The Grant Boys

Spring pics

2010-04-27T18:25:00.003-05:00

Our good friend Emily Joy Gresham took some amazing pics of the boys in front of our blooming azaleas. My grandfather always took pictures of us at Easter time in front of his pink azalea bushes. Such a great memory!

march 2010 Dwelling

2010-03-01T14:01:00.002-06:00

Our Avondale farmhouse gets some extra special attention! Click below to see the Birmingham Magazine article that is out this month!

march 2010 Dwelling

Snow Day!

2010-03-01T13:54:00.003-06:00

February brought our fourth snow in the past 12 months! Crazy! The boys are pros at suiting up in the ski gear to play in the yard.

Valentine's Day

2010-03-01T13:48:00.004-06:00

The Grant boys painted and cut their own special valentines for their grandparents and a few favorite friends. Then they were surprised by yummy heart treats with their names on them (notice the big B and little b:)

January's homemade ice storm!

2010-03-01T13:39:00.002-06:00

Jerry built an ice sculpture/cold day playfort for the boys! Quite an adventure!

Sweets with Santa

2009-11-25T10:17:00.002-06:00

Our CG boys enjoy Sweets with Santa at the Junior League Market...

Halloween

2009-11-24T11:52:00.004-06:00

The boys enjoyed Halloween at the pumpkin patch at school and Boo at the Zoo. By Halloween their Batman and Robin costumes were pretty worn!

Auburn Game

2009-11-24T11:28:00.003-06:00

First day at school

2009-08-20T22:21:00.003-05:00

Benjamin and his new friend Lawson take a little catnap after lunch.

The boys with their packs!

Barrett is so excited to have brother at his school two mornings a week. Benjamin isn't sure what he thinks yet.

B's classroom.

B is sporting his new Batman backpack. Momma is trying to embrace superheros...

Auburn Kickoff!

2009-08-20T22:12:00.003-05:00

Barrett, Logan and Hutchins enjoy some Aubie time!

Benjamin doesn't know what to think about Aubie!

Brothers B

2009-08-08T08:32:00.002-05:00

Summer fun!

2009-07-29T15:05:00.006-05:00

The day at McWain!

Triangle Park

Popsicles on the porch!

Benjamin's first jet ski ride at the lake!

Zurburts!

2009-06-18T16:07:00.002-05:00

Benjamin at Children's

2009-05-14T11:17:00.002-05:00

Benjamin recovers from tubes and eye duct balloon in a fancy new ride at Children's. Note the doctors initials over his left eye...just to make sure they didn't get confused:)

Benjamin was SOOOO excited to be home! And the surgeries didn't slow him down much at all that is for sure! Here he shows off his new walk/run!

Thanks to all our friends and family who prayed for the procedures. We had an amazing team at Children's and they took such great care of us!

Benjamin turns one (on March 27th)!!!

2009-03-13T23:21:00.013-05:00

I can't believe little Benjamin is one! What a year! Benjamin was born on March 27th at 5:00 p.m. and by 10:00 p.m. he was on his way to Children's hospital to have surgery for his TEF repair (see blog post from last march for details). Children's Hospital was an amazing home to Benjamin for the first two weeks of his life and so for his first birthday we have asked family and friends to consider supporting a Children's hospital need.

When we called up our friend John Stone with Children's Hospital and asked what gift we could contribute in honor of Benjamin's birthday he said a great need was providing Simon the Loving Lion and story book to each Children's Hospital patient. Above in the images (and below by clicking the web link) you will see information on this precious little Lion. We were definitely aware of Simon's presence as he sat at Benjamin's foot in the NICU. It had his name written on it and the name of the family that we know prayed for the health of the child that would receive this cuddly fellow.

If you would like to contribute towards one of these lions or purchase a lion you simply fill out the form above (you can copy and print the last page...it is a jpeg) or see the Children's hospital website at http://www.chsys.org/body.cfm?id=475. You can send the form in or you can give Jerry or me any donations or forms and we will make sure the lions are purchased in honor of Benjamin and his first birthday. Our Simon now sits in the nursery and is a constant reminder of the amazing grace our God had on our sweet boy. We are so thankful for his successful surgery and for the impact Children's hospital has had on our family.

Jerry was nominated to Children's Hospitals Committee for the Future where he, along with 35 other young professionals are engaged in opportunities to understand, promote and become ambassadors for this fabulous hospital. We hope everyone reading this never has to have a loved one at Children's. But if you do you will be amazed at the care and love you will receive.

So, Happy Birthday to our unbelievable little miracle, Benjamin Everett Grant! Checkout the upper left-hand corner of the blog for a slideshow of some favorite first year pics of Benjamin!

Snow Day!

2009-03-03T15:07:00.010-06:00

Disney!

2009-02-14T13:09:00.003-06:00

Just back from SLAH kickoffs in Orlando where we stayed a couple of extra days to enjoy Disney with the boys! So much fun! Here are a few pics.

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-01-05T21:15:00.010-06:00

We enjoyed seeing family and friends in Atlanta and Birmingham for Christmas. Jerry was off for two weeks so the boys had tons of time "wrestling" with daddy and many pancake breakfasts. Barrett's favorite new toy is his John Deere Gator (a gift from grandmama and granddaddy)...he is really a great little driver...but momma still gasps when he shifts into second gear and speeds around the yard! Another favorite santa gift is his train "dress" aka train conductor outfit. Aunt Julie gave him a great Pirate outfit that has been worn constantly...the plastic sword has been in "time out" since Dec. 26th. Benjamin just enjoyed all the paper and ribbons of coarse. Unfortunately sweet little man got his first stomach bug on Christmas eve...momma followed on Christmas day. Other than that!!! we had a GREAT christmas season. Here are a few pics...

Fall Pics

2009-01-05T21:10:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pics of the boys in November...the pony is from Mary Slayden and Ally's b'day party...a Pink Pony party...hence the pony having a pink spray-painted mane. It was B's first time on a horse. And a few brother pics at home.

Halloween at the Grants

2009-01-05T21:04:00.002-06:00

I'm catching up on the blog after two months spending way too much time on facebook and not enough updated this blog. Here are some pics of the boys from halloween.

Family Pics

2008-10-24T14:26:00.003-05:00

We spent saturday with my friend Jessica Chapman taking pics of the family. Benjamin is 6 months old and B just turned 3. The pictures are so beautiful...Jessica always does such a great job. She has a great website...www.jessidesignstudio.com if you want to see more of her work. One of my favorites is the picture of Benjamin's scar on his back from his TEF repair when he was born...we will definitely be sending that one to his surgeon...wow it really is so amazingly subtle. Hope everyone is well...melanie and jerry

A day on the plains!

2008-10-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

Benjamin enjoyed his first Auburn game (even though it wasn't much of a game unfortunately). Brother Barrett loved every minute of the day and had such a great time with his pals the Finches hanging out in Auburn!

Trip to the pumpkin patch

2008-10-12T21:56:00.006-05:00

We headed to Calera to ride the train to the pumpkin patch! So much fun...

Yummmmm!!!

2008-09-27T22:21:00.005-05:00

Benjamin turns 6 months old today and we celebrated with pureed food! He had oatmeal and pears for breakfast and green beans for dinner. He didn't seem to love the taste of it all (as you can see by the look on his face)...but he loved being big like Barrett and using a spoon.

Sitting Pretty

2008-09-20T13:14:00.006-05:00

Benjamin is enjoying a new view of his little world. He started sitting up by himself this week and is loving life! He doesn't even mind when Barrett knocks him over when he "plays" with him. Benjamin continues to be such a trooper! He will be six months old the end of next week...can't believe it!

Barrett turns 3!

2008-09-04T10:27:00.006-05:00

We celebrated B's 3rd birthday with lots of friends and lots of monkeys! He LOVES curious George so we decided to surround ourselves with little monkey friends for the big day! The banana monkey cake (made with the help of our friend Judi...see the video) and little monkey cupcakes were a hit and Barrett loved wearing his monkey mask (and still hasn't taken it off!).

All the brothers...

2008-09-03T12:32:00.010-05:00

Jerry's brother Jeff (who lives in NYC) and Pat (who lives in Raleigh, NC) flew home for the weekend to celebrate Barrett and grandpa grant's birthdays. So all four of the Grant boys were in b'ham at the same time which rarely happens. You will see lots of pics of cousins and uncles playing the Wii (Barrett is pretty dominant in a game of Wii boxing!). This was Jeff's first time to meet Benjamin who turned five months old this week. MC, Julia and Emily Grant rotated turns holding Benjamin...who loved every minute of his visit with his cousins. A great weekend together...we are thankful for our family.

Four-month old Benjamin

2008-07-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

Benjamin turns four months old and big brother Barrett is loving his new playmate. Benjamin weighed in at 15lbs. 8oz. at his checkup! He is in the 90th percentile for height and 70th for weight. Big healthy fella. Give me an esophagus and watch me grow!!! We say that a lot around our house.

Big news at our house is potty training with B....big fun. You will see a pic of B at the lake house on his homemade stool (thanks to Granddaddy). We watch the potty movie, we talk about the potty, we hang out in the bathroom and read books and try to go potty...we are all about the potty...and we celebrate success with M&M's!

Lots of fun play pics including a few with our friend Sally who is one of B's favorite friends...and Benjamin in a few of his new apparatuses...what in the world did they do before they invented these things!

Holiday Week

2008-07-07T15:10:00.004-05:00

We spent the fourth of July weekend resting at the lake. But before we left town Benjamin had another hearing test at Children's and his first visit to the HEAR clinic (which is a specialized division of Children's focusing on children with hearing loss). You will see the pic above of Benjamin all hooked up for the test. He looks REALLY happy about it huh...I know...the pictures are not in order...but I am still not really good at the blog thing...but I'm trying.

Thankfully Benjamin's hearing loss was the same as the last test...perfect in the right ear and mild/moderate loss in left ear. We have decided not to use any type of hearing device in the one ear with loss after consulting with both an ENT and the HEAR folks who said they feel it is not necessary. Benjamin does qualify for early intervention through the state since he does have some loss so they will be coming to do home visits and monitoring both his hearing and speech. They will monitor him till he is 3 years old which is so reassuring to have another person watching him closely to make sure the loss does not cause any delay in his speech.

The fourth of July was so much fun at Lake Wedowee with Grandmama and Granddaddy Gooden. Barrett was like a little tadpole and we had to pull him out of the water to sleep and eat. He also loved riding the jet ski with his dad. Benjamin loved the lake and thanks to a few battery operated fans he was able to be outside in the shade with the rest of the fam. Barrett LOVED being in charge of Benjamin's fans as you will see in the pics. Samford (our black lab) is now in recovery mode after a weekend of constant swimming and chasing tennis balls. He is 7-years-old but you would never know it when there is water or a ball around. He finally passed out in the car on the way home and has moved a little slow since then...probably a combination of being sore and being a little depressed to be back to our boring house.

3-month old Benjamin!

2008-06-27T15:11:00.006-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it! Already three months old. Barrett and little brother had a big day celebrating by having friends over to play and then going swimming at the pool! Benjamin is sleeping a lot right now and growing a ton! He is probably about 14pounds and is smiling and talking all the time.

Barrett (who says so many words it is scary!) calls Benjamin "Brother" and tells him how much he loves him (as he hugs him way too tight)! We are thankful he is doing well and we head back to Children's next week for hearing checkups. So far the hearing loss in one ear seems so minimal that we will just be watching it.

Here is a fun picture of B and our friend Carla Jean on a "date night." CJ is sweet to take him to family night at Chick-fil-a and he loved having his face painted and all the yummy ice cream! That is what I call a fun date!!!

Baptism day/Father's day

2008-06-16T21:24:00.007-05:00

We celebrated Father's day with family and friends as we also baptized Benjamin at Red Mountain Church.

Barrett's favorite part of Benjamin's baptism was singing the song "I am Jesus Little Lamb" that we sing in honor of Lawson Finch at every Red Mountain Baptism.

The words to the song are "I am Jesus little lamb, Ever glad at heart I am; For my Shepherd gently guides me, Knows my need and well provides me, Loves me every day the same, Even calls me by my name." I don't think Barrett missed a word (we sing it a lot around here). It was a precious day for our family and we are so thankful for all the amazing friends who have supported us and prayed for Benjamin's health since he was born.

2 month old Benjamin!

2008-05-29T13:33:00.005-05:00

I can't believe little Benjamin is two months old! He is doing so well and at today's two month check up Doctor Stone said you would never know this child was sick if he didn't have his scar on his back. He weighed in right at 12 pounds today and was 80% in height and weight! Amazing!

His first sweet gummy grin and laugh started about 2 weeks ago and his brother Barrett is usually the one who can get the biggest grins! He also started cooing and "talking" to us a ton.

Last weekend we were able to run (Jerry) and walk (Melanie and the boys) in the 5k Children's hospital run. We wanted to share a pic of all the Red Mountain Church folks who were there!

2008-05-22T14:57:00.004-05:00

Barrett had a big visit to the dentist for the first time a few weeks ago and was so big in the chair with his daddy as they "tickled" his teeth. We also wanted to add a few pics (and a video)of Barrett and Benjamin sharing the activity mat...a little scary! You will also see Barrett and Benjamin's little community group pal Miles Gresham borrowing the mat during this week's community group. We loved this pic with baby Miles and Benjamin hanging out during dinner. Miles is on the mat and Benjamin is in his bouncy seat (you can always tell which one is Benjamin with all that blond hair)!
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Hearing update

2008-05-13T17:31:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to send a quick update that after a long day of testing yesterday at Children's they diagnosed Benjamin with mild to moderate hearing loss in the left ear and normal hearing in the right. We are so thankful that it is not more severe and will be doing regular checkups to make sure the loss does not get worse. We have a series of tests in six weeks to check him again to see where we are at and what our next step will be (whether to have him fitted for a hearing device, ect). He does have fluid on his ear that we are hoping will decrease (and possibly improve hearing...which would be wonderful).

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-11T19:36:00.007-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms reading this! I'm so thankful this year for our two amazing boys and for a lazy day enjoying them at home. Little Benjamin's birth and recovery has reminded Jerry and I just how out of control we are in life and how merciful God can be even when He doesn't have to be. I'm humbled more than ever this year at the sacrifices made and love my own mother has for my sister and me. I definitely see her through new eyes in this new season of life.

Jerry and I also celebrated our 7th anniversary this weekend. Thank God for a patient and sweet husband during all the ups and downs of this year. We celebrated both Mother's day, our anniversary and our newest little boy by having a talented photographer and friend, Jessica Chapman, come take pictures of our family (including our dogs Samford and Sydney). This is one of the pictures but you can see more (and Jessica's other beautiful work) at www.jessidesignstudio.com

An update on Benjamin this week...we went back to Children's hospital on Thursday for a retest of his hearing. He failed his left ear hearing test when we were in the hospital the first few weeks after he was born. On Thursday he failed the left ear again using two different tests. They are confident the right ear is functioning normally which is a huge blessing. A unilateral hearing loss (just one ear) should not cause any developmental or speech issues. But there have been studies that show that the use of a hearing aide in a child with unilateral loss does have great benefits but they recommend being fitted for an aide before they are 6 months old. We will be heading back for a test a week from Monday to see what degree of loss he has.

Day at the Zoo

2008-05-06T20:56:00.004-05:00

The Grants celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the zoo with our friends the Finches. We helped Mrs. Angel celebrate her birthday and we rode the train and visited the new Kangaroo exhibit. Benjamin felt right at home with the roos as he rode around in his "pouch" aka sling.
We are so glad there is no need for a medical update today! We just wanted to share some new pics. Barrett loved riding the train with his pals Anne Lawson, Holland and Wells (and mommy Angel). They also had a chance to play in the water for the first time this year at the children's area. Daddy kept Benjamin safe from the wild 2-year olds!

MRI results!!!

2008-05-02T15:28:00.003-05:00

We are so excited that the MRI came back showing no spinal abnormalities. Yippee! They didn't say anything about a cyst and did not see any evidence of a tethered cord. I asked our nurse who called with the results if anyone else had to read the results or consult on the images. She said she felt like it would be rare for the Neurosurgeon to find anything that the radiologist didn't see. We are so thankful!!! We will be seeing Dr. Barnhart again in six weeks so I guess we will find out then if tests of any kind are necessary in the future...but right now we are just celebrating this HUGE blessing!!!

MRI

2008-05-01T10:39:00.003-05:00

We are home from Children's and the MRI process went well and we are awaiting results that will hopefully come tomorrow afternoon. Benjamin was the smallest MRI patient today so we were first in line. We arrived around 5:30 a.m. and we were home with him by 8:45 a.m. The nurses and doctor were wonderful and made us feel very at ease with the process. He was able to nurse when he got home and is now resting comfortably. We will update as soon as we hear something tomorrow.

Doctor B says he looks great!

2008-04-29T13:07:00.004-05:00

One test down and one more (MRI)to go! The great news is that today's esophagram showed no stricture or narrowing of the esophagus at the surgery site. Dr. Barnhart (his surgeon who preformed the TEF/EA repair...seen in pic with Benjamin at his appointment today) said Benjamin looked great and had even gained more weight than expected at this point. Benjamin weighed in at 9 pounds and four ounces (with a diaper and a tummy filled with Barium from his test...so he probably is right at 9 pounds or so...which is amazing!)and was about 22 1/4" long.

We asked Dr. Barnhart about future issues with his esophagus and he said since it looks good now the chance of narrowing in the future is only slight. We will go back for a checkup in six weeks at Children's.

We also asked for more information on what they will be looking for in the MRI on Thursday. Dr. B explained they are looking for any indication that Benjamin has a tethered spine which is very common in the group of anomalies associated with TEF/EA. We asked what the worst case scenario would be with a tethered spine. It would mean a surgery done by the pediatric neurosurgeon to release the pressure to insure that the spine would grow at a normal rate. If this was not done there would be issues in the future with mobility, ect. Dr. B insured us this surgery is an uncomplicated one as far as neurosurgeons are concerned and would mean a couple of days in the hospital. Definitely not as big a deal as the first surgery he had to repair the TEF. So it helps to know that the MRI (and putting him to sleep/venting him) is very necessary and that even if he has a tethered spine we know it can be fixed. Of coarse there are always possible complications...so we are just praying the MRI is clean and that we will not need to have any more procedures or surgeries.

We will be heading to Children's at 5:30 a.m. this Thursday to check in for the MRI. Since Benjamin is so small they will be venting him in the operating room and then will do an MRI that will take about 30 minutes. He should be asleep for about an hour or so. We hope to have the results Friday from the neurosurgeon.

Thanks to everyone for their continued prayers we will definitely update after we receive the results from the MRI.

Four weeks old!

2008-04-24T09:59:00.005-05:00

Benjamin Grant is four weeks old today! He is doing really well and at his doctor's appointment this week he weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces (up from his birth weight of 6 pounds 15 ounces)! We are so thankful that he is growing and thriving. He is really aware and loves to stare at all the fans in the house and at our faces. He also gets really big eyes when his brother B leans in to kiss him on the forehead. Barrett is adjusting slowly to our new family and struggles to be in charge of whatever he can (which of coarse is partly because he is two). We have ventured out a bit this week and took Barrett and Benjamin to the Zoo on Sunday (Benjamin is in the sling if you wonder where he is in the picture of the tractor). We also went out to lunch on Sunday with our friends Bill and Cindy and both boys did really well.

Next week is a big, big week for us as we head back to Children's Hospital for a week of tests. On Tuesday he will have a second Esophagram to check for any stricture in his esophagus. On Thursday he will have to be put under General anesthesia to have an MRI done to check his spine for any abnormalities. We are praying for good reports and for protection during all the procedures.

If they see any narrowing of the esophagus on Tuesday then they would do a dilation and balloon procedure to increase the size of the opening of the esophagus on Thursday while he is already under General anesthesia for the MRI. Please pray for all the details and that Benjamin will have a smooth week of testing. Also pray for us that we will have peace and not be anxious as Benjamin is under anesthesia again for his test. They will have to vent him for the MRI which means they will put a tube down his trachea to help him breathe. Please pray for this to go smoothly and that none of his surgical sites would be disrupted by the procedures.

The Brothers B

2008-04-20T16:13:00.004-05:00

Benjamin and Barrett are becoming fast friends and we are really starting to get to know his little personality. We have had so much fun introducing him to lots of friends and family who have come to visit. Our friend Jessica took this great picture of him on his 3-week-old b'day. We are excited about Benjamin's weigh in this week at the doctor because he looks so much bigger and is really filling out. We are also spending lots of time sitting on the porch and enjoying spring. Like most boys Benjamin and Barrett are much happier outside!

Our first week home

2008-04-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

We have had a wonderful week at home with our two sweet boys. After all that Benjamin has experienced in his short two and half weeks of life nothing could prepare him for his 2.5-year-old brother who LOVES him and says over and over "He is soooo cute..." in a very high pitched voice. All the bells and whistles of the NICU at Children's did prepare him a bit for all the noises his brother makes crashing trains together or destroying towers of blocks right next to Benjamin's bassinet. Benjamin is a VERY laid back baby and has been pretty easy on us so far. It is amazing how quickly he is healing from all the incisions, heal pricks, IV lines and all the little bumps and bruises he collected along the way during his time at the hospital. He is eating so well and has only had moderate signs of reflux (which we were told that he would definitely have because of his condition). Reflux is a little harder on a TEF baby because acid from the stomach can irrate the surgery site in his esophagus...so he is on medication to help decrease the acidity in his stomach.

Benjamin visited his regular pediatrician, Dr. Stone, this week and had gained 3 ounces in three days which was so exciting. He also had his first bath at home (you will see the pic of him all covered in a towel...). He is sleeping really well (more during the day than at night of coarse...not surprising) but loves his new digs in the beautiful bassinet and the co-sleeper (which big brother Barrett tested out in the picture attached) that friends let us borrow. And much to his mother's dismay he has adopted a favorite new pacifier that has a huge AU printed on the end...no simple white pacifier for this boy...he definitely prefers the Auburn paci...

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and support this week. All the meals have been so helpful and we have really enjoyed everyone meeting Benjamin at home! We also had my mom with us this week from Atlanta which was such a huge help and we were glad she got a chance to know little Benjamin since he was discharged from Children's so much earlier than expected.

We are still praying for our next visit to Benjamin's surgeon late this month when we have another Esophogram to check for any scar tissue at the surgery site (which would mean a procedure to dilate and enlarge the area with a small balloon) as well as an MRI to rule out any other future issues. Please just keep praying for this little guy...he is such a fighter and we are just loving every minute with him at home!

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-09T00:25:00.000-05:00

We really can't believe it...we were told early this a.m. after Benjamin was weighed and examined that we could pack up and head home! Barrett was at home waiting for us and danced all around Benjamin's car seat and proceeded to give him many "hugs". Needless to say we will be telling Barrett to be gentle a lot.

As far as what the near future holds for little Benjamin...children's scheduled all his follow up visits and it looks like we be there a good bit over the next few months as they monitor the progress of the TEF repair. There is a risk of stricture where the scar tissue narrows in the esophagus over time so in a month they will do another Esophogram to check the surgery site and it if it does narrow they will do an outpatient procedure where they dilated and then place a small "balloon" in the esophagus to stretch out the site. This isn't needed in every TEF case so we are praying that the healing goes well and the scar tissue is minimal. It is a little scary to think about any narrowing because of coarse that would mean food wouldn't clear the site as well and there could be choking...but they say it happens so gradually that we would begin to notice changes in the way he eats, ect.

We also mentioned last week that on a spinal ultrasound they saw a small cyst on Benjamin's lower spine. Our surgeon and the neurosurgeon at Children's want to do a MRI to rule out any issues and to get a complete scan of his back. Unfortunately they have to put him back under anesthesia so we are waiting four weeks so that they can place a breathing tube down his airway without damaging any of the surgical sites. Please pray that this scan is clear (or that the cyst is not restricting the growth of this spinal cord) and that we will need no more procedures.

Other than having lots of bruises from IVs and tape over his incision site little Benjamin looks as healthy as can be. He is a great eater and sleeps soundly between feedings. My mom says he is bound to be our laid back child...with all that he has been through in his first two weeks of life I don't know how he can't be laid back.

Going Home!

2008-04-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

We are going home today! We should be leaving early this afternoon. With this move we are thrilled and nervous at the same time. We will provide a better update later with pictures. Thanks for your continued prayers as we transition home.

Room with a VIEW

2008-04-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

As quickly as we moved into the NICU step down unit we were moved again to a private room here at Childrens. We are typing this from our new address which is where we will be till we go home with our new baby. They have not indicated how long we will be here and we are hoping it will be a short stay. This is a new day for us as we are now considered the primary care givers (we are here 24/7) and the hospital is just our backup. We are definitely making up for lost time by holding our baby as much as we want and enjoying every minute of it.

Today we had a quick visit from a neuro surgeon who Dr. Barnhart asked to look at Benjamin. He said because of the small cyst that showed up on the Spinal ultrasound last week they are going to do a MRI to rule out any issues. Please pray that it will be clean and there will not be any further issues that would require surgery.

We also pray for energy as Jerry goes back to work and I'll be up a the hospital a lot. Luckily we have family staying with us for the week which will definitely help us balance taking shifts at the hospital.

Visit from big brother Barrett

2008-04-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today Jerry and I spent all day with Barrett which is a first in more than a week since Benjamin was born. We took turns visiting Benjamin in the NICU step down unit and had a very peaceful day! Barrett was so excited to draw a picture for the baby and deliver it himself. He loved seeing Benjamin and when I was holding him as he came into the cubicle we are in he asked if Benjamin was going to pop back into my tummy! I'm sure he is a little confused because it has been over a week since the LAST time we introduced him to little Benjamin. We did have the chance to get a few pictures of the boys and then Barrett was ready to roam the hospital...so the visit was short and sweet.

Benjamin had another amazing day (I will NEVER get tired of saying that)! When the PIC line (central line) in Benjamin's scalp became clogged Dr. Barnhart decided to discontinue the line and remove it. I thought we might get another IV but to our surprise they just changed his medicine to a liquid that could be taken in his bottle. So now 7-days after major surgery Benjamin has no IVs and is only taking one medicine for his possible reflux (which we aren't really sure he has yet)! We also got to try nursing this morning at the 11:00 a.m. feeding and he did so well...I then nursed again at 1:00 and then this evening at 7:00...each time he did great. We are so thankful that he is feeding well from the bottle and nursing and at his weigh in tonight during bath time his weight was very good and he had not lost any weight since yesterday which is great. We have had friends ask when we think we might be out of the hospital and for right now all we know is that it will take 5 days for the chest tube site to heal and that would need to be watched and cleared before we leave. They also want him to be eating a certain amount before he can go home. We will also probably room in with him in a private room at Children's before they let us go home so we can get ready for the transition to having him on our own.

We had a chance to ask the doctor about the possible cyst on Benjamin's spine last night and he said on the scan it was so small that they would want to re-ultrasound the area but that he was not concerned at all and more importantly Benjamin doesn't have a tethered spine (tied down by nerves) which is common with the TEF group of anomalies. This would be something that could be corrected later but luckily that is not something we will be dealing with.

We enjoyed every minute of holding Benjamin today and are so hopeful that we will be bringing him home soon! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement and please keep praying that his body will continue to heal and would be free of any infections, ect. and that he would keep eating and growing!

Great news

2008-04-05T01:30:00.000-05:00

Today was another amazing day of good news. Benjamin passed his Esophogram and his VCUG (urinary tract test) with flying colors. Within a few hours of the tests they removed his OG tube and he began feeding him breast milk from a bottle. They have been feeding him every 3 hours all day and he LOVED feeding down his newly constructed Esophagus!

When we returned to the NICU after shift change we found Benjamin's little space empty and we found out we had graduated to the NICU step down unit! When I say it is like going from a war zone to the Ritz I'm NOT exaggerating. The nurses even call it the Oasis! It is so calm and quiet and the bed space is huge compared to the little area we have been living in all week. You even have a curtain to pull so that you can have some alone time with your baby and are able to nurse right within the bed space. We had a great nurse our first evening in 3Northwest (which is what they call the step-down unit). Michael showed us how to feed Benjamin for the first time and burp him, all things that are a little intimidating this time around.

We then had a visit from Dr. Barnhart, our surgeon, and he removed Benjamin's chest tube!!! So now we are free to dress him and swaddle him and more importantly HOLD him! Unbelievable day! A week exactly from major surgery and we are sitting holding our baby who is stable and thriving. Tomorrow after a little rest from all of today's adventures we should be able to nurse for the first time. We have lots of pics on today's update...simply because we could not edit them and wanted to share them all with you.

We are so thankful for this amazing little boy and how determined he is to get better. Please continue to pray that his body will heal completely and that his feedings will go well. We have no idea what our time frame looks like as far as getting out of the hospital but now that we are in a calmer environment we feel like we all will be able to rest better (especially Benjamin).

Tomorrow we hope to bring big brother Barrett to see Benjamin!

What a week!

2008-04-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

Benjamin is a week old today and you could have never prepared us for the roller coaster this first week would be. We are so thankful that today he seemed very comfortable and went another full day without pain meds. That is just amazing to us when we look at his chest tube and the incision from the TEF repair. His BR levels also came back down to a normal level so they turned off the Bili light. It was so wonderful to get to take off those huge glasses and get to see his face and eyes all day long. He really woke up this evening around 8:30 and was bright eyed and looking around for the rest of our visit. He even searched for his daddy when Jerry made little bird chirping noises over his head.

Tomorrow brings very important tests on his Esophagus and Urine flow. The Esophogram will show us the condition of his new little esophagus and the Urine flow test is a reflex test so it shows if the urine is going in the right direction and not backing up into the kidneys which could cause infection. Since his momma left his diaper off a little too long and Benjamin urinated all over himself tonight we have high hopes that everything is working the way it should.

Please pray that he would continue to be comfortable and that he would heal completely and that no infection, ect would slow down the healing process. We also pray that the tests tomorrow show a functioning esophogus and urinary tract and that we can soon move to the step down nursery on the 3rd floor of Children's.

Benjamin's day

2008-04-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

We wanted to share a note that was left taped to Benjamin's bed today by one of our dear medical friends, Alyssa P., from church. She shared that one of her favorite verses is about the tribe of Benjamin...

Deut. 33:12 About Benjamin he said, "let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."

Today Benjamin did so well and a prayer was answered when he had not one but five "big poopy..." diapers as his brother Barrett would say. This seems like such a small thing but it is allowing them to up his feedings of breastmilk down his OG tube from 1cc an hour (which is where he started on Monday evening) to 15cc an hour. We believe that is about the same amount of liquid as a can of coke a day (correct us if we are wrong all our medical friends in a comment...we are trying to calculate on little sleep and very little metric knowledge). This should help his BR level which will hopefully mean no more sunbathing under the blue light. It is amazing how happy he is when they let him have the glasses off for a little 15 minute break (which they will do twice a day)...he just opens his big eyes and is so entertained looking at all the lights. He is so aware and jumps every time he hears the lab result canisters being shot into the bin that is close to his bedside. Needless to say he will hopefully be able to sleep through anything after this (or we are going to have to make a recording of all the bells and sounds of the NICU to be his sound machine in the nursery).

Benjamin also had a day with a little less pain than yesterday (or so it seems). He slept comfortably most of the day with just occasional outbursts of crying and when we left him tonight at 10:00 he had not had any morphine all day. We definitely aren't against him having pain meds if he needs them but are thankful that he seems comfortable today without them. I can't imagine how much happier he will be to have the chest tube out (which you see in the pic today laying at his lower right side) as well as the OG tube down his mouth. He often moves the OG tube around with his tongue and makes a really sad/mad face when it gets in his way. He also swats at it pretty regularly (so again...please pray that the little guy doesn't pull it out...)

We were told today that they have schedule both a Esophogram (a test to check the flow of liquid through his esophogus by running a contrasting dye down into the stomach...looking for any possible leaks) as well as a VCUG test (which is the same contrasting dye test but tracks urine flow through the body). Please pray that both of these will have good results and that the doctors will have wisdom as to how to proceed with his feedings, ect. We also pray that his kidneys, ect are functioning normally.

Today we tried to carve out more time with Barrett because we both just needed to be near him. We stayed home for the beginning of the evening visiting hours at the NICU and Jerry and B took a wagon ride to Avondale park to throw rocks into the pond...which B loves (and so does his daddy). We then ate dinner together and played before we left him in the good hands of a friend as we headed off back to the hospital.

2008-04-01T21:54:00.000-05:00

Today Jerry and I both hit a bit of a wall. We realized we have been going on adrenaline and now we are settling in to the fact that every day is a waiting game. There are lots of tests and then you have to wait for what seems like forever to hear what the test are showing the doctors. You will see a pic of Benjamin getting an xray right at his bedside...now we just wait to hear what it shows...not easy for an impatient mamma. We did get to speak to Benjamin's surgeon last evening and he said that he felt like Benjamin was doing really well and that feeding from his OG tube was a really great step. They will be doing the dye test on Friday which will indicate if there are any leaks in the esophagus. When I ask his doctor about some tests he had this week (an ultrasound of his spine and rectum) he said they saw a small cyst on his spine. Of coarse to a non-medical person who is terrified by the thought of a new issue we were concerned to hear about this. His doctor just said they would have to review the ultrasound images with a neurologist and they definitely wouldn't address this till he was older. After talking to some medical friends it sounds like a cyst (which is a sac of fluid) could resolve itself on its own (which is our prayer) or in the worst situation would have to be dealt with by removing it, ect (which seems to be something that is treatable and successful in most situations).

Please pray that Jerry and I would be able to stay healthy and rest so that we are able to take care of Barrett and visit with Benjamin (I'm feeling a little under the weather and heading to the doctor now to be extra careful before visiting the baby...pray that it is nothing that would prevent me from seeing him). Please also pray for Benjamin's continued healing and that his esophagus would be ready to take food on Friday (this would mean his chest tube and OG tube could be removed...so we would be able to hold him and he would be so much more comfortable)! Pray that as he is taking breastmilk down the OG tube he would digest it and would soon have a BM (he still hasn't which the doctors said is normal because of all the pain meds and the surgery...but it needs to happen sooner rather than later).

You will also see pics of Barrett showing off his baby brother at mother's day out yesterday. B is having a hard time because we are popping in and out so much. Please pray for him and that we would have good quality time with him.

I asked one of the nurses when it would get easier to leave the baby at the end of visitation...she said when we get to know them and realize how much they care and want to take care of Benjamin. Please pray for us to have peace and to trust the care God has given him at the NICU.

Finally...some REAL food...

2008-03-31T22:17:00.001-05:00

Baby Benjamin had an exciting day...he was doing really well with just his OG tube and no vent and all his stats looked good so they decided to start putting breast milk into his OG tube (the little thing that looks like a straw coming out of his mouth in all the pics) which runs down his newly constructed esophagus and all the way down into his stomach. So this isn't a test of the viability of the esophagus (which will hopefully happen later in the week) but this is a way to get food into his tummy which should make him feel much better. They are starting out slow to make sure he doesn't have any issues because of spit up, ect. They will continuously feed him all day and night. When I told Barrett about baby Benjamin getting food into his tummy he said "he is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger!!!" This was as he stood up in his new big boy bed and made his baby brother as tall as he possibly could with his sweet imagination.

Please pray that the feedings will go as well as possible and that his stomach will tolerate the food and his esophagus will tolerate any spit up that may come back up after eating. NO LEAKS...we want no leaks in his new little plumbing. Also that he will rest comfortably and not pull out that OG tube...he is pretty good at finding it and trying his best to get rid of it...which would not be the best thing for him right now. It would take a lot of careful work to put one back in past his incision site. In the new pics you will see his little car mittens we have put on him to slow him down...he actually seems to like them but not as much as he likes his pacifier! He will have on his little BR light sunglasses for a while longer but the lights and now feeding should help his levels to go down soon.

We also took a picture of his amazing blond hair today that has made the NICU nurses swoon over the little fella...he finally got to have his hair washed around his IV that is in his scalp last night so it made us see just how blond it really is!

Many friends outside of Red Mountain Church have asked if they can bring a meal to us to help out which is so kind. Our friend Ashley is organizing meals and she said to feel free to email her and she will let you know how you can help. Her email is ablomeyer@artsbma.org

Strong little boy

2008-03-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

Benjamin had a big day. The doctors felt like he was breathing well enough that his breathing tube could be removed at about 10:00 a.m this morning. They then put him under a vent hood (the huge plastic thing around his head in pics below) that supplied him with moisture and some oxygen to help the transition from breathing tube to hopefully just breathing on his own. They also felt like he needed a little time under the BR lamp because his numbers were creeping up (hence the blue light pics below...and the cool new Velcro sunglasses he is wearing).

Today we were so humbled by how strong Benjamin is and how we are continuously told he is doing so well and that he keeps meeting all the bench marks they set for him. Very humbling when you are surrounding by babies that are so sick and have been on breathing tubes for months and months. We are so thankful but there is also a deep sense of sadness as you watch other parents who are so brokenhearted and frightened all around you. Needless to say this experience is going to change us forever. We love all our Red Mountain Church medical friends so much (and are so thankful for their visits to baby Benjamin) but I have a new found admiration and respect for their commitment to taking care of babies/children. As a mom of a little boy who had to be fixed by doctors I now know what they mean to the people they treat everyday. Benjamin was named after two Bens in our life...and now it seems ironic that one is a pediatrician. Ben J. jokingly told us that we can't start talking NICU lingo because up till now we were his pure non-medical friends...completely unwise in ALL things medical. Unfortunately...I think we have been catapulted into a mini-residency...

Great things that happened today! I got to change his diaper (pretty exciting to a mom who hasn't gotten to do that yet to her little 3 day old), Benjamin cried...really loudly...which is a good sign that he had enough energy to want to make a fuss, the vent came out as well as two unused IVs in Benjamin's foot and hand...

Things to pray for in the next few days: That when the doctors examine him in the next few days they will have wisdom as to the steps to take next and that Benjamin's incisions will continue to heal completely and that when they test the esophagus on Friday that there are NO leaks. We also pray that he will be as comfortable as possible and we can keep him from pulling out his last little OG tube from his mouth (he is pretty determined to get it out of there!).

Day 3

2008-03-30T05:09:00.000-05:00

Sweet baby Benjamin is doing well this morning and his daddy is off to be with him for a little one on one before the NICU closes at 6:00 a.m. Benjamin has already come to love "I am Jesus Little Lamb" and it seems to be a great way to comfort him before we leave and when we get back to him. It is amazing how the time flies when you are just sitting next to his little hospital bed staring at him. I know they don't hold anything back at Children's and shoot straight with you on the condition of your child so I am going to believe them when they say he is doing really well...even though as a mom you can't imagine how that can be so. With his little feeding tube on his scalp and all the tape and wires it just feels so overwhelming. Our hope is that they will continue to help sedate him enough so that he can rest comfortable and not be in a great deal of pain from the surgery but still start waking up enough that they can begin removing his breathing tube and progressing his treatment. He cannot be held right now but that doesn't stop us from doing lots of rubbing and kissing on his head and singing and talking to him. He is the hit of the NICU and is getting spoiled by all the sweet nurses.

Barrett is doing well hanging out with his grandmama and granddaddy but is definitely a little anxious with us popping in and out so much. Thanks to our amazing community group and other friends and family Barrett is also on his way to being spoiled with all the entertainment and "big brother" happies they have brought him. We are going to work on a drawing a sign for Benjamin's bed this morning with Barrett and have a good family breakfast here before we go back to the hospital. Barrett has never kissed me so hard (and he offers the occasional lick on my face thanks to the influence of the Lion King). Please pray that Barrett will be peaceful and stay healthy so he can hopefully come visit Benjamin once some of the wires and tubes are not being used.

Today please pray for Benjamin's vitals to stay strong and stable and that in the next few days the tests to see if there are any leaks in his new esophagus will be favorable. Also please pray for the nurses and doctors to continue to have wisdom as we move forward in the process of getting ready to introduce food/breast milk and hopefully move in a week or so to the step-down NICU nursery and then eventually a private room. It will be a long process (or so they say) even without any bumps along the way. Our nurse told me last night "I'm glad you don't have too scary of a situation..." which I'm beginning to understand what she means after being surrounded by such sick babies for the past few days. There are several babies near Benjamin who have been there for months (or even almost a year) and have a laundry list of problems that seem even more overwhelming than I can imagine. And on top of that many of those parents have an hour or more to drive each day to be with their babies...when they ask where we live I feel guilty giving our location (20 blocks away). God is so merciful to have let us settle in our new home and be ready for this special baby. It is amazing what mercy looks like right now...you could have never told me this is where we would be...but here we are...

Precious little Benjamin

2008-03-29T14:37:00.001-05:00

2008-03-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

2008-03-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

We want to thank everyone for the amazing support and prayers. We are having lots of firsts this weeks and blogging is one of those. Benjamin Everett Grant was born on Thursday at 4:48 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds 15 oz. He is 20.5" long and at first glance looks as healthy as can be. Like a little beach baby with amazing white blond hair and tan little skin. He also has two little dimples that are so precious and of coarse we fell in love with him the second he entered our hands. A few minutes after delivery Benjamin started choking and the nurses at Brookwood suctioned him for a very long time and removed a large amount of mucus from his lungs. When they tried to remove any mucus from his stomach that may have been swallowed during the delivery they started to see that the problem was a bigger one than first thought. The OG tube put into Benjamin would only go down about 14cm and stop completely short of his stomach. After being rushed to the Brookwood NICU and being seen by the Neo-natalogist Dr. Stong she decided to transport him to Children's just hours after he was born. We had some great moments with him before he left and Barrett even got to sit next to him and kiss his head (and become quickly obsessed with his baby brother).

After Benjamin arrived at Children's NICU they were able to a battery of tests to find out exactly what was wrong with him. For an accurate description that will clearly explain the issue you can go to www.aafp.org (American Family Physician)and enter Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula to get the complete medical description of the issue. In plain, in the womb at about 18 weeks Benjamin's esophagus did not form between his throat and his stomach and the part that was connected to his stomach was connect to his trachea tube. So to be able to ever eat he had to have the esophagus reconstructed so that the two pieces of the puzzle are put back together and the small tube that was attached to his trachea had to be removed and sealed to make sure nothing from the stomach would get into his lungs. Both of these things needed to be done immediately.

So within 24 hours of birth Baby Benjamin had taken a ride in an ambulance, changed hospitals, had more nurses and doctors than I think any human should have and had every possible scan and ultrasound done on his little body imaginable. We are so thankful that they were able to get him into Surgery on the Friday after his birth at around 4:45 and the surgery lasted about 2.5 hours and was very successful. Dr. Barnhardt and the other surgeons at Children's were amazing and from what they saw this really was the best of what can be a really bad situation.

Dr. B removed the part between his stomach and and trachea and attached it where it should have been developed. He then repaired everything and considered the surgery a success. Now the recovery begins and it is a slow proccess. He should be eating by the end of next week (breast milk through a tube running into his mouth down the new esophagus into the stomach) and if there are no leaks (which if there are that will add an immediate 7 days to repair and wait to confirm it is fixed) we should be home in one to two weeks.

Thankfully Melanie was released from Brookwood by 8:00 a.m. the morning after delivery and was able to be with Benjamin all day Friday. Needless to say we are tired but relieved to be out of the woods for now.

The prayer right now is that there are no leaks in the new esophagus, that Benjamin will rest well under medication and heal completely from the surgery with no infection, ect. We also pray that other organs (kidneys, bladder...everything down stream) have no anomolies to make further correction necessary. This is a congenital anomoly that can have other "sister" anomolies but so far his heart, ect...has looked normal (Praise God).

Thank EVERYONE for their prayers and please...keep praying for this sweet little boy. We will continue to update and add pictures as we can.

Love, Melanie, Jerry (and big brother Barrett)

welcome to the world

2008-03-28T17:18:00.000-05:00

Benjamin was born on Thursday, March 27. Shortly after he was born we learned that he suffered from a congenital defect known as Esophageal Atresia, which means his stomach forms into a pouch instead of connecting to his stomach. He was transferred to Children's Hospital and is currently (5 p.m. on Friday) undergoing surgery to repair the condition.

Jerry and Melanie will use this site to update information as it is available.

Please pray that the surgery is a success with no complications.