Caleb is Out of Surgery

Caleb is out of his surgery and is now recovering up in his room. We spent about 30 minutes in the recovery room as he was coming to (see photos below). He was and still is pretty groggy, but hopefully he'll wake up a little more after he eats. It is hard to see your little angel look so lifeless and sickly after surgery, but we know he'll be back to his ole' giggly self soon. Since the surgery went a couple hours longer than expected, our doctor had to run to a different part of the operating room so we haven't heard how it went. More details to come once we know more, but we love being able to hold him and see that he's still the sweet little guy we love unconditionally. We've gotten tons of emails, texts, and phone calls and are grateful for everyone's prayers. We'll be here overnight at Med City and hopefully will get released tomorrow - depending on how Caleb recovers...

Waiting, Watching, and Welaxing

It looks like the surgery will take a little longer than expected. We just got a call from the operating room - the surgeon will need to taper Caleb's right ureter because it didn't contract on its own when it was cut. So, we'll see how the left ureter procedure goes (if it is necessary), but odds are he'll be in surgery an extra hour or so. Amazing what they can do on the fly during surgery - all through a one inch incision.

Visitors & Technology

We have been blessed by visitors this morning which really helps pass the time. Mo Sadjadpour was kind enough to bring us manna (aka Chick-Fil-A) and Stacie Hurst came by to support us. Medical City has a really cool system they use to provide updates on how the surgery is going (see picture below showing the knife representing that he is in surgery). Like a flight status board, it shows where the surgery is in process. We look forward to seeing the band-aid icon which means he is getting stiched back up. Is Craig a dork that he notices the efficient use of technology to reduce anxiety for parents and lower costs for the hospital by reducing staff? (don't answer that...)

The Day Begins

We got an early start this morning at 5am, which does a body good. We have entrusted our little guy to the Lord as we await the surgery to be completed. As we type this, he is probably getting his anaesthesia. Here are a few photos from the check-in process this morning. We're hanging in the waiting room, praying, and chatting with some folks from Nebraska who have been staying at the Embassy Suites for the last two weeks while their son has a cleft pallet surgery. Hearing their story is a good reminder for how gracious God has been to us.

7 months - April 25

What a fun and busy month!! Let's start with some amazing news...we went to the Cardiologist for a 6 month check up and to get clearance for his surgery. Praise the Lord that the 2 holes in Caleb's heart have completely healed. He did so well but was much more alert and wanted to help the technician with their wires, the ultrasound, and the sticky things. Caleb's big blue eyes, huge smile, and "curly" hair was a hit among all the nurses!



While we were at the Cardiologist, Caleb weighed in at 19 pounds 5 ounces. We started out the month with a Mommy/Son trip to Austin. Julie and Caleb took a road trip down I-35 for 5 days and visited many friends and family that they don't often see during their whirlwind weekend trips. Thank you everyone for accommodating our crazy schedule and being flexible with our limited time. Caleb's cousin, TJ, turned four and Julie's sister threw an amazing Speed Racer Party!! It is a great reminder of how truly blessed we are to be surrounded by so many loved ones! We miss you all and can't wait for our next Austin trip. (But it was incredibly hard to be away from Craig for that long.) See the slideshow below for more pictures.



The rest of our month was filled with numerous activities like, a visit to Julie's school she taught at last year, West Dallas Community School (Caleb was dressed in his "uniform" ready for school). A Day at the Arboretum with our Play Group, plenty of Easter pictures, Bible Studies, lunches with friends, Sip and Sees, and lots of hang time with Daddy.



This month we have really seen Caleb develop in his hand-eye coordination. He now grabs for anything and everything, has to taste everything in order to truly "see" it, he is sitting by himself so much better, and is even beginning to roll a little. Caleb got his first two teeth and is enjoying LOTS of cereal and vegetables!! It is just so funny to watch him grab everything. We are not sure we are ready for the next stage...the Baby Proof Stage!



We love the way our worries just melt away whenever we hold Caleb in our arms and he looks at us with such intent. We sit around staring at him and wonder what he is thinking.



Please be praying for Caleb's Ureteral Re-Implant surgery on Wednesday, April 29. Pray specifically for the surgeon's to have steady hands, the anesthesiologist to administer the surgery well, for Caleb's ureter to take to the bladder with ease, for us to feel the Lord's comfort, and for Caleb to recover quickly and painlessly. (We will keep the blog updated as soon as we get home from the hospital).



Sorry for the abundance of pictures we had such a fun month capturing his little personality. Please see the slideshow below for a better view into Caleb's month!

Caleb and Daddy have matching pajamas (brown shirts and crazy striped pants)

A little slideshow of Caleb's fun month

Our Redeemer Lives

On this Easter Sunday, we pray for each of you to know and have an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." - song written by Elvina M. Hall in 1865 from Isaiah 1:18.

"Therefore Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always LIVES to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:25

Have a blessed Easter, knowing Jesus is Risen and He Lives!!

6 months - March 25!!

It is hard to believe our little man is 6 months old!! We have had yet another busy month. One weekend we headed down to Austin for one of Julie's childhood friend's wedding. Jenna looked absolutely beautiful as she was marrying Hunter. During the Austin trip we saw 23 family members, and we still did not get to see everyone we wanted to. Click here to see some of the fun with family. The next weekend, Craig turned 34 years old and his mom, Mammy, came into help us celebrate and to give us a weekend with our super fun Community Group from church. We went to an amazing lake house and enjoyed the outdoors, the glory of God's creation, and a ton of laughter. Our friends are much better at blogging and capturing the moment than we are. Check out The Shepelwichs and The Smiths for a better recap of the fun-filled weekend. See the below video of the boys,"TT", making their tour of Rock Band. Thanks again Mammy for coming in town to spend the weekend with Caleb!!

We then took a few weekends to catch up from the crazy couple of weeks we had. We changed out light fixtures, planted grass, got a ton of rest and relaxation, watched basketball, and enjoyed the down time. We went to the pediatrician and Caleb is 18 pounds 4 ounces (75%) and 28 3/4 inches long (97%). We are so excited to watch him grow! I LOVE falling in love with Craig over and over again. Watching him with Caleb - how he makes him laugh (a deep down belly laugh), plays with him in creative ways (no, Caleb is not actually drinking from the Sonic cup, but we tried. It is only water), or rolls around on the floor trying to “teach” him to roll, crawl, and sit - I’m reminded of just why I fell in love with this caring, warm, and playful man. Click here to see more fun photos of Caleb's month.

Kidney Update -- Take Two

Update: New Photo
Unfortunately, Caleb is going to have another surgery on Wednesday, April 29th to remove the lower blockage of the ureter where it connects to the bladder. They say this should be an "easier" surgery than the last one but it is still tough to think about the images in our mind of the last surgery. His ureter is measuring about 13 millimeters. (A normal size ureter is about 4-5 millimeters and a megaureter is about 7 millimeters.) Poor Caleb has a "double" megaureter. We feel better prepared for this one because we don't have the fear of the unknown and we have 7 weeks to prepare.

While we were there they weighed him and measured his length. Caleb is a solid 18 pounds and almost 28 inches long.

We have been praying Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Caleb will have quite the story and the scars to show it but ultimately it is God's story He is writing for Caleb's life.