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

Photo Gallery

Here are some photos of Owen from the last 6 months.

(click photos to enlarge)

Owen is a messy eater

Dressed up in his bumble bee costume

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Swinging at the park

Tearing up paper is a favorite activity

Bath time

Owen loves jumping!

Owen loves riding his toy truck. It's how he gets around since he doesn't walk or crawl much.

He's a fun loving kid!

Owen with big sister Clara