a day we will never forget

On Sept 11th 2010 we welcomed our beautiful 1st and only child into the world. Samuel Anderson Van Winkle arrived via emergency c-section surrounded by the neonatal intensive care posse and the pediatric cardiologist. He weighed a whopping 6lbs 11oz and was 19 and 3/4 inches long...He was also born with a serious heart defect called Tetraology of Fallot with double outlet right ventricle and a week later we learned that he also had down syndrome.  We were aware of the heart defect when I was 16weeks pregnant and as time went on we also learned that the risk of him being born with DS was high as well even though he didn't have any of the markers via us. I refused an amnio because I had 2 prior miscarriages before Sam and we decided that we would be blessed to have whatever God had for us.

It was a rocky start. Sam was immediately transferred to Sibley Heart Center the night he was born and I was able to see him the next night. It was so overwhelming seeing him with wires everywhere and his tiny little body laying there. I fell in love immediately. He spent the first month of his life at Sibley back and forth between the cicu and the stepdown unit. Before he left he received a BT shunt to help blood get to his lungs and a g tube because of his reflux. The day he came home we nearly ran out of the hospital and to the car and then the adventure really began. For 8months we were on lock down. We didn't go anywhere except to the many dr's appts and back home.