Well, another week has flown by with our little man. He is now 3 weeks old and weighing in at 11lbs and 2 ounces. We went to the pediatrician on Friday for another well visit. So far, Ellison is doing well...especially eating! The nurse practitioner encouraged us to give Ellison some "tummy time" and he is loving it. She also said that we could let him sleep past the 3 hour limit for feedings so he has actually made it 4 hours at a time. Matthew and I are loving the extra hour of sleep:). It's amazing what an extra hour will do for you. We also went for the follow-up visits with the urologist(Dr. Teague) and surgeon(Dr. Abrams) on Tuesday. They both went well. We will see Dr. Abrams in six weeks and Dr. Teague in about 4-6months.
We have had several visitors this week including Great Grandma Eleanor, Great Grandma Barbara, Blake & Ashley, and of course the grandparents. Ellison was also able to meet some of the extended family this week. He was thrilled to meet Aunt Tammy, Uncle Steve, Aunt Carolyn, and Uncle Jerry. He said cousins Scott, Paula, Ragon, and Kendall were pretty cool as well.
Today, we were able to see the Bells and the Bagwells during Grandma Eleanor's 70th birthday party. We had a great time and Ellison of course stole the show.
Matthew and I are still so excited about our sweet boy. Although our lives have changed dramatically, we are enjoying every minute of the journey. If you ever want some good laughs, come to our house between 1am-3am at night...it usually gets pretty comical by then.
Have a great week and enjoy the pics below!
NV

Hello All,
We have had a good weekend at the lake with Dana, Michael, Grace Ann, and Ann. My parents even came up on Sunday for lunch. We couldn't really get out much because Ellison is still so young but we had fun just relaxing at the lake house. Dana took good care of us the whole time.
We go tomorrow for follow-up appts with the urologist and the pediatric surgeon. Please pray for both appts. Also, please add Matthew's cousin, Tim, to your prayer list. He has been in the hospital for over a week now.
We'll update you guys on the appts later on this week. Have a great week!
NV

Pics from last week and the weekend

For our faithful blog followers, I am sure that I have let you all down because it has been several days since our last post. We have had a few bad nights but last night was MUCH better. Ellison is still doing good. We just had a few days where the colostomy bag wasn't cooperating with us. Hopefully, we are on the right track now. Ellison went for his first appointment with the pediatrician yesterday.(Parkside Peds is the best!) He is up to 9lbs and 11oz which is more than his birth weight. Everything checked out ok. We are still adjusting to the night shift which is very difficult for someone who has never done nights before. Maybe after this I'll be ready to go to nights at the hospital...just kidding! Well, we go next week to see the urologist and surgeon for check ups. Otherwise, we will be here hanging out with our little man. Thanks again to everyone who has stopped by, called, or brought food. We appreciate our friends and family very much and can't say thank you enough. We hope you all are doing well!

With love, Matthew, Nicole, and Ellison

Ellison's Homecoming

We are finally home!!! On Friday, we were discharged from the Family Learning Center in the NICU. We spent 2 days there to learn about ostomy care and "practice" with supervision. Matthew and I were able to spend the night there with nurses just checking in on us. It was good to have that opportunity before we brought him home. Although the learning center was a good experience, we are very thankful to be at home with our sweet boy. He does have his days and nights mixed up a little bit, but nonetheless we are excited to be here. Ellison was cleared on all of his test so far. He still has to have the VCUG scan in a couple of weeks. We will start all of our follow-up appts next week so we will still be busy. Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate our friends and family!!! Here are a few pictures:).
NV

Updates

First and foremost, we are so thankful for the miracles that the Lord has provided daily. Some of them may seem small, but in our eyes they are huge praise reports.
*All of his test (Echocardiogram & Renal & Spinal Ultrasound) were all normal!!
*We were set up with some of the best doctors and nurses from day one. Our surgeon has the reputation of being the best around...he just happened to be on call on the day we were admitted...we like to say that the Lord put him on call.
*Ellison is eating very well for a baby that had to start out on IV nutrition for the first 3 days of his life. Right now, he is taking about 70-80cc per feeding. He has been able to breastfeed several times also.
*Ellison's surgery was a great success. He does have a colostomy on his left side that is doing well. He will have this for about 6-8 months and then it will be reversed.
*The Geneticist(?spelling) met with us yesterday and is pretty sure that this was an isolated event. He was super nice and very helpful.

So for all who are wondering what to pray for specifically:
*Ellison to continue to eat well and have normal output.
*Our learning sessions with the colostomy.
*For us to be a witness for all of those around us...it doesn't take long to realize you are not in this alone and also that we don't have it all that bad.
*Our homecoming and my nerves that will go along with that...it will be hard for me not to be able to measure and weigh all of the diapers...I need accurate intake and output please:)

We can not begin to say enough thanks for all of those who have stopped by and showed a smiling face, prayed, or brought food and gifts. One never realizes how much you truly need each other until you are thrown into a situation like this. We will never be able to repay each of you, but please know that your rewards are not here on earth but in heaven. It's amazing how the Lord knows when to send someone or a phone call just in the nick of time. I was thinking an anxious thought today and in the next minute the Lord provided for us. We are truly thankful for each and every one of you.

The update is that as long as Ellison continues to eat well...We will be home on Friday! He will still be facing at least 2-3 more surgeries but we know the Lord will be with us every step of the way. One thing that Matthew and I both have learned or have been truly reminded of is that the Lord is faithful! To God be the Glory!
NV

The grandparents finally get their hands on little Ellison

Good Day

Ellison had a good day today. He was able to work on eating, and get held a good bit. He had the spinal cord ultrasound today, but no results yet. The VCUG has been postponed for awhile. Photos coming soon!!

Baby Ellison

(This is Lindsey posting for for Matthew and Nicole so that you can be updated on Baby Ellison):

Baby Ellison is here!! He was born via c-section on Thursday, May 7th at 8:17pm. He is 9lb 9 oz, and 21 3/4 in long. Nicole did awesome and we are so glad he finally made his appearance.

Ellison was born with some unexpected issues- he has imperforate anus, which means there is no anal opening present. Because of this, both Nicole and Ellison were transferred to Greenville Memorial so that Ellison could receive surgery. Saturday Ellison had a colostomy placed, so now he has a way to pass stool. He will have this until he is about 6 months old, then he will have some reconstructive surgery and then later have the colostomy closed. He is in the NICU, and now that he has a colostomy, Nicole was able to feed him today! The family was able to hold him today as well.

Ellison also has hypospadias, which means that the urethral opening is lower than it should be. This will also require surgery, but is not urgent so it will wait until he is a little older.

Nicole and Matthew are doing well. Please call before you drop in so that they can get some much needed rest after an overwhelming few days. Be praying specifically for the two tests Ellison will receive tomorrow- a VCUG to check for renal involvement and also a spinal cord ultrasound to check for any other issues. They are so thankful for your support and prayers- they will hopefully bring their sweet baby boy home in 3 to 5 days!! I will update here whenever I know something new.

The Latest

A doctor visit today yielded just what we thought - That Ellison is just fine and has no real plans of joining us. Regardless of his desires, we are going to the hospital on Wed. around 5:00pm. At this time they will begin the induction process. If no baby by Thursday at 6am then the process will be escalated. Either way we should have a baby by Thursday afternoon!

How Many Days Must We Wait?

It's official - Nicole is now overdue. As I have bore her burden throughout this pregnancy I must say I am ready to get this show on the road. Nicole seems to be just fine and so does Ellison. I think he is warm and well fed and not sure he is even thinking about joining us in this cold, harsh world. Two special birthdays are ahead, my grandmothers would be today and my dad's would be on May 13th. Nicole is partial to today for some reason and I am not sure I can keep bearing this burden until the 13th. We are encouraged to believe that God already knows our little boy and has the day of his arrival marked. Thanks for all of your support and prayers during this time. Keep watch for flying pigs as I have just created and posted on a blog. God forgive me.
MV