This Month

Davis is almost 1 year old!!!  I cannot believe it!  This month is busy for us.  Next week, Daddy is off work and we are looking forward to spending lots of family time together.  Also, Davis will celebrate his first Valentine's Day - he will be attending a Valentine's Day party with his friends in our Wee Buddies support group for families in the Chattanooga area with young children who have Down Syndrome.  We had fun making Valentines today; well, let me just say Mom had fun.  Davis was not sure what to think about his art project!

Of course, the biggest event is Davis's music-themed birthday party.  I promised myself I would not go overboard with unnecessary details and spending excessive amounts of money....but I just can't help myself!  Well, I'm okay on the money because I am trying to make as much as I can by hand.  The day is going to be a fun and memorable celebration of this precious life and all his extreme accomplishments over the last year!

Here are some recent pics - enjoy!

Handsome boy!

Let's try eating shirtless - messy eater!  (His scar has healed nicely.)

Cousin time!  Davis loves Wyatt, Grant, and Haley.

Snow day!

11 months - could he be any cuter?

My new year's resolution was "Video a day," which I've managed to do pretty well.  I'm working on a YouTube channel; but as you know, I'm slow at these things. ;)  Channel of Davis coming soon!

Four Months Later...

Okay, I know, I haven't been updating those of you that follow the blog and not my facebook page.  I sincerely apologize!  I've had several requests to keep the blog updated, but I just find it so much easier to provide updates on facebook.  It's not that I don't want to keep blogging - I do; but as Davis has gotten older, I find I do a lot of entertaining and not as much sitting.  Hopefully, one of these days I'll make this more of a priority - until then, send me a friend request on facebook to keep up-to-date, or feel free to personally stay in touch by email at kari.reeves@ymail.com.

The reason I chose to post tonight is because Davis had a cardiology appointment today.  Two months have passed since his last visit; therefore, I was anxious to get the expert opinion about the healing of his heart.  Here is a summary for all of you that care so much and say lots of prayers for Davis (which I truly appreciate from the bottom of my heart!):

• Valves are still leaky but much, much better
• Heart is smaller and liver is to normal size
• We can begin to wean him from his last medicine (yea!)
• Expectation is things will get even better or at least stay the same
• Follow up in two months
• He has gained weight quickly (18 pounds 11 ounces!)
• The likelihood of complications at this point is low; however, because the valves aren't perfect, Davis may experience complications requiring medication or even surgery later in life.  In the meantime, he should be able to run and play and do whatever his "heart" desires!

 I'll call that a success!

In other news, Davis had a marvelous Christmas; seeing him open presents was just so special for me and Matt.  We are planning his first birthday party, which will be music-themed because of his love for music.  Davis attends music classes once a week; he also has physical therapy and early intervention once a week, as well as feeding therapy once a month.  He is making great strides and working hard.  He recently started sitting unsupported and scooting backward - such a joy to witness!

We continue to remember how blessed we are to have such wonderful people supporting the well being of our family.  Of course, the greatest blessing is our happy and healthy boy!

I Am Thankful

November is such a significant month for me.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I just love how laid back it feels and enjoy being able to spend time with family, just being together and reflecting on our many blessings.  Plus it kicks off the Holiday season!  This year, my baby will be 9 months old on Thanksgiving, and I have been looking forward to this time of year SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much.  There is just something about your first holiday season with your first child in the world.

Although I have an incredible amount of blessings for which to be thankful on this Thanksgiving day, it is not the only reason that November is a significant month for me.  It was about this time last year that I learned that Davis would require heart surgery as an infant and that he had Down Syndrome.  I invite you to read our story here and vote for it if you feel led to do so.  The two stories with the most votes at the end of the month will be published in the National Down Syndrome Society monthly newsletter - that would be AWESOME, because then even more people will read our story and learn about incredible Davis!

I am looking forward to taking Davis's picture tomorrow in his mini-recliner with his buddy bear.  Here are his photos from the last three months:

6 months

7 months

8 months

Sheesh, just too much cuteness.

Also, I just want to mention that Davis's little friend Coleson will have the same heart surgery that Davis had on November 28th, so please keep Coleson in your thoughts and prayers.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!!!! 

Here is the link again for our story:
http://www.ndss.org/My-Great-Story/Virtual-Storybook/Family/One-Year/

Guest Post

I know, I know...I have not been keeping Davis's Fan Club up-to-date with his latest happenings.  I do apologize, as I had promised to do better.  I have let life get in the way, I guess.  Plus, I have plans for this blog to tweak it so that it is more aesthetically pleasing and includes more day-to-day life post topics versus just Davis updates...so I feel that I have kind of hit a road block in my creativity as I contemplate my purpose for this outlet.

So because of that, I am going to let Davis's Gramma do a guest post that she has written.  However, I do need to tell you that Davis is doing EXTREMELY well.  His cardiologist visit on Tuesday went better than I expected, and we continue to see him make great strides in his recovery and development.  I have lots of pictures and updates to share about Davis (including his first word - "mama"!), and I will work on getting it all together for you.  I can't deprive those of you that just LOVE you some Davis!

But for now, let's hear from Gramma:

I am honored to write a guest post for my daughter’s blog “Happy Heart of Davis.”

One of my goals had been to start my own blog.  I was going to call it “Joy and Lessons Learned.”

You see, starting about four years ago, I went through some struggles and major life changes.  Both of my parents became seriously ill at the same time.  Then we lost them within eight and a half months of each other.  The next year I retired from my job as an assistant principal after having been an educator for thirty years.  These things along with some family health problems and some internal issues and adjustments caused me to become stronger in my spiritual life and led to much joy and a feeling of many lessons learned. 

I think about my blessings and perspective a lot, and I want to write and share, but I can’t seem to get it done.  They say that you are busier than ever when you retire.  And in my defense, I have an adjunct position at our local university and have been very involved with my four grandchildren.

These four grandchildren are wonderful and uniquely different and precious.  Some would think that the news that one of them was going to be born with Down syndrome and a heart defect would be a cause for sadness.   As it turns out, it has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

It was a shock to hear the news at first, but that did not last long at all.  Luckily in my career as an assistant principal, the Lord had seen fit to provide me with much experience in the field of special education.  I learned so much from chairing and taking part in Individual Education Plan meetings.  I had taught music, fourth grade, and gifted children, but as an AP learned about all kinds of therapies, disabilities, and techniques for greatest progress.  I was responsible for the intake of all of the special needs children in the entire city who were turning three years old.  That meant that I had to work closely with TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention Services.)  It was quite a task.  Later the school system put school psychologists in charge of the intake.  But not before the Lord put me through my training session. (Romans 8:28)  I can see now His divine plan. 

Davis Matthew Reeves has brought me so much joy.  Even before he was born I was inspired by the incredible attitude and strength of my daughter as she prepared to have a special needs baby with a heart defect.  Her husband, Matt, also showed great depth of character.  And my heart has been warmed by the continuous love and support shown to Kari from her sister, Kelli, who although younger, had three children first.

Then came tremendous encouragement from the rest of the family and a multitude of exceptional friends.

But the biggest inspiration is Davis himself.  What a jolly soul he has!  He and I have an incredible connection.  We even have our own song “You’ll be in my Heart” by Phil Collins, which I heard in the background once on a video about Down syndrome.  Davis may not know yet that this is our song exactly, but I know he approves because he enjoys my singing.

Davis will always be unique and different from what some call the norm in society.  He will face challenges, but he has already conquered heart surgery as a sixth month old.  Not too many people can say that!  He will have his weaknesses and strengths just like everyone else. 

And, there is one thing he can always count on.  His Gramma will always be there for him, through thick and thin.

Cardio Update

 
Over the last few days and weeks, Davis has come SOOOOO far!  Surgery day was over a month ago now, and we have been home for three and half weeks.  He truly is almost back to normal, it's CRAZY!!!

His sleep schedule is right where it should be (back to sleeping through the night around 11 hours - yay!) and his appetite is AWESOME!  His contentment is back, and so is my happy boy!  I'd have to say his biggest complaint now is his teething - typical baby stuff. :)  He still isn't very active, but he has rolled over onto his tummy on his own twice.  It won't be long until he's back to rolling all over the place.  We still won't be able to lift him under his arms for awhile, but we can begin working on head support and trunk control again.  He may have a physical therapy evaluation in a few weeks through TEIS since the surgery has set him back some regarding his physical development.

Today we had a cardiologist appointment.  The echocardiogram showed his heart to be smaller, which is great!  Pre-surgery, his heart was enlarged (and still is) due to having to work harder, and seeing this decrease in size is just what we want.  He still has some fluid in his lungs, and his breathing is still a little rapid.  Davis will have an ultrasound on his neck next week to check the blood clot - hopefully it is gone and we can stop the blood-thinning injections.

But I think what I am most proud of is he has finally reached the 15 pound mark - 15 pounds 1 ounce today!!!!  He's been in the high 14's for weeks on end, so I was happy for him to reach this milestone.  Also, you can see from the pictures below he has healed quite nicely.

Silly guy!  He loves bath time!

The good report means that we can actually show our faces in public again!  It'll be nice to get out and about with little man.  Our first big outing will be the Buddy Walk on Saturday; we are excited to show our support for Davis and others with Down Syndrome (click here to read about the Buddy Walk).  Our only issue with getting out is the flu is already spreading, and Davis really needs a flu shot to protect him from getting very ill at this point; but he can't receive the shot until he gets off the injections.  I am not a huge fan of the flu shot myself, but I guess I'll be getting my dose this week to help protect him.

It's mind-boggling to look at these pictures and then go back through the pictures on the blog over the last month and see how far he has come.  Davis is an absolutely incredible creature!  And look at those roly-poly arms and happy face - too much cuteness for this mama to handle!

Happy Days

Wow, what a great past few days for little Davis!  He is eating and sleeping well; he is still fairly inactive (which is good; he's still healing!), and he is full of smiles.  He is quite clingy and still fusses at times in which he wouldn't have prior to surgery, but I would too if I were him!  Between how he appears physically and how he is behaving, I'd say he is doing quite well for less than three weeks out from heart surgery!

Besides a little update, I want to share with you some information about Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which is October.  Buddy Walks are being held all over the country in order to raise awareness and promote acceptance of people with Down Syndrome.  The walks are the main fundraisers for local chapters of the National Down Syndrome Society.  October 13th is Davis's first Buddy Walk, and I am so excited!  We have already had several family members and friends join our team, which is called "Little D and Company," and have also raised $150 of our $500 goal so far for the Chattanooga Down Syndrome Society.

Please visit our fundraising page at http://www.crowdrise.com/LittleDandCompany if you would like to make a donation in honor of Davis.  If you would like to walk with us, visit https://www.keysecure.com/chattanoogadownsyndrome.org/index.html to register.  Note:  if you want a t-shirt, you must register by Friday the 28th at 5:00, and remember to put Little D and Company as the team name.  This is our first opportunity to publicly show our support for Davis and other members of the community with Down Syndrome; it's going to be a fun event for all.  A big thank you to those who have already donated or registered!

Well, Davis doesn't go back for a doctor's appointment until October 8th and/or 9th.  Let's hope the next week and a half continue to yield improvements for Davis.  Hopefully, we will be cleared to resume normal activities!  Thank you all so much for the continued thoughts and prayers. :)

2 weeks and 2 days

Well, it's been two weeks and two days since Davis had open heart surgery.  Considering the circumstances, I'd say he is doing extremely well!

Our challenges this week have been with Davis's eating and sleeping.  His appetite is not what it used to be, and we had concerns that he wasn't getting enough nutrition and hydration (his doctor says he is fine and eating will pick up).  Also, he is having trouble taking naps during the day, making for a very challenging day and especially evening.  However, each day seems to get better; in fact, yesterday was a TREMENDOUS day.  He ate a LOT and got in two good naps with some diligent coaxing by me.  We're not having too much trouble with night-time sleep besides occasional, brief crying episodes when he wakes.

All this has been disappointing because Davis has always been an excellent eater, has always slept through the night since he was one month old without any trouble at all, and has consistently had such a pleasant, content demeanor.  So in a way, I feel like I don't have my same little boy anymore.  But since each day is improving, I feel that he will be back to himself in a few weeks.

Physically, he seems to be doing great.  His wounds look good, and each day he seems to get stronger.  I took a video scan of his body today, so that I can compare how everything looks days and weeks from now; I thought about posting it but then decided that no one really wants to see his yucky chest tube wound.  I will get a picture of his incision soon though and post it - I'm amazed at how wonderfully it has healed!  Additionally, I don't have to worry about Davis rolling across the room...yet.  I'm sure he'll get there soon, he was rolling all over the place prior to surgery.

Yesterday, Davis turned 7 months old - unbelievable!!!  Before you know it, he'll be graduating high school. ;)  Is that the cutest smiley face or what?