Pictures from Stage 2, the Glenn
Pictures from Stage 3, the Fontan Please note - these pictures, for the most part, are "safe". If you're interested in post-op pictures from the Norwood, please email us at us@babysamson.com for access.
Doctor Visits
Fontan
General Updates
Glenn
Life with Sammy
Norwood
Other HLHS families
Support
Surgery & Recovery
Surprises
Test Results
Worrying
Four years old
Happy holidays!
Home, home, home!
Recovery
Unexpected Open Heart Surgery
Fenestration-closing cath
One year post-Fontan!
NSTAR's Walk for Children's Hospital Boston
3 years old & cardiology visit
Wild Man
Update and Santa
Blue episodes and a cardiology appointment today
Ellie's Fontan
Post-Fontan Cardiology Visit
"You've gotta just let him be."
Sammy's Recovery from the Fontan
Life Post-Fontan
Bump from home
We are home!
Fontanized - Day 6 Update
Day 4 Post-Op 2:30pm Update
Fontanized, Day 4 Post-Op
Bump #2 - Pneumothorax
Little Bump
Fontan Post-Op, Day 2
Extubated!
Fontan Post-Op Update
Fontan Day
Fontan Pre-op Done
Checking in
Update, 2 years old, Fontan date, more
And we're free!
Pre-Fontan cath DONE.
Cath Day
Day 1, Pre-Fontan Cath Prep
Pre-Fontan cath
Twenty-three months: chatterbox, the holidays and the cath
Twenty-two months
Cardiology visit
Eighteen months
Seventeen months
Early Intervention Assessment
Fourteen month update
Miles for Miracles - Together in Heart.
Sedated echo
Look who's one!
One year.
11 1/2 months old!
Almost 10 months old!
Cardiologist Visit
Just about nine months!
Who is this kid, and what did you do with my baby?
Eight months old!
7 months old!
Coming up on 7 months
Six month update
Post-op Checkup & Life post-Glenn
And we're outta here!
Waiting to go home & a few firsts...
Truckin' along
Step-Down!
And the lines are OUT!
Happy updates
Post-Glenn, Day 4
Post-Glenn, Day 3
Post-Glenn, Post-Bronchial Spams, Day 3
Not fun - post-Glenn, night 2
Post-Glenn, Day 2
Post-Glenn, Day 2 - morning
Post-Glenn, Day 1, part 2
Post-Glenn, Day 1
He's out!
In surgery - updates
the wait
The night before the Glenn
Preparing for the Glenn
Update & Surgery
Milk Allergy Fun
Chatty Sammy
Cath Hospitalization
Catheterization
Gasmonster!
Teaching Sammy about the world.
Miles for Miracles
First bath!
Gassy infant prodigy
Rockin' Sammy
Revelations about mamahood
Babymoon, Part 2
Babymoon, Part 1
Home Sweet Home
Discharged!
Rumor has it...
Stepdown, Day 2
We have step down!
Today was pretty mellow
No step-down for you
Time to buy stock in St. Joseph's
One step closer
Extubation!
One step at a time
Done with the closing
Chest Closing
Birth story
Chest Closing & Mama in Triage
Recovery
Out of Surgery
Welcome, Sammy!
Samson Arrives
Labor update
Of due dates and inductions
Baby Grace
Snow baby?
Welcome to the jungle
Getting closer...
37 1/2 week update
Fighting the bad thoughts
Getting bigger - and closer!
31 weeks with Dr. Brown, CHB
31 Week Appt. w/ Dr. Johnson
One big monkey!
Starting to Get Ready
30 Weeks and Full-blown Panic
Silly Pregnant Lady
27 Week Visit
Fears
EFO Shout Out
Weird Pains & an Early Morning Trip to the Hospital
Fetal Echo at Boston Children's Hospital
DiGeorge's - Negative!
Evil Genetics Counselor
Full amnio results
22 weeks and Life Now
Pediatric Cardiologist
Redefining Normal
FISH Results
Embarrassing the poor boy already
The Baby's Name
Post-Amnio
Pre-amnio, Baby痴 name riddle
Reiki energy, and not being alone
Friends and Tarzan
Trying to get through the day
The diagnosis
Trying to stay positive
Pre-Diagnosis
I can't be the only mama who breaks into Pearl Jam every time she sees the Evenflo bottles.
Ha! Take that, minivan soccer mama creeping up inside! I AM a ROCKSTAR mama! I sing Pearl Jam and cool songs to my baby! Folk music! Jazz! Classic rock! No Baby Einstein midi crap in this house, no matter how good their marketing!
(Heh. Sleep deprivation, anyone?)
The last couple of days have been a blur of sleep and not enough sleep, pumping, feeding, changing diapers, smothering kisses, tagteaming nighttime feedings, calming (or trying to) tears, counting up ounces eaten, doing laundry, washing bottles, sterilizing everything, watching him find his reflection in the mirror, pediatrician visits (two since we came home, cardiologist visit today), waiting for his smile to let us know he's falling asleep, trying to find the perfect way to rest my hand on his chest to make sure he's breathing without waking him up, breaking into randomly created songs about poop and how much we love him (though not always in the same song), making up new nicknames like Doodlemuffin and Muffinhead (though he's a Doodle through and through), creating an entire new vocabulary (nummienolas = food, noonie = pacifier), worrying and crying about what the future holds - and then kicking myself in the arse and reminding myself to take in the moment as he is right now (because he's just freaking AWESOME in every possible way), and generally just loving the crap out of him.
(Of course, if I had said that out loud, I'd immediately cover his ears as I said the word "crap" - after all, I used to give my students a hard time if they cursed in front of my pregnant belly, claiming that I would hunt them down if my baby's first word was any of the words they were spewing. Nevermind that mama's the Queen Trucker Mouth when someone cuts her off in traffic. Whatever.)
Anyway, I hear little Doodle stirrings - sounds like time for breakfast. Good thing mama managed to scarf hers down (AND pump AND get his meds ready AND pack for the trip to the doctor AND make up some bottles) all while he was snoozing. Go mama with your bad, sleep-deprived, Pearl-Jam-singin' self!
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This Hope for HLHS site belongs to Erika, Jason & Samson
I heard an interview with one of the Marsalis boys recently - I can't remember which one now (whichever one plays the sax)... Anyway, someone called in and was wondering about how to get kids interested in music. He was a new parent and didn't want to force piano lessons or the like and make the kid resent good music.
Marsalis said that what he and his wife did when they had their children was to get rid of the television and just play music all the time - none of that "Baby Einstein crap" as you mentioned. He would just play jazz and classical.
His daughter never got into playing an instrument but she became obsessed with the Nutcracker suite for about six months. She then decided that she was tired of it and wouldn't listen to it anymore.
Since she wasn't interested in playing an instrument and she didn't talk about music much, he wasn't sure if she was really "getting it"...
Until one day he was driving in the car and the classical station was on... his daughter was in the back and a piece came on - he said which one, but I forget now. He had no idea what it was, but they his six-year-old pipes up from the back, "Daddy, this sounds really similar to part x of the Nutcracker suite".
He hadn't realized it, but it was the same key and a similar structure to some part of the Tchaikovsky recording - but his daughter picked up on it right away.
I don't know... just rambling I guess.
Between you and Jay, I have no doubt that Samson will be exposed to a wealth of good art.
Anyway, he looks great and we're happy for you guys. Don't worry about all the unimportant stuff - that stuff will always be around.
Talk to you soon
Posted by: Curt at March 27, 2006 3:27 PM