Joseph Turns ONE Year Old!

Words are completely inadequate at this time to express the happiness we have as Joseph turns one year old. We cannot believe that a year has passed. So much has happened in this little kid's life and he has had a good effect on so many people. It has been a struggle but it was a struggle we went through together and it made us all stronger.

On Monday Joseph saw his cardiologist and all the news was good news. His heart is doing very well and there are no surgeries in the near future. They do not even want to see him for another 6 months! Joseph has begun to walk and is now exploring his world with reckless abandon. Pictures say it best so here is a picture and a video:

As you can see he has grown from infant to toddler.

Within a few weeks I will write one more blog and that will hopefully be it for this site. Thank you so much for interest in this "story."

God Bless,

Kenny

Prayers of Thanksgiving!--a successful surgery

Look Ma---no tubes!

Today Joseph had his nasal tubes removed!

We left the house at 5:40AM to take Joseph in for his sixth surgery and hopefully the last one for a few years. He sailed through pre-op (they all seem to know him now) and went into surgery at 7:30. 50 minutes later doctor Geller came in to talk to us and asked that we go to one of the consult rooms---uh oh---that is not a good sign. He always talks to us in the waiting room. Our fears were soon replaced with joy, as he explained how well the procedure went to remove the tubes and more importantly how great his nasal passageways looked. The passageways should stay open based on how they look now. Never before have open nasal passageways been the cause for so much celebration! That was the great news we wanted to hear.

My blood pressure returned to normal and a few minutes later we went up to the recovery room. He looked very peaceful and noticeably different without the plastic tubes protruding from his nostrils. He woke up and immediately wanted his mom. He ate and was happy right from the start. He did so well that they released him an hour later.

We had enough time to go and visit a few of the nurses in the ICU. Michelle, his first nurse in ICU and Dana, the nurse who cared for him on the day before his heart surgery, were there and they got to hold the child that was almost three times larger than when he left the ICU. Joseph also got to see Denise the nurse manager and Al his Respiratory Therapist. It was a great reunion.

It is a day of thankful prayers. It is hard to look back and remember all the small miracles and amazing team that helped get Joseph to this point. Our family will be thankful for the rest of our lives for all you have given us.

Thank you and Thank You God!

In Gratitude,

Kenny

Joseph and his sister Megan

Joseph is 22 pounds and turns 10 months old on June 12!

Pictures

Here are some pictures to go with the previous post:

Fr. Matt with Joseph

Joseph and his sisters at Katherine's 1st Communion

Joseph being Joseph

Peace,

Kenny

More Good News

Joseph went to the cardiologist on May 5 and had an electrocardiogram. The news was all good. The blood flow through his heart and aorta is good and they are very happy with his progress. This continues to push his potential heart surgery out for at least a year. His narrowing of the aorta is improved and he does not need to return for his heart check up for at least three months.
Joseph's nose is a different story. Joseph still has the tubes to keep his nasal passageways open and he will have surgery on June 11 to remove the tubes. This will be a quick but very important surgery. His chances of the passageway staying open are 60/40. These are tough odds but Joseph is a tough kid. If all goes well his passageways will stay open until a corrective surgery at about 5 years old can be done. It is not good to have to do the surgery earlier because he is growing so much and it can lead to complications.
Joseph has been able to be out so much more and he loves being around many people. He is very happy and is generous with his smiles. It is good for the family to be able to do more things together and we are so appreciative of all the continued support and prayers for Joseph. Katherine received First Communion on Sunday and it was great to have the entire family all around to support her in this big step.
The girls are such great big sisters to Joseph and while they make us nervous when they carry him around, Joseph loves his sisters and yells in delight when they take care of him. Joseph is crawling more all the time. This is surprising because he almost never is on the ground if the girls are around because they hold him so much.
I am out of town right now so I do not have some new photos to upload but I will add some photos when I return. God Bless you all!

Kenny

P.S. The Men's Guild of Childrens Hospital is hold a fundraising poker tournament on May 17 at the museum of design. If you would like to play please call me at 626-840-9474 and I will send you information. But please call soon as the reservations are almost closed.

Time has accelerated!

I find it hard to believe that we are in April. Joseph and the girls are growing like weeds. Joseph will turn 8 months old on April 12. Easter has come and gone and and life continues on even if we are not ready for it. The last few weeks have been challenging. Joseph's great-grandmother, Maxine Lund, passed away at the young age of 87. We had a wonderful celebration of her life and Joseph was able to meet some of his cousins. Joseph was a trooper through it and always had a smile for everyone he met. Just like this one from today:



We had family in from Utah and Fresno. It was a wonderful family gathering. It was great to celebrate Maxine's life and to be together to share stories and support each other. Here is one section of Joseph's family. He is in there somewhere!



Joseph is over 20 pounds now and he has forward motion as he learns to crawl. He starts in a nice crawl position:




But he puts is bottom in the air in a strange attempt to fly rather than crawl:


Then his arms go out and he moves one inch forward.---Hey it is a start!

We hope this Easter was as special for you as it was for us. It was the first one for Joseph and he loved playing with the Easter Eggs. It was a special family time to reflect on the sacrifice that saved us all. I found myself reflecting on the sacrifice so many made to take care of Joseph. It is what makes it all worthwhile.

God Bless,


Kenny

Joseph Lund- 20 pounds of fun

Joseph is doing very well! He is gaining weight. He takes up much of our time but he is well worth it. He has started eating baby food and some formula. He loves to laugh and his sisters make him scream with delight as they laugh with him. He has been out and about more and seems to tolerate it very well. We took him on a short trip to attend the company board meeting.

I am thankful to those who still check into this site. I am sorry I have not written in awhile -- but to reward your diligence here are some new pictures:

Joseph and his Godmother

Bathing in the sink at the hotel!

All Clean!

Celebrating Saint Patrick's Day!

(yes those are green scrambled eggs)

We are getting ready to celebrate Joseph's first EASTER. This will be a special Easter as we recall the sacrifice our God has made for us. It will be a celebration of Life. We hope this Easter is a great one for you. God Bless.

Kenny, Mary and the kids

A Deep Breath

It is time to slow down and take a deep breath. Joseph has been breathing better through his new and improved nostril extenders. He is starting to get back into a better sleep mode and is generally happy again now that the recovery from surgery is almost complete. It is AWESOME to hear him breathe and the familiar whistle noise from the tubes is back. Joseph is able to feed well and he is putting weight back on.

Through the kindness of a great friend we have been able to take a much needed family vacation to a nearby beach. We are enjoying a four day get-a-way and it has been great to regroup. It is especially wonderful to have the whole family together and not be running around to the next event. We played a marathon game of Monopoly and Mary did needlepoint. The girls have enjoyed the undivided time with mom and dad. I even feel like my heart rate has slowed to its proper speed and I am able to allow myself to actually get a bit bored. Being bored---I never thought I could enjoy it so much! We used to complain when we were young about there being nothing to do and whining to our parents, "I'm bored!" We never realized how good we had it! We wish you some nice, peaceful, relaxing, boring days ahead.

Kenny

Breathing Better But a Bit Bothersome

Joseph and his bionic nose

Joseph was able to go home the day of surgery at 6PM. That was a good thing as it is easier to care for him at home. Today (Thursday) he has been cranky and it is challenging to keep the new tubes clear because he cannot stand to have them touched and he fights pretty hard. He is a fighter but we do not want him to fight us. Mary has been incredibly patient and now knows more than she ever wanted to about suctioning goop out of a child's nose!

Once again we owe so much to so many--the doctors, nurses, staff, the children's school, our family, friends, and many more. A special thanks to Christina at the hospital who brought us breakfast and lunch and to Autumn who brought us coffee as we waited for Joseph to get out of surgery. Joseph has conquered 5 surgeries with a few more to go and he is very strong and has proven his resilience. Having gone through it with him, those reading this blog are stronger as well. That is a great accomplishment for all!

still humbled,

Kenny

surgery went well

Joseph is out of surgery and it went well. He has new larger nasal tubes and is breathing through them like a champ.

Nasal Tubes--The New Fashion Statement!

Joseph will once again be a trendsetter and will soon be sporting new, larger, classic, and aero-dynamic NASAL TUBES! Yes, they are coming back in style after just a few weeks. They will be installed on Wednesday morning. Look for Joseph on the cover of Gerber Weekly and Fashon Babies. All the kids will want them his summer!

OK seriously now-----

Joseph will have his fifth surgery this Wednesday. He cannot get enough air in through his nose and babies need some air in order to feed properly and to thrive. We have tried all the tricks but it is very frustrating to feed him and he tries so hard that he burns about as many calories when eating as he is taking in. This does not let him eat properly and he has lost some weight.

The surgeon will open up his nasal passageways and then will put the reliable tubes back in place. They will be in for about 3 months before this set is retired. If the surgeon can get the passagways open up some more and if the tubes allow him to eat well and thrive then he should be in good shape when they are taken out. In this video clip you can hear his nasal breathing right at the beginning:

It is just not good enough airflow to get by. You can also see how happy he is. With everything he has been through he remains happy and he is very good natured. He still sleeps through the night and overall he is doing well. He just needs to breathe better!

Joseph jabbers all the time but for the record he nows says DADA regularly(well once to be exact.) Never mind that I say it to him a thousand times a day-- He still said DADA and this video proves it:

Joseph will be in the hospital over-night this time. It is a tougher surgery so they want to observe him longer after surgery. It will be a long week but we will get through it! Thanks for keeping the faith. Since I owe a few pictures I am going to close this blog with several of them. Enjoy, and keep us in your prayers--you continue to be in ours.

Kenny

Still a journey

Today February 12, Joseph is six months old. His half birthday. It has been an amazing journey and it will continue on for quite some time. I remember when he was about 4 weeks old and he was still in the hospital. Some friends asked us when they could see him and I replied, "not until at least 2008." They were shocked because it had not really sunk in how we would have to keep him out of circulation. It kind of shocked me too. Maybe we are over protective but until we hear one of the doctors say, "they surgery went much better than expected." we are going to stay a little gun shy. I think that not hearing that line has been our biggest frustration. Each surgery has been a step forward but not the leap forward we hope for. This last surgery has proven to be the same. It is progress but now there are other issues.
Joseph is having a tough time breathing out his tube free nose. It is hard for him to eat and sleep so he is a bit less happy and we are a bit more frustrated with the effort it takes for him to feed. He has to stop and start constantly to catch his breath. Watching him eat actually makes us breath harder as we try to will more air into him. We saw the doctor on the 11th and he gave us a few more tricks to try to help Joseph tough it out. If it gets worse or if Joseph starts losing weight, he will go back in surgery to have new tubes put back in. That will allow him to eat better, but it will mean an additional surgery to remove them once again. Each surgery is tough on him and tough on us. (But they tell us that the tenth surgery is free--as long as we have our card punched!)
I learned to like the tubes that Joseph had for 5 1/2 months. They were easy to keep clear and he tolerated them very well. But I was so glad to see them go. Now we are facing the prospect of having them return. That is not our goal. We are going to do all we can to keep him tube free. So we ask you once again to keep him in your prayers. This child has taught us so much. He has also confused us so throughly at times. I have a few questions for God that I hope will be answered some day--but for now we are content to continue the journey with all of you walking along with us.
HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY JOSEPH!
Someday he will read that and know how he has been loved from the start.

In gratitude,

Kenny

p.s. Come back soon and I will have some more pictures

Resting at Home

It has been a long day. We left home at 5:30AM and returned at 2:30PM. The surgery went fine but we had a little scare during post-op when Joseph's heart rate stayed elevated. It took longer than expected before we could go home. It turned out that he had become dehydrated and that was causing his heart to pump faster than it should. Once they got some fluids in him he was fine and we were given the OK to head out. However, for a short time we were reminded what it was like back when Joseph was in the ICU. It was a memory better left unstirred. There was also a good side to it. When things were once again out of control we relied on the thoughts and prayers of Joseph's community. Friends and family inside and outside of the hospital rallied to Joseph's aid and he responded well to the support.

Several of the staff at Childrens Hospital remembered us from our previous visits to the surgical unit. I remember thinking that it was both a good and a bad thing. It is nice to have friends there but it is not a place we want to hear phrases like, "oh--back so soon" or "one more visit and you get a free toaster!"

Doctor Geller was happy with how the surgery went and it was great to see his smiling face after the surgery. There will be follow up visits and maybe even a surgery or two to keep Joseph's nasal passageways open and functioning at 100% but for now he is good to go. It is interesting to see his face without tubes. Here are the before and after pictures hot off the presses:

As you can see he looks better. For us, it takes a little getting used to.

So we end the day having one more surgery behind us. In all likelihood Joseph has more time to spend at Childrens Hospital---but for now he is resting comfortably and and we can all take a collective sigh of relief and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Tomorrow will be a wonderful day!

Kenny

out of surgery

All is well but Joseph is not very happy. We will be able to go home at 12:30

The surgery is on

It is 10:30PM and I just put Joseph in his crib. He got an extra feeding tonight because he will not be able to eat until after the surgery. He is first up and we report to the Hospital at 5:30AM to get him ready for his 7AM surgery. The surgery should be about 35 minutes. It is a little longer than we thought at first because they really want to check his nasal passageways to make sure the openings are good. Joseph's ENT surgeon is the best possible. Not only did he do the surgery to put the tubes in Joseph, but he also did the surgery for Megan to fix the same problem for her. The difference for Megan was that she only had one side affected so she did not need surgery until she was five. The surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Geller, has become very important to our family and we could never thank him enough for care he has given to our children. He has dedicated his life to treating children and he is teaching the next generation of doctors. They have the best teacher possible.
We have had our share of surgeries with Joseph. This will be his fourth time under general anesthesia. I still think that anytime your child goes under anesthesia they should put the parents under as well. Then you can all wake up at the same time---much less worry and grey hair in the process. I just don't think we can get our insurance to cover it---They have done enough already.
I promise to update the blog after the surgery. It will be a short note because I will write it using my cell phone. I am not as good at the small keyboard as the teenagers are with all their text messaging. I will write a longer blog in the evening when we are all back home. Thanks for visiting this blog. God Bless.

Kenny

Doing well and getting ready

Joseph is doing well and continues to grow. He can roll over back to front and front to back. He continues to be happy and except for knocking his bouncy chair over he has not had any setbacks.
It is now time to prepare for his next surgery. If all goes as planned he will have surgery on January 29. Compared to the other surgeries, this should be a snap. But, anytime he goes under anesthesia there is always that lingering fear. He will have surgery next week to remove the tubes in his nose that have allowed him to breathe. He is old enough to know that if his nasal passageways get blocked that he can open his mouth to keep breathing. It will be strange to see him without his tubes (or as I call them, his "nostril extenders") He has had them since he was less than a week old. His lungs are stronger and have more capacity so they whistle a bit when he breathes now. His sound will be less familiar.
We need to keep him from getting a cold before his surgery so we will tighten up his exposure to the world one more time. We do look forward to the day when we can take him and the entire family to a public area like church, school or even a restaurant. But what we look forward to most is taking him to see all the great people who have been pulling for him and praying for him. Until that time I will keep posting pictures and video clips. Here one that lets you see more of him than ever before!


Please keep Joseph and his doctors in your prayers. We will continue to keep you in our prayers.

Kenny and family

A Good Visit to the Cardiologist

The visit to the doctor's office went very well. Joseph was a champ during the echo-cardiogram. This test takes a little while and he has to hold still. Not an easy thing for a five month old. Yes, Joseph will be five months old on January 12. This is a great milestone and we find it hard to believe he is that old already! He is right where he should be with his development. Joseph is alert, jabbers constantly, is beginning to roll over, laughs, and grasps objects put in front of him. The cardiologist was very happy with how he looks. His exact words were, "He looks terrific!" The big surprise was that he told us not to come back for three months. We took this as a huge positive. Joseph still has a narrowed aorta but his blood flow is good enough to keep him out of the cardiologists office for three months. Hooray!!! God is good.

Happy in San Diego,

Kenny

Happy New Year

It has been a great start to the new year. Joseph is doing well. He has passed the 17 pound mark and does not show any signs that his heart is having trouble. He loves to smile and even lets out some giggles. However, this will be a tough week as I head down to San Diego for our annual managers meeting. Mary's sister Cindy is coming up from San Diego to help Mary out with all that goes each and every day. With five children to look after, there is a tremendous amount to accomplish. Mary handles it all very well. Luckily I married well!
Life is pretty good at this point, but just so that you know we are a normal everyday family I want to tell you what happened on Christmas Day. I must first preface it with --Overall it was a great day and there are no long term effects from the ordeal.
Christmas morning was a blast with the kids opening up their presents and we had a nice breakfast. Late in the morning Joseph was put on the bed and we (two of the girls and myself) were distracted by the new IPOD that the four girls received from Santa with a note about sharing. (yes--one IPOD for four girls) Well, Joseph picked that moments to roll over for the first time and he went right off the bed and when gravity took over he ended wedged between the night stand and the bed. He also hit his head. Well chaos entered the room. Joseph was screaming, Mary was trying to get to Joseph, the other girls ran in and started crying in unison with the two who were already crying. Mary and I quickly assessed Joseph as one of the girls asked if she should go call 911. "NO" we yelled in unison, "just get the icy bear---he is OK" It took a decent amount of time to get everyone calmed down. At about the five minute mark Joseph smiled at his mom and acted like nothing ever happened. The girls however, were traumatized for a few more hours. Looking back at it now it seems pretty funny and it was a good lesson for us all. Here is a little video clip to prove that he is OK.


Joseph goes to the Cardiologist on Tuesday, January 8. He is scheduled to have an echo-cardiogram to asses how well his aorta is doing. I will let you know the outcome as soon as I am able.
Happy New Year and may 2008 be a year of miracles and wonderful events.

Kenny