Starting to lean in...
Almost there...
Got him!! (I was too slow for the actual kiss)
Big hug - now Andrew can go to bed :)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Two Months - Adjusted
Nathan is two months adjusted today!! After a very busy week, we have had a nice relaxing weekend at home. We can't believe how fast time is flying by and how big Nathan is getting. The boys are becoming the best of friends and Andrew loves to show it with his hugs and kisses for Nathan.
Starting to lean in...
Almost there...
Got him!! (I was too slow for the actual kiss)
Starting to lean in...
Almost there...
Got him!! (I was too slow for the actual kiss)
Friday, June 26, 2009
It's Friday
We have made it through yet another hectic week!! We started out with Nathan's first physical therapy session. Nathan handled everything very well and will receive PT twice a month for now.
Nathan underwent another MRI and we discussed the results with his neurosurgeon on Thursday. The cyst and fourth ventricle that we have been keeping a close eye on still haven't resolved. Pressure is starting to build up in Nathan's head and in due time, he will have to undergo another surgery to alleviate this issue. For now, his doctor wants Nathan to continue to thrive at home and not intervene until necessary. We obviously want Nathan to be as big as possible before having another surgery. We were hoping these areas would resolve on their own. Unfortunately it's not the case and another brain surgery is in Nathan's near future. We will wait for Nathan to tell us when that time will come. The waiting game is something Steve and I just cannot get used to.
We also toured and interviewed two of the three hearing impaired schools - Central Institute for the Deaf and St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. Both schools are amazing and the amount of support and technology available for the hearing impaired is awesome. We are anxious to visit the third school, The Moog Center for Deaf Education and then make a decision. Once we select a school, we will move forward to get Nathan fitted for hearing aids as soon as possible. Early intervention makes all the difference and we are fortunate to have such great schools within driving distance!!
Through all of this, Andrew remains the good little boy he has always been. He has no idea how he brightens up our days with his contagious smile and how his little eyes just light up our lives. Nathan even realizes it as he is already watching his older brother - Andrew LOVES to give Nathan kisses :) We are so blessed for our sons and only hope everything will soon settle down and we can figure out what normal will be for us.
Nathan underwent another MRI and we discussed the results with his neurosurgeon on Thursday. The cyst and fourth ventricle that we have been keeping a close eye on still haven't resolved. Pressure is starting to build up in Nathan's head and in due time, he will have to undergo another surgery to alleviate this issue. For now, his doctor wants Nathan to continue to thrive at home and not intervene until necessary. We obviously want Nathan to be as big as possible before having another surgery. We were hoping these areas would resolve on their own. Unfortunately it's not the case and another brain surgery is in Nathan's near future. We will wait for Nathan to tell us when that time will come. The waiting game is something Steve and I just cannot get used to.
We also toured and interviewed two of the three hearing impaired schools - Central Institute for the Deaf and St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. Both schools are amazing and the amount of support and technology available for the hearing impaired is awesome. We are anxious to visit the third school, The Moog Center for Deaf Education and then make a decision. Once we select a school, we will move forward to get Nathan fitted for hearing aids as soon as possible. Early intervention makes all the difference and we are fortunate to have such great schools within driving distance!!
Through all of this, Andrew remains the good little boy he has always been. He has no idea how he brightens up our days with his contagious smile and how his little eyes just light up our lives. Nathan even realizes it as he is already watching his older brother - Andrew LOVES to give Nathan kisses :) We are so blessed for our sons and only hope everything will soon settle down and we can figure out what normal will be for us.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Welcome, Benjamin Parrish!!
Congratulations Jason, Julie and Nicholas on the birth of your son/little brother!! We are so happy for you and are glad you all are home :) We can't wait to come visit and meet the newest Parrish!!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's Day!!
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!! This is Steve's 1st Father's Day with Nathan and 2nd with Andrew. We don't plan to keep up this pace with adding another kiddo each Father's Day - ha!! We would like to also wish PaPa and Pops an extra special Father's Day!! We love you all and are so blessed to have each of you in our lives!!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Busy Week
This week we have been busy with a lot of appointments, check-ups and meetings for little Nathan. We continue to have ups and downs, but are moving forward nevertheless.
We had our first appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) doctor and were given medical clearance for Nathan's hearing aids. The doctor also scheduled Nathan for a MRI and CT Scan to get a clear picture of his ears and rule out any other potential problems. Nathan must be sedated for these tests and cannot eat anything after midnight...I have NO idea how this will work considering he eats around the clock :( Needless to say, we can't wait to have this behind us. The tests are scheduled in a couple weeks.
We had another check-up with the GI doctor and Nathan is doing well with his acid reflux. We had switched medications a couple of weeks ago and it seems to be doing the trick!! Nathan continues to eat well and gain weight.
Nathan also had his 4 month check-up with the pediatrician. This was our first time in his office too, although his pediatrician has been following Nathan since birth in the NICU. Nathan now weighs 12 lbs, 4 oz and is 23 inches long!! He's growing like a weed!! Nathan received his second round of vaccinations and was quite the trooper. He definitely showed us his silent and then LOUD cry, but settled down after a few minutes. I joked with the doctor that it was a good thing we took him off his apnea monitor because that most likely would have alarmed too!!
And then to end the week, we met and documented Nathan's IFSP (Individual/Family Service Plan) through First Steps. This meeting took about two hours and outlined Nathan's physical and occupational therapy services. We will add auditory, assistive technology and developmental therapy once we decide on which hearing impaired school Nathan will attend.
We are on quite the information overload right now, but are keeping on top of everything. We must take one day at a time to prevent from getting too overwhelmed. We have another eventful week ahead of us and continue to hope for the best!!
We had our first appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) doctor and were given medical clearance for Nathan's hearing aids. The doctor also scheduled Nathan for a MRI and CT Scan to get a clear picture of his ears and rule out any other potential problems. Nathan must be sedated for these tests and cannot eat anything after midnight...I have NO idea how this will work considering he eats around the clock :( Needless to say, we can't wait to have this behind us. The tests are scheduled in a couple weeks.
We had another check-up with the GI doctor and Nathan is doing well with his acid reflux. We had switched medications a couple of weeks ago and it seems to be doing the trick!! Nathan continues to eat well and gain weight.
Nathan also had his 4 month check-up with the pediatrician. This was our first time in his office too, although his pediatrician has been following Nathan since birth in the NICU. Nathan now weighs 12 lbs, 4 oz and is 23 inches long!! He's growing like a weed!! Nathan received his second round of vaccinations and was quite the trooper. He definitely showed us his silent and then LOUD cry, but settled down after a few minutes. I joked with the doctor that it was a good thing we took him off his apnea monitor because that most likely would have alarmed too!!
And then to end the week, we met and documented Nathan's IFSP (Individual/Family Service Plan) through First Steps. This meeting took about two hours and outlined Nathan's physical and occupational therapy services. We will add auditory, assistive technology and developmental therapy once we decide on which hearing impaired school Nathan will attend.
We are on quite the information overload right now, but are keeping on top of everything. We must take one day at a time to prevent from getting too overwhelmed. We have another eventful week ahead of us and continue to hope for the best!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Home for One Month!!
Today Nathan has been home for one month!! We cannot believe it has been a month already. We have been super busy and the time is flying by way too quickly. We have a jam packed week ahead us with more doctors' appointments and a meeting to establish Nathan's Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) with First Steps for all of his therapy. We hope everything continues to move forward and we have no more set-backs!!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Congratulations, Erin & Tom!!
Today we celebrated Steve's brother, Tom and our new sister-in law, Erin's Marriage!! The Wedding ceremony was beautiful and their reception was a blast!! Congratulations - we are so happy for you both!!
The happy couple :)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Four Months Old!!
Nathan has reached yet another milestone and we cannot believe how much he has grown!! Recently, Nathan has undergone two long and extensive audiology tests, a follow-up EEG and a physical and occupational therapy assessment. We have received both good and bad news, but overall Nathan is hanging in there and continues to fight his battle.
The audiology tests showed that Nathan has moderately severe hearing loss in both ears. Initial prognosis is that he will be fitted with hearing aids to help in his speech and language development. Our next steps include visiting an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor and interviewing the three hearing impaired schools in the St. Louis area to choose which will best fit our family and especially Nathan's needs.
The EEG came back looking great. Each EEG continues to look better than the last and we are all thrilled with these results. Nathan remains on his seizure medications, but they seem to be doing the trick!!
Nathan's PT and OT assessment went well and he is on track for his adjusted age, but obviously behind for his actual age. The results from this assessment will aid in our formal plan for Nathan through the First Steps program. This program will support our family and Nathan with therapy until he turns three years old.
Please continue your prayers for our son. He continues to fight, but just can't seem to catch a break these past few weeks. We know we have TONS of support and we can't tell you just how much it means to us. We have a busy few months ahead of us, making lots of decisions for Nathan and we pray we get the very best for him!!
Sound asleep on Gigi's shoulder.
Chilling out on his boppy pillow.
The audiology tests showed that Nathan has moderately severe hearing loss in both ears. Initial prognosis is that he will be fitted with hearing aids to help in his speech and language development. Our next steps include visiting an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor and interviewing the three hearing impaired schools in the St. Louis area to choose which will best fit our family and especially Nathan's needs.
The EEG came back looking great. Each EEG continues to look better than the last and we are all thrilled with these results. Nathan remains on his seizure medications, but they seem to be doing the trick!!
Nathan's PT and OT assessment went well and he is on track for his adjusted age, but obviously behind for his actual age. The results from this assessment will aid in our formal plan for Nathan through the First Steps program. This program will support our family and Nathan with therapy until he turns three years old.
Please continue your prayers for our son. He continues to fight, but just can't seem to catch a break these past few weeks. We know we have TONS of support and we can't tell you just how much it means to us. We have a busy few months ahead of us, making lots of decisions for Nathan and we pray we get the very best for him!!
Sound asleep on Gigi's shoulder.
Chilling out on his boppy pillow.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Our Grandmas
This week has been even more difficult than most because both Steve & I had to say good-bye to our Grandmas. Never in a million years did we ever think we would both lose our Grandmas within weeks of each other and celebrate their lives within days. Here's a poem I came across - Grandma Bruemer and Grandma Heitman, we love you and miss you!!
Grandmothers are blessings from heaven above
Each one is handpicked, only for us
They have special gifts, that bring a smile to our face
And we know when they're gone, they cannot be replaced
This place where they go, when they leave us on Earth
Is too beautiful by far, this place of their birth
God gave us this time, to share her with us.
But it's time to go home, to his place up above
No worries or woes to ever deal with
Just flowers and sunshine, complete total bliss
She'll watch from above, to make sure that we're safe
Always sneaking a peek, while you're asleep or awake
You'll never forget them, nor will they forget you
And they'll hold you your place, you know this is true
So don't mourn me too long, for I'm now safe at home
With my God, friends and loved ones, I'm never alone
Grandmothers are blessings from heaven above
Each one is handpicked, only for us
They have special gifts, that bring a smile to our face
And we know when they're gone, they cannot be replaced
This place where they go, when they leave us on Earth
Is too beautiful by far, this place of their birth
God gave us this time, to share her with us.
But it's time to go home, to his place up above
No worries or woes to ever deal with
Just flowers and sunshine, complete total bliss
She'll watch from above, to make sure that we're safe
Always sneaking a peek, while you're asleep or awake
You'll never forget them, nor will they forget you
And they'll hold you your place, you know this is true
So don't mourn me too long, for I'm now safe at home
With my God, friends and loved ones, I'm never alone
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