livingwithevan.com

Tag: Family

  • Updates… video’s and pictures included

    Updates… video’s and pictures included

     

    Evan has been doing so well, we could not be happier about his progress. He’s gained about 6 ounces since birth and boy does he eat. Sarah’s milk came in and she’s been a machine. I checked the refrigerator in the ICU tonight before we left and there was enough in there for his next 5-6 feedings. She was very excited about it and so am I, much better for him than formula.

    The doctors are watching his intake and output very closely to make sure he’s getting the right amount of calories. We actually weigh each diaper after a changing and I can tell you that a Pampers size 1 diaper has a tare weight of 20 grams. His heaviest diaper, was over 120 grams! Guess that’s what happens when they give you meds to make you urinate. They regularly increase his total calories and he’s been taking it in stride. He’s up to feeding every 3 hours and taking 67mL (2 1/4 ounces). He takes the first 3/4 of it really, really fast and then he wants to take a nap and we have to coax him to eat the rest by bugging him. 🙂

    Tomorrow is our last day with him before the surgery. He’ll be fine, I know he will, but it’s really hard to think about what is going to happen to him without completely losing it. Despite everything that we’ve done to learn about and prepare for this, it’s still really, really hard. We’re having him blessed tomorrow afternoon and several family members will be there for it. Thursday morning they will wheel him down to a waiting area right outside the OR at about 8am. Sarah and I can be with him in that room right up until they wheel him into the OR. Surgery starts at about 8:30am and will last a 3-4 hours. We’ll go on a tour of the cardiac ICU and chew on our nails in the waiting room until he’s out. I’ve seen many pictures of other babies after they come out of the surgery, it’s not pretty and it’s going to be heart wrenching. We don’t know what life is going to be like for him immediately after the surgery, supposed to meet with the surgeon tomorrow and we’ll find out. How long will he be sedated? How long will he be on a ventilator, feeding tube, catheter, etc? What should we expect in general….???

    Enough of daddy being a downer…. here’s some pictures and video of the most handsome baby you’ve ever seen.

    OK, OK… I know daddy is mean and should let the little guy get his rest, but he’s sooooo cute when he’smoving around I had to mess with him a little bit. (I removed the audio in this one, the nurses were talking in the background and ruined it, but the video is still great)
    Do you have your tickets? from William Wood on Vimeo.

    So I am sitting in the chair feeding the little fella and I sit him up to burp him and what do find? Evan has the same issue as daddy, his pants never seem to cover everything they are supposed to.
    Evan is just like daddy. from William Wood on Vimeo.

  • Please get vaccinated

    Please get vaccinated

    I enjoy photography as a hobby and with such a vast online community it is easy to follow along with some of my favorite photographers as I try to develop my own brand of style.  One that I have followed for a while is Natalie Norton.  I don’t know how I found her, but she is good.  I’m not the best at keeping up with blogs and for a little while I hadn’t visited hers.  Then one day I noticed her header had changed, “I am a wife a mom and a wedding and portrait photographer. I live on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii with my wonderful husband and four crazy sons, one of whom lives in Heaven. Thanks for stopping by.”

    Wait, lives in heaven?  Holy…. What did I miss???   Her 4th son, named after her beloved but deceased brother, had died January 7, 2010.  He was 2.5 months old.  Her heartbreak and pain were all over her website and postings, completely palpable.  I never knew her but could not help but weep for all her pain.  Her son died of Whooping Cough (aka Pertussis, caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis).  They thought he just had a cough and went to the hospital for fluids, fully expecting to be discharged that day.  They left the hospital with empty arms; the illness took his little body quickly.  It is likely that Natalie gave her son the disease.

    We were all probably vaccinated as children with the DPT, DTaP, or Tdap vaccine (which also protects against diphtheria and tetanus).  The vaccine protects you for 5-10 years.  Adults need boosters.  If an adult has a Pertussis infection, it will likely be mild and present itself as a simple cough or bronchitis.  But for babies it is extraordinarily deadly (92% of pertussis deaths is in infants younger than 4 months of age). Having babies vaccinated certainly helps, but her son was just too young to have had the full rounds of vaccinations necessary to give him full protection.

    She has many more entries about this tragedy on her old blog.  It is tremendously sad.  But, she and her husband are committed to being transparent with the grieving process to help others as well as themselves.  They have joined the Sounds of Pertussis campaign.  It is aimed at educating adults on the importance of getting their pertussis booster and curb the growing incidence of this highly contagious but preventable disease.

    If you want to visit Evan or any other infant, I want you to be protected.  I’ll get my booster after giving birth.  Dad will get his shortly.  Not only do we need to give our son every advantage, but as adults we should be on top of these easy things for all babies.  Healthy babies get sick too.  Visit Sounds of Pertussis or do your own research.  But please protect yourself and the little ones out there.

    Natalie Norton new blog

    Natalie Norton old blog

    Baby Gavin links

    News interview with Natalie and her husband

    Sounds of Pertussis

    Pertussis on Wikipedia

     

  • Baby Shower

    Thanks so much to my sister and mom for hosting a shower for Evan.  Thank you family and friends for showering Evan with so much love and generosity already.  Among you, he will surely find no shortage of your kindness.  We received some adorable clothes, lots of nursery items, and oh-so practical tips and tricks from experienced moms.  Baby stuff is soooo cute and cuddly.  Thanks ladies (and Paulie)! The camera was a little squirrely so sorry the pics are what they are, but I also didn’t need 100 photos of my double chin so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. 🙂 Can’t wait until you all get to meet my little sweetie!  With his morse-code kicks he sends his deepest appreciation and thanks.