Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Rolley Polley

Big news in the Hughes House: NOAH CAN ROLL

Well, he can roll from his tummy to his back. Hasn't made it all the way around yet.

Christmas posting coming soon!

Monday, December 7, 2009

One more thing...

I forgot to post Noah's stats from his 4 mo old appt.

13.9 lbs = 25th percentile
25 1/2 inches = 75th percentile

He is a tall skinny boy!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Thanksgiving, Popcorn, and Hotels

Thanksgiving:

We had such a fun Thanksgiving holiday with lots of family around. We went to Emory where we spent time with my whole family. And to make the holiday even better, Pete's 2 sisters, brother, and 2 cousins came to Emory to celebrate with us.

This was Noah's reaction when I told him about all the visitors he was going to have:




Here he is on the Willis farm watching all the men put together a big play fort for the kids. He was a little grumpy because he can't play on it yet.



This was the typical entertainment of the evening:




All of Noah's aunts and uncles in one place. What a lucky kid!



My little cowboy wearing his pearl snap shirt at church with Aunt Leah:



Popcorn:


We have been in Abilene over 3 years now, so the military tells us it is time to move. Off to Arkansas we go...but not before we sell our home in Abilene. The realitor came by and told us what we needed to do in order for us to get the best price: replace cabnet hardware, clean carpet, update light fixtures, touch up paint, de-clutter, clean yard, organize closets and drawers, and get rid of the POPCORN CEILING. oh dear! Our house is unrecongnizable right now with plastic, tape and white goo and powder everywhere! Thanks to all our friends who are helping out and especially Pete's brother, Tyler (aka: The Foreman).

Here is a small glimpse into the chaos:




That was once my living room. Guess who the clean-up crew is....ME!


Hotel:

A messy, dusty, cold house is no place for a baby, so Noah and I are staying at a local hotel thanks to our friend Amie for getting us a good deal. Pete and Tyler might have to sleep here a couple of nights, but mostly it is just me and NoBo. We are just practicing our adapting skills for when we move in January.

Noah is in the swing taking a nap:



This is just a bonus shot of Noah. Sometimes when Noah wakes up in the morning I lay him on the bed while I change, brush teeth, etc. He will sit there just watching TV like a big kid for a few minutes. Should I be worried that my 4 month old can already get glued to the TV? Thankfully his attention span is short.



I left Noah on my bed for a few minutes while I got breakfast and he became a chatter box, He was getting a little frustrated by the time I got the camera on him, but he gets happier in the end:

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

4 months old

Noah is now 4 months old! Where has the time gone?


My little Martian Man


Sitting in his bumbo chair.


Sitting in his high chair for the first time. He thought he was such a big boy.

Not sure he was a fan of rice cereal. A couple of days later I tried again and he gagged several times. Maybe we will give it a little more time.
Noah is very excited for Thanksgiving. He will get to meet Pete's siblings for the first time and spend time with my family.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Follow up with Cardiologist

Today Noah had a follow-up appointment with his cardiologist. Thankfully he was not stuck with a needle one time! They did an EKG and a quick echo. Both showed that he is healing very well and that all the fluid is gone from his chest. As of today he is on no more medication. Babies heal so fast. He is crying less and smiling more everyday.



Snuggling with mom


He LOVES listening to daddy play guitar. I think it is because Pete played for him while I was pregnant.





Not a quality picture, but you can see how big his incision is. Maybe I can get one in better light later.


He even decided to chuckle a little last night. Of course, by the time I got the camera out he was over it.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Noah is healing quickly!

I have some catching up to do. We got back to Abilene yesterday afternoon and we are so glad to back home! What a crazy last two weeks we have had! Noah is doing so much better. He had a quick (but difficult to watch) recovery.
He was in ICU for 4 days because of fluid that had built up in his chest. The doctors told us that they were 99% sure they would have to put a chest tube back in (more pain for Noah), but after a night of praying he was significantly cleared up the next morning. Noah had blood drawn regularly, daily chest x-rays, a echo, and two EKG's while we were there. He is so glad to be able to sleep through the night without people waking him up to poke and prod him. Noah found time to smile even when the day was rough. He has his moments where he feels bad and he lets us know it is time for pain meds, but also smiles and plays with us. He has been through more in his short 3 month life than he ever should have to endure.


First time to be fed orally. Pedialite.


Cuddling with daddy. He loved to be rocked.



One tough little man.


On the cardiac unit we were able to take him on wagon rides, which he loved.
We had a post-op appointment on Wednesday before we were able to come back home. They took more blood, did a chest x-ray, took out his chest tube stitches and took the tape off his incision. He looks so good! It seems that all this has been a little traumatic to him (obviously) and he has been very clingy to me. In the past couple of days he has wanted to eat almost non-stop. At times nursing him is the only thing that keeps him from crying. He would get really upset when laid down on a bed or changing table. However, today seems to be better and I have gotten a little freedom back. We are so relieved this ordeal is past. After dreading it for the past 3 months it is so nice to know the worst is over. I think we will spend the next couple of weeks spoiling him just because we can.
Thanks to everyone for the countless prayers, balloons, flowers, fruit, cards, college fund money, clothes, ornaments, food, hugs, and sweet words. The Hughes family is blessed with amazing friends and family.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Noah's got "Heart"

The last few days have been very eventful for our brave little Noah. We had pre-op on Friday, spent the weekend at the Willis farm with all four grandparents, mommy, and daddy. Stayed at a hotel again on Sunday night and had a 6:30am show for surgery on Monday. The surgery was very successful and Noah is healing faster than average. His heart was corrected without causing more damage. This will hopefully mean that he will not have to undergo further surgeries in the future. These pics start with the night before pre-op.



"Mom, are you kidding me with these huge swim shorts?"


"That is one huge bath tub"


"Get me out of here!"


Ahoy Matie.
His Halloween costume. Next year we will go all out.

Mommy's pirate doing some tummy time.


Getting ready for Church


Noah is wondering why he had to get up so early, but then quickly decided it was worth it to be spoiled by all his grandparents.


"Um, excuse me mommy. Did I hear you say you were taking me to the hospital?"


He tired and hungry but still looked cute in his hospital gown.

This was what he looked like when we first got to see him.



I wanted to hold him so bad!
Noah has been steadily improving. He has drank pedialite and has most recently had some breast milk. At times it seems that he is hurting pretty bad so we hold his hand and stroke his face until he calms down again. When he feels pain he jerks his arms around which makes him hurt worse. He is on a good bit of pain meds and sleeps a lot, but even when he sleeps he squirms around. He looks considerable better today and most of the lines/iv's/etc have been taken off him. He would have been taken out of icu today, but there were no beds available on the cardiac unit. We don't mind having another day of one-on-one nurse care!
Thank you for all the prayers. God answers!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Pre-op at Childrens

Yesterday Noah had his pre-op appt at Children's. It was a busy day and Noah did well considering the circumstances.
I was told not to feed him after 5am since they planned on doing a sedated echo (this was a great option since they take so long). So he ate at 5am and we were at the hospital by 8am. First off we had to strip him down to weigh and measure him. This is when he realized he was hungry. At this point he had patches stuck to each arm with numming medicine and a bag stuck to him to catch his urine. The rest of the morning he was in his diaper only for all the tests. We then had to get his chest X-rayed and blood drawn. He did not appreciate either and did not like us taking the patches off his arms either. He would fall asleep between each procedure only to be have us wake him up for another uncomfortable procedure. They then fed him yucky tasting medicine that thankfully made him fall asleep since he was not happy with us at all. They did the echo on him and I was able to feed him before they did the EKG. All confirmed Tetralogy once again. Then we met with the nurse practitioner and the surgeon. Both were very positive, personable, and helped educate us on what to expect on Monday. It was difficult to listen to all the details, but it was important to know what was going to happen to our baby.
Noah was a trouper and only got upset when he had good reason. He even tried to smile between tears at times. I don't think I will ever be 'ready' for him to have heart surgery, but I guess we are prepared to deal with it. This weekend we are going to hold him, love on him, and enjoy every second! He is surrounded by his parents and grandparents so he is getting plenty spoiled!
Thanks for all the prayers. I will post updates on here and facebook as I can next week. The main thing I do know is that God is always good.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Pumpkin Patch


We took Noah to a pumpkin patch for pictures. It was so incredibly windy and it was very sunny so it was difficult to get a good picture. He didn't seem to enjoy the trip very much, but we had fun posing with him!


Our squinty family picture. I didnt realize I was hiding Noah. Oops.


Noah and dad getting ready for church


Noah meeting his Papa Rock for the first time and getting love from his Grammy Shelley.



My sweet pumpkin

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Here's what people are saying...

Here is a list of things people are saying about Noah these days:
- look at that big smile
- He is so alert
- look at all that hair!
- He is so tiny
- He is so big
- He looks just like Pete
- He moves so much
- He is going to be big like his dad

My dad said Pete and Noah are Pete and 'Re-Pete'
A lady at a restaurant came up and said, "Well I didn't see him on the menu. I looked, but I couldn't find him."
A man told me he would buy Noah for $50

Noah has taken on a big interest in Baby Einstein and toys with lights. He loves the toy Aunt Leah and Uncle Kyle gave him that lights up. When he is really happy he squeals and even gives a short chuckle sometimes.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

One more picture...


This is Lucy. Her proud parents are our friends Michelle and Jamison. Lucy noticed that Noah was getting so much attention laying on his back, so she decided to do the same. So cute! It's hard to believe that Noah is that much bigger than Lucy when he is only 11 weeks old!

Surgery Date Change

Noah is now scheduled for surgery on November 2. Pre-op will be the previous friday, Oct 30. Please pray for: healing, comfort for all of us, wisdom for doctors, and safe travels for all the family.
Here is another picture for viewing pleasure:

Time at the Willis farm

Noah and I have spent some time at the Willis Farm with my parents lately. Noah has adjusted to Emory quite well. He is thoroughly spoiled by Grammy every evening, gets to visit Grandmother Rice and his great-great aunt Sis, snuggles in Grandaddy's big arms, and is made to feel like a Hollywood star due to all the cameras flashing. He sleeps in a closet to keep the noise level down and seems to like that as well. He wishes mom would let him check the cows with grandaddy on the 4-wheeler, but mom insists that he get a little older first.




Snuggling with mom



Noah showing off his cute outfit. My friend Kristen made it for him. She is so talented!




Grammy and Grandaddy with their grandkids all ready for bed: Ava, Noah, and Chase.



Enjoying the day rocking with Grammy



Bath time. He loves soaking in a warm bath.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Tid Bits

Today started out great with Noah and I spending some time playing and cuddling....but then we had to go to his two month check-up. The poor little guy had to get several shots and I cried along with him. But he actually handled it better than I thought he would. He slept the majority of the day after that (not sure what that means for tonight). It was sad that he did not seem to feel good today, however, with him snoozing I got so much done around the house. That was sure nice!
Here are some pictures from this morning:

Doing some "push-ups" during tummy time.



Smiling at mom


I was able to get a video of him "talking" to me. He has become so much more vocal in the last few days.

RANDOM PICS:


This is my side of the family (minus Pete...he was at AF training). We are posing at my dad's booth at the chili cook off at the Rains County Fair. He one FIRST place!! Yeah, he's pretty awesome.


This was from a couple of weeks ago. This is my friend Kami's daughter, Emory. She was born 2 days before Noah.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Heart Update


I can't believe Noah is already 2 months old! He is growing so much. We went to his appt with his cardiologist today and he weighs 11lbs, and is 24 inches long. He smiles so much during the day and is still an awesome sleeper. Most nights he sleeps 7-8 hours straight and I am super happy about this.


Noah had another EKG done today and he didn't even cry during the procedure. Dr. Day didn't mention any change in the test results. We also picked a surgery date...November 5. We will go in the day before for pre-op stuff. They said the surgery would take most of the morning and then he will be put in ICU for 3-4 days and then the cardiac unit for another 4-5 days. Pete and I are ready for this to be behind us! Thankfully Noah doesn't have a care in the world. He had a great check up and has been doing great in spite of the heart issue. Please keep us all in your prayers.


Noah and I went to my parents for a week since Pete is at a training. I will post some pics from the week later. Noah had a great time cuddling with his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. His grandaddy and Uncle Preston and Uncle Kyle even babysat him for an hour or so!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Visit from Grandmother Rice

This weekend my mom and dad decided to make a last minute trip to Abilene and brought my grandmother to meet Noah. Grandmother got to see our house for the first time as well. It was a quick, but fun trip. I loved getting to show off Noah again and his Texas grandparents loved all over him. Pete had Friday off and gets Monday off as well so we are enjoying a slow weekend of family time.
Four Generations.
After our guests left Pete and Noah watched some football together.