Our Little Angel
Dear Friends and Family,
Joseph Chase Coughlin moved into his new home on 4-09-04. Oh what a Good Friday it was indeed to leave with him from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital(LPCH) and watch him take his first breath of fresh air.
We are so proud of our son's strength. As expected he had The Norwood Surgery on 3-4-04,(stage 1 in a series of 3). Chase seemed to progress nicely from the surgery until 3-18-04 when the doctors discovered a complication developing reguarding the repair work. He had a 2nd emergency open heart surgery on 3-20-04 to fix the development. Although it was risky, it was not as serious as the original surgery. Chase spent most of his hospital stay in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit(CVICU). It is open to visitors 24 hours a day, needless to say we took every advantage of this to get to know our little boy in his early days. The staff at LPCH is phenomenal in their caretaking abilities of both their patients and families. They made us feel warm and important during and after Chase's stay there. LPCH is a "HEART HOSPITAL". WE are the norm there and in the face of dealing with Chase's
heart condition we met many other families encountering similar and the same conditions with their newborns. The main difference is that the other families are from all over the world and had traveled specifically for these surgeons. We are so fortunate to live 15 minutes from the hospital!!
To date this has been the absolute hardest time either John or I has ever endured. On the flip side the amount and depth of love we are experiencing as a result of meeting our son has given the challenges we face a sense of balance. If we had been told what to expect these 7 weeks to be like emotionally, we would have been terrified to walk through them. However,showing up and doing whatever it takes is just what we as people do when necessary and maybe that is part of the beauty of life.
Words can not begin to describe how incredible it is to pass time with our little man. Unlike most new parents who take their newborns home 48 hours after delivery and adjust to the lack of sleep and neediness of baby, we waited nearly 6 weeks to experience this. Although he is a round the clock ordeal, the gratitude and joy of having him under our roof are so intense. Our 4 dogs(3 chihuahuas and a miniature pincher) got it immediately that he is top in the pecking order so to speak. Chase coos, sleeps, poops, eats, smiles,and cries. He enjoys daily stroller walks, swinging in his ocean aquarium swing, mesmerizing at his mobiles, listening to Norah Jones and various other favorites, and posing for loads of video. We are in love with him!!!!!
In celebration of Chase's life, he has opened our eyes to a new view of people. A stronger level of compassion and reguard have emerged for both of us. He is Our Little Angel- a messenger from God sent here to teach us more about living life fully.
Thank you all for your loving support of our family.
Love-John, Tara, and Chase
Joseph Chase Coughlin moved into his new home on 4-09-04. Oh what a Good Friday it was indeed to leave with him from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital(LPCH) and watch him take his first breath of fresh air.
We are so proud of our son's strength. As expected he had The Norwood Surgery on 3-4-04,(stage 1 in a series of 3). Chase seemed to progress nicely from the surgery until 3-18-04 when the doctors discovered a complication developing reguarding the repair work. He had a 2nd emergency open heart surgery on 3-20-04 to fix the development. Although it was risky, it was not as serious as the original surgery. Chase spent most of his hospital stay in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit(CVICU). It is open to visitors 24 hours a day, needless to say we took every advantage of this to get to know our little boy in his early days. The staff at LPCH is phenomenal in their caretaking abilities of both their patients and families. They made us feel warm and important during and after Chase's stay there. LPCH is a "HEART HOSPITAL". WE are the norm there and in the face of dealing with Chase's
heart condition we met many other families encountering similar and the same conditions with their newborns. The main difference is that the other families are from all over the world and had traveled specifically for these surgeons. We are so fortunate to live 15 minutes from the hospital!!
To date this has been the absolute hardest time either John or I has ever endured. On the flip side the amount and depth of love we are experiencing as a result of meeting our son has given the challenges we face a sense of balance. If we had been told what to expect these 7 weeks to be like emotionally, we would have been terrified to walk through them. However,showing up and doing whatever it takes is just what we as people do when necessary and maybe that is part of the beauty of life.
Words can not begin to describe how incredible it is to pass time with our little man. Unlike most new parents who take their newborns home 48 hours after delivery and adjust to the lack of sleep and neediness of baby, we waited nearly 6 weeks to experience this. Although he is a round the clock ordeal, the gratitude and joy of having him under our roof are so intense. Our 4 dogs(3 chihuahuas and a miniature pincher) got it immediately that he is top in the pecking order so to speak. Chase coos, sleeps, poops, eats, smiles,and cries. He enjoys daily stroller walks, swinging in his ocean aquarium swing, mesmerizing at his mobiles, listening to Norah Jones and various other favorites, and posing for loads of video. We are in love with him!!!!!
In celebration of Chase's life, he has opened our eyes to a new view of people. A stronger level of compassion and reguard have emerged for both of us. He is Our Little Angel- a messenger from God sent here to teach us more about living life fully.
Thank you all for your loving support of our family.
Love-John, Tara, and Chase
posted by The Coughlins at 5:02 PM
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