Pictures to hold you over!

Here are some pics from today.  P.J. is doing really well.  I have been able to breastfeed him and he has been doing really great.  Tonight was a little struggle, but we will get there.  He's lost 1 lb. already so he's not double digits anymore...probably not for long once he starts eating like a champ.  Mitch is working on uploading a video, but it's taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R so we might not see that until the morning. :-)  Enjoy the pictures!  We'll do a more detailed update tomorrow.  Goodnight!

P.J. relaxing on his belly.

The view from the ICN...not bad huh?!



Flowers from Minnesota family!  Aren't they beautiful?!

Mitch just finishing cathing P.J. for the first time...Mitch is a pro!

Giving P.J. a little love after cathing.

I did the hard part...taking his temp...:-)



Two handsome men!

I had to get a picture of him in his new hat!

Updates!

Heather here!  I thought that I would do a little update while Mitch is on the phone with his mom.  It's time I take a break anyways.  Taking a shower sure does a number on ya!

Here's a pic of PJ before his surgery

Daniel checking on baby brother.  He was so excited to see him today.

One rare shot of him opening his eyes...even if it's just one.

Couple hours after surgery...totally zonked.

Made it all the way down there and he's sleeping...we'll go back later tonight!

PJ got his surgery today around noon and we finally heard from the pediatric nuerosurgeon around 2:30.  Everything went well.  They were able to repair his back w/o having to call in plastics having to intervene with doing a skin patch.  Now, we wait.  They are monitoring his ventricles closely now because now is the time that things would increase and could get worse.  They'll do an ultrasound on his head at the end of the week to get more accurate measurements.  Also, his right foot is clubbed if you haven't noticed from the pictures.  This is something that is totally repairable with progressive castings and something that we can deal with.  It's just hard to see.  But just looking at that chunky face makes everything so much better!  He is SO precious.  The nurses keep telling me that he knows my voice because he settles down when I finally am able to get to the ICN (Intensive Care Nursery).  He actually opened his eyes for the first time for his mama last night ;-)  We are waiting for the nurses to call us so I can try to breastfeed! I am so excited!  I haven't held him yet.  I can barely contain my excitement!!  It won't be the usual cradle hold, but ANYTHING will do for me!  I've been enjoying caressing his head and back though. 
Last night was another story for me though.  Around 11pm they said that I could try getting up.  I stood by the bed and that's all I could do.  It was too painful, plus I almost passed out.  Needless to say, the hormones kicked in and I think I scared Mitch with all my blubbering. I was just really looking forward to seeing PJ and I was just so disapointed.  We slept a few hours last night and I finally was able to walk a little bit this morning around 6:30 I walked halfway to ICN and got wheeled the rest of the way.  But, man, was it worth it!  The rest of the day, things have gotten a little easier, but I am trying not to do too much because I know I'll regret it.  But I feel like I am making good improvements.  Hopefully tomorrow is even better!
Here's a video for your viewing pleasure:

Thanks for all your prayers.  Of course we will continue updating the blog.  We appreciate each and every one of you. 

Paul Jarrett is HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paul Jarrett Hinton was welcomed into the world at 1453 hrs and weighed in at a whopping 10.9 lbs and 20 inches long. He seems small to us because of Daniel's birthweight at 12.2 lbs. PJ is scheduled for his closure surgery 10/4/11 at 10ish. (More on that later)
Heather is doing good. Her C-Section was routine and uneventful. Which is great. I'll blog in the morning or afternoon, but this should hold you blog junkies over till we can add more tomorrow.
Love you all!
Later!

Will there be Chipotle in heaven?

Warning!!!! Aaaaoooooga!!!!! Warning!!!!! Aaaaooooga!!!! Spoiler Alert!!!!!
Disclaimer: Heather doesn't want me tarnishing her blogging reputation, which I don't blame her for. For those of you that hoping for a blog from Heather, you're in the wrong spot cause I'm taking over this blog... then the world. ha ha ha ha! For those of you that haven't figured this out its Mitchell writing.

There honey is that sufficient enough. Do you think people will know its me? I love you Heather!

Ok everyone enjoy the blog.

A picture of a Chipotle Burrito

Good morning, afternoon, or evening depending on when you're reading of course...

First, let me explain the title. For those of you that don't know about Chipotle allow me a few sentences to tell you how much you're missing out. Chipotle is half fast food half gourmet burrito. Heather and I began eating it back in college and haven't stopped since. We have, however, slowed down because big shocker... Winnemucca doesn't have one. And oh yeah, neither does Reno. Anyway when we travel we make a point to get to one. 72 hrs in San Fran and we've been twice already. The above photo is a stock photo ripped from the internet. I thought we had one in our archives, but I was wrong. Regardless that explains Chipotle. Anytime you're in a big city you need to get to one. Those that have been understand why it has a cult like following.

Heather and I came down this week prior to the birth so that in case we had complications or went into labor we would be right here. Daniel stayed in Winnemucca and will join us later. We've been hanging out in a cool area on the outskirts of San Francisco called Burlingame, CA. It has a small town anywhere USA feel with cute store fronts and novelty shops. Tons of fun. It's Heather and I's little secret.

Heather and I have been talking about how much we miss our little guy. You don't realize until you're away how much you miss just simple things like talking to your children. Also with a child present there is always something to do. So our challenge has been to fill the time.

Yesterday we bought a new camera. The one we wanted was out of stock so we settled for a different one. The closest store that had the camera we wanted was over an hour away. Or so we were told. After lots of urging I told Heather we weren't going to be happy settling like that. Off to San Jose we went. Turns out San Jose was a short 39 miles away. Well... it was probably more like 45 or more miles after you include the circuitous route we took through Cupertino. Cupertino for those of you that don't know is the worldwide headquarters of Apple computers. It was kind of cool because for the first 4 blocks off of the freeway were all Apple buildings. Some of the buildings were four and five stories tall. But wouldn't you know it the most important thing we found in Cupertino wasn't Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, or Ronald Wayne, the founders of Apple, but a Chipotle. Ha ha

After we exchanged our camera for the one we wanted it was back to the hotel to rest. Once Heather had napped and was feeling rested we wanted to check out our new camera. I'm sure that in one of Jen's books on photography there is a chapter on finding a subject. Having a child like ours provides so much subject material. Daniel is always striking poses without prompting. Gee, I wonder where he gets it from. (See photo below) All that being said with very little subject material things get goofy quick. (Again, see photo below)

Man that picture is so cheesy. Just call me cheddar! Ha ha.

View from the hotel. Yes, we are that close to the beach. Heather booked us in the Penthouse suite with a killer view. That is if you discount the 75 feet of asphalt and the rental car return lot obscuring your view. In all seriousness Heather did a good job sniffing out this deal. Its economical and also close to the water and Daly City and Burlingame. Two cities we like. There is a seaside trail directly behind our hotel that I've walked and run. Good work Honey. Soon my view will be hospital beds and old guys untied hospital gowns. Yuck! Ok, well enough rambling. I hope this cheesy post doesn't upset the censor, Heather, and keep me from posting again.
Until next time,
Cheers,
Mitchell



Longest Trip of my life, Seriously!

Good morning everyone, its MITCHELL! This is my first time writing the blog. As Minnesota talk radio callers said, "long time listener, first time caller." That's me. As I think most of you would agree Heather has done an amazing job. Ok, now that introductions are out of the way I'll get on to what people want to hear about... our trip.
I'm gonna do this timeline style so you get a feel for how long it really was. Around 8ish we went to Heather's parent's house to drop Daniel off. (They'll join up with us here in San Fran on Friday.) After a tearful goodbye to our little buddy we were off. It was a fun trip because we were able to talk a lot about how life is going to change. For the good of course. We're so excited for PJ. Heather pointed out that the next time we're home we'll have a new addition. So exciting!
Ok, back to the timeline... around 0945 hrs or so we were in Lovelock, NV. There is a gas station that we usually stop at to strech our legs, for heather, and use the restroom, that's for me ;). Did I mention Heather's parents loaned us their Honda Pilot. It was very generous of them and we are so appreciative. It's perfect for San Fran. Last time we were here we checked the height of the parking garage and there is some debate as to whether or not our truck would have fit. That aside a smaller car in San Fran traffic is a nice change.
Ok, back to the timeline. Sorry for the rabbit trails... I distinctly remember, as I got back on I-80, Heather saying do we need to gas up. I told Heather that I thought we were ok. We had a quarter of a tank left and 59 miles to go. Let's just say that not listening to my lovely, all knowing, wife was a BIG MISTSAKE!
Around 10ish we found ourselves running low on gas and had only went about 30 miles or so. Now Heather took initiative and began reading the owners manual to see how many miles we could go when the light comes on, but before we get empty. Unfortunately, the manual didn't tell us that. However, it did tell us that if we ran the car completely out of gas it could ruin the catalytic converter. Not wanting to ruin the car my father-in-law lent me, we pulled over. Little did I know that exit was going to be our home for a little over two hours.
Praise the Lord for the network that is the Law Enforcement brotherhood. Sort of. Around 1030ish I called the Humboldt County Dispatch and had them transfer me to the Churchill County Dispatch Center. Marci the dispatcher said that she would call NHP and send someone out. To Heather's credit, she didn't hit me, didn't yell, and oh yeah didn't talk for a little while. I felt terrible because driving and grilling are the two things that guys are born able to do. I just failed at one of them. After lots of akward silences and almost an hour passing I decided to call Marci back. I asked her for an ETA on NHP and she said that he went to another call and if he could he would come help us. She wasn't to happy with that and said that she would call the Watch Commander in the neighboring county.
A little while later, a Lyon County Sheriff's Deputy came out. The Watch Commander himself no less. Sgt. Johnny was one of the nicest guys I've ever come accross. Not only did Sgt. Johnny leave his beat, and county he did something he didn't have to do. Sgt. Johnny gave Heather and I a ride to the gas station in Fernely, NV. As it turns out we were 16 miles shy of our desitnation when we pulled over. (For all of you wondering... I did sit in the back of the cop car. No, its not my first time. I do it at work when we need to shuffle cars and guys around. The only thing that makes them uncomfortable is that they were designed with Tom Cruise's 5'7'' frame not my 6'3'' frame. I have to sit sideways.)
Sorry I'm getting distracted again. I'm always to detail heavy, sorry Heather. So after Sgt. Johnny returned us to our vehicle and we were on our way.
Now 2 hrs behind we pulled into Reno for lunch. Red Robin of course. I love their burgers. Now that we and the car were fueled up we were back on the road. The California hills rolled as one city after another passed by. Books on Tape help break up the monotony, much to Heather's chagrin.

Finally after many hours of driving, and two discs, we were approaching our destination and passed through the Bay Bridge. This is actually not the Bay Bridge. This is a prettier more iconic bridge just after the Bay Bridge. :) We made it!
Once we found our hotel and checked in we had to get down to business... finding a Chipotle. We went to the nearby Foster City and ate our fill. With our bellies full and bodies exhausted it was time to sleep.
All in all it was approximately 11 hrs from start to sleep. What a day! Without a doubt the longest trip I've ever taken to San Fran. Regardless of the time it took to get here we had fun and we are safe and sound. Most importantly Heather and PJ are safe and sound. I can't wait to meet this wonderful blessing.

Well I don't know how I did on my first attempt at a blog but we'll see if I'm invited back to guest blog again. Until next time...
Mitchell

The countdown is on!

10 DAYS!!!!

After a friendly prompt --you know who you are ;-)-- I decided to do an update before we leave on Sunday.  It's so weird to think we are leaving in less than two days!! 
This week has been nothing short of chaotic.  Yesterday I had my last dr. appt and had a scheduled non-stress test (NST).  I woke up at 5 that morning with stomach cramps, which led me to have a mini-panic attack.  I was hoping it wasn't contractions and that it was something else.  When I arrived at the dr.'s office, I told them that I was having stomach cramps and didn't really feel "right".  So, when I went down to the hospital to get the NST they were able to see what was going on.  Turns out I was dehydrated, leading me to have small contractions.  But, I think I have a stomach bug, because I still feel a little yucky.  So, I was hooked up to some fluids for a while to get me all hydrated.  The dr. came down to the hospital and checked me.   I am not dialated at all, praise the Lord!  That calmed some of my nerves.  But, I was given strict orders not to do anything.  The dr. said, "I know that you probably have a list of a million things to do to get ready to go to San Francisco, but you can't do any of them.  Make a list and have someone else do it for you"...uh...is that possible?!  We've been managing and I've been trying not to be overly picky about how things get done.  You  know, I like it my way! ha!  Mitch is honestly the best husband ever.  Not once has he complained about it and not once has he had an attitude about having to do all the things that I was going to do.  I am so blessed to have such an awesome partner in life.   So as of right now, all we have left to do is one load of laundry, pack the baby stuff, and pack Mitch's stuff.  That doesn't sound too bad.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day as well.  Daniel has his soccer pictures at 2:30.  Then, at 3:00 we go to the fundraiser that some awesome people are doing for us.  If you have ever been to our town, you know that a town favorite restaurant is Las Margaritas (Las Mas to us locals).  It's a Mexican restaurant (duh Heather!) and they are doing a taco feed.  It is going to help us financially as we make trips to San Fran starting Sunday.  We are so blessed to have people do this for us and to think to help us in this way.  Our community has been so awesome and it's so neat to see everyone come together.  That is one great thing about a small town, everyone joins together when something needs to get done.  So, we are excited about the taco feed tomorrow.  They are doing a silent auction, raffle, bake sale, and of course, selling tacos!  Sounds like it's going to be a good time.  I'll be there...sitting...drinking my water! ha!
We'll be updating our blog pretty often once we get to San Fran and especially once PJ is born.  The blog posts will probably be bombarded with pics.  Hope that's ok ;-)

My how time flies!

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 weeks since we found out about PJ's diagnosis.  I thought that these last couple weeks would never come.  And now they are here and I don't know what to do about them.  Part of me is so excited to meet this beautiful son of ours and part of me isn't ready.  I don't feel ready at all, emotionally, for what is to come.  I don't know if I'm ready to face all that is coming.  It's so hard to comprehend how people get through rough times in their lives w/o the Lord.  I know that Proverb 3:5,6 is a verse that we grow up with and it can lose it's powerfulness when we don't give it the time or the attention and devotion that it deserves.  Just read it:
"Trust in the Lord, with ALL your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding, but in ALL YOUR WAYS acknowledge HIM and He will direct your paths"
That verse had been one of comfort, strength, guidance, and peace for me during these last couple months.  How simple of a command is that, but we often find ourselves trying to figure out everything on our own, trying to gain control of something that we simply cannot have control over.  Submitting to the Lord and trusting in Him is something that has proved to be in our favor...haven't we all found that to be true?  Many times when we try to be our own source of comfort and wisdom, we fail miserably, well, at least I do!  Trusting in God, not trying to figure it all out, knowing He will guide us, that is SO reassuring and hard to do, I must admit.  You're asking me to give up control?!  It almost seems impossible!  But, God has been proving Himself over and over, and not that He needs to do any proving mind you, He just has shown so much mercy and love to us we are forever grateful and undeserving.
So, something that I have come to understand through all of this, is that this is Mitch and I's chance to make Jesus famous in our own small way.  What an opportunity to proclaim His love to us!  That's our goal, to make Jesus our proclamation through all of this and beyond. Granted, we will probably fail and get distracted, but we are to glorify Him through everything, no matter what our condition, and that is what we aim to do.

This past Monday I went to Reno (with my Mom! yay!) to get the last ultrasound before we head to San Francisco on the 25th.  Let me tell you...this little boy (or should I say man?!) is going to be melting hearts all over the place.  The ultrasound technician took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to get to PJ's face.  My mom had never seen an actual ultrasound perfomed and I wanted her to be able to get a great experience.  One of the last things the ultrasound tech did was get a picture of his face, and oh mylanta...His cheeks poke out farther than his nose!!  He is sooo chunky.  I was told I must just make big babies.  That's ok to me!  He is estimated to be at 7.5 lbs and they say they can gain .5-.75 lbs a week...so that would put us near 10lbs??  BUT, weight estimates this late in the pregnancy tend not to be as accurate because it's hard to get as good of a reading as you would during the 2nd trimester...so who knows!  The dr. said that him being big is a good thing because he is more "durable" for his surgery the day after birth.  I just can't wait to meet him!  I tried to attach a picture, but it's not letting me...so you all will have to wait until he gets here :-)