THE CHRISTMAS GIGGLE

Our first Christmas together wasn't what we had in mind, but the important thing was we were able to spend it together. At first we were worried about the weather and the affect it may have on our travels in making it to Milwaukee. However, Christmas day, was rainy and warm enough to make it down without any delays or issues.

Elijah is recovering nicely. The doctors are encouraged with where he is at so far. He is a week and a half from his surgery and he is ready to get out of his bed! In the picture above you can see a little of his scar on his chest from his surgery. He is chatting it up more and more and his overall alertness improves each day. We even heard a few giggles for the 1st time on Christmas day, that was an awesome present!

The plan moving forward is to continue weening him off the sedation medications, he does experience some withdrawal symptoms. Also, to get his feeds back to the volume he was at when he came to the hospital, or more, and continue to monitor his progress and make sure everything in and around his heart is doing what it is suppose to. The doctors think a realistic discharge will be sometime around the 1st of the year, which would be a great start to a New Year and great way to close the book on a forgettable 2009!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday season. Thank you so much again for everyone checking in us, your prayers, support, and constant encouragement! We'll keep you posted!

RECOVERING

Elijah is in Day 3 of his recovery and the doctors are pretty happy with where he is at. The challenge for them is to make sure he stays comfortable but ween him off the sedation medications so Elijah starts breathing more on his own instead of the machines he is on.

It was great to spend time with him before his surgery. We were able to hold him, chat it up with him, he would flail his arms, kick his legs, and have all kinds of baby chatter! Its frustrating now when we go into his room and see him just laying there and we can't hold him...but he has responded when he heard our voices, that was cool to see.

Either way Elijah will be at Children's Hosptial for a couple of weeks, but each day so far has been small steps in the right direction for his recovery. Michelle and I have been in Milwaukee all week, but Michelle has to go back to work next week so that will be tough on her. It's a short work week, so we will be back down to spend Christmas with him.

From our family to yours, have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

HEART SURGERY

Today Elijah had his heart surgery. This was the procedure to close the hole in his heart that causes his oxygen levels to dip and his lungs do not get oxygenated. He was suppose to have this done 2 months ago but he got sick with the H1N1. After talking to his doctor everything went according to plan. His recovery period all depends on how he responds to the surgery. We are expecting he will be at Children's Hospital another couple of weeks.

The next couple of days are critical to his recovery. The important piece of his recovery is for his pulmonary hypertension to regulate so his lungs stay oxygenated. Elijah has been at Children's Hospital long enough that the doctors are confident in how to manage his recovery because of the time they had to spend with him!

We keep hearing how Elijah is fast becoming a favorite among the nurses! Thank you again for your prayers, support and checking in on us. We'll keep you posted.