Eating

Another note,
Please continue to pray for Carsten's eating which isn't so great! He's still getting about 80-90% tube fed. Please also pray for moms sanity and patience when trying to feed Carsten and Carsten's constant reflux, gagging, and frequent vomiting. I know that he will grow out of most of this but it is very hard to sit there and watch him cough, choke, and spit up. Thanks everyone!

The Bridges Bunch

More Pics

Okay so the last pics didn't do Carsten justice. Here are some more of our favorites:)
(I can't believe I've blogged twice in one week!)
Love to all,
Momma Bridges

OUR LITTLE PUMPKIN

Here's some cute pics of our little pumpkin! People have been asking for more pictures so here are some recent ones. Carsten is grinning constantly now, his beautiful smile just makes your day. He is very happy and such a content little boy. Last weekend we went to the Buddy Walk Fundraiser for Down Syndrome in Northwest Arkansas. Lots family and friends came and it was a great time. Its so nice to see the community that they have in that area. We are planning on attending a meeting here in Little Rock next week to generate some ideas for activities here. I'm hoping to put together a new moms group for encouragement and support. I talked with a mother at the Buddy Walk that said if she had not gotten connected with other moms in the area that she would have aborted. Its sad that almost 80% of people abort when they find out a diagnosis of Down Syndrome. Even during hard days, Carsten is still the best thing that has happened to Chad and I!

WE ARE HOME!!!

Yes, we are finally home!! We have been home for almost two weeks now and it has been wonderful! No more sleeping on pull out couches, cold pizza from the cafeteria, vitals being taken every 3 hours, alarms, tubes, wires, and more.... We are so thankful and excited to have our precious boy home. And precious he is, he started grinning and smiling last night as Chad was able to capture him with our camera. We look back at our hospital adventure and can't believe it was only 2 1/2 months, it seems like the journey was much longer than that. God has worked everything for the good with our experience there and we can see how faithful he has been. Having a child at Children's Hospital has completely changed my views of the families there and what they endure. I hope and pray that it will make me a better therapist in the future.

We will never forget the special people that we met during our stay. I can remember an 18 year old girl by herself waiting for her son to be discharged from the NICU, a mother that lost her girl after 6 months in the hospital, another family that lost their child in the NICU, and many young parents anxiously waiting day after day for their children to get well. I will also remember numerous other wonderful families with children with Down Syndrome and the same heart defect as Carsten. I hope that these relationships will continue. There were wonderful Chaplains that came often to visit, doctors and nurses that provided excellent care and compassion, and all of my supportive co-workers throughout our stay. We couldn't have gone through it without all of them and their constant presence and encouragement.

As for Carsten, he came home with a G-tube or button which required an additional surgery. It is a small device that allows for feeding directly into his stomach. Carsten did pass his swallow test, one of the happiest days of my life!! However, he is still not eating completely on his own so we are able to put the rest of the formula through the tube. As a therapist, I used to believe that G-tubes were the enemy! I have come to realize that they are actually a life saver and provide a safe and easy way for him to get all of his nutrition. Thanks to the G-tube and Carsten's progressive eating, he has gained weight and is now over 10 pounds! He finally can fit in all of his 0-3 month outfits.

We are hoping to start therapy soon and from what we can see, everything from here on appears to be very positive!!

Love and blessings,
The Bridges Family