On the Charts

Quinn is doing well. He is off oxygen and medication. His appetite continues to keep mom and day up at night, but we are grateful he's thriving. His color is better and his eyes don't look sunken. He's developed a chest cold and has three teeth coming in on top, so that hasn't helped him to relax, but luckily his good nature didn't change with more energy. We love seeing his cheeks filling in too. We got him back on the charts. He's 27.25 inches long (in the 25%) and is 14.25 lbs. (2%, but on the chart!).


He loves playing with Lauren. We've tried solids, but he's rejecting them. He gags when we try, but he seems interested in what we're eating, so I don't get it. Oh well. My friend Kristy always sums up developmental delays in babies with "if a bum on the street can...then he will eventually." So since a bum on the street can eat solids, he will eat them eventually.

And good luck to Kristy who will have her baby tomorrow. Lauren won't know why we have to stop blessing Kristy's baby in her belly. Good luck!

Doing Well

This week has gone well. Quinn still wants to be up half the night, which is challenging, but he is keeping a happy disposition so we know he's feeling better. He is getting a new tooth on top so that's adding to his discomfort. We took the bandage off this morning and the war wound is looking good and scabbed over. I'm back to work tomorrow and will miss being home with my cuties (all three of them), but need an excuse to get out of the sweatpants.

Day Five and Six - Home

We left the hospital at about 1 p.m. yesterday after a bath, removing all the leads, except for his oxygen, and taking out the last IV (which Quinn actually pulled off his foot on his own). We got set up with the home health people on the oxygen equipment, which he will probably have for a couple more weeks. He loved seeing sister and his favorite toys. We said goodbye to Grandpa Barnum and appreciate him staying with Lauren the whole week!

We have 50 ft of hose, so we had them put the machine in a central location so we could move from the living room to the bedroom to our bedroom. He is off Loritab and just being medicated with Motrin and Tylenol, so he's a little fussy and having a hard time sleeping. We know this will get better soon, but are in for a few sleepless nights until then.

Waiting to leave at the hospital:


His chest x-ray: You can see the wires in his ribs where they closed them shut. The circular mass behind the ribs is all heart since it was enlarged due to the VSD (a common side-effect). This will evenually go down to a normal size.


Looking at Lauren when we got home and holding a favorite toy:


The beast in our hallway:


Set up in the pack n' play in the living room, so we brought the "floor" and his playmat to an elevated surface:

Videos Day 5:

Day Four - Getting Closer

Today was a really great day as far as Quinn's recovery goes. He was awake most of the day and played, nursed and smiled a lot at the nurses who love him. There is another baby who had the same VSD surgery next door who has cried practically nonstop (literally) since we came to the floor, so Quinn being his pleasant, calm self has endeared himself to the staff.


We are looking to bring him home tomorrow, but will need to keep him on oxygen at home for they think a couple of weeks until we have our first post-op check up. We count it a blessing we can bring him home and know your prayers have helped make that possible. The experience has been overwhelming with love and support from our friends, family and neighbors. We know it's not something we can directly pay back, but look forward to service opportunities in the future.


Here's some highlights from today:

His legs are kicking in this one:

Day Three - On the Move

Quinn did much better today and later tonight, they moved him from ICU to a normal hospital room tonight (with a bed for mom - yeah!). They removed his neck IV and his chest tube in the morning and he started to get a little more active. They brought a few toys in and he responded well to them. He continues to eat well and with his chest tube out, is able to nurse, which is a little tricky with the remaining wires, but I'm getting the hang of it). His bp and oxygen levels are still a little irregular, so they are watching that up here.

An exciting moment was when Grandpa Doug and Lauren came to visit. Quinn perked right up seeing her. It was cute. She came in costume to do trick-or-treating at the hospital (siblings were invited). It was fun for mommy to spend a little time with her and she got lots of loot. They give mostly games and things rather than candy, so she will enjoy them for a while.

Hard to say how much longer we'll be here. Will keep you posted.

The surgeon gave us the piece of patch he used with the hole cut out. You can see how big it was in perspective to Quinn's fist (about the size his heart is).

The long white part on the scan is his patch for the VSD. The hole was kind of in the middle to lower area of his heart.

They changed out his bandages after taking out the chest tube, so we were able to get a glimpse at the stitches.

The hospital had a room of Halloween costumes for the patients came and took pictures. We chose this onsie for him. You can't see it well in this photo, but it has a red heart over his heart area. We thought it fitting, plus it could stay open at the bottom for all his wires.

Videos from Day 3:

See also the videos I added to Day 1's post.

Day 2 - The Road to Recovery

Quinn's doing much better today thanks to all your prayers. He moved to another part of the ICU tonight and they have removed a few of his IVs so he doesn't look quite as scary. He may move from ICU tomorrow. He still has quite a few wires. He's forgetting to breathe well when he sleeps and eats, so we're back on oxygen for now. All in all, much better.

He's been eating and sleeping well and is being a model patient. The nurse asked if I had taken some seditives because he is so calm and good that she thought I might be passing it through my milk to him! It was the talk Jay had with him before the hospital about listening to the doctors and nurses. I'll post again tomorrow night. Thanks for your continued thoughts.

The only smile we saw all day was when daddy came:(

Tonight:

This morning:

Hanging in There - A Few Hours After Surgery

Quinn's doing much better with some medication that is helping keep his heart rate and blood pressure stable. Thank you for all your prayers and concern. We've felt it!

Proof of Gollaher Gene

With in-vitro, there is always that minuscule chance that the peitre dishes were mixed up. We know Lauren is a carbon copy of a younger Jay. But what about my side? Last night, I confirmed her Gollaher side when she instantly loved macty and tomades - a comfort food only Gollahers like and the in-laws find disgusting. It was a bonding moment to share our first bowl together. How could I not document it?

Teach Your Children Well...

Primping

Mom and Dad, although learning, cannot yet french braid. Thanks to Aunt Nunee, Lauren did get a fun treat of seeing her hair in braids.

Jay does however know how to paint nails. While in the checkout at the store, he saw some nail stickers and couldn't resist. He painted Lauren's nails and added the sparkly stickers then sent this photo to mommy at work. Such a cute daddy and a cute girl!

Read on...

Going back to work left something to be desired in the blogosphere. I've repented by offering readers a month's worth of blog posts today. Enjoy and keep scrolling!

Swings

Thank you, Jordan, for taking these photos of Lauren on the swings. She is incessantly asking to go on the swings. When she's on them though, she doesn't smile. It's so funny. Just don't try and take her off! These photos capture the experience perfectly.

Aunt Nunee Helps Out

I went back to work the first part of April, before Jay was done with classes. Thanks to my great employer, I was able to go back part time until the semester was over. That still left three days a week that I needed help with the kids. I wasn't quite ready to leave Quinn with non family, so my mom said she could help with him (we had sitters for Lauren) until Jay was done. Just before the first week back, she had her gallbladder taken out unexpectedly. That left us with a kink in our plan.

Enter Aunt Nunee. I was able to drop Quinn off as I went to my Lehi office. She was so cute with him and would send me photos of him dressed in Claire's pink hats, etc. I hope it doesn't scar him for life. She even watched both kids a few times. I know Jordan helped too. We are so grateful to you both.

At the adult session of our stake conference this weekend, the talks focused on our families on earth, both immediate and extended. I sat there grateful for Janessa and how she helped our family so much. I was really anxious about going back to work with a newborn and she put my mind at ease - especially in her first trimester and often sick! Claire was cute with Quinn too and got to feel what it's like to have a baby around. Pretty soon, she won't have to wonder, right? We love you Nuie!

Quinn Two Months

Two months have flown by. Quinn is looking more like a baby and less like an infant. We think he's probably up to nine pounds now, so growing well. The cardiologists think his hole might be getting smaller as well, so we're hoping to avoid surgery after all. He is eating well and sleeping as he should (just wish that meant through the night). He is a very chill baby and content to be mauled by sister and snuggled by anyone who wants to, which we all do. He does prefer to be held, so we use the baby bjorn around the house. We are blessed to have him in our family too. He's showing us hints of wanting to smile, so we know it's around the corner. That will be fun.

Here's some photos for those of you who are not in town. The teddy bear is for size comparison: