8 Months Later

Today, my precious son is 8 months old.


This has been the first time, since his birth, that the 8th has fallen on a Sunday. There was just something about him being 8 months old, on Sunday the 8th, that seemed a little extra special and emotional.

We listened to "Our Hope Endures" on the drive back to Raleigh today and I was flooded with memories. It was about 3:15 and I remember thinking that at that time, exactly 8 months ago, we were visiting Ethan in the Special Care Nursery at Rex, just beginning to learn about his heart defect.

It's absolutely crazy the amount of knowledge we have acquired in such a short time. The amount of love that has filled my heart is even crazier! I am completely thankful, everyday, that God has allowed me to know this kind of love.

In honor of his "golden-month" birthday, I thought I would share 8 fun facts about our (literally) bouncy baby boy:

1. His favorite toy is the plunger to a 60 mL syringe.
2. He has just learned to clap his hands, and does it all. the. time.
3. As of last Friday, he is 11 ounces away from 22 pounds. This means a new car seat is in our immediate future.
4. He talks to Annie and REALLY wants to play with her. He's not really aware of the fact that she's more than put-off about his presence in her house.
5. That 3rd tooth is FINALLY making its way through his so very stubborn gums.
6. He can roll over from front to back and sit-up, independently.
7. He doesn't seem to care for too many baby foods, but has taken a strong liking to my mama's homemade sweets. (I'd rather not elaborate on how we've come to that conclusion.)
8. His chunky thighs are so very ticklish, as is his neck!

The list could go on and on, and I am excited about what the next few months have in store. I look forward to learning about, and loving on, my amazing little boy!

Happy 8-month birthday, Ethan. We love you.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

BEFORE:

AFTER:

(There's a slight angle, from the back to the front, that you can't see because of the turtleneck. Oh well. You get the idea!)

Thanks to my amazing sister, Jessi, for always figuring out how to manage this wild mane!

CHD Ribbons!!

I realize not everyone reads through the comments on each post, but I wanted to make sure this one didn't go unnoticed! My sister has spent some time creating A LOT of these:

Aren't they cute?!

Here is what she said in the comments of my previous post:

"To anyone who's interested, I've made some super cute little ribbons that pin onto your shirt that have little red hearts on them! I'll send them to you for free to show your support! Just e-mail me if you're interested! j.day86@yahoo.com"

Thank you, Jessi! You are the best sister a girl could ask for, and the best aunt EVER!

Remember to wear red & blue on Sunday, November 29 and send pictures to: ethankendrickmullis@gmail.com!!

Audience Participation

If you're real observant, you may have noticed a couple of additions to the blog. The first of those is in regards to "Red & Blue Day". On Sunday, November 29, we're asking that you wear red and blue to show your support of children and adults living with congenital heart defects! Did you know that 1 out of every 125 infants are born with heart defects each year in the United States?

Like Ethan, many of those babies will undergo intense open-heart surgery while only being hours or days old. You already know what a fighter Ethan is, and this blog has introduced you to other amazing children who are fighting right alongside him!

So, mark you calendar and show your support!

AND... you may have also noticed that I added Ethan's e-mail address right under the "Praying for Ethan" button. A while back I mentioned that we set up an e-mail account for him, as a way to tell him all about his journey.

Now, it's your turn!

On November 29, take pictures, videos, etc. of you and/or your family decked out in red & blue. Send them to Ethan at ethankendrickmullis@gmail.com and give him lots to look at when he's old enough to figure this stuff out!

(My plan is to compile all of the responses into a Blurb photo book. How cool will that be?!)

Get those creative juices flowing, and have FUN!

Happy Halloween!

Cabin Fever

Yesterday, we took Ethan to the pediatrician to get the 2nd and final dose of his seasonal flu vaccine, as well as a Synagis shot. Between the Synagis, and the H1N1 vaccinations, he will get 7 more shots in the next 6 months; and that doesn't even include his 9-month vaccinations!

Side note: I know there are some of you out there who will read this and cringe; you may even want to tell me all about delayed vaccination schedules, or give me your opinion on why we shouldn't vaccinate at all, but please don't. I am admittedly hesitant about all these shots, but we absolutely can't risk not protecting him from things that could be life-threatening for him. Thanks in advance for respecting our decision to do what we feel is best for our son.

Those shots were our first step in attempting to keep Ethan well during the cold and flu season. I've joked that he probably won't see sunlight from now until March and I suppose that will be the case, to some degree. We missed out on the State Fair this year because my "germy" 6th sense kicked in (we also had few nurse friends advise us that he definitely should not enter such a cesspool of nastiness -- my words, not theirs).

I wipe him down with a WetOne each time a stranger touches him, and I think twice about touching door handles and sinks. I wash my hands a couple thousand times a day and give my students "air handshakes". I've become a total germ-a-phobe, but I'm determined to do everything in my power to keep Ethan as healthy as can be.

All of this has already started to affect our social life. We haven't taken any family trips to anywhere other than church. We run all of our errands while the other is home to stay with Ethan. We really haven't hung out with our friends at all, and at times it seems like we're the only company we have. After a while, that gets really old. I love my boys, but there are nights I need my girls. There are times Jeramie and I just need each other. Then, there are other times that it would be so nice to go out as a family without worrying about what Ethan could catch.

We had a big day today, and there were many times I was super aware of our surroundings. However, celebrating a new marriage, having dinner with friends, and doing some shopping, all as one big, happy family was just what the doctor ordered.

It's going to take a few more days like today to get me through the next 6 months. I pray that I can be protective and wise, without being overly worried. I pray that Jeramie and I will find ways to connect, regardless of limited resources or personal fears. Most of all, I pray that Ethan will remain the strong, happy, healthy baby that he is right now.

Spit Happens

The last hour has been an exciting one, but not in the "I'm-so-excited-I-just-won-a-million-dollars" kinda way. I was sitting in the living room floor working on some stuff for school when I heard Ethan, on the monitor, start to gag. This isn't uncommon, especially when he's trying to do his business...which he was...

Anyway, moving on.

Jeramie went up to check on him and, after a few seconds, yelled, "OH MY GOD! Joye!!" My heart sank, and I ran upstairs faster than you could imagine. I walked in to see a puddle of baby vomit on the sheets and Jeramie was holding him. He was still gagging, but nothing was coming up at that point.

For those of you who are keeping track of Ethan's procedures and present-day anatomy, he had surgery in May for something called a Nissen. The idea is that this keeps stomach contents from coming back up into his esophagus, and potentially going back down into his airway. You'll probably remember that his cardiac arrest back in April was explained by "micro-aspirations", which were small amounts of formula that were being refluxed and then inhaled into his lungs, without ever coming out of his mouth.

So, needless to say, I thought I was going to pass out when I realized he had spit up. A) It technically shouldn't be happening, and B) how long has this been going on? I immediately went back to those days in late April and watched him breathe for a couple of minutes. He looked fine, sounded fine, acted fine, but we decided to call Duke "just in case".

I explained my concerns to the cardiologist and he spoke with another cardiologist, then called us back. Thankfully, they didn't see a need for us to bring him in. We are to keep a close eye on him over the next few days to see if it gets worse, and to watch out for the obvious signs of respiratory distress. I can handle that.

It sounds like Ethan's Nissen may be loosening up a bit, which is expected. Given any other circumstance, I would be thrilled that this is happening. I hate seeing him retch, and I've often wished that he could get some relief. Imagine having an upset stomach and needing to throw up, but you can't. Ugh. However, like the pacemaker, the Nissen has been our "safety net". In 5 months, we've never had to worry about him aspirating anything other than saliva. Now, we know if he strains hard enough, he can potentially spit up some stuff. The big question, though, is whether he has outgrown the probability of aspirating it.

I'm probably going to be a ball of nerves over the next day or so. Every little cough will probably send me flying up the steps again. If y'all would say some prayers for us, I'd appreciate it! Pray that Ethan will be protected from any aspirations and potential respiratory issues. Pray that I'll be observant without being overly worried.

Who knows? Maybe we're on our way to experiencing one more "normal baby" thing, without needing to be so concerned. Maybe we'll get to use all these cute burp cloths after all!