Just waiting...

I am just sitting here waiting for one last person to come check on Kyson and we are ready to go home. They've been telling me any minute since 10:00am and it is now almost 3:00pm. I'm so ready to get out of here! Anyway, since I'm just sitting here waiting I thought I'd take some pictures of Kyson. What a blessing it is to see this smile! He's been smiling quite a bit today...he must know he gets to go home today! Yeah!

Going home soon!

A lot has happened in the last couple of days. Kyson has been doing very well and is pretty much down to just the medications I will be giving him at home. Today I will also try to breast feed him for the first time. The doctor informed me this morning that if things continue to go as they have, we will be able to go home either Monday or Tuesday. The only problem we are having is Kyson seems to be having withdrawals from some of the medications. They will monitor him over the next couple of days to make sure this won't be a problem. If he's ok, Monday could be the day.

Although I am very happy to go home and feel so blessed that Kyson has made it through this so well, I am very nervous about how he will do at home. I know I will worry about EVERYTHING he does now. How will I know what is normal and what is not when I don't have a nurse or doctor there to constantly ask questions? Hopefully I've learned enough being here that I can take good care of him and understand what his body needs.

I took this picture just a few minutes ago. He is finally looking like my Kyson again!


This is the first day we got to hold him. It was very exciting but also hard as he was quite fussy and we were so worried that he was in pain. He also still had tubes and other monitoring equipment that made it difficult to really hold him. Each day it gets a little better and I get to hold him just a little closer.

One week...

This has been one week I will never forget! This morning Kyson was doing well enough that they decided to take his ventilator out. He is now breathing all on his own which is a very good sign. He has had a rough morning and I am so glad they are letting him get some rest now. They took one of his chest tubes out, took the ventilator out of his nose, and tried to give him an IV. My heart was aching watching all of this. I was actually doing pretty good until the third time they poked him trying to get an IV in. I finally had to just walk away. He has been through so much this week, I wish I could take away his pain.

He is looking peaceful now which is a relief. My nurse said she was going to let him rest for a few hours and she will let me hold him this afternoon.

Another update

Today Kyson went back to surgery to get the band around his pulmonary artery tightened. They wired his sternum shut and stiched him up. I am so happy to get that overwith! He seems to be doing very well and if he continues to progress as he has, they will begin to decrease a lot of his medications and slowly take him off the ventilator. The nurse said today that hopefully I can have him in my arms in two days. I'm looking forward to that moment. It makes me cry just to think about it.
I know I have said it over and over but we feel so blessed. Thank you everyone! I don't know how to thank you all enough. Just know that I appreciate all that has been done for us more than words can say.

Newly Engaged!!!

Our blog has been quite solemn lately so I thought I would add some happy news! My sister Christy is getting married! Her finace is Zach Christensen. We are so excited for her. They are planning on getting married at the end of July or the beginning of August.

Congratulations Christy!!!

Pictures

This is Kyson's room. Quite the set-up!!! I am just amazed at the technology that is involved in taking care of him. There have been so many doctors looking after our baby (cardiologists, respiratory therapists, anesthesiologists, nurse practitioners, heart surgeons.......) These are people we will never forget.
This morning a group of specialists were doing rounds and as they came to check on Kyson's progress I just sat here and listened as they debated between one another about the next steps that should be taken. They are such intelligent people and I am grateful for the knowledge they all possess.

When we came back to see Kyson this morning I was so happy to see that his swelling had gone down quite significantly overnight. It makes me happy to see him looking more like himself. I hope this picture doesn't bother all of you too much, but this is reality for us! He still has an open sternum so they can go back in an tighten a band tomorrow. After that they will be able to wire his sternum shut and stitch him up. Overall things are progressing well and we are happy.

Kyson's progress

Jared has been the one updating this blog with what is happening with Kyson but I wanted to say a few things. I cannot explain in words how blessed we feel. Although this has been a tramatic experience for us we have so much to be grateful for. First and foremost we have the gospel to comfort and guide us especially in these hard times. We also have SO much support. We know that people are praying for us everywhere and we want everyone to know that we feel your prayers. I have felt a sense of peace and comfort constantly which is carrying me through.

Kyson is doing quite well considering the circumstances. He still has a long road to recovery from this first surgery but so far things are going as they should. We will more than likely be in the hospital for the next two weeks if not longer. It is very difficult to see him going through all of this but we have faith that the nurses and our Heavenly Father will take good care of him while we cannot.

I have so much to look forward to. First of all I am looking forward to the time he can first wrap his tiny fingers around my mine again. I love to touch his skin and hold his tiny fingers, but he is not awake enough right now to respond to my touch. I also look forward to the time he can open his beautiful eyes and see that I am near him. I dream of the time I can hold him in my arms again and hold him oh so close. My arms ache to be wrapped around him. He has such cute smile and I can't wait to see it light up his entire face again.

Again we want to thank everyone who is thinking of us and praying for us. We are blessed to be surrounded by those we love.

Kyson Update

I would like to tell each and every one of you how much we appreciate your prayers and thoughts for our family at this time. This has been a very trying day for us. A special thanks for those who spent some time with us while Kyson was under the care of the physicians.
This morning, Dad and Phil came by to assist me in giving Kyson a priesthood blessing. He was then looked over for a moment before the nurses were instructed to bring him back to the OR. Kyson opened his eyes for us for just a moment and he wanted to cry but could not because of the tubes down his throat. It was very difficult to see his tears appear, but no crying. Our hearts were with our son. We desperately wanted to hold our son, but all we could do was look at him. We love him so much and we want the best for him. It was a difficult time to see him wheeled behind those last double doors into surgery. Our faith and prayers were with him.
The hours passed. The moments of brief information were welcome, yet difficult to relive the fact that our son was having major surgery. As we sat together as a family, our surgeon came back and let us know things are looking good. There is bleeding that is not stopping, but like I have said again and again, he's a fighter. It was a difficult time for us to walk back to the PICU and see him lying there. Doctors were swarming him, watching him, and caring for him. Tubes were coming out of him in all kinds of directions. All types of machines were providing critical information to the doctors as they monitored him. We felt a sense of love for all those who have taken our son as one of their own. We trust them and put our faith in them and the Lord.
At this moment, our son is alive. Despite the trauma that he has had to endure, he is doing well. I would feel better if the bleeding has stopped, but it has not. There has been a decrease in the amount of blood loss, but they are watching him very closely until it stops completely. These next few days are important.
Kyson has endured more in the last 24 hours than I have endured my entire life. I cannot explain in words the anguish I feel or the love that we have for him. He is our own special angel.
We would ask for your continued prayers at this time.
Jared, Andrea, Caleb, and Kyson

Our Sweet Kyson

This may or may not be repetitive information for some, but here is the scoop. Kyson was admitted to Phoenix Children's Hospital today. After a visit to our pediatrician, the doctors found that his oxygen count was very low (normal = 100, Kyson = 40). After a visit to Banner Desert, the doctors found that the Left Ventricle (pumps blood to the body) of his heart is basically missing. So a normal heart has 4 cambers, Kyson has 3. His body has done some amazing things to compensate for this change which has allowed his prognosis to be very good. Unfortunately, those changes are now resulting in other complications. That has resulted in where we are today. Unaware of what was happening to our little man, we are grateful that the doctors that have visited with him and saw those problems acted quickly and responsibly to save his life. Doctors are very optimistic about his chances and we feel very comfortable to have Kyson under their care.

Kyson will be going into his first surgery tomorrow morning at 7:30am. It will be a 4-5 hour procedure. They will be making some tubing changes and opening some holes in his heart to help him breath easier. He will undergo two more surgeries through his young life. He will finally end up having 1/2 a heart. While this may seem to be a very dramatic scenario, doctors have informed us he will have a normal life, just not as active as most.

We appreciate all the love and support that we have received from our family and friends. We feel your love and your prayers. This has been a very difficult time for both Andrea and I, yet we feel that Kyson is in good hands with doctors and the Lord. We can only put our faith with them at this point.

More pictures...

Jared took Caleb to fathers and sons this weekend. They seemed to have a great time and I am so glad! When they got back the car was covered in mud so Jared decided to wash it. Of course I couldn't help but take my camera outside to take some pictures. I had so much fun!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Jared bought me a new camera for mother's day and I love it!!! I'm definitely a beginner but I have found that I really enjoy taking pictures. More then anything I am just excited to be able to capture everyday moments in my children's lives. Yesterday I took the boys outside to test out the new camera. I just had so much fun!

This picture makes me smile every time I look at it!


My beautiful, fun-loving Caleb


I know that every mother thinks this, but I really do believe I have the cutest children ever!

All four generations

I'm so grateful to have this picture. When I look at each of the faces in this picture I am amazed at the heritage my children have. All of them are great examples of faith and have such strong testimonies. We are so very blessed!

Special Day

Sunday was a very special day for our family. We blessed Kyson that day and it was such a neat experience. In the circle we were very blessed to have all four of Kyson's great grandfathers as well as both of his grandfathers and quite a few uncles. It was really special to have each of them there. Afterwards we were able to get pictures of all of the great grandparents. We will definitely cherish those pictures and I am so grateful to have them. My sister-in-law, Heather, and friend Karli, took the pictures for us so I don't have any of them yet. When I get them I will definitely post a few of them.
For now here are a few of the ones we took at home on our own.