Update

Yesterday threw us some curve balls. It was a very long day, but we survived, and today is looking brighter.

I wanted to share with you some cool ways God has provided just what we need when we need it.

Monday night Eric left for Fort Wayne to figure out our furnace situation. I was alone in our room at the RMH wishing somebody else was there. Just then my sister Mindy called and asked if she could come spend the night since she had to shadow at Riley early Tuesday morning for one of her nursing classes. God knew that was just what I needed. I didn't have to ride the shuttle in the freezing cold the next morning either, since Mindy drove me to the hospital.

I was alone all morning with Owen. I updated the Journal while the nurses tried to put an IV in for his surgery. (Not a pleasant thing for a mother to watch. They actually had like 4 different nurses try. Poor Owen. So many pokes.) When I was finished I thought I might call Eric's uncle Wayne and see if he was coming by that day, since I knew Eric would be on the road and Eric's parents weren't coming until the evening. As I was signing out my use of the library computer--there was Uncle Wayne signing in. Talk about God's perfect timing.

The weather got really bad just as Eric was leaving Fort Wayne. It ended up taking him 5 1/2 hours to get to Indy. (normally a 2 hour drive). I was pretty worried about him, but he made it just in time for Owen's surgery. We were literally rolling Owen down the hall to the O.R. when Eric found us. It was very frustrating for him knowing Owen was going in for surgery and he was stuck on the highway with a dead cell phone. The surgeons actually weren't ready until around 4:00 so Eric was able to be there. :) The Lord kept him safe on the roads. He passed more than a dozen accidents and had a few close calls himself, but he made it safely. Thank goodness for those brand new tires we had to get on Monday. See, God knows.

Owen's VP Shunt Repair surgery went very well. The doctor was pleased. Said there is always a chance that the tube could get clogged. Some people's never get clogged, some only once, some more frequently. We're hoping we're in the only once category.

Neil and Connie (Eric's parents) braved the weather and the roads and still made the trip to see Owen. Took them 4 hours. Grandpa Potter finally got to hold Owen after surgery.

I received training on the apnea/heart monitor and the portable oxygen tank we may be going home with, as well as CPR. I know the "oxygen" may come as a shock. But they are repeating the sleep study today, now that he has his obturator, to see if he is still having as many obstructions of his airway. We want Owen to be safe when he comes home, so if we need oxygen that's what we'll do. We are hoping and praying he won't though. Please pray with us that the sleep study this afternoon shows he is able to maintain an open airway and not lose saturation if he has apnea. Hopefully the obturator (mouth piece) will help him maintain this airway.

Eric and I both learned how to put in and take out the obturator this morning and how to clean and care for it. It just sits in the roof of his mouth. Owen is not so sure about it yet. Doesn't like his pacifier anymore because it feels different in there. He keeps rubbing the obturator with his tongue trying to figure out what is in his mouth.

Owen looks great today after surgery. Yesterday he gave us a bit of a scare. He became rather dehydrated in a very short time, dumping lots of fluids too quickly. His fontanelle was VERY sunken, he was pale and listless. I was holding him at the time and alerted the nurses. Good things - his stats never dropped and he responded to replacement fluids. They still don't really know why he did this and are monitoring him closely now. Maybe it was related to the malfunctioning shunt. Maybe it was something else. We just wait and see.

All the events of yesterday are going to delay our taking Owen home by a few days. We may still be here Monday. We are disappointed and anxious to be home with all our kids. Liam and Kate are doing great though, enjoy looking at Owen pictures and talking to Mom and Dad on the phone.

Thank you for all your prayers.

I apologize for the long update. These journal entries are going to be a great way for us to remember what happend down the road since it is such a blur right now.

Love in Christ,

Jen & Eric