New content now on our family blog...

We are now putting all our new photos, etc. on our Harris Family Blog:

http://jonharris7.blogspot.com/

This blog about Owen’s heart operation will be left as is. Thankfully, we haven’t had anything to report on that subject in several years! Owen is a 100% healthy child.

If you would like to be notified via e-mail of any new posts here, use the e-mail notification form to subscribe to updates.

One Year Anniversary

It has been one year since Owen's heart surgery, and we are so amazed at his progress from last year until now. He was just starting to crawl before his surgery and now he's running, jumping and climbing all over the place! He enjoys climbing and jumping on our couch cushions playing "Ocean" with Clara in the living room. He loves to color and read books and tell knock- knock jokes he makes up himself. His funniest quotes have been: As we were passing McDonalds, "Donald Ducks!" When we turned on some Jazz music he was saying, "Listen Jasmine" (which is a Disney princess and his only association with "jazz"). As I was putting Owen's first year pictures in his scrapbook it seemed strange to see him swimming in the pool without the scar on his chest. We've grown so accustomed to it and it holds such a special story of God's faithfulness in our lives. We thank you again for your many prayers for Owen and our family throughout this last year.
-Amy

Below are a few recent pictures.

Clara and Owen having fun in the snow

Owen likes to draw

Dying Easter Eggs - stir it up!

Disney World Photos

Here are a few recent pictures of Owen. The first two are from our November trip to Disney World in Florida. The others are from a day of fun at Grandma Tea's house making Christmas cookies. As you can see, Owen is very healthy and doing great!

I love playing in the water!

"O" is for Owen!

Our new Christmas aprons made by Grandma Tea

Frosting some cookies (and my face)

-Jon

Two Years Old

I'm 2 Years Old!

Owen turned 2 on October 28th. We rejoice that he is now a very happy and healthy 2 year old boy! It has been 6 months since his surgery. We can hardly believe time has passed so quickly. Owen was thrilled to have candles in his birthday cupcake and he couldn't wait to blow them out. He likes to say, "Hap Birthday me" "Blow candles me". Since his surgery he has learned to walk and run (many times away from us when we call him), sing songs, count, climb ladders and go down slides at the park, build block towers, and "pray Jesus" as he says when he wants to pray.

His favorite activities are coloring with his big sister, dancing, having Daddy throw him up in the air "super high", playing outside with leaves and sticks, building block towers, painting at Toddler class and reading stories.

-Amy

Clara and Owen at the park

Latest Check-up

Hello to anyone who is still keeping up with us via Owen's blog. Owen had the last of his follow-up appointments this last Thursday. His chest bones are healing well and his heart sounds good. He's gained some weight, but not as much as they had hoped after closing the holes. He will have yearly check-ups for the next several years to continue monitoring his heart and growth. Overall, he's happy, talking and doing his best to keep up with his big sister. He is walking quite a bit on his own now, which is fun to see

Blessings,
-Amy

Here is a picture from Memorial Day of Owen pushing his toy firetruck at the tennis courts near our house.
-Jon

Post-Op Photo and a DVD Surprise

Here is a picture of Owen from his 4/19 Post-Op appointment. He is having fun coloring while waiting for the doctor. As you can see, his incision is healing nicely.

Also, we received an unexpected package in the mail from Children's Hospital. It was a DVD of Owen's operation! It is shot very close in, so all you can see is the heart itself. Since you don't know who (or often even what) you are looking at, it has a somewhat abstract and clinical feel. It was interesting to see how they repaired the heart--we could see the stitches and the patch itself being secured.
-Jon

Post-Op Appointment #2

Owen went back to Children's Hospital today for another follow-up appointment. They did an "echo" (ultrasound) of his heart, an EKG, and a general check-up. Everything looked normal! He is now able to stop taking the last of the medicines he was on.

They want us to continue to limit his motion for the next few weeks, but aren't overly concerned if he pulls up and "cruises" along furniture, etc. I'll post a picture or two from the appointment soon. His next appointment will be two months from now.
-Jon

Spring Pictures

Spring has sprung and we've had some nice weather days. Here are a few recent pictures of Owen and sister Clara.

Owen and Clara in our backyard

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Hi!

Blog Tips

Here are a couple of tips on using the blog.

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Now that we are updating the blog less frequently, you may wish to receive an e-mail notification each time a new post is added instead of manually checking back. To do this, you can use a free service offered by www.rssfwd.com. Simply click on this link, then enter your e-mail address in the box and press the Subscribe button. You will then receive a confirmation e-mail. Once you have confirmed by clicking a link in the confirmation e-mail, you will begin to receive e-mail messages each time we add a new post to this blog. Each e-mail will contain instructions on how to unsubscribe and stop receiving updates.
Sorry, this service is no longer available (updated 2/2/2011)

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You can leave a comment for any individual post on the blog. Below each post, you will see a small text link that says "0 COMMENTS" or "3 COMMENTS" or similar. To leave a comment or read others comments on that post, just click that text link. Enter your comment in the box under "Leave your comment". If you would like to leave your name, under "Choose an identity" select "Other". As soon as you click on "Other", a box will appear so you can enter your name. When finished, press the "Publish Your Comment" button.
We appreciate everyone who has left us comments so far!
-Jon

Post-Op Appointment

Today, Owen had his post-operative appointment at Children's Hospital. He had another chest X-ray and an EKG. Results were good for both. He is still retaining some fluid, so needs to continue taking medication a while longer. Owen is energetic and wants to be active, so we have to keep him from doing too much. His next appointment will be April 19th.

Many have asked how large his scar is, so here is a picture showing that:

Here is a picture of him riding his firetruck, one of his favorite activities:

We will probably not be updating this blog very often in the coming weeks, mostly because there isn't a lot of news to report. That's a good thing since it means life is back to normal! Check back after the 19th for another update.
-Jon & Amy

Praise God for healing!

"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1

I read this verse the day after Owen's surgery and what a blessing it was to my heart being able to praise the Lord for His truly perfect faithfulness throughout this journey knowing the Lord knew what we would be going through long ago!

We are so glad to be home and Owen is recovering very well. We know that it is because of your faithful prayers that he is healing miraculously. He is crawling around, pulling up, talking, and riding his little fire truck around the kitchen. We ventured out to church today much to the surprise of many who were shocked at how wonderful he looks less than a week after surgery. His scar seems to be healing and the glue they used to close the incision is starting to peel off. He still has one or two stitches where his chest tube was removed and we will get those out this Wed. when he goes for his post-operative check-up.

Jon and I are still trying to catch-up on lost sleep and regaining energy after all the build-up from the last several weeks. We have been so incredibly blessed by you who have upheld us in prayer and have been the hands and feet of Jesus to us. Looking back on our journey we do see that the Lord had the perfect timing despite our wishes for this to be over sooner than we expected. We were thrilled with the nursing staff and the doctors at Children's. Our dear nurse Terry worked so hard to find a way to help Owen when he was crying after surgery. A couple weeks before surgery I started taking his hand and squeezing it 3 times while saying "I Love You" and then kissing his hand so that I could let him know I was there even if he was in a deep sleep after surgery. The first time we saw him I squeezed his hand and he knew I was there. A little tear spilled from his eye and he started to cry a little. It was very difficult to see him hooked up to so many machines and not be able to scoop him into my arms and comfort him. I spent a lot of time leaning over the rail of his crib doing my best to comfort him during his 6 hour crying spell. I prayed that the Lord would help him to stop crying and I trusted that somehow the Lord would make a way to help him. Finally at 10:00pm after a new dose of medicine Owen fell asleep. Praise the Lord! Tuesday was a much better day and we rejoiced when each tube or wire was removed. We were overjoyed when they said we would be able to go home on Wednesday. We were in ICU the whole time because of a shortage of nurses on the regular patient floors. The nurses weren't used to such a "healthy" baby who was trying to crawl out of the crib. At that point they knew he'd be better off recovering in the comfort of his own home.

We will write another update after his appointment on Wednesday for those who are interested in finding out how things are going by then.

Much love to you all!!
-Amy

Sunny Thursday

Today was a great day with warm and sunny weather here in Bothell. Owen went for a stroller ride to the park and enjoyed watching the kids play and seeing the ducks at a nearby pond. Pretty soon he will be back to sliding and swinging himself!

Most of the time, Owen acts like his old self. He was happy most of the day, and laughed quite a bit--the first time since the surgery. He was crawling and starting to pull up a little as well. He is a little bit slower in his pace, but not much. He is basically just on over-the-counter pain medicines now.

We are slowly getting back into our regular routines. Most of the day was spent catching up on mundane things such as grocery shopping, laundry, yard work, and phone calls.
-Jon

Home Sweet Home

We believe we are home today because of your faithful prayers! It's amazing to think that just 2 days ago Owen looked like this:

Today he was sitting up, clapping, and smiling, looking so much happier:

We are all relieved to be home! Owen was so tired of all the poking, prodding, wires, and medicine.

Right now, both Clara and Owen are sleeping soundly in their own beds. What a wonderful, peaceful feeling!

-Jon & Amy

Going Home Today!

Great news, it looks like we will be going home later this afternoon (Wednesday). They just removed the last of the wires, and he just has a few more tests to go. We all slept much better last night and will be very glad to be home in our own beds tonight. Thank you for your many prayers!
-Amy

Tuesday Update

Thank you for your prayers for Owen. He is looking and feeling much better today. He is doing so well that they have removed almost all of his tubes and wires. His heart rhythm is very good so he is totally off the pacemaker. Today we can hold him, and he is eating on his own. He seems much more like his normal self--talking, pointing at things he wants, drinking from his cup, etc. Right now he is relaxing in mom's arms. We are hoping to move from the ICU to a regular patient room in the next day or so.

Last night was more challenging. He didn't seem to respond well to the pain medications and spent many hours fussing and crying. None of us got much rest. But now that he is off most of the meds, he seems much happier. Please pray that we can rest today and tonight.
-Jon & Amy

Recovery Update

Owen is making good progress in his recovery. They have removed his breathing tube, so he is off the ventilator and breathing normally on his own--a significant milestone. His heart rhythm is improving as well. He is understandably quite fussy at times, but is mostly sleeping.
-Jon

Surgery Finished

We just spoke with the surgeon and Owen came through fine. The main hole was "dime-sized" which is comparatively "medium". They also found another small hole that they hadn't been aware of and fixed that as well. His heart does not have a normal rhythm yet, so he is on a pacemaker, which is common in this case. They hope normal heart rhythm will be restored in the next day or so.
We haven't seen Owen yet, as he is still getting settled in in the intensive care unit. We will be allowed in shortly.
Thank you to all who prayed for Owen, and please continue to pray for a quick and smooth recovery, especially for his heart rhythm.

Surgery Started

Owen is in the operating room now. We will receive a few updates from the nurses throughout the surgery, and the operation should be done before noon. We will likely be able to see him in the early afternoon. Right now we are enjoying breakfast with my parents and friend Ryan.
-Jon

Surgery Time - 8am Monday

Today we found out that Owen's surgery will take place at 8:00am on Monday morning March 26th. Many of you are asking us how we are "really" doing with all this. Honestly, we are feeling positive about the change and feel much more relaxed about getting ready for the surgery day since we've already packed our bags and had a trial run. We will do our best to post something here soon after the surgery.
-Amy

Here is a picture of Owen at his pre-op appointment. He is connected up to the EKG machine.

Waiting for God's timing

Wow, what an emotional two days we have had! Thank you for your prayers as we went to Owen's pre-op appointment yesterday. He was such a trooper being poked and prodded by many new faces. We came away relieved that the surgery was still on schedule yet exhausted from such a long day of waiting for several different appointments. We were awoken this morning from our "restless" sleep by a phone call from Children's Hospital saying that they had an emergency heart transplant and that our surgery was cancelled. My immediate reaction was one of disappointment and frustration because we worked so hard to keep our family healthy, we had all our bags packed, Clara was at my parents, and Tully (our dog) had been taken to be boarded. After the initial shock wore off, we were glad that another child's life was being saved. We've come to understand that a little boy named Angel, who a month ago received a temporary artificial heart, today received a human heart transplant. You can read more about him or watch a video on the King 5 website.

Tonight as I sat down to journal the Lord brought these verses to mind:

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
We felt we planned our steps so carefully, trying to attend to every possible detail only to have our plans changed yet again. Even though we plan, it truly is the LORD that guides our daily steps. He alone is GOD!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
Throughout the day many of us have had our guesses as to why the surgery had been postponed. Maybe Owen needed a different "care" team of nurses, maybe we needed more time to rest, maybe Owen's heart will heal on it's own with more time, and maybe it was to save this other little boys life. Regardless of our guesses only the LORD knows. We may never know the exact reason, but that's not the point. The point is that GOD's ways are not our ways and HIS thoughts are not our thoughts. Praise the LORD that HIS word is true and alive in our lives!

-Amy

Surgery Rescheduled for Mon. March 26

We received a phone call early this morning from Children's Hospital. They need to do a heart transplant operation today, so Owen's surgery has been postponed. When they have a heart available for a transplant, that takes priority over all other surgeries.

We have been rescheduled for next Monday, March 26. We will find out the exact time on Friday, but it will likely be in the morning hours again.

Update: The surgery will begin at 8am.

Surgery Time - 8:30 AM

Just a quick update on the exact time of Owen's surgery. It will be tomorrow (Wed.) at 8:30 AM. His pre-op appointment went fine.
-Jon

Thank You

Thank you to all who have been praying for our health. As of today, we are all healthy and ready for surgery on the 21st. Owen has his pre-operation appointment on Tuesday morning the 20th and we will find out the exact time of his surgery then. Please check back here again for more details.

Many thanks to all who have already supported us through meals and thanks in advance to those will help us after the surgery. We have appreciated all the cards, notes, e-mails, and messages of encouragement. Other things we've appreciated include gift baskets for the hospital, toys for both kids, and special presents in the mail. Most of all, we thank you for your prayers as the strength of our God has held us through the ups and downs of the last few weeks.

Story of a similar heart surgery

The Children's Hospital web site has a story about a baby named William who had an operation very similar to what Owen will be having. Here is the link:
http://heart.seattlechildrens.org/about/stories/williams_heart_operation.asp

Introduction

Our son Owen is scheduled to have open heart surgery on Wednesday, March 21st at Children's Hospital to correct a hole in his heart. Technically, this type of hole is called a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). While in the womb Owen's spetal (the wall between the left and right ventricles) did not fully close, leaving a hole for the blood to pass from one side to the other. In a normal heart, the 2 ventricles operate separately from one another. With Owen, a large amount of blood is traveling between the 2 halves of his heart, short-circuiting the normal flow. This means his heart has to work extra hard to supply his body with oxygen. During the surgery the surgeons will sew a patch between the 2 ventricles to close the hole.

Last Friday we met with one of the heart surgeons. We were very pleased with the way the doctor explained the whole surgery from start to finish and answered all our questions. We feel confident in his ability to perform the surgery.

Originally, the surgery was scheduled for March 14, but because Owen is still getting over a cold, it was pushed back a week. Praise the Lord with us that we were able to reschedule the surgery so soon, that we had a successful visit with the surgeon, and that we have been able to tap into many resources at Children's hospital.

Please pray for our health as a family these next 2 weeks, for our emotional strength as we prepare for the surgery and hospital stay, for Clara as she feels the tension ahead and will need help adjusting to extra care being given to Owen.

Check back here for updates and prayer requests.

-Jon and Amy