Chunky Little Monkey

Holden is really starting to chunk up and is quickly outgrowing his clothes. I think he looks adorable and that smile melts my heart daily! Daddy says he now has 3 chins! If you look closely, you can see his 2 bottom center teeth, which are growing in. We think a top tooth may be next.
We've slowly been reintroducing Holden to the bottle. We see the surgeon this week for our 1 month follow up. If all looks well, he will give us the okay to start working on more bottles/solids and less tube feedings. It will likely be a challenge at first, as Holden associates the bottle with his reflux pain, but with patience and time, he'll get there. And he is exploring the world of solids, so hopefully it is just a matter of time until he's eating completely by mouth!!

A special thank you to Isabella and Evan Wilson (and their Mommy and Daddy) for sending Holden the adorable "Mommy's Little Monkey" shirt. Holden likes the shirt and Of course Mommy likes it too!!

Daddy and Holden both had colds this week. Daddy seems better and Holden is going in the right direction. Mommy is desperately trying to avoid the crud. There is definitely no time for Mommy to be sick!!

Prior to Holden getting sick, we were bundling up when taking Alex out for our afternoon walks. He loves that Mommy now puts him directly in the stroller instead of using the car seat (travel system). You can tell he likes to look around at everything.

Grandma Deda is coming in town tomorrow for a visit and we are planning Holden's first visit to Santa Claus tomorrow evening. I can't wait to tell you how that goes. I bet he likes Santa more than he likes the doctors in the white coats!!

Look Grandma I'm Sitting...

Holden surprised Grandma Rosanne when she walked in our house yesterday and he was sitting up on his own - playing with his singing Mickey Mouse. Now that he's discovering his stomach muscles, diaper changes are becoming more challenging!!

We had a quick visit to the emergency room on Wednesday evening, when Holden's G-tube (feeding tube) came out. We are not sure how it happened, but because his surgery was so recent it required going to the hospital to be replaced and then checked for placement via X-ray. Once the tube has been in place for a couple of months, we'll be able to simply replace it at home if/when it comes out.

I am so happy to say that Holden can now enjoy being home and celebrating his first Thanksgiving and Christmas with family - as long as we keep him healthy. He'll head back to Egleston in January for a follow up cath. Hopefully just as an out patient or for a quick stay.

Reece and I are being extra cautious and trying not to expose him to all the crud that is going around out there (and boy did we see it sitting in the emergency room!) It is so hard to not be able to hang out with many of our friends who have kids, but we can't take any chances during this time of the year. It is strange to know how many of you, our close friends and family, have not yet met the little Monkey. I can't wait until the time is right so you can all get to know our son. One smile and you'll be hooked!! Hopefully come Spring we'll have one heck of a "Coming Out" Celebration! In the meantime, we just keeping praying for our miracle and appreciating each and every day!

Back Home...

Holden was discharged from the hospital today and we made it home in time for the LSU vs. Alabama Game. Although LSU lost in overtime, Holden still loves his Tigers (Of course he loves the Gators, too!)

Doctors think the Little Monkey may have caught a cold - possibly even while in the hospital recovering from his surgery. He seems to be feeling much better and was happy to be home again. We spent all afternoon playing and he fell asleep just as the Gator vs. Vandy game came on!


Holden was in much better spirits this hospital visit (no surgery, no IV, etc.). He loved playing with his mylar balloons.





Although Holden is not quite old enough to vote, he definitely had an opinion on who should be president!

Of course Mommy would vote for him!

Little Monkey Under the Weather

The little Monkey was experiencing some respiratory problems yesterday morning, so we brought him to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Scottish Rite) Emergency Room. Because he is still a fragile little guy, they admitted him to the hospital to run tests and for observation. Based on bloodwork results obtained thus far, they've been able to rule out RSV and several other common infections. Right now, it seems likely that Holden just picked up a cold and it had a big effect on him because he was still healing from his recent surgery. Hopefully we'll go home in the next day or two. However, we are glad they are being so thorough as in the back of our mind, we always worry it could be his pulmonary vein stenosis progressively betting worse. So we just continue to say our prayers!!

Despite being stuck in the hospital, Holden has been in a good mood and seems to be slowly feeling better.

Holden's 1st Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL OF OUR BLOG READERS!!

Holden enjoyed his first Halloween. He and his little monkey, "Junior", visited several homes in our subdivision.

Holden, Daddy, Mommy and Alex Trick or Treating.

Granma Deda and Grandpa Dave with the little Monkey.

So Good To Be Home

We are home (YEAH!) Holden seemed to recognize it immediately. We were discharged Monday afternoon. He smiled when Alex gave him kisses and he was happy to play with his toys again. The little Monkey slept through the night and seemed to enjoy not being disrupted every couple of hours by the nurses/doctors. Overall, he's recovering well from his surgery, however, he is still experiencing some discomfort from his reflux - just now it can not come up. We hope with time and his reflux medications, we'll see a improvement.

Some "not so great" news is that doctors had a hard time seeing his left pulmonary vein on the echocardiogram they did in the hospital. This could be a sign that his pulmonary vein stenosis is progressing. Unfortunately, the only way to know is to do another cathizerzation. So the little guy will probably be heading back to Egleston for a day or so - in the next 4 to 6 weeks. We continue to pray that God helps heal Holden's body and just hope that things are not getting worse.

On a lighter note, Holden continues to grow and is as cute as ever. We've attached some photos below...

Before surgery, Daddy took Holden on a wagon ride around the hospital.

Aunt Jo Jo came to visit and brought Holden a singing Mickey Mouse from their visit to Disney World. (It plugs into IPOD or CD player) Holden is fascinated that Mickey even sings Backyardigans. Too cool!

Holden sends a big "Thank You" and hugs and kisses to his Stone Mountain Park Aunts - who not only gave Holden his very 1st Pumpkin, they sent pumpkins to all of the children at Egleston's Cardiac Step Down unit. The nurses said there were lots of smiles on the kids faces.

Here is Holden today, at home. He is relaxing in his monkey chair and checking out his new teeth. The little guy is about 14 lbs. It is amazing how quickly he is outgrowing his clothes. He's finally in size 6-9 months. It's great!