Note to Self

The oatmeal bath turned into a bad experiment. Cole looked like one big red blister tonight and what was almost cleared up returned even angrier. Oh well, now we know, oatmeal baths are off limits for Cole's case. We even bought distilled water to make the oatmeal paste with to be safe.

2 1/2 Months Later

We went back to see Dr. Bensky this week for a check up on him. This was our first time back since his post-op visit. We were even going back with Cole's first real cold. We were curious what his oxygen levels would be with a bad cold, but at the same time something we were glad we didn't know everyday that he has had this cold.

Anyways, Cole was weighed and measured. He came in at 20 lbs. and 28 1/2 inches. We don't call him Tubbs McGee for nothing:)

His oxygen came in in the mid 80's which is great for Cole.

He was able to come of his lasix also, so one less medication for him to have to take.

After Sean our male nurse took all the measurements and readings Dr. Bensky came in and he just started laughing when he saw Cole. He just laughs at how big Cole is in general but especially for a heart baby. Dr. Bensky almost seems like he wants to line up some pediatricians everytime he sees Cole to challenge them to see if they could tell him that Cole is a heart baby without seeing his chest where the incision is.

Cole and Dr. Bensky have a special bond that has grown and it's a good feeling as parents to witness this, since Dr. Bensky is such a big part and has been such a big part of our lives since I was 5 months pregnant.

Dr. Bensky listened to Cole and said "he sounds great, everything sounds like it should."

We don't have to go back until January so they can check Cole out. Next time will probably be an echo just to see how flow and function is doing.

Then Dr. Bensky said we won't see him about once every six months until the next surgery, as long as no surprises come up. This my friends and family is great news and a relief to not be going to so many Dr. appts.


This is just Cole with his new Veggietales toothbrush that sings veggietales songs while he chews on it. Cole showed me just how much of a temper he has when I tried to make him part with it for just a second.




On a different note, I decided to give an old fashioned eczema treatment a try........................oatmeal bath. Here is how it went. Very messy. Cole thought it was breakfast and started pulling it off and eating it and gagging on it while I tried to apply more and keep his hands away.
Maybe I was suppose to fill the tub with water and oatmeal and let him lay in it. I made a ooey gooey icky paste. I think it helped a little with the dryness, but the angry red patches were still there. Maybe it takes more back to back baths. Regardless, Cole had fun and it may not be the cure, but it seemed a little helpful at keeping him a little more comfortable and less itchy.

Family Catch Up

This past Monday, September 8th, Cole had some of the family come meet him for the first time.

For those of you checking in and wondering who belongs to who and how are we all related. George and Barbara are Matt's Aunt and Uncle from his mom's side and Lynn is another Aunt, also from Matt's side.

We had some good laughs with PawPaw's jokes and Gigi just being Gigi and we love that she laughs right along with us!

We won't bore you with more riveting conversation about Cole suffering from severe eczema and finding an alternative to the steroids, which made up a good bit of conversation for the day.

We all were wishing we could have just an ounce of Barbara's energy playing with Ava. Ava was so excited to have found this new family member that she stripped down to her bare skin to show Barbara just how deep her love ran.

At one point while I was able to catch up with Lynn, who you would just have to meet and talk to, to know what a sweet heart she has and a very special family member to us she is. Ava loved Lynn's vest with the birdhouse and bird on it. She immediately assumed it was something made just for her to play with and was in Lynn's lap asking questions and pointing to the interactive vest.

George and Cole had a very sweet bonding time. Cole snuggled and George rubbed that sweet little bald head and kissed it. Cole snuggled right in and went to sleep. It was a special moment to see.

Poor PawPaw was so desperate for some tv time he asked if I could hit play on the Praise Baby DVD that had been in from earlier that day and had sat on the same screen waiting for someone to hit play. He was very patient to have sat through all of our doctor and health talk and just family catching up talk, so I was more than happy to push play for him. I'm sure he added that to his Greatest of All Times Movie List along with his favorite, "Roadhouse," with Patrick Swayze. He likes a little Steven Seeeeagal movie too:)


We sure loved seeing all of you and had a good time! Thank you for making the trip down! We hope to come that way and maybe we can get everyone together up there. Ava and Cole are in for a treat to find out they have more family and more cousins!

Take care everyone!
Laura