Truett at seven months

Truett is seven months old! According to our visit to the cardiologist last week, his little heart is functioning normally, and we won't be needing to return for an entire year. I felt like skipping out of the office, and I might have had I not been carrying a growing baby in a car seat and holding the hand of one wiggly 3-year-old. *wink* While we waited for the elevator, I couldn't help but think of a very different feeling I had while leaving the office just about 6 months ago. I was sobbing, holding tightly to my tiny baby boy while Brett held his arm around us both. I have learned a great deal about the Lord's mercy and grace in these past 6 months. I rejoice in God's presence on that difficult day when we first learned of Truett's heart condition, and I rejoice in God's presence while I carried my 'fixed' baby away from the heart-testing machines, doctor and technicians last week. I pray that I remember the consistency and goodness of my God in the days and months to come, whatever they may bring.

Truett is a content, active, curious growing boy! He is gobbling up his doses of solid food...sweet potatoes, carrots, and pears are his early favorites. Occasionally he gets to experience puffs and a sippy-cup of water, and he thoroughly enjoys both. He's recently learned to army crawl, and is beginning to figure out 'regular' crawling, too. He can sit up unassisted now, but he prefers to be on his tummy. I expect this next month will come with many adjustments as we make way for our mobile boy. It's not uncommon now for him to make his way across an entire room in a matter of minutes. Oye...my life is about to get significantly more interesting! Maren has taken well to Truett's recent growth, and has begun to gently wrestle with him. I am thankful he is such an easy-going kid, because his big sister has some big plans for how he is to spend his time. I just love that they get along so well, and love each other so dearly.


Judging by the amount of drool he is producing, we expect to see Truett's first tooth any time now.





I'm pretty much in love with this boy and his sweet smiles. Time to go read some books and soak up some afternoon post-nap-snuggles with my kids!

Nine weeks later...

It has been nine weeks since Truett had his big surgery. I cannot believe how quickly time passes, especially when children are involved. I know I will blink again and we'll be celebrating my little man's first birthday. For now, I'm treasuring each snuggle and giggle that comes from this boy. I love being his mom so much, and wouldn't change anything about the first 4 months of his life. Obviously, I could have done without the whole heart surgery situation, but I have learned to rejoice even in the difficult things God allows into our lives. I learned so much about prayer, trust in God, love, and the body of Christ through that ordeal. And really, looking back, I wouldn't trade those lessons for anything. They are part of Truett's story and part of our family's story, and we have all grown closer to each other and closer to the Lord as a result.

We've had about half a day of autumn-like weather here, and I am so ready for the crisp, cooler days! Hopefully they will arrive soon so I can dress Truett up in more hats like this...

Yesterday, the kids and I took a little trip to the Pediatric Cardiologist. Truett received rave reviews on the condition of his heart, and we were told to discontinue his final heart medication. In the doctor's words, he's a 'perfect baby'. I couldn't agree more! Here's my little wiggle-worm smiling and squirming for the tech.

Truett had his blood pressure checked for the final time in 2011. {Lord willing!} We don't have to return to the cardiologist until January. Woohoo!
Once again, thank you so much for the kind comments and emails you've shared during this journey. I will forever remember the love and encouragement that's been showered on us during these early months of Truett's life.

Visitors and the rest of the hospital stay

Our families were such an incredible blessing to us during Truett's stay in the hospital. Brett's parents (Gigi and Papa) were so kind to have Maren stay with them for a few days. She always has a great time with her Gigi and Papa, and we felt at peace knowing that she was in such good hands. They also made the drive to Denver a couple of times to visit our sweet boy and to encourage us!

Here's Gigi and Truett.

Aunt Tiffany also came to the hospital.

Truett's nurse during his last day in the CICU was Kally. She actually works in the CPCU (Cardiac Progressive Care Unit), but she came down to the ICU to help out during our last day. We were thrilled that she remained Truett's nurse for the next couple of days when we moved to the CPCU. She was a fabulous nurse, and felt like a friend by the end of our time.

Truett's arm was all wrapped up to keep the iv in place.

Here is our baby getting his final echo-cardiogram in the hospital. We were so happy to hear that his little aorta was looking excellent!

As soon as we found out about Truett's surgery, my parents hopped a plane from Michigan. It meant so much to have them around for emotional support. They were at the hospital with Brett and I during the surgery, and stayed right across the street for the rest of our time in the hospital. Maren even got to spend a night with them in their hotel.

Here's Grandpa entertaining Truett:

Maren wanted to play with Truett when she came to the hospital. We let her share his bed for a few minutes. She's such a sweet big sister.

Here's my mom (Grams) singing Truett a song. Brett went home to stay with Maren one night, and my mom graciously stayed at the hospital with me. I was grateful to get some rest while she was with me!

Truett finally got his iv out the day before we left. At this point, he still had the EKG stickers on his chest, the pulse-ox monitor on one foot and the blood-pressure cuff on the other leg.

We were finally able to to leave on Monday morning, after 4 nights in the hospital. After one last round of tests, we were given the go-ahead to leave! Truett did so well with his recovery, surely due to the prayers of so many. We were originally told to expect a 5 to 10 day stay. Here I am...very tired but glad to be heading home!

It was so refreshing to see my baby in real clothes! I think he was happy to be going home, too.


This was probably the most emotionally and physically exhausting week of my life. I am deeply grateful for family and friends who lifted us up in so many ways. Three of the pastors from our church came to visit us in the hospital (they're all great friends as well!), and our senior pastor stopped by our house to pray with us the night before we left for Denver. We've been so blessed by prayers and kind words of encouragement from friends, family and many people we don't even know. Our sweet boy was so thoroughly covered in prayer. If you were a part of this incredible army of intercessors, we thank you!

A big day for a little heart

Yesterday was Truett's big surgery day. We woke up early, dropped Maren off with Brett's parents and made our way to Children's Hospital in Denver. Here's me with Truett just before we left home.

Brett, Truett and me waiting to be registered for surgery.

We spent quite a long time waiting for the surgery to begin. We could tell that many were praying for us as Truett, who was incredibly hungry at this point, remained calm and restful as we waited. I was dreading the time when I'd have to say goodbye, and again God was incredibly gracious to us in providing us with a kind and wonderful nurse to take him away. I felt perfectly comfortable placing my baby in her arms. And then I cried buckets! Here we are waiting for the big moment...

We felt an incredible peace while Truett was in surgery. Our surgical nurse, Esther, was excellent about keeping us informed about Truett's progress. Evidently, the coarc was quite severe and would've quickly become much more problematic if we hadn't had the surgery done right away. Again, we're so thankful with how God worked out so many details in our sweet boy's life. When we finally got word that the surgery was completed and was successful, we were so thrilled!

It was so hard to see our little angel all hooked up to so many machines and tubes. I keep reminding myself what a gift it is to have this technology available to us. We pray that Truett will live a long and healthy life as a result of the interventions done now.

A first visit from Daddy...

Finally getting to see my baby!

He looked so small and helpless...the small white rectangle under his arm is where the incision was.
We were able to get a bit of rest last night. Truett continues to show signs of strength and improvement. His drain tube came out this morning, followed shortly by the breathing tube and the tube going into his stomach. I was able to hold him for the first time, which was such a gift!

The Day Before

Our busy day started out like this...
Doesn't he look so peaceful? We stayed in a hotel room up in Denver since our appointment was so early in the morning. Truett woke up around 5 and he was freezing (you know how temperamental hotel heating and cooling systems can be!), so I enjoyed some early morning snuggles.

At 7:30 am, we met the sweetest lady, Lindsey, at the hospital. She took us around to the first portion of our meetings. Our first stop was the lab for a blood draw. After the initial poke of the needle, Truett just stared down the guy who was doing the draw. He was such a little trooper.

Here we are at the start of our day...

After the blood draw, Truett had a chest x-ray and then we moved on to the cardiac area where he had a check-up, EKG, and an echo (sonogram). Here we are all hooked up for the EKG. Truett did not enjoy this part of the day very much at all. I don't blame him...look at all those wires!

Finally the poking and prodding portion of our day ended, and Truett totally cashed out.
He slept through our tours of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU-where T will go as soon as he's out of surgery) and the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit (CPCU-where he will go on the second or third day after surgery and remain for the rest of his stay). We had great meetings with the surgeon and with the anaesthesiologist. I feel so confident in their ability to do their jobs well, and to take great care of our sweet boy tomorrow. We felt as though it were an incredible blessing to have the opportunity to become familiar with the facility and with the staff during our visit today. The hospital is beautiful and there are so many wonderful ways in which they care for the families of heart babies.

After we finished up at the hospital we enjoyed a late lunch, and Truett did some more of this...

They sent us home with a special soap to clean Truett up with tonight. He wasn't all that thrilled with his 'spa treatment'. Ha!

And, right there on his left side is where the incision will be. They will cut from his side around to his back and then separate 2 of his ribs in order to perform the surgery. He'll likely have a breathing tube down his nose, a drain near the incision, a central line in his neck, 2 other lines in his right arm and an i.v. in the left arm. I do not look forward to seeing my little boy all 'messed up' but I have great hope that this will help him to live a long and healthy life. We pray for the Lord's hand to be evident throughout the coming days. I know he will watch over our baby boy tomorrow while he's in surgery, and I know that he will give us the grace to wait patiently throughout the day.
Thanks so much for following along with us as we embark on this unexpected journey. We are so grateful for all of your prayers during the coming days!

A post I never thought I'd write...

I almost don't know where to begin. My life has taken a turn I never imagined it would take. I read stories like this on other people's blogs and find them heart-wrenching, inspiring, encouraging, hopeful, devastating...all at the same time. I never imagined this to be my story. But it is, and I want to share it in hopes that someone else might find a ray of light, a flicker of hope, a renewed joy in reading of God's work in our lives.

Most of you know that we welcomed our beautiful nine-pound boy into our family on June 11. I wasted no time in falling head-over-heals in love with him. It's true what people say about boys...they steal a mother's heart! Truett proved to be an absolutely delightful baby almost immediately. He ate well, slept great, hardly ever cried. We were beside ourselves with the joy that this little gift had brought to our family.

We took Truett in for his one-month check up on July 12. Our pediatrician noticed a heart murmur that had previously gone undetected, and recommended that we take Truett to a pediatric cardiologist. We scheduled an appointment for Monday the 18th, and didn't think much else of his little murmur. I assumed it would be no big deal, and that he'd outgrow it eventually.

On the morning of the 18th, we took Truett in for his appointment at 8 am. After three long hours filled with pokes, prods, an EKG, an ultrasound, multiple blood-pressure screenings and a discussion with a pediatric cardiologist, we left with information that no parent ever wants to hear. Truett was born with a heart defect called coarctation of the aorta. In layman's terms, he has a narrowing of the aorta and is hypertensive as a result. My sweet baby will be having heart surgery sometime before his first birthday. It breaks my heart to type that. He is currently taking medication for high blood pressure. We will return to the doctor on Tuesday the 26th for a follow-up screening to see if he is remaining stable enough to postpone the surgery until he's a little older and his heart is a little bigger. Those are the nitty-gritty details of our life right now.

It's amazing how quickly perspective changes when one is faced with some sort of crisis. All of a sudden 'things' don't seem to matter quite so much. I am valuing and loving and cherishing each moment I spend with my children. One way or another, those moments are fleeting. I am reminded that there are no guarantees when it comes to life on earth. We live in a fallen world, with imperfect bodies, and spirits in desperate need of a wholeness only found in relationship with our Creator God.

I have experienced a deluge of emotions and thoughts over the past few days. I have cried...or more accurately, sobbed. I have laughed uncontrollably with my sweet Maren. I have been much stronger than I ever imagined I could be under these circumstances. I have experienced a confidence in the Lord unlike any I've experienced before. I've shared some of the sweetest snuggles with my baby boy. I've questioned God...why our baby? Why not me? Why, why, why? And the truth is...I already know the answer...to bring glory to God. I now have an incredible opportunity to put into practice what I've claimed to be true for much of my life.

Since shortly after Truett was born, I have been reading and studying Philippians. (Mostly reading and re-reading...if you are a mother of a smallish child, you know how unlikely any true in-depth form of 'study' is while tending to the needs of a toddler!) I did not realize how God was already preparing me for the news we were to hear on Monday. I have spent a fair amount of time reflecting on the words of Paul found in Philippians 2:12-15 (NIV).

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

I actually had been asking the Lord to reveal ways for our family to 'shine like stars in the universe' in order to fulfill his 'good purpose' for our lives. I just never imagined something like this to be the vehicle by which we'd have that opportunity to shine.

As we embark on our journey with Truett, I admit that I am very scared. I am scared to watch my baby suffer, I am scared of something going wrong, I am scared of losing my baby. BUT, I know that God loves Truett more than I could ever imagine, and I know that He has a plan for my little guy's life, however long or short it may be.

Fernando Ortega has a song that I love, and it means even more to me now.

I Will Praise Him, Still

When the morning falls on the farthest hill,
I will sing His name, I will praise Him still.
When dark trials come and my heart is filled
With the weight of doubt, I will praise Him still.

For the Lord our God, He is strong to save
From the arms of death, from the deepest grave.
And He gave us life in His perfect will,
And by His good grace, I will praise Him still.


So, today I choose to praise Him still...for this happy little guy. His sister was making him smile while I took the picture. They are both such gifts to me!