Here are a Ton of Pics We Owe You....Enjoy!

This first set of pics are of Lincoln out of the ICU and out on the "floor"....the last step before discharge. Hope you have a high-speed computer!

Our First Time Outside in 6 Months!

This was when the Dr's gave the OK for Lincoln to go outside to the patio without a monitor or a nurse. First time in 6 months!

Lincoln's Dr's, Nurses & Staff....Our Heroes!

Lincoln's Heart Surgeon

This is a very special man...Dr. Mark Plunkett. He has opperated on Lincoln twice. Once on his old heart, and again, giving Lincoln his new heart. Here they spend a special bonding moment together.

Our New Home....for now!

This is our new temporary home at the Tiverton House Hotel. A little cramped, but great to be out of the hospital. Hopefully just one more month here.

Lincoln is out of the hospital!!

Hey everybody! Just thought you would want to know that Lincoln has been discharged from the hospital! This last week has been soooooo busy as you might have guessed from the lack of updates. Lincoln was scheduled to be discharged last Monday but the cardiologist wanted to do a biopsy of Lincoln's heart to check for rejection. On Wednesday, Lincoln went to the cardiac cath lab and underwent a catheterization to obtain a biopsy of his heart. Yesterday we got the news that rejection was negative so far and that they wanted us out of the hospital ASAP! After a long day of signing paperwork, learning about the medication we would be giving, packing up, saying goodbye to friends we have made and moving to our new temporary home....we finally made it out the doors! Lincoln has not breathed outside air or seen trees and bugs for almost 6 months! The experience and the emotions were indescribable! So because of the non updates over the last week...let me recap. Obviously, since we are out of the hospital, the chylothorax has been healing, the chest tubes came out last Friday, he is at full feeds and eating about half of them by mouth, his chest is healing great, he is not hooked up to anymore monitors or IV's and he is growing by leaps and bounds! We have moved to a hotel across the street called the Tiverton House. This hotel will be our new home for the next few months. We will be in and out of the Dr's office every week for check-ups, echos, lab work and the occasional angiograms and biopsies. Rejection is at its highest potential during the first few months, so staying close to the hospital is a must! It's kinda cramped in our hotel room considering we have to live there but also take care of Lincoln's every need 24/7. He is continually getting medications that we have to be on top of. We continually have to keep cleanliness and sterilization at the forefront of our minds. He cannot be around crowds of people for a few months at the risk of getting a cold which could lead to rejection. Please be praying for us as we endeavor on the monumental task and privilege of taking care of Lincoln. We are so tired! Between getting up every three hours to feed and give meds, make his food, clean, wash clothes....keeping up and just trying to find time to eat, sleep or take care of our business is difficult....BUT WORTH IT! We are so excited to be out of the hospital! We can actually take walks outside and see and do things we have not done in a long while! We cannot express our overwhelming love and thanks for you all through our journey thus far...God is Great and greatly to be praised! Please continue to be steadfast in bringing Lincoln before the Throne...he still has a long way to go! Downloading pictures has been difficult in the last 2 weeks....we owe you lots and lots....they are coming! You will just have to stay tuned! We love you all! J&K

So Far So Good!

Hey there...Lincoln has adjusted into his new room on the pediatric floor...however mom and dad haven't! Now that Lincoln is on the floor there is less observation and the nurse only comes in to give meds and check on him from time to time. That leaves us with him 24/7 to make sure he is doing OK. Since we need to be in his room at night, getting sleep is hard to do especially when we share the room with another patient. Oh well...this just means we are one step closer to the exit doors of the hospital. I came down with a virus a few days ago and I am having to stay at home for a week while Kristen stays with Lincoln. Pray for her as she is exhausted from being there 3 days straight with no sleep. Pray that I get over my bug too...It is too dangerous to be around Lincoln while being sick. Grandpa Carter came down for a few days to be with Lincoln so Kristen can get sleep at night and while I recover. Lincoln, however, is doing great. We started trying to feed him a special formula 2 days ago. So far we have not seen any Chylous fluid coming out of the chest tubes. We have been increasing the food volume each day and so far so good. If we get through a few more days and up to full feeds and we still don't see any fluid in the chest tubes...they will be able to take them out...This is a huge prayer request!! Oh and by the way...before the transplant we saw that Lincoln had become completely orally averted to eating from a bottle because of not doing it for months. Since the transplant, Lincoln has been eating all his food from the bottle without any problems at all. It's weird...he just seems to be a different kid. They told us before the transplant that we would see him progress by leaps and bounds when he gets his new heart...they weren't kidding! Lincoln seems to have so much more energy. He is not only eating from the bottle...he is reaching for it. He is talking (baby talk) so much more, interacting with his movies, interacting with people and even getting a little attitude. Michelle asked if we can hold him. Yes, we can hold him even though he has his chest tubes in...it just makes it more of a pain for both Lincoln and us so we do it less often. He is getting antsy though and tired from being in bed so much. Continue to pray for healing of his chest and the Chylothorax and for NO infections or sickness. Pray for energy for both of us and that I get over my sickness and Kristen gets sleep and stays well too. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support...we love you all! J&K

Just Before Transplant

Here are a few pics that were taken a few days before transplant.

Lincoln's Transplant Team

Just a small part of Lincoln's transplant team: Joy (Lincoln's Nurse Practitioner...and the BOSS!), Dr. Perrins (one of Lincoln's cardiologist) and Nancy (our social worker)

On Our Way To The OR!

This was probably the longest and scariest trip we've had to take with Lincoln...down to the OR