Riley Check-Up

Jayden had his first check-up with his cardiologist post-surgery on Monday, November 10th. He had a thorough physical exam and passed with flying colors! His cardiologist couldn't believe how few days Jayden spent in Riley after the surgery. He was very happy with Jayden's recovery and felt that Jayden was overall healthy! We spoke about his next surgery and found that it will most likely not be until the spring of 2010. We had been planning on next fall as the expected time frame, so we were excited that Jayden could grow & become stronger for his next surgery! His next check-up at Riley will be in 6 months at which time they will do several routine tests.

Jayden has a big first birthday coming up! It is hard to believe that a year has passed already. We are starting to understand the common phrase "they grow up too fast" as it is happening in front of our eyes! Jayden has currently mastered the art of rolling though is showing a lot of frustration in his attempts to get his knees underneath him. He is now starting to get into everything and keeping us on our toes! We only wonder what it will be like once he is running around here as we are already learning that teaching him no is not that easy. He loves to shake his head no at us and go ahead with whatever it is that he is not supposed to do! He is working on his 8th tooth these days so he is chomping down on whatever you give him or he finds! You simply would not know that he had open heart surgery less than 3 months ago...he is doing wonderful!

We have added a lot of pictures to the picasa web album including several Halloween pictures of our little monkey! For those interested in seeing them, here is the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/brettskilbred

Thank you again for all of your support! We hope that this finds you all happy and healthy. We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Take care.

With love,

Christie, Brett, & Jayden

Doing well!

Jayden had his follow-up at Riley with his surgeon last Wednesday. As you can see from the picture, Jayden was not very happy about the check-up! During the check-up, we had an X-ray done along with the routine physical exam. Dr. Turrentine informed us that Jayden's X-ray looked wonderful as he didn't see any excess fluid around the heart. He was also happy with the healing of Jayden's chest incision. Dr. Turrentine also cut back on the million medications that Jayden had been on since surgery. We will have a follow-up with his cardiologist on November 10 where he will most likely have an echocardiogram done to check on Jayden's blood flow and pressure.

Since our last post, Jayden's energy level has continued to increase. He has since shown a lot of interest in moving around. He is a rolling, spinning, and scooting machine! Jayden has also learned how to let us know exactly how he feels whether it be by laughing, hugging/kissing, or screaming. In doing so, he has informed us that he is no longer very interested in eating off a spoon. He wants to do it all himself, which we are finding is a VERY messy situation. The 3 of us are having a lot of fun as we continue to learn something new everyday!

We hope this finds you all happy and healthy! We will continue to keep you updated.

With Love,

Christie, Brett, & Jayden

Strong little sucker!!!

Jayden had his 2nd check-up with his pediatrician this Tuesday (9/9). He was given the big thumbs up as he is doing so well! He gained 12 ounces in only 7 days, so the doc has decreased the fortification to cut back some of the extra calories Jayden needed in the past. He is healing well and has lots of energy these days. Though he has had a little set back, his developmental progress is right on track. He is quite the talker these days and is very good with his hands. He loves to throw a ball back and forth to anyone who will play with him! He has shown zero interest in wanting to move, but we figure the days of chasing him around are just around the corner. Jayden will go back to Riley to see his surgeon at the end of this month and his cardiologist in early November. We will keep you updated! Thank you all again for your support as it got us through one more BIG scary step in our lives. To see some recent pictures, inlcuding ones from Riley, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/brettskilbred

We also want to thank all of you who have sent us your thoughts and condolences. Jayden’s Grandpa, Richard, is and will always be truly missed. Our job now is to make sure Jayden knows how amazing his Grandpa was and all the good in this world that he stood for. We have put a video on Google Video that Brett made in honor of my dad for those of you interested in seeing it. Brett did a wonderful job in making this and would have made Richard very proud. Here is the link for those interested: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4808474989056813620&ei=UhLLSNinFoGo-gGiiLnEAg&q=brett+skilbred

This year has taught us how important it is to let those you love know how you feel and not to take anyone or anything for granted. Sometimes that is much easier said than done. We hope that this finds you all healthy and happy. Take care.

With love,
Christie, Brett, & Jayden

Update & Schedules

Monday, May 5th, Jayden met with his cardiologist for a routine check-up and EKG. He weighed in at 12 pounds 9 ounces. Dr. Cortes was excited to see the "chunk" on his thighs as that is not always the case with heart patients. We went over what was in the future for Jayden when it comes to his labs and surgeries.

In order to understand Jayden's anatomy to its fullest, he will have to undergo a 'cath' lab on July 17th. During this procedure, a catheter will be inserted into a large artery. Various wires and devices will be inserted through the body via the catheter to get a better understanding of how Jayden's heart is operating. This will allow them to prepare for his surgery.

The first of his two-part heart surgery (the hemi-fontan) is to take place on August 14th. At that time, he will spend approximately 10 days at Riley and then require 4 to 6 weeks of recovery time at home. The second and final surgery will not be scheduled until he is around 2 years of age.

We are looking forward to a great summer of allowing Jayden to experience nature at its finest!!! We will keep you updated as we undergo each procedure. Thank you again for all of your support!

Love always,

Christie, Brett, & Jayden

Riley Update...

Last week, Jayden had a check-up at Riley where he had an EKG and an echo done. We met with his Cardiologists, Dr. Cortes, to get the details on how things are looking. Dr. Cortes was happy with what he saw at this point. The band on his pulminary artery is tightening as expected with Jayden's growth. We will go back at the beginning of May for another check-up at which time Dr. Cortes wants to schedule a cath lab. The cath lab involves injecting a dye into his artery to get a more detailed look at how the blood is flowing through his heart. If all looks good, we will then schedule his first open-heart surgery (the hemi-fontan). Dr. Cortes predicts this surgery will be scheduled for July though it may happen as early as June and as late as August. We were informed that the hemi-fontan will most likely require Jayden to be at Riley for about 10 days followed by about 4 weeks of recovery at home with nurse mommy!

Jayden is already 3 & 1/2 months old and continuing to grow. We are officially out of newborn (most) and into 0-3 month clothes!!! He has started reaching for things and putting stuff in his mouth! He is sitting up with help from the bumbo. Jayden has also learned to yell at us as opposed to cry when things are not going his way! Yes, he is quite the talker these days...we are trying to figure out where he gets that!!!

We hope that this finds you well! We will continue to keep you posted.

Love to you all,

Christie, Brett, & Jayden

Weighing in!

Greetings! Since our last post, we have been on one mission...to get Jayden's weight up! At his 2 month check-up the doctor noted that he was only 8 pounds 7 ounces putting him at 7%. After increasing the amount of foritified ounces he gets each day, we are seeing results. Jayden gained 13 ounces over the past 8 days, which was made everyone happy!!!

Other news with the little guy...he found his hands this week! He is also cooing and smiling a lot these days, which makes him even more adorable. Jayden made many new friends at his first playdate earlier this week. We are eagerly awaiting the spring so that we can start introducing him to the natural world!

We will continue to keep you all posted!
Love to you all,
Christie, Brett, & Jayden

7 weeks and growing!

Jayden is 7 weeks and doing great! He has been in & out of the doctor's office each week since we have been home so that they could track his progress. It took him about a month to surpass his birth weight. We learned that, as with most heart patients, he requires more calories than a normal newborn to keep up with his little ticker. As of last Wednesday (1/9), Jayden weighed 7lbs 13 ozs, therefore the doc is happy thus we are too!!!

Jayden went back to Riley on January 3rd and saw both his cardiologist and surgeon. They were both happy with the way his X-ray looked and told us he did not need to come back until mid-March. At that point they will do an echo on his heart to see how things are looking and hopefully give us a better idea of when he will be ready to undergo the first part of the Fontan.

Overall, Jayden is doing wonderful! He is keeping us entertained and on our toes at the same time! Jayden is progressing right along with the "average" newborn at this point! We could not be happier! We will continue to keep everyone updated!

Love,
Christie, Brett, & Jayden