Happy New Year! (Merry Christmas too)

Today brings the final day of 2012 and we can't say we're sad to see 2012 go.  It has been by far the most eventful and emotional year of our lives.  I always enjoy the coming of a new year.  As a goal setter and list checker I have made yearly goals for myself since high school.  Today is an opportunity to look back at the year and gaze forward to the year to come.  This past year ushered in a new era for Kyle & Stephanie Thomas.  An era where life is no longer just about us and our priorities and goals but now is about being a family.  Rowan will force us to take a few steps back from our typical schedule.  A few less nights out, not as many weekends in the mountains, and hopefully only a few less miles on the bike.  We welcome the break.  In 2012 we were a major contributing factor to the profitability of Southwest airlines.  In the fall especially we were on planes constantly and for the first time in what seems forever we have no trips scheduled. We are now looking forward to seeing Rowan grow and develop.  

We have had the joy of having Nana Thomas and Papaw Thomas with us for the past few weeks.  They just left this morning and we are very sad to lose our live-in cooks, maids, and nannies.  Aunt Ashley and Uncle Justin will be arriving later today and stay through the weekend followed by Grammy Buck.  It has been great to share Rowan with family and friends.

Rowan had his two week pediatrician checkup earlier last week and he's doing great.  He now weighs 7 lbs and is 19 inches long. His sutures are mostly dissolved and his health seems great to us.  We don't have any appointments until the end of January.

We don't know exactly what to expect with Rowan but we know that God's hand has been upon him from before he was conceived and He will continue to be with him through this year and all future years.  We pray God's blessing on you in 2013.  May our journey provide some amount of peace and courage in knowing that we serve a powerful God who loves us and does not forsake us.  Blessings.
Kyle & Steph

Look what we found in our stocking!

Happily posing for the camera

First Family Christmas Photo!

We're going home!

Seat backs up, tray tables stowed, electronic devices off. It's time for landing, we are bringing a baby home! Just like his papa, Rowan aced all of his tests today and was cleared to go home. The NICU staff was considering sending him home this afternoon but we didn't press the issue too much so we could have one last date night while the NICU was acting as babysitter.  We'll head in tomorrow at 9 and supposedly they'll actually let us leave the hospital with a baby.  I haven't found the study guide for the "Are you qualified to be a parent" exam that we'll need to pass tomorrow so if any of you have a copy please send my way ASAP!

Over the past few days Rowan has had several tests looking at his bladder function and we are very pleased with the results.  As of now they don't want us to use a catheter with him as he seems to be emptying his bladder fully on his own.  We will follow up with the urologist in 3 months to be sure everything still looks good there.  He continues to move his little legs, feet, and toes.  We won't know the extent of control and strength he has in his legs for some time. He passed his hearing exam and showed that he can be completely passed out in his car seat and keep breathing.  The neurosurgeon is very happy with his progress and we will follow up with her at the end of January.  So, for the time being we are basically bringing home a baby with no instructions other than to feed him, change his diaper, and put him to sleep.

Something we have learned through this journey is that Rowan isn't a diagnosis, he isn't a condition, he isn't a birth defect.  He's a precious child perfectly and wonderfully created in God's image.  The initial news of Rowan's condition was heartbreaking but we couldn't be happier to be bringing home our perfect son.  Will there be some obstacles in the road we didn't hope for? Certainly. Are we confident that God has guided us through this journey and will continue to do so? Certainly. I am reminded of the words from Proverbs 3:5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Yea Mom! I graduated from the NICU!
(Thanks to all the PSL NICU staff for the wonderful care. Nurse Kelsie holding Rowan)

Uncle Buck's School of Basketball, the Next Generation

Rowan loves his momma!

Rowan is now 6 days old and is doing fantastic. He had a lot of time with mom today. As soon as he starts laying on her chest he stops fussing. He is now able to lay on his back in his crib and his back closure is healing very well.  The effects of all the medicine that was in his system appear to be worn off because he is much more aware and active.  He definitely has a set of lungs and isn't hesitant to let the nurse know that he doesn't like being lifted off mommy's lap. 

In terms of clinical progress he is doing great.  He has gained 5 ounces now weighing 6 lbs 13 ounces. He is no longer taking any supplemental nutrition and is feeding from Steph and a bottle.  His IV will most likely be removed tomorrow after he finishes IV antibiotics. The nursing staff took three catheter measurements to see how his bladder was emptying and all three times it was almost fully empty which is great. At this point the limiting factor for him going home will be him showing that he can eat enough on his own without needing a feeding tube. He has been learning to be a better eater and is making great progress. The neurosurgeon is pleased with his healing and felt that the shunt was functioning well. He was wiggling around quite a bit today and moving his little toes.

Not sure who loves Kangaroo time more, Mom or Rowan?

2/3 of the family is home

Stephanie and I headed home today around noon.  After 4 days in the tiny hospital room it was time to come home.  Stephanie is feeling excellent and was ready to have her own bed and room back.  Rowan is progressing perfectly in the NICU.  He is now able to rest on his side and will start resting on his back tomorrow.  He has been feeding with Stephanie and taking a bottle.  As his food intake ramps up this week he should completely move off the feeding tube.  He will have IV antibiotics for 7 days so his IV won't come out until Wednesday. We still don't know when he will be able to come home.  In our previous discussions with the medical team they said 7-10 days is normal and given his current condition we are hoping for 7.  He will have a renal ultrasound and ultrasound to look at his brain and both of those scans will be important steps in discharging him. After tests tomorrow and the neonatal team looks at him we'll probably start asking about when he can come home.

Steph will be spending the next days driving back and forth to the hospital.  Thankfully it's only 15 minutes from our house.  Now that we are home from the hospital we are very anxiously awaiting his arrival home so we can have the whole family here. Thanks for all your prayers, visits and support. 

Kyle & Steph

Very unqualified and inexperienced...

Grammy Buck feeding Rowan

Rowan Day 3!

Rowan is now 3 days old and is doing great.  It took a few days for the affects of the anesthesia and morphine to wear off and he has been much more awake over the last day.  He is now just taking tylenol and has transitioned to primarily feeding on milk instead of the IV solution he's been taking.  His intestines seem to have woken up as well and we've had many dirty diapers to change already. His bandages are off and the back closure is healing very well.  Stephanie has been able to hold him several times and he seems to really love that.  We are expecting very soon to be able to remove the feeding tube and move to bottle feeding and he should be able to start laying on his side.  

Stephanie is the envy of floor 11 looking fit for the cover of Fit Pregnancy.  We are ready to go home but we decided to stay an extra day to give us proximity to Rowan.  We'll head home Sunday morning and are very anxious for Rowan to come home with us next week towards the end of the week. He is required to stay on IV antibiotics for 7 days so the earliest he could go home would be next Wednesday.  At this point we have no reason to think we wouldn't have our first family Christmas at home!

Napping after taking off bandages

First chance to hold him

Rowan's First 24 Hours

The wait is over.  38 weeks seemed like quite a wait but it was certainly worth it.  We were so excited to welcome Rowan Stanley Thomas to the world yesterday at 9:59 am.  He was born weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz, measuring 18 inches.  It was a big day yesterday for Stephanie and Rowan.  We woke up yesterday morning at 4am, we certainly didn't need the 5:30am alarm with the adrenalin we had pumping through the system.  At 9:30 am we rolled into the OR and he sure didn't take long to make an appearance.  "It's a Boy!" What a moment.  We heard a tiny little cry right away, certainly seemed like a rude awakening to the world pulling him from his cozy cocoon. After the delivery we had a few minutes as a family for Steph to hold him and snapped a few great pictures.  He was soon whisked away to the NICU where they stabilized his back and started to clean him up.  

Stephanie handled the surgery very well and today is doing fantastic.  She has been walking around and is very active considering just 24 hours ago she had an incision in her belly that a baby was pulled through! 

Rowan had quite the first 24 hours of life.  After birth he was perfectly healthy with the exception of the lesion on his back and the hydrocephalus.  The neurosurgeon assessed his hydrocephalus and felt that there was enough fluid to necessitate a shunt.  At 1pm he entered surgery to have his spinal lesion closed and a shunt placed.  The surgery went exceptionally well.  We saw him after surgery and he was very sleepy from the anesthesia.  Last night around midnight he was able to go off the ventilator and this morning his vital signs are all really great.  He has been moving his legs which is a great sign.  He also seems to have no problems filling up his diapers which is also encouraging.  We won't know specifics of his function for a while but we are very hopeful that he will do great. He is a very happy boy and is very content sleeping at this point.  He will be resting on his belly for a few days while his back heals and hopefully will start feeding tomorrow.

We have felt God's hands upon us through all of this and are so thankful for the support of family and friends.  We feel your prayers and know that God is certainly watching over this child.

Kyle & Steph

Sunday night, crazy he was just inside  Stephanie
(Ali Larson photo)

The family and Grandma Buck just prior to surgery

Welcome to the World! Just minutes old

First Family Photo

Morning after surgery. You can see back repair and shunt.

It's a boy!

Meet Rowan Stanley Thomas. Born 12/12/12 at 9:59 am. 6lbs 8 oz. very happy boy. He's heading into surgery at 1 pm today. Mom's doing great.

A short delay

We're in our room waiting to go to the OR to deliver. The OB doctor needed to do an emergency delivery so we're delayed an hour or so. Will update soon!

Join us in Prayer

It’s been 4 months since our first blog post and nearly 9 months from the exciting news that we were pregnant.  How long ago it all seems.  I reflect now upon our first post.  We quoted John 9 and the story of Jesus and the blind man who due to his faith was healed while washing in the Pool of Siloam.  The journey through the last several months has taught us that faith is a decision we must make each day.  We have earnestly prayed for our child every day over the last 9 months and believe more than ever that God “formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. “

There are so many stories in the Bible of Satan trying to make his mark in the world whether it be leading astray the Israelites, bringing destruction on Job, or tempting Jesus in the desert.  What do we know about Satan? He has no dominion over us.  Jesus took our sins and the brokenness of the world upon Him on the cross. “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”  (Psalm 120:7) We believe that we are children of God, new creations, and God wants us to live life to the fullest.

Matthew 9 is full of stories of healing.  Jesus heals a paralytic, a bleeding woman, brings to life a dead girl, restores vision to two blind men, and heals a man unable to speak.  Matthew 9:22 says “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” We have full faith that Jesus has healed this child.  Whether it be through His touch of this child in the womb or through the intervention of our surgical team in Denver we are fully confident that God has taken this child into His hands and by faith is healed.  We ask that all of you join us in prayer for the child and for Stephanie over these next 24 hours.  We will be having a time of prayer at our home tomorrow evening (Tuesday, Dec 11) at 9pm for anyone in Denver able to come.  For those of you not able to come we ask that you continue to lift our family up in prayer.  Stephanie will go into surgery for the delivery Wednesday morning at 9 am MTN so if you have the chance in your day please set apart that time to lift up a prayer.  The baby will most likely have surgery later in the day Wednesday. Please pray for healing for the baby, protection over Stephanie as she undergoes surgery, and wisdom for the surgical staff as they care for both mom and baby. 

We are truly grateful for the family of believers that have come alongside us over the last months and couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with all of you this new life. We will update all of you Wednesday with details about the baby so Baby T can have a real name and gender!

God Bless,

Kyle & Steph

7 Days

I'm like a farmer in a lot of ways.  I pay very close attention to the weather forecast.  However, instead of hoping for rain, I long for sunny, warm, calm days to spend patrolling Colorado hill country on my bicycle.  I was on my phone earlier this week looking at the 10 day forecast and as I scrolled down the forecast what did I see? Dec 12. Wait a minute, that's the day the baby is coming, and it's showing on the 10 day forecast! 

A 40 week pregnancy has seemed very long. I can't imagine how long it has seemed to Stephanie going through sickness, emotional highs and lows, losing her body, other unglamorous details I will bypass. Now that we have neared the end of this 40 week journey it doesn't seem nearly long enough.  Is there some sort of special pill you can take to make it 80 weeks?  This is serious.  At the end of these 40 weeks you go home with a baby!

Ready or not Baby T is coming, in one week.  Here's a brief photo summary of the last 9 months.

March: We headed to the Dominican Republic for Spring Break. Great relaxing time for us both.
April: Call it a coincidence when 4 weeks after the Dominican as I'm grilling brats Steph yells my name from upstairs. "Kyle, come look at this!" Sure enough, all 5 pregnancy tests were positive. Soon after the heartbeat was heard on ultrasound. It was official, pregnant.
May: Celebrate 6th anniversary and have heated debates on baby names
June: Steph attends camp with her mentee Leanna and her family. Kyle rides his bike, a lot.
July: Steph shows first external signs of being pregnant. In matter of 4 days we learn that Stan's cancer has returned and the baby has Spina Bifida. Not the best month we've ever had.
August: We travel to Vanderbilt and become incredibly educated on Spina Bifida and fetal surgery. We are signed up for the surgery August 21 only to find out 3 days prior it's cancelled. We had prepared ourselves for a very abnormal pregnancy only to find out things would be more normal after all.
September: The Bucks visit Denver and Steph really starts to look pregnant.
October: Steph turns 30, has two baby showers, and goes to Florida with her parents to celebrate their 31st anniversary. Busy month.
November: Kyle turns 30. November 18, Stan passes away after 18 months fighting cancer.
December: Welcome Baby T

2012 has been a year marked by extreme joy and sadness.  Learning of Steph becoming pregnant and hearing the heartbeat were incredible moments for us both.  At the same time facing the physical condition of the baby and Stan's passing has brought great sorrow.  We very much relate to the words of James when he says "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12. This has been a year of trials but we rejoice in what God has done and will continue to do.

Kyle & Steph