All is well

Things have been going well for Hayden since he was released from the hospital in April. Last month, he saw his GI doc who is still okay with Hayden's vomiting since the increased Prevacid dose has decreased the vomiting to twice a day and he is still gaining weight well. He's up to 21lbs 7 oz. Up from 16lbs 9oz in February. Yea!! No follow up needed until November. Yea again!! May also brought continued good news on the EEG front. His EEG still looks great. Better than it should and his neurologist can't explain why. Hayden has so many things that are considered rare, we are just praying that this is one of those rare things that will be in his favor for once. We are trying not to read into the results and believe that they will last (though it's not likely). He also had a follow up at the Neurology clinic in Iowa City with a CT scan that also went well. Dr. Lonnie (the physician's assistant) said that his CT scan is better than last year (he has more brain matter and the abnormalities aren't worse). At his 24 month pediatrician appointment, Dr. Schutte was pleased with all of the good reports she has received lately and was very happy to see that he is trying to sit independently. He still has a long way to go, but we are convinced he will sit unsupported before fall. She assessed him at 6 months of age, which is exactly where I thought he was. Glad to know that we are realistic about where Hayden actually is developmentally. We are always concerned about pushing him either too hard, or not hard enough. Wow! All this good news at once, do we dare hope for more? It's so hard not to wait for the other shoe to drop as it always has in the past. He had a good summer last year, so there's no reason not to believe this summer won't be any different.

All of his therapies, except for feeding, are going well. He is trying to sit independently and really wants to. He can still roll from his side to his back and can now roll from his side to his belly. He still doesn't try to roll over from his back to his tummy or vice versa. His physical therapists (Becky and Kristie) are working him hard. They are working on getting him to weight bear on his arms (in the crawling position) and legs. He tolerates it well; however, it is clear that it is hard for him and that he is not completely excited about it. They are really trying to get him to work on using his left hand. Some days he is more receptive to the idea than others. He rarely complains too much and is really working hard for all of his ladies. Hayden is hit and miss when it comes to feeding. Some days he does really well with the Gerber puffs, other days, he gags and vomits right away. Just being able to touch the sippy cup to his lips is a stroke of luck. Rarely, we can get him to take a sip or two. He is still not into the cup at all. With his reflux as bad as it is, his therapist says that he is associating eating with not feeling well, so this will probably be something we work on for quite some time. As for the sign language, that is not going well at all. Hayden loves the movements, but has not even begun to realize that they are a communication tool.

Hayden has finally starting babbling. His favorite words are "ba ba ba" and "da da da." It's so much fun to listen to him jabber. He is so happy when he's talking. When he gets on a roll, he gets so excited and makes many different sounds. Tony has decided that he even says I love my da da. I think that is wishful thinking Daddy. When he talks, his tongue moves so far to the left that it is hard to figure out what he is "saying." What a sweet sound!