I have gotten some requests/suggestions to create a FB page for Mason's surgery updates. I have turned it into a page for prayers, and would GREATLY appreciate your help in sharing his page with everyone you know (share the link in your status, click "Share" on the post that I recently wrote on the page, etc.). The more people we have praying for him on the day of his surgery, the better. Thank you as always for your support, love, and prayers!
Link for his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/prayersformasonrobertson
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!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
RIP Our Sweet Riley Roo
We tragically lost our beloved "Riley Roo" on October 18th. I have been meaning to post about it, but have had a hard time being able to bring myself to do it - as if it will make it more final and real or something. I am having a very hard time with his loss, and still wish it was all just a bad dream.
Riley had been having some breathing issues since August-ish. He had started snorting a lot and breathing differently. As time went on, he was having a harder and harder time. At night, he snored really really loud and just didn't rest well. We took him to the vet to have some tests done, assuming it was one of the 2 things most boxers get: cancer or heart issues. We had xrays and blood work done, and they all came back normal. That was good news that meant it wasn't his heart or lungs or an obvious mass. But, there were a lot of answers still needed. His left nostril was completely obstructed by tissue and/or swelling - you could actually see it with a flashlight. We decided to take him to a specialist to have his nose scoped and further testing done. The specialist took biopsies and cultures as well. Everything came back normal, and we were all so stumped. The vet assumed that he had a bacterial infection, and we started trying out different antibiotics to hopefully knock it out, along with prednisone. His condition improved briefly, and then went right back to what it was.
At that point, we switched to some different meds in hopes that they would work. We were very frustrated to find that they weren't working. It was getting harder and harder for him to breath, and it was heartbreaking to see how exhausted he was from not being able to rest at night. I was starting to feel very helpless/hopeless in being able to help our sweet pup.
Tuesday night before bed, Riley's nose had "polyp" looking things on the outside of his nostril - he never had those before. We went to bed thinking it was possibly a tumor rapidly growing and that we would take him to the vet the next morning. Mason woke up for a feeding around 5am and I heard rustling around in our bathroom (we had to have the pups start sleeping in our closet/bathroom because poor Riley's snoring was so loud and would wake up Mason). I opened the bathroom door to what I describe as a CSI scene - there was blood EVERYWHERE. I got Clay and he tended to Riley while I fed Mason. Thank GOD he was in town!
We called my mom to come sit with the boys while we took Riley to the vet. He spent the day there and the bleeding didn't occur a single bit while he was there. The vet took more cultures of his nostrils, in hopes that something would "grow" this time and tell us what meds he needed to be on to help him. We took him home and everything seemed to be as it was before. We were patiently waiting for the culture results and cautiously optimistic that we would have answers at last.
Thursday night before bed, Clay came and told me that Riley was bleeding profusely from his nose again. We kept him in the bathroom and tried to get the bleeding under control with ice packs. I thought at one point the bleeding was under control, and tried to get a little sleep. Clay came and woke me up around 1am and said that we had to rush to the vet and that Riley couldn't breathe and the bleeding wouldn't stop. I walked in to see him and just "knew" that there was nothing we could do to make him better.
That ride to the emergency vet was the hardest trip of my life. I sat in the floor with his head on my lap and just told him how much I loved him and what a good boy he was. I will forever cherish those final moments with him. Clay and I held and loved on Riley while he took his last breaths. It was literally the hardest thing I have ever been through. I am glad that the last things he heard were how much we love him and what a good boy he was. It is heartbreaking that I couldn't do more for my best friend.
The past 3 weeks have been so hard without my best friend following me around the house everywhere I go. He was literally ALWAYS with me at home. I picked him out when he was only 5 days old, before his eyes were even open yet. He would have been 10 years old this month, and I would give anything to be able to celebrate his birthday with him. He was with me through the most life changing moments in my life: meeting Clay, our engagement, our wedding, being pregnant with both boys, and everything else I have gone through over the past 10 years. He was SO good and patient with Easton - Easton LOVED him and asked about him right when he woke up every morning. He will be missed forever, and there will always be a piece of my heart missing.
Riley had been having some breathing issues since August-ish. He had started snorting a lot and breathing differently. As time went on, he was having a harder and harder time. At night, he snored really really loud and just didn't rest well. We took him to the vet to have some tests done, assuming it was one of the 2 things most boxers get: cancer or heart issues. We had xrays and blood work done, and they all came back normal. That was good news that meant it wasn't his heart or lungs or an obvious mass. But, there were a lot of answers still needed. His left nostril was completely obstructed by tissue and/or swelling - you could actually see it with a flashlight. We decided to take him to a specialist to have his nose scoped and further testing done. The specialist took biopsies and cultures as well. Everything came back normal, and we were all so stumped. The vet assumed that he had a bacterial infection, and we started trying out different antibiotics to hopefully knock it out, along with prednisone. His condition improved briefly, and then went right back to what it was.
At that point, we switched to some different meds in hopes that they would work. We were very frustrated to find that they weren't working. It was getting harder and harder for him to breath, and it was heartbreaking to see how exhausted he was from not being able to rest at night. I was starting to feel very helpless/hopeless in being able to help our sweet pup.
Tuesday night before bed, Riley's nose had "polyp" looking things on the outside of his nostril - he never had those before. We went to bed thinking it was possibly a tumor rapidly growing and that we would take him to the vet the next morning. Mason woke up for a feeding around 5am and I heard rustling around in our bathroom (we had to have the pups start sleeping in our closet/bathroom because poor Riley's snoring was so loud and would wake up Mason). I opened the bathroom door to what I describe as a CSI scene - there was blood EVERYWHERE. I got Clay and he tended to Riley while I fed Mason. Thank GOD he was in town!
We called my mom to come sit with the boys while we took Riley to the vet. He spent the day there and the bleeding didn't occur a single bit while he was there. The vet took more cultures of his nostrils, in hopes that something would "grow" this time and tell us what meds he needed to be on to help him. We took him home and everything seemed to be as it was before. We were patiently waiting for the culture results and cautiously optimistic that we would have answers at last.
Thursday night before bed, Clay came and told me that Riley was bleeding profusely from his nose again. We kept him in the bathroom and tried to get the bleeding under control with ice packs. I thought at one point the bleeding was under control, and tried to get a little sleep. Clay came and woke me up around 1am and said that we had to rush to the vet and that Riley couldn't breathe and the bleeding wouldn't stop. I walked in to see him and just "knew" that there was nothing we could do to make him better.
That ride to the emergency vet was the hardest trip of my life. I sat in the floor with his head on my lap and just told him how much I loved him and what a good boy he was. I will forever cherish those final moments with him. Clay and I held and loved on Riley while he took his last breaths. It was literally the hardest thing I have ever been through. I am glad that the last things he heard were how much we love him and what a good boy he was. It is heartbreaking that I couldn't do more for my best friend.
The past 3 weeks have been so hard without my best friend following me around the house everywhere I go. He was literally ALWAYS with me at home. I picked him out when he was only 5 days old, before his eyes were even open yet. He would have been 10 years old this month, and I would give anything to be able to celebrate his birthday with him. He was with me through the most life changing moments in my life: meeting Clay, our engagement, our wedding, being pregnant with both boys, and everything else I have gone through over the past 10 years. He was SO good and patient with Easton - Easton LOVED him and asked about him right when he woke up every morning. He will be missed forever, and there will always be a piece of my heart missing.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Mason's Blood Type - Donations Needed
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.
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.
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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