Much needed update!

Landon has had a very busy week this week. He is now almost 8 weeks old! We had three doctor appointments and picked up Grandma and Grandpa Bausman at the bus terminal when they returned from their trip to South America.

The week didn't start well when we went to the pediatrician for what we were told was going to be a very quick office visit to check his weight, blood pressure, pulse ox and breathing. Our estimated half-hour appointment turned into a two-hour appointment! The nurse mentioned that he was within the time frame to get his two-month vaccinations, so they did his two-month well baby check. That involved three needle pokes and an oral vaccine. The oral vaccine was fine, but the three needle pokes...didn't go well. He of course cried for those, and he had already cried for the blood pressure check (he hates the cuff). Then, our pediatrician decided he needed to have his potassium checked because of the Lasix that he takes to reduce the amount of fluid in his body that could collect around his heart and lungs. I was told it would be a heel stick...it wasn't. It was a blood draw from his arm! He hated the tourniquet (it would be similar to a blood pressure cuff to him) and cried as soon as they put it on. And, of course, they had to put it on about four times before they decided they would make an attempt at his vein. Thankfully, they got his vein on the first try, but he was very angry. He was so exhausted from crying so much that he slept for most of the rest of the day and night, so he didn't eat well. We attempted a tube feeding for the first time in over 2 weeks and it didn't go well either. I suppose that was partly because of the vaccines. Despite the unexpected things at his visit, everything else was good. He is up to 9lbs, 6oz, which was an average of 31 grams per day. His goal per day is 30 grams. His pulse ox is always good, as well as his heart rate. His blood pressures continue to be consistent from visit to visit and his breathing hasn't changed either.

On to Tuesday....We saw the Speech Therapist and ENT at UW on Tuesday. The Speech Therapist checked his vocal chord by putting a scope up his nose and down his throat. He doesn't enjoy that either, but who would enjoy having something shoved up their nose and down the back of their throat?! There is some improvement with his vocal chord; it is moving a little more than when they did the study when Landon was in the hospital. That is good! They also were very pleased with his cry. They don't think the nerve to the chord got snipped and don't think any repair will be necessary, but we will have to wait and see for that. While they were doing that test, they had him eat a bit to make sure everything was going where it was supposed to go. It indeed is, so they were pleased to see that.

Wednesday, we took a trip to Rockford to pick up Grandma and Grandpa at the bus station. I think Grandma practically ran to the car to be able to see Landon. There was no keeping her out of the back seat with him! He also got to spend the day with them yesterday because I had to go to the Track Coaches Clinic in Milwaukee and Nick had to work. Nick is on call this weekend, so they kept him until I got back to town. They had a great time with him and he was very well-behaved!

On Thursday we met Landon's cardiologist. Because of my insurance we cannot continue to doctor at the UW for his heart, so we finally met who he will be seeing from here on out for his heart. His appointment began with an echo, which he has no problem with. He slept through the whole thing. Then we met our cardiologist, Dr. Weinhaus (pronounced Winehouse). He was happy with Landon's appearance, as he looks very healthy. He was okay with the feeding, but I think he would like to see him eating more even though he is gaining weight. We have always known that another surgery isn't out of the question yet, but I think we are trying to stay so positive about it that we don't think about it really happening. He talked to us about the holes in Landon's heart a little more. He said one is medium-sized and the other is smaller. He was pretty confident that the smaller one will close, as was everyone else that have looked at his echos. However, he wasn't so sure that the medium-sized one would close enough so that he wouldn't need surgery in the future. That is always hard to hear, so we are praying that it will close enough. The thought of Landon having another surgery is very difficult to take. It would mean accessing his heart from the front of his body and that is a much scarier surgery than the one he has already had. We return to Dr. Weinhaus in a little over a week because he would like to see how his weight gain is and he would like to see if his breathing and blood pressures are consistent. This is similar to when we first starting seeing our pediatrician, so I wasn't surprised.

On subjects other than his doctor appointments, Landon has started smiling a lot more! It is the sweetest smile and warms our hearts the moment we see it. He also is focusing on us more and will follow with his head. He chatters a bit and moves his hands at the same time as though he is telling us a very detailed story. We hope this finds everyone well and thank you for continued prayers for Landon's improvement. As he is sleeping on my lap while I write this, I know how lucky we are to have him in our lives. Landon is such an amazing little guy and makes our world so much brighter.

One of the few times he was calm after a bath!

This is what I woke up to this morning..so adorable!