Our Little Pumpkin!

Faith here, Thank you all for your prayers today, it was a stressful day but we all got through it! Gavin opened his eyes and stared at us this evening, he looked like he was a lot happier! Gavin is getting blood tonight because his blood count was low, please pray that he continues to heal and we dont have anymore set backs! The nurse said that they will take him off the ventilator early tomorrow morning as long as everything goes well this evening, however they will leave the chest tube in to continue to drain his left lung if they need to. I was able to "lift" Gavin up today while they changed his bedding, so here are some pictures! Thanks again for your continued prayers!

Tuesday Morning Update II

Surgeon has finished the procedure with the chest tube. They drained about 2 oz of fluid off Gavin's lung and he immediately began breathing better. Surgeon says this is somewhat typical in these situations and Gavin will have these types of ups and downs for awhile; it's all part of the process. Surgeon did say that other than this, Gavin is continuing to improve and doing real well. Thanks for the continued prayers!

Tuesday Morning Update

Adam and Faith have asked to please keep Gavin in your prayers today. He has some fluid on his left lung so the surgeon is going to do a procedure this morning to insert a chest tube that will hopefully drain the fluid. If this doesn't work, the plan is to insert a chest tube in the right lung also. Thank you for your continued prayers for Gavin and the family. We'll update again as soon as we have new information. God is good!

Sunday Update

Gavin is still on the ventilator, the doctor said maybe tomorrow or Tuesday they will try to take him off again. The nurse informed us today that Gavins white blood cell count is a little high, they did a culture to see if he has an infection. We should have the results by tomorrow. This can be common with infants that are on ventilators (respiratory infections). Otherwise, Gavin is doing very well and he is getting lots of rest. Thank you again for your continued prayers. Here are some pics from our visit today.

Morning Update

This morning we received a phone call from the nurse. Gavin is back on the ventilator. He had a hard time breathing overnight. We were just in there holding him!! Please pray for Gavin. We know he will be a fighter as usual and hopefully he will have it out again soon.

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures of Gavin!!

Gavin is off the Ventilator!!!!

Gavin is officially breathing on his own! We even got to hold him tonight for the first time since his surgery!! Adam held Gavin while they watched the world series together. Gavin needs to be completely weened off of the Dophamine before he is moved to the surgical unit. So hopefully by next week we will get to have a room for the three of us!! It will be fun to actually be is mom and change his diaper, feed him, hear him cry, give him baths, etc. If everything continues to go well, we could possibly be home by the first or secound week of November. Please say a prayer for some of our family friends who had a grandbaby (also had a heart condition) in the PICU with Gavin, she passed away this morning. She was born in July and has had a rough 3 months, but we know that she is resting peacefully in the arms of the Lord. Thank you for your continued prayers for Gavin, we are so blessed!

Tuesday Update II

(The above pictures are of Gavin BEFORE surgery)
Faith and Adam here, Gavin is much better now! The nurses are weening him off of the meds and ventilator. Gavin did indeed have some blood pressure issues today but some of it had to do with the arterial line (measures blood pressure/the line they use to draw blood gas). However they had to give him some meds to help his blood pressure go up because it was low. Gavin had some "body jerking" today, the nurses told us that some babies become addicted to the narcotics because they have been on it for so long. He stopped this afternoon so we are hoping he was just getting adjusted to waking up from sedation. But then they had to sedate him again because the nurses were doing a lot of adjustments with his lines and it was making Gavin tear up. It broke our hearts to watch him try to cry and we couldnt hear him! The night nurse said he is doing very well and she will continue to ween Gavin off of meds and ventilator on "Gavins time". (We hear that a lot!) Thanks again to everyone for the continuous prayers, hospital visits, food, encouraging cards, emails, and support! We love you all and cant wait to bring our precious son home!

Tuesday Update

All has been going well until the last little bit. Gavin is having some blood pressure problems again. The doctor and nurses are monitoring him; the nurses are not too concerned. It could be that one of the lines is not measuring accurately and they might replace it or it could be that they have been moving him quite a bit today. So, they are not totally sure what is causing the blood pressure problem but they are working on it. Keep praying!

Monday Update

Gavin's surgery was late this afternoon and lasted about an hour. The surgeon said that everything looks good. His blood pressure went up a bit but then back down; the nurses said this was typical. They are continuing to watch over him but at this time, everything looks good. Adam and Faith have asked for continued prayers for Gavin, especially during the next 24 hours, which is the critical period. God is good and keep praying!

Sunday Update

Gavin's surgery to close his chest cavity will be tomorrow afternoon. The following 24 - 48 hours after the surgery will again be critical. Please continue to pray for Gavin, the doctors & nurses, and the family. God is good!

Saturday/Sunday Update

Gavin continues to improve - swelling is getting better. Surgeon will most likely close up Gavin's chest on Monday. Nurses have removed his catheter and have started giving him small doses (1cc per hour) of breat milk - this is not necessarily for nutrition but to get his "gut area" (the nurse's term) to slowly start working again. He is absolutely precious! Thanks again for the continued thoughts and prayers for everyone involved!!

Friday Update II

"Spiked Look"

Gavin is doing well this evening. He had a visit from his cardiologist; every fourth heartbeat there is a skip... may be medication related or may clear up after chest is closed up. Adam and Faith went out to dinner tonight with Faith's mom and a family friend - they got a good night's rest last night and have had a good day. Thanks to everyone for their continued thoughts and prayers.

Friday Update

Gavin is responding well. Stats and vitals are at good levels. Swelling is improving. Surgeon may close up chest cavity Saturday evening or Sunday. Nurses washed his hair - yesterday's style was a spike and today is a mohawk!

Thursday Update II

Gavin is continuing to improve. He is urinating frequently - which is exciting to the nurses. And the nurses are starting to wean him off the carbon dioxide machine. They are continuing to monitor his blood pressure. He is responsive to voices and touch but he is still heavily medicated. A family member is staying with him at all times but all parties involved are encouraged by his continuing improvement.

For those asking about blood donations, Gavin's blood type is A+, but any type is accepted. If you ask for it to be donated under Gavin's name (this can be done at any blood donation center), Adam & Faith will get a discount on their account, even if Gavin can't use it. One Perk - If you choose to donate at the Oklahoma Blood Institute, you get a free OU or OSU t-shirt (at least at the one in OKC).

God is good and keep praying!

Thursday Update

Gavin had a good night last night. The doctor gave the family an update this morning and said everything was looking real good. The doctor is planning on leaving Gavin's chest opened until this weekend (to allow the swelling to decrease) and then will close him up on Saturday or Sunday. The nurses said that they have been able to decrease some of his medications but everything is on Gavin's schedule - they will increase or decrease medications as needed. Family has been able to hold his hand and can feel his heart beating through his hand.

It was mentioned that if anyone wants to donate blood, you may do so in Gavin's name - that way if the blood is a match, Adam and Faith won't be charged for it.

God is good and keep praying!

Wednesday Update III - Good News

Just received some good news. Doctors and nurses discovered that there was a problem with the ventilator, which was causing the carbon dioxide level to be too high. They have switched out the ventilator and things are getting back to normal. Doctors are more satisified with what's happening now. God is good - keep praying!

Wednesday Update II

Gavin continues to be stable but he has had a few set backs. The doctors are trying to stablilize his blood pressure (still too high) and his carbon dioxide level is too high. Chest x-rays have been taken but carbon dioxide level is still puzzling the doctors and nurses. Changing out Gavin's breathing tube is an option but they don't feel that he is stable enough to do that yet. The doctors maintain that these set backs are somewhat typical with this invasive surgery - they just wish that Gavin was doing as well as he was this morning. Grandparents will be staying with Gavin during the night so Adam and Faith can try to get some rest. The family has asked to please remember Adam & Faith - they are trying to be so strong but are really having to deal with so many emotions right now. And continue to pray for Gavin - that he will be a fighter and pull through these set backs. And pray for the doctors and nurses involved - that they are doing their best for Gavin.

Wednesday Update - Prayers Needed

Everything was going well until just a bit ago. While the family was out having lunch, Gavin's blood pressure went way up and he flat-lined. Doctors and nurses got him back and have him stablized again. They are trying to figure out what is causing the high blood pressure. There is still a little bleeding but the doctors and nurses say it is minimal. The doctors and nurses reminded the family that the first 24 hours after surgery are the most critical and the 24th hour won't be reached until about 6pm. Continue to pray for Gavin and for Adam and Faith, as well as the rest of the family. Will update again asap.

Surgery update

The surgery did go well - a little longer than planned but there were some clotting issues. The word tonight from the doctors and nurses is that Gavin's blood is now clotting and his blood pressure and other vitals are great! Adam & Faith were able to spend time with Gavin tonight. Below are pictures from earlier this morning before the surgery.

Post Surgery UPDATE!

Just a quick note as I'm sure everyone is wondering...Gavin is fine and the surgery went great!!! He had some clotting issues but the doctors got that under control and he seems to be doing well.

Thank You!

Faith and Adam here, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone for your continued prayers! We also appreciate everyone who has come to OKC to visit and for all the food!! We are so blessed! We were discharged from the hospital today at noon. We spent the morning with Gavin and he is doing very well. He is breathing over the ventilator and he occasionaly opens his eyes and stares at us. He is so beautiful! We arent the only ones that think so, the nurses have been "fighting" over him on who gets to be his nurse for that shift. One of the nurses whispered to me today that they think he is the most beautiful baby there and they are sad that he will be moved upstairs after surgery. Just had to brag a little about our precious son! Tomorrow is surgery, he will be the secound case so sometime after lunch he will go in. We are trying to get as much rest as possible today before our long day tomorrow. We truly appreciate all the vistors, but after Gavins surgery we will ask that family only be allowed to see him. We want to keep him as healthy as possible and once he is better we will allow others to see him. Thank you again for your continued prayers, we believe that our son is a true miracle from God and he will be healed tomorrow! We love you all!

Gavin moved to Children's Hospital

Gavin was moved to the Children's Hospital this evening. He is on a ventilator to help with his breathing - the doctors and nurses are thinking that his respiratory issues are being caused by the heart medicine. The ventilator is a good thing in this case because Gavin is not having to work so hard to breathe and the doctors / nurses now know what is causing the respiratory issues (they originally thought his lungs were not fully developed). Surgery is still anticipated for Tuesday. Keep praying!

Gavin's First Pictures

Gavin arrived at 2:00 pm on October 13th, 2006. He is 6lb, 6oz and length is 19" long. Gavin is in NICU and is doing well. As of now Gavin will have his first surgery on Tuesday the 17th.

Pictures will be posted soon.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

The following link helps explain Gavins condition and what he will be going through....

http://www.childrens.com/cardiology/diagnoses/hypoplastic_left_heart_syndrome.cfm

Adam and I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has supported us, prayed for us, and cared for us. We do not know what people do when they go through tough situations with out God and without a Church Family. We are extremely blessed to have such a wonderful church, friends and family. We know that whatever the outcome God will still be the center of our life. He will always be there for us, to guide us and protect us. We know that our precious son Gavin is a gift from God and no one can take that away from us. We thank everyone for all of your encouragement over the past 20 weeks. We cant wait for Gavin to be here and for him to meet all the wonderful people who already love him so much! We love you all!

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" John 16:33

Map to Hospital

For those who are planning to visit the hospital, use the following link for a map and directions.

http://www.oumedcenter.com/CPM/Revised%20OUMC%20Map.pdf

Everett Tower is where we will deliver. The Childrens Hospital is where he will have his first surgery.