Happy Birthday, Isaac

No change in plans after all. According to the ultrasound, his growth had dropped off the chart. It was more risky to wait. So it was still on, he was on schedule to come Feb. 22, 2012. I hope he likes the #2.

Lisa walked back to the OR to begin the surgery. Everything was counted and preped. The needle in her back to inject numbing medicine. Then an urgent "HOLD" was called. An emergency for another mother took priority and Lisa was walked back to the waiting room!

An hour or so later, it was like "deja vu"  Lisa was taken back to the OR. Isaac James was born at 11:37 AM weighing an even 5 pounds and measuring 19 inches long. He disappeared through the window and I felt like it was too long before we got to see him. He was amazing the ICU the nurses said. His APGAR scores (scale of 1-10) were 8 at 1 minute and at 5 minutes. His IV went in really easily and was breathing on his own, doing fabulous. I don't know what more we could have asked for.

 Admire that clean chest! The bellybutton is left open to use as an IV line.

Stopped by to meet his mom for 5 minutes before the walk to Primary's.

Grandpa and I followed life flight. Isaac got himself a coveted "life flight" t-shirt, even thought he never flew, just got the "life walk." Once over at Primary's, he was reassessed and nestled in.

Pictures to come


We had doctors and cardiologists in and out all day. Too many people and too many names to remember. He also had an 80 minute echocardiogram to take a direct look at his heart. The results showed he had Truncus Arteriosis, Type II. There was an opening for surgery the next day and the staff took it. We had been told it would be days later, but we felt this was a blessing.

Echo on Isaac himself.

Isaac was amazing. He was a kicker, really active, good color, and made many different faces. The anesthesiologist, Dr. Clark, was amazed at how well he acted and looked. He didn't look like a heart baby. This was the message we got from many of the staff members. He might be small, but he was strong and active. Going into surgery so strong is definitely a benefit for him.

What a support Lisa's family has been. The kids are on vacation at the Saunders' house. The kids have been having so much fun, they don't even want to talk to us. We are interfering with their play time. Also, having grandma and grandpa here was heaven sent. Grandpa sat in the ICU with me through the echo and all the informal meetings while grandma waited in the room with Lisa. Here is Lisa's mom meeting her 30th grandchild. 

                                          Out of all the grandkids, Grandma loves each one the most.

Change in plans.....maybe?

Time waits for no man. The last 3 weeks have been filled with preparations and appointments and cleaning.  Lisa has been in nesting mode, wanting clean and organize every space in our house. Isaac is lucky to have a clean and organized place to come home to.

Emily and mom made a countdown chain to announce the arrival of Isaac. Emily has loved counting down the days to his birthday. Lately, in her prayers, she has been praying that Isaac will come in "4" days or "3" days. It is amazing how sweet and thoughtful she is. She rarely forgets to bless Isaac's heart or that his surgery will go good. I love how she says 'surgery', it is said correctly, but just so cute. She just sounds so much more grown-up and thoughtful than her age is. That's the mark of a great mother.

The faith of the kids is what keeps us moving forward. Their faith is so pure, so innocent, so true. I can feel and see the love of God in Eli and Emily. How excited they are to welcome their little brother! They have as much love for him as we do as his parents. We are so thankful for their sweet spirits, happy countenances and faith in our home and family. Being a dad and husband is something special.

The plan is to welcome baby Isaac on Wednesday, but this might possibly change. Dr. Manuck called Lisa on Friday and scheduled a set of appointments for Tuesday. There was a meeting with the OBs, the cardiologists, and surgeons. When they got to us, there was some concern about Isaac's size. So as of right now, we are still scheduled for the 22nd. If there is anything of concern or worry after Tuesday's appointments, this date could be changed. So stay tuned.

Due Day!

It's official, only 4 more weeks. Isaac is scheduled to come Feb. 22, 2012! It couldn't be any sooner for Lisa. It has been an exciting afternoon for her, finally knowing when and where and how much longer. The countdown has already begun! 

Man! There are so many things that we need to do to get ready and plan  for his arrival. The hardest part is planning and orchestrating the watching of our current kids. Thankfully we are surrounded by Lisa's wonderful family and sisters that have already taken on the big job of babysitting while we have attended our many appointments. Not to mention my angelic mother-in-law who has given countless hours in relief and support already. Linda deserves more recognition and thanks than I could ever give her, so THANKS! 

Nothing new other than the scheduled date, all things look good. All the NSTs have been positive. The nurses have been pleasantly surprised by the readings, especially coming from a little guy with a heart condition. The nurse today called him a "fighter" (finally, somebody agrees with me). We are back in Salt Lake to see Dr. Manuck every Tuesday until Isaac is born. I am just so grateful to have these doctors and nurses sharing their talents and gifts with us. It will be their knowledge and expertise that gives us an opportunity to watch Isaac grow and learn. There isn't many things more special than that!

The Testing Begins

We had our second appointment with Dr. McCandless at Primary's. She informed us that Isaac's pulmonary arteries were growing and his trunk wasn't leaking, both very positive signs. She doesn't want to see us again until Isaac is born. What a relief that was and what a great start to what ended up being a long day.

Following this initial appointment, we were given a tour of the Cardio ICU, where Isaac will spend the first few weeks of his life. It is hard to put into words the emotions this brought up. It essentially became real, it hit me that I would see little Isaac in such a precarious state. How humbling it is to know that this is what he needs and how bad you wish he didn't have to go through it.

We also met with Lisa's new OB at the U, Dr. Manuck. After another ultrasound, they had some concerns about the size of Isaac's abdomen. They ran a few more tests to try and determine why this is the case, but everything they looked at appeared to be good and functioning properly. Dr. Manuck prescribed 2 steroid shots and Non Stress Tests (NST)  twice a week until Isaac is born. Well, we now have date nights twice a week, it could be worse.

Dr. Manuck said that in similar cases to ours, they try and schedule baby's arrival in weeks 37-38. If this holds true, it will be the end of February to the beginning of March when we could expect Isaac to make his appearance.

Big Sister and Big Brother

 Eli- All boy; active, loves balls, trucks, trains, and anything big. Can't contain this little ball of energy. Isaac's future hero and favorite playmate.

Emily- All girl; loving and sweet sister that is so excited to be Isaac's helper. Loves to draw, do art projects, paint, going to preschool, and wants to be a teacher (an art teacher), just like her dad.

Little Isaac

Targeted ultrasound pictures

 November 2011

December 2011

Welcome to our blog. This is our attempt to keep everybody informed of Isaac and his progress. In December 2011, we met with Dr. McCandless at Primary Children's Hospital. We were informed he had a heart defect called Truncus Arteriosis. In short, his two main arteries never separated and remained one big "trunk". He will have to have open-heart surgery within a week of his birth and addition surgeries throughout his life to replace the synthetic artery he will have. Lisa will be delivering at the University Hospital and Isaac will then be taken to the Cardio ICU at Primary's within a couple hours after birth. Isaac is expected to be in the hospital 3-4 weeks until he makes it home with us. Lisa is due March 13th, so it is only a few short weeks until we will have Isaac here with us.

As we learn more and progress to birth and beyond, we will share his experiences, good and bad, with you. We are so thankful for all the thoughts and prayers we have received and for the love that has been shown to us as a family. Heavenly Father has certainly wrapped his arms around us as we begin this unexpected journey.