One of Caden's heart friends will be going in for surgery in January. Please stop by and let them know you are thinking about them. Thanks!
Monique
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Good report!!
I don't have a whole lot of time, but I just wanted to post about Caden's most recent trip to the cardiologist. At the beginning of each visit, she sits there with her hand on his heart. I'm not sure what she's feeling for, but she pushes down on his chest and then gets the stethoscope. She goes back forth between the hand and the stethoscope a few times, and then she looks in his ears and his mouth. She did comment on the great shape his teeth are in! :D Thanks to all that brushing. He brushes before nap time and again before bed. :)
When we got into the Echo room, he was a little leery. He had a small melt down in the first exam room, when he realized that he was at the Dr. :( He HATES going to the Dr. I can't say I blame him.
They did the EKG, and everything looked fine, the Dr. came in and started the echo, and Caden did great! :) He always does, but this time, he just watched the videos and every once in a while, he'd look at the Echo screen to see what she was doing. He was even holding her hand for a minute. Awwwwww lol
We (I mostly) always freak out when "it's taking too long". I realize that she's just being thorough, and who wouldn't want that?! It's so hard not to work yourself up though.
Turns out his numbers were slightly better than last time (AGAIN)! He just keeps getting better and better! His pressures are still very low through the conduit, and he seems to be handling his meds very well. She did say that the numbers may be better than last time because he may have been crying during the last echo. I don't remember him doing much crying that time, but it's still nice that his numbers continue to improve! :)
Because Caden is getting older, and he is not having huge growth spurts anymore, she decided that it would be okay for him to start going YEARLY!!! I about fainted. I have been waiting for the yearly visits for a long time now, and I still can't believe he's made it! :)
I really didn't care much for this particular Dr in the beginning, but the more we see her, the more friendly she becomes and the more we both begin to actually like her. She was the one that found the defect in the first place... well she performed his first echo anyway. I guess that makes me a little partial to her.
We are still on the same meds with the same doses. Have been on those doses for about a year and a half now. She said that by not upping the doses we are, in effect, weaning him off of them. Don't know how much longer he'll have to take them, she seemed a little hesitant to give a time frame.
All is well in Konecny land! :)
Cameron is doing well also. He's 10 months in less than a week! WOW that goes so fast. He is a super crawler! He'll get from one end of the house to the other in seconds! :) He's standing up on his own and starting to eat different kinds of foods. He'll be walking by Christmas, probably even Thanksgiving! :D I'll try to post pictures soon.
When we got into the Echo room, he was a little leery. He had a small melt down in the first exam room, when he realized that he was at the Dr. :( He HATES going to the Dr. I can't say I blame him.
They did the EKG, and everything looked fine, the Dr. came in and started the echo, and Caden did great! :) He always does, but this time, he just watched the videos and every once in a while, he'd look at the Echo screen to see what she was doing. He was even holding her hand for a minute. Awwwwww lol
We (I mostly) always freak out when "it's taking too long". I realize that she's just being thorough, and who wouldn't want that?! It's so hard not to work yourself up though.
Turns out his numbers were slightly better than last time (AGAIN)! He just keeps getting better and better! His pressures are still very low through the conduit, and he seems to be handling his meds very well. She did say that the numbers may be better than last time because he may have been crying during the last echo. I don't remember him doing much crying that time, but it's still nice that his numbers continue to improve! :)
Because Caden is getting older, and he is not having huge growth spurts anymore, she decided that it would be okay for him to start going YEARLY!!! I about fainted. I have been waiting for the yearly visits for a long time now, and I still can't believe he's made it! :)
I really didn't care much for this particular Dr in the beginning, but the more we see her, the more friendly she becomes and the more we both begin to actually like her. She was the one that found the defect in the first place... well she performed his first echo anyway. I guess that makes me a little partial to her.
We are still on the same meds with the same doses. Have been on those doses for about a year and a half now. She said that by not upping the doses we are, in effect, weaning him off of them. Don't know how much longer he'll have to take them, she seemed a little hesitant to give a time frame.
All is well in Konecny land! :)
Cameron is doing well also. He's 10 months in less than a week! WOW that goes so fast. He is a super crawler! He'll get from one end of the house to the other in seconds! :) He's standing up on his own and starting to eat different kinds of foods. He'll be walking by Christmas, probably even Thanksgiving! :D I'll try to post pictures soon.
Monday, August 17, 2009
American Heart Association
Paul and I (and Caden) had a meeting with Teri, the director of the Start! program of the American Heart Association about 6 weeks ago. I have not blogged it yet, don't know why.
Anyway...
Paul and I are the proud parents of the 2010 poster child for the American Heart Association's Start! program! What does this mean, you ask??
Well... Several things. Caden (we) will go around to several (8?) of the large corporations here in the Wichita area (Cessna, Boeing, Hawker...) and give presentations on what it means to have a child affected by CHD. We will be able to show pictures, tell his story and show everyone (mainly execs) how amazing modern medicine is, and why they should donate to heart disease research.
Our family will be featured on the commercials on channel 3 (KSN) for the Start! Heart Walk that takes place next June. Caden will be on the brochures for the AMA, along with a condensed version of his story. He will also be on their website, as the "focus survivor".
Needless to say, we are very excited about this opportunity, as only one child or person gets picked per YEAR. I think he's just the man for the job.
On a side note: A parent on the Online Truncus group did not like the fact that we are participating in an organization that does not fund "much" to congenital heart disease research. Well... I have done some researching of my own, and what she said really bothered me. We have decided that all of the funds raised on Caden's behalf will be specifically donated to such research. I have found that I can designate where our donations go, and thus, I am pushing it all that way.
I hope you all have your DVR's set! :) I'll let you know when to be looking out for our little hero on the telly and the web. :)
Anyway...
Paul and I are the proud parents of the 2010 poster child for the American Heart Association's Start! program! What does this mean, you ask??
Well... Several things. Caden (we) will go around to several (8?) of the large corporations here in the Wichita area (Cessna, Boeing, Hawker...) and give presentations on what it means to have a child affected by CHD. We will be able to show pictures, tell his story and show everyone (mainly execs) how amazing modern medicine is, and why they should donate to heart disease research.
Our family will be featured on the commercials on channel 3 (KSN) for the Start! Heart Walk that takes place next June. Caden will be on the brochures for the AMA, along with a condensed version of his story. He will also be on their website, as the "focus survivor".
Needless to say, we are very excited about this opportunity, as only one child or person gets picked per YEAR. I think he's just the man for the job.
On a side note: A parent on the Online Truncus group did not like the fact that we are participating in an organization that does not fund "much" to congenital heart disease research. Well... I have done some researching of my own, and what she said really bothered me. We have decided that all of the funds raised on Caden's behalf will be specifically donated to such research. I have found that I can designate where our donations go, and thus, I am pushing it all that way.
I hope you all have your DVR's set! :) I'll let you know when to be looking out for our little hero on the telly and the web. :)
Friday, July 10, 2009
Pictures and News
Sooo, it's been a while! :) Things are going well. Caden gets his hearing tested on the 13th, to make sure that's not a contributing factor in his speech (or lack thereof). Cameron goes for his 6 month checkup on the 20th. I'm interested to see how much he weighs, and what percentiles he is in. I'm sure he's right up the middle, as he has been. I'm still pumping away. He still has never had formula.. which I'm obviously proud of. ;) He's started on baby food. He does ok with cereal, but he REALLY likes the apples and sweet potatoes. He likes bananas, but they stop him up a little bit, so we're holding off on those for a while. He also like carrots, squash and green beans. :)
This is me, my sister and brother. I'm the middle child, so that's me on the right. Looks kinda like Caden, huh? ;)
Caden had a blast at the park. We went to High Park in Derby for the fireworks on the 4th... they were AWESOME!!!
Cam-o being his cute little self. This was when we were shooting off firecrackers at my mom's house. He sat in the stroller like such a big boy! How sweet! :) He can sit up very well now, only falls over occasionally. He also likes to stand up next to toys and the ottoman. I'll have to get a picture of that too. :)
I have a picture of Caden laying on this toy at about the same age... ok, not really. Caden was about 8 months old, but still :) I'll find it. Hold on... (as if you were going anywhere... LOL)
Caden's more pale than Cameron, but I think they kinda look alike. Like brothers anyway. :)
Friday, June 26, 2009
Iowa Trip
We went to Iowa last weekend, to surprise my grandma. It was a blast! We drove to KC and stayed the night with some of Paul's friends. We got into Mason early afternoon on Saturday. We went to dinner and were standing y the register at the buffet entrance when Gma walked in. She looked at Cameron first, did a double, triple take, then looked at Paul and said "Well, hi" then she looked at me and said "Well hi!!!" It was hilarious, and she was definitely surprised. She looked so happy having all 4 of her great grandkids there with her.
I got some pics from the trip:
My handsome little devil :)
Cameron was boxing everyone in sight, with the help of Great Uncle Tony. :)
Me, my boys, my cousin Casey and her boys with Grandma Schu :) Looks like Blair is fond of his Cousin Caden :)
The big boys got to hang out together with my Aunt Sandy while we went down the street to the bar. They took a bath, and we had an awesome time! :)
Tuckered out after a long day of driving, playing and family time. That's the first time they ever met! I think they liked each other. :)
Friday, June 12, 2009
No news
Things are pretty quiet on the home front. We've been pretty busy getting ready for our trip to Iowa next weekend. We are going up to surprise my grandma. We are driving to KC on Friday night, stopping by my uncle's house and then getting up early Saturday and going on up to northern Iowa. We are all going to meet at a restaurant and my aunt is going to get my grandma and bring her in. We'll have a lot of fun. She's never met Cameron, and most of my family up there have never met Caden. The last time we went up there, I was pregnant with Caden and we still had no idea about his heart. The only people that have met Caden are those that came up to the hospital to visit us while we were there.
We are staying with my cousin. She has two boys, I think the oldest is about 4 and the youngest is a couple weeks older than Caden. Her oldest was born about 3 months premature, and he was in the NICU for a very long time. I feel that we at least have a little understanding of what it's like to be stuck in he hospital for a long time.
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures! :)
We are staying with my cousin. She has two boys, I think the oldest is about 4 and the youngest is a couple weeks older than Caden. Her oldest was born about 3 months premature, and he was in the NICU for a very long time. I feel that we at least have a little understanding of what it's like to be stuck in he hospital for a long time.
I'll be sure to take lots of pictures! :)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Some pics
Both boys are "sleeping". Not really, just laying peacefully in their beds. Crazy, huh? lol
I thought I'd give a little update and some pics. Things are going very well. Caden is learning to speak better and better. He's really starting to put more words together and his pronunciation is getting better as well. Cameron is a rolling fool! He rolls over and over and over and eventually hits something and gets very upset. It's pretty cute. He bonks his head on the TV hutch a lot. :)
This weekend is Derby Days. There's little kiddy rides and such. I think we are going to take the kids after Paul gets home from work. :) I'll try to remember to take pics. Our camera is kinda broken. The little latches that hold the batteries in place are broken, so you have to hold it shut. Pain in the butt, but at least it works... kinda. lol
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Old pictures
When uploading the pictures from our party last week, I found some old pictures on the other memory card. I couldn't believe what I saw. They were the pictures that I thought I had lost. Some of Caden pre-surgery. I knew I had them somewhere, but we had uploaded them to our old laptop, that died. I'm so glad I found them! Here they are. I think he looks like Cameron in some of them. :)
I took this one a few days before we went to KC for the first surgery. I can't remember his chest ever looking like that... His binky looks so big! I'm pretty sure there's another picture of him in the hospital, between surgeries, with that binky. On the right with the other pictures.
I don't know when or why I took this one. I think we already knew at this point that he would need surgery. I took several of his chest because I feared that I wouldn't remember his chest... good thing I did, huh?
This is of the back of his head, on or around 3/19/07. We were in room 21b, in the PICU. Don't ask how I remember these things. I think it's burned into my memory. This was only 5 weeks into our stay. We were there for about 12 weeks. It got so much worse than this, but you can see how the back of his head started to "creep up". I guess that's what you'd call it. The picture of me holding Caden on the right that says Mommy holding Caden in the PICU was taken the same day. If you were to look at him from the front, it almost looked like he had a cone head. Not anymore though! :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Caden Day
Tomorrow is the day Caden came home from the hospital. It is also the day that our friends lost their little girl. I have mixed emotions about it, but we are planning on going out to dinner or somthing for Caden. Something fun for him, to celebrate his two year anniversary. We had a party last year. I almost cancelled it last year, because... well, I won't get into it.
Paul and I decided that every year, on that day, we would do something nice for him, and then one day he'll ask why. That part was Paul's idea. I don't know why we can't just tell him. It's not a bad thing.
On another note, I posted on my blog a little bit ago. Just upset rambling, really. FYI
Paul and I decided that every year, on that day, we would do something nice for him, and then one day he'll ask why. That part was Paul's idea. I don't know why we can't just tell him. It's not a bad thing.
On another note, I posted on my blog a little bit ago. Just upset rambling, really. FYI
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Good news!!!
So, it turns out that it was mostly due to the weather. His pressures through the conduit look great! She said they are very low. We did the EKG, and that came back fine. Then we did the Echo, and she said that looked about the same as last time. He has moderate leakage with his Mitral and Tricuspid valves, and minimal leakage with his Truncal valve (the main issue). She told us that the average size conduit for an adult is about 20-25mm. If I'm remembering correctly, and he has a 19mm (I'm going to check his medical records tonight) then that should last him a long time!!! She said if he does have a 19mm, then the mostly likely case is that it's going to calcify before he ever outgrows it. We went over to the hospital for the xray to check for calcification, and she saw no signs of it. :) :) :) That's my happy dance! :)
Many times, if there needs to be something done to expand the conduit, they will go in through a catheterization and balloon or stent it. She said that they won't even think about doing that until the gradient (pressures) across the conduit get around 40, for the bottom number. Right now he's measuring 25/16. The numbers are supposed to be as close as possible, from what she said. The numbers represent the pressure in one of the top chambers, compared the one below it. I'm guessing the chambers in question are the ones on the left, as that's where his conduit is and that's the side that the aorta and pulmonary arteries stem from. So, they want to do a catheterization before an open heart in most cases, and he's not even anywhere close to needed the cath! That's the best news we could have hoped for!
Thank you all for thinking and praying for us and Caden. We don't have to go back until October 26th!!! Good job Caden! :)
Many times, if there needs to be something done to expand the conduit, they will go in through a catheterization and balloon or stent it. She said that they won't even think about doing that until the gradient (pressures) across the conduit get around 40, for the bottom number. Right now he's measuring 25/16. The numbers are supposed to be as close as possible, from what she said. The numbers represent the pressure in one of the top chambers, compared the one below it. I'm guessing the chambers in question are the ones on the left, as that's where his conduit is and that's the side that the aorta and pulmonary arteries stem from. So, they want to do a catheterization before an open heart in most cases, and he's not even anywhere close to needed the cath! That's the best news we could have hoped for!
Thank you all for thinking and praying for us and Caden. We don't have to go back until October 26th!!! Good job Caden! :)
I was able to get Caden in today, at 3:00. I'm starting to think that everything will be okay. I got home last night, and we went to the Chiropractor. He did fine there, just a little bit clammy. Not at all how he had been for the past week or two. It was also not as hot yesterday as it has been, either. Hmmm... I hate this!
After we got home, I got him down to his diaper. Partly cause he was trying to go potty so often, and partly cause we were eating spaghetti and I didn't want him to get it all over him. Well, he was naked for about 30 minutes. He wasn't clammy after that, and I tried to take his temp. I tried under his arm, but he didn't want it like that, so I told him I'd have to take it in his butt. (He knows that word, and thinks it's hilarious) So, he let me. (Paul was very concerned about this... LOL) It was 99.0 when he was completely naked (ok, diaper), and had been for about 30 minutes. I'm starting to think maybe he has had a low grade fever for a week or so, he was working on his two year molars, as well as having a little cough. He might have been clammy as a result of the warmer weather, a cold and his teeth. I think I over analyze things... you think?
Some information that I'm not sure if I shared before. Because Caden was born almost 10 pounds, his heart was significantly larger than normal Truncus babies. Usually Truncus babies are born smaller, because of growth issues in the womb. Usually, not always. We were lucky. Some Truncus babies don't get to 10 pounds until they are a few months old... much less at birth. During his first surgery, they were able (gathered from his medical records) to fit him with a 19mm conduit from his heart to his lungs. A lot of times, they are only able to fit up to 9-10mm, but we were lucky that his heart was already so big...
I have researched conduit size since then, and I have found that "adult" size is considered to be anywhere from 20mm-30mm. That's a whole centimeter difference, but if you think about it, there are small adults, and large adults. The way I think about it, he has a 19mm in right now. (They didn't change it during his second open heart surgery, they just repaired where he ripped his patch back open.) If he grows as scrawny as his dad and I did, that should last him till he's a pre-teen, maybe??? The main concern for me, is that his conduit will start to calcify. That's the reason that it needs to be replaced sometimes, is because it's been in for so long.
I will definitely post sometime tonight or tomorrow with the results from today's cardiology appointment. I am going to ask her about the conduit size and calcification, just to understand it a little bit better. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I will be in touch soon.
Ashlea
After we got home, I got him down to his diaper. Partly cause he was trying to go potty so often, and partly cause we were eating spaghetti and I didn't want him to get it all over him. Well, he was naked for about 30 minutes. He wasn't clammy after that, and I tried to take his temp. I tried under his arm, but he didn't want it like that, so I told him I'd have to take it in his butt. (He knows that word, and thinks it's hilarious) So, he let me. (Paul was very concerned about this... LOL) It was 99.0 when he was completely naked (ok, diaper), and had been for about 30 minutes. I'm starting to think maybe he has had a low grade fever for a week or so, he was working on his two year molars, as well as having a little cough. He might have been clammy as a result of the warmer weather, a cold and his teeth. I think I over analyze things... you think?
Some information that I'm not sure if I shared before. Because Caden was born almost 10 pounds, his heart was significantly larger than normal Truncus babies. Usually Truncus babies are born smaller, because of growth issues in the womb. Usually, not always. We were lucky. Some Truncus babies don't get to 10 pounds until they are a few months old... much less at birth. During his first surgery, they were able (gathered from his medical records) to fit him with a 19mm conduit from his heart to his lungs. A lot of times, they are only able to fit up to 9-10mm, but we were lucky that his heart was already so big...
I have researched conduit size since then, and I have found that "adult" size is considered to be anywhere from 20mm-30mm. That's a whole centimeter difference, but if you think about it, there are small adults, and large adults. The way I think about it, he has a 19mm in right now. (They didn't change it during his second open heart surgery, they just repaired where he ripped his patch back open.) If he grows as scrawny as his dad and I did, that should last him till he's a pre-teen, maybe??? The main concern for me, is that his conduit will start to calcify. That's the reason that it needs to be replaced sometimes, is because it's been in for so long.
I will definitely post sometime tonight or tomorrow with the results from today's cardiology appointment. I am going to ask her about the conduit size and calcification, just to understand it a little bit better. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I will be in touch soon.
Ashlea
Monday, April 27, 2009
Poopy Potty!!!
So, we've been working on the potty for a while now. Kinda touch and go. He has really started to take off with it though!
We've gotten to where we only give him M&M's if he goes potty. He gets 4 for a pee pee, and an egg from Easter filled with about 10 of them for a poopy. At least that was the plan... lol
Saturday, he said potty, so I sat down next to him on the kitchen floor, next to his potty. He sat down, and was talking to me a little bit. He pee peed and got very excited about it. He can feel it, and then he starts screaming, because he knows about the M&M's coming his way. :)
Then he got the "poopy" face. You know, the one where his little face turns kinda red? :) How cute! (Possibly only a mother or father would understand!) I asked him if he was going poopy, and he said yes! I didn't really believe him, but then he stood up and started pointing to the potty, screaming. I looked, and sure enough, he poopied in the potty! It was a big poopy too! :) So, I gave him the egg with M&M's for the first time ever...
He went the whole morning and part of the afternoon without ever using his diaper. Go Caden!!!!
Yesterday, we went to Kohl's and Paul got a bunch of clothes. We got Caden some big boy undies while we were there. He got to pick them out. Adorable! I remember when my brother was little, and his little briefs. It brought back memories! :)
This morning, when I left for work, I kissed all of my boys, and told them to have a good day. About 8:30, Paul called me and I missed it. He text me that I needed to call him as soon as possible. I (of course) freaked out and called him right away.
Here goes...
Paul was standing, unloading the dishwasher. Caden likes to help with this. :) All of the sudden, Caden starts running, ripping at his diaper like a mad man. (Paul's words :) ) He ripped his diaper off on the way to the potty, but he was already pooping. He got some poopy on the kitchen floor, on the seat of the potty (which he immediately sat on) and then from what Paul said, he only got a tiny bit of poopy in the actually potty. The point though, is that he did it! Paul gave him a Caden-sized handful of M&M's and proceeded to clean up the poopy smeared kitchen (and the back of Cadens' leg). He did it!!!
I am so proud of him, he's doing so great! :)
On another note, he goes back to the Cardiologist on the 11th. It's been almost 6 months already! I always get very nervous and anxious for a few weeks before his appointments. I have been freaking out a lot lately. He has been kinda clammy for about a week now. But, like Paul said, it's started really warming up outside, and he's a little boy, running around, using a lot of energy. His little head gets sweaty, which is very scary. He's not really tired though. I have heard on the online group that when it's time for another surgery, the kids get very tired all the time. Like, fall asleep during dinner tired. This is definitely not the case, so I am leaning towards him just being a little boy with a bad heart, who sweats more than the average kid. He's always working harder, and when he plays, it's that much more pronounced. I'm hoping so anyway. Please keep him in your thoughts in the next couple of weeks, especially on the 11th. I'm hoping that he gets a green light for another 6 months, and maybe we can even drop one of his meds! Thanks guys.
Ashlea
We've gotten to where we only give him M&M's if he goes potty. He gets 4 for a pee pee, and an egg from Easter filled with about 10 of them for a poopy. At least that was the plan... lol
Saturday, he said potty, so I sat down next to him on the kitchen floor, next to his potty. He sat down, and was talking to me a little bit. He pee peed and got very excited about it. He can feel it, and then he starts screaming, because he knows about the M&M's coming his way. :)
Then he got the "poopy" face. You know, the one where his little face turns kinda red? :) How cute! (Possibly only a mother or father would understand!) I asked him if he was going poopy, and he said yes! I didn't really believe him, but then he stood up and started pointing to the potty, screaming. I looked, and sure enough, he poopied in the potty! It was a big poopy too! :) So, I gave him the egg with M&M's for the first time ever...
He went the whole morning and part of the afternoon without ever using his diaper. Go Caden!!!!
Yesterday, we went to Kohl's and Paul got a bunch of clothes. We got Caden some big boy undies while we were there. He got to pick them out. Adorable! I remember when my brother was little, and his little briefs. It brought back memories! :)
This morning, when I left for work, I kissed all of my boys, and told them to have a good day. About 8:30, Paul called me and I missed it. He text me that I needed to call him as soon as possible. I (of course) freaked out and called him right away.
Here goes...
Paul was standing, unloading the dishwasher. Caden likes to help with this. :) All of the sudden, Caden starts running, ripping at his diaper like a mad man. (Paul's words :) ) He ripped his diaper off on the way to the potty, but he was already pooping. He got some poopy on the kitchen floor, on the seat of the potty (which he immediately sat on) and then from what Paul said, he only got a tiny bit of poopy in the actually potty. The point though, is that he did it! Paul gave him a Caden-sized handful of M&M's and proceeded to clean up the poopy smeared kitchen (and the back of Cadens' leg). He did it!!!
I am so proud of him, he's doing so great! :)
On another note, he goes back to the Cardiologist on the 11th. It's been almost 6 months already! I always get very nervous and anxious for a few weeks before his appointments. I have been freaking out a lot lately. He has been kinda clammy for about a week now. But, like Paul said, it's started really warming up outside, and he's a little boy, running around, using a lot of energy. His little head gets sweaty, which is very scary. He's not really tired though. I have heard on the online group that when it's time for another surgery, the kids get very tired all the time. Like, fall asleep during dinner tired. This is definitely not the case, so I am leaning towards him just being a little boy with a bad heart, who sweats more than the average kid. He's always working harder, and when he plays, it's that much more pronounced. I'm hoping so anyway. Please keep him in your thoughts in the next couple of weeks, especially on the 11th. I'm hoping that he gets a green light for another 6 months, and maybe we can even drop one of his meds! Thanks guys.
Ashlea
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Updates...
So, the therapist came out last week and did her evaluation. There were two people, actually, and guy and a girl. I went home for lunch so that I could hear it for myself. You know how men are with remembering that kind of stuff. :)
They said that he definitely qualifies for speech therapy. He has a few problems:
-He condenses his "sentences" into one or two syllables, and that's why most his words don't sound like any real words.
-He leaves off the consonants at the end or beginning of words, or he says it backwards. Like Du for duck and ga for dog. I know that doesn't make sense, but if you heard him, you would get what I'm saying.
So, he is still using baby words, and he needs to be drinking out of a big boy cup as much as possible. It helps develop different muscles that he needs to be able to speak more clearly. The first real therapy session will be on the 21st at 11:00. I may or may not go home for an early lunch. We'll see. That's also the day that we are taking Cameron for his three month pictures. I can't believe he's already that old! He's getting so big.
He can old his head up very well by now. He can roll over, though not all the time. He likes tummy time a lot. He "talks" a lot, and he smiles a lot. He loves bath time, and Caden likes to help with it too! Things are going pretty good right now. I'm still pumping up a storm. I get about 8oz every 4 hours. That's almost double what he needs, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. He still has never had any formula!!! :) I think I could feed him for about a month on what's in my freezer!
I'll let you know how therapy goes when she comes out on the 21st.
They said that he definitely qualifies for speech therapy. He has a few problems:
-He condenses his "sentences" into one or two syllables, and that's why most his words don't sound like any real words.
-He leaves off the consonants at the end or beginning of words, or he says it backwards. Like Du for duck and ga for dog. I know that doesn't make sense, but if you heard him, you would get what I'm saying.
So, he is still using baby words, and he needs to be drinking out of a big boy cup as much as possible. It helps develop different muscles that he needs to be able to speak more clearly. The first real therapy session will be on the 21st at 11:00. I may or may not go home for an early lunch. We'll see. That's also the day that we are taking Cameron for his three month pictures. I can't believe he's already that old! He's getting so big.
He can old his head up very well by now. He can roll over, though not all the time. He likes tummy time a lot. He "talks" a lot, and he smiles a lot. He loves bath time, and Caden likes to help with it too! Things are going pretty good right now. I'm still pumping up a storm. I get about 8oz every 4 hours. That's almost double what he needs, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. He still has never had any formula!!! :) I think I could feed him for about a month on what's in my freezer!
I'll let you know how therapy goes when she comes out on the 21st.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Return of Rainbows
Sounds like a good title to something. :) Children's book???
Rainbows was the therapy we used for Caden when we came home from the hospital. Sarah was awesome! He graduated a few months ago. Can't remember exactly when. Anyway, I called her the other day for consult. His speech is behind. Quite a bit.
The social worker came out yesterday. We just had to give her our insurance info and stuff like that. She has very little authority to say whether or not they will take his case or not, but she did say that from what she saw, he will most likely get speech therapy.
He just doesn't talk. He barely puts two words together and he still uses baby words sometimes. We really didn't think too much of it until we were hanging out with some friends of ours and their little girl was using complete sentences! Complete! And constantly. They're the same age... a week apart. I know that everyone says that once they start talking, you'll wish they weren't, but I really can't wait. I know that he's very smart, and anyone that's ever met him can see that. He just needs to learn how to communicate better.
The two speech therapists come out to the house next Monday to do the full evaluation, so we'll see. I really like Rainbow's. They did amazing things for him when we came home from the hospital, before he could hold his head up on his own. In the year she was coming out, he made soooo much progress. I can't wait to see what they have to say next week!
I'll keep you posted.
I have been taking more pictures too, I just need to get them on here. :)
Rainbows was the therapy we used for Caden when we came home from the hospital. Sarah was awesome! He graduated a few months ago. Can't remember exactly when. Anyway, I called her the other day for consult. His speech is behind. Quite a bit.
The social worker came out yesterday. We just had to give her our insurance info and stuff like that. She has very little authority to say whether or not they will take his case or not, but she did say that from what she saw, he will most likely get speech therapy.
He just doesn't talk. He barely puts two words together and he still uses baby words sometimes. We really didn't think too much of it until we were hanging out with some friends of ours and their little girl was using complete sentences! Complete! And constantly. They're the same age... a week apart. I know that everyone says that once they start talking, you'll wish they weren't, but I really can't wait. I know that he's very smart, and anyone that's ever met him can see that. He just needs to learn how to communicate better.
The two speech therapists come out to the house next Monday to do the full evaluation, so we'll see. I really like Rainbow's. They did amazing things for him when we came home from the hospital, before he could hold his head up on his own. In the year she was coming out, he made soooo much progress. I can't wait to see what they have to say next week!
I'll keep you posted.
I have been taking more pictures too, I just need to get them on here. :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
So things have been going well. Caden's going through a growth spurt. He's getting so tall, and it seems like he's getting skinnier, but that's hard to say. I was thinking the other day that (knock on wood) Caden hasn't been to the doctor yet this year. WOW ok, so it's only a little over two months, but that's huge!!!! :)
Cameron had his surgery on the 23rd. He went to his checkup yesterday. It went well. Well...
Paul had to take Cameron (and Caden) to his 2 month checkup yesterday for his shots and such. That was in the morning. Then, right after lunch Cameron had his checkup from surgery. Paul called me after the appointment to let me know how things had gone. While they were waiting (20 minutes) for the Dr. to come in, Caden pooped. He doesn't like poopy in his diaper any longer than it has to be. (We need to start potty training for real) So, Caden's now fussy and poopy. Then, Cameron decided to blow his diaper out as well. :) Then the Dr. came in and had to feel around Cameron's groin for the hernias. He got breastmilk poopy (gross) all over his fingers. lol Paul said it stunk so bad in there between the two poopy diapers. He had left the diapers in the car, because he was expecting it to be a short follow up visit.
When they got back to the car, he put them one by one in the trunk to change their diapers. LOL I wish I could have seen that! :)
And now, some pictures for your viewing pleasure:
The two boys getting ready for the big game! :) 
He's flexing for the camera. See his bruise from the IV? He's doing great though.
Caden LOVES to get out that hair gel and play with it. He rubs it on his face like lotion. LOL He did daddy's hair, and it actually looked decent when he was done! :)
Helping Mommy clean. I spray, he wipes.
Such a big helper... lol
Spiderman in his PJs.
Me and Caden on our day (a.k.a. Saturday)
Cameron sleeping on the couch. He's getting so big!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
No News is Good News
We haven't had a whole lot going on. Well, at least Caden hasn't! He doesn't have to go back to the cardiologist until May. He's doing really well. He has sooooo much energy, and he just loves his baby brother soooo much! It's very sweet. He lays next to him and kisses him and pets his head, saying "baby, baby". Very sweet. He likes to hold the bottle, get diapers for us, and he even likes to undo Cameron's onesie and rip off his diaper. He's a good little helper. :)
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