The latest with our Superman...

The date has been scheduled! July 15th is Alexander's Cardiac catheterization (heart cath) followed by the Glenn surgery on the 18th. A heart cath is an invasive imaging procedure that will allow Alexander's cardiologist to "see" how well his heart is functioning. During the test, a catheter will be inserted into a blood vessel in his leg and guided to his heart with the aid of a special X-ray machine. Contrast dye will be injected through the catheter so that X-ray movies of his valves, coronary arteries, and heart chambers can be created. The pressure in his lungs will be measured as well during this procuedure. If Alex's cardigologist learns that Alexander's pressures in his lung are to high, he won't survive the Glenn and other interventions may be needed before he could have the Glenn procedure. (Ugh!) Let's hope this isn't the case. For a video clip of what the Heart Cath "movie" looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l6htCSR_7M

 I know many of you have asked us about what will occur during the Glenn, so here it is.
A Glenn shunt is a surgical operation in which a large vein (the superior vena cava) is connected to the right pulmonary artery so that blood bypasses the malformed right chambers of the heart and is shunted directly into the lungs to be oxygenated. His PA band (the band on his pulmonary artery-completed during the first surgery) will either be tightened or it will be left in-this is up to Alexander's surgeon, Dr. Starnes. We won't know his decision until the week of the surgery. Typically, the heart cath is done a few weeks to a month prior to open heart surgeries. However, because Alexander has a muscle blocking partial flow of his Pulmonary Artery, he will most likely be very blue afterwards and his body may have a difficult time regulating. Therefore, they are going to do both procedures in the same week. The recovery process for the Glenn is typically a week. Both procedures worry me greatly!! Because as you know, Alexander does well with procedures/surgeries; it is the before and after that affect him. We are praying that he is stronger and much healthier this time around and won't have any "issues" before and/or after the surgery.

On a positive note, once the Glenn is over, not only will we be able to take Alexander out in public, we will also be trying new things! Like feeding cereal, sleeping in his own bed and hopefully sleeping through the whole night- no more feelings every 2-4 hrs during the night!

Future WVU or USC Kicker....

2 weeks ago Alexander got to see all of his great grandparents at one time! Wes and I were happy to have all of the grandparents together for a few pictures!

There are things I haven't mentioned  on the blog mostly because I wasn't ready to accept it but now I must.  Alexander will be receiving physical therapy one time a week because of a delay with his motor skills. He is requiring PT due to not being able to start tummy time until he was 2.5 months old and he couldn't be picked up under the arms until he was 3 months old. He is currently at the developmental stage of a 2 month old with his gross motor skills. A physical therapist (PT) will be working on getting him to lift his head, roll over, as well as, other gross motor activities. A child development specialist will also see him once a month to make sure he is meeting his developmental milestones.  In addition, he needs a helmet (Doc-Band) to help with the shaping of his head. He has a flat spot from being in the hospital for 4.5 weeks and the left side of his head is more round than the right. The therapist have stated he has moderate Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly. He will begin wearing a helmet after his surgery. For more information about the Doc-Band, Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly, check out the link: http://www.cranialtech.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=37&Itemid=28

 I never thought I would be on the other side of therapy! I find this difficult to talk about because I don't really want to accept it, yet I know he needs it and I have to! I'm HOPING the only delays are his motor skills and nothing else! Watching him try at tummy time breaks my heart and fills my eyes with tears of joy when he makes the slight bit of progress! From my professional experience, when teaching a child to strengthen their motor skills, the skills are acquired quickly. He has been authorized to start services as of July 1st. I'm hoping we can get one session in before his surgery, otherwise, we will be waiting another couple of weeks.

Everyday Wes and I are learning more and more about Alexander, as his little personality grows. He is quite the talker and last week I heard Alexander giggle! He has continued to do little giggles here and there, and I can't wait for him to always be laughing. He currently weighs 10 pounds 15.5 ounces!







These next two weeks will probably fly by and before you know it, the day will come. I'm not sure how I'm going to get through it without being a complete emotional wreck, but I'm going to try. I have to stay strong for Alexander. The week of his surgeries will be a LONG week. Prayers and positive thoughts are always needed and will be needed even more in two weeks. Praying that he gets through both procedures without any complications and that we are only in the hospital for the typical recovery time, 1 week!

Watching Mommy & Daddy cook!

We hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July!