Happy Memorial Day!

Austin went swimming tonight... in the big boy pool! He LOVED it! He kicked and splashed, it was so cute! He's doing so well! Keep praying as he continues to heal from surgery and continues to improve.

Smiling & Eating

Austin is still doing well! He's smiling lots and eating very well!

We're so proud of him for being so strong!

in the 90s!

Austin's oxygen sats continue to be in the 90s!!! This is a huge difference from what it was before surgery. He's doing so well! He's even eating better! Before surgery he was averaging between 2-3 oz. per feeding, and now is averaging between 4-5 oz. and occasionally will even eat 6 oz.!!! Austin saw his cardiologist, Dr. Colvin, yesterday. Dr. Colvin said everything looks great and that they'd see him again in 2 weeks!

Austin is much more alert and smiling tons! It's a great feeling for us all to see him doing so well.

Keep praying! God has truly blessed our request! Thank you for playing a part in God's blessing!

HOME!

Austin is HOME!!!

Dr. Knott-Craig came in this afternoon, checked on Austin, and said he could go home! So early this evening, Austin was discharged from UAB! He's at home asleep in his own bed!

We're all amazed at the fact that 4 days after surgery, Austin is at home resting comfortably! His oxygen sats are averaging in the 90s, he's eating great, he's smiling and cooing, and sleeping like normal. He's doing so well!

He'll have a follow up appointment with his cardiologist on Tuesday, stay tuned for more updates.

one of our HEROs!

Austin's hero: Dr. Knott-Craig.

Austin has gained many heros along his journey called life... one of those is Dr. Knott-Craig. Dr. KC is Austin's heart surgeon, he's an AMAZING doctor!

Austin's ultimate hero, Jesus Christ, definitely blessed us with an amazing doctor, and an amazing community of believers to encourage us along the way. THANK YOU!

GREAT night!

Austin had a great night last night... he slept well, had a little pain medicine and slept some more. Smile. He's also continuing to eat well, which is very encouraging! We're so proud of the little fella! Keep praying!

Side note: please continue praying for Austin's friend Daric. Daric has some fluid build up around his lungs from surgery... pray for Daric and his family. They mean a lot to us, and would appreciate your prayers!

Out of CICU... in a room!!!

Austin was transfered out of CICU today and into a regular room! He continues to do very well!

Keep praying!!!

smiles for Dr. Knott-Craig

Austin is doing GREAT!!!

We walked in to see him this afternoon and he was wide awake! He looked at us and cooed at us, it was precious! But we couldn't get him to smile at us, then Dr. Knott-Craig walked in, said a few things to Austin, and there it was! Austin had plenty of smiles for Dr. Knott-Craig! It was PRECIOUS!!!

Austin's chest tubes came out today, his arterial line (IV) came out, and he is weaned off most of his meds. They're only giving him pain medicine as needed, and Austin is doing well! Austin is also breathing room air (this means, no additional oxygen)!!! He may still need some oxygen off and on during the next few days, but when we left today, he was off for now. We're so proud of him!

Dr. Knott-Craig plans to move Austin out of CICU tomorrow, and into a regular room... this is a huge step!

Keep praying!!! And be sure to give God the GLORY for all he's doing in and through Austin's life!

off the ventilator, and awake!

Austin is off the ventilator and doing very well! He's also awake! He's doing GREAT!

We'll get to visit him at 1 today... I'll update again after our visit.

to God be ALL the Glory!!!

Austin is out of surgery and doing well. Austin was in surgery for almost 4 hours, and Dr. Knott-Craig was pleased with the surgery. He did the entire surgery without putting Austin on the heart & lung bypass machine. This was amazing!!!

As of tonight, Austin is stable and in CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit). He'll be in CICU for a few days, then go to a regular room.

We give God ALL the glory for Austin's progress today! Thank you for all of your prayers and support. It means so much to us!

Currently, we're asking you to pray for Austin as he continues to recover, and specifically for the drainage from his chest tubes, for his vitals to remain stable, and for him as he rests. Pray for Andy & Heather as they rest tonight at home. Pray God will give them the rest they need and strength for tomorrow.

Surgery Info.

Austin's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. We're told the surgery should begin sometime between 11 a.m. and 12 noon. I'll do my best to update tomorrow afternoon once Austin is out of surgery. The surgery should last appx. 3 hours.

Austin has done well today. His sats dropped some this morning, but have been stable most of the afternoon and evening. Pray that he'll rest well tonight, and that Andy & Heather get some rest.

Stay tuned for surgery updates tomorrow afternoon.

Austin is in the hospital; a change of plans...

Austin's O2 sats dropped again today... and his cardiologist decided he wanted to see Austin in the doctor's office. They checked his oxygen and heart and made the decision to admit him to the hospital. He is currently in the hospital at UAB and on oxygen. The extra oxygen seems to be helping him and he's somewhat better now than he was earlier today.

Also, Austin's surgery has been moved up. He will have surgery this coming Wednesday, May 16th. It was originally scheduled for late next week, but he can't wait that long. His surgery will be this Wednesday morning.

Stay tuned for further updates, spread the word. And more importantly, KEEP PRAYING!!! Specifically, pray for Austin, pray for him to remain stable. He's also trying to recover from a bad head cold and cough, pray he'll be well enough for surgery. Pray for Andy & Heather, pray for them to have the strength they need for this week. Pray they'll face the coming days with peace. Pray for Dr. Knott-Craig and his team as they prepare for Austin's surgery.

(these pictures were taken today at UAB)

Happy Mother's Day!

Austin: "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! I love you!"

A few ups and downs...

The past few days have been rough... Austin has had a few ups and downs...

His O2 stats (oxygen levels) dropped on Friday to very low levels, they were back up Friday evening, but still it was a scary day. Then over the weekend he as run a low grade fever and seems to have a cold/cough. Join us in praying that he'll heal quickly without any major stress on his heart.

He's also still having a hard time eating. We're meeting with Austin's GI doctor soon to discuss putting in a feeding tube. This is the last route we want to go, but also know that Austin needs to eat and grow. Pray for wisdom and peace as we approach this decision.

Austin's 2nd open heart surgery has been scheduled for Thursday, May 24th. Join us in praying for this day. God's word says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

4 oz.

Austin appears to be eating better today. He usually averages 3 oz. each feeding, but several times today he's taken 4 oz.! Guess he's making up for lost time, smile.

Keep praying for his appetite to increase and for him to eat more consistently.

a night in the ER...

After only eating 3 oz. in 18 hours... Austin ended up in the ER tonight... it was a long night, and he seems to be doing better now. Doctors don't really know what caused him to not eat... he didn't become dehydrated and they couldn't find anything else going on... so they discharged him. He seems to be eating a little better now.

Join me in praying that Austin's appetite will stay strong and that he'll continue to eat well!!! We're praying for no more set backs!

On another note, Austin's friend, Daric, is doing well. He came out of surgery yesterday and off the ventilator soon after being in recovery. He's a strong little guy. Please continue praying for Daric and for his family. Thank you!

New pictures: Austin

These two pictures were taken last Thursday at UAB... the day of Austin's heart cath. While Austin was recovering from the heart cath surgery, we put him in a wagon at UAB and pulled him around the Pediatric Heart Unit... we all needed the break. smile. Austin continues to do well recovering from the surgery, and he is already back to his old self.

Thank you for praying!

Daric, Austin's friend...

God has brought some amazing people into our lives through Austin's story, and one of those is a little boy... Daric. Daric and his family are from Kansas, and are currently in Birmingham preparing for Daric's third open-heart surgery. Daric also has Hypoplastic Left Heart.

We met Daric's family through this blog and have continued to stay in touch with them, it's been neat to see how God has intertwined our lives together!

Tomorrow morning, at 7 a.m., Daric will undergo open-heart surgery, please take some time to pray for Daric, for Dr. Knott-Craig, and for Daric's family!

Heart Cath. went VERY well!!!

Austin had his heart cath yesterday, and all went very well! I think the hardest part was comforting him before the cath... he was so hungry and we couldn't feed him... and he let us know that he was hungry... not later, but NOW... smile.

He came through the cath very strongly, and the doctor was very pleased with all that he saw. They didn't have to balloon any arteries and only did their "research" to get ready for the second surgery. We were thrilled!

Austin napped most of the afternoon yesterday at the hospital, took a bottle, and spent time recovering from surgery. The doctor discharged him early yesterday evening and he is at home resting.

We're so proud of him... he did so well!

Thank you for your prayers and support, they were felt yesterday... it got us through the day. Thank you!