Emotional, yet thankful time

November has been somewhat bittersweet for us. It's hard to believe that almost exactly one year ago we found out about Trent's special heart. There were the first few days when we thought that there wasn't much hope for him to survive being born with HLHS. Then there was telling our families about it. Then there was the eventual encouragement from the cardiologists, who said that babies now-a-days live fairly normal lives with HLHS. Reliving all the memories from those first few weeks have found week spots in our emotions that we thought had toughened up. I guess some of those tender spots are burned in our memories forever.

We recently had a visit at the cardiologist. Dr. Herlong says that Trent is doing well and looking great. He is up to about 19lbs...and as you can see from the pics, he is still eating well. To look at Trent now, you would never know what he has been through in just a short 8 months. He is getting out and exploring the world a little bit now. Of course, with the cold and flu season we still have to be careful. Trent is going for a series of RSV vaccines from November through March. The nurses tell us that it greatly reduces the likelihood of him getting very sick at all. We are very thankful that he is able to get these vaccines.

Again, we have so much to be thankful for...we have been able to connect with some other families in our area who have heart babies. We recently met a special little guy, Murphy, who also has HLHS. He and his parents, Chuck and Casey, are an awesome little family. Listening to their story reminded us so much of our own. It is great to know someone who can relate to what we go through with our little heart guy. Murphy is just about five weeks older than Trent. He is doing really well also. We are so thankful for such a great little guy that Trent can be buddies with...and share similar experiences with. Chuck and Casey are just awesome as well. They are the kind of people that you meet and feel like you've known forever. They're such loving folks.

Thanksgiving this year has had special meaning for sure. We have always had a lot to be thankful for...the usual, good jobs, families, friends...which are all great. But to have gone through this journey with Trent the past year has brought new meaning to the word "thankful". Some may look at our situation as unfortunate or negative. However, we view it as a blessing. And though it is tough to watch our child go through this and we hate it for him...of course we would both go through it twice for him to not have to. We do realize that God has allowed this to fulfill his purpose for Trent and for us as a family. We are not quite sure what He wants us to do with it. But we want to do all that we can to be sure He is lifted up in and through this situation. And if that happens...it makes the last year much more bearable.

Trent and Braxton have really bonded in the past month or so. Braxton is a wonderful big brother. If Trent so much as whimpers, Braxton wants to know who is picking him up or comforting him. He is not the least bit jealous. I am really proud of the B-Man! He definitely gets the Super Big Bro award!

Again, as always, we are so grateful for all the support, prayers, encouraging words, calls, texts, concerns, and well wishes. They never get old and are never taken for granted.

With a whole lotta love for our half a heart!

Wayne and Holly

Cruisin Right Along

It's been a while yet again since we last updated.  Yes this is the same Trent Williams.  We decided to change the look of the blog a little.  Well Trent is doing really really good now, awesome actually.

Settling in Again

Baby Trent is doing pretty well at home. I'm not sure if we mentioned it before or not, but Trent has had some issues with vomiting since a couple days after surgery. After talking with the cardiologists several times they allowed us to go home on Monday with the hopes that the vomiting would taper off.

Home Sweet Home

It's hard to believe that round two of Trent's journey is over.  We were released from the hospital around 2:30 today.  The doctors and nurses said Trent is doing really well and there was nothing left to accomplish with this hospital visit that couldn't be accomplished at home.

More Smiles

Trent is looking and acting more and more like his old self. Yesterday was a day of many smiles. Big brother Braxton came up with a new bear he had made for his little bro.

More Smiles To Come

Here is a short video of Trent from yesterday after he began to make major improvements.  He is not all smiles just yet but we're getting closer and closer.  The doctors and nurses are just amazed yet again at Trent's speedy recovery.  We think he looks pretty good considering he just had his second open heart surgery just two days prior to this video.  Our God is so awesome!!!

Our Little Trooper

Since the patient rooms are not very sleep friendly for the parents in the CV-ICU, they have a few sleep rooms on the floor. We were drawn for a sleep room last night, so we got some good rest. And after the day Trent had yesterday, we all needed rest.

Better Morning

The nurse told us late yesterday that last night would be the worst night for Trent. He did have it a little rough.

Time to Recover

Trent came out of surgery just before noon. The surgeon says that he did perfect. We got to go back and visit with him just a little while ago.  The nurses say that he is doing well by all of his numbers (blood pressure, oxygen saturations and such).

It's Hard to Believe the Day is Here

Well, today is the day. Trent will be having his Glenn Operation (stage 2) in just a few moments. We knew the day would come, but it's hard to believe that it's already at hand. We arrived here around 5:30am...they just took Trent back a few moments ago.

Hanging Out at Levine

Trent's heart cath went very well. The doctor says there were no surprises when they got in there to take the pictures of his heart. We thought that we were going to be going home around 3pm today. However, Trent's oxygen levels kept dropping. Therefore, we will be camping out here at the hospital for the night. Which is not all together a bad thing. We'd rather be here and have a complication then be at home with one.

Trent is such a trooper. He has been the best baby all day long. Even though he has a "boo boo" on his leg, is connected to multiple machines, and has a huge IV dressing on his arm, he just smiles and coos through it all.

 We hope to be able to go home first thing in the morning. Thanks to you all for all the texts, calls, prayers, fb posts, and visits going on all day today. We can never express how much we appreciate them all.

With big love for our little heart...

Wayne and Holly

Getting All Ready

Well, it's hard to believe it's almost time for round two. Trent is now five months old. We had an appointment with the cardiologist last week and he said "it's time". That was a whirlwind day...within an hour we had seen the doctor, seen the cath specialist, scheduled his heart cath as well as his Glenn Operation (stage two of the three part palliation). We are at Levine this morning getting ready for Trent's heart cath.

Moving Right Along

We're finally back with another update, although not much has changed.  It's hard to update a lot when everything is staying the same.  Trent continues to do really good. 

Our Brave Little Man

It's been a while since we last updated.  It's not because we haven't wanted to but because things haven't changed much since we last updated.  Our little man is still doing really good. 

Update from the Doctor

Trent had an appointment with the cardiologist yesterday.  They said Trent is still doing really good.  He continues to gain plenty of weight each day.  His oxygen levels are hanging out around 75% which is within range...just a little on the low end of the range...but they don't seem to be too concerned with that.

Growing Fast

First of all let's apologize for not doing a very good job of keeping everyone updated on where we are.  You would think with us being at home that we would have plenty of time to keep the blog updated but we have found that to be untrue.  We are however gonna try to do a better job in the future.

We've Come So Far So Fast

It's been a while since I've looked at the blog. And as I sit here looking and listening to the music...I am just balling my eyes out. God has been so good to us through this whole process. We give Him all the glory. It is

There's No Place Like Home

We feel like Dorothy from The Wizard of OZ, there really ain't no place like home.  We haven't posted in almost two weeks now.  We forgot how much things change when you have a newborn baby at home.

We're Home

We made it home.  We were officially discharged from the hospital today around 11:00 am.  The day has been somewhat hectic getting everything back home and put up, organized, etc.

Preparing for Home

Today has been another good day for Trent.  He continues to eat really well.  He gained another 30 grams yesterday so he is now 10 grams over his at birth weight of 8 lbs.

Major Progress

Trent continues to amaze the nurses and doctors.  He continues to improve by gaining weight and strength even after the removal of the feeding tube.  He is 20 grams away from weighing the same amount he did when he was born, 8 lbs.  We hope he gains at least that much today.

One Step Closer to Home

It is with great joy that I write to tell you that Trent has taken yet another huge step today! He has accomplished the task of eating on his own and they have removed the feeding tube.

Happy Two Week Birthday Trent

In just a few moments Trent will be two weeks old. Wow...what a story he'll have of his first couple weeks of life. He continues to improve drastically everyday. The doctors and nurses are taking good care of him. But we all know that The Lord is the one who is helping him to do so well.

Thank You

Trent is doing really well today and did great yesterday also.  He is feeding, although it is still a slow process.  The doctors say this typically takes the longest.

Moving Right Along

Today was another great day of progress for our little man.  Today was the first full day of learning how to eat.  This is gonna be a slow process which usually is according to the nurses and doctors.

Proud Mama

This proud mama is just too excited to sleep. Today will be a big day for Baby Trent. We are (fingers crossed) getting off the ventilator today. That means that Trent will be breathing 100% on his own...which is when the road to recovery begins. He will start learning to suck and eat again...which we hear is usually a long slow process for hypoplast babies. But at least we'll get some of those tubes out of him so that he can be more comfortable.

Doing Well

We apologize for keeping you all hanging today. Trent's closure went well. They told us that they may have to go back up on some of his meds and it may be a minor set back. However, he did really well.

Trent's Next Big Step

Trent continues to be stable and slowly progress.  His swelling has gone down tremendously.  His color looks really good. He's looking more like a little baby than a little Buda.

Good Day

Well, Trent is progressing as expected.  We have seen him a couple times today.  We talked to the surgeon and he said things look good.

What a Mighty God We Serve

It's through tears of joy that I write this blog. Dr. Peeler came in our room right around 3pm. He says that Trent came through surgery and is doing fine.

Another Update

Just received another update from the operating room.  Trent has been taken off the heart and lung machine and is back to breathing on his own and his heart is back in use.

Surgery Update

Baby Trent's surgery started at 8:58am today. The nurse just called to let us know that everthing is going well. They just put him on the heart and lung machine a few minutes ago. This is just part of the process and Trent is doing fantastic. Keep praying! We will keep you as updated as we can. Thanks for all the prayers and support.

Holly and Wayne

2 Corinthians 12:9

Great But Scary News

Dr. Peeler, the surgeon that will be performing Trent's surgeries just checked Trent out and stopped by with some updates.  Trent is doing really good so far, so good that Dr. Peeler says that he is ready to perform Trent's first surgery tomorrow.  Great news that he is doing good but scary that the time is finally here.

Hello World

Our awesome new baby boy, Trent finally arrived at 6:23 last night.  He weighed an even 8 lbs and is 20" long.  He came out screaming.  His color is perfect and he has some hair that is a little red.  He is extremely handsome.

Trent's Birthday!

Well, today is the big day. Trent will make his way into the world. I have mixed emotions...excited to finally meet him face to face...anxious to see how it all goes...worried just a little about how he will accept being outside the womb and functioning on his own...Thankful that the Lord has allowed us the journey thus far with our little man. However, through all the emotion there is a peace. A real peace that no matter what happens today or in the coming few days that we have bathed Baby Trent in prayer and that he's in the hands of The Almighty Master. And though we may still not understand why He chose us for this or allowed this to happen that He is still and will still be high and lifted up.

Only 8 Days!

Mama is ready for Baby Trent!!

In eight days (or less) Baby Trent will arrive. After last week's doctor's appointment we found out that Trent could possibly come before March 22. It is sort of bittersweet because I know that Trent is safe where he is...and once he arrives his heart issues will begin. However, I am so ready to meet him and kiss him and love him. The doctors are assuring me that if I go into labor now that Trent will be big enough and strong enough for surgery. It is my prayer that God will bring him when he's ready.

A Big Shock

So, This is how Trent's story begins...At week 20 of my pregnancy, Wayne and I went to the doctor to have an ultrasound (This is the one they call the anatomy scan). They check all the major organs to be sure that everything is growing and functioning as it should. We had already had an ultrasound around week 17 and

Welcome

Hello friends and family.  Welcome to Baby Trent's blog.  Trent is our son who is scheduled to be born March 22 at 5:00 pm.  Trent will be born with HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome), a serious heart condition where the left side of his heart has not developed or is severely underdeveloped. There is no fix for