You know it would have been nice of us to give you an overall Mason update last week when we told you about his birthday party, but waiting another week was worth it. As Mason's next surgery was scheduled just this past week. We'll get to that shortly........As for the Mason man himself, he is doing really well right now. He recovered quickly from his stroke last month and if you saw him today you wouldn't even know he had one. We are really blessed and thankful it wasn't any more serious than it was. We have to follow-up with a neurologist in another month but we don't expect anything to come out of that. The little guy is an eating machine now. Everything in his life revolves around food. It's funny to think that as little as 2 months ago he didn't eat or take anything by mouth at all. Now all he wants to do is eat. The first thing he wants to do each morning is eat. An hour later he wants to eat again. We were trying to keep track of his calories to make sure he was getting enough but we gave that up. He is doing just fine. He is a shorty but he is thick. He has forearms a mechanic would love. I'm afraid he is showing early signs of double-chin. We will happily take that diagnosis, however.
He still loves TV and Mickey Mouse Club House. Honestly he probably watches too much TV but he loves it. He also likes Oso (I may be spelling that wrong) and Handy Manny. He even got Handy Manny's tool box for his birthday and he carries that all around the house. I comment that he is going to 'work' when he is toting it around. We actually caught him tonight sitting in front of the baby gate blocking off the stairs with his tool box. Like he was going to use it to break out. With Mason you never know........... From all of his TV watching he has started singing recently. Now the singing doesn't make much sense but it is so cute. If we can get it on tape we will upload it to his site (assuming we can figure that out!). I don't think singing professionally is in his future but he does sound better than his dad!
As for Mason's next surgery, which will be the Fontan procedure, or the 3rd and final planned surgery in this 3 stage process, it is scheduled for July 20th. We actually expected it to be sooner than that but July will come quick enough. Amy and I share the same thoughts and emotions leading up to this next surgery, and that is we don't look forward to it. We know Mason needs it, and not having it is not an option, but now that he is 2 and by all accounts seems like a normal 2 year-old, putting him through another surgery is going to be challenging at best. This 'final' surgery will not cure Mason. He will still have HLHS. He may need other surgeries down the road, he may even need a heart transplant at some point, but these surgeries give him a chance to live with his condition and a chance is all we ask for. We realize how blessed and fortunate we are to have gotten this far. We also know it wouldn't have been possible without your prayers and support, the many doctors and nurses we've seen along the way, and the many HLHS babies who came before Mason. They are the true heroes in all of this.
You know it would have been nice of us to give you an overall Mason update last week when we told you about his birthday party, but waiting another week was worth it. As Mason's next surgery was scheduled just this past week. We'll get to that shortly........As for the Mason man himself, he is doing really well right now. He recovered quickly from his stroke last month and if you saw him today you wouldn't even know he had one. We are really blessed and thankful it wasn't any more serious than it was. We have to follow-up with a neurologist in another month but we don't expect anything to come out of that. The little guy is an eating machine now. Everything in his life revolves around food. It's funny to think that as little as 2 months ago he didn't eat or take anything by mouth at all. Now all he wants to do is eat. The first thing he wants to do each morning is eat. An hour later he wants to eat again. We were trying to keep track of his calories to make sure he was getting enough but we gave that up. He is doing just fine. He is a shorty but he is thick. He has forearms a mechanic would love. I'm afraid he is showing early signs of double-chin. We will happily take that diagnosis, however. 
He still loves TV and Mickey Mouse Club House. Honestly he probably watches too much TV but he loves it. He also likes Oso (I may be spelling that wrong) and Handy Manny. He even got Handy Manny's tool box for his birthday and he carries that all around the house. I comment that he is going to 'work' when he is toting it around. We actually caught him tonight sitting in front of the baby gate blocking off the stairs with his tool box. Like he was going to use it to break out. With Mason you never know........... From all of his TV watching he has started singing recently. Now the singing doesn't make much sense but it is so cute. If we can get it on tape we will upload it to his site (assuming we can figure that out!). I don't think singing professionally is in his future but he does sound better than his dad! 
As for Mason's next surgery, which will be the Fontan procedure, or the 3rd and final planned surgery in this 3 stage process, it is scheduled for July 20th. We actually expected it to be sooner than that but July will come quick enough. Amy and I share the same thoughts and emotions leading up to this next surgery, and that is we don't look forward to it. We know Mason needs it, and not having it is not an option, but now that he is 2 and by all accounts seems like a normal 2 year-old, putting him through another surgery is going to be challenging at best. This 'final' surgery will not cure Mason. He will still have HLHS. He may need other surgeries down the road, he may even need a heart transplant at some point, but these surgeries give him a chance to live with his condition and a chance is all we ask for. We realize how blessed and fortunate we are to have gotten this far. We also know it wouldn't have been possible without your prayers and support, the many doctors and nurses we've seen along the way, and the many HLHS babies who came before Mason. They are the true heroes in all of this.
