About

In August 2011, Abe and Emily discovered they were expecting! Surprised and excited, they began to plan for their future as a family of three.

On November 1, 2011 they went in for an ultrasound to find out the gender of their sweet baby...IT'S A BOY! They were overjoyed and could not wait to get to lunch to share the news with their family. At the end of a 2 hour appointment, a doctor came in with "that look." She couldn't tell them much, only that there was something wrong with his heart. 

Worried, scared and totally unprepared for bad news, they had to wait for over 2 weeks before they could get an answer or a diagnosis.

They scheduled a Fetal Echocardiogram at Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego and on November 16, they got their answer and the diagnosis.

HLHS - Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Wait, what's that? Wikipedia says "it is a rare congenital heart defect in which the left ventricle of the heart is severely underdeveloped."  The baby will be born with half of a heart.

For the baby, it means that he will need at least three surgeries before he is 3 years old. The first within days of being born, the second around 3-4 months old and the third between 18 months and 3 years old. He will most likely spend his first few months in the Cardic NICU at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. He and his family will need all of the prayers, positive thoughts and healing energy you can send their way.

Choosing a name for a child is a great responsibility. Emily and Abe needed a strong name, the kind of name that an old man might have.  They want this baby to live a long, adventurous life and grow to be an old man one day.

Santiago Banks Aguilar

He is named after the main character in Emily's favorite book, The Alchemist. His middle name comes from one of Abe's favorite artists, Banksy. 

Emily is due on March 28, 2012 and they cannot wait to meet Santiago, their brave, adventurous, clever little boy.

Photo by Luna Photo