we've come a long way, baby...

home sweet home

It's good to be home. The kids are both rolling around in familiarity with smiles and giggles. We're edging back toward our routine, and both kids are eating and sleeping a bit better (though Athan and I were still up at 5 a.m. today...).

We've reunited with some friends, and we get to see lots of folks tonight at the High Bridge Festival. yeah!

As Morgan said to Grammy in the car on our way home, "I love all my people." :)

made it

We're in Wilmore. We had a great trip with Grammy, and we're getting settled in just fine. It was fun to have all our familiar toys again! :)

More when I've slept a bit.

i should be asleep

We head back home tomorrow, but I thought I would post a few pictures of our time here in Clovis (and 1 of the CA trip):



Lots more fun pics to come. For our friends and family here in Texas and New Mexico, we'll miss you all! Kentucky fam - see you soon!

Ryan's trip, my trip, and Ryan again

Ryan had a good trip with his Dad and brothers, and we had a bleary-eyed reunion sometime around 2 a.m. yesterday. Then I left a few hours later to spend the day in Canyon with my dear friend Cindy and her son, Ben, who is recovering from back surgery (going well, and thanks for those who prayed). Now I'm back in Clovis, and Ryan is off again. Now he's backpacking for a couple days with Bailey. He gets back Friday in time for us to celebrate our 7th anniversary (a couple days early - it's officially the 10th). Then a family reunion Saturday, packing up Sunday, and the kids, Mom, and I head back toward Kentucky Monday morning.

Whew.

The kids are doing great - LOVING all the attention of so many friends and family.

Ryan keeps taking the camera on his little adventures, so I'm short on visual updates for now.

lazy post

1 - We ordered Athan's glasses

2 - Ryan is having a good trip and will be home tonight.

3 - [pretend i took the time to write two or three of the "Morgan is NOT shy" stories from the past few days]

Real updates later this week.

little trip

Morgan and I went with the Strebecks to Albuquerque yesterday for Layne's last basketball game (moment of silence for the passing of the basketball era of the Strebeck house). It was an all-in-one-day whirlwind trip, concluding sometime after 2 a.m. this morning, but well worth it.

Ryan has gone with his dad and brothers for the "Brothers Trip" to California. If they survive each other, they'll be back Monday or Tuesday.

Athan spent the day with Grammy and Uncle Jer - Thanks guys!

Also, I ask that you all pray for our friends who are moments away from finding out if a birth mom is willing to let them adopt or not.

i'm a noodle

I just got to redeem my Christmas gift from Mom - spa day at Hydrations Spa. Wow. Massage, facial, pedicure, make-up... I could get used to that kind of pampering!

a day at Grammy's

Some great "down time:"
Some great "not-so-down time:"

feeling better

Athan's fever is gone. He's sleeping and eating much better. Big sigh of relief for him and for us.

ups and downs

Well, the first few days of the vacation were great! Lots of smiles and hugs and familiar faces and places. Athan and Morgan have had so much fun!!

As far as I know, Morgan is still great. She got to go spend the night with Aunt Loy, Avery, and Macy last night, so I'll update more on her when I see her again. She is currently with the fam at Border Town Days to hear cousin Charla sing.

Athan, poor guy, has had a rotten couple of days. He had a fever, which we now know is due to an ear infection. The NP at the Urgent Care place said his ear looked a little pink, but not awful. He is also teething (including a blood blister on his gums over his molar that popped yesterday). Ryan just got home with the amoxicillin and Tylenol, so hopefully we're on the road to relief.

Tonight we'll go to Ryan's 10 YEAR class reunion. Yikes.

cliffhanger resolved

As promised, here is the visual version of Athan's latest PT feat - STANDING (against a wall with hands ready to help, of course, but definitely standing):


We hope he will start bending his knees more and supporting his weight without locking his knees back, and then learn to squat down along the wall. He is working so hard and we are really proud of him!

follow-up

We saw a urologist in Lubbock today. He took out a couple of stitches and said that Athan is healing well.

We also got to see Aunt Brittany and Uncle Jordan, which was WAY fun. Morgan informed me that she is going back there tomorrow.

made it

We're in Clovis. And we're tired. We had lots and lots of fun being with family and visiting friends in Amarillo, Ceta Canyon, and Borger the past few days.

Now we're going to sleep alot. :)

More soon...

good times

The Strebeck Fam is here, and we are having so much fun! Morgan is just LOVING it. Athan continues to recover well. I have really fun pictures to post later of a new PT feat, but I'll leave that cliffhanger for now. We're packing to get ready to leave in the morning for a 3+ week trip to see family in Texas and New Mexico. We'll be a family reunion all weekend, then back to Clovis (and able to post again) early next week.

Thank you a thousand times, again, for prayer for our boy through all of his challenges. His smile is evidence of your faithfulness to Him and us.

home!

We're home. We were discharged so quickly, we didn't even have time to post another blog. Athan is asleep on Ryan's chest at the moment. I just got back from Sims with his prescriptions, and we're just resting and awaiting the arrival of Nana, Papa, Na-Na, and Auntie B! :-)

In Recovery

Athan has been in recovery now for about 20-30 minutes. The anesthesia is slowly wearing off and he's running a low grade fever. He is nursing now, so calm at the moment. They expect us to head home some time early this afternoon.

9:30 Surgery Time

Athan went in on schedule this morning. We counted on him being fussy since he has been fasting since dinner, but he was in a great mood all morning. He spent most of his pre-op time charming the nurses and anesthesia team. The surgery is supposed to take around an hour, so we'll let you know when he's in recovery.

request

Would you all pray for our friend Ben Venable? He is a high school senior who injured himself yesterday. He has surgery to put rods in his back this afternoon, and the next few days recovery will be pretty rough on him. Thanks for your prayers.

therapy again today

PT went well. He was in a good mood, and he worked pretty hard. Laurie reminded me that on one of her first visits, she thought Athan might walk by the time he was 3. That is what makes it so shocking that he is working really hard on standing now. We're just so proud of how hard he is working.

Morgan went to the library with Daddy tonight, which seems to have helped her mood. She's been pretty cranky the past couple of days - still recovering from the strep, I suppose.

i repent

I know. I've been awful about keeping this updated the past couple of weeks. I hope our faithful readers can forgive me, and I'll do my best to catch up:

The move: It has been rare and wonderful for Ryan and I to have some time to get several things done. The tasks that get put off when you move in, then never get done until its time to move out - we've actually gotten to do some of those. Ryan has painted, replaced outlets, helped me hang fixtures, and built some shelves for the kitchen. I've had time to clean and organize, rearrange furniture a time or two, and decorate a bit. It's fun to play house. :) You can check out the pictures when you have time.

Morgan: Like I said, she's been kinda sickly. The antibiotic is working, I think, and her fever has been gone for a couple of days. She doesn't feel this yucky anymore, but she is still not eating or sleeping well, which makes for a cranky kiddo. "Fragile" is the word Ryan used today. She's still a little fragile...

Athan: He's great. We are SO thankful he doesn't show any signs of being sick. Whew. We've really been trying some fun things in therapy. We tried to do PT in the pool last week, but it was cold water on a cloudy day - just made him mad. We'll try that again when it's warmer. The most fun lately are his new wrist weights! Laurie, the World's Best PT, took some wrist rattles, took out the rattle, and replaced it with some fishing weights. So cool! It has been a great way to work in the muscle tone in his arms.

Alright, there's a start. I'll be a better blogger this week, promise. Night!

quickly

Morgan has strep throat. Poor kiddo. I'll post more when she's well...

slower than i thought

Ok, so no pics yet. I'll get there, promise.

Until then, check out this precious new arrival - congratulations to the Caldwells!

moved...

(insert sigh of relief)

Due to much help from many faithful friends, most of the house has new paint and we are moved in.

The kids are good. Morgan loves her purple room and the tree house (pics to follow as soon as I unpack the camera stuff...).

Athan has had a tough couple of days. Immunizations with Dr. Coburn yesterday. ECHO this morning, the unexpectedly complicated visit with audiology/ENT today. He went in for a hearing test, which they could not do because of fluid in his ears. Then audiologist called in an ENT doc, who suggested putting tubes in his ears. However, he does not have an extensive history of fluid in his ears, so we are waiting. It could clear up in a matter of weeks, and be fine. We'll get a second opinion before we go through with it.

Then tired boy came home and we tried to so physical therapy. It went fine, but then he hit a wall and just got MAD. I mean MAD. So we put him down for a nap, and he woke up happy Athan again. :)

I slipped out of the house for a few minutes to get online here at the coffee shop. I guess I'll head back home and help with bedtime stuff. We should have internet at the house again tomorrow afternoon, and I'll try to get some pics up of the new place.

quicky, while i have a sec

Appointments went well. NICU Grad Clinic said nothing new, except that we are going to see some ENT folks to look at his epiglotis again, just to make sure it's ok. Endo check-up was good - no change in meds or anything.

We also saw a urologist, and as expected he got Athan on the books for a simple procedure. The surgery is just a one-day deal (outpatient), and it's scheduled for July 14th.

And we're moving. Like, right now. Ryan is at the new house painting while I pack some stuff here. This may be my last post until the dust settles in the new place a bit.

Thanks for continuing to pray for us, friends and family!

Fathers Day pool party

We've had a good day. Just resting a bit before the busy week of school, doctor appointments, and moving. We joined the Herons at the pool this evening. I'll take my camera next time, but for now you should just know that both our kids love the water. Athan thought daddy was too funny blowing bubbles in the water, and Morgan just kinda floated around the pool on a variety of floaty devices, loving every minute.

Happy Dads Day.

Morgan's new favorite game

It's called "Pile Stuff on Bubba."

the faces of Athan

This is the face he makes during physical therapy when he doesn't want to work hard:

This is the face he makes when you call his name:
This is the nose-wrinkle CHEESE smile:
This is the sleeping face:

Morgan moment

Me: Morgan, when did you get so grown up?

Morgan: Um, on Thursday.

ophtho report

We saw Dr. Napier today. Whew - what an ordeal. She must be the only pediatric ophthalmologist in a tri-state area. I arrived to check us in at 2:30, our appointment was supposed to be at 3. I finally saw the doc at 4:15, and left after 5.

The news: Athan's left eye is officially turning in. We will begin patching his right eye 2 hours a day, and hope that is enough to correct the problem. If not, we may have another little surgery ahead. We will patch his eye from now until mid-September, then evaluate his progress.

Also, he is near-sighted. It is not severe, but he is a little near-sighted. We have a prescription for glasses, but Dr. Napier was really soft about this point. She says we should fill the scrip, and then see if he seems to like the improvement in his vision. If he gets excited about being able to see more, we'll keep them on. If they just bug him more than they help, we can wait until he's older to do glasses. We'll probably get them and try after we move and get settled.

another good PT session

Laurie was here today, and Athan did so well! He stood (with a little support and balance help, of course) for a LONG time. Longer, at least, than he has ever done before. It was so good to see. It's almost startling to see how tall he is when he stands.

We go see ophthalmology tomorrow, so I'll try to post an update tomorrow evening when I get home about what Dr. Napier says.

back in full swing

Ryan's back and Strebeckville is in motion again. Ryan is taking a class this week. We've got doctor appointments for Athan. And we're packing. Yep - we have been blessed with a 3-bedroom house to live in for the next couple of years, and we'll be moving next week! :) I am really excited. Ryan and I have exchanged several e-mails about what we're most excited about. Things that top my list:

1. no more stairs!
2. fenced back yard for Morgan
3. extra bedroom - no more waking Athan up when I need some socks.

missing Dad

Ryan is in New Mexico for NWTX Annual Conference. I think the trip is going well. We miss him and we'll sure be ready to see him tomorrow! :) Morgan announced last night that she was going to New Mexico to get Dad...

Athan (surprise, surprise) is not sleeping well. Ryan has the magic touch for getting him to sleep, which doesn't work from Albuquerque. So we've been awake in the middle of the night more often than usual. But Charis came and kept the kiddos while I got a break yesterday, and she'll be here again today. To any single moms out there, my respect for you deepens by the moment. I'm not tough enough to do this without help...

the still shots

Dad tried to help,

Mom tried to help,
even Morgan tried to help,
but he made it clear he needed NO help at all with his cupcake! :)
We got some cool gifts (including a singing card from Aunt Berniece and an unassembled bouncy toy from Uncle Josh and Uncle Jer, not pictured):
and even though it is the least original observation I could make (worse that I'll post it on a blog), I'll go ahead and say that his favorite toys so far are the envelope, tissue paper, and gift bags.Birthday boy is asleep, so I should crash myself. Night all.

birthday video

One year ago today...

The party is Saturday, but the day is today! Athan Ryan Strebeck is ONE!

Part of me wants to dance in the streets. But most of the celebration I'm feeling is more quiet. Even trying to write about it this minute feels too "public."

I guess the best I can say would be to emphatically and joyfully whisper that Athan Ryan Strebeck turns one today.

a fun visit

Uncle Layne is here! It was nice to let someone ELSE read "If You Take a Mouse to School." :-)

almost

We started planning a party today for Athan's first birthday. Wow. :)

Our boy is turning ONE in a few days!!

almost forgot

Dr. K said that his heart looked so good, we can totally stop the Lasix. Yeah! One less med to give! Now we're down to just his endocrine meds - Cortef (3x/day), Synthroid (1x/day), and Genotropin (1x/day), all of which will probably be life-long.

no swelling

The ECHO this morning showed that there is not any swelling around Athan's heart, and his lungs look clear of any fluid build up. I was so relieved! He still has a yucky cough - probably a virus. We just have to wait it out. No big deal.

my favorites from this week

wary sister:sibling smiles:
a glimpse of our future?:

PT report and more appointments

PT went well Monday. Athan worked really hard for the full hour, and only complained a little when she insisted on making him use his arms. :) We still have hours and hours of hard work ahead, but I'm encouraged about his progress.

We went back in to see Dr. Coburn yesterday because the last round of meds (antibiotic, etc) didn't seem to help this cough at all. He snapped a chest x-ray, and recommended that we see cardiology. He may need a higher dose of Lasix if there is fluid build-up left from surgery or something. We'll go in to Lexington this morning for and ECHO and appointment with Dr. Kakavand.

busy

Last week was nuts around here. I think Morgan was the only one who remained 100% all week. Athan has a cough. Ryan hurt his back. I hurt my foot trying to take care of Ryan's back. It was crazy. Ryan and I were both so far out of commission (him unable to stand up and me hopping around one one leg) one evening that we had to ask a friend to come over and rock Athan to sleep (thank you again, Jason). Then when we had recovered a little, the kids and I left for Nashville to pick up Grammy and bring her home. Whew.

But we're better and more settled now. Ryan's back is better (thank you, Lance!). My foot is fine. Grammy's here. We're all just relaxing a bit. All except for Athan, who is still trying to kick this silly cough. Yuk. He had a bad reaction to one of the meds, so things have been better since we stopped giving that.

Laurie will be here again tomorrow for physical therapy. Athan has regressed a bit (as we expected) since surgery, but we are beginning to be able to work with him to catch up again. I think he is beginning to be frustrated by his lack of mobility, which will be good motivation for him to work hard and learn how to overcome that.

Stay tuned for info about celebrating Athan's First Birthday at the end of this month! :)

back in a couple days

The kids and I are heading to Nashville to pick up Grammy Tammy. Be back here Friday. Will post more then. :0)

the post- post-op blog post

An illustrated summary.

It was difficult to really believe that my son needed heart surgery when he looked like this:
Still, we knew he needed the surgery. The procedure itself was difficult time to endure, but the toughest moments were these:
With much prayer from family and friends, plus lots of help from some super-skilled nurses, there were more and more times like this:
We knew Athan was in good hands:
And when our boy went from feeling like this:
to feeling like this:
we knew it was time to go home:to play in the floor (with Papa!):
and outside with Morgan.
and to resume the life we are so grateful to share with him every day. I am swirling in gratitude for my son right now. There are no more words...

back

We have internet again! :) Whew...

I still haven't loaded the pictures, though. Sorry. Will do soon

We saw Athan's surgeon this morning. Dr. Plunkett said that from a post-op stance, all is well. The chest x-ray looks good. He took the steri-strips off the incision, and it is healing perfectly. We can bathe Athan now (maybe we'll finally get all the adhesive junk off!). Unless we have reason to seek them out, we don't have to see Dr. Plunkett again. Yeah!

We did not repeat the ECHO today. That will probably come when we see his regular cardiologist again in a few weeks. That will tell us how the valve is doing, and whether the leak is still there or if it has changed in any way. That appointment is the end of this month.

Again, I just wish you could see him. Our Athan is back in full swing. I think I can already tell a difference in his energy. He is moving his arms more and just seems to feel better most of the time.

Ryan and I are starting the feel the full force of relief of being in the land of After-Heart-Surgery. We have long spoken of life in this land, but it seemed only a dream. :) Ryan has a busy few weeks ahead to finish up the semester, but still we are glad to have such a big hurdle behind us.

quickly

Our internet at the house should be back up tomorrow or Tues. I'm visiting a friend and stealing signal for a sec. I'll update more soon. For now - Athan is doing great. I wish you could hear the giggles I can hear at this very moment. We have our follow-up with surgery tomorrow morning, and I'll post and update as soon as I have signal again. :)

(Morgan's home. Thank's Nana and Papa and Uncle Brent. I'll post some fun pics soon, too)

an evening with friends

Athan had lots of company tonight. Our sweet friends Lance, Laurie, and Jordan brought us dinner. We ate together and had a fun time of celebrating Athan's recovery together. And as many of you already know, I just love food that other people cook! :) Athan and Jordan had a good time hanging out after dinner.

Then we went next door for some more food and fellowship with the Herons. Athan spent lots of time studying Margot's toy animals and trying to turn the page of a picture album. He was in a pretty good mood all night long.

He's finally asleep, so I better get a few things done while there's no baby in my arms. :)

still doing well

A little fussy. A little clingy. But still smiley and clapping and playing with Dad, too.

And we just changed the SIXTH dirty diaper since we got home yesterday. Yep. 6. For a kid who usually poops once every 2 or 3 days, this is a record. :-)

home!

We're home. It is so good to be in familiar surroundings again. Ryan is rocking Athan to sleep at the moment, and it's good to know he can sleep (in his own bed) for as long as he wants to. No need to wake up for an x-ray or to take his vitals.

The best part is having our boy back. Last night he was pretty fussy for a couple of hours - just uncomfortable and unable to sleep. After he finally crashed and slept for a couple of hours, he woke up in every sense possible. The lethargy seemed gone suddenly - he was smiling and laughing and clapping like Athan does. Just so good to see him again.

We'll see the surgeon in a week or two, and then his regular cardiologist in a month. For now, he's home on his regular endo meds (cortef, synthriod, and genotropin), on Tylenol for pain, and on 1 daily does of furosemide for his heart. The tylenol will stop within a few days, and we may get to stop the heart med after we see cardio, too.

We'll keep updating, and thank you all, again, for carrying us through another trauma with our boy. We couldn't do this without you.

it's official...almost

We're going home. Dr. K came by and decided everything was a go. Once Dr. Irene gives us the go ahead on the endocrine side of things we're out the door. It seems almost trite to thank you all at the end of every post, but we remain genuinely grateful for your prayers-constantly. What would we have without mercy?

Here's a pic of Athan trying to speed up the IV removal process this morning!

a smooth night

Athan slept really well last night. He is very mellow, and doesn't seem to be in much pain. His only complaint is that I have to stop his feedings short because we're still watching his fluid intake (that makes him pretty mad!). I think that will stop soon, though, and we should be free to feed as much as he wants. He is eating his baby food really well, and has been very happy to eat/play with his puffs again.

He has already had labs drawn this morning, which showed his potassium is low (common side effect of one of his medications). They also repeated the chest x-ray again, and we should hear about those results on rounds this morning. I think they will also give the official order to stop his IV steroids and return to taking it like he does/will at home.

Ryan and I both managed to rest fairly well when Athan was asleep, even though we had to curl up on each end of the one cot in the room. :-)

Thanks to our wonderful Wilmore Family who visited us last night, brought us dinner, and loved on our boy. It was sososo good to see them and celebrate Athan's progress together.

pictures from days 3 & 4

Day 4
Day 3

out of ICU

We have room out on the floor now (331). Athan was a bit fussy this afternoon, but after a couple of big burps and a dose of Tylenol, he was better. His lungs sound more and more clear to anyone who has listened to him. Ryan has been in Wilmore asleep (finally!), and he'll be back to see us soon.

Dr. Plunkett came to see us just before we left the ICU and described to us in more detail the repair that he did and exactly where the leaks are in the valve. He said again that it may correct itself, it may not. He said to just file away the possibility of another surgery in the future, but not to worry about it at all right now. The leakage is very minimal, and the medication will help.

He also said we may be home by Monday or Tuesday. :-)

first bit of bad news.

One of Athan’s surgeons came by to talk to me earlier today. They looked more closely at the ECHO from this morning, and it shows a little bit of leakage of the mitral valve. It may yet correct itself, and it is not alot of leakage. Still, we were hoping for none at all. He will have to stay on a new medication for now for the mitral regurgitation.
I think Ryan and I are going to get some dinner, and after I feed Athan next, I will go out to Wilmore again (Ryan is being quite bullheaded about this point) to get one more night of rest before I can feed him whenever he wants.

another night in ICU

Athan had a better night last night. He and dad didn’t get hours and hours of sleep, exactly, but certainly better than the night spent angry and restrained.

The ECHO this a.m. showed that the repair sites in his heart look good. The x-rays still show some junk in his lungs that needs to be cleared, so we are working with him to help get that fluid out. They are also watching his fluid intake closely, so we’ll alternate breast feeding with a bottle every other meal (every 3 hours ‘round the clock). He is still on oxygen for the moment. They tried to take it off last night, but it was just a little too soon. He is off the IV fluids, so we only have to be hooked up to IV stuff when he gets medicine. Otherwise the only cords and tubes that remain are his oxygen and monitors. We are going to stay here in ICU tonight to keep watching the fluid issue.

Morgan and the grandmas headed out this morning to go back to New Mexico. We are so thankful that Morgan will get to have this fun vacation while we focus on taking care of Athan.

Ryan has done two night shifts in a row up here, and he’s sleepy. I’ve gotten more sleep for a couple days, so I’m hoping he’ll let me take tonight and he’ll go home and get some sleep.

Once again, we have been taken care of so very well by all the staff here at UK. HUGE thank-yous to all our docs, nurses, and support staff for being so good to our boy. Selena was the nurse with the magic touch that started his first IV, and then fought with Ryan through that first hellish night post-op. Kim helped us sooth him when he was so mad he was trying to kick the moon. Kathleen has patiently helped us through our two days here, taking good care of Athan and Mom and Dad. We are so thankful to all of you who have given your knowledge and skill to our Athan.