Update #3

Parker has been out of surgery for a few hours. They started him a fentanyl drip (continuous pain medication in his iv) because he has been hurting.

His nasal cannula (oxygen) is bothering him the most! He will not leave it in his nose. He also wants something to drink so bad. He keeps asking for milk, apple juice, chicken and French fries. Poor thing. He is loving the mouth swabs and sucks them dry!











Right now we are in the waiting room because his heart rate was increasing and nurse wanted him to have less stimulation. They did an EKG to look at his heart rhythm and it was normal, so that is a praise! They decided to start a Precidex drip to help relax him. He is also on Dopamine for his blood pressure. Right now he is resting comfortably and watching toy story 3! Such an amazing little guy :)
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He's out!

Parker is out of surgery and in the ICU!! We haven't seen him yet but will be able to in about 30 minutes. The breathing tube is out and he is already trying to sit up and get out of bed!! Little fighter!! Will update once we see him.


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Update #2

He is already off bypass and his heart is beating on it's own (with a little help from an external pacemaker). This makes my heart so happy!! They said if the echo looks good, he should be done in a hour or so!!


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Update #1

Just got an update. He is on bypass and they are about to stop the heart and do the connections. He is doing good. Things are going pretty fast (faster than I was planning for). He didn't have as much scar tissue as they thought he would! The next update should be of them checking everything! Thanks for all the prayers!


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Surgery Day

Yesterday was a long day of pre-op testing at ACH. It was also my birthday! We went out to dinner with my family. It wasn't my ideal way to spend my birthday but at least I got to spend the entire day with my two favorite guy!

This morning we got to the hospital at 5:00.





We spent the morning playing.





Parker kept showing us his "mr pump". He kept telling us that the doctors are going to fix his "mr pump"!!





He also made a fort!





We got him a brand new buzz lightyear for his hospital stay. He needed a new clean smaller one. He LOVED it!!
They came and got him at 7:15. He did get some "happy" medicine so he was happy to go with the nurse, he just loved riding on the bed!
Dennis and I are doing good....we have lots of family and friends keeping us company. I will definitely keep the blog updated today.
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Keeping Busy

The past few days we have just been hanging out with Parker and getting some last minute things done.

We played outside.

He wore me out!!

Got a hair cut...

And tonight we ate dinner with Stephen, Sarah and Sydney. These two certainly are a pair =)

We also took them out for ice cream.

I am just so thankful for all the wonderful friends and family we are surrounded by.

I dont really have much to post about or say. Tomorrow is our big pre-op appointment. This is where Parker will have a lot of testing done to prepare him and the surgeons for his surgery on Thursday. It is going to be a long day for Parker. Keep him in your prayers.

Last day of school

Parker's doctor wants him to be out of school the week of his surgery. This will decrease his risk of getting sick or beig around anyone sick before his surgery. So, today was Parker's last day of school before his heart surgery and his class threw him a pary! It was so sweet. They had cookies, ice cream sandwiches and punch. These are his best friends at school (Carson and Carter)....

This is Parker and his teacher, Miss Lynzee. Parker had just woken up from his nap in this picture =) All of his teachers are so sweet and they love him so much.

The kids and parents in his class are wonderful too. Parker got a present from one of his friends, he loved it and he calls it a polar bear!

Parker's class also made him this sign and they all "signed" it. It says "we will miss you Parker, Get well soon".

This week Dennis and I also got the opportunity to give blood for Parker to use while he is in the hospital. I just love that we could do this for him. I am a planner and there is just no way that I can plan what is about to happen but this is something I can do for him; so I did it!! A few of our friends and family were able to give blood also. We appreciate everyone who gave and everyone who tried to give but couldnt for various reasons. We are overwhelmed with all of the encouragement, notes, and prayers from our amazing family and friends.

Sweet Boy

When I went to get the mail today I opened the mailbox and saw a huge yellow envelope. I immediately knew what it was and my heart sank. It was the surgery packet. I dont know why that particular thing got to me but it just hit me and it just made the surgery so real (it is one week from tomorrow! yikes!).

When I got inside, I unwrapped all the mail and inside of the folded yellow envelope was a small letter. It was a sweet (really sweet!) note of encouragement. God is so amazing!! =) I needed that note to go along with the surgery material (of course God knew that!)

The envelope was filled with surgery information, visiting hours, things to expect and a DVD to watch (havent brought myself to watch that yet). As I was reading all of the material I began to cry a little; Parker was sitting at the bar across from me and asked if Momma was sad? and then before I knew it, he was giving me the biggest hug and brought my coat to me so that I could wipe my eyes on the sleeve. He is such a sweet boy and I always want to remember these sweet moments. It is so easy to forget in all the hussell and bussell of everyday life.

It's official

This last week Dennis and Parker have been getting the yard ready for Spring and Parker has loved helping Dennis.


He has his own shovel! And was so proud to help put mulch in the wheel barrel!


This week I have been talking to schedulers, admissions and nurses about Parker's heart surgery.


The date will be March 17th! Wow....how did this day get here so fast? Wasnt he a little tiny baby just yesterday?

The plan is to go into the clinic on March 16th for all of the pre-op tesing (EKG, chest x-ray, blood work, etc) and then we will report to the hospital at 5:30 am on the 17th.

He will be the first case that morning (probably will start around 8:00-9:00), but there is always the chance of a delay or change of time due to an emergency surgery or a heart transplant. This has happened with both of Parker's previous surgeries.

God is so good and I know that all of this is His plan for Parker and our family. His strength and the love of our friends and family will get us through this difficult season.
Thank you for all the support and for lifting us up in your prayers!

The rest of the story

The results of Parker's heart cath were perfect! He is a text book candidate for the Fontan surgery (his third and hopefully final, major heart surgery)! We have mixed emotions....I am thrilled he is a candidate for this surgery (so many kids dont make it to this final step in the process) but I am so incredibly scared and sad that he has to go through this surgery.



It really is a praise that Parker's heart cath looked so good. He does still have a leaky tricuspid valve and we are waiting to hear from his surgeon to see if he will fix this during the surgery or if he will see how the surgery effects the valve (it could be better with the new circulation, could get worse or it could stay the same). His lung pressures are great, his heart function is what we expected and his pulmonary arteries are huge!! No fistulas were seen in the lungs, no collaterals had formed and the blood in his lungs is oxygenated at 100%!



As for the surgery....he is scheduled for a date in the middle of March (like 2 1/2 weeks!). I will give the exact date once I talk to the surgery department and get that last verification. oh dear!!