Colby posing while napping

As promised here are some new pictures of Colby. He is doing good today.... Not to worry all of the wires you see are for monitors only.... They have him on some anti-seizure medicine and some antibiotics. Looks pretty good even if he is my kid.....

Brody and Colby

I wish I was writing tonight to let everyone know the answers to our seizure questions.... Unfortunately, that is not the case. Colby has probably had more tests run on him today than many of us have experienced in a life time. In fact as I sit in our room tonight there is a real good chance he is being transported from the NICU to get an MRI done on his head. As of 12:40 AM we still do not have any additional info or insight regarding the cause of his seizures.

Unfortunately, they have not miraculously stopped either. Apparently he experienced one this afternoon during one of the test and another one earlier tonight around 7:30. The good news is that he is in the right place to get help.... the bad news is that they still aren't sure why he is having them.....

On a brighter note I thought I would share a couple of photos of Big Brother Brody seeing pictures of his new little brother for the first time as well as a photo of Brody with the present Colby got him for becoming a new big brother. As low as the emotions have dipped over the past 36 hours can't express the highs of the emotions when Brody came to visit the hospital this afternoon. It was so good to let him see his mommy and to see pictures of his new baby brother on the computer. NICU rules keep him from going to see Colby so we figured we could introduce them via a little modern technology.

I was going to post some new pictures of Colby tonight but after I got them loaded I realized that they did not do him justice.... I will post some new photos of Colby tomorrow morning. We hope to get some updated info as well as the results from a lot of today's test from the doctors during morning rounds on Wednesday. In the event that we did not have enough doctors names and titles to keep up with Colby decided he wanted an additional team of doctors so he now has a neurology team working to find the cause of the seizures..... He is turning out to be a little high maintenance..... I wonder which parent he got that from..... Perhaps I should take a poll.... never mind I might not like the results....

Oh yeah and I want to be the last to wish my beautiful, loving, strong, and compassionate wife a Happy Birthday..... Her birthday was today Aug 5th. Happy birthday to the best wife and momma in the world....

Jason

Colby creates chaos

Please wait til the ride comes to a complete stop. Once the ride has stopped please lift the restraint bar are exit to the left..... Instructions for getting off the roller coaster ride we just started. It seams like we have been standing in line for this ride for the past 19.5 weeks and the ride finally started yesterday. Although the realities of the ride are beginning to settle in we are able to look around and still remember and appreciate how blessed we are.

Despite the chaos of yesterday Colby wanted to spice things up a little bit more today. After getting to bed a little after 2 AM the phone rings a little before 5 and it was none other than the nurse in the NICU.... Mr Hitchcock sorry to wake you but.....

Colby started having seizures early this morning. They were able to get them to stop initially with some light medication. They could not see a direct cause for them so they began running test. They did a spinal tap early this AM to check for infection or other causes. They are running an EG (electrical current test on his brain), an MRI on his brain, and some other test to see if they can figure out the cause of these seizures. He had another episode after they did the spinal tap so they are really looking for answers at this point.

I guess this is were the ride comes into play.... We have been "preparing" ourselves for heart issues over the past 20 weeks and little Colby said check it out here comes the curve ball..... seizures.

Luckily there is not a better place for him to be for care and supervision. We just met with the cardiologist and they said everything looked as they had expected. There were no surprises after his delivery and initial eco. They did explain that these seizures are not typical with heart defect babies which is why they have ordered so many test to figure out where they are coming from.

Becca was able to visit the NICU for the first time this morning which was great..... She was so excited to see him and touch him....

Details: 6lbs 12 oz 19.5" long full head of dark hair

We will post more when we have more.... Please continue to pray for God's healing hand to continue to hold Colby safe.

Thanks again for everything

Jason

Colby Chance chooses today

Well as many of you know Colby decided that he wanted his birthday to be on Aug 4th despite what the doctors and his parents had planned. The nurses took Becca back to the OR a little before 3:00 this afternoon to prep her for surgery (the c-section). They came to get me a in my "bunny suit" around 3:15. When I got into the OR the team began to assemble for little Colby's delivery. Everything went really well. They had Colby out and on the warmer for observation at 3:44. By the time he was delivered the team of doctors and nurses had grown to about 30 people most of them were there for Colby. The team of doctors and nurses were absolutely amazing.

Becca did really well through the whole process despite the rocky and emotional morning she had been through. She is by far the strongest wife in the world.

After they got Colby breathing and checked out they prepared to move him to the NICU at Children's Hospital. He was able to leave the OR without any support systems. Upon initial review he was doing great. A team of doctors and NICU nurses arrived to transport him over to Children's so I went along for the journey while they finished up with Becca. Upon arrival to the NICU they began doing additional tests and checking him out. The cardio team came in a few minutes later to check on his heart. After doing an ecocardiogram the doctors were pleasantly surprised to find that he was doing great. So far they have not planned to do any procedures. The attending said that they will know more over the next 48-72 hours regarding any specific needs he may have. So far things are going better than expected.

We want to thank everyone for the countless prayers and words of encouragement that have been passed along on our behalf. We could not have it this far if not for all of the support that many of you have given to our family.

Brody is doing great he has had a pretty fun filled day. He got to start his day off playing with "KatieJack" then Nanna came to pick him up for a little Nanna field trip before nap time. After nap he was visited by Mary Grace and "K-line" and they stayed till bed time so he thought this was one of the best days ever.....

Thanks again to everyone for your prayers, support, encouragement, love and kind deeds. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by so many great people. Most of all we must give thanks to God for getting us through this and blessing Becca and Colby with such a great team of doctors.

Sorry I don't have all of the normal daddy statistics that I should know.... I will get them tonight when I take Becca over to the NICU to see Colby. Once I have all of the baby specifics weight, length etc I will revise this post....


Thank You

Jason

Change of Plans

Well, apparently Colby is not willing to wait until Thursday to make his appearance. We should have known he would call the shots...just like his dad!!!

I came in for my weekly appointment and BPP this morning thinking it would be a normal day, but that quickly changed once the ultrasound began. Colby's heart rate was a little lower than normal, which was my first indication that something may be wrong. Then, we could not get him to move for anything. The sonographer was pushing him and sounding the alarm on my stomach, and he did not even flinch. Needless to say, this was very scary for me!! The sonographer was great and stayed very calm as he went to get the doctor, but I knew something was not right. At that point, I completely lost it!! The doctor came in and let me know that we would be having a baby today. Colby only scored 4 out of 8 on the BPP, which is not great. I was immediately brought to Labor and Delivery in a wheelchair. The whole way to L and D, I was trying to get Jason on the phone while crying hysterically. Doesn't that figure...the one appointment that Jason doesn't come to, something happens!

Anyways, L and D got me checked in, started monitoring Colby, and started my IV as soon as I arrived. The doctors came in to explain the C-Section, anesthesia came in, and the cardiologist has been notified. Now, we are just waiting until surgery time. Unfortunately, I had eaten a bagel on the way to the doctor, so anesthesia wants to wait 8 hours to start.

So, we should go back to the OR at 3:00, and Colby should be here by 4:00 this afternoon. Please say a prayer for a safe delivery and transport to the NICU. We will post again later this afternoon once he arrives.

A Dinner with Friends from Church

We just got home from our friends Thomas and Beth's house. They live just up the street, and we also attend the same church. Beth invited us and a few other couples from church over for a cookout, and surprise!...it was a "Welcome Little Slugger" party for Colby! Beth had decorated with baseball items, and Karen even made some baseball cupcakes. Everything was adorable! It was so much fun visiting, and Colby got some super cute gifts! As I have said several times before, we are so blessed with the wonderful people around us!

Thanks so much for thinking of us and organizing this get together Beth and Thomas, and thank you Wilkinsons, Richardsons, and Swints for your kindness and words of encouragement!! It means so much to us!!!

We love our neighbors!

I am convinced that we have the best neighbors ever! Three of our neighbors, Jennifer, Tracy, and Annie, planned and hosted a baby shower for our little Colby last night, and several of our other neighbors joined us to celebrate. We had such a great time eating, talking, and laughing...it is always nice to spend some time with just the girls! We have been so blessed with not only a wonderful family, but also with great neighbors and friends! We are so thankful to have such an awesome support system in place for when Colby arrives. Thank you to everyone who came last night, especially Jennifer, Tracy, and Annie for hosting! All of your friendships mean so much to us!

Delivery Date Scheduled

Jason and I went for our 36 week visit and weekly BPP this morning. Colby is still looking great and fortunately, I am showing no signs of labor (no dilation). We will pray that continues, because our C-Section has been scheduled for Thursday, August 7! I am excited to have the date and time on the calendar, but I am also very nervous! It has finally hit me that we are about to have another baby! I have a lot to get done in the next 3 weeks!!

A Surprise Baby Shower!

Last night, my mom had invited us to come over to my Grandmother's house for what I thought was a late 4th of July cookout. I was so happy when we got there, because the majority of my cousins, my 2 aunts and uncles, my grandmother, my sister, and my parents were all there. It is not an easy task to get everyone together at one time! As we finished up dinner, they brought out a baby cake...I thought it was really nice, but I was still clueless as to the fact that this was a surprise baby shower. After cake, my dad comes walking in with several gifts. That is when it finally hit me!! I know, I am kind of slow these days!

My family had organized this whole surprise for our little Colby!! I was so excited!!! We have not really bought Colby anything yet...I guess the shock of our situation has kind of delayed us in our preparations for his arrival. Now, though, Colby has bouncey seats, a new swing (which is great since Brody kind of made ours sit a little crooked), pajamas, diapers, wipes, loveys, onesies, etc. This makes Jason and I very happy!!!

As I have said before, we have an amazing family!!! I am so thankful that they are in our lives, and I don't know what we would do without them! God definitely blessed us, and in doing so, He has blessed Colby with such an incredible and loving support system!

Thank you family for your love and for the big surprise last night!!! We truly appreciate it!! We love you all!

Colby's Cardio Update

Jason and I returned to our cardiologist, Dr. Liske, yesterday. I have to start out by saying how thoroughly impressed we are with Dr. Liske and his office staff. We could not be happier with the treatment we have received this far, and we are positive that this is the best possible place to care for little Colby!! This makes dealing with what we are facing a little bit easier.

After an extensive echo cardiogram/ultrasound, Dr. Liske has concluded that Colby's heart is showing no change. This is so good to hear, since I of course had fears of them finding more abnormalities now that he is bigger. He also said that there is adequate blood flowing to Colby's lungs, so he should not be blue when he is born (this is a common problem for babies born with heart defects). The adequate blood flow also means that there is a very good chance Colby will not need his first surgery immediately!!!! Thank you God!!! Dr. Liske told us he was about 75% sure we would leave the hospital with our baby before he has to undergo any major surgery! This is such a blessing!!

As far as our initial stay in the hospital post delivery, which has been a huge question in our minds, Dr. Liske seems to think he will probably need around 5-7 days in the NICU for monitoring. If no other complications occur, such as feeding problems and weight gain (also another common problem for heart babies), we should be able to take him home after this week or so stay. This sounds great to us...we were fearing a much longer stay.

All in all, Colby is looking pretty good! Jason and I agree that he is probably going to be feisty and resilient...he was jumping around the whole time they were trying to look at his heart. I think we can all agree that an active baby is a good thing in our case, and he is definitely active!

While we were speaking with Dr. Liske, Jason mentioned that he would love for us to wait the full 40 weeks before we deliver. Dr. Liske did agree that it wouldn't be a bad idea...one more week to develop and grow. For me, at this point, I guess one more week of being a little uncomfortable would be worth it if it would give Colby the best start possible. So, now we just have to speak with our OB office and make sure they are okay with this. If they are, then we could deliver on August 8th. We will never have a hard time remembering this birthday...8/8/08! We will have to let you know when we finally decide on a date.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support! It is clear from this Echo that God is answering these prayers!! God is good!

The Hitchcock Family