After his Cath lab, Owen has been steady, stable, and happy. It took him about a day to shake off the grogginess, but he was quickly back to his fun loving self.
It was perfect timing because it kicked off his Mommy's Birthday weekend. It wasn't an ideal situation to be spending Michelle's birthday in the hospital, but being with Owen made it a birthday to remember. We put up some decorations in the hospital room and made sure to make Michelle feel special. Grandma Juju was nice enough to come up on Michelle's actual birthday and sit with Owen and let us get out and enjoy the day. The weather was perfect and it was wonderful to spend some time outside doing normal things. It was a day that Michelle deserved.
The following week was uneventful, which was a good thing. Owen wasn't presented at the surgical conference as we had previously expected because his surgeon, Dr. Morales, was out of town. His analysis and opinion was obviously very important, so they pushed it to the following Tuesday. They
told us that this wouldn't cause the surgery date to be a week later as they had already targeted his surgery for the week of October 5th.
My sister Emily was motivated by Owen and his strength through this entire process and decided to train and take part in a sprint triatholon. We were so touched that she would put all that time and effort into something in support of Owen. Owen showed his support for Emily to help her get through. She did an awesome job and Owen is so lucky to have Emily on his side.
On Monday, the 29th, Michelle and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We were able to get out for a quick dinner to celebrate the wild ride that we have been on. It has been a crazy two years filled with highs and lows. It's hard to believe all that has happened and changed in our lives in just two years. Looking back on that time further cemented how lucky I am to have such a wonderful person to call my wife. There is no one else that I would want to share all of this with. I love her more every day and she continues to amaze me with everything she does.
The surgical conference was the following day and they agreed on surgery the next week. They had not selected a firm date, but told us that it would be Wednesday or Thursday. We knew that surgery was coming and we wouldn't be going home until after, but it still put a knot in our stomachs knowing that our sweet little boy would be going through another open heart surgery in about a week.
We continued to enjoy and cherish our time with our little warrior. After some persistence and determination, Michelle, with the help of a couple great nurses, was able to get permission to take Owen outside for the first time. This was a huge moment for us. Owen had never been outside and after twelve weeks of knowing nothing but the hospital, he was finally going to breath fresh air and see the sun. We had to be accompanied by a nurse and hooked up to a portable monitor and oxygen, but it was something so incredibly special. We were taken to a little courtyard on the roof of the third floor where Owen felt the warm breeze on his face for the first time. He loved being outside almost as much as we did. It was an emotional experience time for us to finally get Owen out of the hospital walls.
We were able to get outside another time before the weekend weather unfortunately turned cold and hope to get him out a couple more times before his surgery. We were also fortunate to have the staff secure us a big mat to lay on our floor so we could lay down and play with Owen. This was a fantastic find for us because it offered us something different to do with Owen. We have been limited to sitting in our rocking chair and holding him or putting him in his bed to sleep or play. Being able to put him on the ground and lay with him allowed us to play with him and interact with him in a different way than ever before. He was a little confused seeing us lay by his side, but he quickly fell in love with this new set up. It may not seem like much, but it has made the future stay here much more tolerable.
Dr. Morales stopped by Friday morning and informed us that the surgery was going to be pushed back a week. He said that each week would help in his recovery and the fact that he was stable meant we could wait another week. This was bittersweet to hear because we want Owen to have the best chance possible for a quick recovery, but a week delay meant a week longer in the hospital. We do not have a date yet, but his surgery is now scheduled for the week of 12th.
We continue to be overwhelmed by the support we are receiving. The fact that people continue to think about us and go out of their way to help us out in so many ways shows how lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our lives. Our family continues to be our rock through this all. Our parents continue to visit Owen and give us the opportunity to get out of the hospital for a stretch of time. We had a delicious and much needed home cooked meal from Aunt Lorie and Uncle Charlie. We received thoughtful gifts from Megan Ball, The Coleman's, The McBride's, Audra Koncal, The Goodfellow's and Linda Klare. Ali Stigel made us some very thoughtful and inspirational bracelets for our families that say "Owen Strong". The gift cards, outfits, and toys will all be put to good use. Owen is one lucky boy to have so much support. We also continue to receive very nice notes and comments which mean so much to us that people are thinking and caring for our little warrior.
Owen spent Sunday watching football and getting ready for the Bengals Sunday night game. He continues to be very talkative and especially flirty with all his nurses. He flashes an irrestible smile at them and is already showing the makings of being quite the ladies man. There is no doubt he is a special little guy.
My updates have been a little less frequent of late for a couple reasons. Things have been a little boring as we wait for the next surgery and it keeps getting more and more difficult to find time as we get more ways to play and entertain Owen. I hope to have another update this time next week as we prepare for Owen's next surgery. Thank you again for following and all your support.
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