Friday was a busy day, with visits to the cardiologist and pediatrician. James weighs 9 pounds now, a progression that made his docs very happy. We'll set up a consultation with a nutritionist soon as well. The more he grows before his next surgery, the better off he'll be. Normally a child his age should be around 11-13 pounds. Less is expected, considering his heart condition, but while 9 is fine it leaves plenty of room to grow.
Surgery #2, the Glenn Procedure or Hemi-Fontan, usually occurs in children like James between the age of 4-6 months. The timing depends on how long the initial shunt from surgery #1 holds up. When it wears out and/or he grows out of it, his oxygen levels will begin to fall and surgery #2 will be planned. James' heart was performing well as of Friday! So no date has been set, and it could theoretically be as late as early 2013. However, if he shows any signs that his stats are beginning to fall in the coming weeks, then his docs will likely operate a bit sooner so as to avoid flu season.
We interpret this to mean that surgery around Thanksgiving or shortly thereafter is likely. We'll keep you updated.
Aside from his weight, he looks great to the docs and is progressing well both physically and mentally. He concentrates, reacts to stimuli around him, and is starting to grab things. He is 'talking' more and seems to speak some sort of alien dialect - clicks and squeaks that I can't reproduce.
In non-baby-related news, we have our wedding photos back! There are too many to share online so we have a bit of sifting through to do, but we'll hopefully tackle that in the next few days. A website with pictures will thus be available and shared with you all soon :)
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