Good News!

Ben had his 15 months apt today with the pedatrician. Ben continues to improve slowly. Everyone is hopeful that he will adapt to his left side trouble. Ben was not happy to have shots, but his growth is good. He is 50% for length, 25% head, 3% weight. He has always stayed consistent. He is now 20lbs 2.5oz. Very good for BEN! The daycare Ben will be going to had a little boy, Matt, for 4 years that had heart surgery and brain damage. They did not know how bad the damage was just like Ben. Matt eventually sat, walked, and talked and looked like any other boy. This gives me hope. Ben just needs time to adapt. I think that this center will be a good place for him since his main teacher was Matt's as well. We are praying that it goes well next week.

(pics still to come-sorry)

Merry Christmas to All!

Hello,
I m sorry it has been awhile. But no news means there is nothing to report on Ben about his heart. Although he is improving on eating and crawling. He is doing therapy to work on his stiffness, which is his main obstacle. He is starting to really enjoy finger foods. The cardiologist says things are looking good. He are in a holding plan at this point. Although Ben was not happy to see the cardiologist at all. He is starting to realize more and understand what is going on. He screamed and gave him dirty looks. lol

Today Ben and Ally spend the morning at the daycare center while I observed and went over all the info about Ben. Seems like Ben like his main teacher, Ann, and I even left him with her while I spend some time in the Lamb room with Ally. I am feeling more comfortable with leaving Ben there, they are a wonderful group and have had experience very similar to Ben. Ally did not want to leave and we stayed longer to let her celebrate one of her classmate's birthday with cupcakes.

I just want to say Merry Christmas to all, because I was kinda a grinch and did not send out Christmas cards. My time is so precious at this point that I though everyone would understand and except this blog.
Enjoy it and give thanks for all of our blessings. Merry Christmas!

(Pictures to come after Christmas)

Santa Train Pictures

Alligator Ben

Hello,
The McCarthy family is doing pretty good. We had a fun Halloween and are looking forward to all the holiday events to come. Benjamin is doing good. He is working hard at his therapy and seems to be improving slowly. He is crawling and pushing up on his arms. Ben is not sitting on his own yet, but we are working on it. He still is pretty much eating stage 2 baby food and drinking from a bottle. He tries to eat puffs and mum mum crackers. Today he tried to eat a fry, and he adores frozen yogurt and ice cream. Ben got approved to get another round of synagis shots this winter to help him stay healthy. The nurse is coming on Tuesday. He also is finally getting his 12 month shots and has a cardiologist apt this month. This should get him all up to date on everything. Check out the photos below.

Dan is starting a new temp job at Johnson Controlls Inc. He has a 6 month contract that may end with a job with benefits. Although he is going to be working nights and lots of hours. We will miss him. That is our update for now. Enjoy your day.

Benjamin :)

Our little guy is doing well. The Eco results are good. His heart is functioning good at this time. Benjamin therapy is going good. He is improving on this left hand and we are working on sitting. Last week he was sick put seems to be getting better. We are taking the kids to a hay ride this weekend with Maria, Diana, and Tim. Should be a good time. There is also a cornfield maze for Ally to run around in and pony rides. The weather looks good and we are looking forward to it.

This winter Grandma and Grandpa McCarthy are going to AZ. So starting in January Allison and Ben are going to Walker Christian Daycare and Preschool. Preschool is built into the daycare day for Ally. They have experience with heart children and are comfortable watching Ben. So we are getting prepped for that. The McCarthy's will be back around Easter and Ally will probably just keep going to the preschool part only. That is what going on over here. Thanks for checking in.

Benjamin's Results

Hello All,
On Wednesday Benjamin had a MRI and Eco. It went pretty well. Ben had to be NPO, which means no food or drink beforehand. Which usually means a ton of crying before the procedure. But on Wednesday Ben did well until a half hour before it. After they finished and Ben woke up he cried until the sedation wore off and then he seemed to be himself. We got home at about 2:30. I do not have the results of the Eco yet. My pediatrician did call with the MRI results. The good news is that Ben has not had any strokes or tumors. The bad news is he does have a small spot on his right hemisphere that is brain damage, due to low oxygen caused from the heart defect and all he has gone through. This is what affecting the use of his left arm. He may never have good fine motor skills with it. There is a lot of unknowns at this time that only time can answer. Please keep us in your prayers.

Benjamin Daniel

Benjamin is doing well. We are going to have a sedated Eco and possibly a MRI in October to check him over. Our physical therapist and Pediatrician are concerned with his left arm function. Also the cardiologist wants to send Ann Arbor a update on how his heart is functioning. He is a happy boy. Below is a photo of Ben and his friend Caleb. We met Caleb in Ann Arbor and his mom, Jen, and I are developing packets of information for new heart moms. This way they can have more information/support as they go through complex heart problems. Caleb has HRHS and Ben has the opposite side HLHS. Both are serious and entail three surgeries, maybe more? Keep these boys in your prayers. Have a wonderful Labor Day.

WOW! Benjamin is One Today!

It is hard to believe one year ago was the most heart wrenching time of our life. Today we are thanking God for giving us our little boy and getting him through all the hard times he has faced. He is such a joy. Please enjoy some pictures from his first b-day party. As you can see he loved the frosting!

Benjamin is going to have a sedated echo at the beginning of Nov to check everything over and share with Ann Arbor. He is weaning off the lasix and is very happy guy. He still is not sitting, but he rolls and is starting to try to army crawl. Starting in September he will have therapy every Wednesday to help with this development. Thanks for checking in!

Benjamin Daniel

Benjamin and Allison had their cardiologist apt on Monday. Ben is doing pretty well. We get to ween back his lasix to none in the next few weeks. He looks good and we are scheduling a sedated echo for October to give Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor doctors a close up look at his heart. Allison has still has a murmur they are going to keep an eye on. We had family photos last week which turned out beautiful. Here is just a few our photographer posted of the kids.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=192398274151635&set=a.192398254151637.47654.124293957628734&type=1&theater

Talk to you soon!

Benny!

Benjamin is doing well. Although he is still having some unhappy moments due to constipation. We took him in Friday to see the pediatrician. We are trying prune juice now and if that does not work we are going to go to Miralax. Today he is meeting with Early On for therapy. I think he has improved physically, but he still has long way to go. He still cannot sit up on his own and his locomotion is limited. He rolls over and does tummy and uses he feet to try and move across the floor. His arms seem like they are not as strong as his legs. It seems like he has a little bit more time before he will be really crawling.

Ben is happy otherwise and is very talkative. He had some baby conversation with Myra over the weekend. He says Momma and Dadda perfect and calls us when he wants us. In a about a week and a half Ben goes to the cardiologist for testing. Allison is going too because they wanted to do a ekg on her as well since she had a heart murmur when she was 1.5. Which is probably nothing, but I think it is best to check it out and make sure she is fine.

We are looking forward to the weekend. I am hosting a shower for my nephew, Ryan, and his soon to be wife, Stef. They will be married in September and Ally will be the flower girl!

Have a good week!

Benjamin Daniel

Our little guy is hanging in there. He is happy and is enjoying life. We are planning to take him for a visit on the lake. He loves eating baby food and now has two bottom front teeth. The one is bigger than the other and looks kinda werid. lol Allison is going to be three Sunday. I cannot believe it. All the storms we are having is bringing back memories of her birth into the world.

Lindsay Baskets gave us a wonderful basket when we were in Ann Arbor to cheer us up, and it worked a little. At least it put a smile on my face while Ben was recovering from surgery. Lindsay had a heart problem like Ben and her mom gives these baskets to people like us. I just found out today that Lindsay passed away, so please keep her family in her prayers.

Enjoy your Fourth!

Benjamin Daniel McCarthy is almost 10 months old!

It is hard to believe how fast time has flown by. Ann Arbor seems like a bad dream until you look at Ben's scar. We have been to reduce his medications. His constipation is better too with the additions of all the fruits and veggies. His acid reflex has been worse, so we did have to up the Zantac. He is doing very well. His therapists are working on this motor skills and teaching us exercises to help him because he is behind - BUT he is improving. :) Allison is going to be three soon and Dan and I are doing good. I will try to update the blog more because the good is worth hearing!

Benjamin is doing perfectly well!

Sorry I have not posted in a while. Ben has been doing so well, there was nothing to report. I do have a few things now to share. Benjamin is now 9 months old. He is very chatty and talkative. Ben tries to repeat dada and mama. He still does not sit without support, but his tummy time and arms have improved greatly. He saw the cardiologist Friday and he looks great. We are in a good place and we are going to change a couple of his medications to less amounts. We will need to keep a close eye on him to make sure he adjusts to these changes good. The cardiologist thinks that this will help his constipation issues, which is his biggest complaint right now. Ben is getting Baptized next weekend and we are so proud of him. Ben really enjoys life to the fullest. Talk to you soon and have a good week.

Ben is wonderful!

Happy Easter everyone. Ben got a hair cut last weekend, due to him looking like a girl. lol He is doing good and we are enjoying him. We are heading to an Easter Egg hunt this afternoon. Here is a picture of Ben and his sister from this morning.

Doing Well!

No big updates on Ben. He saw the pediatrician on Friday and looks good. He is growing well, he just needs to get moving on eating more solids. We are going to try more as weeks go by. He is still working on tummy time and arm exercises. We have had a nasty cold/flu at the McCarthy house. Everyone but Ben has gotten it. We are praying he does not. Ben is getting baptized on May 22nd at our Church. Gotta run, keep checking the blog and have a nice day.

Sweethearts!

Here are some pictures of Ben, Maria, and Allison. As you can see they enjoyed each other's company. Benjamin's cardiologist's appointment went well. No changes in medication or anything. We just have to hang tight and steady. Ben's therapy is also going good. He can flip over, and is not a fan of tummy time. Although we can get him to do it when distracting him with toys. He is grabbing at things and getting better with his hands. He has been sitting in the bumbo better than ever, although he can't sit by himself yet. As you can see is happy and social. Thanks for checking in. The McCarthy's

Benjamin is hanging in there!

Sweet Ben had his last RSV shot for the year yesterday and he weighed 15lbs 10oz. I can't believe he is almost in size three diapers. On Sunday/Monday he had the stomach flu and I took him into the pediatrician. He is doing so much better now. This Friday he has a cardiologist apt. He is a very happy boy, and all he wanted when he was sick was to be held. He even cracked smiles when he was not feeling good. We are going to plan a baptism at our church in May for him, since he is doing so well. Also please pray for baby Aubrey's family. She is in heaven now, and had the same surgery as Ben at about the same time in Dec. She fought to the end, and was a sweetheart. Thanks for checking in.

Pictures! :)

Good Days

Hello everyone, I am sorry for the delinquent post. I have just been so busy. My cousin Katie passed away and we went to visit my niece Maria in Ann Arbor in the pass week. Work has been extremely busy as well. I also went to the Addy awards last Thursday night which was wonderful. I am getting my first pair of glasses as well. Dan is keeping busy with home improvement projects, work, and caring for our kids.

Benjamin is doing fantastic. He is seeing a physical and occupational therapist. We are seeing improvement with tummy time and with grasping. He is such a happy boy and we are starting to get braver about taking him out. He lights up when Dan or I walk into the room he is. He really enjoys his parents.

Allison is also doing wonderful. She is potty trained, except for naps and night time. I am thinking about taking her to a fun toddler disco party March 12.

I gotta run, but I plan on getting you some pictures soon. I have not downloaded them from my camera yet. Hopefully this weekend. Have a wonderful week.

Hello!

Benjamin is still doing great. Although he had a fussy weekend, but he seems to be doing much better now. Yesterday he had his RSV shot and we met with a nurse from a program called Early On. They wanted to take a look at him because he seems to be behind in his physical development. They found that his motor skills and physical skills are quite behind due to all of is surgeries and recovery time. Although mentally he is right on the right path. They are going to have some physical and occupational therapists see Ben to help us and him with his development. It will be wonderful, and they come right to the our home.

Ben and Ally have been both doing great. Allison is basically potty trained. She rarely has accidents and it has only been a week. We are very proud of her. We think going to public places might be tricky, but we will take it as it comes. On 2/10/11 they got a cousin, Maria Josephine Tesmer. My sister finally had her little girl and she is just beautiful. We are going to visit her soon.

The wonderful moments continue...

Ben is doing very good. They were able to get his medications down to two times a day rather than three. It makes life a little easier. He has been such a happy good boy. I think this is what nature intended for his personality to be. He loves people and he likes to laugh. He is so ticklish. Just changing him makes him giggle. He slept through the night last night, which is so cool. The Wednesday blizzard was awesome and I got to spend the day at home with the kids. There is nothing like a snow day. Dan turned 32 on the 3rd and we celebrated with Red Lobster, Brownies, and a trip to Sears. This weekend we are going to grout the tile in the new bedroom downstairs and hang out. I am due to add a photo - I will try to do it in the next post. Have a good one!

Great Days

Benjamin is doing well. Seems to be the wonderful trend. He almost weighs 14 lbs and is in the 10% for height and weight which is great for a heart baby. Today we are going to visit Dr Lacina in the new Helen Devos Children's Hospital. I think that Ben will look great and hopefully we can reduce a little of his medications. Allison and Ben wonderful children. You can tell they really enjoy each other's company. Allison is finally starting to take interest in the potty again. Now that we are not so wrapped up with Ben recovering we can focus on getting her trained! Woo-hoo Talk to you soon, have a wonderful day.

Benjamin!

He continues to do well! Tomorrow we have his 4 month pediatrician apt. It is late because of his surgery. We are posting today because we are all thinking of Caleb, a boy similar to Ben. He just had his second surgery Tuesday and is recovering. This can be a heart wrenching time for the parents as he struggles and heals. We know this feeling very well, and want him to heal fast to get back into his parents arms. Please keep Caleb and his family in your prayers.

Strong Boy

Benjamin is doing wonderful. He seems happier than he ever has been. He coos and laughs. He is also very very ticklish. He really makes us laugh. He got his RSV shot yesterday and was not very pleased. I am sure by spring we will be more mobile with our whole family especially when the cold and flu risk goes down. We are starting to have more healthy visitors. Work is going great for Dan and I and we even started back up on a home project. We have a bedroom in the basement that is needing to be finished. We finished the drywall, painting, and the ceiling. Now we are working on tiling. It will be nice to have some extra room! We are also looking forward to Ben and Allison's cousin to be here soon. My sister, Diana, is due Feb 2nd with a daughter. We could see the little one at anytime. We plan to visit them in Ann Arbor.

Getting stronger every day!

Benjamin is hanging in there. He seems to be sore at times, but everyday he gets stronger. He now weighs 13lbs 5 oz now and is getting long. We are going to have to get him in 9 month sleepers because of his length. We are enjoying him. Allison just loves having a brother, and we are getting adjusted back to work. The Grandma's are doing very well. Next week we have his 4 month pediatrician apt. It is late because of the surgery. But better late than never. Thanks for checking the blog, I will try to post more often.

Ben is doing well!

Well Ben continues to do good. His oxygen levels are wonderful and we have not needed oxygen. He really looks less blue and healthier than he did. He saw Dr. Lacina, whom said the weight was no worry. It takes time for his body to get back to normal after surgery. Also he still looks a little puffy in the face so we did not change his medications at all. We may change that at the next visit. Things are looking good and we may be able to do more as Ben heals. Also he still is taking the monthly RSV shots, which gives some peace of mind.