Surgery Date Changed

We got a phone call this morning and Field's surgery has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 5th.  They moved it up one day because the surgeon, Dr. Fraser, has to leave town Friday following surgery and wanted to give Field some time to recover after surgery before he leaves town.

So in 6 days we will hand our baby boy over to the surgeon for his Glenn/DKS.  I think back to the first surgery and it was all such a blur.  I had given birth just 3 weeks before so my mind wasn't all there - seriously, no woman should make any important decisions for at least a few months post-partum.  Now I know why we get maternity leave.  No employer would want a woman fresh after baby making important decisions after giving birth.  Anyway, after he was born, Field spent 9 days in the NICU and had only been home for 12 days before the surgery.  That wasn't much time for us to bond as a new family of 3.  So when we handed him over for surgery - yes, it was awful and so very difficult - but we barely knew Field.  This time, we know and love our sweet boy SO well.  He is my little buddy that I spend every waking hour with.  I have LOVED staying home with him - it gives us all the more time to bond.  Handing him over for surgery will be that much harder.

I have a new friend who has done this same thing before and she has assured me that yes, it will be harder because we know him so well, but at the same time, we know his needs so much better too.  I will  know when he needs to be fed, when he is uncomfortable, when he is happy, etc.  It brings me comfort knowing that I best know how to comfort my son.

For the most part, we are doing very well and by the grace of God, we have a peace about what's ahead.  I have my moments for sure - where I let the "what ifs" run through my mind and take over.  But the Lord has given us much grace and peace - and we know that is because of the faithful prayers that surround our family right now.  We know God loves each of us so very much and we put all of our trust in Him.  What a relief to have Him take our worries away.  We could never get through this without our faith.  We are so thankful to know and love the Lord.

We have been busy packing for what could be a month in Houston.  It takes a lot of thought and organization when packing for that much time away - clothes, toys, blankets, bottles, pump parts, diapers, etc.  Sometimes I pretend we are packing for a fun vacation rather than a major surgery - it makes packing much more exciting.  :-)

We plan to leave for Houston on Sunday, January 2nd.  We want to have Sunday evening to get unpacked and organized.  We meet with Dr. Crystal, our cardiologist, on Monday and then the heart cath procedure will be Tuesday morning.  The surgery will be Wednesday, January 5th at 8am.  

We would so appreciate your prayers for safe travels, productive pre-op appointments, a successful and informative cath procedure, continued health for Field, Brad, myself, Dr. Fraser, and anyone else caring for him in Houston, wisdom for those caring for Field, and of course a very safe, successful, and smooth surgery and recovery.  Prayers that there would not be any complications during or after surgery and that the new anatomy of Field's heart will be perfect for Field.

We will be sure to post updates as often as possible.  We know so many of you will be praying and thinking of us and for that we are forever grateful.  There is no way we can ever express our gratitude for all of the love, support, and prayers but know that we will most definitely "pay it forward" when others around us are struggling with life obstacles - we will be the first to offer our support for we know how very meaningful it is.

So many have asked what they can do to help us and for now - our request is just for prayers for Field.  Prayers for a healthy and strong heart and a healthy and strong boy post surgery.

We want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year.  May your 2011 be filled with much love, great health, and many blessings!

Field's FIRST Christmas

Our Christmas holiday was wonderful!

I have some updating to do so we will go back to December 17th.  I finally finished my master's degree and walked the stage to receive my diploma.  It took me 3.5 years and a lot happened during that time - I had a new teaching job, got married, got pregnant, and then gave birth!  I am SO happy to be finished and so glad that I stuck with it.  There were MANY times that I thought about quitting.  It was just a lot of work and life kept throwing a few curve balls (most of them positive ones!) at me and school just seemed like a burden.  I never could have done this without Brad Johnson.  He put up with my complaining, late nights of studying and writing research papers, editing papers for me at the last minute, holding down the fort when I spent hours away at class, and encouraging me to keep at it when I was at my wits end.  I remember the second week of class this semester when we didn't have anyone to keep Field while I was at class (my mom kept him every Wednesday afternoon while I was at class, but she wasn't feeling well and we didn't want to expose Field to anything if she was sick).  I had to drive him to Brad's office so that Brad could take over and I could get to class.  I was in tears.  I had a crying newborn, I needed to pump, and I was late for my 2nd class of the semester in which the professor takes attendance.  Brad gave me a pep talk and pulled me out of my funk like he does for me so very often.  I am thankful because now I am done.  I have to extend a HUGE thank you to my husband, my family, and my friends for all of their love and support while I attended school.  It took a toll on all of us and I never could have completed this degree without the help and support of so many.  Bye bye, grad school, don't let the door hit you on the way out!  :)

The very thankful graduate!

Can you see me?  I am somewhere there in the middle!

This is an awesome pic!  If you can tell, I am walking across the stage on TV and Field is watching!  They televised the graduation on the local educational channel so Field and his Nonnie and Grandaddy were able to watch mommy walk the stage!

After the graduation we had a wonderful celebratory dinner with my family and then Brad and I continued the celebration by hitting up a champagne bar afterwards with my sister and Michael.  The best part about it was that Field had a slumber party at Nonnie and Granddaddy's so mommy and daddy got a full night's sleep!

That following Sunday we had a wonderful Christmas brunch at Oak Hills Country Club with my family and Santa, of course.  We had the best time and Field was so good.  Field's cousin, Ellie, wasn't in to Santa this year but Caroline and Field liked the guy!  I liked him, too, until I caught him chugging spiked egg nog behind the Christmas tree.  Bad Santa!

The Barnett Fam

Elle is not a fan!

Shhh...don't tell Ellie Santa is in the pic.

The only way we could get a pic of the 3 cousins with Santa was if mommy held Ellie.

Pretty Aunt Tara and Silly Uncle Bubba

During Christmas, we enjoyed spending time with both the Johnson and Barnett families.  How lucky are we that both families live in the same city?!  And oh how very fun it is with a little one!  Field was way more into the paper than the gifts, but we've loved having our little one with us this Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated by having a delicious dinner at the Johnson's.  If you haven't had a meal cooked by my father-in-law, Buddy Johnson, you are MISSING OUT.  That man can cook a mean meal and Brad and I are always blown away by the deliciousness of every meal we have over there.  Pat, my mother-in-law makes the most delicious sides too.  Can you say prime rib, roasted new potatoes, sauteed green beans, strawberry salad, delicious wine pairings, and Brandy freezes for dessert - yumm, yes please!  It was fantastic!  The Master Field sat at the head of the table as we all ate ourselves silly.

Helping Nonnie open her gifts

What did you get, Nonnie?

Field LOVES playing with his Granddaddy

Master Field at the head of the table

Reading with Nonnie before bedtime

Love these precious boys!

On Christmas morning we woke up and celebrated a quiet Christmas morning just the 3 of us.  Field opened his gifts first and then went down for his morning nap.  Then Brad and I were able to exchange our gifts and open our stockings from Santa together.  Nothing better than a good cup of coffee, Christmas music playing, and spending quality time with my sweet hubby.  We spent some time after our gift exchange just talking about how very blessed we are and what an amazing year we had together.  Yes, the last 6 months have been interesting and so very difficult, but beautiful and blessed beyond words at the same time.  

Santa left Field a note!

Sitting up like a big boy and checking out his new toy from Santa.

Santa brought Field his very first set of golf clubs!

After that, we headed back to the Johnson's for Christmas brunch.  Once again, the meal was delish!  We opened our Santa stockings and loved giggling at the silly things my father-in-law chose for our stockings.  I love the tradition that he does the shopping for the stockings!

On Christmas night, we headed over to my parents' house for the Barnett family Christmas.  It was a little quieter than usual since my brother and his wife spent Christmas with Tara's family in Houston.  We missed you, Tara and Clayton!

We missed them so much!

Christmas at the Barnett house is always a BLAST!  Wrapping paper, toys, clothes, people, kids, etc. everywhere.  I looked over at Brad a few times and I think he was overwhelmed to say the least.  Hey, what can I say, the Barnetts celebrate hard and there is nothing quiet or relaxing about it.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love the giggles, excitement, and fun that we have as a family.  After our gift exchange we had a delicious dinner together.  Field crashed before dinner so he got in some good shut-eye while we enjoyed our meal with the family.

Checking out his cool, new toy

Sweet cousins

These 3 are going to have so much fun growing up together!

Chaos!

Field riding his new elephant rocker!

Caroline waited patiently for her turn.  

Hangin' with Uncle Mikey

Helping Uncle Mikey open gifts

Ellie always finds herself playing with Field's toys.  

Here she is in the exersaucer.  

We headed home around 10:00 on Christmas night.  We had to transfer Field from the crib at my parents' house to the car seat and fortunately, he stayed asleep during the process.  Brad and I decided to drive around looking at Christmas lights on the way home.  We are SO motivated for some serious Christmas lighting decor next year.  Our little tour inspired us to go all out next year - watch out!

Sunday we spent some time with my 91 year old grandmother.  Physically, she isn't doing too well, but mentally, she is sharp as a tack!  It was great to visit with her and she loved seeing smiley Field.  I forgot to snap a picture of the two of then giggling at each other.

We did find this picture of me when I was a baby at my Omah's house.  Does this look like Field or what?  Everyone says Field looks just like his daddy and I always agreed until I saw this pic of me at around 6 months.

Looks just like Field - other than my huge forehead - they didn't take head measurements back then but I am sure my head size would have been a concern. Haha!

Sunday night we all crashed hard - it was an exhausting but very fun Christmas holiday.  I think all 3 of us were in our beds and asleep by 8:30 the last 2 nights.  I went to download the Chrismas pics and found a bottle of breastmilk in the camera case - wow, you know you had a fun weekend when you find random things in random places - haha!  I really have no idea how that got there but I laughed pretty hard when I found it.  In our defense, the camera case does look a little similar to the small cooler we use for breastmilk when traveling.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

With Love, From the Johnsons

Wishing all of our family and friends - old and new - a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2011.  We certainly feel so very blessed this year and we consider all of the support around us one of our greatest blessings.  Thank you for being so special to our family.  Celebrate the season, dear friends, and remember most importantly, to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

The Johnson Family

Christmas Eve 2010

With Love,

Brad, Lisa, and Field Johnson

Not so smiley with Santa

Today we met Santa...

You know how I always say Field is a super smiley baby?  Well, not so much with Santa.  

He was as serious as they come today when he sat on Santa's lap.  

It didn't matter how much jumping, singing, laughing, etc. that us moms did to get Field to smile.

He wasn't into it.  

We had fun with our friends though!  

And these 3 littles ones were wiped out afterwards!

 Sweet Anabelle - 2 months old

 Sweet Harper - 4 months old

 Sweet Field - 6 months old

Merry Christmas!  Ho Ho Ho!

Dear Field...6 months!

Dear Field,

You are 6 months old!  I cannot believe it!  We've been on quite the journey these last 6 months and bringing you into our family has brought both JOY and heartache.  Joy because we love you SO very much and are so thankful to have you as our son and heartache because we love you SO much and don't like all that you've had and will have to endure.

Here are a few things you've been up to lately...

-You are rolling all over the place!  You roll from front to back, back to front, front to back, back to front, etc.  You could roll all day if we let you!  No more laying you on a blanket on the living room floor and walking away to do something else real quick.  I have found you practically under the TV armoire and you have rolled into the coffee table several times.  Sorry babe.

-Speaking of rolling, you roll quite a bit in your sleep.  Sometimes it wakes you up when you end up on your tummy and sometimes you just cuddle up and go back to sleep.  Your mommy was really worried and nervous about your tummy sleeping because really, how many times have we been told to make sure you are sleeping on your back?  But after talking with your pediatrician, we know it's ok if you roll to your tummy by yourself and sleep that way.  We took off the bumpers around the crib just in case.  :)

-Just a few days ago you started sitting up by yourself!  It was so fun to see you do that!  Mommy was practicing with you and your sweet Aunty Kitty and girlfriend Anabelle were over playing and you were so enamored by the pretty girls that you didn't fall over when practicing.  Awesome!

-Sleeping has been pretty rough lately.  We believe it is due to the reflux and teething.  We think you get tummy aches and/or gum aches and so it wakes you up.  We are up giving you your paci or rubbing your back every few hours.  We are all pretty tired from the lack of sleep but it has gotten a little better the last few nights.  

-Naps are going pretty well and you are still taking 3 naps a day - 9am, 1pm, and about 4:15pm.   We tried to drop the last nap but you ended up falling asleep during your last feeding of the day so we decided to keep that late afternoon nap a little while longer.

-Your new favorite game is "Peek-A-Boo."  We love the belly laughs that come from that game.

-You are now sitting up in the bathtub with the help of a bumbo type bath seat.  You love baths but hate when we wipe your face.  Sorry, pumpkin.

-The reflux is still a challenge for us and we hate to see you not want to eat.  **Update** Things seem to be on the up and up and are getting MUCH better.  You are still taking Prevacid and we stopped feeding you acidic veggies (sweet potatoes, squash, etc.) at night because we believe it was worsening the reflux symptoms.  We have also started to fortify every breastmilk bottle with rice cereal and you have done really well at keeping that down.  No more throwing up, but your burps are still pretty wet.  When you are fed, we have a bib and a few burp clothes ready to catch the milk that comes flying out during a burp - especially if you have on a cute outfit!  :)  Mom can't believe she and good 'ole Medela are still "dating."  I sit down with Medela to pump about 5 times a day.  Oh how I am ready to bid farewell to Medela!

-The jumparoo and exersaucer are your favorite activities!  You know the saying "bouncing baby boy?" Well, lately, that describes you to a tee.

Field showing his Jumparoo to his friend, Mclain.

-You have become such the socialite.  You have several friends that we get together with quite often.  Most are girls, but there are a few boys too.

Field and 2 of his girlfriends: Harper and Anabelle

-Mommy is SO excited about what Santa has for you this Christmas.  You are SO curious about the world and we hear Santa has some cool new toys for you to play with.  Your daddy and I also have a few cool things to spoil you with too.  Is it too early for your very own set of golf clubs?  I hope not because someone I know is getting you one!

-Surgery is in 3 weeks - we are dreading it - but know, sweet boy, that we have to do this for you to live a long, healthy, and happy life.  We know you will have to endure some pain and for that we are SO very sorry.  We will be with you EVERY second of the way and will always be your best advocates.

To our little Fieldster, we love you so much and are so thankful to share this Christmas with our precious baby boy!  You are the greatest gift we could ever ask for.

Happy, happy 6 month birthday!