grandma Kilgore’s at 7:00 am! Daniel slept through all of the gifts. We drove to Holly that afternoon and Daniel happily sat in Grandpa Emmitt’s lap through the whole gift opening. He was such a good baby!

An update on the hypothyroidism tests – his thyroid hormone level is “normal,” though the th3, which regulates the hormone level is high. So, he will be continually monitored over the next few months.

We have recently had a tough time keeping him from becoming congested. He is extremely sensitive to dry air. We have to have humidifiers going in whatever rooms he is in, otherwise his nose gets stuffed up and he has a lot of trouble breathing. One of the causes is the oxygen in his nose. We continue to pray that it is doing its job and helping his heart regulate his blood pressure. Hopefully only two more months with the tube up the nose.

Daniel seems to be getting so big! We haven’t been to the doctor in over a week and a half (which is a long time for us!), so we don’t know what he currently weighs, but he seems to be getting a lot bigger. He has outgrown his newborn clothes and he is wearing 0 – 3 month clothes! He is actually really long – almost too long for the 3 month clothes.

Nursing has gotten better. He is still hungry every 3 hours or so, but some nights he sleeps 4 hours at a time. We are going to start trying to get him to go to bed before us (he is sleeping in a pack ‘n play next to our bed). Our first real attempt was tonight and it took an hour for him to fall asleep. We are giving him a pacifier, but he hasn’t been able to keep it in his mouth by himself yet.

I go back to work next Wednesday, and I am really going to miss him. Please pray for this transition.

I recently received an email from a woman named Paula. Paula is pregnant with twins in March and one of her babies has been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart. She has asked for our prayers. Please add her to your prayer list!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We praise God for sending us His Son to save us from our sins and thank Him for blessing us with our son.

Going bald?

Say it isn’t so! Daniel is losing his beautiful dark hair – right on top! Just on Saturday we looked down and saw that he was getting really thin on top – yikes! We are praying it is just normal infant hair loss, as it is also a symptom of hypothyroidism (we haven’t gotten the results of the last blood test yet. )

This afternoon a nurse came and gave Daniel his first RSV shot. Thursday we have to go the pediatrician for another weight check and to have some more blood drawn.

Monday was another big day – a trip to the cardiologist. Daniel was 9 lbs 4 oz! We knew that he was getting “taller” because he has actually outgrown a couple outfits. The weight gain was very reassuring to me, since a week ago I made the decision to change his diet. I have been exclusively nursing and only pumping once a day, if that. I wasn’t getting enough to feed him with the pump, but nursing has been successful so far.

Daniel’s cardiologist told us that his heart looks great! The part of the aorta that was repaired is wide open and the patches look good as well. He is going to drop one of his medicines, but will stay on the lasix for now. Daniel still has blood pressure issues with his lungs and the doctor felt that he needs to stay on the oxygen for another two months. Our next appointment is February 12, so I hope that for my birthday he is doing good enough to be taken off the oxygen!

On a developmental note – Daniel can hold his head up for a long time by himself. He also likes to “stand” and bounce on our laps. As I type this he is sitting in my lap : ) He seems to be growing up so quickly!

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and will be sure to post pictures of our celebration!

God Bless you all!

Six Weeks Old

Six weeks old today – time is flying by. I get up in the morning and the next thing I know it is time to go to bed! I’ve been trying for a week to get my Christmas cards done – I guess I have two weeks left!

We have had a busy schedule. Daniel usually has at least one doctor’s appointment a week. Last week Thursday he was 8 lbs 5 oz – still a little guy, but growing.

We received notice from the state that Daniel has tested positive for congenital hypothyroidism – twice. He was tested both times during our stay at U of M. His local pediatrician reordered the test and we are still waiting on the results. Congenital hypothyroidism if untreated can cause mental retardation. If he is found to have this syndrome he will most likely have to take medication for the rest of his life – but it will have been caught early enough that he shouldn’t be affected by it. There is a possibility that he tested positive for this at U of M due to his blood transfusions during surgery. Please pray that he does not test positive for it this time.

Daniel also spent his first weekend at Nama & Papa Emmitt’s house. The mini van was packed to the gills, but we made it and had a great time!

He attended his first church service last weekend – the children’s Christmas program. It was nice being able to show him off to so many of the people that have been praying for him for all these months.

Last night he went out to dinner for the first time – to Kobe Steakhouse for Granny & Jed (they picked these names!) Kilgore’s 31st anniversary.

This afternoon I threw the travel oxygen tank over my shoulder and took Little Bear for a walk down the sidewalk. It was such a beautiful day.

One of the big differences we are noticing in Daniel is that he needs to be stimulated more and more. Last month all he needed was to be held and feed. Now he is not content with just laying in our arms. He wants to stretch out and look at things.

I have such a tough time getting anything done because I don’t like to put him down. I really have to work at getting out of the house at least once a day, otherwise I get cabin fever. I will be going back to work after the holidays, but I am blessed with the ability to work from home a couple days a week. Andy and my Mom will be watching Daniel on the days that I am not home.
Daniel has his next cardiologist appointment on the 17th. We are praying that he is able to go off his medications – two diuretics that he has to have once a day – and we pray he is able to be taken off the oxygen (he will be ready to get that thing out of his nose too - he is constantly pulling at it!). We will make sure to update you all next week with the results from the appointment!