Jack

We would like to introduce Jack Henry. He was born in 2000 to Bill and Elisa in Denver, CO. During the nine months before Jack was born I had a very uneventful pregnancy, no morning sickness, no swelling, just plain ol’ pregnant. Jack waited until a Friday afternoon to kick labor in gear and so I left work early and headed over to the hospital. Unfortunately, Jack didn’t want to come out until 1:04 a.m.; thanks to an epidural it wasn’t too bad. When Jack arrived he did not make a sound and the nurse was quiet. I could see my husband looking at the baby and heard the nurse talking under her breath. I asked why he wasn’t making noise and so did the doctor. The nurse said he’s fine, he’s breathing but he’s got a problem with his hand. I didn’t cry when my husband came over to my side and told me he only had a thumb and no fingers, I just wanted to hear our son make a noise. I shooed my husband back over to the nurse to make sure he was okay. They brought me Jack all wrapped up and I found out what it was like to fall in love at first sight.

I have to admit that I questioned myself about what did I or didn’t I do. Why me, why Jack, why us? I cried to myself but not out loud. I told myself that I would be strong for Jack and that he would always be able to depend on me.

Our doctor and pediatrician told us Jack would be fine. So he didn’t have all of his fingers, no big deal. Well, no big deal to them, they had all their fingers and so did their children. I got past that and realized that they were right. Our next big roller coaster lay only 4 days away and we weren’t prepared for it either.

Before we checked out of the hospital, the pediatrician said she heard a heart murmur and to come see her on Tuesday. Tuesday took us to her office where we were referred to a cardiologist. They didn’t seem to think it was a big deal but we made an appointment for the next day. My husband went back to work and I went to the appointment with Jack alone. Needless to stay that was the longest day of our lives. We ended up checking Jack into Children’s Hospital, Denver, CO where they confirmed that he had a Coarctation of the Aorta that needed repaired. The staff of the hospital was phenomenal and we left there about 6 days later. On with life… Life has been a lot more fun since that. Jack has continued to fill our days with joy. He eats like a horse and is growing like a weed. His smiling face and cooing make every day worthwhile. We’re moving from the city to the country in southeastern Montana where Jack will one day get to run with chickens, cows and horses. He’s got a cowboy for a daddy and a wanna be cowgirl for a mom. We’re nervous as we get ready for Jack to undergo surgery on June 30, 2000 to do a toe/nubbin growth plate transplant.

Jack and Dad