Signal Mtn Boys

Gus at the House

2011-05-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

Hello all. This is Cameron Augustus Covert. He was born yesterday at about 8:03 a.m. It has been a whirlwind. Everyone is doing fine and we are trully thankful for this gift. Talk with you soon.

Clancy

Waiting on Gus

2011-05-25T16:53:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

God has provided us with another gift that should arrive tomorrow morning. Cameron Augustus "Gus" is scheduled to be born tomorrow morning. I will keep everyone posted. Many thanks to all for the prayers and support

Hopeful and excited,

Clancy, Christie, Houston and Jackson

Sundays in October in Tennessee

2010-10-24T13:16:00.002-04:00

Not much is prettier than a Sunday in October in Tennessee. We returned from Florida yesterday after a much needed Fall-Break. It has been quite some time since I posted anything on the blog so I just wanted to post a quick note. I hope everyone is doing well. Back to work and school for us tomorrow. Until next time.... Clancy

Houston's 13th Birthday! Happy Birthday HUEY!

2009-01-16T07:42:00.003-05:00

Today is Houston's 13th Birthday! He has finally made it to his teenage years. I will post pictures later, but I wanted to share Huey's special day with everyone. Kids are out of school today and I made sure they were up before leaving this morning. (Just kidding). Hope everyone is doing well. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSTON! WE ARE PROUD OF YOU! Trying to keep warm and always praying, Clancy

Monday, January 12, 2008

2009-01-12T18:05:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone! I have not posted since last year, but with the holidays and kids being out of school, a lot has been going on. We did survive the holidays and it has been a roller coaster ride. We were able to get away for a few days and visit my Dad and Sandy in Florida. Although it was not warm enough to swim, we did have good weather all but one day (cold). It was nice to get a change of scenery for a few days and we all had a great time! We thank everyone for the wonderful Christmas cards and gifts! We hope everyone had a safe and Merry Christmas and New Year's. Thanks as always for the prayers, comments and uplifting words. Please keep Raymond Powell and his family in your prayers. Raymond went home from the hospital today and is waiting on a report from his doctor later in the week. Also, please keep the Broome/Miller family in your thoughts and prayers as they have a loved one in the hospital at present. I will write again soon and try to remember that the God that brought you to it will be the God that brings you through it! Keep moving along boys...you too Zman. Love to all! Clancy

Sunday, December 14, 2008 in the Evening

2008-12-14T18:11:00.007-05:00

Good evening all. We hope that everyone is having a restful and warm weekend. Not much going on around here. As you can see from the picture, Christie created our Christmas card, so I decided to scan it and post it to the web.

The boys are doing well and it is hectic around here. Houston's last day of exams is tomorrow and the

last day for school before Christmas is Thursday. Christie is also trying to wrap up things at school before the end of the week.

We are planning on going to visit my Dad and Stepmother in Florida at the end of the week. We need to get out of here and get our minds off of things...if it is possible. I doubt that our minds will be put at ease, but the change of scenery will be good for us as a family.

Although Christmas is quickly approaching, I can honestly say that the spirit of the season is largely overshadowed. It is difficult to know that we will not be able to see Zander's smiling little face as he tears into his first present or wear his Christmas outfit. We are truly thankful for what we have in terms of family and friends, but a huge void will always exist in our lives and in the lives of the people that Zander touched. In time, I hope and pray that understanding and peace will set in.

As our pastor spoke about this morning, Christmas is not about presents, food or any of the other festivities. It is about the one gift that we were all given some 2008 years ago when our Savior was born and laid in a manger. A gift that through faith assures me and Christie that we will see our beautiful baby boy once again.

We love you boys. Rest easy.

Struggling but still pursuing His grace,

Clancy

Monday, December 8, 2008

2008-12-08T07:13:00.002-05:00

Good morning all. It has been a while since I last posted and I am sorry for the delay. It is difficult to explain my hesitancy in writing, but everywhere Christie and I turn at this point and taking into account the holiday season, reminders of Zander are present. It is not fun and I do not wish it on anyone; however, we are hanging in there. Houston and Jackson are doing well and growing with anticipation concerning Christmas. We put up the Christmas tree this weekend and Zander's ornaments are on the tree with the boys'. He is with us...we know it, but selfishly, we wish here were here physically with us. Please keep Ethan, Raymond Powell and Dr. Swingle in your prayers. At last report all are doing well, but prayer is still needed for them. Dr. Swingle is back in Arkansas for another round of treatment and strength through the journey is needed for him. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and love during this time. We still need it. We know God is with us, but it is difficult to see at times. God led us here and he will lead us out in His way and on His time. Keep moving along boys. We love all three of you. Clancy

Sunday, November 23, 2008 in the Evening

2008-11-23T19:24:00.002-05:00

Good evening all. Not a lot going on here tonight. Over the weekend, Houston, Jackson and I raked the leaves from the yard and it looks 200% better. We will have to do it again in the coming weeks since all the leaves are not off the trees, but it will make it a lot easier. The boys really worked hard at helping out. Jackson is asking for his two front teeth for Christmas as he has lost them both within the past 2 weeks. Christie is downstairs grading papers and the boys are in their rooms watching TV and playing on the computer. Not much really going on here tonight. We are all headed back to work and school in the morning. It is quiet and still difficult around here. They miss their brother and we miss him as well. We hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving and we prayer for traveling mercies for those that are traveling. Please keep Raymond, Ethan and us in your prayers. Thank you as always for your prayers, comments and encouraging words. Sleep well boys...you too Zander. We love all three of you. Mommy and Clancy

Sunday, November 16, 2008

2008-11-16T18:46:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone. It has been a rainy dreary weekend here in Chattanooga. This past week, although productive, was difficult. Many times throughout the week, I caught myself looking for the Zman or hearing his soft purr or his air machine at night, but I have yet to find the source. We did get his room back in order and have made a few changes with the furniture, but in my mind, it will always be Zander's room. We hope that God is holding him close and giving him lots of kisses. Christie is returning to school in the morning and I am headed back in to work as well. Please keep Ethan, Raymond and our family in your prayers. We love and cherish each of you and hope that the week starts off well for everyone. We love you boys! Until next time, with Love, Clancy

Monday, November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T21:15:00.002-05:00

Fall in Tennessee truly reveals God's spendor. It has and will always be my favorite time of the year. Our beloved son Zander was laid to rest this past Saturday surrounded by the cornucopia of colors that God reveals to us each year. He is surrounded by many trees upon a hillside that will always allow him to enjoy the outdoors, a place that he truly loved being during his short time with us. We will forever miss the sparkle in his eyes when we strolled with him daily, as he looked at the many shapes and colors that this time of year brings. The silence around here is deafening. I can only hear the purr of my son breathing and the images of last week will forever be etched in my mind's eye. The sufficiency of God's grace evidenced by the outpouring of love and generosity of everyone during this time is all that sustains us. I do not think that grief has set in for Christie nor I as of yet. I cannot adequately describe in words the familial and community love and support received by our family. All I can say is thank you and may God bless and keep each of you. Please keep Ethan and Raymond in your prayers. Pray also for strength for our family as we embark on yet another journey. We know that God is with us although it is difficult to see. Rest easy Houston...sleep tight Jackson...we love you both. Zander, we miss you and love you. Clancy

2008-11-06T16:19:00.003-05:00

Hello all. Our beautiful son Zander is now being held by God. He left his earth yesterday at 11:01 a.m. He was not in any pain and he was surrounded by many people that loved him. We are having visitation on Friday, November 7, 2008 at Red Bank Baptist Church (main sanctuary) here in Chattanooga/Red Bank from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. We are having a private graveside service on Saturday for Zander and he will be in a place where he can enjoy the beautiful trees. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS CAN BE MADE AT ANY SUNTRUST BANK IN THE NAME OF ZANDER COVERT. We love each of you and thank you for the many blessings that you have given our family. Please keep Ethan, Raymond and the Weekend #31 men's team and candidates in your prayers. I will write again soon. Love to all. Zander, you don't have to move along anymore. You are home. Clancy

Election Day, November 4, 2008

2008-11-04T07:27:00.003-05:00

Good Morning All! Today is the day we have all been waiting for. Tomorrow there will be no news. Yeah! Just kidding. I hope everyone is able to vote today. You will be a part of history today no matter who you vote for. Sorry for my delay in writing, but it has been hectic around the house and at work. Houston and Jackson are doing well and school is going well for both of them. Zander is doing well. We did see the ENT in recent days and this Friday, Zander will undergo surgery to dilate his esophagus again. Once Dr. Kelley finishes this part of the surgery, Dr. St. Charles will insert tubes into Zander's ears and then have an audiologist perform a detailed hearing test. As I understand it, it will be while Zander is under anesthesia so that the test can be as accurate as possible. The goal, at this point is to get Zander hearing something for developmental purposes. The quicker he can hear something, the better off he will be in his development. We are praying that the tubes assist him greatly and we still know that God is in control. Please pray for another miracle in our son's short life. Zander also sees the cardiologist tomorrow. Hopefully his heart problems are continuing to fade, but we will know more tomorrow. Thanks as always for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. We hope everyone is doing well and please keep Zander, Ethan and Raymond Powell in your prayers. I will write again soon. Keep moving along boys, We love you! Clancy

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

2008-10-28T19:21:00.003-04:00

Good Evening All! Zander wanted everyone to see his costume. We go to the spine doctor on Friday, but we wanted everyone to see Zander in his pumpkin (Yes he is really in the pumpkin).

Please keep Zman, Raymond, Ethan and Dr. Ted in your prayers. We got word tonight that Dr. Ted is coming home from Arkansas! Yeah!!!!! I will write again soon.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Paul! Go Devil Rays!

Love to all. Keep moving along boys.

Clancy

2008-10-26T16:23:00.005-04:00

Here is Zander working out with his mobile earlier today. I hope the video works. I am testing this out.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 in the Evening

2008-10-21T17:44:00.007-04:00

Good evening all. We hope that everyone is having a great week. Fall is definitely in the air and the weather is wonderful. This time of year in East-Tennessee is beautiful. Above are pictures of the Zman during physical therapy. The first one of him is his way of saying "your hurting me". The second one is of him saying "I'm going to the bathroom" and the third one is of him saying "Look, I'm a big boy!"

Jackson and Houston are at Jackson's soccer practice tonight. This is the last practice of the year and the last game will be this weekend. School is going well for both of them and they have been a great help around the house in recent days. School pictures for Jackson are tomorrow so I am sure that we will have to get up a little early to make sure everything is copacetic with his hair in the morning.

Zander saw Dr. Devoid (his GI doctor) yesterday. Great news. His liver enzymes are where they need to be and he no longer has to take medicine for the cholestasis (jaundice). More importantly, Christie learned how to take out the feeding tube and place a new one in. According to Christie, the doctor took it out and dropped it on the table and said "Okay put it back in." Neither she or I have taken the feeding (G-tube) out and changed it before so after she overcame the abruptness of it being out, she was able to successfully pull it out. Lastly, Dr. Devoid said that he no longer needs to see Zander!!!!Yeah! One doctor down 12, 13 or maybe 10 to go.

Zander also had his esophagus dilated today by Dr. Kelley. We were at the hospital today at 6:00 a.m.; however, we were not released until this afternoon. Dr. Kelley said the esophagus was significantly restricted, but this was to be expected. The procedure went well and Zander has slept for the most part since then. We will see Dr. Kelley again in three weeks for another dilation.

We have heard from Ethan's parents. His is currently about 12 pounds and is doing great. They did go to the transplant specialist in Cincinnati, and thank God, they have been approved for the transplant program. We are so happy for them and it was good to hear from them. We will keep you posted on Ethan's progress.

Tomorrow, we go to see Dr. St. Charles, Zander's ENT doc. We pray tomorrow goes as well as the past two days. We pray specifically for good news regarding Zander's cohanal atresia and hearing issues. We know that Dr. St. Charles is a great doctor and we hope (and pray) that Zander will be able to hear soon.

Please keep Raymond Powell, Ethan and Dr. Ted in your prayers. Thanks to everyone for the comments. It has been hectic and these kind words keep Christie and I going each day.

I will write again soon. Love to all,

Until then,

We love you boys. Sleep tight. Smile big tomorrow Jackson. Keep moving along Zander.

Clancy

Sunday, October 19, 2008 in the Evening

2008-10-19T19:07:00.010-04:00

Good evening all. I hope that everyone is well rested. Sorry for my delay in posting, but we have been busy this past week with Fall Break and just life in general.

Houston and Jackson had a restful Fall Break. Grandma Pat took Christie, Houston and Jackson on the new River Valley Gorge ride, a new boat excursion through the Tennessee Aquarium over Fall break and above are some of the pictures from their adventure.

Zander is doing well. This past week, he discovered his tongue. It has been going non-stop since then. Think Michael Jordan. He is really starting to wiggle around a lot and he is noticing every aspect of what is going on around him.

Starting tomorrow, Zander has doctors and therapists appointments all week. Tomorrow he will see his GI doctor and attend physical therapy. Tuesday he sees Dr. Kelley for another dilation and overall check-up. Wednesday, Zander is going to see Dr. St. Charles, his ENT. Christie will be on the run for most of the week, so please keep her and Zander in your prayers as we should find out quite a bit with this week's appointments. Hopefully we will learn more about the hearing issue from Dr. St. Charles on Wednesday.

We remain prayerful for Zander's health and medical care. We have not heard from Ethan, but trust that he is doing well. Please keep him, Raymond Powell and our doctor friend in Little Rock in your prayers. Get well Ted.

Christie and I are tired, but doing well. We have had a few hiccups this week with insurance and nursing issues, but we know that God will take care of it all.

Thanks as always for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. They mean the world to us and we read and re-read them often. I will write again soon. For now,

Sweet dreams boys. We love all three of you. Keep moving along Zman.

Clancy

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 in the Evening

2008-10-14T19:54:00.008-04:00

Good evening all. So sorry for my delay in writing, but we have been otherwise occupied with Zman and life in general over the weekend. Houston and Jackson had a great weekend with their Dad and Christie and I had a restful weekend with Zander until about 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Ashley, Zander's night nurse woke us early Sunday morning. Zander was bleeding from his nose, mouth and trach. We quickly readied ourselves and whisked the little guy off to the ER. On our way he had an outpouring of the red stuff and we proceeded to accelerate our arrival at the ER.

After being in the ER for a few hours and Zander receiving a breathing treatment that assisted in closing the capillaries in his nose, throat and lungs. Dr. Ledbetter (pulmonologist) came in to see the little guy. We felt so bad that we pulled him in from church, but Dr. Ledbetter said we did not need to worry about it. We are fortunate to have him as one of Zander's doctors.

In any event, we were admitted to the hospital and Dr. Harvey (Dr. St Charles partner, an ENT) scoped the nose, the mouth and the lungs/trach on Monday. We are happy that he did not find anything, but at the same time concerned that he did not find anything. While performing the procedure he did enlarge the left nostril/cavity, but told us that Zander will need surgery to correct and expand the nasal cavity and to correct the cohanal stenois in his nose/sinuses.

We were discharged late yesterday and Zander has been just fine since then. There have been no signs of blood at all since coming home. Dr. Harvey and Dr. Ledbetter both said that he may have had an infection that came to a head, so he is now on a new antibiotic. He does not agree with Demoral (sp?) a pain killing medicine that was given to him during or soon after surgery. While the Zman was coming down off the medicine he thrashed around and acted violently. Chrisite and I found it amusing a first, but soon realized that he may be allergic to it.

At this point, Christie and I are trying to catch up on sleep. She got little if any sleep while at the hospital. I came home Sunday night (there is no room at all in the rooms) and tried to sleep, but those efforts did not produce much sleep at all. We are happy and thankful that everything went well. Zander did just fine on his 69 night in the hospital. Before being discharged, Zander had visitors from church.

Machelle and Abby Hall came by to visit today and the above picture is of Zander and Abby. She has been praying for Zander everyday for several months. Zander enjoyed his visit with her and it was good for Christie to see Machelle and catch up.

Thanks to all for the prayers, comments and concerns for our baby and family. We will keep you posted. Please keep Raymond Powell, Ethan and Zander in your prayers. We are blessed. God is still in control and we are thankful for each breath he gives us.

Rest easy boys. Sleep tight Zander. We love you all.

Clancy

Friday, October 10, 2008 JACKSON's BIRTHDAY

2008-10-10T18:35:00.011-04:00

Hello all. Yet another week under our belts. We hope everyone is doing well. Today is Jackson's 7th birthday and as you can see from the pics above, we had a little party for him.

He was very excited and I think he is going to turn it into a weekend long celebration.

Houston has wrapped up his exams and report cards come out soon. He says that he did well and I am sure that he did.

Zander is having a good week. He has been a little blocked up so we have had to utilize enemas and now Senakot Syrup (per Dr. Kelley). Zander has a few more doctor's appointments coming up next week. I will have to consult the calendar to see which doctors he will see next week. We have been able to get him out of the house for walks this week and he seems to enjoy them. For now, he is just a wiggly happy little guy. Zander is now resting. I guess he is getting ready for football on Saturday.

Christie and I are doing well, but tired. Christie has been a trooper this week and I know taking care of everything around here, while I am at work, takes a lot out of her. I know she enjoys it, bue she does not let on that she is tired.

Please keep Ethan, Raymond Powell (and family) and everyone in your prayers. Please also keep a friend of ours in your prayers. He is in Little Rock, Arkansas getting treatment for cancer (which involves stem cell transplantation) and it appears things are going well.

Thanks as always for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. I can't forget the food from SMMHS teachers and staff. We thank each of you very much and I especially want to thank each of you for keeping my wife and family in your thoughts. I know what each of you have on your plates on a daily basis and I am truly thankful for your generosity to my family and friendship to my wife.

I will write again soon. Until then,

Rest easy boys...keep moving along...we love you.

Clancy

Monday, October 6, 2008 in the Evening

2008-10-06T20:09:00.007-04:00

Good Evening all. Just a quick post tonight. We hope everyone is doing well. We had a great weekend and Zander, Houston and I watch football together on Saturday. Notice Zander has the remote next to him.

We are still praying for intervention into Zander's hearing issue. The boys are well and Houston is in the middle of exams this week. Christie is doing well and it appears that it will be another hectic week.

I will post again soon. I have to get the boys bathed and in bed. Thanks for coming down today Grandma Judi. It was good to see you.

Please keep Zander, Ethan and Raymond Powell in your prayers. Thanks as always for the comments, encouraging words and prayers.

Rest easy boys. Keep moving along.

We love you.

Clancy

Friday, October 3, 2008 in the Evening

2008-10-03T20:38:00.002-04:00

TGIF everyone. We hope everyone has big plans for the weekend. Jackson has a soccer game tomorrow and it appears that Houston and I will be watching a little football with the Zman tomorrow.

Zander has been busy the past few days. He has been out in the neighborhood the past few days and we took him on a long walk this afternoon. Earlier today, he visited with Dr. Ledbetter, his pulmonologist. Dr. Ledbetter said that everything looked good and he actually discontinued the use of the apnea monitor. Yeah!!!!! That is one less monitor that he is on. The only monitor that he is on now is the SAT monitor which measures the oxygen saturation in his blood. Better yet, he only has to be on it at night as long as we keep a close watch on him. Of course the nurses are keeping a close watch as well.

Zander also went to physical therapy today and it went well. We did get some bad news today after he had a more complete hearing test. At this point, it does not appear that he is hearing anything. The audiogram was not an all inclusive test and Christie and I are still praying that the coanal stenosis (narrow nasal and sinus cavity on the left) is a significant factor in his lack of hearing, but I am worried about his lack of hearing at this point. The audiologist has referred us to his ENT (who we see in about two weeks) and hopefully he will give us better news in this regard. Each day with the boys, including Zander is a blessing, but I am down on the hearing issue at this point. I know that whatever the outcome, it will be okay, but the little guy has overcome so much already...it just is frustrating.

Chrisite and I have decided that Zander will be more mobile with us around the house. He has now been home for two weeks and since he does not have as many monitors anymore, he is going to be with us where we are in and around the house. If we watch the game downstairs, Zander will be there. If we are on the porch, he will be there. He has essentially been in his room for the past two weeks and now is the time to include him in family activities. In fact, he watched the nightly news with us tonight before the nurses' shift change.

Thanks again to everyone for the comments, prayers and encouraging words. Please keep Raymond Powell and Ethan in your prayers. I did hear from Ethan's mom and they are headed to Cincinnati this weekend, so please bathe them in prayer as they meet with the specialist for Ethan. We will keep praying for them and also for Zander's many issues including his hearing. Let us know if we can pray or help any of you in any way.

Godspeed Ethan. We hope you have a safe trip and a good visit with the specialist.

I will write again soon.

Rest easy boys...Play hard tomorrow Jackson. Keep moving along Zman. We love each of you.

Clancy

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 in the Evening

2008-10-01T20:18:00.007-04:00

Good evening all! Sorry for my delay in writing, but it has been a hectic week. The boys are doing well and the Zman is resting comfortably tonight.

It has been great weather here and as the pictures above show, the family has been doing some walking throughout the neighborhood taking in the colors and changes that come with the season.

Houston and Jackson are enjoying school. Zander is enjoying his naps and formula. We have 3 doctors appointments over the next two days. Zander sees the endocrinologist, his pulmonologist and one other specialist this week. There are so many, I have trouble keeping up.

Christie and I are doing well. Aunt Christy and Jessie came to visit yesterday. Grandma Pat and Mrs. Serre also stopped in today for tea with the little one. Karen from church came by to see Zander and Christie today. Karen is the children's minister at RBBC and she has been an uplifting spirit for all of us. Thanks Karen for everything.

We hope everyone is doing well. Zander was asking about Ethan earlier and we have not heard from him, but hope all is well. Thanks to everyone for the food, especially the teachers and staff at SMMHS. The delivery girl (Robbin) needs a raise and I know our tips have not compensated her enough. Zander also wanted to give a shout out to all his nurses in the NICU. He said he misses each of you, but he is glad to be at home. You can come see him anytime.

Please keep the Powell family, especially Raymond in your prayers. He is going through radiation and chemo at present and our prayers are with him and his family. God is in control and we are confident that His grace will pull you through Raymond. Thanks for all the comments and prayers....we are truly blessed.

Rest easy boys......keep moving along. We love you all.

Clancy

Sunday, September 28, 2008 in the Afternoon

2008-09-28T17:17:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone! I have been watching football all weekend with my Dad. Man, I did not know that it takes so much out of you. That is why most of the pictures are of me sleeping. Sorry to hear about the Gators, the Bulldogs and the Vols. My dad is trying to get me to pull for the Auburn tigers or the Alabama Crimson Tide. I have not decided which one I will go with I guess it depends on which one sends me the most formula and diapers. I am holding out for the best offer.

On Friday, I went to the hospital for a 30 minute procedure, but they kept me there for 24 hours. Apparently, the doctor that gives me the medicine to make me go to sleep for surgery said that since I was on an apnea monitor, I had to be admitted for observation. My procedure went well and I have been home since Saturday morning.

Mommy, Daddy and I just got back from a walk around the neighborhood. I like being outside and seeing all the interesting things around the house. My brothers should be home soon, so I am going to take a nap and get rested for them. I heard my brother Jackson played a really good soccer game yesterday. He may have to teach me how to play when I get older.

I have more doctors appointments later this week. I will write again before then, but please say hello to everyone and keep writing to me. I do not have an email account yet, but I think my dad might get me a cell phone soon (just kidding).

Thanks for praying for me and my family. They are doing a good job taking care of me as are my nurses. Please send me a line and thanks for the comments and encouraging words. Please also pray for Ethan and my Dad's friend Raymond and he is starting Chemo or Radiation treatment this week.

I will keep moving along. Tell my brothers that I love them. I will say my prayers.

Love,

Zander (Typist, Clancy)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-24T20:46:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone. We hope that the week is going well for each of you. All is going well here on Boulder Place. I hope to have more pics tomorrow night....sorry. Zander had his first visit with Dr. Hatch, his pediatrician, yesterday. Zander has an infection in his left ear and he is on antibiotics. Tomorrow he is schedule to see Dr. Kelley (surgeon) for another dilation of his esophagus. He will be put under general anesthesia and the procedure will take about 20 minutes. We pray that all goes well. It has been hectic since he has been home. We are still trying to work things out with the insurance coverage. Christie and the boys are doing well. We have a tremendous amount of support coming from the teachers, students and staff at school. We are truly grateful, not only for them but for each of you. We will let you know how tomorrow goes. Until then, we pray for safety for everyone and if there are specific requests, please let us know. Please keep the Powell family in your prayers. They are close friends of ours and Mr. Powell is undergoing radiation and chemo therapy for cancer. We know that God has him in his hands and we will continue to pray for complete healing and strength for him and his family. Old Buddy, keep moving along. Thanks to all for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. Until next time, Sweet dreams boys. We love you. Clancy

Tuesday, September 22, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-22T20:15:00.011-04:00

It has been a busy day around here. Zander ate and slept for most of the day. Jackson was armed with the pressure washer for most of the morning and Houston and I took care of mowing the yard.

After lunch Christie, Jackson, Houston and Nurse Stefanie took Zander on a walk throughout the neighborhood. Zander loves being outside with the sun shining on his face.

Paw Paw Charlie and Mama Gene stopped by for dinner and brought food with them. We got a few pics of them seeing Zander.

We also received food from a few of Christie's teacher friends at SMMHS. What a great bunch of friends she has at school. We are so thankful for them, the community and the students for their prayers, food and encouraging words. Not a day goes by that one of the teachers or staff or a student calls and asks if we need anything. I am are eternally grateful that Chrisite has such a good group supporting her and encouraging her through all of this.

All else is well for now. Zander's first visit with his Pediatrician is tomorrow morning. I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, thanks, as always for the comments and prayers.

Rest well boys. We love you.

Clancy

Life on the Outside, Day 1 September 21, 2008

2008-09-21T20:20:00.010-04:00

As John Newton wrote in Amazing Grace, "Through many dangers, toils and snares...we have already come. T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...and Grace will lead us home." The Grace of God lead us with Zander home today. After 67 days......we are finally home with our entire family under one roof.

Christie and I spent the night at the hospital with Zander last night. We had him in a private room, but he was monitored from the NICU. We both slept with one eye open and the issues we had last night were more associated with his feeding pump than anything else.

We came home today about noon. Since that time, we have been marveling at Zander and making sure that everything is organized in his room. Special Thanks to PawPaw Charlie for the engineering help with the compressor and the generator. Thanks also to Grandma Judi, and TJ for keeping the boys last night and for the food.

To be frank, Christie and I are both exhausted. We are excited, scared and just glad Zander is home. His brothers have been staring at him all day and both of them held him. We finally gave Zander a bath today and he loved it. He smiled from ear to ear when we washed his hair.

Zander has 24 hour nursing at present. His nurse Kim is with him now and he is resting well.

Enjoy the pictures and I will write again tomorrow. Thanks to all for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. We have at least 14 doctor's visit in the coming weeks and Zander has a long road ahead of him. Prayerfully, we ask that it will go as smoothly as the past 67 days.

Sweet dreams boys. Welcome home son. We love you all.

Clancy

September 18, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-18T21:32:00.013-04:00

Hi. I am the cute one in the pictures above. Mommy, Daddy and my big brothers came to see me today. My Grandma Pat did also. My parents attended another class to get ready for me to come home.

I am getting out of here on Sunday. I am eating 65 ml every 3 hours during the day and I am eating 35 ml every hour at night. I am ready to sleep in my own bed. I am doing well and have been pretty happy for most of the day.

I will let the pictures speak the thousand words for me tonight. I have learned to blow bubbles. I will write again soon.

Thanks to everyone for praying for me and my family. We still need it and please let me know if we can pray for you. I hope my buddy Ethan is doing well.

I gotta go to sleep. Tell everyone that I love them, including my big brothers.

Zander

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 in the Morning

2008-09-17T07:56:00.002-04:00

Good Morning all. Sorry I did not write last night, but Dad and Mom came to see me yesterday afternoon before they had meeting and as I understand it, Dad was not able to transcribe my message until this morning. In any event I hope all is well with everyone.

I keep having a lot of visitors at this point. Both hospital staff and family have been by over the past few days. I guess they are checking on my paperwork and I know Mom and Dad have to take several training classes to learn about how I am going to act and what to expect of me when I am finally released.

Grandma Pat and I hung out for most of the afternoon yesterday. Although I was a little fussy to begin with, I liked being held by Grandma Pat. My nurse Dallas is leaving to go on vacation and I hope she has a nice time. I will not get to see her when I leave, but she has taken really good care of me since I have been here. I do not know how I can ever repay her for putting up with me and my parents. All my other nurses are still taking good care of me and I am eagerly awaiting my trip home.

Thanks to everyone for the comments, prayers and encouraging words for me and my family. We hope that my buddy Ethan is doing well and we continue to pray for him and his family.

I will write again soon, but I have to go for now. I will keep moving along and tell my brothers and family that I love them and will see them soon.

Zander (transcribed by Clancy)

Monday, September 15, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-15T21:17:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone. It is Monday night and I am trying to get my nurses to roll in a TV so I can watch football, but despite my best efforts, I do not think it is going to work. There is always next Monday at home where I can watch it with my Dad and brothers.

Yes, that is correct. It looks like I am being paroled from this joint on Sunday at some point for good behavior. The Warden is in the process of drawing up my paperwork so it looks like I will be bouncing out of here on Sunday. My release will be supervised and I hope that my mom and pops have completed all the courses they need to make sure that I do well on my own recognizance. I will be closely monitored by the authorities for quite some time, but I hope to be free at last in the coming months. As you can see from my picture above, I am ready to fight no matter what is thrown at me.

Although the Warden is cutting me loose, it looks like I will have several visits with many P.O.s (parole officers)(doctors) once I get my walking papers. It appears that the Board of Parole heard my appeal concerning my nurses and I will have them with me 24 hours a day for a while when I get out of here.

At this point, they have not given me last meal. I have made my requests known, but we are still working out the details. They have increased my food intake to 60 ml every 3 hours during the day and I am still getting the 35 ml every hour at night through the needle (through

my G-tube). I did have visitors today and my Grandma Judi came in today to see me. She tried to sneak in some contraband for me, but she got caught. I am looking forward to getting out of my jumpsuit and I have been told that I have a lot of stylish clothes waiting on me when I get home.

I do want to give a shout-out to my peeps in Ohio. I heard that the Buckeyes had a rough go of it this weekend and I hope that not too many people jumped from the bridge in Cincy over the weekend.

It is getting late for me and I am going to try to watch a little of the game before lights out. I will write again soon and I am looking forward to my reprieve. I have a lot of people in here that have looked after me and I am glad that they told me early on about sponge baths versus showering in the general population. I think that I made the right choice.

Please tell my family that I love them and be sure to tell Houston and Jackson that I will be home soon. Thanks to everyone for looking after my family when I have not been able to do so.

I will keep moving along and I hope to see everyone soon. Love to all.

Zander (after examination by the appropriate personnel)

Sunday. September 14, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-14T21:07:00.006-04:00

Is is time to go back to work already? We hope everyone had a restful weekend. The boys had a nice weekend and Jackson had a big soccer game yesterday.

Jackson played forward for the first half and he played very well. The second half, he played goalie and he did well for the first time every playing this position. We will have to work with him on getting in front of the ball, but we were so proud with his efforts during the game.

Not much going on with Zander. His feeds during the day are the same and at night he has been increased to 35 ml every hour. Grandma Pat (Christie's Mom) visited with him on Saturday and Sunday. Paw Paw and Mama Gene came by to see him today as well. We were glad that the Zman was able to visit with them and that they were able to hold him.

Christie and I spent a few hours with him both yesterday and today. We figured out that he likes to have a blanket on his head while he sleeps. We are thinking that he comes from royal bloodlines, hence the need for a silk crown actually a silk blanket, but we are trying to retrace our lineage to research this issue. He also has learned when it is time to eat. As with most males, he pitches a fit if he does not get his food when he wants it.

Christie's last day of work will be Friday. We do not know yet the specifics of when he is coming home, but we do know that it will likely be at the first of the week since the 24 hour nursing will not be here until at least Monday. We hope to find out more in the next few days and we will keep everyone posted.

Thanks as always for the comments, prayers and encouraging words. We are anxious to get him home, but prayers for him (and us) are still needed. It will be a long slow road, but God is with us.

We hope everyone has a great start to the week!

Sweet dreams boys. We love you. Zander, keep moving along.

Clancy

Thursday, September 11, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-11T21:05:00.010-04:00

Now you see me, now you don't...but guess what you will be seeing more of me soon when I go home. Today my Mommy and Daddy tentatively found out that they will be staying with me at the hospital next Friday and possibly Saturday night. If they behave, they will likely let me go home next weekend. Thanks goodness! Everyone has been telling me about this home thing, but I am not quite sure it exists. Likewise, me and the boys here in Pod 4 have overheard that there are these pools of water in homes that they put us in to get us clean, but we are not quite sure they exist either. If true, hopefully I will continue to get my sponge baths by pretty women.

In all seriousness, I am looking at coming home next week. I have an MRI on Friday morning (tomorrow) and they are also running a cranial ultrasound on me as well to see how my brain is doing. The big factor for me coming home is still my ability to eat my food. At this point Dr. Kelley has not increased my food, but hopefully he will do so tomorrow or Saturday. I asked him if he had a take out menu, but he did not think that I was quite ready for Krystals or Taco Bell.

My Grandma Judi came to see me today from Knoxville and she and I hung out for a while. She held me and talked to me, I think, but I am not for sure because I was asleep most of the time. My team of nurses, doctors and case workers are in the process of getting my supplies, machines and other things ordered.

Mommy and Daddy came to see me this afternoon and mommy changed my trach and held me while Daddy talked to me.

I know a lot of people have been looking in on me and I am thankful that they do. I am also thankful that they have given my parents encouragements while I have been here. Feel free to continue to write to me or leave a comment as Daddy told me that he is saving all of them for me so I can read them when I get home to pass the time.

It is late for me and I should be getting to bed. Ms. Amy, my nurse is feeding me soon, so I am going to go pitch a fit to see if she will feed me sooner. I plan to rest for most of the night and I keep moving along. Please say a prayer for my parents as they are excited about getting me home. I can see why they feel that I have been here long enough, but I have been in good hands and God keeps watching over me.

I will write again soon, but for now, I will keep moving along. Tell my big brothers I love them and I cannot wait to get home to see them. I heard they had a good day at school.

Love to everyone.

Dictated by Zander and transcribed by Clancy

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-10T20:26:00.007-04:00

Hello all. I hope everyone survived hump day. I am brain dead. Jackson is reading to Christie and Houston is hanging out with me playing "The Christmas Canon" performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It is such a soothing song. (Go to YouTube) We have been listening to it over and over for about 20 minutes.

Zander is doing well today. Grandpa Charlie aka Paw Paw visited with the Zman for about an hour today. I am sure he and Zander talked about cars, engineering and cinnamon rolls. I am also sure that Zander enjoyed his visit with Paw Paw.

Zander is still eating 45 ml every three hours during the day and receiving 25 ml every hour on a continuous basis in for 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. For now all is quiet and nurse Amy says that he is resting well. Tests are scheduled for Friday.

Nothing much else really to report at this point. Looks like a lady in South Carolina has really put her foot in her mouth concerning a comment she made about Vice-President Candidate Palin, so I am off to see what spin the political pundits say about this issue.

Thanks to everyone for their love, support and comments. They really do uplift us during the day. I will write again tomorrow...if not sooner.

Boys rest easy and sweet dreams. Zander, 1 Peter 5 verse 10 reminded me today that you will be restored after you have suffered a little while and Christ Jesus will restore, support and strengthen you and place you on a firm foundation. With this in mind, keep moving along as you remain in God's hands.

We love you Houston, Jackson and Zander

Clancy

Tuesday, September 9, 2008, in the Evening

2008-09-09T21:12:00.005-04:00

Good evening all. Today has been a good, but long day. Zander's procedure was scheduled to take place at 12:55, but surgery was backed up and he did not go to surgery until about 3:30 p.m.

The procedure to dilate his esophagus went well. Dr. Kelley told us that it was much more open than he anticipated. He did open it more. Zander will have to have this done every 2 weeks or so for the next few months. The reason he has to have it done so frequently is to ensure that the site where his esophagus is connected together does not become firm. Stated another way if Dr. Kelley does not do this the surgical connection site will become rigid and the scar will harden.

Dr. Kelley told us that he also put die into the stomach to check the reflux issue. Praise God, there is no more reflux. Dr. Kelley said he saw no sign of reflux whatsoever and the fundoplication was well connected and healing properly.

We also asked Dr. Kelley his thoughts on what needed to take place from his perspective before Zander could go home. Dr. Kelley said that Zander has endured everything he has been through better than any baby with these problems that he has seen. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT EVERYONE'S PRAYERS AND THE GRACE OF GOD HAS MADE THIS POSSIBLE. Dr. Kelley said that Zander's stomach needed to be able to handle 75 ml of food every 3 hours in order to be able to go home. At present he is on 45 ml every 3 hours during the day. He is already getting 75 ml every 3 hours in the evening, but he is receiving this on a continuous basis (25 ml every hour) verses all in one sitting. As a result, Dr. Kelley said that within "a week or two" assuming he continued to do well, Zander's stomach should be able to handle the 75 ml at a time. YEAH!!!!!!!

There are other issues to take into account before he can go home, but the largest is his ability to handle enough food in his stomach. He is going to have his MRI on his spine on Friday. They will have to sedate him otherwise, he will not stay still. Christie and I are training on the aspects of his care and we should be talking to Pearl, the social worker about ordering medical equipment, coordinating in home nursing services, and scheduling the numerous follow-up appointments for Zander.

Today has been a good day for all of us, but especially for Christie and I. We both wanted to talk with Dr. Kelley about getting him home and he is pretty much on track with what everyone else has indicated to us.

Houston and Jackson are sound asleep and Christie and I are not far behind them. God is always good, but today, I felt it more...

Sweet dreams boys. Sleep well Zman and keep eating. Keep moving along. We love all three of you dearly.

Clancy

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 in the Morning

2008-09-09T07:15:00.003-04:00

Good morning all. Just a quick update from last night's post. Zander is scheduled to be taken to surgery for the esophagus dilation today at about 12:55 p.m. Chances are he will be taken a little earlier than this. We are pretty sure that he will be put under anesthesia. The procedure does not take long but we pray that everything goes well. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks, as always for the prayers covering our family. Clancy

Monday, September 8, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-08T21:24:00.002-04:00

Good evening all. Short and sweet tonight as it has been a long day. Zander did not have the MRI today. They moved it to Friday as he will have to be sedated to keep him still. He is having a procedure performed tomorrow by Dr. Kelley to open (dilate) the esophagus. The nurses say it will be a quick procedure, but we are praying it goes well. Zander will have to have this done periodically to make sure the esophagus expands and grows with him.

Christie and I went to a CPR/Infant Care class tonight. It is a prerequisite and we also have to have additional training on CPR involving the trach. Christie and I saw the Zman earlier and he is doing well. He is now 10 lbs 1 ounce, and given the fact that his feeds have been increased to 45 ml during the day and 2o ml every hour throughout the night, it appears he will only be getting bigger.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. They truly mean a lot to us.

I will write again tomorrow night and we are continuing to pray that the procedure goes well tomorrow. I hope all is well with Ethan and his family.

Rest easy boys....sleep well Zman. Keep moving along.

We love you boys!

Clancy

Sunday Night September 7, 2008

2008-09-07T20:25:00.008-04:00

Hello everyone. We hope everyone is rested up and ready for a new week. It has been a hectic, but restful weekend. Jackson's team won their soccer game and Houston and I took Jackson to a birthday party today. This allowed Jackson to burn off the excess energy that he had earlier today.

Zander is doing well. Christie and I have been training on his trach care and other aspects of his care. IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT HE WILL BE COMING HOME IN THE NEXT 2 OR 3 WEEKS ASSUMING HIS CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD AS HE HAS BEEN. According to the medical staff, he will likely need private duty nursing around the clock for a period of time, but we should know more this week. We will likely be talking with Pearl, the case worker at Erlanger about ordering his medical equipment and other aspects of scheduling him to come home.

Zander's feeds have been increased. He is now receiving 20 ml every hour on a continuous basis from 8 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. He will continue to receive 30 mls at 8 11, 2 and 5 during the day.

We were advised today that Zander did not pass his 2nd hearing test. I do not know the ramifications of this, but we are praying that his hearing is fine. Hopefully his hearing is in some way related or delayed by his nostril/sinus problems. We are also praying that his MRI test (scheduled for Monday) will be of benefit in planning a course of action on his vertebra issue. Zander will also have an ultrasound on his head to compare the prior ventricularmegaly studies (before birth) to now.

As the pictures above show, Zander is alert and curious about his surroundings. According to his nurse Dallas, Zander slept all through the night and did not wake up until 9 this morning.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers for our family. They are still needed and if we can pray for you, please let us know. We hope Ethan, Eli, Chad and Amber are doing well. Since Georgia won yesterday, I am sure all is well in Calhoun, GA. We hope everyone gets off on the right foot tomorrow.

Sweet dreams boys.....we love you.....rest well.

Zander, I know you hear us, but if you don't, know that you are loved by many, especially Mommy and Daddy. Keep moving along.

Clancy

Friday, September 5, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-05T19:30:00.012-04:00

Hello everyone. TGIF. Although it was a short week, it has been a long week. We hope everyone is doing well and is gearing up for a nice weekend. Jackson has a soccer game in the morning and it appears that the weather here is going to be nice. Congrats to Steve and Melissa, some friends of ours, on the birth of their son, we cannot wait to meet him. We hope all is well in Birmingham.

Zander had a good day. I met with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon about his vertebra. Zander has a hemi...not not that type of hemi, but a hemi-vertebra. Essentially his little body formed in the womb a partial vertebra was formed at the T-3/4 (thoracic 3 or thoracic 4 vertebra) which is basically right between his shoulder blades. Due to the partial formation of the vertebra the ribs that should go with the T2 and T3 vertebra on the left side are instead part of this partial vertebra. As a result, as Zander grows, if not surgically corrected, his spine would tilt to the left. Thus, surgery will be needed at some point to fuse the vertebra in this region together. Fortunately, the vertebra in this area are relatively rigid and will not affect his mobility to a significant degree. He also has an extra first rib at the top of his spine which is likely the result of the hemi-vertebra malformation. Only time will tell what, if anything needs to be done to this rib; however, surgery will likely be needed to remove the rib.

At this point, the orthopedic doctor, Dr. Moses is ordering an MRI to more closely examine Zander's spine. We will keep everyone posted on this issue.

Zander's jaundice is being controlled by medication and his GI doctor said he thinks the jaundice will resolve itself in the coming days.

As far as his left nostril is concerned, Dr. St. Charles wants us to schedule a visit with him 3 to 4 weeks after bringing him home. He said that by that time the structures in his nostril will have grown apart more and he will be in a better position to see what needs to be done to correct the problem.

As the pictures show, Zander likes his mobile and I helped Dallas, his nurse, bathe him earlier today. He is looking better and he has not had any reflux into his mouth or nose that had any food in it. For now, it appears that the reflux is non-existent.

We remain positive about Zander's progress, but sometimes it seems that with each good day we only learn of another problem that Zander has to overcome with surgery. God is still in control and we know that he will take care of it all, but I am truly amazed at what our son has endured. Just think, he has never seen the light of day (literally) and yet he has endured so much. It is frustrating, worrisome and miraculous all wrapped together.

We are truly thankful for the care he is receiving. Everyone has been great. We just want him home and the length of his journey in ICU is starting to take its toll on me for sure, but I know Christie feels the same way. With each new day brings new grace and this has become the promise that we live by.

Thanks to everyone for prayers, comments, phone calls, food and reassurance about Zander. We can never repay the support, but we will sure try to if we can.

I will write again tomorrow if not sooner. Zander, be sure to give your Mommy some good love as she is on her way to see you. Rest easy son...stay strong...keep moving along.....

Sweet dreams Houston and Jackson, we love you.

Clancy

P.S. The picture of the cow was taken outside Jackson's school today and has to do with a fundraiser.

Thursday, September 4, 2008 in the Evening

2008-09-04T20:30:00.009-04:00

TGIF early to everyone. Although it has been a short week, it has been a long week here in Chattanooga with the Zman. Houston and Jackson are getting ready for bed, but both of them had a good day at school today.

Zander had a long, but good day. Today he underwent a CT Scan (head and nasal), an echocardiagram, a renal ultrasound and was also seen by the GI specialist for his jaundice issues (which are related to the liver).

I will start at the top of his little body and work down. Here is what we know at this point after the tests today:

Head/Brain- the CT scan revealed that Zander's ventricularmegaly (enlarged ventricles) is still on the high end of normal, but it appears to have stabilized. His brain mass and size is normal. I hope normal is more than what I have, but this will continue to be followed on an outpatient basis. No surgery required. They are going to run an ultrasound on his head so they can compare it to the pre-delivery ultrasounds.

Left nostril and nasal cavity- this is going to require surgery. He essentially has a malformed nasal/sinus cavity. A consult from Dr. St. Charles is forthcoming and we will know more soon. We do not know if surgery will be now or down the road.

Heart- initially, there was a concern that Zander had small holes called VSDs in his heart. These appear to have resolved and his cardiologist, Dr. Hays says it appears that he has a blood vessel on his heart that he will continue to monitor to make sure it closes up (as it should). Zander also has a valve issue in one of his ventricles, but Dr. Hays said that both of these problems can be treated non-surgically if they do not resolve. He will see Zander again in a few weeks.

Vertebra/Spine- Zander has a malformed vertebra in the thoracic (upper/middle) part of his back. Dr. Moses and orthopedic has been called in for a consult and we do not know anything at this point. It may be that he has the same type of defect that I have in one of my vertebra, however, I did not know it until last year. Hopefully that is the case and surgery will not be required.

Kidneys- Zander does have mildly dilated (enlarged) kidneys or openings from the tubes that connect the kidenys to the bladder. At this point, they are asking for a consult from a nephrologist to see what needs to be done.

Jaundice-Dr. DeVoid came for a consult today and is placing him on another medication for the jaundice. Activol (sp?) is being given to him 3 times per day and Dr. Devoid will continue to follow him.

As far as the esophagus and the stomach are concerned, everything appears to be going well following Tuesday's surgery. Zander's feeding schedule was changed by Dr. Kelley today. During the day (8, 11, 2, 5 & 8) Zander will be getting 30 ml of feedings through his G-tube. At night, he will be getting 15 ml continuously every hour to help keep the stomach extended and increase its size. We have not talked with Dr. Kelley about where we go from him, but I am sure we will do so soon. According to the nurses, Zanders secretions from his mouth have only been saliva and do not appear to have any hint of reflux. We will know more once we speak with Dr. Kelley.

Zander is also no reclining in his new vibrating seat. As you can see form the above picture, all he needs is a recliner and a big screen to be able to watch football.

We are all well, tired and ready for him to come home. We thank each of you for your prayers, comments and encouraging words. I will write again tomorrow....hopefully. Keep Ethan and his family in your prayers as well as my friend I mentioned last night.

Today was a good day for the Zman. We hope all is well with everyone. God has been good today and tomorrow will bring new grace.

Rest easy boys. We love each of you dearly. Keep moving along Zander.

Clancy

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

2008-09-03T20:32:00.008-04:00

Good evening all. It has been a pretty good day here in Chatta-Vegas. The boys are bathing before going to bed and Zander had a good day.

Late last night, Zander was taking off the ventilator and returned to the moist air mask covering his trach. Earlier this morning, Dr. Kelley also allowed Zander to resume eating through his G-tube. He is getting 15 ml every 3 hours and each feeding is taking about 30 minutes. The hope is that each feeding will slowly expand the stomach and that the length of each feeding will keep the stomach expanded until his next feeding. This is good news. Thus far, there has been little reflux, but only time will tell.

Christie, Jackson and I visited Zander this afternoon. He is now in a crib (Ethan's old bed) and is resting rather comfortably. The above pictures show Zander in his new crib (no pun intended).

It has been a good day for Zander, but a long day for all of us. Tomorrow, Zander will undergo a CT-Scan to see how his ventricularmegaly is doing (spaces between the ventricles in his brain) and also to see how his nasal passage is doing. As you will recall, the ventricularmegaly was and continues to be a significant issue with Zander and now that everything is connected, they feel it necessary to see how he is doing. The left nostril is also narrow and they are trying to kill two birds with one test as opposed to running two separate tests. In the next few days he will also have a renal ultrasound to check on his dilated kidney (left).

I will keep everyone posted on Zman's progress, but today, as mentioned above, was a good day. I will write again tomorrow...if not sooner. Thanks to all for the prayers, comments and encouraging words. Please pray for a good friend of mine as it appears that cancer is present in his lymph nodes. Old man, you have alot of fight left and God is still in the business of miracles and healing. I will see you soon.

Rest easy boys and keep moving along. Good night Ethan, Eli, Amber and Chad. We hope all is well in Calhoun, GA. You are in our prayers.

Keep moving along Zman. We love all of you.

Clancy

Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at about 6:30 p.m.

2008-09-02T18:04:00.010-04:00

Hello everyone! What another draining day. Zander underwent surgery earlier today and by the grace of God everything went well. Dr. Kelley said he was able to wrap the esophagus with the upper portion of the stomach. In fact, Dr. Kelley said he used more of the stomach than he thought he would, but he felt like the surgery was a success and he thinks this procedure will eradicate Zander's reflux altogether.

Zander endured the procedure well. He was a bit groggy after the surgery and he is heavily medicated with pain meds at this point, but he is doing well. As you can see from the pictures above, Zander has endured a lot, but he remains, as well all do in God's hands. The surgery today gave him yet another scar to brag about in the future. He essentially has about a 3 inch incision from his belly-button to his sternum.

At this point, Zander will receive nothing but fluids through his central line (CVL) for the next few days. Once regular feeding through the G-tube resumes, he will likely be on continuous feedings in order to stretch the lower part of the stomach.

Chrisite, Houston, Jackson and I just returned from seeing Zander. He is resting at this point and he, as mentioned above, is heavily medicated. On an even better note, Ethan checked out today and we we able to be there as Chad and Amber were leaving. Thanks to all for the prayers for Ethan and his family and please, please, please keep them in your prayers as they are waiting to speak with a specialist in Cincinnati.

Thanks are also in order for each of you that pray, comment and wish our family well. I CANNOT ADEQUATELY EXPRESS IN WORDS THE GAMUT OF EMOTIONS WE GO THROUGH ON A DAILY BASIS, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE AND WE ARE THANKFUL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. We try to count it all joy each day, but some days are easier than others. Today is one of those days.

I will write again tomorrow...unless I receive more news this evening. May God bless and keep each of you this evening and through the night. Tomorrow will bring new grace, but today's was a blessing in and of itself.

Keep moving along Zman....rest easy boys. We love you.

Clancy

Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 11:45 a.m.

2008-09-02T11:42:00.002-04:00

Good morning all. We are at the hospital. They just took Zander to surgery and he was resting peacefully. Thanks to everyone for the prayers. I will keep everyone posted and as soon as we know more, I will post again. Aunt Heidi, I see you took my bait hook, line and sinker. I guess someone from Ohio will be sending some OSU clothes in the near future.

Monday, September 1, 2008 (Labor Day) in the Evening

2008-09-01T20:36:00.014-04:00

Hello Everyone. I am now rested and feel rejuvenated after a wonderful weekend. Grandpa Bill came in this weekend and he has since made it back to Florida. Houston and Jackson had a nice weekend with their Dad. The boys and I just returned from doing a little fishing on a nearby pond. We had a great time with some friends of ours Alex, Andy and Todd.

We also went to a cookout this afternoon at Tom and Machelle Hall's. As always, the food was great as was the company. Thanks guys for inviting us.

Zander is doing well. He has been eating and resting all weekend. His weight is down to about 9 pounds 2 ounces, but it appears that all systems are a go for tomorrow's surgery. Dr. Kelley said he would be coming to get him around 12:00 p.m. We are hoping and praying that this surgery significantly reduces the reflux. We are also hopeful that this will be the last surgery that he has to have at least for the foreseeable future.

I am posting several pictures. Please note that the SEC is the dominant conference in the country and none of my family has sent any OSU stuff, so sorry guys there are no pictures of the Zman in the Red and Silver. In any event, Zander told me that he thought that the Crimson Tide might be his favorite team as he like Coach Saban.

We have had a nice relaxing weekend. We are glad that Grandpa Bill was able to come in and see Zander. Tomorrow is a big day, and I do not know about Christie, but I am already nervous about the surgery. However, I know God is in control.

Ethan is going home tomorrow; however, we will keep everyone posted about his progress and recovery. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Also please pray for the Faires family and the Strength family. Both of these families are friends of ours and they have lost a loved one over the weekend.

I will write again tomorrow from the hospital. Until then, go Vols, sleep tight and may God bless each of you.

Sleep well boys. Rest easy Zman.....move along. We love each of you.

Clancy

Thursday, August 28, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-28T20:42:00.003-04:00

TGIF early, but close enough. What a week! Everyone here is doing well. Christie and the boys visited with Zander this afternoon and I was able to see him around lunch. He is doing well and for the most part just sleeping and eating in anticipation of Tuesday's surgery. Zander is doing his impersonation of the Vlasic pickle guy in the picture. he has been working on this for a few days.

We do not know at this point what time the surgery will be, but we think we should know more on Friday. Dallas, Alisha and all the gang in Pod 4 are taking good care of Zander (and everyone else) and today seemed to be a relatively quiet day compared to the last couple.

Grandpa Bill is flying in from Florida tomorrow and I know he is excited to see everyone and the Zman. At this point nothing has changed for Zander. Hopefully we will know more tomorrow.

Thanks as always for the comments and prayers. Please keep Zander and Ethan in your prayers. For my old buddy in East Ridge, keep your outlook an uplook and all will work out. You are in our prayers and it is not to late to switch to the right political party.

I will write again tomorrow. Sweet dreams to all. May god Bless and keep each of you. Houston, Jackson, Zander and Ethan....keep moving along.

Clancy

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-27T21:03:00.005-04:00

Good evening all. I hope everyone survived Wednesday. The boys have just gone to bed and I am sure that the Zman is also catching zzzzzzs.

Dr. Kelley confirmed today that Zander will go to surgery on Tuesday. Zander's food intake has been reduced to 55 ml every 3 hours; however, his liquids through the central line have been increased to keep the caloric intake the same. They are trying to minimize Zander's spit-ups/throw-ups. He had a few the past few days.

Christie, Jackson and I visited him earlier today. Grandma Pat and Grandma Judi also came to see him today. The Pod was shut down for most of the morning due to another baby not doing so well. Zander was doing fine this afternoon and he looked comfortable as he had just eaten. Typical male. He smiled during his sleep so it appears that he was having a good dream (he must be excited about college football starting this weekend).

Christie and the boys had a good day at school. The much needed rain has finally stopped...although we still need more. Christie is grading papers and I am quickly fading. All is well on the mountain tonight.

Ethan and his family are likely leaving the hospital in the next day or two. They are taking Ethan home and he will be on liquids. They are scheduled to meet or talk with a transplant specialist from Cincinnati Children's early next week. Heidi, I have shared with them our connection to Cincy, so do not be surprised if I pass along your number should they need help getting around up there. They are a sweet young couple and Christie and I wish them them best. I am sure we will keep in touch with them as Ethan and Zander have become "kings of Pod 4", not to mention fast friends.

I will write again tomorrow. Christie and I hope everyone has a restful night and a great Thursday. Thanks, as always for the prayers, thought and encouraging words.

Good night Huey, Jackson, Zander and Ethan. All of you are loved and our prayers and thoughts and the prayers and thoughts of many are with each of you. May each of your dreams be big. Rest easy Ethan and Zman...keep moving along. We love all of you.

Clancy

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 in the Morning

2008-08-27T08:05:00.003-04:00

Good morning all. Sorry for the delay in posting. The internet is down at home so I cannot post any pictures with this post this morning, but I will post later today and hopefully have pictures. Zander had his upper GI yesterday and it confirmed the significant reflux that he is having. Thus, the surgery (fundoplication) will proceed. We have not talked with Dr. Kelley, but we still think he is looking at next Tuesday. The boys are well and Zander was resting well yesterday when we saw him. I will post more later and I hope that everyone has a good Wednesday. Gotta Run! Stay dry! Clancy

August 25, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-25T20:20:00.005-04:00

Hello all! The Zman is throwing signs out to all his homies and homegirls from high atop Pod 4 here in Chatt-town. For those of you that are not familiar with gang terminology what I just said was that due to Zander's hand configuration in the above picture, he says hello and good evening to all the gentlemen and ladies from his current residence in Pod 4 of the NICU at Erlanger Hospital here in Chattanooga.

Zander is eating well and resting well. Dr. Kelley came by to see him this afternoon and thank goodness he did not bring his red Sharpie with him. Dr. Kelley is planning on running a GI test from the stomach up into the esophagus later in the week to see how the reflux is doing. He is also tentatively scheduling the fundoplication surgery for next Tuesday (the day after Labor Day) depending upon scheduling in surgery.

Zander currently weights about 9 pounds 6 ounces and he seems to be resting well. Dallas, his primary nurse says that she has seen less spit-up from him over the past 3 days. Chrisite was able to spend a few hours with him this afternoon and I know she was glad to hold him and spend time with him alone. She is still trying to convince Zander that he loves her more, but if I have to lose that fight, I will gladly do so...for now. (Zander told me earlier in the day that he was a Daddy's boy).

Houston received his T-CAP scores today and he did great! He is proficient or highly proficient in all areas including English. Whew! Thank God! His English teacher last year was very difficult and did not treat him like the rest of the students. (Christie was his English teacher). Jackson is bee-bopping around here not wanting to take a bath because he is too tired to do so, but all in all it has been a good Monday.

Thanks as always for the comments, prayers and encouraging words. It appears that the Sale Creek, Tennessee participants are having a problem with only hitting the submit button once, but hey, we still love them and appreciate their prayers and support. Please keep Ethan and his parents in your prayers.

I will holler at yall later.(I will write again tomorrow).

Rest easy Zander...keep rollin (keep moving along).

Peace out (Good night)

We love you boys.

Clancy

Sunday, August 24, 2008 in the Afternoon

2008-08-24T16:25:00.015-04:00

Good afternoon all. I hope everyone is having a nice Sunday afternoon. Here in Chatta-Vegas it is overcast and the temperature outside makes it feel more like fall than summer (not supposed to capitlize per Chrisite) as it is only mid 70s.

Sorry I have not posted until now, but Christie and I (with the help of Grandma Pat, Houston and Jackson) have done all of the work around and in the house that we have not been able to get to since the Zman arrived. The house is now clean as a whistle and the grass (what's left of it) is trimmed. The weeds have also been pulled and Houston was a great help in this regard. We also pressure washed parts of the house and Houston and Jackson were a big help when they were squirting me and each other.

Jackson had his first soccer game of the season. He is on the Bullsharks and they won their first game. Jackson played both offense and defense and did well, but he has to work on playing the game instead of playing to the crowd.

Zander is doing well. He is waving hello to everyone in the picture above. Christie spent a few hours with him last night. Grandma Judi came to see him yesterday morning, but we have not heard from her, so I think she may be working. Zander's feeds have been increased to 60ml every 3 hours. The increase is not only for his caloric intake but is also to stretch his stomach as much as possible to give Dr. Kelley as much as possible to work with in the upcoming surgery.

I spent a few hours this afternoon with Zander. As the pictures above show, he is resting well and I held him while he ate (through the Gtube).

At this point, we are preparing for another hectic week. We continue to pray for Zander, but we also pray that God will help all of us through this. The grind of it all can be unbearable, but we try to count it all joy. We do worry about everything, but we know that God is in control of it all. Some days are better than others, but each new day brings new grace. Please continue to pray for Ethan as today he is 100 days old.

I will write again tomorrow...if not sooner. Thanks to all for your continued prayers and comments. Grandpa Bill will be here later in the week to visit and I hope than Zander is on his best behavior.

Rest easy boys. Keep eating Zander. We love you all...keep moving along.

Clancy

Thursday, August 21, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-21T20:05:00.003-04:00

Hello all! I hope everyone had a good Thursday. The boys and Christie had a good day in school and are are their way home as I type. Zander's Thursday was good, but we received news of a setback. He had the barium test earlier today and it confirmed that food is in fact going into the esophagus, but it is also going into his lungs.

According to Dr. Kennedy (neonatologist), the food is taking the path of least resistance and the esophagus is not squeezing the food down properly. Parts of his esophagus squeeze and parts do not. Essentially, his esophagus is not pushing the food down as ours does. Dr. Kennedy said that in all likelihood this will correct itself with time, but for now the bottle feeding has been stopped due to the risk of Zander aspirating.

Dr. Kennedy also had a long conversation with Dr. Kelley (the surgeon) after the test today. It appears that Zander will undergo the fundoplication (Google it) surgery in about 2 weeks. This is the surgery that I talked about earlier where they will wrap the upper part of his stomach around the esophagus to reduce the extreme reflux.

At this point in time, they are feeding Zman through the Gtube and letting him rest. They are increasing his caloric intake with the liquids and keeping his 45 ml feedings the same with the hope of making him stronger and bigger before surgery. Essentially they are fattening him up before surgery.

Although this surgery was a distinct possibility following his prior surgery, it is hard to say that this is exactly good news. We hate that he will have to have all the tubes put back in (the chest tube and likely the tube in the nose), but we realize that this is the best course of action.

Zander remains happy and carefree. He is starting to focus in with his eyes so it has been great to spend time with him. It will be hard to see him revert to a semi-conscious state after seeing him bright eyed and bushy tailed, but God is in control.

The nurses, doctors and the entire medical staff have been great. Even Jim, the parking lot attendant asks me everyday how "the baby" is doing. We know that God has big plans for the Zman and pray that he will continue to watch over us all.

I will write again tomorrow night or Saturday morning. Until then, I wish everyone a happy and safe Friday. The smell of high school football is in the air. Thanks as always for the comments, prayers and encouraging words.

Rest easy Houston, Jackson and Zman....keep moving along. Mommy and I love all of you.

Clancy

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-20T20:49:00.006-04:00

Good Evening all. We have been running around the soccer field tonight as Jackson has started soccer practice. Houston has been teaching him a few things about soccer and big brother is definitely a big help. I am not that familiar with sports that do not let you touch the ball with your hands.

As you can see above, we went to see Zander before practice. He vomited quite a large amount of his food while we were there and it was not a pleasant site to see. His whole bed had to be cleaned and Zander was not exactly the model patient during the cleaning. He also had a hard time breathing for a brief period of time during this.

At this point in time, Zander is doing well. The speech pathologist visited while we were there. They are going to run a test tomorrow to see how Zander swallows and once he swallows were the food goes. This test will be able to tell how he orally processes the food and how the esophagus pushes the food to the stomach. They will give him barium of different consistencies and then take pictures as the barium is swallowed, and then travels through the esophagus.

Hopefully this will be helpful to the process. We pray that he does well with the test so that the doctors can plan the proper course of action.

I will write again tomorrow night. Thanks, as always for the comments. Each day brings new grace and we received God's unmerited favor again today. Ethan is doing better, but he still needs prayer. We pray for his well being and his family's guidance. Until tomorrow,

Sweet dreams boys. Sleep well and eat well Zander.

Clancy

August 19, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-19T19:31:00.008-04:00

Hello all. I hope every had a good Tuesday. Well, I never thought I would be proud to say that one of my boys is "on the bottle", but the great news is that Zander is partially feeding from the bottle! He has fed twice from the bottle at this point (not counting tonight's feedings) and he is taking about 15 ml or 1/3 of each feeding from the bottle. YEAH! The nurses say that it will take time for his mouth and jaws to get use to sucking, but the hospital staff is well pleased overall with his efforts thus far.

Zander is still on 45 ml every three hours. Whatever he cannot get from the bottle, they are placing in through the G-tube. The thickness of the milk is about that of a smoothie (they are thickening it) so I am sure it takes an extra effort on Zander's part to get the 15 ml.

The chest tube has been removed so he only has 2 tubes at this point, the G-tube and the central line for liquids.

He is going to the bathroom well and his weight is about the same (9 lbs 4 ounces). He is breathing well and his oxygen saturation fluctuates when his trach becomes clogged, but for the most part his levels are perfect when he is sleeping. The trach becomes clogged after feeding due to the reflux.

No word yet from Dr. Kelley on the plan of action. We assume that he will talk with us this week. At this point in time, I am sure he is wanting Zander to eat as much as possible orally. We should know more later in the week.

Everyone is tired, but well here. School is in full swing. Jackson and Houston are having a great time. Christie (and all teachers in general) are over worked and under paid, but she and I were elated to hear the news about the bottle. We just arrived home from the hospital and the pictures above show the Zman in action. Jackson has scraped his leg (minor) and it appears that I might have to amputate if he does not get any relief.

Our prayers are still with Ethan. We also pray for a friend that is dealing with an ailing grandmother in the hospital at East Ridge Hospital here in Chattanooga. We pray for her comfort and the comfort of her family during this difficult time.

Thanks all around for the prayers and continued prayers and comments.

I will write again tomorrow. Jackson has soccer practice so it may be later in the evening. Sweet dreams boys. Drink well Zander....we love all three of you dearly. Life is good and God is great!

Clancy

Monday, August 18, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-18T20:09:00.007-04:00

As my former high school baseball coach always said, "somedays you win, somedays you lose and somedays it rains." Well today, Zander won! The connection site of the esophagus has no leaks whatsoever. I never thought that the words, no leakage at all would make me cry (not at least until I am in my elder years), but those were the best two words I heard all day. God, as always showed up today and the prayers and concerns of all were heard.

As you can see above, he no longer has the tube through his nostril and it appears that Dr. Kelley will be removing the chest tube at some point this evening. The only two tubes that he will have left, assuming all goes well, will be the G-tube (for feeding) and the central line (for continued TPN/IV liquids).

Tonight, Dr. Kelley and the neonatologist will also discuss Zander's feeding. Hopefully he will be able to begin oral feedings on a limited basis in the coming days. We will know more tomorrow.

At this point, Zander still has excessive reflux, so the plan of attack and any timelines are still up in the air. He rested well today and he still eats well, but, we will wait to see what Dr. Kelley suggests tonight.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Your prayers and posts have hit a home run for the Zman. Bert, got your card again today. Give me a call at the office or on my cell, and I will be more than glad to meet you at the hospital for a visit with Zander. Your prayers have been to say the least, beautiful.

Christie and I want to express our sincerest gratitude and thanks to everyone. Zman still has a way to go, but whatever everyone is doing, please keep doing it. Praise God for our son and his fighting spirit. We love you all.

Sweet dreams boys...Rest easy Zman. Two tubes to go!

Clancy

Saturday, August 16, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-16T22:08:00.006-04:00

Hello all. sorry for the delay in writing. Christie and I have had a relaxing Saturday and yesterday was very hectic. Sorry I did not post sooner, but Christie and I spent most of the afternoon with Zander today and we and he enjoyed the visit.

Zander has moved up. They now have put him in a crib that is much bigger than his first bed. He is now "King of the Pod"...as if he was not already. George Jefferson would be proud as he has definitely moved up. He was awake most of the afternoon. He is still receiving 45 ml every 3 hours. He does have reflux, but the new bed tilts more than his first bed so hopefully this will help with the reflux. Christie read books to him this afternoon and Grandma Judi came down this morning and visited with him for a few hours.

It appears that on Monday, Dr. Kelley will place a dye into the esophagus to see how the connection (surgical site is doing). Zander does not have an infection at this point although that was being checked a few days ago. He is still receiving Zantac and pain meds as well as the medicine for his minor jaundice.

We will see him again tomorrow and we are glad that we saw him with his eyes open for so long today. It is amazing what you focus on as parent...the little things. We hope and pray that everything continues to go smoothly through Monday's test. We also continue to pray for Ethan and his family. Thanks to everyone for everything, especially the prayers and comments. Aunt Heidi, hug the kids, and the next time you are this close to TN for vacation, you better stop in.

I will write again tomorrow and again, sorry for the delay in posting.

Sweet dreams Zander. Mommy and I love and pray that you will be home soon.

Clancy

Thursday, August 14, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-14T21:28:00.005-04:00

Good evening all. I hope everyone is gearing up for a good TGIF. We are all well. Christie only has 177 days of school left. The boys are enjoying school and the homework is already coming in for Houston.

Zander is doing well today. He is still feeding at 45 ml every 3 hours. They are adding a thickening agent to his food to help him keep it down. Today, he had to have oxygen added to his trach mask as his oxygen saturation levels dropped a little bit. They have taken blood and think that Zander may have an infection, but we do not know anything at this point. If he does

have an infection, this is not uncommon. We should know more tomorrow.

As far as his weight is concerning, he is holding his own and continues to gain. His color was improved and it appears that his slight jaundice may be resolve with the assistance of medicine.

We hope that everyone has a good Friday. Christie and I are looking forward to the weekend and spending some extended time with Zander. We pray that Zander does not have an infection and that his reflux will subside. We also pray for Ethan as he is still Zander's next door neighbor. Please keep Ethan in your thoughts and prayers.

I will write again tomorrow at some point...hopefully. Boys, may your sleep be sound and your dreams endless. We love each of you dearly.

Clancy

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-13T21:44:00.003-04:00

Good evening all. I hope everyone had a nice humpday. Everyone here is doing well. The boys are sacked out and Christie and I are soon off to bed. Zander is doing well today. He is sorting through his several inquiries from his post last night and he is trying to narrow it down, but I think he is milking it for all its worth. No changes today. He is resting and eating well. Dr. Kelley will be by to see him tomorrow, so we hope to have more then.

Short and sweet tonight. Thanks, as always for the comments and prayers. I will write again tomorrow....hopefully. It is going to be a busy Thursday and Friday in the legal world.

Sweet dreams boys. Mommy and I love you. Clancy

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-12T21:55:00.006-04:00

Hi, I am Zander (SWM). I am single, 4 weeks old tomorrow and I am interested in long walks in the park or on the beach. I am a Cancer which means that I am sensitive and I am deeply devoted to family, pain medications, diaper changes and nurses. My eyes are blue (for now), I am a little over 9 pounds, and I do come with some strings (and cords) attached. My biggest attribute is my innocence; however, I like to think that I am a fighter. My favorite clothing line is Pampers, and I love wearing nothing but socks. I do require a sensitive touch and frequent kisses. I am not yet sure if I am a Momma's boys or a Daddy's boy, but it appears that they will suffice as parents. If interested, please feel free to drop me a line and I will get back with you soon or feel free to leave a comment.

I am breathing well today and hope that they will increase my feedings tomorrow. My Grandma Sandy came to see me today, but she is going back to Florida tomorrow. I am resting well and they have decreased my pain medications to every 3 hours. I am now taking medicine to help with my slight yellowish color (minor jaundice), but many of my roommates are under the tanning lamps throughout the day. Hopefully, I will be tan soon and I have a note in to my nurses about giving me equal time under the tanning lights, but it does not appear they are listening to me.

I am now getting tired and will sign off for now. I appreciate all of the interest in me and the comments concerning my well-being. The Olympics are on and some guy named Phelps is going for his 64th Gold Medal, so I am going to see if he gets it. I will write again tomorrow...if not sooner.

Good night big brothers. I heard you had a fun first day of school. I will be home soon, well I really do not know when, but I can't wait to get there. Tell Mom and Dad hello and I love them.

Zander

Transcriptionist, Clancy

August 11, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-11T21:31:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone. It was the night before school started and all through the house, the kids were asleep.....for now. I hope everyone is doing well. Happy Birthday to Charlie, Mom, Sandy and Maureen (Mo)! We hope that each of you had a great birthday!

Zander is doing well. HE IS BREATHING ENTIRELY ON HIS OWN. The CPAP machine has been removed and all he now has is a loose mask over his trach tube that blows moist heated air over the entrance to the trach. This allows him to breath in moist heat air which aids in keeping the mucous in his lungs and around the trach loosened up.

Hoss is now eating 45 ml every 3 hours. For those of you that do not know who Hoss is, watch reruns of Bonanza. Combined with his breast milk is a small part of rice cereal. The cereal thickens his food with the hopes that it prevent a significant amount of reflux. Dr. Kelley said that he is doing well and it does appear that he is resting well. Zander has such a sweet spirit. Grandma Sandy is still visiting and she says that he looks better every time she sees him. I tend to agree with her, but we are partial.

Zander is in good hands for the evening (he is always in good hands). His nurse (Sam) is a graduate of my alma mater Carson-Newman and she plans on giving him a bath later on this evening. I do not know if it will be a wipe down or whether actual water is involved. For now, he is resting well.

I will write again tomorrow. I am off to bed as is Christie. We hope all of you are doing well. Please keep Ethan and the Zman in your prayer; and, as always thanks for the comments and encouraging words.

Sweet dreams Houston and Jackson....tomorrow is a big day for you both. Zander, ask for the full body wash and tell her to go easy. Goodnight boys...we love all 3 of you. Stay strong Zander.

Clancy

Sunday, August 10, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-10T20:46:00.004-04:00

Do we have to go back to work tomorrow? The weekends are really moving quickly these days. Houston and Jackson start school on Tuesday so Christie has been labeling everything they own. It has been a nice weekend and the boys are excited about returning to school on Tuesday. Zander is doing well today. He is still eating 30 ml of breast milk through the G-tube every three hours. He is also still receiving pain meds and sedatives every 2 or 4 hours so he is still resting well. We were unable to get his weight earlier today, but it still appears that he likes to eat. Dr. Kelley will likely be by to see him tomorrow. He has not rejected any of his feedings and he does spit-up after eating, a little bit. This is a good sign in that his esophagus is staying open. As far as his breathing is concerned, he is breathing on his own with the exception of a little bit of air being pushed in right at the end of each inhale. We hope that everyone has a great start to the week. Again, thanks to all for the comments, prayers and love. Please keep Ethan and his family in mind and in your prayers. I will write again tomorrow...if not sooner. Sweet dreams boys.....keep moving along Zander. We love you and cannot wait to get you home. Clancy

Sunday, August 10, 2008 in the Late Morning

2008-08-10T11:37:00.004-04:00

Like the Olympics, I am now using a 12 hour delay (at least for today). Sorry I did not post last night. It was catch-up and clean-up day around the house. Grandma Sandy (Covert) also flew in from Florida and we spent a considerable amount of time with Zander yesterday afternoon and last night.

Zander is doing well. His feedings have doubled to 30 ml every 3 hours. Dr. Kelley increased the feedings after the Zman did well on 15 ml. He was fussy at times when we saw him, but it can only be due to the pain on the inside. He is breathing well and the CPAP has been turned down to where he is breathing on his own for the most part. Zander now weighs just over 9 pounds. He is all muscle, just like his Dad (he he). He is resting well for th emost part and he is still receiving pain meds every 2 hours and sedatives every 4 hours, I think.

Zander's next door neighbor, Ethan (the baby next to him) is not doing well. Ethan has a twin brother who is at home, but we are fearful that Ethan is not going to make it. His parents are a sweet young couple and we pray for healing for Ethan and his family and would appreciate it, if you would keep this family and baby in your prayers.

I will write again later tonight. I hope everyone has a restful Sunday. We are going to see the Zman this afternoon. For those that are golfing, keep it in the short grass. Thanks for all the comments and prayers.

See you soon.

Clancy

Friday, August 8, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-08T20:55:00.006-04:00

TGIF everyone. I hope everyone has a big weekend in store. Looks like it will be beautiful weather in Chatta-Vegas this weekend. It has been a whirlwind week for us, but a very blessed week. God is always good, but this week, we have truly seen how great God is!

Christie and I spent the late afternoon and early evening with Zander. As you can see in the pictures above, he is resting well. Dr. Kelley came by when we were with Zander and he said that Zander is doing well. In fact, he has started the Zman back on 15 ml of breast milk every 3 hours and according to the nurse, he tolerated his first feed well about an hour ago.

Dr. Kelley said the next few weeks will be a wait and see period. He said that the feedings will likely cause significant reflux for Zander. What Dr. Kelley is looking at is how the esophagus, specifically, the surgical site (where he connected the esophagus) handles the reflux. He also wants to see how it heals. Chances are about 60% that Zander will have to undergo the fundoplication surgery that I mentioned on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. This surgery involves wrapping the upper portion of the stomach around the esophagus to significantly reduce the reflux.

At this point we are praying that the esophagus heals with minimal scarring at the surgical site. We also pray that the acid reflux is minimal and that Zander will not need the fundoplication surgery. I know everyone is tired of me thanking you for the prayers and comments, but I cannot thank each of you enough.

We are tired....okay exhausted, but well. I will write again tomorrow and hope that each of you have a nice evening and a great Saturday. Sweet dreams to all....eat up Zander and rest easy. We love you.

Clancy

Thursday, August 7, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-07T21:14:00.003-04:00

Buenos Noches all. We are settling in for the evening. Christie and I have been on the go since early this morning. Houston and Jackson are enjoying their last days of summer.

Zander is still heavily sedated and enjoying the pain meds. Dr. Kelley came and checked on the Zman today and said he was doing fine. He wants Zander to be sedated and still for a couple of days to minimize his movements due to the surgery, which will also minimize his pain. Dr. Kelley said that he does not need to be eating at this point (through the G-tube) so Zander is presently on 100% IV feeds.

Dallas, his nurse during the day shift today, indicated that he has used the bathroom (both 1 and 2), but this was likely still left over from his feedings from yesterday. He is resting comfortably and his CPAP has already been turned down where he is doing more of the breathing on his own through the trach. Amazed is my word for the day. I am amazed at what Zander can tolerate and I hope that he continues to progress well. Hopefully tomorrow, he will be awake so we can talk to him and see his big, beautiful eyes and those big cheeks.

The comments and prayers may seem insignificant to you, but rest assured they mean the world to our family and Zander. We can never repay the generosity, concern and heartfelt acts of love to our family. Thank you.

I will write again tomorrow...if not sooner. Good night and God bless each of you. May you dreams be big and your sleep be sound. Sweet dreams son. We love you.

Clancy

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-06T21:55:00.003-04:00

Hebrews 11:1 says that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, with the conviction of things not seen." What we have hoped and prayed for with conviction and certainty came true today at about 6:15 p.m. God is great!

Zander came through surgery like a champ. More importantly, Dr. Kelley was able to connect the esophagus to the stomach, yet another miracle in our lives. Over the teeth and through the gums, watch out stomach here it comes. We are utterly amazed how sufficient the grace of God is in our lives and the life of our young son. For the next 10 days Dr. Kelley said we are going to sit on our hands and let Zander's esophagus heal. There is a moderate amount of tension on his esophagus from stretching it together and we pray that the tension quickly dissipates. The doctors and nurses will be monitoring the connection site and any possible infection. There is also a tube going through Zander's nose and through the esophagus that will keep the esophagus open and allow antibiotics to be applied to connection site.

We are exhausted, overjoyed and simply amazed at what God has done for us and Zander. In three short weeks, Zander has endured three surgeries and countless tubes have been placed in him, yet God continues to place him in th palm of his hand and show us that He and He alone is still in the business of miracles.

I truly am at a loss for words tonight....I can cannot express the valleys and peaks that Christie and I have experienced over the past 10 hours. The prayers and comments of all have worked, continue to work and prove that prayer works. I can truly attest that you do not know how sufficient the grace of God is until it is all you have.

with love to all..........sweet dreams Houston, Jackson and Zander...We love you and are truly amazed at the strength God has given each of you.

Clancy

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at about 4:30 p.m.

2008-08-06T16:17:00.002-04:00

Zander is still in surgery. Surgery did not get started until about 3:00 p.m. Dr. Kelley said he should be finished around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. Apparently the hold-up in getting him into surgery (which is surgery #3) was the availability of a surgery room. Christie and I are well. Family is here. Thanks for the prayers for us, our son and the situation. We really appreciate it. I will write again soon....when I know more. Clancy

Wednesday, August 6, 2008 about 1:30 p.m.

2008-08-06T13:42:00.006-04:00

Hello all. We are at the hospital waiting for surgery to begin. We will be going down with Zander to the surgical floor and then waiting for surgery to conclude. Sorry i did not write last night, but it has been a long two days. The boys are fine (for now) and are with us.

Surgery will likely get started about 2:00 p.m., but the above pictures are of the Zman about 10 minutes ago. He is resting well and he is well rested for the surgery according to the the NICU nurses.

The surgery will take several hours (3 to 4 probably). I will keep everyone updated through the blog this afternoon as we will have time to update while we wait.

Please pray for Zander, the doctors and hospital staff. I will talk with you soon.

Stay strong Zander...God has you in the palm of his hand.

We love you.

Clancy

Monday, August 4, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-04T20:47:00.009-04:00

Good evening all. I hope everyone had a nice Monday, if that is possible. Christie was at inservice all day today and the boys spent most of the day with Grandma Pat (Christie's Mom). Sorry there are no pics tonight, but there appears to be a problem with the blog server. Zander is doing well today. He was sleeping when I went to see him but he lost his umbilical cord earlier in the day. I know everyone has been waiting on pins and needles to learn whether Zander has an innie or an outie and those betting on the innie are the winners. All joking aside he is still receiving the same amount of milk today that he was yesterday and he is only requiring a wee bit of pain medication and sedative. Zander's constant CPAP air has been turned off. He is breathing on his own through the trach and it appears that they may try to put a humidified trach mask on the little guy tomorrow. He is still receiving a short burst of air on each breath which helps expand his lungs, but he is breathing under his own power. Christie spoke with Dr. Kelley (the surgeon) and he has returned from vacation with the majority of his "honey do" list completed. He checked in on Zander and he is going to take him in for his 3rd surgery on Wednesday at noon. Dr. Kelley wants to see if he can get the esophagus connected. He indicated to Christie that the stomach has obviously expanded due to the increased feedings and no residuals from the feedings, the only question is if it has stretch enough. Obviously, the traction sutures have been pulling the proximal esophagus southward (how much we do not know) and the feedings have expanded the stomach and pushed the distal esophagus northward (how much we do not know). If Dr. Kelley can get the esophagus connected, Zander will have extremely uncomfortably reflux for an extended period of time. It will take 4 to 6 weeks of monitoring in the hospital along with probing into the esophagus to see how his little body tolerates the esophagus being connected. I am sure there will be other things that they look for, but Dr. Kelley has not given us all the particulars at this point. Due to the severe reflux that Zander is likely facing, there is a good chance that he will have to also under go a fungoplication (Google it) surgery as well. Essentially, this procedure involves wrapping the upper portion of the stomach around the esophagus to strengthen the valve of the esophagus as it enters into the stomach. It also significantly reduces the stomach's ability to cause reflux. If Dr. Kelley is unable to connect the esophagus at this point, he will attach both ends of the esophagus with traction sutures and begin pulling both ends at the same time. Up to this point in time only the proximal (throat) portion of the esophagus is being pulled by traction sutures. Our hope and prayers at this point are that Dr. Kelley will be able to attach the two ends of the esophagus. We also pray that Zander tolerates the procedure well and that his little body is not placed in too much pain. It is hard knowing what he is facing in light of his recent restful days and weaning from pain meds and sedatives, but we know that God has Zander (and all of us) in the palm of his hand. Thanks Karen and Joe for making time in your busy day to come see Zander. We know that Bert and Dr. Dooley and others have been by to see him, but have just missed us. We hope to be able to see them soon and we thank everyone at RBBC for everything they are doing for us and especially for the prayers. Thanks Joyce for keeping everyone in the loop, we will talk with you soon. We also thank countless others for the prayers, comments and phone calls concerning Zander, the boys as well as Christie and I. We cannot do it alone and thank God each day for all of you. We continue to need prayer, comments and encouragement. This is not an easy thing to endure and one saving grace is knowing that Zander will not remember any of this. As Christie's dad said yesterday, for all Zander knows this is the way you enter the world; however, the lawyer in me both agrees and disagrees with him. I agree that he will likely not remember what his body is being put through, but Christie and I, will never let him forget the love of others, most known and some unknown who have prayed, loved and shared their hearts for his benefit, our benefit and the glory of God. Sweet dreams son....we hope you rest well and keep moving along. We love you and will see you soon. Clancy

Sunday, August 3, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-03T20:51:00.007-04:00

Is tomorrow Monday? We have been on cloud 9 this weekend after getting to hold Zander everyday since Friday. Today was Christie's turn and Zander's nurse, Dallas, allowed her to hold Zander away from the bed in the rocking chair. It took some work to get all the tubes and monitors lowered so Christie could sit with him away from the bed, but Dallas and all the NICU team go the extra mile for the Zman and us.

Christie was able to hold Zander for about an hour. He was feed in her arms (through the g-tube) and he rested quietly in his mother's arms. He did not rest as well in her arms as he did in mine (just kidding), but it was nice to see Christie smiling with our son close to her.

Zander's feedings have been increased to 40 ml every 3 hours. He is rarely taking pain medication at this point (once maybe twice every 24 hours) and he is no longer on the Adavan (sedative). We were told that Dr. Kelley will be in tomorrow. He will likely take a look at the traction suture issue. We are thinking he may want to perform surgery this week to see how things are progressing and/or reattach the sutures if, in fact they have let go.

We hope everyone is well rested and gearing up for another week of work. For those of you that are retired, I hope you keep the ball in the short grass and avoid the sand traps.

I will write again tomorrow evening, if not sooner. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and comments. Christie and I are uplifted with each comment and we greatly feel the power of prayer working for us and Zander. God bless each of you this week.

Good night boys.....We love each of you.

Clancy

Saturday, August 2, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-02T22:04:00.008-04:00

Hello all. Zander is well. Christie and I had the best thing for dessert tonight.....A BABY BURRITO! The pics tell it all. I held the little guy tonight and despite wanting to run with him, I did not.

His feedings are up to 35 ml every 3 hours. Dr. Kelley will be in either tomorrow or Monday. No changes at this point. He is resting well. We bought a CD player for him and he is now listening to Mozart, Bach and Eminem (just kidding about Eminem).

All is well tonight with Zander. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I will write again tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the comments and prayers.

Sweet dreams son.....you are dearly loved.

Clancy

Friday, August 1, 2008 in the Evening

2008-08-01T22:02:00.008-04:00

Hello all! Happy Friday. We just returned from the hospital seeing Zander. FINALLY, CHRISTIE WAS ABLE TO HOLD ZANDER! In all my life, I have never seen a more beautiful sight. Thanks to all for the prayers for us to be able to hold him.

Christie was able to hold Zander for about 30 minutes. She was also lucky enough to change 2 diapers in the span of 10 minutes. Zander is resting well and his feedings should be increased tomorrow (up to 35 ml). We are waiting to hear from Dr. Kelley concerning the traction sutures. There is still a concern that they have come undone, but hopefully we will know more tomorrow. Zander is resting well and everything continues to go forward....slowly.

We are very thankful that Christie was able to hold Zander. That meant so much to both of us. Up until this point, I was the only one that held Zander and that was only when he was 10 minutes old. Zander smiled and rested comfortably in his mother's arms and I cannot express in words the emotional high that we are both on this evening.

I will write again tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for the specific prayers about holding Zander. God is listening and he still answers prayer.

Sweet dreams son. Daddy is looking forward to holding you tomorrow. We love you.

Clancy

Thursday, July 31, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-31T21:21:00.004-04:00

Good evening all! We have had a hectic, but busy day. Houston had orientation/registration this evening at the new SMMHS. Wow! They would not have spent this kind of money on any school that I went to (for good reason). It is a beautiful building in a picturesque setting. Houston is excited that he has a locker with a real combination on it. We are taking bets as to when he will have to ask his Mom for the combination.

Christie is returning to school tomorrow. The teachers report tomorrow and have in service for the next 8 or 10 days. After much prayer, both she and I feel it is a better course for her to return to school at this point and then take leave when Zander comes home from the hospital.

Jackson is also doing well and he and Houston went with Christie to see Zander late this afternoon.

As far as Zander is concerned, he continues to progress well. His feedings have been increased to 30 ml every 3 hours. Earlier today there was some concern that his traction sutures "let loose"; however, the surgeon on call said that they were still in place. The traction sutures are the sutures that are pulling the proximal esophagus down into the chest cavity from the throat. Whew! Good news...yes.

Zander is resting comfortable and his airflow from the trach was turned down today. He barely has any air going into the trach and he is breathing on his own through the trach for the most part. As the picture above indicates, he has such a gentle spirit and he is smiling more and more. We still have not been able to hold him, but we are keeping our fingers crossed for this weekend.

We love the comments and are thankful to everyone for the prayers! We hope everyone has a great Friday.

I will write again tomorrow evening. Sweet dreams Zander....we love and miss you.

Clancy

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-30T21:48:00.004-04:00

Good evening all. It has been a long but good humpday. Christie and I did not get to see Zander until this evening as the room/pod he is in was closed for most of the afternoon due to admissions and procedures being performed in Zander's pod.

As far as Zander is concerned, they tightened his traction sutures for his upper esophagus again today. They also gave him a detailed bath and he is a new man. He is still receiving 25 ml every 3 hours and he is doing well. We spoke with Melanie (the nurse practitioner) and she said he was doing well and resting well. For now they will continue to monitor his lungs, but it appears they are growing stronger each day. Zander now weighs 8 pounds and 6 ounces, so he is taking after his Daddy when it comes to eating.

We hope to know more tomorrow, but for now, all is well. The prayers, comments and calls sustain us. Our thanks is an understatement.

Sweet dreams to all and to Houston, Jackson and Zander. Boys may your dreams be big and your night restful.

Clancy

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-29T22:29:00.007-04:00

Good evening all. It has been a long day for all of us. Nothing bad, just on the run since getting out of bed this morning.

We just returned from seeing Zander this evening and tonight he had both eyes open for the longest time. He was a bit fussy, but we saw him just before he received his pain meds and sedative. He was in a good mood for a large portion of time, but once he was readjusted by his nurse Tara, he drifted off into never land.

His feedings have been increased again to 25 ml every 3 hours. He is taking them well with not rejections. His lungs looked better on xrays and his air through the trach have been decreased. This means he is breathing more on his own power.

Houston had a rough first day of football practice and Jackson helped his Mommy for most of the day. Christie saw her doctor today and it went well. She will return for her 6 weeks check-up in about 4 weeks.

All is well here on the mountain. The crickets are churping and we are quickly fading into the night.

I will write again tomorrow evening. Thanks to all for the prayers and comments. We hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

Sleep well Houston, Jackson and Zander...we love each of you dearly.

Clancy

Monday July 28, 2008 Later in the Evening

2008-07-28T20:44:00.002-04:00

Hot off the press! Just spoke to the hospital. Dr. Kelley is on vacation, but he called in and reviewed the chart and xrays (presumably on his phone). He increased Zander's feedings to 20 ml every three hours and decreased his TPN fluids that are being put in via IV through the central line. The nurse indicated that this was a good sign because the nourishment he is getting from mom's milk is doing him well. He does not need as many calories from the protein and lipid drips that he is receiving. That is all for now. We may hear more from Dr. Kelley tomorrow. Good news all around at this point. I will write tomorrow if not sooner. Good night all.

Monday, July 28, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-28T19:57:00.008-04:00

Hello everyone. Hope everyone had a nice Monday (if that is possible). My return to work was good, but I struggled to stay focused throughout the day. Houston picked up his pads for football today and as you can see from the pictures Jackson is running around the house in his football uniform. I just finished getting the mouthpieces ready for Houston and of course Jackson wanted his fixed also.

I visited Zander at lunch today and Christie and I also saw the Zman after work. He continues to rest well. His feedings were increased today to 17.5 ml every 3 hours. He has not had any rejections of milk since his feedings were increased. ZANDER DID TAKE A PACIFIER TODAY SO THIS IS A GOOD SIGN CONCERNING HIS MOUTH AND THROAT DEVELOPMENT.

We also met with Dr. Lisa Collins (one of the neonatologists) as she did her rounds and examined Zander. She indicated that his right lung is still a little smaller than his left lung and the air that is being pumped into his lungs via the trach assists in development of the lungs.

Zander will also have a blood oxygen test again tomorrow as well as additional chest xrays to look at the lungs. Dr. Collins indicated that she will also run a culture to determine if Zander can be taken off the antibiotics. She did indicate that he has not had any infections so she thinks the culture will come back entirely normal.

Although Zander continues to rest well, Dr. Collins did indicate that the trach will likely be a long-term temporary thing. The determinative key for the trach is the trachea and the cartilage in the trachea becoming more firm.

At this point in time, we are continuing to pray for Zander's complete healing and recovery, but for the short term, we continue to pray for positive news about his lungs and him being taken off the antibiotics. Additionally, we pray that when the surgeon looks at the esophagus it is stretching and growing closer and that the trachea is growing stronger.

We still pray to hold him in our arms, but in due time this will come. Thanks to all for the positive comments and prayers for our little boy. We love each of you dearly and pray that all is well with each of you.

I will write again tomorrow night after seeing Zander. Wishing you sweet dreams son...we love you.

Clancy

Sunday, July 27, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-27T21:37:00.006-04:00

Good evening all. I hope that everyone's Sunday has been one of rest and relaxation. We returned to church this morning for the first time post Zander's arrival and Christie and I were overwhelmed with encouragement and uplifting words.

Houston has finally hit his stride when it comes to sleep. As noted yesterday, he returned from Charleston, SC and has slept for most of the day. Before going to the hospital, Jackson drew a picture for Zander of the family.

Christie and I visited Zander twice today. Everything remains about the same. He was a little fussy early in the day, but he is still eating well (15 ml every 3 hours). He is still on sedatives and pain medicine, but the Zman continues to rest well for the most part. His frog blanket (thanks Anna and Abby) continues to be his sleeping companion. His respiration and oxygen remain high, but I still have a hard time watching the little guy hooked to everything he is hooked to. His initial surgical site (on the right side just below the armpit is about healed, but I am sure it will be re-opened with the next surgery.

We have not talked with Dr. Kelley (the surgeon), but know that he or his partner will be looking in on Zander tomorrow. Zander will also have more xrays done tomorrow on his chest to see how everything is coming along. His right lung was a little compressed due to all the activity from surgery, but they say it is getting better. Zander will also have a blood oxygen test performed on Monday, so we are praying that both the xrays and blood tests yield positive results.

I am returning to work tomorrow. I can only imagine at this point what is facing me upon my return. Fortunately, I have been blessed with Susan and everyone at the firm that have gone the extra mile over the past two weeks. They always do and I am sure that I owe them more than these simple words of gratitude on this post.

I will write again tomorrow after seeing Zander. I plan on seeing him at lunch if it is not too crazy around the office. Christie is doing well and we are settling in for the night. We still have not held Zander and we continue to pray that day is soon on the horizon.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the comments, prayers and encouraging words.

Sweet dreams to all and especially to Zander....Mommy and Daddy love you.

Clancy

Saturday, July 26, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-26T21:52:00.011-04:00

Hello all. Sorry for the delay in writing, but it has been a restful, lazy Saturday here on the mountain.

Houston has returned from MFuge in Charleston, SC with the Youth Group. He had a great time, but he is exhausted. After picking him up from the church, we all went to see the Zman at the hospital. Zander enjoyed seeing his big brothers and he continues to rest well.

The nurses told us that he has had a good day. Earlier in the day he was smiling and looking around, so this is our positive note for the day. Jackson and Houston enjoyed visiting with Zander and the Zman continues to rest well. He is still on pain meds and sedatives, but the nurse indicated that these will likely be decreased in the coming days. Zander is still taking 15 ml of milk every 3 hours and he has not had any rejections.

Tomorrow, he will have more xrays done to see what is going on. We are praying that his espohagus is showing signs of stretching. We are also praying that the drainage from his chest tube remains zero as there has not been any fluid from the chest tube in about 24 hours.

I hope that each of you have a restful Sunday. I will write again tomorrow afternoon after seeing Zander. Christie and I thank each of you for your continued prayers and comments. We definitely feel the strength of the church and others through this journey. May God bless each of you!

May your dreams be endless Zander...with all our love.

Clancy

Friday, July 25, 2008 in the Early Evening

2008-07-25T18:14:00.005-04:00

TGIF everyone. It has been a good day for Zander. Christie and I spent the afternoon with him today and it would be an understatement to say that he is resting much better. He literally is a different baby. Before, he was struggling as if he were having a seizure just to be able to breath. Now, he rests comfortably and only uses the muscles in his chest and abdomen that we use when we breath. It definitely makes you appreciate how much we take breathing for granted.

Dallas, one of his nurses said that he had a great morning and that he was alert at times, but that he was sleeping much deeper. While we were with him, one of the many machines that he is hooked to was removed because his respiration has so greatly improved. We brought his frog blanket to him last night and Dallas indicated that he has been sleeping with it. In fact, as the pictures show above, he clutches to it like Christie and I would like to be clutching to him. At one point this afternoon, Christie and I contemplated picking him up and running, but I told her that my days as a football player were long ago. As such, we decided just to touch and kiss him as much as possible while he slept.

On a positive note, Zander's plumbing below the stomach is working well. While present he made a deposit that I would have had a hard time getting out. They have increased his feeding to 15 ml every 3 hours; however, it appears that he may be going up later tonight.

Although it is difficult to imagine what this sweet boy is going through, Christie and I are grateful for the care he is getting and the fact that he is much more comfortable with the trachea tube.

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE COMMENTS. I CANNOT ADEQUATELY EXPRESS IN WORDS (AND I HAVE A BIG THESAURUS) WHAT THESE MEAN TO US. THE PRAYERS IN THE COMMENTS AND THE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT UPLIFT OUR SPIRITS HOURLY.

I will post again tomorrow afternoon or early evening after we have seen the Zman. In the meantime, I hope that each of you enjoy your Friday evenings.

Sweet dreams and rest easy Zander. We love you.

Clancy

Friday, July 25, 2008 in the Morning

2008-07-25T07:41:00.003-04:00

Good morning all. Zander's surgery went well. It lasted about 45 minutes to 1 hour. He is now on a trach and he is breathing much better. Unfortunately, he will like be on the trach when he comes home, but we are still praying for complete recovery before we bring him home. His stomach has enlarged and he is now on 15 ml of milk every 3 hours. Thank God he is resting better. He seems to be be more comfortable. Thank you to everyone for the prayers to get the Zman through surgery. Dr. Kelley is considering going back in next Wednesday and tightening the traction sutures. I will write later in the day. We are helping Christie move her stuff into the school today. Several of her teacher friends are helping, but I am just the strong back for the morning. I will post again later today with pictures of the little guy. Thanks again for the prayers and comments. They really get us through. See you soon sweet boy.....rest well. Clancy

Thursday, July 24, 2008 at about 2:00 p.m.

2008-07-24T13:51:00.002-04:00

Hello all. The Zman is not having a good day. Chrisite and I received a call from Dr. Kelley about 12:30 p.m. Dr. Kelley said that the current breathing configuration (C-PAP) is making the little guy work way to hard. He had 2 or 3 episodes throughout the night. Dr. Kelley said that Zander's trachea now has some malasia (sp?) (softness/floppiness) in it. It should be more rigid. Dr. Kelley said that due to the softness in the trachea Zander is basically breathing through a straw (his trachea) that is flexible on the end. Each breath he takes, is like trying to breath through a straw that had flaps on the end of it. This causes build up of mucous and other secretions down around the trachea and into the lungs. He is not aspirating on the mucous, but it does cause him to work much harder to breath. As a result, Zander is now back on the ventilator for the next few hours. Around 4:00 p.m. he will be taken to surgery and a tracheotomy will be performed. By doing so, Zander's trachea, his throat and the accompanying membranes will be allowed to rest and grow stronger. Dr. Kelley said it would be a temporary thing until the cartilage in the trachea becomes stronger along with the supporting membranes. Dr. Kelley will also inject contrast into his stomach to see how it is growing. We should know more later tonight. Sorry there are no pictures, but I will post some later. Zander is resting much better at present. As parents we are worried about his little body being able to handle the surgery, but we understand why this has to take place. The care he is getting is wonderful and we thank God for all the nurses, practitioners, therapists and doctors everyday. If you get a chance on your drive home today....ask God to look over Zander during surgery. I will write later this evening. God bless each of you. We love you son!

July 23, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-23T22:45:00.006-04:00

Good evening all. Christie, Grandpa Paul (my grandfather) and I just got home from seeing Zander. The little guy was doing well and we were thankful to have talked with the Nurse Practitioner on duty, Melissa.

Melissa told us that Zander had a pretty rough go of things earlier in the day (before lunch) when he had 3 pretty hairy episodes. We found out that his oxygen level fell to about 11 out of a possible 100, but they were able to give him oxygen and he recovered. These episodes also occurred at 2:15 p.m. and about 7:30 tonight. They have increased his oxygen intake and he seems to be tolerating it well. Melissa said that he was doing much better than earlier in the day. She also told us that although he appears to be working really hard to breath she said he is not working as hard as others in the same situation that she has seen. He is using muscles that you and I do not use when we breath, but that it is okay.

Zander is resting more now. When we were there to see him, we still could not touch or talk to him, but I broke the rules when he had his eyes open and he looked around at Grandpa Paul, which I am pretty sure my grandfather enjoyed. He does seem to be resting better and he was not startled into an episode when he looked at us while we were there.

He is beautiful and we are so thankful for him. We just pray and hope that he is not in too much pain. Please keep praying that his breathing gets better and that he is not in too much pain. The comments and prayers give us strength each day. Please also pray for a safe trip for Grandpa Paul to Florida as he will be braving the Atlanta traffic.

I will write again tomorrow afternoon after we see Zander (in the afternoon). Christie and I are spending some time together in the morning just the two of us. I apologize in advance to everyone for this delay (Mom), but the next post will be a good one.

Sweet dreams son.......Mommy and Dad

Clancy

July 23, 2008 in the Afternoon

2008-07-23T17:16:00.009-04:00

Hello all. We just returned from seeing Zander. He is still on the C-PAP machine and continues to struggle with breathing. His nurse said that he had 3 episodes since 7 a.m. this morning which required intervention (oxygen mask) in order to get his oxygen levels up and his respiration stabilized. She also indicated that Dr. Kelley was in to see Zander before lunch. Dr. Kelley has increased his feedings from 6 ml to 10 ml per feeding. He has not rejected any of his mother's milk.

At this point in time, they are continuing to monitor his breathing. Christie and I were there for about 2.5 hours and he did not have an episode. We are unable to touch him and we really cannot even talk because it startles Zander and sends his breathing into an erratic downward spiral. It does appear that the little guy is really still working very hard at breathing so everyone is somewhat concerned that the ventilator may be the way to go at this point especially if his episodes continue. Dr. Kelley also examined Zander and removed the suction catheter from his nose and placed it into his mouth. By doing so, Zander now has no obstruction in his right nostril to breath through; however, as noted last night, his left nostril is very tiny.

On a positive note, Zander's jaundice levels are dropping and they do not think that he will need to be under the light for this issue.

Christie and I are planning on going back this evening. My grandfather (Paul Covert) is permanently migrating from Columbus, Ohio to Florida and he will be staying with us this evening. He too is excited to see the Zman.

I will write again later tonight if anything has changed. I think that Dr. Kelley was going to look in on Zander before he left for the day. Your prayers and comments are appreciated more than you know and they give us strength each day. God bless!

Rest well Zander....we will be to see you in a few hours.

Clancy

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 in the Morning

2008-07-23T11:31:00.003-04:00

Sorry to all that I did not post earlier this morning. We are getting ready to go down and see Zander. We have been cleaning up around the house this morning. It needed it.

We spoke to Alisha, Zander's nurse about 9:00 a.m. this morning and she told us that he was still fighting on occasion. He is still able to calm himself and hopefully the time will increase between his spats so that the little guy can get some sleep. Alisha also told us that he has lost a little weight, but that is expected.

That is all we know at the point. We remain prayerful for Zander and that his breathing continues to progress with less difficulties. Thanks, as always for the prayers, comments and concerns.

I will write again tonight after we spend some time with Zman today. See you soon little man...

Clancy

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-22T20:02:00.005-04:00

What a day! God is still in the business of miracles and we received good news today on two fronts. First, Zander underwent an echocardiogram and the cardiologist said that he had a VSD, which is a fancy way of saying that he was not concerned with the pinhole murmur in Zander's heart. He just wanted to run another echocardiogram before Zander was discharged. Whew, one less doctor is a good thing right?

The bigger issue today was the procedure by the pulmonologist. He was unable to go through Zander's right nostril because of the suction catheter and we learned that Zander's left nostril is very narrow and will likely need surgery to open it by an ENT. Oh well, lose one doctor and gain another. However, Dr. Ledbetter (the pulmonologist) inserted the camera into his trachea and lungs through the mouth. He told us that the membranes in the throat are inflamed and the two flaps covering the trachea overlap due to the swelling. He looked at the trachea and told us that there was no stenosis (narrowing) in any part of the trachea and that the voice box and vocal cords are fine. He also told us that he looked at Zander's lungs and the left lung was fine, but he was unable to see the bronchials in the upper right lobe; however, from a practical standpoint this would not hamper Zander down the road. LONG STORY SHORT THE ZMAN IS OFF THE VENTILATOR!

Christie and I spent quite some time with Zander after the ventilator was removed. He does struggle with it since he cannot breathe easily through his right nostril due to the suction catheter or through his left nostril since it is a very small and tight passage. As a result, he is on a C-PAP machine inserted into his nostrils to help him with breathing.

It is hard to watch him breath because every few minutes he begins to cry; however, he does calm himself. He also has an increased amount of blood coming from his chest tube presumably as the result of the test. As we spent time with him, he was able to breath longer before he became frustrated and began crying. When he cried his respiration rate and oxygen would drop and his heart rate would climb. To further compound problems we were encouraged not to touch or talk to him so he could recover on his own and we could actually hear faint cries coming from his sweet little mouth.

We just arrived home from the hospital and Christie, Jackson and I are winding down from a tumultuous, but good day. We will check on the Zman before going to bed. All of the prayers for Zander are working and he told me to tell you thanks. In all seriousness, words cannot adequately describe our heartfelt appreciation for the love we have felt from everyone. Friends, family, hospital staff and people we have not even met have shared comments on the blog and they greatly uplift our spirits and give us strength.

Until tomorrow, sweet dreams and God bless each and everyone one of you. Goodnight Zman, Mommy and Daddy (and hundreds of others) love you and wish you sweet dreams.

Clancy

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 in the Morning

2008-07-22T09:45:00.006-04:00

Good morning! Everyone appears to have slept well in the Covert household last night. Christie and I just called the NICU and they said Zander is sleeping well at this point. His nurse advised us that he had a big bathroom session (1&2) during the night, so we are happy that his bowels and bladder are working well. Zander is now having feedings of 6 ml 4 times per day. Dr. Kelley increased his intake and Zman has not had any residuals (the milk coming back out the tube) as far as the milk being put into his stomach via the gastrotube.

Dr. Hayes, Zander's cardiologist is coming in at some point this morning and running another EKG on the little guy. Zander does have a murmur and it also appears that he has a pinhole in the heart structure. Dr. Hayes said he wanted to run another EKG today to get a better look at the heart no that Zander is less swollen following surgery. We are praying that the little guy's heart is okay.

We will be at the hospital by 1:00 p.m. today for the procedure to be performed by Dr. Ledbetter (pulmonologist) where he will look into Zander's lungs. I am sure Zander will not like be poked and prodded to the extent that he will be today so we also remain prayerful for his comfort through today.

I will post again later today, but for now, Zander is sleeping soundly and liking his mother's milk. We know that each of you have busy lives, but we are so thankful for your prayers, thoughts and comments. We are literally getting prayers and comments from around the world and it is amazing how great God is!

Rest easy precious son...we will see you soon. God bless!

Mommy and Daddy

Monday, July 21, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-21T19:59:00.011-04:00

Good evening all! I hope everyone got off to a good start to the week. since my earlier post Christie and I have met with Dr. Kelley and Dr. Ledbetter at Zander's bedside.

First, Dr. Kelley came in today on his rounds to look at Zander. He removed Zander's bandages around the chest tube and the incision site. After doing so, he removed a few of the staples from Zander's surgical incision site and replaced the staples with steri-strips. He did indicate that a small amount of infection had set in at the site (which is not uncommon) so Dr. Kelley ordered a stronger round of antibiotics for the Z man. He also examined the chest tube and indicated that everything was in order. Dr. Kelley also increased the amount of tension on the traction sutures so that additional pressure would be applied to the proximal (throat portion) esophagus. For obvious reasons, Zander strenuously objected to Dr. Kelley doing everything that he did, but the little guy soon settled down. Although it was hard to watch, I am glad I did so I now better understand how everything works.

After performing the clean up, Dr. Kelley sat down and advise me that he receives daily x-rays of Zander's chest and abdomen. He indicated that it did not appear that the esophagus (throat portion) had moved that much. He said that it was going to be a long road but that Zander was progressing better than he expected. He did not give me any time frames, but he said that Zander was doing better than most of the babies in similar situations. Christie and I are so thankful that Dr. Kelley is so easily approachable and able to answer our questions.

We also met with Dr. Ledbetter, Zander's pulmonologist. He is going to be performing a procedure on Zander tomorrow about 1:00 p.m. Since Zander has now twice rejected being taken off the ventilator (last time was Saturday), Dr. Ledbetter is going to put a camera into Zander's trachea and look at the lungs to see if there are any problems. We are praying that it is just swelling from the trauma to his little body, but Dr. Ledbetter said he will be looking at the lung structures for possible abnormalities as well as to see if there may be any signs of infection.

As a result, the little guy does need prayers and a good outcome on the test tomorrow.

The pictures above are of Zander when Dr. Kelley examined him. These clearly show the traction suture device (orange rods), his surgical incision site and the chest tube. The last picture is a picture of Zander after Dr. Kelley fixed him up and after he received his pain medicine. He is obviously happy to have received the pain meds.

I will write again tomorrow after our visits with Zander and after his procedure...if not sooner. Hugs and kisses to all and many thanks for your encouraging comments, prayers and love.

Sweet dreams Zander...you are loved by many. We pray for your comfort. God bless.

Clancy

Monday, July 21, 2008 in the Morning

2008-07-21T07:31:00.007-04:00

Good morning everyone. Christie and I, along with Houston were up bright and early this morning. Houston is on his way to Charleston, SC with the youth group for MFuge, a week long summer mission trip. We are sad to see him go, but happy that he is going to serve the Lord. I dropped him off this morning at 5:30 a.m. and he was excited to be with his friends.

After dropping Houston off, I went to the NICU to see Zander. He was waking up and expecting his next feeding of milk. The nurse allowed me to change his diaper. This was the first time that I have been allowed to change his diaper. That boosted my spirits. Zaner is doing well at this point. He is a little jaundiced still, but they are monitoring him. Hopefully his numbers have peaked concerning the jaundice, but they will keep us posted. Dr. Kelley will be in later this morning to look him over and possibly remove his chest tube and make another attempt at removing the ventilator. Zander has a small incision on his belly (made by Dr. Kelley) and the nurse indicated that she has pulled out certain tools for him to use when he comes to see Zander.

Zander is still taking the milk without rejecting it and his digestive system appears, at this point to be working fine. He is going number 1 and number 2 at this point. Like his big brother Jackson he drinks alot.

Christie is at home resting (hopefully). It both really hit us hard after getting home last night, but both of us are constantly uplifted by the encouraging words, comments and prayers from everyone. It truly has been a blessing! Christie will be down to see Zander in a little while. We try to plan to come see him just before feeding time/medication time because that is when he is the most responsive to us.

Jackson was sound asleep this morning when Houston and I left but he has been a big boy over the past few days with his little brother and he has been a great help with his Mommie. Christie is still moving slowly, but she says that she is not hurting to the extent that she did following her pregnancies with Houston and Jackson.

I am off to save the world from any and all legal troubles for the day, but I am planning to take most of the week off to spend time with Christie, Jackson and Zander.

I will write tonight. I hope all is well with everyone this morning. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and it is another beautiful day in Chattanooga. God is good!

Clancy

Sunday Night July 20, 2008

2008-07-20T19:59:00.011-04:00

Leaving Zander was the hardest thing I have ever done. Although he is in good hands, Christie and I had a hard time leaving the hospital knowing that he was not coming home with us. Prior to leaving though, we had a great morning and early afternoon with him.

When the Houston and Jackson came to the hospital to visit today, I went down to meet them at the entrance. For whatever reason, I turned down the wrong hall and ended up in an outside area for hospital employees. As I walk by, Dr. Kelley, Zander's surgeon recognized me and we talked about Zander for about 10 minutes. This was the first time we talked with Dr. Kelley since the surgery as he has had several surgeries in the past 72 hours. In any event, he proceeded to tell me that Zander's esophagus is about 3 inches from being able to connect. His largest concern at this point is that he does not want to stretch the portion of the esophagus coming from the stomach as it would likely pull the stomach up and out of the abdominal cavity. That brings us to the stomach issue. I have yet to comment about Zander's stomach because I wanted to talk with Dr. Kelley first. Now that I have done so, Zander's stomach is only about the size of a dime. A normal baby's stomach is about the size of a half-dollar. This is a significant concern for Dr. Kelley's plan of attack in that he can really only stretch the throat portion of the esophagus at this point.

To counteract the stomach issue, Dr. Kelley is now allowing Zander to have breast milk. The milk is being pumped directly into his stomach every 3 hours. Since the portion of the esophagus that is connected to the stomach has been closed off for now, Dr. Kelley believes that feeding Zander at this point will expand his stomach. Essentially, the stomach will expand over the next few weeks as they incrementally increase the amount of the breast milk he takes in alot like expanding a balloon.

Dr. Kelley did say that Zander was a tough kid and that over the next two weeks additional tension would be applied to the traction sutures attached to his upper esophagus which will in turn continue to stretch the esophagus southward towards the stomach. He did tell me that Zander was going to be in the NICU for "a while", but alot of Zander's time in the NICU is dependent on the expansion of his stomach and getting the tubes closer together. Dr. Kelley said he did not want to connect the espohagus to the stomach until the stomach was expanded. Doing so too early, based upon his expert opinion would only cause Zander to have significant stomach troubles including acid reflux on a large scale. Basically, Zander will be taking baby steps. Hurry up and wait is now the mantra by which we live.

We are now at home. Although we are close (about 15 minutes away), it is not close enough. It is good to have Houston and Jackson with us as we have missed them dearly over the past few days, but we are thankful that they had a great time in Florida. We are praying that Zander has a good night. We spoke with the NICU and they said that he is not rejecting the breast milk that he is receiving through the gastro-tube. Thank God for small miracles. It will be hard to sleep without him close, but we have pictures at our bedside.

We love you all and hope that each of you has a great start to the week. I will post again tomorrow (or maybe later tonight depending on if I can sleep). As always, thanks for the thoughts, prayers and support.

Sweet dreams Zander. Good night all.......

Clancy

Zander, Sunday, July 20, 2008

2008-07-20T12:00:00.005-04:00

Well, it has been a great 12 hours with Zander. Christie was able to hold him and change him late last night. What a blessing for her. She was overjoyed to be able to hold him for the first time. She and I have been with him for most of the morning and he has been awake and looking at us.

Christie's sutures have been removed and we are cleared to leave at anytime today. I am trying to negotiate a trade for a permanent room in exchange for legal services so we do not have to leave our precious baby boy, but it does not look like it is going to work. We are going to stay for a few more hours and then try to get home. Grandma Judi (my mom) is in with Zander and she will be returning to Knoxville later today. Grandma Pat is picking the boys up from Mark here in a little while and bringing them to the hospital to see Zander before we all head home.

I WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THE BLOG EACH DAY (PROBABLY MULTIPLE TIMES EACH DAY) AND I HAVE ADDED A FEATURE AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH POST WHERE YOU CAN EMAIL THE POST TO OTHERS OR YOURSELF.

I will write again from home tonight. Again, many thanks and return blessings to everyone for the prayers, comments and love.

Clancy

Saturday, July 19, 2008 before Bed

2008-07-19T23:04:00.005-04:00

Before saying goodnight, I wanted to post a note to keep everyone updated. Christie and I have spent about the last hour with Zander. He is a miracle to be here and we thank God for the time that we have spent with him over the past few days. We both are going to have a hard time leaving him tomorrow. He is resting comfortably this evening. The Adavan and Fentinol are keeping him heavily sedated but at the end of his cycle of meds he does wake up and look around. We long for these brief glimpses of his beautiful eyes. Melting at the sight of him looking at us (especially me) is an understatement. Friends have been around and the comments and prayers can never be re-paid. Thank you to all. Sweet dreams and God Bless....He is still in the business of miracles and He has given us one. Talk with you tomorrow. Clancy

Saturday, July 19, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-19T18:59:00.005-04:00

It is about 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night. I am sure the women of the SETNTD weekend are getting a surprise about right now. I wish I could be there, but I know there will be many blessings in store for them this evening.

It was a rough afternoon for Zander. He is doing fine now. They tried to remove the ventilator, but it did not take. Zander can breathe on his own, but because of his 1st surgery he really uses more energy than he should. He really gets his entire body into breathing and the Nurse Practitioner said that the way he was breathing without the tube was indicative that he was still in pain. As a result, Zander was put back on the ventilator. I was able to watch them try to remove the ventilator and it was not an easy thing for me to watch. The little guy tried hard to do it on his own, but as noted above, he was working his little body to hard. They anticipate that the ventilator will be able to be removed in a few days once his body and insides have healed a bit more.

At present, he is sleeping soundly. The pictures above were taken after the ventilator was re-inserted. It is hard not being able to hold him and Christie and I were hopeful that we would be able to hold him before we left the hospital. We have not given up hope as we will not check out until some point tomorrow.

We are in the room (5078) just taking it easy. The NICU is closed for visitors between 6 and 8 in the morning and 6 and 8 in the evening due to shift change and testing.

We are anxiously awaiting 8:00 to arrive so we can get back in to see him. We only have about 45 minutes left.

Love to all...I will write soon.

Clancy

Saturday, July 19, 2008 in the Morning

2008-07-19T09:05:00.008-04:00

Good morning everyone. We are still at Erlanger in in Room 5078. We will be here until Sunday (tomorrow midday). Houston stayed with us here at the hospital last night. We all rested well.

We have seen Zander already this morning. He looks like a new man. He has been given a bath and he has long brownish-blond hair. More tension has been added to his traction sutures which continue to pull his esophagus towards his stomach. He is still a little jaundiced at this point and they may put him under the light today for awhile. He is slowly but surely waking up as they have not given him any Adavan since about 1:00 a.m. this morning. Hopefully we will see his big beautiful eyes later this morning. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Mom is doing well. She is moving around much better. She is still taking pain meds every 6 or 8 hours for pain, but she is in good spirits.

Please know that we cannot express our gratitude for the uplifting comments, prayers and outpouring of support. I will write again later today but enjoy the pics from this morning. I especially enjoy the one of Zander holding Mommie's finger.

Peace and Grace to all!

Clancy

Friday, July 18, 2008 in the Evening

2008-07-18T21:35:00.006-04:00

Hello all. I am sure everyone is out for the evening after a hard week at work. Zander is doing well. He is heavily sedated at this point but he is resting comfortably. They think he will be on the ventilator for a few days, but there is a chance it will be removed over the weekend.

Houston and Jackson arrived from Florida. They were anxious to see their little brother. It looks like we will be here until Sunday, but we will definitely be here through late Saturday.

We are glad that all the boys are together. Zander is looking a little jaundiced at this point, but the ICU says he does not need treatment for that at this point.

We will update you on Saturday morning. Thank you for all the comments, support and prayer. God Bless you all!

Clancy

Friday, July 18, 2008 in the afternoon

2008-07-18T15:23:00.005-04:00

Hey guys. I just got back from spending some time with Zander alone. He is doing well. They are going to repeat a few x-rays and blood tests. He laid there and stared at me for about 15 seconds about three times and it made me melt. He is still on the ventilator and will likely be on it for a few more days since they are seeing moisture in the lungs. His swelling is going down and that is a good sign. The neonatologist will be giving him a good examination later today so I will be able to give you more information in a little while.

God Bless...Clancy

Friday, July 18, 2008 in the morning

2008-07-18T10:49:00.006-04:00

Good morning everyone. Mom and I got our first real sleep last night. During the night, they removed the ventilator for about 30 minutes; however Zander did not like it. In any event they put him back on the ventilator to keep his airway open but he is breathing room air and the ventilator is just being used to keep his airway open.

Christie showered for the first time this morning and she is walking (gingerly). We are going to be here through Saturday for sure...maybe longer.

We saw Zander earlier this morning. He is still doing great! He is still beautiful and fighting hard. Enjoy the pics and thank you for the comments.

I will write soon.....

Time for Sleep

2008-07-17T21:37:00.002-04:00

It is about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday the 17th. Zander is doing well. They are still running tests on him to figure out the bugs. He is doing well and they anticipate taking him off the ventilator at some point before morning. Christie and I remain prayerful at this point for everything, but especially the removal of the ventilator so we can hold him. It has been difficult for us since we can't hold him, but we are thankful for him. By the way, we have been moved into a new (and larger) room. We are now in room 5078. Still looking at Saturday to be discharged. Christie is up walking around (gingerly) but she is doing quite well. The boys will be coming back from Florida with their Dad tomorrow so we pray that they have a safe trip. We write more soon....It is time for sleep. Sweet dreams. Clancy

Zander

2008-07-17T14:15:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone. Christie is resting comfortably (with drugs) but she is doing well. Last night was a long night for both of us. Zander did not get out of surgery until about 1:30 a.m. and Christie was able to see him for the first time around 4:00 a.m. this morning. Zander is definitely a fighter. He is hooked to more tubes and electrodes than you can imagine. He is beautiful and he gets this from his mother. Enjoy the pics and feel free to leave comments.

Christie will probably be in the hospital until at least Saturday. We are at Erlanger downtown and at present in room 5069. All is well and your thoughts, prayers and comments have been a great source of strength for our family.

Thanks to all

Zander's First Surgery

2008-07-17T01:29:00.004-04:00

It is about 1:30 a.m. and Zander just returned from surgery. Zander began surgery about 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. The initial intent was to put a line directly into his stomach so he could be fed. When they put the line in the learned that the distal portion of the stomach (the part that grows from the stomach going north) was connected to his lung. Essentially, every time he took a breath, the air was going into his stomach. Once they learned of this Dr. Kelley perfomed another 3 hour surgery to disconnect the distal esophagus from the lung. He closed the lung and the distal portion of the esophagus so Zander can eat. He also stretched the other part of the esophagus from the throat area into the chest cavity and placed traction sutures on this portion of his little esophagus to maintain tension so it would continue to stretch. The little guy is not even on this earth for 8 hours and he has already endured 4.5 hours of surgery. He is a strong little boy and we are so thankful for him and the prayers and thoughts of everyone. At this point he is intubated and is being fed through IV. Christie and I are getting ready to go and see him. Christie is doing well. She is heavily medicated. It was pretty hairy earlier. After 1.5 hours of non surgical attempts to deliver, Zander's heart rate dropped and an emergency C-section was necessary to deliver Zander. Tired, but well...I will write again soon. Miracles do happen....Prayer works. Thanks to all, but especially God! Clancy

ZANDER IS HERE

2008-07-16T16:47:00.004-04:00

World meet William alexander Covert born at 4:05 p.m. today via emergency c-section. He weighs 7 pounds 14 ounces and is 21.5 inches long. Mom is in recovery. Zander is breathing on his own and has his eyes open. He is being assessed by the NICU and we will be able to see him in about one hour.

Thank God for this miracle.

Here at the hospital

2008-07-16T11:14:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. We have been here since 4 this morning. Christie and Zander are fine. She is almost fully dialated. We are on God's timetable at this point. Chrisite is doing fine and cannot feel anything at this point. Contractions are coming about every 4 minutes. We are getting closer and the doctors say that everything with the delivery is on scheduled. Thanks to everyone for their prayers. I will keep you posted.

Explaining a Blog to Grandma Judi

2008-07-15T15:47:00.001-04:00

Just sitting here explaining a blog to my mother. She wanted to know whether or not she could get it on her computer. Thank goodness she cooks well. Talk to everyone soon.

Pics of the Boys

2008-07-15T15:04:00.007-04:00

Just wanted to put a few pics of the boys and Christie with Zander on the post. Enjoy!

Countdown to Zander's Arrival

2008-07-15T14:37:00.004-04:00

It is Tuesday afternoon here in Chatta-Vegas. all is well. Christie is doing well. She told me that it was my turn to carry Baby Z. She is ready to get on with it. We have to be at the hospital in about 14 hours to start the delivery. We wil be at Erlanger downtown and I do not know what room we will be in. Houston and Jackson are probably beating each other at this point in time. They are with their father in Panama City soaking up the sun. We talked with them late last night and they were having a good time. My mother is here and we have systematically cleaned the house today including the windows on the sunroom. I "had to" go in to work for a little bit just to get a rest. All is well for now. I have a feeling that none of us will be getting any sleep tonight except for Zander.

We will keep you posted. God Bless!

Home Waiting on Zander

2008-07-10T20:58:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone. All is well on the Mountain. It is Thursday night and the boys are doing fine. Houston and Jackson are visting with Uncle Steve and likely playing Rockband on the Playstation. Christie, Zander and I are taking it easy at home. Zander is scheduled to be here at some point on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008. It has been quite a ride with him and I can only imagine what Christie has been through. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We will keep you updated! Peace and Grace!!!!