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