Team Field = Success!

On Saturday, we participated in the San Antonio American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk...

For THIS guy...

In a matter of just 6 short weeks, our friend Courtney, helped us recruit 80 members for Team Field and we raised $2,704.00!  Simply amazing!  Every single participant on Team Field is a good friend of ours and that is such a testament to the love and support that surrounds us on this journey.  And I got confirmation that all of the money we raised for the AHA will support heart research and treatment for the city of San Antonio...this includes all heart issues, including congenital heart defects.  So for those of you that donated, know that your money will not only be used locally, but will help babies, children, and adults who were born with congenital heart defects and need specialized heart care. 

(I put both pics in because I like the way Field looks in the first pic

and I think Brad and I look better in the second pic!  Ha!)

When Brad and I arrived to the meeting spot (with Field, of course!), we noticed that everyone was wearing matching t-shirts.  The t-shirts were red and just adorable.  The front said Team Field with a heart and the back said, "I love Field."  I fought back the tears as more and more good friends and family showed up in these precious t-shirts to support us. 

We were blown away by all that came to walk with us - new friends, old friends (not age old, but time old - ha!), babies, children, family, and more.

It was so very special and we cannot express enough gratitude to all who came out to support us (and those that weren't able to make it, but still joined the team, texted, emailed, and called to wish us a fun and successful walk). 

We started out gathering as a group and the weather was a little chilly, but beautiful.  The group picture does not show all that walked with us.  Quite a few were late and missed the pic (hey, I can say that because if the event wasn't for us, we would have been late too!:) 

We had about 70 people walk for Field.

Afterwards, we fed the ducks at the park.

And finally, we stuck around for the awards ceremony - good thing, because we won an award! 

We received a plaque for raising the most money for the AHA out of all of the community teams in San Antonio. 

Way to go Team Field!  We had to go on stage and I made Courtney talk because I didn't know what to say and I knew that whatever I said would just end up not making sense and I would probably get teary and emotional.  Thanks for taking over the mic, Court!

I've been thinking a lot about how special and fun the walk was for us.  As much as I DON'T want Field to be the little guy we are all supporting because I would give ANYTHING for him to be heart healthy, I know that God provides.  He surrounds us with an incredibly loving and supporting group and we are grateful for that.  When you experience a circumstance like we are, you realize how meaningful the love and support from loved ones is.  So thank you to our dear friend Courtney for helping organize Team Field and to everyone else for supporting us during the walk. 

We are already looking forward to next year!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

The Johnsons have been so BUSY!  So you know what that means, a VERY long and VERY overdue blog post.  Settle in (if you have time!), grab a cup of coffee, and catch up with us!

The week leading up to Halloween was a crazy one.  We had one event after another and it was so much fun.  As Brad says, "Holidays are SO much more fun when you have a child!"  Ha!  So true! 

We started out with a visit to the pumpkin patch.  I think Field really enjoyed it.  What do you think?

                                 

Then we had a fun lunch with friends and babies.  All 5 of the babies will be in the Class of 2029!  I hadn't ever done the math on when Field would graduate high school, but there you have it. 

All 5 mommies are good friends from high school.

And all 5 babies will be BFF's too! 
In order from youngest to oldest: Anabelle, Mateo, Harper, Sutton, and Field 

The grandmommies are all close friends too! How special!

 

Field and Sutton...just 6 weeks apart.

I love this boy so much!

That same afternoon (yes, it made for a LONG, but fun day!) we went to a Halloween playdate with my dinner club group. All of the babies and child ren wore their cute costumes.  Field was our little lobster and he LOVED wearing his costume.

Field and his girlfriend, Anabelle. She was a hula girl. :)

All the cute Halloween babies!

Then we went to a Halloween playdate in Boerne with more good friends. There were babies and children of all ages.  The cool thing about this day was that we got to see our VERY special, new friends.  We met a sweet family when Field was born and in the NICU.  The Walkers had Mclain just one day after Field was born and he also had to be in the NICU for about as long as Field.  Erin and I and our hubbies bonded through the difficult experience of the NICU.  (I have a whole blog post to write someday about the heroic mommies of the NICU.)  Not only had we just given birth, we were dealing with surprising health issues, trying to learn how to breastfeed while our babies were hooked up to all kinds of wires and without much privacy, and then being discharged without our babies.  Erin has become so special to me and I am so thankful already for her real and true friendship.  I love that we have only known each other for a few months but we are honest with each other about the struggles of being a new mom and our back and forth texting is so fun!  Can't wait to hang out again, Erin and Mclain!   

Field and his mommy and Mclain and his mommy.

 

Best buds already! And Mclain's daddy is a professional golfer so we are hoping to get some free golf lessons for our Field one day soon. How soon can we teach our baby how to play golf, Jimmy?

We went to the Oak Hills Halloween party.  It was fun, but Field didn't last long after such a busy week!

He slept in his stroller through a few games of Bingo, a costume contest, and lots of music.  Impressive!

Finally, Halloween was here.  We had dinner and trick-or-treated with both sets of grandparents and my sister and her family.  The 3 cousins were dressed as an "under the sea" theme.  Cousin Caroline was a mermaid, Cousin Ellie was a crab, and Field was a lobster. 

Daddy, Field, and Caroline, the beautiful mermaid

Cookin' on the stove

Lobster!

The lobster and crab.  Sweet cousins!

"Mom, why'd you put me in a pot on the stove?!?!"   

Field and his grandmothers.  He is a lucky boy.  Aren't they pretty? 

Our first Halloween as a family of 3.

Love this sweet boy!

I'm exhausted today, but thankful for our fun and "normal" life lately.  :)  These are the things that I will never take for granted.  After all that we have been through and will continue to go through, I praise God for days when we forget about Field's heart and can enjoy life as "normal" with our precious son.  Thank you, God, for giving us a fun first Halloween! 

Cardiology Update

We had another great cardiology check-up this morning.  I can breathe for another month. :)  Dr. Porische was so pleased with Field.  His weight is great.  He looks amazing.  He is happy and just cooing away.  She couldn't believe how alert and "chatty" he was.  She told him she can definitely tell that he is loved and talked to often because he didn't stop talking in the office.  As far as the heart goes, everything looks great and just at it should.  No leaky valves, pressures are great, pulses are perfect, and the PA band is working well.  I had to break the news to her that we are going to have Field's surgery in Houston with Dr. Fraser.  She was totally on board with that and said she is happy to be Field's local cardiologist and will always send a report to Houston on how Field is doing each month.  She assured me that she would get second opinions if it were her child and she definitely respects Dr. Fraser and his team in Houston. 

On that note, we have a date set for the surgery!  On Monday, January 3rd, we will meet with Dr. Crystal, our cardiologist at TCH in Houston.  On Tuesday, January 4th, Field will undergo a cardiac catheterization to check the pressures and blood flow of his heart.  They will also do all of the pre-op work for the surgery (blood work, chest x-ray, etc.)  This is considered a minor procedure and we will most likely just stay one night in the hospital.  Thursday, January 6th is the BIG day.  Field will have his first open heart surgery early that morning.  I get sick to my stomach when I even say that word.  Sending my sweet, innocent baby boy into such a serious surgery is absolutely heartbreaking and will be the hardest thing I will ever have to do as a mommy.  We would SO appreciate your prayers for that day.  For a speedy, successful, and complication-free surgery.  For comfort and NO pain for Field.  And for peace for Brad and me.  We have 2.5 months to pray for this day.  Please join us in praying that all goes perfectly and just as it should and that Field will be stronger than ever leading up to the surgery.   

And can I just say that I love my husband.  Please read his detailed email he sent to our family today:

Hello Fam,
I just got off the phone with Texas Children's, and it looks like we are heading to Houston the first week of January. Here is the projected timeline of events:
Sunday, January 2nd: Johnson family will travel to Houston to get situated at home base (Blair and Bryan Loockes)
Monday, January 3rd: Consult with Dr. Crystal (cardiologist) to discuss the catheterization, and any other check ups needed.
Tuesday, January 4th: Have the cath procedure (done by Dr. Crystal the cardiologist), as well as other lab work needed for pre surgery.
Thursday, January 6th: Have the bi directional glenn shunt and damus kaye stansel operations (done by Dr. Fraser the surgeon).
There are still a lot of details to iron out, but this is a rough draft of what is to come. At some point in time between the cath and the surgery we will meet with Dr. Fraser about what he expects out of the procedure. Field will probably have the opportunity to sleep at the Loockes the night of the 4th, but will be readmitted on the 5th prior to surgery.
If all goes well, and I'm am hopeful it does, Field will spend ten days at TCH, and then will have to stay in Houston three more nights as a precaution. Then we will be homeward bound.
Regards,
Brad W. Johnson, CFP
Investment Officer

He is SO on top of things and so great at organizing appointments for Field.  Yes, I am a lucky girl and Field is a lucky boy. 

And here's a pic of sweet, little Field-ie-poo.

Funny story...we took Field to the pumpkin patch and then to dinner afterwards in this outfit.  We had THREE different people come up to us to tell us how precious our DAUGHTER is.  How cute SHE is, how big SHE is, and then asked how old SHE is.  Brad was not too happy that I put Field in such a girlie outfit.  I guess I should put a second thought to what we dress our little "pretty" boy in.  I do think he is a beautiful boy but I don't really like that he was mistaken for a girl several times yesterday.  I am so sorry, Field.   I won't make you wear these outfits too often!  :)

Dear Field...4 months!

Dear Field,

You are 4 months old! 

Here are some things we LOVE about you, sweet boy.

1.  You are SO smiley.  We think God made you extra smiley because you always have a smile on your face. 
2.  You love bath time.  It's your favorite way to be soothed - except when we wipe your face.  :)
3.  You LOVE Christmas Carols!  BB discovered that if we sing Silent Night and The First Noel, you will drink your entire bottle in about 25 minutes.
4.  Your reflux seems to be better.  Such an answered prayer!  Still spitting up, but no pain when drinking and a much stronger desire to eat large quantities of momma's milk - yay!
5.  You love to sleep on your side and in the swing - not so much on your back.
6.  You love to watch T.V. (uh-oh!) - especially Dancing with the Stars - a future in music and dancing? 
7.  We are still swaddling you - one arm in and one arm out.  Otherwise we've found that your hands are all over the place!  But we know it's time to stop so we are working on it.  Maybe we'll work on that next week.  :)
8. You've been rolling over since you were 6 weeks from front to back.  (Makes tummy time cut short often).  You are so close to rolling from back to tummy.  I hear sleeping improves once you can roll to your tummy on your own.  Bring that on! 
9.  We do not like vaccinations!  Of course we don't like you to be stuck by a needle (who does?!?), but that is the least of our worries with all your little body has to endure.  It's the aftermath of the vaccinations that's tough.  High fever for 24 hours and no desire to eat for a few days after shots.  :(  It's not fun seeing you when you feel yucky, but you always amaze us with how tough you are! 
10.  You bring JOY, JOY, JOY to all that know and love you (which is a lot of people!).  We are so thankful that God made you and we love you just the way you are.  You are perfect in our eyes, Field-ie-poo!

Walk for Field!

A few weeks ago I was playing around on my computer while Field was sleeping and came across the American Heart Association Heart Walk that will be in San Antonio on Saturday, November 6th.  I immediately signed up "Team Field" and was ready to get all of our friends and family on board for the walk in honor of sweet Field.  Then I realized I was being way over ambitious - the walk is in just a few weeks and I am a busy new mommy and also attending graduate school.  I don't have time to get this organized!  So I decided that Brad, Field, and I would walk in it and then maybe next year we could make it into a bigger event.  God is so good, because He knew this was something I wanted but just didn't have the time to put together.  Not just a day later and I got an email from one of my very best friends, Courtney, saying that she would like to put together a team to walk in honor of Field.  Wow!  I told her I had already set up a team and she took over from there. 

To our local SA friends, please do not feel obligated in any way to join us, but I wanted to pass along the information just in case.  Thank you, Court, for putting this together!

Dear Family and Friends of the Johnsons,
The American Heart Association will be having its annual Start! Heart Walk in San Antonio on Saturday, November 6th.


We are forming a team in honor and support of Field Johnson and would love for you all to join us! The event is FREE and if you would like to make a donation to the American Heart Association in honor of Team Field you can do so when you sign up on the website. All money raised goes to the American Heart Association to help support research, education and advocacy for heart issues including congenital heart defects. You can simply join our team and come walk to show your support or you may also get others to support you in your walk by making donations. Our team goal is $1,000 and I have no doubt that we will reach it quickly!

The walk details are below:

Saturday, November 6th

8:00 AM Opening Ceremonies
9:00 AM Walk Start!

(*Choose a 3.1 mile route or a 1 mile route)
Brackenridge Park Joske Pavilion

The following link can be used to join the team:

Team Field

I will send more details to those who join the team as the walk gets closer and we will meet and walk together with Lisa, Brad and Field!  Thank you for supporting such a wonderful cause that is so dear to our HEARTS! I know it will mean a lot to Lisa, Brad, Field and their families.

Courtney Williams

Thank you ALL so much!  I just checked the Heart Walk Team Field page and saw that we already met our goal of raising $1,000 for the American Heart Association.  Thank you ALL so much!  We are honored and blessed by your love, support, and friendship.  And we hope that our money raised will go on to help support CHD awareness and research for future families like ours.  And on that note, stay tuned for another event in honor of Field.  My sister and I are in the works of putting together a special event to raise money for CHD research and awareness.  It won't happen for another year or so, but we are super excited about it! 

And here are a few pics to share...

Nonnie, Field, Mommy, and BB at his Sip and See

 Mommy, Field, and Aunt Barbie (one of Nonnie's good friends)

Have a great weekend!

Field's First Football Game!

We took Field to his first Texas football game a few weekends ago.  I know fans were looking at us like we were crazy when we walked in with a 3 month old, but I promise we aren't crazy.  The Johnsons have a suite on the North end of the stadium so we were inside with air conditioning during the entire game.  We weren't around the big crowds in the stadium and Field was able to watch parts of the game and nap the entire time.  Just as we would at home!  Both sets of grandparents were with us, too, so he got lots of attention.  Unfortunately, we didn't win the game.  What was that about Horns?  This was a first of many football games for Field and he did SO well!  Way to go, Field!

Poppy, BB, Mommy, Field, Daddy, Uncle Matt, Nonnie, and Graddaddy

Longhorn Fan!

Our Little Family

Meeting Auntie Blair (college friend) for the first time!