Dedication

Finley's dedication went well today. He did not seem at all phased by being up in front of all those people. It was a special time. It was great to have Grandma Hannah here for it.
Baby brother continues to do well. His heart rate was 126 at Friday's appointment and everything looks good. The OB on duty on Friday said that we are very fortunate... that in her experience, most SVT babies do not respond to digoxin alone. We are very, very thankful to be among the lucky.
Robyn has had a good few days. The reduction in the dose of the drug seems to have made the difference. We will find out this week if the reduction has been fine with the baby, too. We hope and pray that it is and that we can just cruise in this mode through the next 2+ months.
Below are two pictures from today's service, 2 others from Grandma's camera, and another 3D ultrasound of the baby's hand... the mind boggles.

28 weeks and looking good

We met with the cardiologist this morning. Things are looking good. Heart rate was 126 with a normal sinus rhythm. The heartbeat has been normal in both rate and rhythm for over a week now (at least during the times it is being monitored). We have every reason to hope that he will stay stable right through to full term.
Robyn is having a tough go of it. For the last week or so she has been battling headaches, nausea, and sleeplessness in the middle of the night. The doctor this morning said he would be surprised if anything but the nausea was related to the drug she is taking for the baby. That was not great news for her because she was hoping that a small reduction in the drug would give her some relief. But it could be something else entirely... like this is just how her body is dealing with this stage of the pregnancy. They are going to reduce the amount of the drug she takes and see what happens. Of course, this could mean that the level getting to the baby drops below the needed amount and his heart could revert to the bad stuff, but it is the only way to know. They just have to find the right balance between Robyn's comfort and the baby's needs... just like most other decisions in the life of a parent.
Grandma Hannah arrived this morning and will be with us for two weeks of fun and Fin and Fin fun.

Feast your eyes on this

If you have never seen 3-d ultrasound (which we hadn't until today), the pictures below will blow your mind.
Today's appointment was another very encouraging one. He gets scored out of 8 each time and this is his second straight 8/8. The heart rate was 146 and showed no dysrhythmia at all during the 15 minutes or so that we were there. This is the best news we could have hoped for. If this trend continues next week, the monitoring schedule will likely lighten a bit.
Robyn is doing better. She is still more tired than normal, but the bouts of nausea are fewer and farther between. My mom has been an absolute godsend this week. She and Finley are getting some great bonding time and are having lots of fun together.
For those that are local, we have decided to have Finley dedicated at church on Sunday, Nov 16. We will be in the 9:30 service. We were going to wait and dedicate both boys together in May (we missed last May because we were in Canada for a funeral), but this little scare has reminded us that we should not presume to know what the future holds. We will not be doing any kind of reception or anything afterward, but if you can be there, we would love to have you be a part of this special day for Finley (and us).

The little monkey

First out-patient visit

Apologies to those of you that are checking in regularly. But it is good news that there is nothing big to report. Robyn continues to battle the side effects of the drug (in addition to a nasty cold), but she soldiers on. My parents are here, so Finley is not lacking for attention.
We had our first ultrasound since Robyn was released from hospital yesterday. Pictures continue to show encouraging signs. His heart rate was down in the 140s for the duration of the scan. It is still showing consistent PACs (premature atrial contractions). All the doctors continue to say that it is a very healthy heart that just isn't beating quite right (which someone suggested was an excellent title for a country song).
Life is regaining small hints of normalcy as we try to settle into what is our new reality for the next (we hope) 13 weeks.
We will keep you posted. Next post should include some pictures of Finley's Halloween fun today.

Mommy is home

Robyn is home.

MOMMY IS COMING HOME!!

The plan is for me to go and get Robyn and bring her home in the early afternoon today. And the monitoring schedule will be every Tuesday/Thursday for now. The little guy's heart is spending the majority of its time beating in the 130s now.
This is a great day.