All Okay, but with a Surgery

Our day at CHOP went well. Oliver is doing well on all spina bifida related issues. My mom took off the day to come with us again, so the three of us headed down to Philly after dropping Mac off at school. Our first appointment was ortho and we were pleased to hear that there was only one person ahead of us. But for some reason we still waited 2 hours for him to come in and tell us there is nothing he can do and to keep stretching Oliver's feet and legs. That is starting to get old.

Then we met with Chris from the brace shop. There really isn't anything that he can do to make the braces fit better until Oliver's feet grow. Again, frustrating. But okay.

Then we met with the physical therapist who seemed pleased with Oliver's progress. Then we met with the pediatrician, who indulged my 20 million questions about what Oliver's eating schedule should be. He also gave us a prescription for a laxative for Oliver. I thought it was funny that he felt it necessary to add that it wasn't a kind that Oliver could get addicted to. The idea of a 6-month old addicted to laxatives is a bit much. Of course, Mac does call Oliver "chubby, chubby" so I guess he could develop a complex and get addicted...

Neurosurgery went well. They still don't see a need for a shunt! But they did ask us to make sure that he gets measured monthly by either CHOP or my pediatrician.

For the first time, Oliver also had a renal ultrasound. It was so funny to be at a ultrasound that wasn't a prenatal ultrasound. This time, the baby was on the outside and he was the one getting the ultrasound. Luckily, everything looks good. But we did find out that he still has an undescended testicle. We've known this for a while, and we kind of make fun of him sometimes. Is that mean? Well, we won't make fun of him anymore because he actually has to have surgery to bring it down. Ouch! Luckily it's an outpatient procedure, but it's another round of anesthesia.

We got some good alone time with Grandma and McDonald's for lunch. I'm not happy about the surgery, but very relieved to hear that we are okay on spina bifida issues. All told, a full and successful day.

Grateful

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a person of faith. I cherish my relationship with God. As I sit here and reflect on my day, my week, my year; I am amazed by just how much of a presence God has been in even my little, day to day occurences. It just struck me. I am blessed, and I am grateful.

I know he will be with us when we take Oliver to CHOP tomorrow.

And may his grace be with you, as well.

Cute, Cute, Cute!

Look at my cute little nuggets! This is thier 3 yr./6 month pictures. I like to professionally document every 6 months or so...

Big News!

So I've been holding off on this post for a while, but I think it's finally time to say it. Mac is almost potty-trained! You have no idea how much I hate diapers, and how excited I am to have Mackensie finally out of them. When I went for her parent-teacher conference 2 weeks ago, her teacher asked why she was still in diapers, since she always uses the potty at school. At that point, we were averaging about 20% on the potty, 80% in diapers. But when her teacher said she always went at school, I realized that it wasn't that Mac didn't know how to control pottying, but rather that she just didn't feel like stopping and going at home. So I waited for the weekend, put some underpants on her, and didn't look back.

We've averaged 1-2 accidents a day for the last week, and yesterday we finally had an accident free day! I'm so excited, but my mom pointed out that potty training is all good until you are out and your child has to go to the bathroom constantly. Well, we went out to lunch today, and she went on the potty 5 times. What?! It was a long lunch, but I had no idea how often she had to go. It was a really colorful bathroom and I think she just liked going in it. Then we went to the mall. She didn't quite make it to the bathroom, and we had a poop situation. What a mess -- I almost missed the diapers. Not to mention the fact that I kind of skeeve on bathroom germs, and I have to crouch down on the floor, cover the seat for her, and then convince her not to touch the seat/toilet paper roll/stall garbage while we wipe and flush. It's a lot of gross work, but I'm still flush with the excitement of no diapers.

6 months

6 Months Ago

6 lb. 11 oz.
Sleeps a lot
Eats through IV
So perfect and small
No shunt

2 surgeries, weekly casting, 1 pair of $1200 braces*, 16 sessions of PT, 500 pokes in the eye by Mackensie, and 1 billion kisses later...

Now

19 lb.
Eats breastmilk, prunes, applesauce, and cereal
Can sit on his own
"Stands" in his excersaucer
Giggles and "talks"
No shunt!


Six months ago today Oliver joined us on the outside. Even though I had contractions in the middle of the night and thought he was going to make an early debut, he arrived bia c-section at 9:55 a.m. on August 13. The last six months have been amazing -- he has grown into such a sweet and laid back little baby. He has taught me that you really can love two babies with all your heart, and allowed me to do all of the things that I wish I had done differently with Mac. He has met and exceeded any expectations that we could have had for him. I thank God for him (and Mac) every second of every day.

Happy 6-month birthday little man!

* I just found out today that each of his braces cost $594. Insurance was refusing to pay for them, but now it seems like they will. The braces don't even stay on, and when they do, they leave red marks. They are made of plastic and velcro with some padding. I seriously feel like I could have made them. I am dumbfounded and so grateful for the fact that we have insurance.