We Love You, Brad Johnson!

Field and I cannot even begin to describe how blessed we are to have the very BEST husband and daddy we could ever ask for.  From day one, Brad has been the most "hands on" daddy! 

From encouraging me during labor when I was dilated to a 9 and had NO epidural yet (yes, my labor went that fast!), to rejoicing with me on the birth of our son, to holding me tight after hearing the diagnosis of Field's heart, to sitting with me in the NICU day and night as I fed Field, to celebrating with me when we took him home for the first time, to spending nights in the hospital after Field's surgery and waking up each morning to work a full day so he can support our family, to feeding Field all through the night (I pump and we bottle feed so we know how much Field is taking in) so that I can sleep every now and then, to managing doctor's appointments, paperwork, insurance claims, etc., to attending EVERY appointment of Field's and rushing back to work, and to just loving on both of us unconditionally.  This man is truly a blessing to us and I couldn't ask for a better person to accompany me on this journey.  He really is the most compassionate, caring, loving, and PATIENT person.  God is really working in his life and I love being a part of it all.  It is amazing to watch my two boys stare into each other's eyes (they do that often and it's just SO sweet!).  I know that Brad will be the best golf, baseball, soccer, hunting, and fishing coach to Field. 

Field...you are the luckiest baby I know because Brad Johnson is your daddy and he is AWESOOOMMMEEE!  :)

There are my two boys, staring into each other's eyes. 

Wow...I am a lucky girl!!

"Perfect" Cardiology Update

We went to see our cardiologist last Friday and we are so thankful and pleased to say it was a wonderful appointment. First of all, we didn't have to wait very long which is a huge blessing in itself. Waiting in doctors offices with a newborn is not easy.

Field is doing GREAT! His weight gain is exactly where they want it. He is gaining an appropriate amount of weight each week, which is a huge victory for us. His oxygen saturation levels are perfect - in the low 90's. His pulse and heart rate are perfect. And...the heart looks perfect! Dr. Porische said the word "perfect" so many times that I thought I was going to jump up and give her a huge bear hug!  Tame yourself, momma bear Lisa.  When I say perfect, I do mean Field's perfect. We know that his heart is not "normal," but it looks perfect for him. We are so thankful that there do not seem to be any other issues with the heart, other than the obvious single ventricle. There are no leaky valves, blood flow is good, and the pulmonary artery band that they placed on his artery in July looks...PERFECT! 

I think the shock of Field's special heart is starting to wear off and so Brad and I are starting to ask better and more educated questions at our appointments. I guess I should speak for myself - Brad asks excellent questions as he understands exactly how the heart works, exactly what is going on with Field's heart, and exactly how the surgeries will "fix" his heart. I, on the other hand, didn't know much about the heart until now, so I am what you would call a novice heart mom. So, if you want to know more about Field's heart, ask Brad! Give me a few more years (I'm a slow learner) and I'll have it figured out. :)

Dr. Porische spent a lot of time with us during our appointment and was SO positive about Field and his future.  We were very encouraged for Field.  She also mentioned that she believes the kids that do the best and end up succeeding the most in life are the ones whose parents don't limit their possibilities - who allow them to do as they please - but just encourage them to take a break when they need it.  Field will know his limits and will learn to rest when it's time.  This just sounds like good parenting to me and I know Brad and I will always strive to be the very best parents to our Field.  We ask those of you who are close to us to also encourage us to not limit Field.  The sky is the limit for this baby boy and we don't ever want to stifle his opportunities. 

We also discussed the timeline for the next surgery.  The Glenn.  Most babies have this surgery between 4-6 months of age, but when Field is between 4 and 6 months old, we will be in the height of flu and RSV season (October-December).  The doctors want to do their best to keep us away from sick people and out of the hospital during that time.  Because Field is doing SO well and his sats are in the normal range, we are thinking that we will wait until next Spring for the surgery - probably March or April.  But we will just monitor Field and see how he's doing at our monthly cardiology appointments.  He'll let us know when it's time for the surgery.  (His O2 sats will drop!)

On that note, we are going to meet with Dr. Charles Fraser at Texas Children's Hospital in September.  We have heard wonderful things about Dr. Fraser, who is the chief surgeon for cardiac surgery and deals with all kinds of CHD's.  We also know that TCH is one of the best children's hospitals in the nation.  We want only the best for Field.  After our visit to Houston, Brad and I will discuss and pray about our best option for Field and his next surgery.  We would love it it you all would pray for us as we make this important decision.

I am so thankful for my new friend, Jesse, who has reached out to me this past week.  Sweet Brad has been communicating with families who have similar stories to ours.  He connected with a family located outside of Seattle.  They have a darling son named Luke.  Luke's heart is very similar to Field's.  He is 3 years older and has been through the first 2 surgeries.  Luke is doing GREAT!  His sweet mom, Jesse, has been emailing with Brad to check in on us and she and I have just recently connected.  It is so great to have her friendship and I know Brad and I will look up to Jesse and her husband for the years to come.

We know these next few years are going to be tough, but we also know that God is so near to us right now. He is holding our family so strongly and He brings us so much joy with our sweet son, Field.  As Jesse reminded me, the joy we feel for our son might not have been as deep without the pain.  And Field's heart has given us a depth of gratitude that we may never have felt without this experience.  Field is perfect in our eyes and we cannot be more thankful for him. 

Here is a recent pic of Mr. Field with one of his girlfriends, Lily Yantis!

And another pic taken after church on Sunday!

Lake Time at LBJ!

We took our first road trip to LBJ last weekend and had a wonderful time at the Johnson's lake place!  Brad and I also got to spend time with our friends Zach and Jenny who were also there.  We got a much needed break as we lounged poolside with our friends while Nonnie, Grandaddy, and Uncle Matt kept Field company inside with the AC.  Overall, the trip was a success!  Field loved getting all of the attention and he enjoyed the beautiful lake scenery too.  One day, he'll be able to join us in the pool and on the boat.  We are very thankful and blessed to have parents who own vacation homes close by so that we can have little "get aways" every now and then. :)

Spending time with mommy

Enjoying the view of the lake!

This is the life!

Spending time with Zach and Jenny

The crew hanging out at the lake! 

A few of Field's Favorite Things...

1.  His "Wubbanub" Paci with a frog on the end 

2.  "Watching" golf with daddy.  Somehow they both always end up asleep!

3.  Being swaddled!  My mom calls it the straight jacket, but Field loves it, I tell ya!  The tighter, the better! (PS - This was his first time to take a nap in his real crib.  He still sleeps in a bassinet by mommy and daddy's bed.)

4.  Spending time with BB and Nonnie when they help mommy during the week (mommy loves it too!).

5.  Playing on his play mat and looking at all of the colors.  Love to hear his "ooohs" and "ahhhhs" as he kicks and plays.  He already knows his short vowels - a, e, i, o, and u.  :)

6.  Fresh air and outside sounds during walks.  If we have more children, we must try to deliver during cooler months.  This baby loves to be outside, but it's much too hot to be out there!

We love the BOB stroller! 

7.  Being with family - especially when cousin Caroline talks to him and teaches him about life.  Amazing how babies/children have an immediate bond. They just seem to understand each other. 

Caroline was too interested in the TV to look at the camera.  Ha! 

Much better!  Now we see those sparkly eyes! 

8.  Meeting new friends!

Field and Patrick Redding

Patrick is just 2 weeks older than Field and these boys are 2 of the 3 new boys born into our "Group Trip" family within one month of each other.  They are going to have so much fun together!

Field and Samantha Pierce

Field and Samantha's mommies have been friends since high school.  They were cheerleaders together, Tri Delts together, AND teachers together at the same school.  Pretty special! 

I think they like each other, don't ya think??

Field and Blair Werme

Field and Blair's daddies were SAE's together at Texas.  When Brad held Blair he kept telling her funny stories about her daddy.  Those stories should not be repeated once Blair is old enough to understand!  :)

9.  Smiling is a new favorite.  This just melts our hearts! 

10.  Listening to stories.  Field just stares at us when we read and acts as if he totally understands the plot of the story.  That's my boy...This former teacher will have him reading in no time!  :)

Yes, he is reading the Wall Street Journal to Field. 

Hey, it's not too early to learn about business, the current market, and other pertinent finacial matters. 

New Friends!

We have two new friends that we would like to welcome to the world...

Sutton Elaine Kelly was born on July 27th to one of my oldest, dearest, and BEST friends Amanda and her husband, Patrick.  Sutton is just precious and has some awesome hair with natural blonde highlights!  Field is already in love and can't wait to meet and play with his new friend, Sutton!  Congrats, Amanda and Patrick...well done!

We also want to extend a very warm welcome to Miss Harper Elizabeth Meabon.  She was born on August 4th to our good friends, Brooke and Jared.  Harper has an omphalocele and will stay in the NICU for the next 6 weeks to 3 months.  She will also need surgery to repair her abdominal wall in the coming months.  Please keep the Meabons and this sweet girl in your prayers.  Brooke and I have decided that Field and Harper will be best buddies as they both have had to fight right out of the gate.  There is something to be said for these precious ones who are so strong and have endured so much as just a tiny baby.  We know they will be stronger for it in the long run and Harper and Field will have the battle scars to show for it!  Congratulations, Brooke and Jared.  Your beautiful baby girl is perfect and she is lucky to have YOU two as parents! 

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Hello!  Well, we had a little set back last weekend.  Last Saturday, Field had his first fever.  We had been doing really well and things had calmed down in the life of the Johnsons.  I told Brad to go to the fishing tourney he had been planning to attend for months in Port A. and that I could certainly handle Field for 2 nights on my own - my family was in town and would be checking in and helping me.  Well, lo and behold, we had a tough Friday night...Field was really fussy and didn't want to eat.  Saturday morning I felt his head and it felt really warm.  I PANICKED like any new mommy would when your newborn feels warm and I took his temp.  102.  Aghhhh!  I called my mom, she rushed over and we headed to the ER.  After lots of bloodwork and tests run, it turns out Field just had a random 24 hour virus.  This was so frustrating for me as I have never taken Field anywhere other than to doctor's appointments and both our families' houses and we have been SO careful about germs.  The doctors reminded me that he could easily have picked something up from someone's clothes that came into our house to visit (or even off of Brad and my clothes) or during one of our doctor's appointments.  Who knows.  Those sneaky little bugs!  

Anyway, since we just couldn't get enough of that glorious hospital life, they admitted us for 2 nights to be sure he didn't have anything more serious and to wait and see if anything grew on the cultures.  Thankfully, nothing did.  So...we spent 2 nights and 3 days in "Methodist Jail" as Field recovered from this little bug.  Mommy and daddy had to share a hospital bed for two nights (a sight to see I assure you!) and by the third day, mommy was starting to get VERY stir crazy.  Ha!  Being in the hospital can make you crazy!  One huge blessing was that Field's temp was only 100 when we were admitted and by the time we got into a room, his fever broke and his temps were normal for the rest of our stay.  I like to say this is due to my antibodies I am passing on to Field...makes all this pumping worth it! 

We finally broke free from "Methodist Jail" on Monday evening and we are home and happy to be in our comfortable surroundings again.  We are so thankful to our families, once again, for bringing us meals (since I am a breastfeeding mom, I did get a free breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day, but something about rubbery eggs and salisbury steak didn't seem too appetizing...oh how I miss 10South!), sitting with us, and watching Field so we could run home to shower and take a break.  It was a little set back, but at least we have our first fever out of the way. 

Our follow-up appointment at the pediatrician this week was great.  Field is completely well again and miraculously did not lose weight during this little saga.  That is such a praise as weight gain is a major focus for us right now.  "Cardiac babies" have a tough time with weight gain and Field also has reflux which makes it all the more difficult to gain.  I sure do wish I could just give Field some of this baby weight I am holding on to!  Wouldn't that make things easy?!? 

Prayer requests are that Field will stay healthy and not catch infections or viruses until his immune system is strong (we know it is inevitable that he will be sick at some point, but we hope and pray that it won't happen again until he has more immunities), that Field will continue to have an appetite and feed well for us (A LOT of "cardiac babies" have to have an ng tube, which is a small feeding tube to help them gain weight in the beginning.  Five years ago, EVERY baby with a heart condition immediately got a tube for the first few months of life...shows how far the medical world has come in just 5 years.  We are so lucky and thankful that our cardiologists and pediatrician are giving us the chance to get Field to gain weight on his own before we take that route.  Obviously we do NOT want to have the tube put in even though it would just be a temporary thing.), and that Field's heart would continue to stay strong and be right where we want it for the time being. 

That reminds me...did I mention his heart is doing great?!  The little set back had nothing to do with the heart and since we were in the hospital, our cardiologist went ahead and ordered an echo and all looks great on the heart!  No concerns right now by the looks of it, sounds perfect (well, his perfect anyway...we know he his murmur is pretty loud), and his pulses and saturation levels are right where we want them.  Thank you Jesus! 

We've taken two steps back, but we are on the mend and running forward again!  :)

Big smiles even with an IV in the head and being cooped up in the hospital!

Our pediatrician, Dr. McCray.  She is WONDERFUL and very patient with this family of 3.  She calls to check on us even when she is not on call and not working.  She understands that we are new parents and need a lot of guidance.  Love to hear her say how happy she is with Field and his progress.  Want to hear more of that in the weeks/months/years ahead!

Home again, home again, hippity hop!  Watch out world, Field is feeling good and ready to tackle newborn life again...feeding, sleeping, playing, and pooping!  :)

One Down and Two to Go!

One month old and thriving after my first surgery!

Field had his first of 3 surgeries on Monday, July 5th at 7:30am. Everything went very well and the surgery was successful. We waited with both of our families for a few hours and were so relieved when Dr. Porische, one of the pediatric cardiologists who sat in on the surgery, came in with a huge smile on her face saying all went well and just as they had expected. Let us just say how heartbreaking it was to send our 3 week old baby into heart surgery. It was the absolute hardest thing we've ever done, but with the grace and strength from the Lord, we made it through. We were in awe when the cardiologist prayed over Field before surgery and told us that the team we have is a Christian based team and they believe their work is really done by Him, as He is the great physician - wow. It was also a true blessing to have both sets of our parents with us along with my sister and brother by our side as we waited during the surgery. We are thankful for our amazing families and the support they have shown at this time.

Field was in the Pediatric ICU for 2 days and then recovered so nicely that they sent him to a regular room for his last night. We were discharged Thursday afternoon and are now home.  He only stayed in the hospital for 3 days after the surgery - AMAZING!  The incision has healed and the doctors are thrilled with Field's recovery and successful surgery.  We had our follow-up appointment with the cardiologist yesterday and we got a great report.  Field's heart looks and sounds GREAT!  Praise be to God.  Mommy and daddy are so proud of him. Not many can say they had heart surgery at 3 weeks of age and handled it so well. This baby boy is really something special.

We are 33.33% (1 surgery down and 2 to go!) done with the surgeries and are thankful to be home to enjoy normal newborn life with our adorable son. Maybe we can finally put all of those newborn classes and books we read to good use!

I know we are a bit biased but I have to say how many comments we get from doctors, nurses, techs, etc. about how precious Field is and how wonderful he looks. We are so proud of him and he's already our hero.

We also want to thank our incredible network of friends who have been amazing to us these last few weeks. We are being taken care of in every way...with meals being delivered, our house/yard/dog being taken care of, encouraging notes and thoughtful gifts flooding our front door step, friends and family stopping by and calling to check up on us, and most importantly, the prayers being lifted up for our family of 3. Thank you to everyone.  We LOVE all of you!


Please keep praying for Field!

Daddy checking on me after surgery

My cute name tag on my temporary crib

Recovering after surgery