2hearts - archive

Cade

August 16, 2006
Morning by morning new mercies I see...
Great is His Faithfulness.

Why is it that very long days are usually followed by very short nights? Something is not right with that!

We have great news! God is good, and Baby Cade is doing great! He got to start eating last night around 10, and has been able to keep it down so far. They will begin removing some of the tubes this afternoon, and anticipate that he should be able to move down to the next unit sometime tomorrow. Bre and Billy were able to get a bit of rest last night, and they will need it in the days to come. They are keeping him as comfortable as possible, but his little moans and groans just tug at our hearts.

Thank you all for your messages. They are such an encouragement to this family. Our journey is made easier by the love you have shown us. We are blessed beyond words to have you in our lives

August 15, 2006 at 10:25 AM CDT
Here we are.
Sooner that we anticipated, but trusting completely that God's timing is perfect.

8 AM
They came and took our Baby Cade. He had lots of kisses for mommy and daddy. They were unable to get IV lines in last night so we were told that there would be about an hour delay in order to get the work done and for to be delivered from the bank. We are told to expect a 6 to 7 hour operation.
9 AM
The update nurse told us that they had one line in and Cade was already sleeping. Dr Fraser wants a line in his leg, but the nurse said, "He's got some chunky little legs there!" We took that as a complement. We have worked very hard to get him that way!
10 AM
Dr Fraser came to say hi and to let us know that they are ready to begin as soon as he arrives. One good piece of news is that they will not have to do anything with the part that had the angioplasty. This will take an hour or so off the surgery time.

We will use this same post to update through the day. Please check back with us. We covet your prayers today. Once again, we are holding on to the vision of our Baby Cade nestled safely in the arms of our Almighty Father. We will sit at His feet, and watch God be God.

12 PM
They have just gotten through the scar tissue and breast bone. The nurse reports that the scar tissue was not that bad. He is being hooked up to the bypass machine. She also told us that if the Glenn (the name of this procedure) is all that has to be done then the heart will not have to be stopped.
2:30 PM
They are done! They are in the process of closing him back up and he should be in CICU in about an hour. The nurse reports that everything went very smoothly. Dr Fraser will be in to talk to us soon and we will have more detail then.
Thank you all for your prayers today. We have truly felt His presence with us this day. God has been the strength of our hearts. We praise Him.

August 14, 2006
Dear Prayer warriors. Bre and I ask that you keep Cade in your thoughts and prayers throughout the day and week to come. We took Cade back to the ER at TCH today because he had not been acting quite himself. A visit to his pediatrician earlier in the day confirmed his saturation levels were a bit low. The cardiologist team has decided that it is no longer safe for him to be at home with these levels. They consulted with the surgeons and have decided to schedule his surgery for tomorrow morning. This is 10 days earlier than we had been expecting. Of course there is no way to really prepare for this type of situation. This surgery will be harder for us because our love for him grows more and more every day.
Please pray for the surgeons hands and God's grace and mercy to rest on Cade. He is so very precious to all of us.

August 6, 2006

Last weeks visit with Dr Fraser was like starting the countdown clock. We knew that this day was coming, and while we should be so very thankful that he has this next chance, it does not make it easier. It is hard when we look at the pictures from January, but we know that God is big enough to see us through it yet again.

Our prayers now are that Baby Cade will continue to otherwise stay healthy. And we pray that the peace that passes all understanding will be on us. We love all of our carepage family members. We are so thankful that God has sent you to along on our journey of faith.

July 20, 2006
Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!
Cade has started to return all those kisses he has been given, and we are loving it. He can roll over and sit alone for a few seconds. He is doing so good, and we are enjoying what is probably peace before a storm. They have an appointment with Dr. Fraser monday afternoon to discuss the next operation. We pray that Bre and Billy will be able to find comfort and peace in the discussion that will take place. As we countdown the days to August 24th, we will keep our eyes on Jesus. He is walking with us along our path.

July 04, 2006
Ashley - Corbin - Jake - Lindsay .
Our HLHS Heart Family has lost 4 more in the last week. Please remember their families in your prayers.
It would be so easy to move into fear at times like these. But instead we will choose to live life in the way that God has taught us to live since Baby Cade came into our world. We will enjoy every smile and coo. We will hold him all day long and watch him sleep in the night. We will sing songs of faith and praise for the gift that God has given our family. We will be thankful for this day, this hour, this moment. I believe that is the way it is supposed to be anyway.
The date for the next surgery (called the bidirectional Glenn) is August 24. We will meet with Dr Fraser the last week of July for consultation. Happy 4th of July. Thank God for Freedom. Not only in our country, but also for the freedom that He gives His children.

June 23, 2006
Home Sweet Home!

There's no place like it! They were able to do the echo this morning without sedating so Baby Cade is now back on his own turf. His case will be presented Monday, so we will have an idea about what comes next later in the week. Until then, we will do what we have come to treasure...sing, laugh, hug, kiss and praise our awesome God for His blessings to us.

June 22, 2006
"I will put my trust in You - I will put my hope there too..."

They began the cath procedure this morning at 7:30. The update at 8:30 was that everything was going well. They were able to get the line in (the first hurdle) with minimal difficulty.

I will come back and edit this post as I receive word. Please check back later, and thank you for your prayers.

"I will stand upon Your word and I will not be shaken..."

10:30 Update
Everything is still going very good, and both parents seem to be doing fine also. They were told that it could be a very long day, but I think they have God's grace to see them through it. Thank you so much for your beautiful and encouraging posts yesterday and today. Unless you have been here, and we know some of you have, you have no idea how much these messages mean to us. How very like our God to send in the reserves at just the right time!

"I will let my praises show - holding on the what I know..."

2:30 Update:
The cath is done, and Bre was pleased to report that the doctor said it was very successful. His little arch had narrowed and they were able to open it up with the little balloon thingy. (Great use of medical terminology there) Because this extra procedure had to be done Cade will remain in the hospital through tomorrow and Billy and Bre will take turns watching over Cade as he returns to his sweet little self. They want to do a sedated echo tomorrow.
We are so thankful to our Father for keeping His eyes on Baby Cade this day, and every day. And again, we thank you for your prayers for us.

"For I know that You are here, and I will not be shaken."

June 10, 2006
5 Months old!
We received a call this week with a date for Cade's catheterization - Thursday, June 22. It is our understanding that after that is done our cardiologist and surgeon will meet and determine the date of the next surgery. Again, we have very mixed emotions going into this. We know this is the next step, and we also know and trust that because we are walking in the footsteps Jesus has walked before us, the pathway has already been made for us.

We have enjoyed a time of rest during our journey. It has given us a time to sit and look back along the trail and see how very blessed we have been. We look back and see patches of bluebonnets to sit in. We see places all along the way that God placed someone in our path to ease our load and encourage us onward. We see the turns that we fretted making, and from this place on the mountain we see that they were just curves in the road. God has paved our way, and He has been our guide all along.

Baby Cade has started reaching for things. He absolutely adores his brothers, and the slightest touch on his little legs tickles him. His new favorite song is "Moon River" - especially the huckleberry friend part. I love his laugh and the smile that he always has for the one paying him attention. Yes, we are truly blessed.

May 28, 2006
We have been on a rollercoaster ride of emotions this week. Last Sunday our hearts were full of unspeakable joy - this Sunday, unbelievable sorrow. One of our little HLHS heart buddies, Noah, was taken away to the arms of Jesus last Friday. He was just a little over 2 years old. His mother, Corrie, is one of the founders of the "It's My Heart" family support group in Houston. She was the first to call Bre and offer hope and encouragement after Cade was born. We had great plans to get in on the group activities as soon as it was safe for Cade to get out. We feel that we have been robbed because we never got to meet him. Please remember this precious family in your prayers this week. (carepage:noahpaul)

It is so hard at times like this to not enter into fear for Cade. We have to remember that our hope is in the Lord and we must use this time to let our faith grow. I know in my heart that the story of Cade's life has already been written. We will read each chapter as it is revealed. And because we have hope I also know exactly what the last page will read.
...And the Father said, "Welcome home my child!" and Cade ran into the arms of God.
It is the same ending that my story will have.

May 23, 2006
God WILL provide!

We are part of the most awesome church family! This last Sunday they demonstrated their love for us and for Baby Cade in a HUGE way. We were able to go to church for the first time since Cade was born and the picture is what the back of Billy's truck looked like after church.

After showing us a beautiful video of Cade's life so far, the children of the church marched in carrying diapers, wipes, formula and other "Waters Family essentials" to us. The body of Christ that attends Faith West Church in Katy gave us coupons, gift certificates and financial offerings. We even had someone arrange to pay a months premium of our health insurance! But above all of these "things" they re-committed themselves to continue to pray and stand with us through the days to come, and our heart families out there know that that is a commitment for life!

We have been trying since Sunday afternoon to find the best words and phrases that would adequately describe our thanks. We can not even come close to expressing our feelings. We are SO overwhelmed and feel such love. How very blessed we are that Father God used this wonderful part of our family to show His faithfulness to us. We praise Him!

I was so blessed by something Bre told me Sunday afternoon. With the mountain of diapers on the floor in front of them (we are front row Joe's!) she said she tried so hard to listen to Gary's sermon but just couldn't because her "heart was giggling" all through church. It has been quite a while since her heart giggled. That was God's biggest gift to me. The God of the Hypoplastic Heart is also the God of the Giggling Heart, and God's Heart is for His own.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Faith West Church. We can't wait till our little Cade is running around the sanctuary and splashing in the fountain with the rest of the kids.

May 17, 2006
Our visit today confirmed what we knew was coming. The echo showed that the heart (right side) had good function. Dr Mott wants to go ahead and do a cath in the next few weeks. We were not able to get an exact date for this procedure because they are booked solid through June. The scheduler will have to work him in somehow. Once this is done, Dr Mott and Dr Fraser will go over the info and determine when the next operation will be done.

So, until then, we do what has become "normal" to us: watch his coloring, breathing, and eating, and hug him and kiss him and enjoy his little laugh all the while thanking God for the blessing of Cade.

May 15

Our May 31st cardiologist appointment has been moved up to this coming Wednesday. Cade had very low pulse and oxygen levels at his 4 month check-up last week and his pediatrician was concerned enough to contact Dr Mott. We were told that these levels indicate that he has probably outgrown his shunt, and we were expecting this to happen. What this means is that the Glenn (second surgery) is near. This weekend I noticed that he is becoming tired during his feeds. (He is taking about 4 ounces each time which is very good for a HLHS baby, but the hard breathing afterwards is not.) Other than that Cade is acting just like any other normal baby. He coos, and smiles, and laughs out loud. He is truly fascinated with his hands. So much so in fact, that sometimes his eyes cross while staring at them!

Please be in prayer for Cade on Wednesday. Our prayer will be for wisdom for Dr Mott and Dr Fraser to know exactly the perfect time for Cade's surgery. I also ask that you remember Billy and Bre during this time as they face "putting this precious boy in other HUMAN hands". Our peace comes from KNOWING that ultimately Baby Cade is still in God's hands, and that God is the One that loves him even more than we do.

April 20, 2006
How does it feel to hold a miracle in your hands? There are no words that can describe it fully.

I had a very special sleep-over visitor last night! Baby Cade acts as if nothing out of the ordinary happened this week. I kept getting up through the night just to make sure he was really here and each time I knew I was looking at a miracle. How very blessed we are.

We want to thank you again for your prayers and your messages to us. We are constantly amazed at the number of people that check this site daily. I am printing all of them out for Cade to read when he gets old enough to understand the miracle that his little life is.

48 April 19, 2006 at 12:22 PM CDT
The doctors are going to let us come home this evening. Yeah! Cade's meds have been changed up and we are back to feeding every 3 hours. In addition to this we will need to watch him sleep for a few minutes and count his breaths. (Grammy volunteers for that job. Watching him sleep is one of my favorite things to do!) We will have to check in with Dr Mott more frequently and go back on what we call High Alert against germs and such. We are so thankful to God for the quick recovery/short hospital visit. We are thankful for you, our family, that has stood with us against this tide.

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