Craig Gabriel Movie

We know you wanted more than two seconds of video, so, for those of you with a high-speed connection, here's a link to some video taken at the hospital today. We think you'll love it.

Craig Gabriel Movie

If the link doesn't work copy and paste this into your browser's address bar: http://s113342032.onlinehome.us/Craig Gabriel Movie_043005.mpg

Craig & Reba

Saturday update

First, there's a neat little piece of video that was taken by Craig Gariel's godmother. Send and e-mai lto wardlawc@spymac.com if you'd like to receive it. Don't worry, it's a small file.

Second, and this is the best news yet, if all goes well, Craig Garbiel might be able to come home the week of May 9!

Mom and baby.

CG Close up.

Craig Gabriel out of the incubator.

Look Ma, No Tubes

Truly God has been kind to Craig Gabriel. All tubes (and sensors) have been removed and he's on his way to full recovery.

I hadn't mentioned here that he experienced just a little bit of lung collapse Wednesday because a tube was irritating them. Not to worry, the tube is gone and the lungs are self-correcting --- isn't God an amazing designer?

Be that as it may, we're excited that his mother can now take him from the incubator and hold him like any other newborn. And, just like any other newborn, he cries when he's wet or hungry! Guess I'll get used to that, huh? Glad to.

There still has been no serious discussion or prediction surrounding when he'll be strong enough to go home. Despite our enthusiasm, we recognize that the stronger he is, the better off he'll be. And, we're patient people.

Thanks for your concern and remember to leave your name and comments.

Craig & Reba

Breathing and cooing too!

Here's a photo of CG taken at about 11:00 Wednesday night. This was less than an hour after his breathing tube was removed. Once the large breathing tube was removed, he was fitted with a smaller tube that pumps out bacteria left from his infection, and a small tube across his nose that's supplying a little oxygen as he transitions away from assisted breathing.

The really great thing is now that his throat is unobstructed, he's awake more often and we can hear him make cooing sounds! It seems he wants to stay up at night now that his condition is normalizing.

Today was a great day for Craig Gabriel! At least two tubes were removed. He is breathing so well that the "trache" that extended into his stomach was removed.

Post-op Photo

Here's the post-op photo of Craig Gabriel I promised. I'll try to make sense out of all the tubes and lines you see: 1) on his right hand and foot are sensors and on his left hand is a pad that helps hold a line for medicine; 2) the patches on the left and right sides of his chest send info to the computers that track his heart rate and other vital signs; 3) across his mid-section, you'll see sutures used to seal the incision made during surgery; and 4) the blanket over his eyes shields him from the fluorescent lights in the room.

Despite how all this looks, he is doing great. He'll likely be breathing on his own Wednesday. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers, well wishes and for your interest in his condition. As always, please leave a comment, we'll make sure he reads it when he's old enough.

Craig & Reba

04.26.05 Update

Craig Gabriel's doing great!

He had a night of recuperative sleep. The doctors are weaning him off the sadatives, medications and the ventilator. We expect to see him wake up at some point today. He's breathing well independent of the ventilator, too. And, I'm happy to report that his stomach is no longer swollen or red.

I know some of you are anxious to see the latest photos. Hopefully, we'll get one with his eyes open. In any case, I'll post them as soon as I can get them downloaded from the camera and uploaded to the web.

By the way, please leave a comment so we'll know you visited.

Craig & Reba

Post-op Update

Craig Gabriel came out of surgery about 4:45 p.m. He's doing great!

His body tolerated the surgery very well. The doctors were able to take care of the infection, address the problems that were hindering his breathing, and take care of the diaphragmmatic hernia.

Now, all that's left to do is pray that his condition remains stable as he recovers.

We are so very grateful to all who have silently prayed and publicly expressed concern. Words can not begin to fully convey our appreciation for each of you.

Craig & Reba

Update

Surgery will begin today around 8:45. We're asking for your prayers. Thanks.

Welcome to Craig Gabriel's Blog

Hello, and welcome to Craig Gabriel Wardlaw's blog (or web log)!

This is the place to come for all the latest images of and news about Craig Gabriel. We'll update this site as time and energy allow.

Craig Gabriel was born Thursday, April 21 2005 at 2:56 p.m. He weighs 6 pounds and 5 ounces, and is 20 inches long.

As many of you already know, CG was born with a diaphragmatic hernia (DH). In simple terms, this is a hole in the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that contracts to draw air into the lungs; it is one of the most important organs in respiration.

Fortunately, this birth defect can be corrected through surgery, however, it can make babies quite sick until it is corrected. There are a few methods by which DH's are corrected. The first involves the surgeon making an incision in the stomach and stitching the diaphragm together.

Another method is a slight variation on the first. Rather than making an incision, the surgeon uses laparoscopy (click the underlined text to learn more). Laparoscopy is a process which offers the surgeon a clear view into the patient's abdomen through tiny (1-2cm) incisions; it also allows him to perform the operation through those holes. This is much easier on the patient and greatly reduces the risk of complications.

As for Craig Gabriel, our hope is that he can remain healthy enough that the laparoscopic surgery can be performed without causing his body undue stress. Currently, there is no scheduled date for the surgery. But keep watching the site for updates.

I'm probably going to be tall. I'm four inches from being two feet tall already.

Personality

This close-up really shows a hint of my personality. Don't you think?

After some hard work on everyone's part, I'm finally here.