10 months ago today...

Caleb Andrew came into this world and he has blessed all of our socks off ever since! He has defied so many 'odds' already, he is truly a miracle. Coming into the world with Downs and two heart conditions, all doctors said he would have such a hard time. He has truly shown them! :) He is growing beautifully and our last visit with the pediatric cardiologist (we saw a different one this last check up), well, lets just say, he was amazed. I am sure before he came in to see Caleb, he looked over his file and expected to walk in and see a sickly, small baby. No, not Caleb. The cardiologist kept saying over and over "he looks SO good!" This doesn't mean Caleb does not need his major repair surgery, unfortunately, it just means Caleb has defied so many odds in the heart defect world. He has grown well, he is very alert and attentive, he is rolling, overall a very happy boy. We are hoping to avoid the dreaded heart surgery until right after his 1st birthday. His big brother, Ryan, will turn 10 on 7/31 and Caleb's bday is 8/2, so we are hoping to get those celebrations in before life turns all about going to and from Fairfax Hospital again.

Caleb now weighs 17 lbs. 3 oz. He is quickly outgrowing the "infant carrier" car seat, but he is not sitting up yet...so that will certainly present a challenge when it comes time to run errands and he cannot sit up in the shopping cart. His therapists are certainly working on this every time they come, here's hoping he will get the hang of it soon. His muscle tone is a little low b/c of the Downs, so using all of those muscles to sit up and hold himself there is a little bit of a challenge, but we know he will get it!

Thank you so much for joining us in this journey! We will certainly keep you updated as to when his surgery is scheduled. They have to do a heart catheterization procedure first, which is going to be in mid-to late- July. This will give the surgeons all the pictures they need of his current heart situation before they get in there. They will know exactly what they are looking at when surgery time comes. I am not sure how this momma is going to handle going through all this with our precious boy, but he did great after the first surgery, so we can only pray he does just as well after this one. His complete repair is SO much more intricate though. Not to mention, we are all much more bonded to him now. Dear Lord give me the strength!