Monday we took Mason for his first round of pre-surgery blood work. It was very hard to see him go through that, and I know that was probably the easiest part of this entire process. I still don't know how I'm going to be able to handle seeing my baby in his condition after surgery. Please continue praying for my strength to get through all this.
He was blood typed because he will need blood donated for his surgery (blood loss is a major risk of this surgery since infants produce a lot of their blood in their skull and only have about a liter of blood in their little bodies!). We found out today that his blood type is O+. We need at least 4 donors for his surgery. If you are an O+ and interested, please email me or call ASAP. There are specific instructions on how to go about donating specifically for Mason. With his surgery being less than 6 weeks away, we need to get this process started quickly. We greatly appreciate anyone's generosity in helping our little man out!
Also, please be sure to enter your email address on the right hand side of this blog so that you get auto notifications of new posts. This blog is how I will keep everyone informed during surgery, our hospital stay, recovery, etc.. I don't want anyone to miss the updates who wants to see them.
We created this blog to keep everyone posted on Mason's upcoming major skull surgery on December 10, 2013. Mason was diagnosed with a rare birth defect called Craniosynostosis at his 1 month well visit. We also hope to bring awareness to this condition in hopes of helping out other babies and children with Craniosynostosis. Please continue to keep our sweet baby boy in your prayers!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
All About Mason
The focus on this blog has been Mason's surgery and keeping everyone posted on everything... I think we need a positive post about Mason and who he is becoming. :)
Mason is 11 weeks old! Time is flying by WAY too fast. I thought it was fast with Easton, but it is way faster with baby #2. It is so bittersweet! At his 2 month pediatrician appointment he weighed 13 lbs, 3 ozs (64th percentile) and was 24 inches long (84th percentile). He got his first vaccinations and had a really hard time with them. Poor baby had a fever for 2 days and horrible stomach problems for over a week. I hate that for these babies, but I do feel that vaccinations are important in having healthy kids.
Mason is the sweetest and most laid back baby. He literally never cries unless he is over-tired or starving, and even then its not a full blown cry. He is getting the best little personality and is so different than his big brother in many ways. Although he was also very laid back and an easy baby, Easton demanded our (and everyone's) attention at all times and made sure you knew when he needed or wanted something. Mason is perfectly content just watching what is going on and taking it all in. He has the sweetest shy little smile and laugh. When he smiles, you not only see it on his face, but it shows in his sweet eyes - he literally gets a "twinkle" in his eyes. I predict that we will be my shy and more sensitive child, while Easton is the center of attention. :)
Mason started sleeping through the night at about 6 weeks from 10:30pm-5 or 6am and then eats and goes back to sleep until 8 or 9. He is exclusively on breast milk and eats 6 or 7 times per day. We do a flexible version of Babywise, so he naps for the last 1 to 1 1/2 hours of each 3 hour cycle and "Eats, plays, sleeps". Speaking of sleep, he is still in our room! I know, I know... he is 11 weeks old now and needs to be in his bed. :( I have him napping in his room and am building up the courage to move him to it at night. I don't know if it is because of our master bedroom on the main or me being overprotective because of his "condition", but I just love having him in our room. I will get there soon, I hope.
It is so touching to see the relationship that is developing already between Easton and Mason. Easton LOVES Mason and asks where he is the second he wakes up, and always wants to kiss and hug him. He loves to talk to him and is just so sweet to him. Mason has started to really pay attention to Easton and watches his every move. It makes me so emotional to see them together, and I know that will continue for the rest of my life. :) I certainly don't want Mason to grow up any faster than he already is (slow down, time!), but I do look forward to watching them grow up together and seeing their relationship in the future years. There is nothing like the love of siblings!
Thank you as always for your continued thoughts and prayers. It means so much to us to know that our baby is loved and prayed for by so many people.
This is a picture from our recent beach trip. Poor Easton had a 102 fever and that is why he looks so miserable.
Mason is 11 weeks old! Time is flying by WAY too fast. I thought it was fast with Easton, but it is way faster with baby #2. It is so bittersweet! At his 2 month pediatrician appointment he weighed 13 lbs, 3 ozs (64th percentile) and was 24 inches long (84th percentile). He got his first vaccinations and had a really hard time with them. Poor baby had a fever for 2 days and horrible stomach problems for over a week. I hate that for these babies, but I do feel that vaccinations are important in having healthy kids.
Mason is the sweetest and most laid back baby. He literally never cries unless he is over-tired or starving, and even then its not a full blown cry. He is getting the best little personality and is so different than his big brother in many ways. Although he was also very laid back and an easy baby, Easton demanded our (and everyone's) attention at all times and made sure you knew when he needed or wanted something. Mason is perfectly content just watching what is going on and taking it all in. He has the sweetest shy little smile and laugh. When he smiles, you not only see it on his face, but it shows in his sweet eyes - he literally gets a "twinkle" in his eyes. I predict that we will be my shy and more sensitive child, while Easton is the center of attention. :)
Mason started sleeping through the night at about 6 weeks from 10:30pm-5 or 6am and then eats and goes back to sleep until 8 or 9. He is exclusively on breast milk and eats 6 or 7 times per day. We do a flexible version of Babywise, so he naps for the last 1 to 1 1/2 hours of each 3 hour cycle and "Eats, plays, sleeps". Speaking of sleep, he is still in our room! I know, I know... he is 11 weeks old now and needs to be in his bed. :( I have him napping in his room and am building up the courage to move him to it at night. I don't know if it is because of our master bedroom on the main or me being overprotective because of his "condition", but I just love having him in our room. I will get there soon, I hope.
It is so touching to see the relationship that is developing already between Easton and Mason. Easton LOVES Mason and asks where he is the second he wakes up, and always wants to kiss and hug him. He loves to talk to him and is just so sweet to him. Mason has started to really pay attention to Easton and watches his every move. It makes me so emotional to see them together, and I know that will continue for the rest of my life. :) I certainly don't want Mason to grow up any faster than he already is (slow down, time!), but I do look forward to watching them grow up together and seeing their relationship in the future years. There is nothing like the love of siblings!
Thank you as always for your continued thoughts and prayers. It means so much to us to know that our baby is loved and prayed for by so many people.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
December 10, 2013
We found out on Monday that Mason's surgery will be on December 10th at noon. This is the day he turns 4 months old. The scheduler and I are playing phone tag, and I am trying to get more information and details regarding everything... will post more as soon as we catch each other. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
The people God puts in your life
I've always been a believer that God places people in your life for certain reasons. Sometimes it's to teach you, to love you, or to provide you with something. I recently had a situation of this that I want to share.
I won't bore you with the rest of our texts... How amazing is that?! God is so good, and we are so blessed that she was placed in our lives. I of course was immediately crying uncontrollably and felt an immediate wave of slight relief. I even slept a little better than I had. Knowing that we were closer to a diagnosis for Mason made us feel better despite knowing what we were facing. If it hadn't been for her, we would most likely still be waiting for an appointment.
This situation happened the week after Mason's 1 month doctors appointment when our nightmare began with his surgery. We were feeling very helpless waiting for his referral to the neurosurgeon to be processed. We knew that we were facing a long wait on getting an appointment, and it was eating me alive - I couldn't sleep and cried all the time. We just wanted a for sure diagnosis and to know a game plan for his surgery.
I sent an email out to family and some friends to let them know what was going on. A few days after sending it, I felt led to send it to some additional people. Something told me to include a few of my favorite clients that recently had babies around the same time as me, and some that I have grown close to and adore. Little did I know how much one little email would change our lives!
Within about 5 minutes of pressing send, I received a text from one of my amazing clients. This all took place after 9:30pm, even though the times listed below are the screenshot times of saving these to the blog. :)
I won't bore you with the rest of our texts... How amazing is that?! God is so good, and we are so blessed that she was placed in our lives. I of course was immediately crying uncontrollably and felt an immediate wave of slight relief. I even slept a little better than I had. Knowing that we were closer to a diagnosis for Mason made us feel better despite knowing what we were facing. If it hadn't been for her, we would most likely still be waiting for an appointment.
Words will never be able to express how grateful we are to Melissa. I seriously feel like she is a sort of guardian angel of Mason's. God is good all the time!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Craniofacial Surgeon Appointment
We met with Mason's Craniofacial (plastic) surgeon yesterday morning. His name is Dr. Gregory Mackay. You can read more about him here: http://thebeautyofknowledge.com/atlanta-plastic-surgeons/gregory-j-mackay-md-facs/. We fist met with his PA who took pictures and measurements of Mason's head. She went over some of the details about the surgery with us and about Dr. Mackay. When I learned that he was a plastic surgeon prior to the appointment, I was honestly concerned because I was afraid he does more cosmetic than what Mason needs. He actually is more of a Craniofacial Surgeon and reconstructive surgeon than cosmetic. He has a ton of experience with Craniosynostosis and does 3-4 surgeries for it each month. Knowing that made me feel so much better. He is one of only 3 surgeons in Atlanta that can do these surgeries.
We liked Dr. Mackay a lot and feel comfortable with this. He is a parent and has a lot of experience with kids and babies. He talked with us for a long time about the surgery and different options and ways for doing the surgery (he is still not a candidate for the less invasive strip craniectomy though). He spoke of the high severity of this surgery and the risks. One of the biggest risks is blood loss because babies only have about a liter of blood in their little bodies. We will have family members tested for blood match with Mason, and donate blood for his surgery. We asked a lot of tough questions that we didn't ask Dr. Wrubel due to still being in shock at that appointment. It is reassuring to know that they haven't had a death in this surgery - that is of course our biggest fear. He reassured us that he takes this surgery very seriously and does it in the safest manner possible and will take good care of our sweet baby boy.
The surgery will take place at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Hospital instead of Scottish Rite. Mason's surgery is going to take place in December when he is 4 months old. Dr. Mackay's scheduler is currently coordinating with Dr. Wrubel's scheduler, and we will have a surgery date in the next few days. I am ready to know the date and get prepared for the surgery. We want to live life as normally as possible leading up to the surgery. We want to enjoy our perfect baby boy, our amazing toddler, our family, and our friends. We obviously can't pretend that we don't have this nightmare going on in our lives, but we want to not let it control our lives for the next 2 months. We know there will be a lot of worry about the surgery over the next 2 months no matter what we do though - it is only natural.
Please continue to keep Mason and our family in your thoughts and prayers. Pray that the surgeons will prepare to do the surgery to the very best of their ability and that Mason's little body will handle the surgery ok and heal fast. Thank you all for your support, love, and prayers - it means the world!
We liked Dr. Mackay a lot and feel comfortable with this. He is a parent and has a lot of experience with kids and babies. He talked with us for a long time about the surgery and different options and ways for doing the surgery (he is still not a candidate for the less invasive strip craniectomy though). He spoke of the high severity of this surgery and the risks. One of the biggest risks is blood loss because babies only have about a liter of blood in their little bodies. We will have family members tested for blood match with Mason, and donate blood for his surgery. We asked a lot of tough questions that we didn't ask Dr. Wrubel due to still being in shock at that appointment. It is reassuring to know that they haven't had a death in this surgery - that is of course our biggest fear. He reassured us that he takes this surgery very seriously and does it in the safest manner possible and will take good care of our sweet baby boy.
The surgery will take place at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Hospital instead of Scottish Rite. Mason's surgery is going to take place in December when he is 4 months old. Dr. Mackay's scheduler is currently coordinating with Dr. Wrubel's scheduler, and we will have a surgery date in the next few days. I am ready to know the date and get prepared for the surgery. We want to live life as normally as possible leading up to the surgery. We want to enjoy our perfect baby boy, our amazing toddler, our family, and our friends. We obviously can't pretend that we don't have this nightmare going on in our lives, but we want to not let it control our lives for the next 2 months. We know there will be a lot of worry about the surgery over the next 2 months no matter what we do though - it is only natural.
Please continue to keep Mason and our family in your thoughts and prayers. Pray that the surgeons will prepare to do the surgery to the very best of their ability and that Mason's little body will handle the surgery ok and heal fast. Thank you all for your support, love, and prayers - it means the world!
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