2 Months Old!

Josiah turned two months old on Wednesday!  He also received his immunizations the same day and thankfully he did not react to them.  At his visit to McMaster on Tuesday his weight was recorded as 12 pounds and his cardiologist was very pleased with how he's doing.  The doctor's main concern is the leakage in Josiah's primary heart valve.  We won't know if the leakage has increased until his next echocardiogram near the end of July.  He said it's possible that the BPCS surgery (explained in a previous post) would reduce the load on the heart and that the leakage would decrease without needing to do anything to the valve.

Isaac also had an important day this week - he is now a year and a half.  He certainly makes us laugh but he also keeps us on our toes as he tests the limits.  Does disciplining your child get easier over time?!

The attempts at bottle feeding haven't gone well yet.  The main advantage to being able to bottle feed is that the doctors could easily increase his caloric intake in hospital if necessary after surgery.  Of course, if he didn't need surgery until he could use a sippy cup, that would work too (this would involve one or two miracles!)

Josiah has had very fussy feeds of late.  We'll talk to the paediatrician about this on Monday.  We're having him sleep on a slight incline and that has improved the nights to some degree though he's still on Elizabeth a lot.

It was nice to visit Listowel Pentecostal Church a couple of weeks ago (where Graham's parents attend).  We appreciate all the people there praying for our family.

Apart from visits to the paediatrician, Josiah's next heart visit is at McMaster on July 12th so there may not be much news until then as we're praying that all continues to go well.

Prayer Requests:

• That the leakage in Josiah's heart valve would stop
• Wisdom as we discipline
• That Josiah would learn to take a bottle and that he would feed well
• That Josiah would consistently sleep in his crib

Thanks for your prayers and support!  We are blessed beyond measure.  God is good.  We are thankful for the last eight years of marriage that we celebrated on June 12th.  Where does the time go?

Blessings,

Elizabeth and Graham


P.S. We're looking forward to Josiah's dedication to the Lord on July 15th.  All of his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins will be there, including those from Ottawa and British Columbia!!!

P.P.S. In honour of our anniversary last week, we thought you might enjoy this song by JJ Heller. 

Great Expectations

Josiah at one month

Sorry for the long delay.  We are in need of more sleep.  We are ever hopeful that Isaac will return to sleeping until a reasonable time in the morning (now that he has recovered from his throat infection and fevers of last week). We are also praying that Josiah will find peace in his crib and not just on his Mommy during the night.

Last Thursday we had another surprise trip to McMaster due to Josiah's high heart rate and low oxygen saturation levels.  The results of his ECG and echocardiogram were positive except that the leakage in Josiah's main heart valve (between his atria and one large ventricle) has increased.  Josiah was taken off his diuretic medication. 

This past Tuesday we were at SickKids, and his cardiologist was very optimistic.  He doesn't expect his pulmonary stenosis to increase and he said that the leakage in his heart valve is mild to moderate but not something that needs intervention now.  Josiah's heart rate and oxygen saturation levels were both good.  The holter monitor report showed that Josiah has a mildly rapid average heart rate with brief episodes of a very fast heart rate.  These are irregular and the heart slows down afterwards.  They'll keep an eye on this but the doctor wasn't concerned.  He asked us to come back to SickKids in two months time and to go to McMaster in one month.  In the meantime, we'll visit the local paediatrician once a week (instead of twice weekly) and continue to monitor his health while praying for his healing.

Isaac at 17 months

When Josiah is three months old, the cardiologist will start presenting him to the surgical team at SickKids to discuss options.  If Josiah needs surgery before he is four months old, it would probably be due to his pulmonary stenosis.  Thus he would need a shunt to keep his pulmonary artery open wide enough.  If he doesn't need surgery until after four months old, he will have the BPCS (Bi-directional Cavo-Pulmonary Shunt) which channels the blood from his two superior vena cava to the pulmonary arteries.  During either of these surgeries, the collector veins that travel from his lungs through his liver would also be redirected to go directly into the heart.  The cardiologist noted that the BPCS would be ideal around 6 months of age but the surgical team may want to do this earlier due to the issue with the pulmonary veins going through the liver.

We are very thankful for this great report and we are looking forward to this upcoming season of fewer visits to hospitals.  This weekend we are going solo without any grandparents around so we are praying it all goes smoothly.  We have certainly been spoiled with all the extra help in addition to the meals, gifts, cards and encouraging words from family, friends and coworkers.  It's great to know we're not in this alone!

Some prayer requests:

• That Josiah remains "balanced" and that his pulmonary veins do not become obstructed.
• That Josiah would sleep in the crib during the night.
• That Isaac's sleep schedule would improve.
• That we would have wisdom in making decisions regarding Josiah's health, and that we would be alerted to any negative changes in his condition.

Thanks again for your prayers.  Happy Victoria Day long weekend!

Blessings,

Graham and Elizabeth

Together as a family!

Dear family and friends,

As some of you may know, Josiah was discharged from SickKids yesterday, and we made it home at about 10:00 PM last night.  Hard to believe that he is actually here in Kitchener!  Isaac is a great big brother, and wants to see "baby" and pat his head.

Many of you have asked via email whether this means he doesn't need surgery now.  At the present time, Josiah is "balanced" medically, meaning that his oxygen saturation levels are OK for someone with his condition.  As well, the areas in his veins and arteries where the cardiac team is most concerned about possible narrowing/blockage are not presenting a problem.  Therefore, this means that at this point in time, if this balancing act continues, Josiah could potentially skip some of the first-stage surgical interventions we were told might have to happen within the first days/weeks of life.  This buys him time to get bigger and stronger, to face future surgeries he requires.

At some later date (typically between 6-12 months) Josiah will undergo a surgery to reroute his superior vena cava (he has two, instead of one) so that the blood they carry from the top part of his body goes to the lungs directly, and not to the heart.  Additionally, at around age 2 he would receive another surgery to reroute some other arteries and veins so that the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood is kept separate, as in a normal person.  Each of these surgeries obviously carries great risk, and requires extended recovery.

So, it's a bit of a waiting game right now.  We are certainly praying that Josiah stays "balanced" and that he can skip the first-stage surgical interventions.  However, we are also constantly monitoring his appearance, feeding, sleeping, etc. for signs of possible congestive heart failure which would mean a trip to the hospital and possible intervention at SickKids.  As well, we'll have weekly appointments with either SickKids, McMaster or our local paediatrician to monitor his status.  We couldn't do all this without the tremendous help of Elizabeth's parents, who are living with us and looking after Isaac, and Graham's parents who fill in and come whenever needed.  Isaac certainly loves his Grandmas and Grandpas.

Some prayer requests at this point:

• Establishment of good breastfeeding for Josiah so that he gets all the nutrients he needs to grow and thrive.  Because of his heart condition he gets tired more easily during feeds, so Elizabeth has to assist him when he's feeding.
• That Isaac would adjust to life as a big brother, and somehow understand that Mommy and Daddy need to spend extra time with his little brother.
• That we would have wisdom to see any signs of congestive heart failure in Josiah, and that we would have peace now and in the future.
• That God would give all the medical professionals providing his care supernatural wisdom and skill.

Thank you to everyone who has sent encouraging words via email and cards.  We certainly feel surrounded by your love and prayers.  We probably won't be answering the phone for the next little bit, as we spend time adjusting to the new normal and trying to get some rest.  However, we'll try to post some regular updates on the blog so that you will know how we are doing and how you can pray.

Have a great night.

Blessings,

Graham and Elizabeth
thefaulkners.ca