Time to play man to man defense

Welcome to the world Jonah Sutherland Llarena!!!

Born on January 18 at 7:20AM, Jonah weighed a whopping 7lbs 2oz (which is almost 2 pounds more than Wyatt did). He was a long baby at 21 1/4". 

Other than sleep deprived, everyone is happy and healthy, and everyone including big brother is really excited about our new roomie. 

I will say, Lizzy and I had forgotten what the first couple of weeks/months were like in regards to sleep...I am pretty sure we had blocked it out of our memories because after the second night we both looked at each other in a moment of WTF. 

So far, playing defense has been pretty easy as Wyatt is pretty self sufficient when it comes to entertaining himself. I have been lucky enough to be home the first two weeks so it has allowed for Lizzy and I to adjust to the new life. Unfortunately, I head back into the office on Monday and Lizzy is going to become super mom as she takes care of both of the boys. 

With the combination of the new baby and Wyatt's surgery late last year, I have definitely fallen off the blog wagon, but with Jonah's arrival, it's time to step the game back up.

Btw...they look really similar at this age!

1 week after open heart surgery

Today marks exactly 7 days since Wyatt went in for his ASD repair.

Seven days ago, Wyatt went in for his ASD repair. Before the surgery, we assumed that the hole was about 12mm in size which is significant for an infant, but not huge. We learned after the surgery was complete that the hole was actually the size of a half dollar or 30.61mm. While that didn't affect the surgery itself, it rocked us a bit because the range of emotions and "what ifs" cannot even begin to be explained.

What I will say is that while I had prepared for the surgery itself to be the hard part, it was actually the easiest. The hardest part has actually been Wyatt's recovery. It started with the first 24 hours out of surgery and feeling helpless as the doctors and nurses worked to regulate his heartbeat, and his pain levels. All done through trial and error. In hindsight, it was obvious that he wasn't comfortable at all for the first 12 hours. What's worse is that as his parents, Lizzy and I had to try and act as if everything was okay, when deep down we were both hurting.

Once they had stabilized his pain meds, the consensus between us was that we had gotten through the worst of it. Boy were we wrong.

There are NO words to begin to describe the amount of emotional pain I personally felt as our helpless little man asked and even begged for us to hold him because it was his way of trying to soothe the pain he was in. And beyond him asking us to be held, we continuously tried to limit his movements so that he wouldn't arch his back and cause more pain and in turn elevate his heart rate to an absurd 180 beats per minute(it should be around 110).

Then came the pain around his chest tube. The tube which helps to drain the excess liquid from around his heart, actually caused him to hurt with every deep breath. So to compensate that, we had him on morphine. Did I mention morphine has withdrawal symptoms that caused him to be agitated? That was fun...

The turning point didn't come until Monday, four days after surgery, when they finally removed the tube. It was like he was reborn. His mood changed, his smile came back, and he was walking around the hospital as if nothing had happened. It was crazy. But man, at that moment, it felt like the first time I could breathe and just exhale. The amazing boy we all know was back, and better than ever.

Today, we struggle to keep him contained. Not because it hurts him, but because he acts as though he hasn't had open heart surgery seven days ago. He is climbing furniture, jumping up and down and even high stepping across the living room. All things the doctor has recommended he not do. But how do you hold down a two year old??? You can't, you just have to hope to contain him.

I cannot thank everyone who sent prayers and messages enough for it. I know it helped me be strong for Wyatt, Lizzy and myself.

Monday evening update

It's Monday September 15. We have been in the hospital since Thursday and we are all feeling a bit restless. 

Yesterday was a rough day for Wyatt. It felt like nothing went right. His drain tube didn't come out, he spiked a fever and his heart rate was elevated most of the day. But after a night of narcotic assisted rest, he has done a complete 360 today!

He woke up with energy and optimism. He was walking around the halls and even had the drain removed. This evening he has even been marching around. It's amazing. 

The best news is that barring any surprised tonight, we are getting out of the hospital!

As Ice Cube once said...I gotta say it was a good day. 

Two days after surgery

It's been just over two full days since Wyatt's surgery and there are lots of emotions running through us all. 

The biggest being exhaustion. I cannot even begin to explain how draining it is to watch a child recover from a major surgery. There are peaks and valleys every hour related to his recovery, and things that haven't gone quite as planned. 

In general, Wyatt is doing fantastic. There is a bit of caution being taken as he has an elevated heartbeat. They want to have his in the 120 beats per minute range but Wyatt's is still hovering around 140. And that is after helping it come down from 160 where it peaked last night. We are definitely headed in the right direction though as he is probably going to have his drainage tube removed tomorrow and god willing, be discharged as early as Monday!

Anyhow, thank you to all who have sent messages and who have been following the blog. Goodnight from the exhausted parents. 

Amazing what 24 hours does

We have been out of surgery for 24 hours and look at his progress. I am amazed at this child. I can't believe his strength. He is my hero. 

In the ICU

After a very successful surgery, Wyatt has been moved to the ICU. Hopefully we are only here for a day, but only time will tell. 

The surgery itself took about 3 hours where Doctor Fraser repaired a hole the size of a fifty cent piece. (We didn't know it was that big) he said there were no surprises and Wyatt was even taken off the breathing machine before leaving the operating room. 

Now the hard part begins. It broke my heart to see Wyatt with all the different tubes coming out of him and listening to him moan in pain. But it only gets easier from here. I hope. 

Surgery has begun

Wyatt was taken for surgery at 7:15 this morning. Before heading back, they gave him a sedative that made him a happy drunk. So the process was as painless as it could be. 

It was tough to watch him get carried off, but we are in the best hands with doctor Fraser. For those of you interested, here is a video of him and his role. 

http://youtu.be/d3NH1-tVQsk