January 23, 2009

Blaze had his 6th month check up! Everything went well, he was not happy about his shots, of course, but he takes them like a trouper! He is very sleepy today, I think it is a reaction to the flu shot. We need you to pray about his weight. He has fallen into the lowest percentile, weight-wise. Dr. Wherry says that a decline in weight is normal for a baby his age, because of the increased activity level. Typically, though, babies gain weight before they start losing, and Blaze hasn't had a period of weight gain. I asked if his heart was the reason for the decline in percentile. She said it seemed that the weight issue corresponded with the narrowing of the shunt in his heart. Tim, Melissa and I have a plan that we have come up with to try to increase his caloric intake. He is rather particular about things and not afraid to express his opinion, so we will have to see if Blaze agrees to our plan. Ha! It is so surreal for us to have a child that is under weight. I know it is due to his medical condition. Blaze is doing so incredibly well, it is hard for us to accept this situation. We are definitely fighting this battle and would cherish your prayer support in this area.

While I am very concerned over Blaze's weight, I know we are so incredibly blessed. Blaze is doing so amazingly well. It seems ungrateful to be discouraged over this latest development. We know that his situation will be constant ups and downs...the ups are just so incredibly wonderful, it is hard to be hit with the reality of the downs. We are doing okay, though. Discouraged, perhaps, but not defeated, by any means!

Our nephew has a name! He is Mattias Ander Gilzow. Mattias (Ma TYE as) is the Hebrew word for Matthew, meaning Gift from God. Ander is the Scandinavian variation of Andrew which means man or warrior. I think his nickname is Andy! We are celebrating this little guy in our lives!

My mom had laser surgery on her right eye on Wednesday. She is still having problems being able to see out of her left eye. Blaze and I are going to visit her this weekend. My niece, Megan, Melissa's sister, is having an MRI in a couple of weeks. Please remember Megan and her family in your prayers.

Thank you for your prayers! We love your encouragement. Please feel free to drop us a line in the guest book or shoot us an email!

January 20, 2009

Blaze had his cardiology appointment on Friday. He weighs 14 lbs. 6 oz. and he's over 26 inches long. They were impressed with him. He's been so healthy! He looks and acts like he feels great. They did notice this time that the blood flow through the shunt has been increasing in speed, which means the shunt is getting smaller. We have known all along that he will need to have a heart catheterization before the next surgery. This will involve a dye test and they will check and make sure that his veins can handle the increased blood flow following the surgery. Some of it will kind of be an x-ray for his chest and heart. Because they are concerned the shunt is decreasing in size, they will probably do the catheterization sooner rather than later. They will decide when to operate following the catheterization. The second surgery will, among other things, eliminate the need for the shunt.

So! I am expecting a call from St. Louis to schedule the catheterization or a call from our cardiologist stating that the surgeon isn't concerned and nothing is scheduled at this time. Either way, we should know something within the next couple of weeks. Thanks for your continued prayers.

We're not alarmed or overly concerned about this. We are, however, so incredibly grateful for the technology being used (echo & EKG) and the medical staff who is vigilantly watching over him. Blaze does not look or act like a baby with a heart condition, he's not indicating to us at all that there is a problem. For the doctors to catch this ahead of time is wonderful. It wasn't the happiest news we could have had, but we are grateful to have some warning and we know that God is watching over Blaze.

Blaze is trying to crawl and so frustrated that he can't quite get himself coordinated. He SO wants to "go"! He is just a delight lately. He has been playing peek-a-boo now. He will pull a blanket up over his face and push it down. He watches until we say PEEK A BOO, then smiles and laughs. He is so much fun! The day after Christmas he tried holding onto toys and taking a few steps. He has done that again, but thankfully hasn't quite figured it out, either. I'm not ready for Blaze to go too far on his own. We celebrated his 6 month birthday last Saturday. Hurray!!!! What a blessing he is!

Thank you, too, for praying for Blaze's brand new cousin. He arrived today at 10:11 a.m., he weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long. (I'm not a proud aunt or anything!) He has yet to be named. As some of you might recall, Baby Boy Gilzow, tried to make an early appearance, but thankfully he waited until his due date to come! We are very excited that a boy cousin has been added to our family! This is Tim's brother Paul's child.

Tim has been sick but is feeling better now! Melissa's court date for her accident has been rescheduled, the paperwork hasn't been filed yet. Work has been very stressful lately. Melissa and I started going to Nia classes. It is an exercise class that is low impact aerobics, but constant movement. It is great to go together. It is a great stress relief! I had been going faithfully to class prior to Blaze, it's nice to be back...even if it is just one night a week. My mom is still having problems with her eyes. She goes to the specialist in KC tomorrow. She has been working lately, too. It's challenging but she is doing it! What an amazing example of determination and courage. She's amazing.

Thanks for your prayers! We so appreciate them!

Joy