We are home!

This will be a short post but we are home. Thank you University of Michigan! Thank you friends and family! Thank you Granny and Mamma for being there in Michigan and helping out with Mia and with the chores at the Ronald McDonald house. We couldn't have done it without you. We will use the next couple of days to settle back in at home, rest, eat decent food, and prepare for next week when life returns to 'normal'. Mason is doing well tonight and he has already positioned himself for a good nights sleep. He loves you all and he too says 'thank you'.

Heading Home

Kansas here we come. Mason was discharged this afternoon. We actually won't be leaving Ann Arbor until tomorrow morning, so we won't be home-home until Wednesday at the earliest. Mason is out of the hospital though and that is all that counts!

As always we appreciate all of the love, support, and prayers all of you have given us over the last 2 years. We wouldn't have been able to make it to this point without it. We are also blessed to have Mason. Who through 3 reconstructive heart surgeries, pulmonary hypertension, paralyzed diaphragm, a disease with no cure or prognosis, etc......continues to remind us each day that the most important thing in life is being happy. For today is the most important one off all. Fortunately for all of us Mason's happiness is contagious!

Now we head home and continue to love Mason each and every day and hope that he continues to grow and develop like a normal little boy. Again there is no cure for HLHS nor is there a prognosis. The University of Michigan however has given Mason a chance and that is all we could ask for.

Chest tube free!!!!!

Mason's last chest tube came out today, accidentally, but it is out. They were going to remove it tomorrow morning but little fingers played a role in getting it removed today. So..........He is scheduled for an xray tomorrow and a discharge echo on Monday. If all goes well he will be discharged on Monday. Let's hope that is the case! As mom and dad are getting tired of eating hospital food! Mason as always remains in great spirits. He's even turned into a little ladies man. Handing out hugs to the nurses like candy at Halloween. Who can blame him though, he's too darn cute and he knows the nurses won't say no.

One chest tube out and pink fingernails

One chest tube down, one to go. They pulled one of Mason's last two chest tubes yesterday. Ironically his draining has picked back up so it doesn't look like they will be pulling the other one anytime soon. Or at least not today or tomorrow. His O2 levels look great, however, which is awesome. That can be seen in his pink fingernails. Yes pink fingernails! One thing kids with Mason's condition have is lower O2 levels and with each surgery those levels get a little better and closer to normal. Right now he sitting in the 90 to 92% range. Never has he been that high before and it is good to see a 9 in that first number. Okay back to the wild man. He says bye.

Mason is so close to getting his chest tubes out, and the word "home" was even mentioned the other day, but after a very active day yesterday his draining actually picked back up. So we continue to sit and wait patiently. All the while Mason is turning into a wild man in his crib - especially after last night. He may actually pull the tubes out himself!

Mamma left this morning to go back to Kansas but Granny is flying in today to take her place and help out with Mia. Fortunately for her today is our day off at the Ronald McDonald House. So no chores for Granny today! : ) We hope everything is going well back home. Mason is watching Handy Manny in his crib as we type and talking up a storm. Hopefully the baby next to us is able to sleep through this!

Getting better

Mason continues to get better. At this point he is definitely back to being himself. Which includes melting down any time a doctor or nurse comes around. Needless to say his blood pressure is high anytime they try to take it so mom and dad have stepped in to help out. We are earning honorary nursing degrees as we go through this.

He loves getting out for walks and stroller rides. I think the hospital loves seeing him walk around too because he is so animated. The kid loves exit signs and will point each one out and say "exit sign". He also enjoys the automatic sliding glass doors next to the elevators. He gets so excited when they open up. He does what we like to call the happy feet dance. The walking also helps with his chest tube drainage, which continues to slow down. We are getting close to getting those tubes out. Fingers crossed!

Mason is continuing to get better and as you can see he is up and walking around. He would probably take off running if we let him. We are taking him out for a walk and/or stroller ride a couple times a day. Or as we call it "exit sign world tours" as the kid loves exit signs. His rash is getting better too but its still there and bothering him. All in all he is doing really well. It's great to be able to get him out and about. It helps with both his and our spirits. Now we just need his chest tubes to quit draining before we can go home. It's a waiting game at this point.
Thanks for the continued prayers and support. We feel the love in Ann Arbor.