Answered Prayers for Judson

Many of you have asked about an update on Judson.  I am happy to report that, thanks to all of your many prayers and the goodness of God, Judson is doing remarkably well!
As you can probably tell from some of my previous posts, Judson was taken to NICU shortly after he was born.  I knew this would likely be the case, but I had prayed that I would still have an opportunity to hold him before he was taken.  Thankfully, I did.  This was when I held him for the first time:

I wasn't able to see him again until the next day, right before he was transported to Egleston:

When he was assessed at Egleston, the team of doctors and nurses decided that they wanted to monitor him for a bit to make sure he received the most appropriate care.  After more than a week in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Egleston (which felt like an eternity!), they finally decided that Judson did not need the more invasive shunt but that he did need to have the stent placed to make sure that he received enough oxygen.  The cardiologist was able to place this stent using a catheter through a vein in his neck.  The only external way you can tell that he had this procedure is by a tiny bruised area on his neck.  He was monitored a few more days in the hospital, and then he was released to come home on Wednesday, October 28, exactly two weeks after he was born. 
While it was only two weeks (much less than it could have been), it still was so difficult!  I felt like my heart was torn in two:  I wanted to be there with him, but I also wanted to be with my other two babies at home.  More than anything, I yearned for the day when we could all be together as a family.  We visited as often as we were able to, and he had a steady stream of visits from the grandparents, too.  When we were there, it was so hard to see our little peanut hooked up to all those machines and unable to eat (he was given nutrients through an IV before he could eat by bottle). 

Not only did God answer all of our prayers in the fact that Judson only required the less invasive stent, but he also provided in that when Judson came home, he did not require an NG tube or any other monitoring device.  He was able to eat by bottle with no problems and he was maintaining his oxygen levels well while in the hospital.  This was a rarity according to all the nurses and doctors! 
Here Judson is, ready to finally come home:

 Since he's been home, he's continued to flourish, acting mostly like any other baby.  He continues to eat well and has surpassed his goals for gaining weight.  His oxygen levels are good, and the doctors have not seen any causes for concern.  Our little peanut is quite the fighter!

He's not totally out of the woods yet.  Barring a miracle, he will still have to have major surgery sometime in the early to middle of next year.  He will go to the hospital in January to see how the stent is holding up and to decide when he will have the next procedure.  So please continue to pray that the stent will hold up well; that he will continue to grow; that he will stay healthy over the winter; and that the next procedure will be delayed as long as possible.  We continue to thank you all for your prayers!  We know that God is good and faithful and that he hears all our prayers.