Kolton's first week at home has been wonderful and exhausting! Kolton seems to have his days and nights a little mixed up. Christina & Jennifer what were you up to at 2 and 3 am??? Party at my crib at 2 am has a whole different meaning. Kolton is now weighing in at 6lbs 14oz and is 19.5" long. He had a follow-up eye appointment and has been cleared of any signs of ROP. Yippee! We did have on vomiting session all over Mom at 3:30am on Friday morning, but it appears Kolton just wanted to baptize me into motherhood again.
Tavyn got a big boy bed and a tricycle are is very excited about them both. He really seems to understand that Kolton is "his" baby brother and he loves being with him. We are so proud of how well Tavyn is adjusting. He is just as happy as ever and wants to share everything with Kolton. I'm sure that will change over the years, but we'll enjoy it for now.It's really a blessing to be at home under one roof and feeling more like a family.Much love-The Thompson Tribe
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Update from the homfront! 4/30/09
Good Morning KSG,
For the most part our change of pace in life is going as well as expected. We are back to getting little to no sleep, with a new born on a 3 hour feeding schedule and a toddler that is teething, I think the only thing in our house that is getting sleep is our dog Naboo. I wouldn't trade it for anything, just to have both boys under one roof is an awesome feeling!
Tavyn (and Naboo) are very curious of Kolton. Tavyn somewhat tiptoes up to Kolton and smiles. From time to time he tries to steal Kolton's nook (pacifier). Other times he tries to insert the nook into Kolton's mouth, forcefully mind you. So we are trying to teach Tavyn Gentle Touch. The dog keeps on trying to snuggle, lick, and smell Kolton, I think shes thinks that she has a new puppy!
For the next few weeks Kolton has follow up appointment after follow up appointment. The good thing is that he is not on any machines and he is only on two medications.
On a seperate note, we did the March of Dimes walk this past Sunday despite the rain. Lucky for us they shortened the course due to the storm. We actually debated whether to walk our not due to the weather, but we came to the agreement that we can't let down Kolton, you guys, and Christeen (who put it together). Tavyn did well until the last 10 minutes of the walk, then he screamed because he was soaked from the rain.
Words cannot express how greatful we are to all of you for standing strong next to us through out this journey. We could not have done it without all of you and frankly I wouldn't want to do it without all of you! All of your prayers and positive energy and good will has given us a whole new outlook on life. Not only has Kolton positively impacted our lives but so have all of you. THANK YOU!!!
We will still post for a couple of months to keep all of you posted on Kolton's progress.
All of our Love,
The Thompson Tribe
For the most part our change of pace in life is going as well as expected. We are back to getting little to no sleep, with a new born on a 3 hour feeding schedule and a toddler that is teething, I think the only thing in our house that is getting sleep is our dog Naboo. I wouldn't trade it for anything, just to have both boys under one roof is an awesome feeling!
Tavyn (and Naboo) are very curious of Kolton. Tavyn somewhat tiptoes up to Kolton and smiles. From time to time he tries to steal Kolton's nook (pacifier). Other times he tries to insert the nook into Kolton's mouth, forcefully mind you. So we are trying to teach Tavyn Gentle Touch. The dog keeps on trying to snuggle, lick, and smell Kolton, I think shes thinks that she has a new puppy!
For the next few weeks Kolton has follow up appointment after follow up appointment. The good thing is that he is not on any machines and he is only on two medications.
On a seperate note, we did the March of Dimes walk this past Sunday despite the rain. Lucky for us they shortened the course due to the storm. We actually debated whether to walk our not due to the weather, but we came to the agreement that we can't let down Kolton, you guys, and Christeen (who put it together). Tavyn did well until the last 10 minutes of the walk, then he screamed because he was soaked from the rain.
Words cannot express how greatful we are to all of you for standing strong next to us through out this journey. We could not have done it without all of you and frankly I wouldn't want to do it without all of you! All of your prayers and positive energy and good will has given us a whole new outlook on life. Not only has Kolton positively impacted our lives but so have all of you. THANK YOU!!!
We will still post for a couple of months to keep all of you posted on Kolton's progress.
All of our Love,
The Thompson Tribe
Monday, April 27, 2009
Kolton is HOME
Kolton is home!!!! He's in my arm right now and I'm trying not to drip tears on him. Thank you for staying with us through this journey and seeing us home. I will post more and update with photos this evening or tomorrow, but wanted to let everyone know Kolton is home - finally!
Love,TTT
Love,TTT
Sunday April 26th.....Koltons ready to head home!!!
Today is the March of Dimes in which Kolton's Krusaders will be Kruisin 4 miles rain or shine. We are so excited to walk for Kolton and all the other babies and families effected by birth defects.
It looks like Kolton's discharge date will be Monday, April 27th. In one of Kyle's previous posts, he mentioned that at some point all of this feeling like a nanosecond in time. Kolton will have been in the hospital 104 days - that's a really long nanosecond. On Monday before he is discharged, Kolton has to have another eye exam and pass a hearing test. His car seat also has to be inspected and approved for him. We spent Saturday in the hospital as a family to get a glimpse of the new challenges of 2 in diapers at the same time. It was fun and a bit scary, but Tavyn really loved trying to help care for Kolton. He brought him his nuk and patted him when he starting crying. Then he snuggled in the chair with Mommy and baby and then with Daddy and baby like that's just the way it's suppose to be. We thought we were overwhelmed with emotions before, but now tears of complete joy flow freely. What a great big brother Tavyn is already! Kyle and I also took our infant CPR class and are starting to learn about how to care for Kolton. He'll only be on 2 meds when he comes home - one to help him pass fluids and one for reflux. He's eating like a champ and hungry every 2 hours. (I was hoping they'd have him sleeping through the night before discharge or at least let us use that continuous feed at night - LOL.) Kyle and I have been trying to get the house ready as we thought we'd have another couple weeks to prepare, but what a wonderful problem to have. I will be taking some more time off from work and working PT from home as much as possible. This journey would not have been possible without your healing prayers. We will continue to make posts as Kolton continues to heal and grow.
Much love-The Thompson Tribe
It looks like Kolton's discharge date will be Monday, April 27th. In one of Kyle's previous posts, he mentioned that at some point all of this feeling like a nanosecond in time. Kolton will have been in the hospital 104 days - that's a really long nanosecond. On Monday before he is discharged, Kolton has to have another eye exam and pass a hearing test. His car seat also has to be inspected and approved for him. We spent Saturday in the hospital as a family to get a glimpse of the new challenges of 2 in diapers at the same time. It was fun and a bit scary, but Tavyn really loved trying to help care for Kolton. He brought him his nuk and patted him when he starting crying. Then he snuggled in the chair with Mommy and baby and then with Daddy and baby like that's just the way it's suppose to be. We thought we were overwhelmed with emotions before, but now tears of complete joy flow freely. What a great big brother Tavyn is already! Kyle and I also took our infant CPR class and are starting to learn about how to care for Kolton. He'll only be on 2 meds when he comes home - one to help him pass fluids and one for reflux. He's eating like a champ and hungry every 2 hours. (I was hoping they'd have him sleeping through the night before discharge or at least let us use that continuous feed at night - LOL.) Kyle and I have been trying to get the house ready as we thought we'd have another couple weeks to prepare, but what a wonderful problem to have. I will be taking some more time off from work and working PT from home as much as possible. This journey would not have been possible without your healing prayers. We will continue to make posts as Kolton continues to heal and grow.
Much love-The Thompson Tribe
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Update from dad 4-23-09
Good Morning KSG,
We can't thank you enough for your continued prayers and support. It would have been extremely hard getting through this without ALL of you in our lives. Well it has almost been a week since Kolton's surgery and he is doing great. He still continues to not only amaze us but the doctors too.
I wanted to thank all of you who donated to the upcoming March of Dimes walk in honor of Kolton. Christeen has worked hard to put this together and raise money, as of yesterday she met her goal, if you would still like to donate, today is the last day(until next years walk). If this is new information to you here is the link: www.marchforbabies.org/christeen
Gretchen, Tavyn, and myself plan on walking with Christeen and the Kolton Kruisers this Sunday. If you would like to join us we would love to have you. Follow the link to where and when.
On to Kolton, he is back on the 3rd floor in his own room. He has been having occupational therapy stopping by to help him learn to eat on his own. They experimented with several bottles and nipples to see what he prefers, and they found a match. I spoke with one of his Nurse practioners last night and she said as long as he can eat what he is supposed to he can come home as early as this Monday!!! Oh my, we have a lot to do in preparation if that is the case. That is about 3 weeks early! To share with you the connection between MDs, us, and the patients, Kolton's primary Cardiologist was out on vacation last week during the surgery. She would call Gretchen periodically, and call the hospital to check in on Kolton on a daily basis. When she got back into town, the first thing she did was come in to see her Miracle Patient. She should be teaching courses in bedside manner!
Before Kolton comes home the hospital will put us through CPR and first aid classes. We will be going through a lot of education on taking care of a post op cardiac patient, too. They have already instructed us to not allow Kolton around large groups of people, due to the risk of infection and sickness. We plan on having an open house about a month or so after he comes home and we get settled so everyone will have an opportunity to meet the little guy they have been praying for.
That is about it for now, hope to see some of you at the March of Dimes walk this Sunday.
All of our love,
The Thompson Tribe
We can't thank you enough for your continued prayers and support. It would have been extremely hard getting through this without ALL of you in our lives. Well it has almost been a week since Kolton's surgery and he is doing great. He still continues to not only amaze us but the doctors too.
I wanted to thank all of you who donated to the upcoming March of Dimes walk in honor of Kolton. Christeen has worked hard to put this together and raise money, as of yesterday she met her goal, if you would still like to donate, today is the last day(until next years walk). If this is new information to you here is the link: www.marchforbabies.org/christeen
Gretchen, Tavyn, and myself plan on walking with Christeen and the Kolton Kruisers this Sunday. If you would like to join us we would love to have you. Follow the link to where and when.
On to Kolton, he is back on the 3rd floor in his own room. He has been having occupational therapy stopping by to help him learn to eat on his own. They experimented with several bottles and nipples to see what he prefers, and they found a match. I spoke with one of his Nurse practioners last night and she said as long as he can eat what he is supposed to he can come home as early as this Monday!!! Oh my, we have a lot to do in preparation if that is the case. That is about 3 weeks early! To share with you the connection between MDs, us, and the patients, Kolton's primary Cardiologist was out on vacation last week during the surgery. She would call Gretchen periodically, and call the hospital to check in on Kolton on a daily basis. When she got back into town, the first thing she did was come in to see her Miracle Patient. She should be teaching courses in bedside manner!
Before Kolton comes home the hospital will put us through CPR and first aid classes. We will be going through a lot of education on taking care of a post op cardiac patient, too. They have already instructed us to not allow Kolton around large groups of people, due to the risk of infection and sickness. We plan on having an open house about a month or so after he comes home and we get settled so everyone will have an opportunity to meet the little guy they have been praying for.
That is about it for now, hope to see some of you at the March of Dimes walk this Sunday.
All of our love,
The Thompson Tribe
Monday, April 20, 2009
Update 4-19-09
Thank you for continuing to visit Kolton's site and uplifting & surrounding us in prayer! Kolton continues to do well. The chest tubes (2 large tubes that drain off blood and fluids from the incision) were removed yesterday. Today he is struggling a bit with keeping his blood pressure stable. He is tending to have a little higher pressure than the doctors would like. They will continue to adjust medications to help him keep it more stable. Also, just more recovery time should help. We have to remind ourselves deconstructing and then reconstructing a heart is pretty major to say the least.
Many have asked about when he can come home. We really have no idea. He has to recover from the surgery, keep his blood pressure stable, breathe room air unassisted, and eat without a feeding tube. We have a way to go yet, but we know our little fighter will get it done as fast as he can.
The day of his surgery, Sue and I did some of the waiting on a little grassy patch outside on the hospital grounds. It struck me that in this tough neighborhood there were these 2 large buildings with 100s of miracles happening. Children's is in the top 1% in the nation, yet it is in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Minneapolis. I do not think I will look at hospitals quite the same. Driving by as if it were just another building in the past, but now knowing the profound life saving and life altering events taking place inside will be a constant reminder of God's hands doing work on earth.
After the surgery, I asked Dr. Overman if he was exhausted. He shook his head, smiled and said, "It is invigorating work." And then when I thanked him and hugged him, he said it was a privilege. Thank you to Dr. Overman & Dr. Mogda, the gifted surgeons!
Love-Gretchen
Many have asked about when he can come home. We really have no idea. He has to recover from the surgery, keep his blood pressure stable, breathe room air unassisted, and eat without a feeding tube. We have a way to go yet, but we know our little fighter will get it done as fast as he can.
The day of his surgery, Sue and I did some of the waiting on a little grassy patch outside on the hospital grounds. It struck me that in this tough neighborhood there were these 2 large buildings with 100s of miracles happening. Children's is in the top 1% in the nation, yet it is in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Minneapolis. I do not think I will look at hospitals quite the same. Driving by as if it were just another building in the past, but now knowing the profound life saving and life altering events taking place inside will be a constant reminder of God's hands doing work on earth.
After the surgery, I asked Dr. Overman if he was exhausted. He shook his head, smiled and said, "It is invigorating work." And then when I thanked him and hugged him, he said it was a privilege. Thank you to Dr. Overman & Dr. Mogda, the gifted surgeons!
Love-Gretchen
Saturday, April 18, 2009
day 1 post op
Good Morning KSG,
Kolton had a great night. I think it was the first night in a long time that Gretchen and I had a full night's rest. I just got off the phone with Gretchen and Kolton's nurse and he is doing great. His color is coming back, due to the proper amount of oxygen in his system, in other words he looks pink. The amount of post op drainage around his heart is minimal. He is slowly being weened off of his dopamine. For the first time every yesterday we got to see his blood/oxygen saturation levels at 100%, WOW!!! For obvious reasons the 48 hours after his surgery are the most crucial.
For both Gretchen and I yesterday was an extremely hard day that words cannot explain. Thankfully we had our surrogate Grandma Sue there with us taking care of all of our needs. Our Pastor stopped by to pray with us. Kolton's primary nurse Diana came by and hung out with us for a couple of hours, too. One by one the cardiologist team stopped in to check in on us and tell how amazing Kolton is. One of the greatest moments yesterday was when we met with the surgeon after the surgery and Gretchen commented that he must be mentally exhausted after a long difficult surgery like that. He replied (paraphrased): "It was an honor to work on a case like Kolton's, due to his strength." He then gave Gretchen and I a long embrace and went back in to take care of our little guy.
Well today is a new day and thanks be to God for it. I will be going i to be at Kolton's bedside and Gretchen will be coming to be with Tavyn. I will attempt to get some new pictures over the next couple of days.
Thank all of you for your continued faith, prayers, and lifting our family up.
All of our love,The Thompson Tribe
Kolton had a great night. I think it was the first night in a long time that Gretchen and I had a full night's rest. I just got off the phone with Gretchen and Kolton's nurse and he is doing great. His color is coming back, due to the proper amount of oxygen in his system, in other words he looks pink. The amount of post op drainage around his heart is minimal. He is slowly being weened off of his dopamine. For the first time every yesterday we got to see his blood/oxygen saturation levels at 100%, WOW!!! For obvious reasons the 48 hours after his surgery are the most crucial.
For both Gretchen and I yesterday was an extremely hard day that words cannot explain. Thankfully we had our surrogate Grandma Sue there with us taking care of all of our needs. Our Pastor stopped by to pray with us. Kolton's primary nurse Diana came by and hung out with us for a couple of hours, too. One by one the cardiologist team stopped in to check in on us and tell how amazing Kolton is. One of the greatest moments yesterday was when we met with the surgeon after the surgery and Gretchen commented that he must be mentally exhausted after a long difficult surgery like that. He replied (paraphrased): "It was an honor to work on a case like Kolton's, due to his strength." He then gave Gretchen and I a long embrace and went back in to take care of our little guy.
Well today is a new day and thanks be to God for it. I will be going i to be at Kolton's bedside and Gretchen will be coming to be with Tavyn. I will attempt to get some new pictures over the next couple of days.
Thank all of you for your continued faith, prayers, and lifting our family up.
All of our love,The Thompson Tribe
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