December 8, 2008

Blaze had a great cardiologist visit on 12/5/08. I was really hoping to see 14 lbs. on the scale that day, and of course, the little guy weighed in at 13 lbs. 15.6 ounces. So close! HA! He is just about 26 inches long!!! Dr. Tong felt the weight was not a concern, that at 14 lbs, Blaze is right in between the 25th and 50th percentiles, so not to worry. He said it would not be a problem to start putting in a teaspoon of rice cereal into his bottles to see how he could handle the sucking, but he did not think it would be a problem. If it is a problem, we'll spoon feed him cereal. We have not begun to feed him solids yet. Dr. Tong wants us to wait until Blaze shows signs that he needs it--like if we give him a 4 ounce bottle of milk and he is hungry again before his normal eating time. I also asked about bed time. We had just started, rather nervously and anxiously, I might add, to leave Blaze in his crib at night and walk away, when we felt it was time for him to be asleep. Then, because of his heart, and his ability to change color rather quickly, we would go back and comfort him after 5 minutes, then start the process again. Dr. Tong told me we should let him cry for 15. Boy is that hard on a mama! We are letting him do this when he wakes up at night, too, unless, of course, it is time for a bottle. He is always still crying at the end of the 15 minutes, but goes quickly to sleep when we come in. I will have to update you later on how we are doing. Dr. Tong was pleased with how Blaze is doing. There was a small surprise during the visit. They happened to see a leaky valve on the echo. It is so small, it cannot be heard with the stethoscope, he thinks that Blaze might have had it all along and they are just now finding out. It is no big deal, nothing to worry about, he will probably grow out of it. In my mind, if it is a problem, they will fix it during the second surgery, but Dr. Tong was very adamant that it is not an issue.
Blaze was a little worried when we took off his clothes and laid him down for the echo. Lately he has been getting shots. I tried to reassure him that they would NOT give him a shot. It took a bit to calm him down, he cried nervously and not sincerely for awhile, then relaxed. It is enjoyable to take him to the cardiology office. We walk in and they all yell BLAZE. The reception staff all marvels at how big he is getting and what a cutie he is, the nurses ask if they can cuddle with him. It has been a wonderful experience for us, and I am so grateful, since this is the office we will be going to until Blaze is an adult! What a blessing!!!
So, what's next? The next appointment with Dr. Tong is on January 16th, a day before Blaze turns 6 months old. Dr. Tong will collect the info and send it to Dr. Huddleston, our surgeon. At that point Dr. Huddleston will factor in several things and decide a time frame for the surgery. I asked how long this recovery time usually is. He told me to budget in being gone from work 2 weeks, but Blaze will probably be out of the hospital within 5 days. I was amazed they would release him so quickly! I am hoping for the best!
Today (12/8) is the day Tim turns 30! We made Dad a special card with Blaze's handprint. Of course Blaze got ink stuck under his tiny fingernails, but other than that it turned out well! We will do a bigger celebration next month, once the holidays are over with, but so far we have had dinner with high school friends from Bolivar and tomorrow we will have dinner with friends from church. We have been intense for so long with Blaze, it has been a very different birthday experience for Tim this year. We have been so blessed!
Joy