No Shunt For Michael!

The latest cardiology appointment gave us the news that we have been praying for... Michael will only need two open heart surgeries, not three. I can clearly remember meeting with the surgeon, Dr.Wells, on our wedding anniversary. He told us that it is a very rare baby that can skip the shunt surgery. It seemed almost unrealistic to hope for such a miracle. I have learned that all things are possible with God, and that he has a special place in His heart for our beautiful child. Eric and I have been on an emotional roller coaster since the day we found out about Michael's condition, but I would not trade a minute of it. Michael is stronger and more stubborn than we could have hoped for! The plan is that Michael will have a heart cathiderzation in December, which will give the surgeons/cardiologists a better picture of Michael's heart. He won't have to be hospitalized with the cathiderization, but he will be sedated. After the results have been interpreted, Eric and I will meet with the surgeons to go over the details of the surgery. We will then be "put on the books" for surgery sometime in the end of January/early February. He won't have to have surgery again until he is about 3-4 years old. This truly is the best case scenerio for people with Tricuspid Atresia. Michael is our miracle man!

Video About Michael

Eric made a beautiful video about Michael's first two months of life. He is the best thing to ever happen to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i4vRur60zk

Cardiology Appointment 9/9

Today was Michael's first visit to the cardiologist, Dr.Pruetz. It was a long day for the little one, he had to take a chest x-ray, ekg, and echocardiogram. The good news is that Michael oxygen level was 87 and he now weighs 7.8 pounds! There hasn't been any change in his heart (no news is good news). We have another appointment in a month. Yay! Michael is such a little miracle. I learned today that I should ALWAYS have more than one bottle with me at a time, because you never know how long an appointment will take. In the 4 hours that we were there today he ate 3 bottles. Grandma Harris had to scavenge around the hospital to find him a bottle, and a nice nurse gave me one. Also, always bring a stroller because those carriers are heavy and don't cut it. Oh well, lesson learned for me....first time mom stuff. I'm so grateful that Maria and Angela were there to help me...I couldn't do it without them. We are all SO happy with Michael's progress :)

He's getting bigger!

Michael is now 7 pounds 2 ounces! His likes include: eating (a lot), being held, stretching, and having his hands near his face. Dislikes : dirty diapers, baths, and letting mommy and daddy sleep.

He's Home!!!

The moment that we have been waiting for has finally arrived. Our beautiful boy is home! It was a VERY long 17 days in the hospital, and we could not be happier to be out of there. Just to be able to pick up our baby without all of those cords is such a relief. There are no immediate plan with the shunt surgery and our first cardiology appointment is in about two weeks. We are praying that he can make it all the way to the Glenn. I will think about all of that tomorrow...today is a beautiful day and Eric and I are very happy parents!

He's here!

It has been about two weeks now since Michael Maverick Harris has entered the world...and boy did he make an entrance! I went in for my weekly checkup at 37 weeks and the doctor said that my blood pressure was too high, and she sent me over to the hospital for observation. Eric and I were hoping that the blood pressure would go down and I would be able to go home and let the baby get nice and fat in the womb for ten more days. No such luck. My blood pressure was not dropping and they decided to induce me that very day. It was a long 24 hours of blood pressure machines going off and iv's being stuck in my arm and oxygen masks being shoved in my face. With all of this going on all I wanted was a glass of water, but no water for Kari, so I settled for ice chips. Then, at 5:10pm on 7/30 I experienced the most wonderful moment of my life- little Michael was born. He was 6 pounds 1 ounce (smaller than expected) and 47 cm long. I was so happy that I was able to hold him for a moment before they rushed him away, seeing his little eyes looking into mine was nothing short of a miracle.

After the initial tests, he was transported by ambulance the Children's Hospital LA Heart ICU. Eric was able to ride with him and be there with him as he was admitted. He spent about five days in the heart ICU where they determined that based on his oxygen saturation levels which range from 75-90, that he may not need the shunt surgery right away. They moved him up to the NICU where he stayed for the next five days and continued to thrive. The cardiologists are very impressed with how well he is doing, so they moved him up again to the sixth floor. The sixth floor is not my favorite place. It is a regular hospital room with a low level of care. Being in here is like going from the Ritz to a Motel 6, but I can't complain because it is a step closer to getting him home. Right now what we are working on is getting him to eat consistently. Due to his heart condition he tires very easily while eating, but he has been building up his endurance and is doing great. Today he finished his whole bottle twice...which is a very big deal. If he can reach his goal of eating on his own we can bust out of this place!! Eric and I are so sick of these monitors buzzing and doctors and nurses poking and prodding him. But we could not be happier with our little fighter. He has proven every one wrong from the time he's been in the womb. He is a strong, sweet, beautiful baby boy and we are so blessed to have him. Eric and I are so grateful to everyone for their support and generosity during this time. These two weeks have been the happiest and hardest of our lives, and it helps to know that we have an amazing support system there for our little family. Thank you.

Baby Harris