Happy First Halloween

He was Daddy's Little Monster for Halloween.

Mom didn't think it was much of a strech since she hasn't been getting very much sleep lately.

Looks like he sleeps pretty well to me!!

First Bath

Today Thomas had his first real bath, with no more cord and his circ. healing he could finally be immersed. And what do you know.. he loved it!! Happy and content, we feared a struggle, but he didn't squirm or fuss, the only thing he didn't like was getting out!

The sad part is as you can see he is starting to break out in the baby acne, his beautiful baby smooth and soft skin is dissapearing before our eyes.

He loves his Mom

We know because he won't sleep any other way!!

Just Plain Cute!!

Asleep or Awake...

At least we think so....

And look no more belly button!!!

Getting to know you...

Play Time

Grandma Time

Daddy Time

Welcome Home!!

Thomas Paul Shepherd

PERFECT!!


Obviously!

I like my new cradle!

My changing table is fun too!

Coming HOME!!

The best day ever... So glad we got to bring Thomas home today. I couldn't believe it was happening, they really discharged him home. Needless to say there were definitely tears shed when daddy found out. We had a long drive to Prescott ahead of us, but we were actually going home. We are so very grateful for this day.

Thomas is happy to be home too.

But nobody is happier than daddy, to hold his boy, on his own couch, no wires, no alarms, just quality time with his little tough guy. We are going to keep him here for a while, and hope and pray for another miracle on his heart, that it heals on its own and he doesn't need the surgery they have planned for his heart in 3 months.

Our Miracle...

This afternoon Thomas had his echo to confirm the aorta was narrowing which meant surgery. Just before his daddy gave him a little blessing in a crowded NICU. Moments later you could see the smile on the face of the ultrasound technicians face, and acouple hours later we got the official word. The fetal valves are closed and the coarct (problem with the aorta) is gone. Thomas can come HOME!!!
No more three minute scrubs in the NICU for mom!
No more for dad... his hands were getting pretty raw.
And Thomas started making preparations to be discharged, including a hearing test -PASS, an hour and a half in a car seat because he is a cardiac patient - PASS, his nice nurses put together his gift basket, mom and dad will be up late watching premature discharge videos, because come tomorrow both mom and baby will be going home!!

Hello World

Thomas was suprised this morning by visitors. His Grandma Shepherd, Aunt Jill, And Aunt Kelly, drove the 12 hours from Salt Lake to Phoenix through the night because they couldn't wait to see him.
He is still in the NICU and we are still waiting for the repeat echo that will tell us whether he gets to come home or will have to stay and have surgery, we are scared, but are still hoping for the best.

We are getting better at hiding his cords when we bundle him up. Thomas gets to start wearing pajamas today, and is healthy enough to have his own clothes and sheets (the one on the bottom of the crib is from Grandma Shepherd). He is still eating well, and his alarms go off occasionally but it is usually because he is active and they can't get a good reading. He has good muscle tone, his cone head from the 24 hours of labor is diminishing, and mom and dad still miss him and wish he could come stay with them.

The NICU

Our baby boy is in the NICU, looking around he is probably one of the biggest and healthiest babies in here. Mom is recovering very well from her C-Section and is already up walking around, getting dressed, and enjoying the pain medicine. She still gets tired quickly and can't be out of bed too long, but Thomas will be able to spend more time with her as soon as they are both better.

Dad spends a lot of time in the NICU feeding, changing, holding, and playing with his new buddy. He is there till the wee hours of the morning, when he's not checking on mom. It is hard to have two people you care about on different floors and only being able to see one at a time. Thomas already recognizes daddy's voice and falls asleep in his arms. It is tough to see him with all the cords and monitors on him, but Thomas is doing well, he is feeding on demand from a bottle and will not require a feeding tube, he is holding his own temperature and is off the warmer, hasn't had to be in a incubator, and his blood pressure is still doing well as they continue to watch him closely. So far no signs of trouble or heart failure, the echo will be repeated tomorrow and we are all hoping and praying for the best.

One Way or Another...

After waiting all night and have way through the day today, Julie was having strong contractions, all the monitors said so. Unfortunately, while Thomas was handling labor well Julie could not get passed a 5 on a scale that goes to 10. The contractions were not causing the progress they were supposed to. A decision was made, we had little choice in it, that while baby was still doing well a C-section would be performed. Twenty minutes later Julie was being wheeled in the O.R. and a couple minutes after that we had a beautiful baby boy just 37 weeks old. Strong, and healthier than anyone expected he scored 9 and 9 and weighed in at 5 lbs 9.8 oz, just 17 inches long, Thomas quieted right down and settled into daddy's arms. He had a little squeak when he first cried, and concerned about fluid in his lungs he was sent to the NICU just in a transitional state, meaning he wasn't being admitted just checked more closely. What a beautiful blessed day this was both mom and dad were so proud.
After arriving at the NICU with dad, the cardiologists performed the echo to double check his heart, all was as expected, and he was to be discharged to the healthy baby nursery. Mom was doing great in recovery they stapled her up nice and she was progressing well as well. I brought the camera back to Julie so she could see the pictures of Thomas I had taken. After checking on mom I headed back to be with Thomas. That's where I found the cardiologist and the bad news. Just after I left they had taken one more picture of his heart and he appeared to have a narrowing in his Aorta that could be dangerous and require immediate surgery as soon as the fetal valves began to close (usually within 24 hours of birth). Thomas would be staying in the NICU. I took the news back to Julie, it was a very emotional time for us. We were so glad to have our little angel here, and so sad he couldn't be with us.

Just a Checkup!

Today, we went to Phoenix for Julie's weekly checkup. We packed our bags just in case as we have done everytime we headed south, never really beliving they wouldn't let us leave. After an ultrasound we waited for the doctor, who came in to tell us some unexpected news. Concerned about the baby's growth and some other factors they told us to head over to labor and delivery, we would be having this baby today!! Julie got all hooked up, got her juice and a sucker, had her IV put in by a student nurse (OUCH!!), and waited. We waited all through the night, first was a drug to prepare Julie for the delivery, it takes 12 hours to work, then the drug to begin strong contractions.... still waiting... Midnight came and still no baby.

Hangar Party

There was an airshow this weekend in Prescott. We didn't get to go because I had to work, however we did get to take in the festivities the night before. Courtesy of Lockheed Martin I was awarded two tickets to the Hangar Party the night before. The tickets were priced at $60 a piece, and catered by the fanciest restaurants in town. It was basically a dinner for VIPs, airshow pilots, and sponsors to say good luck. We had a good time on what may be one of our final nice nights out together before we have to start worrying about babysitters and such. Hope you enjoy the pictures we enjoyed being there