Camping and Keeping the Faith!

 

We drove to Phoenix last Wednesday to meet our pediatric cardiologist and to have our second fetal echocardiogram done.  While it was another very long and emotionally draining day, we left feeling  like we finally got some concrete answers that we needed to start mentally and physically preparing for the road that lies ahead.  The cardiologist and his nurse spent almost three hours with us that day, going over the entire diagnosis and process so caringly and thoroughly.  Although it was a lot to digest, we both felt very confident and pleased with our new doctor and feel that we will be in good hands throughout this journey.

We were told that our baby boy has Pulmonary Atresia with IVS (Intact Ventricular Septum), a very rare congenital heart disease, in which the pulmonary valve is completely blocked.  There are some other heart complications that often go along with this, such as an enlarged right atrium, a smaller right ventricle and a leaky tricuspid valve.  These are things that will continue to be monitored over the next 2-3 months, which will ultimately determine the course of treatment for our little one.  One very positive thing that we’ve learned is that as far as he can tell, and aside from his heart, our baby is growing and developing normally since he is relying on my circulation right now.  The critical period comes after birth when he has to rely on his own circulation.  Best case scenario involves immediate IV medications to ensure a safe blood supply, followed by a small surgical procedure to open up the pulmonary valve within a week of delivery.  I will be delivering in Phoenix and then of course staying a little while until our little boy is strong enough to come home.  We are just going to hope and pray daily that nothing changes over the next several weeks so that this procedure can be done.  Better yet, we are going to hope and pray for a miracle that his valve may possibly open up on it’s own between now and our next few appointments.  Whatever God has planned, we know that this little guy is going to be a  real fighter and we are fully prepared to do whatever it takes to fight right along side him.

Being that our appointment was Wednesday and we were already planning a camping trip outside of Payson with the McIntier’s that following week, Blaine decided to take work off early.  That way, we were able to head up to camp after our appointment for some much needed R & R and quality family time.  My parents were big time helpers and took the kids to Phoenix to meet us after our appointment, so that Blaine & I could haul the trailer and then go to the appointment together.  We didn’t get to our camp site till pretty late that evening, but it made it all worth it getting to wake up to a cool 50 degrees surrounded by beautiful tall pines, crisp clean air and total peace and quiet….. that is until our two crazy munchkins awoke!

Two successful days of fishing…. we (ok… Blaine!) caught several trout and we even cooked them for dinner!

We got to see several elk up close and were even visited by a raccoon in the night, who came to finish off Chase’s dinner! 

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I think the coolest thing was getting to see a bald eagle!  Although this was taken from a good distance from the lake and using an iPhone, I think we still managed to get a pretty good shot!

This picture sort of alarmed me after-the-fact.  Love how apparently comfortable we were letting the kids play so close to the fire with a bottle of lighter fluid close by :/  I swear we were right there monitoring!!

Collected several large branches and made a teepee for the kids or as Grayson liked to call it, their “cowboy fort!” 

We had a least one thunderstorm a day.  Loved being out in the rain and l especially loved being able to wear a jacket!

Mr. Camp Host Larry Morris!

Always interesting bugs to find and collect in the forest!

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Last Tuesday was Grayson’s official last day at Casa de Niño's before heads off to his new big boy school at Yuma Lutheran next month.  We took him some superhero cupcakes to share with his classmate to bid him farewell!

I’m pretty sure the person that is going to miss him the most is his favorite little sis’!

Grayson & Colbie’s garden grown sunflowers…. a little sign that Grandma Robin is up there looking over us :)

It’s a BOY!!!

As exciting as it was to find out, we were hit with some pretty upsetting and scary news last Wednesday when I went in for a follow up ultrasound.  We were told that the baby had some “pretty serious heart issues” and were asked to return for a echocardiogram the following week to meet with a specialist.  The six days in between appointments felt like an eternity, to say the least, waiting and wondering and fearing the worst.  We saw the specialist yesterday and while we realize it may still be a long road ahead, we are feeling a lot more hopeful and positive about what’s to come.  He couldn’t give us any definitive answers, but told us that he thinks the baby may have tricuspid valve dysplasia and a possible mild case of Ebstein’s anomaly. He has referred us to a pediatric cardiologist in Phoenix for further testing and hopefully more definite answers, as far as where and how delivery will take place and treatment options for our little guy.  The good news is he says that the baby is growing and developing normally in all other areas, but just thinks that we are dealing with a heart defect at this point. 

After the emotional week we had, we decided that we didn’t want any more surprises and definitely wanted to know the sex of the baby so we can pray specifically for this little person.  I have to say I had a feeling all along it was a boy, but nevertheless, it’s always a huge thrill and surprise to find out for sure!  We bought 2 blue balloons last night and placed them in big gift bags for the kids to open and reveal whether they were having a brother or sister.  The kids really got a kick out of it.  Grayson seems super excited, especially since he realized the boys will now outnumber the girls in the household…. and of course he counts Chase & Skyler too!

This week has definitely been a wake up call for us and a test of our faith. It’s so easy to take life for granted and think that we are always in control.  Last Wednesday, I literally felt like the floor was pulled from underneath me.  Now that we’ve had a chance to digest things, it sure has put things into perspective for us, brought us closer and made us that much more grateful for what we do have.

We’ve had a couple of trips since the last time I posted, so of course, I have a lot of pictures to share.

We went to Alpine for a weekend camping trip with our church and the Goodwin family.

As the Goodwin’s like to say… A little dirt can’t hurt!

The gang… Rebecca, Carter, Grayson & Colbie

4th of July was another hit in Laguna this year!  The entire group made it again from the Hannons, Hollenbauchs, Andersons & of course, Morris fam! 

Watch out Ryan & Kim… Paparazzi!

Grayson and Colbie had a blast playing with Miss Camdyn this year!

After a long night, Colbie passed out on the chair before we could put her to bed!

Park time!  Also, second summer in a row we were talked into taking a few tadpoles home :/  Made a little aquarium for them and so far, we are down to one of four survivors!  In two weeks, the little critter has grown front and back legs and his tail is starting to shorten.  Almost time for the little guy to hop on out of here!!!

Thanks for all the love, support and prayers out there.