Lincoln Carter's Blog

No Rejection!!

2008-09-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

Last night Lincoln's Dr's called and informed us that all biopsy specimens taken during the heart cath tested negative for rejection! There was no sign of hemo-rejection or tissue-rejection! This is a huge sigh of relief! We are not exactly sure why Lincoln's BNP was so high. Even if it was a mistake by the lab...more than one lab test showed that it was gradually increasing over the last few months...so we are confused but very happy none the less!! Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and emails! This was a great reminder of God's greatness to us and the power of prayer! It was also a good reminder for us of how we need to keep on top of the little things to ensure that Lincoln stays healthy! Thanks again...we love you all! J, K &L

We're Home...Still Waiting!

2008-09-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody! We got home late last night. Lincoln’s procedure went GREAT and without any problems. He got discharged and got to go home in record time! So thank you all for the prayers of safe travel and for a great cath procedure! The lab results and echocardiogram were also better than we expected. When lab results came back for the BNP, we were all shocked when we saw a number of 36…under 50 is normal. This is quite a bit different than the 509 number we had going into the cath and in which all the Dr’s were NOT thrilled! So either something drastically happened in the last two weeks to make the BNP go down, or one of the labs made a mistake and we got false numbers, OR God did some good things!! Anyway, we are still nervous about the results of the biopsy. If a BNP of 509 is not a mistake and 36 is…than there might be some rejection. If a BNP of 36 is not a mistake and 509 is…than things should be fine. It makes sense, though, that 36 is more accurate seeing that all of the other labs and echos are great? The results should be in the next 48 hrs so we ask that you continue to pray for the results of the biopsy and that God continues to heal! We will be in touch very soon! We love you all! J,K & L

Please Be Praying!

2008-09-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of our friends and family! As you know, from our last update, Lincoln has been doing great and was scheduled to go down to UCLA on Sept. 26th for his bi-annual heart catheterization. Well, our plans have changed just a bit! Lincoln gets his lab work done once a month...and last week’s lab work revealed something not so exciting. One of the lab numbers they keep an eye on (the BNP level) was elevated 9 times the normal level. BNP is excreted by the heart when the heart muscle is being stretched. A couple of reasons the heart muscle could be stretching is: the heart is working too hard which could mean some level of rejection; too much fluid in and around the heart; or as simple as a growth spurt. We are praying for the latter...but at this point the Dr's aren't sure what it is or what it means. The rest of the labs, echocardiograms, medication levels and all around energy are great, so things aren't making too much sense at this point. All we know is that in April his BNP level was normal but it has been slowly and steadily rising. So basically this means they are bumping up his cath procedure to this Monday the 15th. They want to get in and get numbers, pressures and a biopsy as soon as possible to see if there is any rejection happening. Please be in prayer for Lincoln, his heart, the procedure and our hearts and minds as this is no doubt stressful and discouraging! Lincoln goes into cath at 7:00 AM and should last a few hours so please be in prayer! Other than that Lincoln is doing fine...he is his happy, crazy, smiley self! Hope everyone is doing well...we'll keep in touch. We love you lots! J,K&L

No Biopsy Yet...

2008-09-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Hope all is well with you! Lincoln is doing great. The last few weeks have been very busy and we are glad summer is coming to an end! As a lot of you were aware...Lincoln was supposed to go to UCLA on Labor Day for a biopsy. The date for his procedure has been delayed due to scheduling conflicts. We are now scheduled to have his biopsy on Sep. 26th. This will not affect any outcome or cause worry due to the delay. In fact, when Lincoln's cardiologist found out about the delay at UCLA, he made Lincoln come in for an echo and lab work…both of which turned out great! So please be praying for this trip and this procedure. Although "routine", there is never anything routine about cardiac catheterization. We will update with how everything went very soon. We love you all! J&K

I Am 2 Years Old!

2008-07-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Hope all is well with you…it is with us! Lincoln is doing great. The last few months have been the busiest since we’ve been home! In May we celebrated one year being home from the hospital. Yeah!! Lincoln and I were also involved in Auntie Heather and Uncle Creed’s wedding where Lincoln was the Ring Bearer…He looked adorable! Also in May, God opened the door for me to get back into law enforcement. I left for a three-week training course and left Kristen and Lincoln at home by themselves. Although it was difficult being away for so long…I think it was tough for all of us. June was an incredibly busy month as well! On June 12th we celebrated Lincoln’s 2nd birthday…what a day it was! Plus we traveled A LOT for different family occasions. We must have put thousands of miles on the vehicle. Well, here we are in July and nothing seems to be slowing down! Lincoln saw his first fireworks show on the 4th. We are also planning on going camping for the first time with Lincoln next week…it should be an interesting time trying to keep him somewhat clean! On July 9th we went to visit Papa York who had surgery to remove his right kidney due to an unexpected bout of kidney cancer. The recovery is going well and he seems to be doing great…Praise God! However, it was interesting to see Lincoln start crying when we tried to put him on Papa’s lap while he was lying in his hospital bed. Lincoln saw all of the tubes and wires and got scared…it seems incredible to think that Lincoln still has an understanding and empathy for what those things are. Lincoln is also talking a ton! He can almost say the sound each letter makes in the alphabet. He is so smart…he must get that from his mommy! He is starting to repeat words and noises he hears. Singing and dancing seem to be his favorite thing! He has great rhythm and a great ear for pitch…he must get that from his daddy! A great praise to the Lord for keeping Lincoln from getting sick through the spring, which was a huge sickness season! And so far his heart is strong, his medication levels are perfect and he is growing like a weed! You can be praying for Lincoln’s next biopsy…we head down to UCLA on Labor Day weekend. He is scheduled to go into surgery on Labor Day, Sep. 1st. This will be the biopsy that is held after a year and a half of transplant. It will be strange yet an exciting appointment because UCLA Medical Center finally moved into their new hospital across the street which was under construction during the time we were there. As I close this update…I am reminded how awesome and faithful God is! A few nights ago I was watching an episode of Hopkins on TV. They highlighted the story of a 2 yr. old boy who received a heart transplant after a bad bout of myocarditis (an acute viral infection that attacks the heart). The images and emotions that I saw seemed to transcend the small wall of glass of the TV and grab me and once again I found myself in the hospital experiencing the same thing all over again. I could hardly watch and keep the tears back knowing that Lincoln went through that experience just as that little boy did, and how fragile their lives are even now. BUT…God is good and He is perfect and He is faithful! What a great reminder to continually be thankful and to be on our knees for these little guys knowing that their health is so fragile. So Kristen and I say thank you…thank you for all of the continued prayers and support! We can’t do it without you! Have a great summer and we will see ya all next time! We love you all! J&K

What a Year!

2008-03-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

What a year this has been for us! In May we will celebrate a year being home from the hospital...but equally important and impressive, is that on February 16th we celebrated Lincoln's year anniversary of him receiving his new heart! On that day we went to the park with family and had a "heart birthday" party. And to make it an even better celebration...Lincoln underwent his year biopsy down at UCLA on March 4th. The report back from the Dr’s was "No Rejection!" The odds of an infant/toddler rejecting a transplant in the first year are roughly 50%. In this last year, Lincoln has only been to the hospital twice and admitted during only one of those times...both for a viral infection unrelated to his heart...Praise the Lord!! As Kristen and I look back over the year, we actually are glad and thankful that we were soooo incredibly conscious about hygiene and cleanliness for Lincoln...it nearly drove us insane! However, it was needed and still is! Lincoln is growing by leaps and bounds! He is turning into a little man full of personality and character (as if he didn’t have enough already)! He loves to sing and dance. He has to listen to music in the car or he'll let us know about it. He loves reading books...even on his own! He loves animals and tries to imitate their noises. He likes to go outside, and he loves to throw balls. He has to blow kisses to everyone...even total strangers everywhere we go. He loves to say his name while pointing to himself (even though its just a two syllable noise that sounds like "dee-duh"). It just seems like he is growing up too fast...but I guess they do that. In a magazine that we receive about heart transplants, we read an article about a man who currently holds the record of having a heart transplant for 29 years! That is really a rare feat...but we are making it our family's personal goal for Linc to beat that record. We hope everyone had a great Easter...we did! He has truly risen indeed and reigns on high!! Thank you everyone who continually holds us up in prayer! We love you all J&K

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

2007-12-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!! We hope everyone is well and had a great thanksgiving! It's been forever since the last update! Let's bring you up to speed. Besides Lincoln crying because we are on the computer and not paying attention to him...he is doing great! He is getting to be such a big boy...in fact Kristen calls him her "little man." Lincoln is doing so much, and he is just about caught up to where he needs to be physically according to his Physical Therapist. He tells us many things by using sign language. He babbles allot and makes animal sounds. He is getting taller by the second and is just about to break the 20-pound mark. Oh ya...he started walking this past week (although a little shaky still)!! Last time we talked we were leaving for LA to have another biopsy done. Obviously the results were great, and since then Lincoln has only battled a few colds and still is doing great! In fact, he had an echo and check-up yesterday with Dr. Caton (his cardiologist), and everything looks great! We also just got word from his cardiologist down at UCLA. He told us Lincoln won't need his next biopsy until his annual (in February), which is the year anniversary of his transplant...that will be 6 months after his last biopsy...and they don’t usually like to go that long in between them. Lincoln is eating better but nowhere near where he needs to be for his caloric intake...but he is growing and the Dr's are pleased. Lincoln finally got to celebrate some of the holidays spent inside the hospital...outside the hospital for the first time! He was a pediatric cardiologist for Halloween...which was a hit with all of the Dr's and nurses! We celebrated mommy and daddy's birthdays and Grandparents day. Our first Thanksgiving home was especially great...there was a lot to be thankful for! We just got back from LA this last weekend where we went to the UCLA annual pediatric heart transplant party. Yes...that’s Lincoln and Tom Arnold...he was at the party too. And the group pic with all the kids are all kids who have had heart transplants! Lincoln is in the upper left of the picture (the smallest kiddo there). It was great seeing our UCLA family and friends. Which reminds us...please be praying for 3 families that we know that were in the hospital the same time Lincoln was. One family lost their little 2 yr old girl due to pneumonia and another family's 3 yr old boy is currently rejecting his new heart. Both of which received new hearts while we were down there waiting with them. And the third family has a 13 yr old girl who needs a heart desperately as she is extremely sick! We also went and saw the Clovis annual Christmas parade...which was cold!! We had to leave early because the noise freaked him out! Please keep praying as Lincoln still faces the daily battle of being rejection free! Well, we hope everyone has a blessed and merry Christmas and a happy New Year! 2007 was a tough but great year for the Carter's and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2008! See ya then...We Love You All! J&K

Be Praying!

2007-09-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

I got a call from Josh this afternoon (Mon). Yesterday Lincoln had a fever of 104 that wouldn't come down so they took him to the hospital. Doctors say that his echo looked good and they don't think the issue has affected his heart. It's most likely a viral or bacterial infection but they won't know for sure until more blood work comes back in the next couple days. Josh said that even though a bacterial infection could be cured with antibiotics, it actually moves much faster in the body and is more likely to move towards his heart. A virus acts differently and would actually be a better prognosis, generally speaking. Please be praying for Lincoln (he's just not acting himself) and for wisdom for his medical staff, also for Josh and Kristen--for strength amidst fatigue, faith amidst disappointment/discouragement and for unity in their marriage as they face yet another difficult time. Thanks, guys!

Michelle Aaron for the Carter's

For those of you wanting a little more detail...they were visiting Kristen's parents in Roseville and actually took Lincoln to Sutter Hospital in Sacramento on Sunday. He stabilized enough Monday afternoon that they decided to transport him to Children's, where they are more familiar with Lincoln's history and more familiar with transplant patients. So....a praise that he was stable enough to come back to Children's and be close to home, but his fever isn't really coming down, and thus the concern...

Be Praying!

2007-08-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say "BE PRAYING!" We are heading back down to UCLA for Lincoln to undergo another heart biopsy. This is a scheduled appointment but it's never easy seeing Lincoln having to be intubated and wheeled back to surgery. The procedure is scheduled for tomorrow (Mon) morning and will last a couple of hours. If all goes smoothly, he will be discharged tomorrow afternoon. Please pray that the surgery goes well and that there is no evidence of rejection! Also be praying for Josh as he has had a bad bout of tonsillitis since last Monday and hasn't been able to be around Lincoln for a week....and for Kristen who is very tired from having to pull double duty taking care of Lincoln. A few positives....this week Lincoln started crawling for the first time. Lincoln also pulled his NG tube out by accident and we decided to just keep it out and see what happens. Well, Lincoln has been doing excellent without it, eating almost everything he is required to and also doing very well taking his medication by mouth! We will update you with pictures when we return! Thank you all for your prayers and support...we love you all! J&K

OK, We're Back!!

2007-07-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for being so patient with us! Although when we started getting threatening emails and people coming up to us and saying "NOTHING SINCE MAY 9th!!".....we said to ourselves, "I think we better update!" You would think that now that we're home we would have all the time in the world to update....NOPE!.... It’s just the opposite. Lincoln consumes every part of our lives with his special needs, so needless to say we have been extremely busy....but OOHHH how fun it has been! Let’s see what you have missed the last two and a half months: There was Kristen’s first Mother’s day with Lincoln; Lincoln going to the Zoo with mommy and friends; Lincoln's first time in the swimming pool; Finally being able to go to church; Lincoln turning 1 and having a big birthday party; Going up to Hume Lake for Father’s Day; Going to the movie theater with mommy and daddy; Going to the park a bunch; Lincoln's first Fourth of July seeing fireworks (last year he was in the NICU at UCLA), and who can forget the pictures taken at his first professional portrait session. Also during that time Lincoln went down to UCLA to have another catheterization for a heart biopsy. He did so well and there was no evidence of any rejection. He has also been to his pediatrician and his cardiologist numerous times and each visit he does great. He has been sick only a few times...one of those times resulting in a trip to the ER but everything turned out fine. He is eating a little bit better, although he still has his NG tube. Lincoln has also achieved some new milestones in his development. Some of his new words include: "Uh-daa, Dada, Mama, Yaya, Baba and Uh-Oh" and some others we're not sure of or of their spelling. He likes to wave Bye-Bye, clap his hands and dance to music. He rolls over, scoots on his bottom when sitting up, and stands up while holding onto you. He is so close to crawling...we're thinking in a week or two. He has 5 teeth...2 upper and 3 bottom. Overall, Lincoln is doing great. He is developing just fine and growing like crazy! Please be praying for his next biopsy down at UCLA scheduled for mid-August. He is also a little under the weather due to teething and getting a cold. Thank you all for your continued love, prayers and support! We Love you all! J&K

My 1 Year Portraits

2007-07-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

These are Lincoln's first portraits taken on his one year birthday.

Home At Last!

2007-05-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

Lincoln finally got out of the hospital (for a 3rd time) on Thursday Aprl 26th and has been doing great. I traveled back home the next day to frantically clean and sanitize the apartment. The time had come last Tuesday for me and Grandpa to travel back to UCLA to pick up Lincoln and Kristen. We woke up early to pack up, load up and hit the road. We loaded Lincoln in the car and took off; following us close behind was Grandpa and a truck-load of belongings and medical supplies. How did we ever fit it all into a small hotel room? At roughly 6:30pm last Wednesday evening we rolled into Clovis. After 7 months of being cooped up in the PICU and then the hotel, it feels really awesome to finally be HOME! Thank you Lord for a new healthy heart! Thank you Lord for friends and strangers who have prayed, given of time, talent and treasure to support us and get us through this past year! What a blessing the Body of Christ has been! Now it's back to Children's Hospital for clinics, labs, echos. We are exhausted and it will take a few weeks to get settled, get Lincoln into a routine and get some much needed rest. Lincoln has already seen his Cardiologist and Pediatrician here at Childrens Hospital and they both feel Lincoln is doing great! Lincoln is feeling great and growing by leaps and bounds! He is doing so many new things and has endless energy! Its so wonderful that he can now sleep in his OWN bed in his OWN room with out all the noises of the PICU.

So people have asked "How can we help?" Obviously continued prayer! Avoid contact with the family if you are or have been ill, or feeling like you might be coming down with something. Remembering to sanitize your hands if you visit or see Lincoln out and about and only touching him on his feet for now is a good idea. This is a hard request to ask but it's part of his life for now and the price of his health is very high! Thank you for joining us in this process until he and his immune system gets stronger! Again, a heart-felt thanks to so many who have helped out in so many ways! Praying, giving, serving, and more! Please PRAY Lincoln will soon be able to take in all of his feeds and his 16 meds by mouth and the NG tube can be removed. Please continue to pray that he can stay healthy and his body will flourish with this heart and not reject it. Please pray for endurance for us as this is a tough 24/7 job monitoring all Lincoln's medical care needs. We cant wait to see you all and it will be soon! We love you all! J&K

So Close to Going Home!

2007-04-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Well, Lincoln got over his CMV and was discharged on Monday back to the Tiverton House. Unfortunately we are back in the hospital! Tuesday, after Lincoln got discharged we took him to clinic for a check up. There the Dr's told us that we no longer need to be here and that we can finally return to Fresno! We were making plans to come home this weekend when we experienced yet another set back. On Thursday morning Lincoln woke up with a 103 temp and a heart rate over 200. We immediately took him to the ER. We knew he had another bug but didn't know what. They quickly put him on antibiotics and later that day he seemed to feel better. They decided to readmit him to determine what he has. The last 2 days have been filled with tests, x-rays, cultures and medication. We still don't know what he has since most of the cultures are still pending. They are leaning toward pneumonia or an infection in the lungs due to an aspiration. Regardless, Lincoln is on multiple antibiotics and he is doing and feeling much better. If we get answers from the cultures in the next 24 hours, they should be able to specifically treat him and hopefully get back out of the hospital on Monday or Tuesday...and then on to Fresno ASAP. Keep him in your prayers! We are so excited to come home but Lincoln seems to like this place! We love you all! J&K

Back in the Hospital!

2007-04-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is 10 months today! If you recall...I mentioned getting to the computer to give an update is somewhat difficult these days since we are out of the hospital. Between family, company, the holiday and taking care of Lincoln...and not having an accessible computer to upload pics...it has been difficult to keep up. So sorry to keep you all in the dark for so long. Hopefully everyone had a great Easter...we did! It was so nice being out of the hospital. We have had so much fun with Lincoln, taking him out, shopping, going for walks...It has been a blast. However, we are back in the hospital because Lincoln came down with a nasty virus. He started getting sick last week with a cough, runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting...you get the picture! The doctors said he has a cold and to just watch him close. Monday it seemed like his symptoms were getting worse, and to make matters more complicated, Kristen and I were getting sick also. We decided to take him to the urgent care for a check-up. A quick echo and some lab work revealed that Lincoln's heart was doing good and had not yet been affected by the symptoms. However, when they checked the lab work, they discovered that Lincoln has acquired a virus called CMV (Cytomegalovirus). I'm not going to explain what it is...you can look it up for yourself, but if untreated it could send Lincoln into rejection. We left urgent care and went straight to the hospital to be admitted. Lincoln is undergoing anti-viral treatment and close observation. Fortunately, his heart seems to be doing fine and we should be discharged by Monday...hopefully! They are also checking cultures on every other type of body fluid for other infections that might be present as well. We are also playing with Lincoln's feeding regiment and experimenting with different baby formulas and eating schedules to try to get him to eat better and see if we can get his diarrhea under control. Please keep him in your prayers over the next couple of days...it's scary being back in the hospital! They will check his CMV level tomorrow and if the virus level is back to normal he should be released as long as there are no other infections or problems with his GI track or problems with his heart. Please pray that his heart will be protected from any attack or rejection. Pray that he eats better and will keep his feeds down. And lastly...pray that we can come home soon! We will talk to all of you very soon...thanks for all your prayers and support! We love you all! J&K

Here are a Ton of Pics We Owe You....Enjoy!

2007-03-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

This first set of pics are of Lincoln out of the ICU and out on the "floor"....the last step before discharge. Hope you have a high-speed computer!

Our First Time Outside in 6 Months!

2007-03-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

This was when the Dr's gave the OK for Lincoln to go outside to the patio without a monitor or a nurse. First time in 6 months!

Lincoln's Dr's, Nurses & Staff....Our Heroes!

2007-03-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Lincoln's Heart Surgeon

2007-03-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is a very special man...Dr. Mark Plunkett. He has opperated on Lincoln twice. Once on his old heart, and again, giving Lincoln his new heart. Here they spend a special bonding moment together.

Our New Home....for now!

2007-03-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is our new temporary home at the Tiverton House Hotel. A little cramped, but great to be out of the hospital. Hopefully just one more month here.

Lincoln is out of the hospital!!

2007-03-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! Just thought you would want to know that Lincoln has been discharged from the hospital! This last week has been soooooo busy as you might have guessed from the lack of updates. Lincoln was scheduled to be discharged last Monday but the cardiologist wanted to do a biopsy of Lincoln's heart to check for rejection. On Wednesday, Lincoln went to the cardiac cath lab and underwent a catheterization to obtain a biopsy of his heart. Yesterday we got the news that rejection was negative so far and that they wanted us out of the hospital ASAP! After a long day of signing paperwork, learning about the medication we would be giving, packing up, saying goodbye to friends we have made and moving to our new temporary home....we finally made it out the doors! Lincoln has not breathed outside air or seen trees and bugs for almost 6 months! The experience and the emotions were indescribable! So because of the non updates over the last week...let me recap. Obviously, since we are out of the hospital, the chylothorax has been healing, the chest tubes came out last Friday, he is at full feeds and eating about half of them by mouth, his chest is healing great, he is not hooked up to anymore monitors or IV's and he is growing by leaps and bounds! We have moved to a hotel across the street called the Tiverton House. This hotel will be our new home for the next few months. We will be in and out of the Dr's office every week for check-ups, echos, lab work and the occasional angiograms and biopsies. Rejection is at its highest potential during the first few months, so staying close to the hospital is a must! It's kinda cramped in our hotel room considering we have to live there but also take care of Lincoln's every need 24/7. He is continually getting medications that we have to be on top of. We continually have to keep cleanliness and sterilization at the forefront of our minds. He cannot be around crowds of people for a few months at the risk of getting a cold which could lead to rejection. Please be praying for us as we endeavor on the monumental task and privilege of taking care of Lincoln. We are so tired! Between getting up every three hours to feed and give meds, make his food, clean, wash clothes....keeping up and just trying to find time to eat, sleep or take care of our business is difficult....BUT WORTH IT! We are so excited to be out of the hospital! We can actually take walks outside and see and do things we have not done in a long while! We cannot express our overwhelming love and thanks for you all through our journey thus far...God is Great and greatly to be praised! Please continue to be steadfast in bringing Lincoln before the Throne...he still has a long way to go! Downloading pictures has been difficult in the last 2 weeks....we owe you lots and lots....they are coming! You will just have to stay tuned! We love you all! J&K

So Far So Good!

2007-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hey there...Lincoln has adjusted into his new room on the pediatric floor...however mom and dad haven't! Now that Lincoln is on the floor there is less observation and the nurse only comes in to give meds and check on him from time to time. That leaves us with him 24/7 to make sure he is doing OK. Since we need to be in his room at night, getting sleep is hard to do especially when we share the room with another patient. Oh well...this just means we are one step closer to the exit doors of the hospital. I came down with a virus a few days ago and I am having to stay at home for a week while Kristen stays with Lincoln. Pray for her as she is exhausted from being there 3 days straight with no sleep. Pray that I get over my bug too...It is too dangerous to be around Lincoln while being sick. Grandpa Carter came down for a few days to be with Lincoln so Kristen can get sleep at night and while I recover. Lincoln, however, is doing great. We started trying to feed him a special formula 2 days ago. So far we have not seen any Chylous fluid coming out of the chest tubes. We have been increasing the food volume each day and so far so good. If we get through a few more days and up to full feeds and we still don't see any fluid in the chest tubes...they will be able to take them out...This is a huge prayer request!! Oh and by the way...before the transplant we saw that Lincoln had become completely orally averted to eating from a bottle because of not doing it for months. Since the transplant, Lincoln has been eating all his food from the bottle without any problems at all. It's weird...he just seems to be a different kid. They told us before the transplant that we would see him progress by leaps and bounds when he gets his new heart...they weren't kidding! Lincoln seems to have so much more energy. He is not only eating from the bottle...he is reaching for it. He is talking (baby talk) so much more, interacting with his movies, interacting with people and even getting a little attitude. Michelle asked if we can hold him. Yes, we can hold him even though he has his chest tubes in...it just makes it more of a pain for both Lincoln and us so we do it less often. He is getting antsy though and tired from being in bed so much. Continue to pray for healing of his chest and the Chylothorax and for NO infections or sickness. Pray for energy for both of us and that I get over my sickness and Kristen gets sleep and stays well too. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support...we love you all! J&K

Just Before Transplant

2007-02-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics that were taken a few days before transplant.

Lincoln's Transplant Team

2007-02-23T17:02:00.000-08:00

Just a small part of Lincoln's transplant team: Joy (Lincoln's Nurse Practitioner...and the BOSS!), Dr. Perrins (one of Lincoln's cardiologist) and Nancy (our social worker)

On Our Way To The OR!

2007-02-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

This was probably the longest and scariest trip we've had to take with Lincoln...down to the OR

Post Transplant

2007-02-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are...7 days after transplant and Lincoln is doing great! Tuesday we did something we have never done before....we left the ICU and went to the floor! Lincoln is off all of his IV meds! There is a little bump in the road however. A few days after we started his feeds again, we noticed a not-so-normal fluid coming out of his chest tubes. To our disappointment, we all knew instantly what it was...another Chylothorax! I'm not going to explain it in great detail (if you want to know more, look at the previous post on June 6, 06...he had a Chylothorax after his 1st surgery also), but it just means he will not be able to eat for 2-4 weeks and his painful chest tubes will have to remain in for that long as well. In the big scheme of things, this will not affect him or his heart...it will just be a longer and more painful recovery...not to mention he will be hungry! Lincoln's color, blood pressures & sats are all normal...Praise God! Wednesday was a HUGE day...Lincoln went right back into the cardiac cath lab for a biopsy on his heart to see if he is rejecting. He was intubated again and they inserted a catheter into his heart in order to take a very small piece of his heart muscle. They then tested the specimen to see what the cells were doing and see if his body was rejecting the heart. This was scary for 2 reasons: 1. he just got out of the ICU from having a heart transplant! 2. The unknown prognosis from the biopsy. Well, he did great in the cathlab and yesterday they told us that there is no rejection so far! He will need another biopsy in a few months. Other than that we just have to sit tight and let Lincoln heal and make sure he is getting his list of about 25 medications every day. Once the Chylothorax heals and he can eat again it should only be another 1-2 weeks until he can be discharged. The Dr's still want us close to UCLA for the next 2-3 months after discharge. We will most likely need to stay at the hospital's hotel across the street because Lincoln will be in and out of the hospital for check ups every week. We will continue to keep you updated with info! It's hard to get to a computer now that we need to stay with Lincoln in his room in the hospital...so bear with us. If there are any questions that you have been thinking about asking that we have not mentioned, go ahead and ask them in your comments. Be praying hard...he still has a long way to go! We love you all! J&K

Extubation Complete!

2007-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

They pulled Lincoln's breathing tube out a few hours ago...He is doing great! He is more awake and realizing his pain more. Pray for his pain as he is being weaned off his pain medication. So far so good...almost 48 hrs complete! Praise God!

Still doing great!

2007-02-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your continued prayers!!! Lincoln is doing well! Pray that he will be able to wake up a little more today and while he does that his heart rate and blood pressures stay stable. Details and pics to come...stay tuned! We love you all! J&K

Lincoln Doing Well!!

2007-02-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Lincoln got out of surgery at 3:30am and he is stable and doing well. A detailed update will be coming soon! Continue to pray...the next 2 days are going to be the most crucial test period on his body! Talk to you all very soon! We love you all! J&K

Lincoln Got A Heart!

2007-02-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to share that we got a call at 8:30 this morning that there was a heart offer for Lincoln. Unlike the previous offers...this one is perfect for Lincoln. We don't know much about the donor nor can we get into the details...all we know is that it is a great match! Our hearts are filled with joy and excitement for Lincoln yet our hearts break for the family who lost their child to make this possible. Lincoln is scheduled to go into the OR around 8:30 PM. The surgery will last most of the night and into the morning. We are very very nervous! Please be praying for the surgery and that God orchestrates the whole event beautifully tonight as He has been doing from the start. Also be in prayer for the donor family! We will let you know how things go as soon as things settle down tomorrow! Thank you all so much for everything....We love you all and will talk to you soon. Pray! Pray! Pray! J&K Here are a some pictures that we were going to post today before we found out...enjoy!

2007-02-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

OK...OK...We get the hint! We guess you like seeing pictures of Lincoln! January has been kinda hectic and we have been very busy. Lincoln has been doing well...for the most part. Currently, he is sick with Rotavirus (a gastroenteritis). But, before we get into that...let us recap the last few weeks. For the first few weeks since the last update (the 11th), Lincoln had been doing great, as evident by the pictures. Lincoln actually got offered a heart on the 13th. This has been the third offer so far...BUT, the donor was too far away (Hawaii). There would have been some dangerous risks involved with the time factor if he were to take it. So the waiting game continues! That's OK...God knows what's best for Linc and His timing is always perfect. On the 17th, we worked with the Occupational Therapist in trying to give a little "real" food to Lincoln. He ate some rice cereal and applesauce for the first time. This was definitely a shock to him....especially after not even tasting his milk or any other thing for almost 3 months. His trial run went very well! He was able to eat a little bit more on the next day, but because of spitting-up issues and currently being sick we have had to stop for now. On the 22nd, Lincoln's cardiologists all met together to discuss his current condition. They compared his most recent echocardiogram with the one done when he first got here in September. They told us that they think his heart has actually gotten a little better in the squeezing function. They also discussed possibly trying to wean some of his heart medications if things continue to go the way they are going. However, they were very clear that Lincoln was still in need of a new heart but they were encouraged that his heart has gained a little bit of strength back. For the past two weeks, Lincoln has been "spitting up" more. The doctors believe it has nothing to do with his heart but think he has acid reflux. They can't do anything more than give him medication for it, which he has already been on for.......ever. Even though it is getting worse, we just have to work with him...they won't dare surgically correct it until after he gets his heart. Lincoln is doing some new things developmentally. He is reaching for things more and more. He can give you a "high-five." He is talking more and more...and he found his scream again! He loves to smile and show his tongue...why?...who knows? He's just so darn handsome! Now back to the virus. Yesterday, Lincoln was doing a lot more than his normal spit up. He couldn't keep anything down...not even his meds. Last night he spiked a fever and they had to stop his feeds and put him on IV fluids. They tested a bunch of cultures and today the labs came back positive for Rotavirus. This is a flu-like virus in your intestines causing vomiting, diarrhea and fever. Because of this virus, Lincoln feels so sick. When seeing Lincoln, we now have to gown up and take precautions against spreading or contaminating...it's a pain but it's needed. Hopefully, with lots of prayers, this should last only 3-8 days. Because its a virus...they can't give any medications or antibiotics (just Tylenol). Please pray that he won't lose anymore cardiac/pulmonary reserve while battling this illness. One positive thing that has happened in the past 24 hours is that we were able to turn Lincoln's oxygen completely off and get rid of his nasal cannula. He has been satting so well that he doesn't need the extra support and we were able to take one of the bandages off of his face. We've had a lot of visitors which has kept us busy and has helped mix up the day. Thanks for coming and keeping us from getting too bored. We know there are so many of you who have helped out in so many different ways! We wish we could send "Thank you" cards or respond to every email, card or gift we receive...but that would take way too long...there are just too many of you! Just know that we love and thank you all for all of your thoughts, prayers, support and love! Our Journey would be so long and tough to get through without you! We will talk to you all soon...we love you all! J&K

We Love You Grandpa!

2007-01-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

Enjoy Jesus and Heaven...you deserve it! We love you so much! We will miss you...but will see you soon!

2007-01-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We had a great Christmas and we hope all of you did too! We had lots of family and friends come for a visit and Lincoln got spoiled with lots of gifts. The last three weeks have been very busy for us. Josh got sick on Christmas day and spent a week at home in bed followed by Kristen getting sick the next week. She too had to stay home and recuperate...she is still feeling a bit under the weather. It was so hard to stay away from Lincoln for so long but we can't afford to get him sick. It was a hard couple of weeks for us also as we had to say goodbye (for now!) to Lincoln's special friend Holly. As she was waiting for a heart too, her heart got tired and she went to be with Jesus. You may have seen her in some of the previous pictures...she was a bundle of joy. Please pray for her family as they are going through this rough time and missing Holly so much. To cap that week off...Lincoln got very sick. He has spent almost a combined 5 months in the hospital so far and has never been sick! That is a huge accomplishment...PTL! However, when you are in the hospital for so long...you will inevitably get sick. We think Lincoln got Sepsis (a bacterial infection in the blood) and has been on a huge regiment of antibiotics. He is starting to feel better but for a few days it was scary. We are still not sure if what we saw was his heart weakening or a bacterial infection....but continue to pray for a quick recovery anyway. Lincoln's heart remains stable. The last echocardiogram showed no change...which is good. He still has great pulses and blood pressures. He is only requiring a little bit of oxygen and his heart rate, although a little elevated, remains stable. He is still getting his food through his NG tube and is actually starting to get some meat on his bones! His little arms and legs are starting to get chunky. He turns 7 months on the 12th and he is 12 1/2 pounds. He has seemed to have made a full recovery neurologically from his stroke. Fluid balances and keeping his lungs clear seem to be the daily struggle for him and the doctors. Other than the sickness...Lincoln is doing fairly well. Learning to be patient and trying to trust the Lord has been the biggest battle for us. Dealing with the loss of Holly has brought the emotions and fear to the surface. At one point she was doing better than Lincoln, so it's scary to think that Lincoln's heart can get weaker at any point. The daily routine of the hospital and the atmosphere in the PICU is so overwhelming. We know God's ways are higher than our ways and we just have to trust and know that His timing is always perfect. Please continue to pray for a new heart for Lincoln and for us as well. We miss and love you all and can't wait so see you again. Talk to you soon! J&K

2006-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! It's almost Christmas and Lincoln is doing pretty good...PTL! Last night he got his 6 month vaccinations (5 of them) so he is feeling kinda sore. But other than that, things are stable. His last echocardiogram shows no change in the heart function, which is good. He is breathing comfortably, even though his lungs remain a little wet. His color and perfusion are great. His blood oxygen content (saturation level)is a little low these days but the cardiologists are OK with it as long as he looks good and has good pulses and blood pressure. You can pray that his saturation levels come up. Lincoln is doing new things everyday. He loves to watch his legs and feet as he kicks them up and down. He is starting to turn his body to his left side more...the right side is still a little weak. He loves to stick out his tongue...we'd like to think it's his personality but we think he is teething. He is also recognizing the fact that being held is sooooo much better than lying in the crib all day. If you put him down he'll let you know. His Uncle John came to visit him and take his daddy to the Charger's game for a much needed break. Liza, one of Lincoln's favorite nurses loves to hold him more than work we think. She is always telling us to go do something so she can hold him. Continue to be steadfast in your prayers...Lincoln is doing good but there are the occasional bumps in the road that trigger us to worry...and we don't like bumps. We pray for a new heart soon! We hope everyone has a merry merry Christmas! We miss you and love you all very much! J&K

2006-12-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is here! For Lincoln's first Christmas, he got to help decorate his and his brother's Christmas tree with mommy and daddy. He even met Santa and got to wear his own Santa hat! We also took a trip out of the PICU into the hall and passed out candy canes...Lincoln loved it!

2006-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Lincoln and friends! Lincoln got to go visit his friend Holly, who is in a different PICU on her 1st birthday. He got all dressed up and even brought her a rose. Be praying for Holly as she started having major difficulties a few days after these photos were taken. She too is waiting for a new heart. Here is Lincoln and mommy with one of his favorite nurses, Jen. David and Michelle Aaron and Roger and Jocie Bergman even came for a visit.

Lincoln Is Doing Better!

2006-12-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone...sorry to keep you hanging with lack of news on Lincoln. He is doing good! Everyday since Monday (the day of the stroke) he has been showing signs of improvement. He is starting to fix his eyes on objects and tracking them. He is even smiling more and found the TV over his bed again. His head control is getting better also. It's amazing to see how he is already starting to compensate for the neurological losses and make those connections again...God is so good! Pray for his hearing...we are not sure if he has any hearing loss due to the stroke. He has not been responding normally to sound stimuli like he normally does. Other than that Lincoln is pretty stable. Pictures are coming soon! Talk to you soon. We love you all! J&K

2006-12-05T03:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kristen and I came in to see Lincoln in the PICU like we do everyday. When we got to his bedside we noticed his eyes were open wide and gazing off into nowhere. When we picked him up we noticed that his head would lean to the left, not wanting to straighten. All day we noticed Lincoln not being himself and noticed that his eyes never focused on us or any other of his favorite toys. We had been concerned all day and finally early this morning they did a CT, EEG and MRI scans of his brain. We found out that Lincoln has suffered a small stroke. According to the MRI there had been a blood clot that was lodged in the center part of his brain preventing blood flow to an area that affects motor function. The cells of this part of his brain are damaged permanently. On top of that, there might be evidence of small seizures. We have been told preliminarily that this was a small clot and stroke, and that the effects should be limited to only his eye movement and head control...everything else looks OK. Allthough he does not track or follow with his eyes, they are still not completely sure if there is any loss of sight yet. Obviously the biggest concern is if this affects his status on waiting for a heart...the answer so far is, NO. This hopefully should not change anything in regards to his cardiac condition, management in care or being on the waiting list. It just means that he will have to be on more medication and watched extremely close. We will have to follow up on the stroke with another MRI...most likely today to be sure there has not been any clot growth or hemorrhaging. However, the Dr's are positive that even though he has some decreased motor function...given his size and the fact that he still has a lot of growing up to do, the chances of him regaining back some of these functions are good with time and physical therapy. Obviously because of the news today, the wear and tear on us is huge! Lincoln is just not himself now and it's hard to see him not smiling or focusing on us. Emotionally this hits hard as it is just one more thing to add to the pile of concerns and problems. Granted, Lincoln is still stable and is hanging on...PTL!...but the longer we wait, the more susceptible he his to problems. Please pray for Lincoln today as we go through more tests. We will be looking forward to seeing what God does in the next few days and how His Glory will be revealed. We love you all! J&K

Give Me Morphine!

2006-11-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

Lincoln got out of surgery at 2:30 this afternoon. He did very well...just in a lot of pain though. He was intubated during the procedure so his throat hurts. The surgeon attempted to enter through the left side of his chest but could not thread the catheter into the vein. He was able to get into the right side but that means Lincoln has two incision sites...and double the amount of pain. He just needs to rest and recuperate now for the next few days. There is not too much new to tell about Lincoln other than he has had a great week. He is now attempting to fold his hands and is smiling more and more. These are a few pictures taken over Thanksgiving weekend with the York family: "Working out" with papa York and hangin' with the cousins. We actually got to see all of Lincoln's face while we were re-taping his tubes. And yes...even a candid moment while changing clothes. Thank you all for your continued prayers...We love you all! J&K

Keep Praying....

2006-11-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well, after waiting through most of our day to go into surgery...the surgeon called around 6:00 pm and said they were still busy in the OR. Lincoln's procedure got bumped to today or tomorrow...so keep praying! Lincoln is doing great right now...he just weighed in at 11 lbs this morning.

Please Pray!

2006-11-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

First, Lincoln is doing good and we will update the blog this after noon...this is just a quick note to say...Pray Today! Lincoln is most likely going to the OR to get his Broviac line changed. The Dr's put off replacing it until after the holidays. The procedure shouldn't take more than an hour...but anytime you have to intubate and go under anesthesia there is always potential for problems...especially with a heart that is soooo fragile. They will make an incision just under his collar bone and enter the vein there. This line should last him for a long time. Lincoln should do fine...just pray hard. We will chat with you soon! We love you all! J&K

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your prayers...God has been hearing and answering them. Lincoln is doing better since his episode of dehydration and fast heart rate. There is such a small window of margin when it comes to his fluid balance...too positive, his lungs get wet...too negative, he starts to have tachycardia. He is doing better now and he remains sickness free! He is still having some problems with constipation which has been giving him a little pain. Lincoln is making more and more noises...he even giggled for the first time. He is focusing on objects and reaching out to touch them. The one little issue right now (and there is always something) is that his Broviac line (his central venous line) snapped and broke just outside his body. This line is surgically placed and can remain permanent. Unfortunately this is his only line that he has and that delivers his all-important medication that makes his heart pump. Normally they can repair the line without going back to the OR...but...Lincoln's line is too small to repair. For now they have temporarily "jerryrigged" it to work. They are talking about taking him to surgery on Thanksgiving day to change the line. Obviously they don't want to send him to the OR if they can help it while waiting for a heart...but he needs the line. Please pray that doing this procedure won't cause any problems with his stability...and that he will recover quickly. Meanwhile, we are still here in the ICU waiting and waiting. Lincoln has been on the waiting list for 5 weeks now and so far has been stable while waiting...PTL! On Sunday, Lincoln and daddy got to watch the Chargers beat the Broncos (GO CHARGERS!). He even got a little visit from his ICU girlfriend, Holly, who is also waiting for a heart. We pray that all of you have a great Thanksgiving! We are truly thankful for God's awesome grace and provision and all of you that have been praying for Lincoln. Happy Thanksgiving! We Love you all! J&K

I'm 5 Months Old!

2006-11-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

Lincoln turned 5 months old on Sunday and is growing fast...he is now weighing in at 10 lbs 8 oz! Lincoln had a great week...PLT! He is now holding his upper body and head up and putting his binki in his mouth all on his own. He is also starting to talk...well...baby noises. We also got moved to a different ICU due to him being a little more stable. However, pray for Lincoln today as he is currently experiencing a high heart & respiratory rate. He is very agitated and not feeling well. He is also sleeping a lot and his heart is a little more enlarged. He is not keeping his feeds down. The Dr's think he might be a little fluid positive/overloaded...or it could be an infection or a GI issue...they just don't know. Please pray that this is all it is and not an infection, flu or his heart weakening. If he is sick...we cannot accept a heart if one becomes available. Another issue is that normally Lincoln would be needing his second surgery soon. His heart anatomy would still require a need for correction because he is growing and will eventually out grow the corrections made from the first surgery. The pickle is that Lincoln's heart is too weak to do another corrective surgery and we can't put him into surgery waiting for a heart anyway...and...we don't know when he will start to show symptoms that he would need that surgery...will it be before a heart comes? Anyway, a lot to think and pray about! Lincoln got a few visitors this week. John, Julie & Alyssa Taylor came to visit along with Pam Uffelman and her daughter Sarah. That was a fun treat! The last picture that we posted here Lincoln got to pretend he was an astronaut. He was having an energy expenditure test to see how many calories he burns...he liked it for a little while. Oh...and by the way...Pam, the pink binki was for you! Keep praying hard as Lincoln is feeling bad and his heart is acting funny...also for us as it has been a very hard week emotionally! We look forward to talking to you soon...We love you all! J&K

2006-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

2006-11-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

Waiting is the Hardest Part

2006-11-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Lincoln is doing good...we had a little bump in the road on Oct. 20th. Lincoln had a spasm in his heart called an Atrial Fibrillation. This is when the heart rate speeds up to a dangerous rate. Usually there are reasons the heart does this...but of course with Lincoln...it's always idiopathic (an unknown reason). Lincoln's heart rate jumped up to 230 bpm without reason, and after a few different attempts to calm it down with medication...it finally did. Because Lincoln is so small and has a failing heart...his ability to fight through and handle issues like that or what they call his "reserve" is very weak. And we think that by going through yet another huge episode like he did made him lose a little more reserve making his heart even more weak. Since then, his oxygen content in his blood (his "saturations") has been low and he is now on oxygen with a nasal cannula. He has also been put on a new medication called Digoxin to make his heart beat slower and more efficiently. Pray that another "big" issue stays away because we don't know how much more his heart can take before it says "enough." This is the hardest part for Kristen and I...and Lincoln...waiting! Lincoln has been on the waiting list for a little over two weeks now. The scary thing is...heart transplant for infants are more rare than for older kids and we just don't know how long Lincoln can be in a stable condition waiting...especially when he has had big issues come up every now and then. Wow...that was heavy...but aside from all of that...Lincoln is doing well. Kristen has been working with the physical therapist to help Lincoln with head control and arm and leg strength. You can imagine how far ICU kids get behind in their development just lying in a bed all the time. We've seen him getting stronger every day with his movement and technique. As you probably have noticed, we have updated his blog site with a few more items to look at. On the right side of the page we've included a "Prayer Request" list...PLEASE be in prayer for those items as we specifically lay them out. There is also a "Link" section...there we have highlighted some of the sites that pertain to Lincoln, his condition, heart transplant, donor awareness, etc. Have fun looking at those as you become more familiar with Lincoln's needs. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support for all of us...we will talk to you soon...we love you all! J&K

2006-11-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

"Trick or Treat!" This was Lincoln's Halloween costume...We're not really sure what he is...but he looks cute anyway!

Waiting For The Ultimate Gift

2006-10-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

There really hasn't been too much excitement to report over the last two weeks. We know you guys are feverishly praying for Lincoln...Thank you! The Dr's are just working hard at trying to figure him out and to keep him stable. He is so touchy when it comes to keeping everything balanced. The slightest little swing in medication or fluid and he gets thrown into heart failure. Even though they have been trying to wean Lincoln off of his medication, they went ahead and started the process for heart transplantation. For the last two weeks Lincoln has had some problems with dehydration and medication weans which indicate that the heart is very weak and that a heart transplant is the only route we will have to take. So over the last week they have been drawing blood and doing tests to check for antibodies. The Dr's presented his case to the transplant board on Friday and yesterday we got the insurance clearance so officially Lincoln has been listed for a heart transplant. I'm not going to get into all of the specifics about heart transplant...but if you would like to know more about it, the organization that handles all of the transplantation of organs in the country is called UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) and you can surf their website for more info (see the link section on this page). This is a complete switch from what we know about congenital heart defects. We are entering new waters and we are having to change our thinking in how life will now be after a heart transplant surgery. From experience, we knew what was required for us in order to take care of a child with congenital heart defects. Now we have to change our thinking and adjust to life with a completely different set of issues. As one Dr said to us, "basically we are trading one heart problem with another heart problem". What he means is that with heart transplant...it's not a complete fix. Yes, Lincoln will be able to live an almost perfect life...BUT there are rejection issues, constant medication and evaluation, being near the hospital for a half a year, not to mention he will need another transplant in 10-15 years. Don't get us wrong...we are excited for this to happen, we just have to adjust and adapt to this process. On a more personal note...the information we know about pediatric heart transplant kinda scares us...like the odds, availability, waiting and sickness. We know God is in complete control and we know he works all things together for good, however, our human nature is to worry and it's so hard to trust sometimes. Lincoln could get a heart tomorrow or we could wait for six months or he could never get one. Pediatric hearts are not widely available and Lincoln can't be on these medications waiting in the ICU for too long. Plus, if he gets sick and one becomes available, we will have to turn it down. Although we are so excited as we hear the data about how babies do with new hearts we are just worried about the process getting there....please pray for that. An even more personal note...As we were praying one night for Lincoln to receive a new heart...I turned to Kristen and said "do we realize what we are asking for?" This is a hard prayer knowing what's required for Lincoln. It hits close to home for us knowing the sacrifice it will take for one family. So as we convey our hearts to you...please be in prayer with us not only for Lincoln, but for the family that will give the ultimate sacrifice..the gift of life. Pray for Kristen and I as we go through the ebb and flow of Lincoln's condition and the routine of hospital life...it is getting very old. Also pray that we are able to take care of the constant irritations of life...bills and insurance. Well...other than all of that, Lincoln is as cute as ever and is doing good. Our days are filled with changing dirty diapers, holding him all day and reading the same books over and over and over and over. We kinda got the hint that he was tired of them when on Sunday as Kristen was reading "Brown Bear" to him, he kept peeking over the book to watch the football game on TV. Thank you all for your constant prayers and support...this is an exciting time for Lincoln and we can't wait to see what God's going to do. We love you all! J&K

Under Evaluation

2006-10-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...we are settling in to our "home away from home." There is really no new news to report...the Dr's are just trying to keep him stable. He is actually doing great and because of the heart medication his heart has been "tuned back up" and he would normally be able to go home right now...but because his heart has been poopin out days after we get home, he needs to remain in the hospital and be on his medication. They will wait a little longer to stop the medication and wean it down slowly in hopes that his heart just needs a longer period of time to get stronger. If this doesn't work we need to "talk" about being put on a heart transplant list because his heart is so weak. They have already started doing some of the tests for doner matches just in case. This week is crucial because they will make a lot of decisions regarding what's needed for Lincoln. Please be praying that his heart gets stronger everyday and he can come home in the next few weeks. Pray for us too as it is very emotionally & physically draining being down here and waiting to see what happens. Here are a few pics of the last two days. Lincoln's favorite place to be is in mommy's arms...where he is so content and happy. The second is in daddy's arms watching NASCAR and the Chargers like we did yesterday. Nanna, Pappa, auntie Heather & cousin Sydney also came to visit Lincoln this weekend...that was fun. We will talk to you all soon. We love you all! J&K

2006-10-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of Lincoln at home before he started having difficulty. Lincoln is just over nine pounds now and yes, he has many facial expressions that are fun to watch.

Back at UCLA

2006-09-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends! After being discharged from Children's Hospital last week...we are back in the hospital again. Lincoln was doing so great at home for about a week until he started having symptoms of respiratory distress. His cardiologist said that his heart is in a state of congestive heart failure due to the weakening of his right ventricle. When we left the hospital last week after having our scary little episode his heart function got stronger again....but while we were home last week it started poopin out again. They are not sure why it keeps getting tired....it could be: 1 - his chronic heart condition and all the surgeries he has had are tiring out his heart. 2 - a viral infection attacking the heart (called Myocarditis). 3 - his heart needs more medicine, rest and time to recover from the problem two weeks ago. Whatever it is, it is being categorized as Cardiomyopothy. There is not much you can do for Cardiomyopothy other than watch to see if it gets better and try to help strengthen the function with medicine. If that doesn't work...Lincoln will need to be evaluated for the possibility of a heart transplant. Lincoln's cardiologist encouraged us to entertain the idea of going back down to UCLA for evaluation and a second opinion because they deal with kids that have Cardiomyopothy all the time. Plus, if they can't figure it out and Lincoln needs to be put on a heart transplant list, we will already be at the hospital that does transplantation because Children's Hospital in Fresno doesn't. So here we are, Lincoln was flown down in an airplane by the Children's Hospital transport team to UCLA yesterday. We arrived a few hours later to find ourselves at our old stompin ground. Its hard to be back down here but if this is what's best for Lincoln than it's a must! It is also a praise to be able to stay with our host family again...the Hayes...they are truly a blessing! So pray for Lincoln...over the next couple of days they will watch and evaluate what his heart is doing. They will do tests and experiment with different types of medicine. They will try to get him back home again....or they might have to put him on a heart transplant list. The future is in the Lords hands and we praise him for each new day of life! We will keep you updated on his progress and RECOVERY! Thank you all for your continued love, support and prayer for Lincoln and our family. We love you all! J&K

Lincoln's Home!

2006-09-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Lincoln this past week! His Life is so fragile and keeps us on our toes...but God is good and gave us warning signs that Lincoln was in distress. After undergoing a heart catheterization on Saturday night, Lincoln made a great recovery. He was extubated on Wednesday and transitioned pretty well when they took his ET tube out and started breathing on his own. His cardiologist kept him in the hospital for a little longer than we hoped because he wanted to keep a close eye on his heart function because the stress on his heart from the blockage made his heart very weak...and now attempting to breathe and eat put an even bigger load on the heart. Well...according to the echo he had before they discharged us on Monday, his heart strength is getting better sloooowwwwly. It is no where near how they would like to see it work but think it just needs time to recover. This is a huge prayer request considering he only has one good ventricle instead of two and this ventricle has to sustain him through 2 more surgeries and life...and now it is weak and trying to recover. Monday was a great day...we got to come home again! Anytime you enter the hospital with life threatening issues your mind starts to wander. Hospital stay is a tiring and scary time....so needless to say it is awesome to be home. Continue to pray for our strength...as we came home with even more medications to give Lincoln on a daily basis and the constant stress of watching for symptoms of distress has increased. Trying to manage that and keep a clean, sterile environment is very tiring! In the midst of all that....Lincoln is like a different boy. He is eating sooooo much better, his color is better, he looks happy and is even smiling...which he never did before entering the hospital. Thank you all for your support and prayers and thanks to all who came to visit Lincoln this week in the hospital...it was a blessing and it helped break up the long days a little! We love you all! J&K

Pray For Lincoln!

2006-09-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

We would love to give you pictures and an update about the progress over the last three weeks but we have some more urgent news to give you. Wednesday (9/6) Lincoln had a scheduled appointment with his pediatrition. We told her that he had been sweating on his head and neck a bunch but his hands and feet were cold. He also had been laboring in his breathing more than usual. Fortunately he was scheduled to have an echocardiogram done the next day by his cardiologist because the symptoms we had mentioned sounded like some kind of heart trouble. Thursday Lincoln had his echo done and the results were less than pleasing. His cardiologist said that his heart looked more tired than it did a month before and there was also a potential blockage. He wanted Lincoln to have a cardiac catheterization the following Wenesday to get a better picture of what was going on inside his heart. After that appointment we went home in preparation for Wednesday. The next day (Friday) Lincoln started laboring even more in his breathing and started having a low-grade fever. He was also not eating and severely dehydrated. We felt Lincoln was working too hard at breathing to wait until Wednesday so we brought him in again. The Dr's felt that he should be admitted so they could monitor him until Wed. Through the night Lincoln had ups and downs...he was struggling to eat and was turning pale. Saturday morning while in the hospital we felt Lincoln was going from bad to worse. They ordered another echocardiogram. A different view confirmed Lincoln had a blockage in his aortic arch probably caused by scar tissue that had built up where the coarctation repair took place during his first surgery. It was significant enough to block the flow of blood to the point that his heart was overloaded and failing. They decided to rush Lincoln in to PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and intubate him and start giving him some special heart medication to help out his heart function. Through the day they stabilized him and told us that the blockage needed to be removed but the good news was that they could do that during the heart catheterization. The bad news was that the Dr that does these specialized catheterization was out of town until Thursday. They told us we needed to have it done soon so they decided to fly Lincoln back down to UCLA for the procedure. While we were home preparing to leave again for UCLA the Dr called us an hour before Lincoln was to be transported and told us that the Dr had not left to go out of town yet and that he could do the procedure that night. We rushed back to the hospital as they were preparing Lincoln to go into surgery. The catheterization took 3 hours and they were able to open the blockage with a balloon. This is just a temporary fix and will have to be repaired again soon in the future but should buy him some time before his next scheduled surgery in a few months. Lincoln is now recovering in the PICU. He needs lots of prayers! Some concerns are that the heart and lungs were working so hard for so long that they could have been damaged...so the prayer is that now that the blockage is gone, that the cardiac function (squeezing effect and vigor of the heart muscle) would come back. Another prayer is that he can ween back off of the ventilator and breathe on his own again...this is touchy because breathing puts an extra load on the heart and his heart is already very tired. Another thing is, unless he is able to come home and his heart function and ventrical strength gets better, he will not be able to have his next surgery. PLEASE PRAY THAT HIS HEART FUNCTION GETS STRONGER AND HE CAN COME OFF OF THE VENT! Well, we will try to keep you posted of his progress as much as time allows us...until then PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! Sorry again for the lack of corrispondence...the last three weeks have been very fun and Lincoln was doing great and hopefully soon again. We love you all! J&K

Pray For My Tummy!

2006-08-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Before we get into the update we just wanted everyone to know that we will be having an open house baby shower this Saturday. If you are in the area we would love for you to drop by and say "Hi" to Lincoln. It will be held at Campus Bible Church from 2:00-4:00 PM this Saturday, Aug. 19. OK....the update. Lincoln is growing and growing. He weighed in at 8 pounds this week at his Dr's apt. Everything is very stable with his heart and lungs right now, however, we have a huge prayer request. For about three weeks now we have been noticing blood in Lincoln's stools. At first we thought it was from being constipated which is sometimes normal to see, but when he started to become more regular and there was still more blood we had to rule that out. Then they thought it could be an infection, but when they tested the blood and the stools and they turned out negative that too was ruled out. Basically, what they are now saying is that Lincoln is experiencing what they call Colitis which is an inflammation of the colon. There are many things that can bring about Colitis. What they are thinking with Lincoln is that it is a malabsorption or an allergic reaction to his formula. This happens when the colon can not break down the proteins and nutrients in his formula to absorb them and the colon becomes inflamed and sheds off the inner lining of cells and we see blood. Well if you remember...Lincoln had a Chylothorax issue so they put him on a special formula that was already broken down. The ironic part of this whole thing is that the formula that he is on is what they give to babies when they have Colitis or a malabsorption issue. So the plan is to change his diet to a formula that is even more broken down. Hopefully this works because this new formula is basically the most broken down and pre-digested you can get...and if we still see more blood and he is still experiencing pain and a loss of appetite we will have to go to a gastroenterologist (a tummy Dr.) and they will have to take a look at his colon and see what's going on in there. Because of all this, he has lost some of his appetite and is not finishing all of his meal. Because of this we had to reinsert his NG tube. Lincoln is also experiencing an infection on his bum and some conjuctivitis (pink eye) in his eyes which does not help with the over all comfort. It's kinda weird thinking that here we have a baby that has a major heart problem and here we are dealing with all these other issues....praise God that his heart and lungs are strong and stable right now. Well besides all of that, Lincoln is really doing great! He is growing, smiling, sleeping well and is just too handsome. Sorry for the lack of pictures on this update...I guess that's just incentive to come see him yourself at the shower. And for those who live far away...we will post new pics soon! Please pray that: 1 - This new formula works and he can digest it without any problems. 2 - His colon gets better and we do not see any more blood in his poops. 3 - He doesn't experience any more pain. 4 - That he regains his appetite and we can take his NG tube out. 5 - His Conjuctivitis and bottom infection goes away. Talk to you soon...We love you all! J&K

My Tummy Hurts Mommy

2006-08-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is doing great! He is getting stronger every day! He does however have a little stomach issue unfortunately. Earlier this week he was still battling some constipation and now....well....lets just say he is too loose ( I wont give you details). You can tell by the way he acts and looks that he has not been feeling well. He has been getting very agitated, tired and has had a loss of appetite. Please pray that whatever he is dealing with in his tummy goes away and that he can digest his food and move it properly without any pain. Other than that he is doing great...and getting bigger by the day! We have more Dr's appts this week...pray for those too! Today we sat at home and tried to get some rest...he even sat on the couch and watched the NASCAR race a little before poopin out.

2006-08-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

After we had put Lincoln down for the night we kept hearing weird noises in the room. We came in to find that he had pulled out his NG tube. He had the stomach end of the tube in his hand and was trying to pull it off his face. I guess it was his way of telling us that he doesn't need it any more. Well I guess he was right since that was a week ago today. We have only needed to reinsert it once for a few feedings this whole week...and its still out! Praise the Lord!

2006-08-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

We came into our room the other night to check on Lincoln and we found him in this pose. I asked Kristen if she had covered him and she said, "ya...I completely swaddled him and covered him with a blanket!" I guess Lincoln has figured out how to break free and sleep in comfort.

2006-08-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Lincoln got to go to church last Sunday. Him & daddy stood up in front and gave a report on how he was doing. It was truly a blessing to see all the people at our Campus Bible family who have been praying for Lincoln.

2006-08-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Cousins Daniel & Hanna came to visit this week and saw him for the first time

Adjusting!

2006-07-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well...you all are probably saying to yourself..."Man, I miss those pictures!" As you can imagine we have been very busy trying to get adjusted with Lincoln here at home. We will be updating more frequently...but for a short while it will be slow going. Lincoln had his first checkup with the cardiologist and the pediatrition at Children's Hospital on Tuesday. They both said Lincoln is doing good and if things go smoothly, we could wait as long as 6 months before the next surgery. Lincoln is still learning to eat better. We are still having to feed him whatever he does not finish through his NG tube. Please pray that he continues to build strength and stamina to take ALL of his food. This could be a sloooooow process! Lincoln is also experiencing some constipation due to the type of formula we have to give him...please pray for that also as it is giving him some pain and a little blood in his stool! When the Dr's were saying that "cardiac" babies tend to want to be held....they weren't kiddin! Lincoln does not like to be put down...whether in his swing, in his bed or just DOWN or else we hear about it! Lincoln has finally developed his scream and he is sure to use it if he is not being held. He is sleeping well at night, hates baths with a passion and loves being in his room. Well, we took Lincoln on his first outing other than to the doctors....Target!...ya, he likes Target. Well, I know you all want to know every little detail...but thats really it for now. We will be sure to update more often....keep the prayers going! We love you all! J&K

It's Good To Be Home!

2006-07-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Its good to be home...we think?? The weather of course it nastsy. If it isn't challenging enough bringing a child home with special needs...how about bringing one home to a broken down air conditioning unit. That's right...no air for 2 more days...but we are managing. Our jouney home was adventurous...Lincoln did great. Lincoln is doing good...adjusting to the heat. We have our first appointment with his cardiologist here at Children's Hospital tomorrow. It's their turn now to monitor Lincoln and determine when he needs his 2nd surgery. A huge thanks to all of you who have been praying and supporting us...we could not do this or continue to do this with out you....don't stop! A big thanks goes out to Ed & Jean Hayes for hosting us at their house...with out them we don't know what we would of done. A lot of you have asked if we are going to keep the blog going. The answer is yes! We will update two or three times a week or as often as we can get to it when we are not to busy taking care of Lincoln. The idea was to have this going as he grows so all of you at home tracking his journey can watch as he goes through all of his surgeries. We will update ASAP....we love you all! J&K

"I'm Going Home Everyone!"

2006-07-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well...today Lincoln is 5 weeks old...and there is no better way to celebrate than a trip home! The Dr's told us that they are comfortable letting Lincoln go home with his NG tube. Babies tend to do better with feeding when they get home and they feel that he is nutritionally stable to go. So after a few tests today we will be heading home! Pray the transition goes smooth and the car ride too. It's kinda scary thinking about taking a baby who has critical needs home and not having the constant supervision of Dr's and nurses around to monitor things.....but its our turn now! We will be leaving this afternoon...so pray hard! We will update you all soon. We love you all! J&K

We Just Need To Eat!

2006-07-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello to all...Lincoln is doing wonderful. The cardiologists gave him the green light to go home in regards to his heart. We are now just waiting for the NICU Dr's to give us the ok. There is basically one thing keeping him in the hospital...eating. They have removed all of Lincolns tubes, wired and IV's and he is not hooked up to anything other that his heart monitor. He is almost a free bird. He is also getting all his medications orally. Lincoln is now at 52 cc's of Pregestimil. Unfortunately he is still eating about 1/2 to 3/4 of that amount before he gets pooped out. Every once in a while (maybe 3 out of 8 times a day) he will drink his whole bottle on his own. The Dr's what him to be able to drink his whole bottle every feeding. The reason for this is that Lincoln spends so much energy trying to eat that he can sometime burn to many calories and be nutritionally unstable. Thay want him to learn to drink it all while in the hospital so they can monitor his nutrition and build up his reserve and stamina so it is more safe to go home. Please pray that he gets stronger and drinks his whole bottle every time. The though of going home brings a lot of emotion to the surface...past and present. Pray for us as we adjust to the possibilities of going home soon and how that will affect us. Ben, Rachel, Laurel Dhillon came to visit this week and it was great to see them again. We will give you an update as soon as there are any changes. We love you all! J&K

So Far So Good!

2006-07-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well...Steady as she goes. Lincoln is doing great! They finally took his final chest tube out and there hasn't been any accumulation of air or fluid...so far. Since he has had that chest tube out he is not experiencing as much pain as before....and you can tell he is more comfortable by the way he acts. Feeding is going great also. Lincoln is at full feeds (46 cc's). He has started to drink the whole bottle on his own now...well, when he feels like it or when mom is feeding him. He sometimes dozes off while eating still and does not finish. Cardiac babies get real tired while eating. They burn a lot of calories and eating is like running a marathon to them...so that is why he falls asleep. Speaking of calories...they are increasing the calories in the formula to get him stronger. He is now getting vitamins too. They stopped the Milrinone (heart medication) IV drip and switched over to an oral version! So, currently there are no more medications or any thing going through his IVs. They will keep them in though because they sometimes need to replace minerals he expels when he pees...like potassium and calcium. For now the plan is to monitor him and his heart as he grows and wait until he is stable enough to go home. Continue to pray for all of those requests we have been mentioning in the previous updates and the new ones today. Hey...Lincoln's buddy Wayne came to visit yesterday...I think Link liked his beard. Talk to you all soon...we love you all! J&K

I'm 1 Month Old!

2006-07-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Learning To Eat

2006-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is doing better now that he is eating more....he is now almost a 6 pounder! While Lincoln is eating, he gets tired easily. He still does not finish what they give him and is having a little trouble with the "suck-swallow-breathe" thing. He is now getting 45 cc's but can only nipple about 25-35 cc's. Because of this, Lincoln is now working with an Occupational Therapist to teach him better technique while eating....and he is picking it up slowly. While drawing his daily labs yesterday, the Dr informed us that his "Bands" and "White Blood Count" were slightly elevated. This is an indication that Lincoln might have a "foreign invader" in his blood and might need to be put on an antibiotic. The preliminary culture test taken this morning turned out negative but they need to wait 3 days for the total confirmation. This is probably due to how many open wound sites he has from the chest tubes and the IV's. Pray that no infection grows in the next couple of days or we will have to put things on hold while he battles that! We talked to the cardiologist today...he said that Lincoln should be able to handle things (his high sats. and a little pulmonary edema) with his heart for now or at least until the next surgery. Today they will wean him completely off his final heart medication that is given by IV and switch over to the oral version of it. This is the final IV drip that Lincoln is attached to...YEAH! So until the next update...pray that Lincoln gets stronger, feeds well, his heart & lungs continue to perform well, no infection, the transition from IV meds to oral meds, chest tube removal today or tomorrow goes smooth. TTYL...we love you all! J&K

Quick Recovery...That Was Not Fun! But God Is Good!

2006-07-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Lincoln did well recovering from the lung scare. He is now breathing on his own again without the assistance of oxygen. He still has his chest tube in because it was leaking fluid. It should be taken out in a day or two. Yesterday was a great day for recovery....Kristen finally got to hold Lincoln for the first time. It's been tough waiting for 4 weeks but it was sooooo worth it. Lincoln started back on his feeding when mom got to hold him and he wasted no time getting it down while she fed him. Although Lincoln is feeding again after 24 hours, he is quickly remembering that the Pregestimil tastes terrible! He does not like to finish his bottle and they are trying to increase the amount he gets each feeding. He has to be able to eat a full 45 cc's. He is currently at 26 cc's but he only likes to eat about half that amount....so the rest they have to put into his NG tube. Pray that he can eat his whole meal on his own because this is a huge part of proving he is ready to go home. They have started switching the rest of his IV medication over to an oral version which he will be able to go home on until his next surgery. Continue to pray that this transition goes smooth. Uncle Sam & Aunt Michelle came again this weekend and got to see him extubated for the first time...that was fun! Thanks for praying us through the last 48 hours...GOD IS GOOD! We will chat soon...we love you all! J&K

2006-07-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

Eric & Jill Doswald came back this weekend to see Lincoln...they hadn't seen him since he was born.

A Little Set Back

2006-07-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Today we had a little scare. We came into the hospital with the expectation of finally getting to hold him because of his chest tubes being removed today and instead we go two steps backwards with a hiccup. Lincoln had his chest tubes removed today. While removing one of his chest tubes, air got sucked up into the chest from the hole the tube was in. Air overtook the space where his right lung is (this is called a Tension Pneumothorax) . This collapsed his right lung sending him into distress. They did a less invasive procedure to remove the air by inserting a small needle attached to a syringe into the chest. They drew back almost 300 cc's of air out of his chest cavity. After taking a chest x-ray, at appeared that the needle aspiration procedure worked, re-inflating his lung. After waiting about 20 min, Lincoln started getting pale and having difficulty breathing again. After taking another chest x-ray, they saw that his right lung had collapsed again. This was because the original site where the chest tube was was not completely sealed by the bandage allowing air to come back in. This time they realized in order to get the air completely out, they couldn't do a needle aspiration. They would need to reinsert a new chest tube in a new location and suture the old chest tube hole where the air was coming in. As soon as they did that procedure the air came out of the new chest tube and his lung re-inflated and his color came back to him. Unfortunately this happenes sometimes when removing those darn tubes. So now he has all three of the old chest tubes out and one new one in back in. However, this new chest tube is only in to keep any air that might accumulate out of his chest (plural space) that does not belong and should only be in for about 24 hrs. Tonight he is still getting a little help breathing with a nasal canula. This is giving him a little oxygen boost because his lungs are trying to recover. They will slowly wean the oxygen down over night to where he is breathing well on his own again. He is very heavily sedated and should rest without any more issues tonight....but he is not out of the woods yet. This also means they had to put his feedings on hold until tomorrow. Because of the issue today...fluid built up on his lungs (pulmonary adema) and they need to get that off of him for him to breath easier. Please pray that his lungs can recover fully, no more air leaking back in, that this would not create any additional problems with breathing, the new chest tube removal goes smooth, water comes off of his lungs, he can start feeding again soon, and we can hold him soon. Oh yeah...as they inserted the new chest tube, a little Chylo fluid appeared in the tube...please continue to pray for that healing otherwise we will have to have that tube in longer. Thank for your steadfast prayers...we will give you an update ASAP. We love you all! J&K

I want milk!

2006-07-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is now getting 24 cc's of formula. He has been only taking about half of that amount and he has started to throw up after a meal every once in a while. The formula they are giving him is called Pregestamil. It's a low fat pre-digested formula that smells terrible and tastes worse. We think he is getting tired of eating that stuff so he never finishes his meal...so they have to give what ever he doesn't eat by bottle through an NG tube. Pray that he tolerates his feeding because they want to get to 45 cc's before they can start getting him off his IV medication...and he does not like it! He wants milk but it will have to wait a month or two. Pray also that he does not have any trouble keeping it down. The Dr's have ordered that his chest tubes be removed today....PTL! This will end a lot of pain he has been in and we will finally be able to hold him for the first time. Continue to pray for his heart, blood pressures and lungs that they will all work together like they should. Pray for NO water on his lungs and for the Chylothorax to continue to heal so they can give him milk soon. Thanks for all your prayers and support...we will talk to you later...we love you all! J&K

2006-07-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Valerie Maurin & Deanna Maurin came to visit yesterday. Valerie said he is doing good and is in great hands...it was great to have a friend who is also a NICU nurse come to visit and give us some encouragement.

We're still here....and waiting...

2006-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is hanging in there...they are increasing his food every 9 hours until he can get a full bottles worth. That should take a few days. We still have not seen any evidence that the Chylothorax hasn't healed...there is still no "milky" drainage from his chest tubes...Praise the Lord! Continue to pray for that as they increase his food because it could still show up. Some of you have been asking how Lincoln's heart has been doing. Lincoln's heart is doing great. His cardiac function (which means the strength, pace & mechanics of his heart) is good. However, the pulmonary artery band Dr. Plunkett put on might not be tight enough still. We determine this by how much blood flow goes to the lungs, water on the lungs (adema), saturation levels (oxygen in the blood) and perfusion (blood circulation throughout the body). Lincoln's chest x-ray has been a little cloudy which means there is a little water on his lungs. His saturation levels have been around 90%. They want it between 75-85%. However, if he continues to look and sound good and has good blood gases the Dr's are willing to accept his high saturation levels. If he continues to tolerate it they probably wont have to go back in to adjust the band...but there is still a lot of variables in the future that could affect that...like eating a full meal, chest tube removal, switching from IV meds to oral meds. His levels have to remain the same or get better as he transitions through these steps for him to stay away from the OR to fix the band. Lincoln is still infection free...another HUGE praise! Please continue to pray against infection. For all of you who care about the little, fun & gross things...Lincoln is pooping great. He has figured out how to burp after a meal. He likes back rubs, baths and He loves to eat! Well, that's all for now...Thanks for all your continued prayers...We love you all! J&K

2006-07-07T09:18:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa Carter came for a visit and it was a real treat for Great Grandma Maine to come since she had not seen him until this week.

2006-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lincoln had a bunch of visitors this week. George & Linda Posthumus, Danielle Bohr, Jaime Angel & Chris Espedal all came to see the little man.

No Drainage Yet

2006-07-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well it's been 24 hours since they started feeding Lincoln his low fat formula...and there hasn't been any drainage yet from his chest tubes. Depending on the Dr. you talk to...the drainage would either show its self within 24 hrs of feeding OR take time to build up because they are feeding him such small amounts every 3 hours. If the 2nd was the case...it could be another day or two. We are just glad that the first 24 hours have gone by without any evidence of the chylo leaking into the chest cavity. It as also driving Lincoln crazy because they are going sooooo slow. He only gets 3 cc's (about 1-2 tablespoons) of formula and then he has to wait for three hours until the next batch. It is a major tease to him and he cries because he is like..."That's mean guys...I'm still hungry". Well, if we go another day without seeing any drainage, they will consider taking the chest tubes out and we will be one step closer to going back to Fresno. We will keep you informed as we hear! We love you all! J&K

2006-07-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Nana & Papa York, Uncle Keith, Auntie Tina, cousin Kyler & cousin Sydney came to visit and hang out with Lincoln.

2006-07-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Matt & Kim Souder and the kiddos also came to visit and got to see the little dude.

Happy independence Day!

2006-07-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day for feeding. They decided instead of giving him low fat formula to see if the chylothorax is healed, they would first stimulate his gut by giving him some Pedialyte. This does not have any fat in it so it wouldn't leak from the lymphatic system. There is 3 reasons they did this: 1 - Simulate his gut and get it ready for food. 2 - Give him one more day of healing before introducing fat into the lyphatic system. 3 - they were thinking they would have to give his formula by NG (nasogasteric) tube through the nose down into the stomach....but maybe if he could drink the Pedialyte by bottle and swallow it he would be able to do the same with the formula and not have to have the NG tube. Well, when the nurses gave Kristen the bottle with a few cc's of Pedialyte...Lincoln took it into his mouth, sucked on the bottle and guzzled it down! No Prob! So that was a huge success for being 3 weeks old yesterday and never have had any thing to eat. So the plan today is to give him the formula and watch and wait to see if any thing comes out of his chest tubes. So pray for another big miracle today...no drainage! He also had a lot of family come to visit him so he was exhausted....these are some pics we took after everybody had left..."I'm tired now...I think I'll sleep".

BIg Feeding Trial Run...Pray!

2006-07-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is doing good. Today they are going to attempt to feed him a little bit of formula. We watch and wait if any fluid leaks into his chest cavity during the digestion process. If it leaks, we will see drainage through his chest tubes and we will have to wait another week or two. If not, they will build up the feeding slowly and will be able to remove the chest tubes. Please pray today for a successful trail run! Here are a few pics we took yesterday...his nurse wanted to be a little patriotic and lay some red and blue blankets under him since he cannot wear any clothes. We will post a bunch more pics tonight! We will let you know how it goes asap! Love you all! J&K

2006-07-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody....
Sorry for the no post today....It's been a very busy day. A lot of family came down for the weekend to visit so its hard to get to the computer. Also no pics today....sorry, I know that's the best part. Tomorrow I will post a bunch! Lincoln is doing good! We are still just waiting to see if this chylothorax will heal and he can begin his feeds. They have decided to wait only 5 days instead of 7-14 days to let the duct heal before they to a trial run with his feeds. Today was day 3 of the 5. So Monday they will stop the medication (Octreotide) used to help it heal and then begin with small amounts of a nonfat special formula through NG tube. If it has healed there shouldn't be any drainage from his chest tubes. If it hasn't healed, we stop feeds, wait another week, try again and the chest tubes stay in until the problem is fixed. Pray that the chylo is healed by Monday and he can tolerate getting food! The presence of the chest tubes are so painful and such a huge risk for infection...plus he needs the calories to put on a few pounds which will just help the all around nutrition aspect too. Today Lincoln's chest x-ray was a little cloudy. This means he is getting a little fluid on his lungs. This is caused by high pulmonary flow to his lungs. He seems to be handling it ok since his vital signs and chest sound are good. Pleas pray that his lungs become & remain clear! Other than those two things, Lincoln is doing great! Well, that's it until tomorrow...we will talk to you then. We love you all! J&K

I Love My Binki!

2006-06-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Lincoln got his bandage taken off of his chest. Now you can see his "war wound" scar he will be proud to show as a boy. They even spiked his hair when he got his bath. His nurse did a trial run with a pacifier. Infants who often go into surgery right after they are born loose their "suck & swallow" technique because they are not eating right away and have to be taught again. Lincoln obviously knows what he is doing since he grabbed a hold of it and went to town! Well, the plan today is the same...keep him comfortable, stable, watch his heart, keep his lungs dry, no pain from his chest tubes, no infections, good blood gases, and WAIT for the chylothorax to heal. Please pray for those things and for us! Also pray for one specific bill as our insurance has threatened to not cover it. Thanks again for you faithfulness and love! We will talk to you soon. J&K

The Waiting Game

2006-06-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, things are going well. Lincoln is handling breathing pretty good. We finally get to see his whole face. Since he is not going to eat for two weeks they pulled out the NG tube out of his nose. Now that he is extubated we are told we can hold him although not quite yet. His breathing is still quite fast (60-85 breaths per min)...so when he gets excited or agitated the breathing rate goes even higher and his "saturations" (oxygen in the blood) goes down and his blood pressure goes up. So when those things get better we will be able to hold him. Oh...and by the way the oxygen level in his blood is now down to 75-85% and holding...praise God! They are not quite sure why he is breathing this fast. They are still speculating that the band might not be tight enough around his pulmonary artery. But as long as his blood gases, vital signs, saturations & no sounds of water on his lungs are o.k. then they are fine with his high rate of breathing. Lincoln's chest tube drainage has slowed down a lot. As long as they are not draining it means that the duct can now begin to heal and there should be no presence of extra water near his lungs for them to soak up. We just have to wait & wait & wait. This will be very hard considering Lincoln is trying to make forward progress, and having the threat of fluid near the lungs & infection because of his chest tubes only makes the waiting harder. Not to mention his tubes are so painful and now they want to start weaning his pain medication because of withdrawal. So continue to pray that the pulmonary band is sufficient, the chylothorax heals and he continues to make forward progress with out infection. Last night before we left the hospital, we saw Lincoln making the funniest face expressions while he was sleeping. He must have been having a good dream because we caught a picture of him smiling. Kristen and I are doing o.k. The hospital routine is so exhausting! We forget sometimes that there is a world out there happening around us but time seams to stand still when you never leave the hospital...plus there is only so much cafeteria food one can eat! But we are doing good. Continue to pray for our emotional, physical & spiritual strength as those tanks sometimes run low. Thank you for all your support and prayers. During the nurses shift change (from 7-8 pm), we go to the hospital library and read the blog. The messages are so encouraging to us! Cant wait for you all to see this little peanut you have been praying for. We love you all! J&K

I'm Doin It Everyone!)

2006-06-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well soon after we put up the last update they went ahead and decided that he was ready. At 8:37 pm last nigh Lincoln too his own breaths since minute two of being born! Last night was filled with anxiety since it was new to him and sometimes the effort in figuring it out can tire them to the point of not wanting to breath anymore. But he did awesome! It took some gasping for a while...but he settled right down and was doin it...we could finally hear his little voice crackle as he cried. They are moving Lincoln back down to the NICU for the remainder of his care. There are a few BIG prayer requests to pray for! 1 - Lincoln's oxygen level in his blood is too high (around 92-94%). This means that he is getting to much blood flow to the lungs. Over a short time this could cause him to build fluid in his lungs...the condition is called Pulmonary Adema. This is bad! The reason this is happening is that the pulmonary band probably isn't tight enough. They are going to give him a few different medications to help with the issue but it won't correct it. The Dr's said that as he gets bigger his vessels get bigger and the band stays the same causing better restriction. This would be great, but how long can we really wait? The high pressures could also go down as he adjusts to breathing and things kinda balance out. For now, we pray that they just go down (we want them to be between 75-85%)! 2 - The drainage from his chest tubes as a result of his Chylothorax has increased a bit. They will now give him a medication to help heal the damaged thoracic duct. Pray that the healing goes fast and that his chest tube can come out ASAP. We also want him to begin feeding him again soon...lack of ingested food keeps his gut from being stimulated. That is very hard on his liver and can damage it. So pray that the Chylothorax heals quickly! Well for now, other than those two issues, Lincoln is doing great. Continue to lift him before the Father. Pray that his little life is a testament to everyone there of God's Greatness & Love. Talk to you all soon...we love you! J&K

Getting Stronger

2006-06-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

We woke up throughout the night calling the CTU wondering how Lincoln was doing. Every time we called they were lowering the vent settings and he was tolerating it! When we got to the hospital this morning Lincoln was on "pressure support." Basically this means that they weaned the ventilator down to the point that it was no longer giving him a breathing rate...he was initiating every breath! The vent is now just supporting him by giving him a little boost in each breath. The Dr's gave the analogy of blowing up a balloon...the first breath to get the balloon started is tough, but once it's started you can blow up the rest much easier. In essence, after Lincoln initiates the breath, the vent helps him by giving that little boost and then he finishes the rest of the breath. Today they have been giving him pressure support for a few hours and then letting him rest a bit. They will repeat this process throughout the day and into the night getting him stronger. Tomorrow they will see if he can do the whole thing on his own and decide to extubate if he is ready. The last 24 hrs have been awesome to see how he has been handling their aggressive weaning, considering the vent was helping him at a rate of 30 breaths per min and 24 hrs later, he is doing it...he has been doing great! Now a few prayer requests: His breathing rate is very fast now that he is on his own. They are not sure if that is due to pain, having to breath through a small tube, medication or maybe because of high pulmonary pressure due to the band not being tight enough. Pray that it is the prior and that the band is sufficient. Pray that his breathing slows to a more normal rate. Continue to pray for the Chylothorax to heal and dry up as it has been draining still. Pray for no infections due to the chest tubes being in him for at least 2 more weeks. Pray for stronger lungs. Always pray for better cardiac function and blood pressure. We can't wait to tell you what the next 24 hr's has in store...we will talk to you soon! J&K

Prayer for Huge Step!

2006-06-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

This will be a quick update....When we got to the hospital this morning we noticed the ventilator settings were turned down from the night before. The Dr's told us that they want to take an aggressive advancement toward getting Lincoln extubated. Over the next 24 hrs they are going to be weaning the ventilator settings to the point that he will be doing all the work. Their goal is to bring the rate and pressure down to where he is breathing on his own by tomorrow. This is HUGE! Please pray that this is not too quick of a step and that he can tolerate it. Pray that his heart and lung pressures adjust POSITIVELY. Pray that his lung muscles have enough strength and do not tire out too quickly. If they don't adjust positively or if he cannot tolerate it they might have to entertain the idea of adjusting the band on his heart. We will let you know how things are going as soon as possible! J&K

Ups & downs

2006-06-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, how time flies! Lincoln is already 2 weeks old today! Well, It's been very busy around Lincoln's bed the last two days! Unfortunately when you are in intensive care you have to prepare yourself for a few backwards steps. Lincoln became sick on the 24th due to a metabolic alkalinity. This happened because in the process of urinating so much water you loose a lot of your bodies natural chemicals that make everything balanced, nice and happy. This made Lincoln not feel so hot and the doctors had to play catch up to get his body balanced out again before the can go forward. Yesterday was a good day for catch up. As they gave him the appropriate medications he was feeling better. They were even able to start feeding him Kristen's milk trough an NG tube (nasogastric). So, here we were thinking that yesterday was going to turn out worry free....nope! In the afternoon I started noticing a creamy colored fluid coming out of Lincoln's chest tubes which isn't normal. This was evidence of a condition called chylothorax (link - www.emedicine.com/med/topic381.htm). When you metabolize food, your body sends triglycerides (fatty acids) to your lymphatic system by way of a thoracic duct. Sometimes during thoracic surgery that duct becomes torn or damaged and leaks the fluid into the thoracic cavity. This is why we were seeing it coming out of his chest tubes. It isn't too serious but it changes his care management a lot. Lincoln has to be put on a low fat diet (which means no more milk for now) and be given a new medication to help the healing. Instead he will be on a high calorie pedialyte regiment. This should slow down the leakage and hopefully stop it. They will test it in a few weeks by giving him milk again. On rare occasion they have to correct it by surgery. The bummer of all of this is that this is a slow process. He will need to have his chest tubes in for the entire testing time which is not only painful but a good breeding ground for infection. This shouldn't however slow any other healing. It should not affect his heart or lungs or weaning off of other medications, although it might slow the process of weaning off of the vetilator. Other than that, Lincoln is doing well! He likes to open his eyes and look around a lot. He even showed a little interest in watching the NASCAR race yesterday (that's my boy!).

Aaron & Ginger Cook came by for a visit on Sunday to hang out with Lincoln and brought some reading material for Kristen to pass the time. Nana, auntie Heather & cousin Sydney also came to see the little dude. Heather had to leave the hospital one hour before Lincoln was born...so it was a real treat to see him after a two weeks of waiting. Nana even got an early birthday gift as Lincoln opened his eyes for her.

Please be in prayer for: The chylothorax stops leaking; The Dr's can keep his body's chemicals in balance; Lincoln's lungs get stronger so he can be weaned off of the ventilator; NO INFECTIONS!; Continued prayer that the pulmonary band and the coarchtaion repair gets better. Thankyou you all for your prayers and support...we love you all! J&K

2006-06-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone! Sorry for no update in the last 24 hours...but no news is good news I guess. Lincoln is doing good. There hasn't been much change in the last day and a half. Lincoln is finally shedding off a lot of water. He is on two diuretics and is starting to look more like his birth weight. One of his 3 chest tubes is draining a lot more fluid which is baffling the doctors considering it was almost dry. The plan is to let him keep getting fluid off of him and after that start weaning the ventilator. Lincoln is doing great during the times he is fussy. His vitals are stable when he cries. He also like to kick & push your hands away when he has had enough. Now, if we could only get him to stop pulling on his ET tube (ventilator tube)!...becuase of which he has now adopted the nick name Linker Stinker! Please pray that the chest tube stops leaking (only if that is a bad thing which we don't know at this point); His urine output stays great; and that we see forward progress with his heart and lungs! Pray also for us as we are sooooo drained physically and emotionally! Pray for medical finance and that Lincoln's CCS insurance goes through quickly! We love you all....talk to you soon! J&K

2006-06-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well, Lincoln had another great day yesterday as you can probably tell by the pics! They were able to get him completely off of another heart medication called Dopamine and off 1 of his 3 pain medications. He still has a ways to go, it's a sloooooow process. They do not want to rush anything! Now that he is feeling better he is actually being a little feisty with his nurses. He is letting them know that he doesn't like to be touched so much now that he is more alert. He actually kept his eyes open for about 30 min as Kristen and I laughed and played with him. We think he has blue eyes! The plan for today still remains the same...keep comfortable, keep peeing!, and slowly wean medication and ventilator setting. Thank you all for your steadfast prayers and support...we love you all! J&K

2006-06-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry we missed a day! Lincoln is doing well...he actually has had a pretty decent 48 hours. Yesterday we hit 3 huge milestones! 1 - The Dr's had done another echocardiogram on him and found that his cardiac function and pressures have improved so they are saying "hold off on going back in to make any adjustments for now." 2 - He was able to be weaned off one of his heart medication called Epinephrine all the way. 3 - His vitals and his urine output have been great! If he keeps making these steps forward he should be transferred out of the CTU back down to the NICU before to long...so that is the prayer! Keep moving forward! Pray that as they try to wean off his other meds and make adjustments on the ventilator, Lincoln responds positively and becomes more stable. Keep praying that his little heart band is tight enough and the coarchtation stays open wide. Ben & Rachel Dhillon surprised us with a visit and of course the crazy youth pastor had to be funny in the picture. Kristen and I got to bathe Lincoln last night before we left the hospital. Kristen got a picture of me in the action. If you look at his face, a lot of his swelling has gone down due to him loosing the fluid by peeing...see, God answers prayer! So the plan for today remains the same...keep him comfortable, wean medication, watch and pray! We love you all and talk to you soon!

2006-06-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Yesterday was a hard day...a lot of ups and downs (which is to be expected). Lincoln peed (like he was told to from his daddy)...but toooo much! His Blood pressure bottomed out because he might of became dehydrated. Yes, it is a balancing act with everything especially when he has 15 different pumps pumping different medications to do different things all at the same time and adjusting them as he changes. Lincoln finally stabled out last night only to get a low grade fever (which is also common after surgery). They are drawing labs today to determine if it might be because of an infection. Today the plan is to keep him comfortable,

peeing, keep his fever down and his vitals stable until the Dr's can discuss his case today and make a decision on what to do next. Please pray that Lincoln makes us all surprised and takes baby steps forward. We know that God is more than able! Also, please pray for physical and emotional stamina as Kristen and I hit a hard spot yesterday...We know that the joy of the Lord is our strength...so we ask for that today...JOY! Lincoln got some visitors this last week and yesterday. Eric & Jill Doswald came for the delivery and were a huge encouragement. Dave & Michelle Aaron came too and brought a adorable outfit for Lincoln to wear as soon as he is able. Rick & Lana Jackson came from Oakhurst and brought a little bear stuffed animal to put in his bed to keep him company. Not to leave out...grandparents, auntie Heather & cousin Sydney, auntie Tina and uncle Sam & aunt Michelle. Kristen was able to pick Lincoln up and hold him while the nurse changed his bedding...that was a treat! And when we went to pray with him before we left for the night Lincoln opened his eyes for us to see for the first time. They stayed open for about 15 seconds before he got tuckered out and fell back asleep. He lets us know he hears us by moving his hands and feet when his mommy and daddy talk to him. Thank you everyone for your continued prayer, support and encouragement! We couldn't do this without you! Talk to you soon!

Baby Steps Forward!

2006-06-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Its 10:20 AM on Sunday and we are anxious to see what today holds. Last night around midnight he was somewhat stable but hadn't peed. We woke up in the middle of the night a few times and checked in. His nurse said after changing some medications he actually peed ALOT! That's a great thing! They also weaned some of his heart medication because his blood pressure was getting better. Baby steps is the word today! We also talked to his cardiologists last night after they had done an echocardiogram on his heart. They wanted to check out how his heart is functioning after surgery and determine if the swelling, poor circulation and blood pressure are due to a problem in the heart still. They said that the "band" the surgeon put around the pulmonary artery might have loosened and might need to be tightened. They also said the "coarchtation" in the aortic arch (the one that they tried to fix) might still not be wide enough for adequate blood flow. This news is not the most welcomed as you can imagine...considering they might have to go back and fix these problems again. They don't know if what they saw on the echo is due to these new problems or due to the fact that he has a lot of water in his body making the pressures high. They want to wait a few days and see if Lincoln sheds some water and can come off of some of his heart medication. If he does that and he improves, they might not need to adjust the band and fix the coarchtation. So the next 24/48 hours are huge! Please be in prayer for this specificity! God is soooo good to us and we are waiting with great anticipation this Fathers Day for good news...and baby steps forward! We love you all! J&K

Recovery

2006-06-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

So we actually went home and got some sleep last night. I felt guilty leaving last night because he was so unstable...but he did OK too. Even though the surgery went well, his body now needs to adjust to all of the changes of the heart and we are finding that it isn't so easy. The blood pressures in his body are still sort of week and his heart rate is very fast. They can control this with medication but they want to see him come off of the medication. The are watching some of his vital organs to see if the lack of good blood pressure and perfusion is keeping them working properly. One of these concerns is with his kidneys. Before surgery he was peeing really well...an indication that his kidneys were functioning well due to good blood flow. Since surgery he his urination has been very bad (only about 1 cc an hour). A lot of times this can happen when you are put on heart/lung bypass for surgery and takes a few days to start up again. The prayer is that his body adjusts well to the changes and that his little heart and vessels send blood all the way from his head to his toes and keep everything warm, pink, and functioning great....and that he PEES! So now we wait and see what will happen...only he now can tell us how to adjust to his needs and we pray there wont be need for any major procedures until he is stable. We love you all...We will send an update soon!

God Is Good!!

2006-06-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Lincoln made it through surgery. He did excellent! After talking to Dr. Plunkett this morning...he told us it would take roughly 4-5 hours. We waited for what seemed like days....it took 7 hours to get the report that he was finished. They did all three procedures in this surgery. I wont get into the details now because we are still at the hospital. We will send an update later this evening with some pictures. He is now resting in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. He is still very much in critical condition and the next 24-48 hours are crucial for him. Please be in prayer that his vitals will improve as they were a little questionable after surgery. I know he will get stronger....he has already proven he has a strong heart! Thanks for all your prayers and support! God is sooooo good to us...to Him be all Glory and Honor!

"I'm Ready Guys"

2006-06-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say when we got to the hospital this morning, Lincoln was ready to go. He had a great night and was very stable for surgery. They wheeled him into surgery about an hour ago (7:30 AM). Pray as the next 4 to 5 hours will be very stressful for the fam. Talk to everyone soon...love you all!

It's Surgery Time

2006-06-15T22:51:00.000-07:00

Well, today was a huge improvement from yesterday! Kristen and I actually went back to the house last night and got a full night sleep. We were very nervous considering the previous 48 hours of instability. When we got to the hospital this morning the report was that he improved a little and was somewhat stable. He stayed that way all day and everyone was pleased. We waited for the decision to be made regarding when to do the first surgery. When would be the most opportune time for him to go in? They don't want to put a sick/unstable child into surgery....but if they wait...will he get better or worse and will they have missed the window of opportunity? Well, they decided tomorrow is that day. I guess they think he is ready and can't wait any longer. After going out to dinner with the family, we came back to see Lincoln around 9:00 pm and he looked amazing! His vitals were the best they have ever been. His blood pressure and "blood gas" were awesome. He even got a bath tonight and was able to wear a little bennie. All day today nobody could touch him because he was so unstable...the smallest touch would send his heart rate through the roof...but tonight was different! I guess the Lord knew that he needed his strength for tomorrow.

So the plan is for Lincoln to be sent to the O.R. at 7:00 am tomorrow morning. This is going to be a HUGE surgery! They thought they were just going to open the chest and work on the vessels outside the heart...but now they have decided to make this an "openheart" surgery and correct a problem inside the heart too. This means going on heart/lung bypass machines. The procedures that are going to be done are: 1. Pulmonary Artery Band. This is a band (kinda like a hose clamp) they put around the artery to slow down/restrict the already to much blood flow to the lungs. 2. Coarchtation Repair. This means Lincoln's aortic arch has a kink in it, restricting blood flow to the body. They will cut out the narrow/kinked part and reconnect it together. 3. Atrial Septostomy. They will open the heart and cut out the rest of the wall that they had already opened wider during the catheterization yesterday. This will prevent the wall/septum from eventually growing back together cutting off the blood flow between the two atriums. The surgery should last around 5 hours. We are so incredibly nervous considering this is a very high risk surgery. Please be in constant prayer as Lincoln goes through this. Prayerfully this will make him stronger and ready to take the next milestone. We love you all and we will update after the operation.

Here You Go

2006-06-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tough Days

2006-06-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of correspondence. The last two days have been a little crazy to say the least. Yesterday, Lincoln's blood pressure and stability was very bad. The Dr's rushed him in to do a cardiac catheterization. A section of the atrial septum (wall separating the two upper chambers) has a hole in it. This hole is normally bad and is considered a defect, but because of the unique anatomy of his heart, he needs that hole. However, the hole was not big enough to let blood through, so they had to insert a catheter into the heart and inflate a balloon into the hole and open it wider. This was a crazy day as it brought to surface a lot of memories & dejavue. Lincoln did very well! His vitals improved and we thought we could rest for a week or two. Last night Lincoln vitals were starting to go south again. He has very low blood pressure and circulation. From midnight until 9:00 am he kept everyone on their toes. They also recommended that we shouldn't leave his bedside. He was very sick. Well the past few hours they have stabalized him he is doing ok. He is in very critical condition right now and needs prayers! This is what is expected in the NICU...good days followed by not so good. Its a rollercoaster of sorts. Anyway, Kristen is doing wonderful! They sent her out of the ICU back down to postpartum last night. She will be discharged later today. The Dr's said that as they looked back at her heart function throughout the whole process...they did not see one sign of irregularity or stress on her heart! OK, I know I promised pictures but the past 48 hrs have been a little dicey. They are coming I promise. Just know he looks like his dad...very handsome! Hope all is well with everyone and thankyou all for all of the sweet comments....they are very encouraging! Love you all!

Lincoln Is Here!

2006-06-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

To all Friends and Family

Lincoln is here! At 6:21 PM Lincoln entered the world kicking and screaming! He was 5 lbs 9 oz and 18 3/4" long...he has his daddy's legs! Everything that could go perfect in delivery did! We could not have asked for a better delivery! Kristen did great and is now resting in the Cardiac ICU for close evaluation for at least 24 hrs. She did get to hold him for a few brief seconds before they took him to the Neonatal ICU. This will be tough for Kristen since they will be separated for a day or two (she has only seen pictures of him since delivery). Lincoln is stable and is being evaluated by the cardiologist and heart surgeons throughout the night as they decide what steps to take.

For those who know or know a little bit of medical jargon...this is for you. Lincoln's blood pressure is a little shallow but his heart rate it 150 bpm (approx) and in a normal sinus rhythm. They did have to intabate him because he needed some assistance breathing and to keep his oxygen saturation levels up. His APGAR is 8. He has a good temp and his color is great!

OK....getting back....most likely Lincoln will need surgery within a couple of days but it all depends on him and what they find on his Echo. He might just be stable enough for them to hold off for a week or two...but we just don't know. The next 48 hrs are crucial for Lincoln and his stability...so please be praying hard! We have pictures but I cannot post them tonight....sorry! Tomorrow you will see the cutie! We will update you tomorrow with more news....but for now we gotta get some sleep! Thank you and we love you all....GOD IS GOOD!!!

No Baby Yet!

2006-06-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well for all you that woke up early to see if anything happened....keep waiting! Kristen didn't get much sleep last night because of her contractions and she didn't dilate much either. It is now noon and she still has a long way to go. Dr's are thinking late this afternoon Lincoln will be here...maybe? Kristen just got her epidural and is feeling quite comfortable (she is smiling & giving me orders again!). It is so wonderful being in a place where they are focusing so much on Kristen and Lincoln...they are really on top of things and are ready for anything! Well, depending on how the day goes...it may not be possible to give an update until after Lincoln is born and stable. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support!

Thank you!!

2006-06-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you all of you for your messages and reminders that you are praying! We definitely see and feel God using them! Just a note to give you the schedule for prayer purposes. Kristen is to be admitted tomorrow (Sunday) at 6:00 PM. They will be giving her all the necessary medication for the induction with hopes of Lincoln being born sometime Monday morning or noon. We will give an update sometime Monday and let you know what's going on with Lincoln. Pray hard! We love you all and thanks for your faithfulness!

Waiting & Waiting &.......

2006-06-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, I figured I should write an update or you would start to feel left out...but truth be told....there is not much happening here (which is kind of a good thing I guess). Kristen had a OB check up today, and after a week of walking around, she is still not even close (you know what I mean)! This is a good thing because that means Lincoln shouldn't be coming earlier than expected which helps out with travel plans for family. Also some of the critical people in charge are out of town until Sunday (like the OB & Cardiologists...that would be BAD!!)

All is well with us though! This time has been a blessing for us, enabling us to enjoy each other and take some time to visit some sites down here. Kristen and I have a place we like to go when we want to get out of the house. There is a grassy hill just around the corner from where we are staying that is at the end of one of the runways at LAX. The planes are literally 50' over our head seconds before they land. Why I'm sharing this with you...I dunno?...It's kinda cool though...here is a pic I took.

This is the family we are staying with while we are down here. Ed & Jean Hayes have truly been a blessing to us. They too had a grandchild that was in the hospital for 4 months and is doing great! So it has been awesome to see how God has placed them in our lives & used them to minister to us while we are here.

Lincoln is kickin like crazy...He wants out! Little does he know the road ahead...It is getting very tense and we are very nervous as we met with Dr's today and toured the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Well there probably wont be another update until Sunday night...so be praying hard! Looking forward to talking to you then!