Dear Friends,
Hope you are adjusting to the heat of the summer and enjoying vacation season.
We are very busy these days preparing for the arrival of baby boy #2, due in less than 4 weeks. My pregnancy has gone well and now I’m just dealing with being big and uncomfortable (oh, and HOT!!!!!). I plan to start my maternity leave from work at the end of this week and hope to use the “extra” time to line up several more services and equipment needs for Nathan – not to mention cleaning, laundry, etc… I hope to even do a little bit of scrap-booking for Nathan’s memorabilia in between his 8 weekly therapies.
Nathan has had a good few months. Late spring was rough with several colds, ear infections, pneumonia, adjusting to a new formula, and new teeth. But, he has come thru it like a champ and is now well adjusted with 4 big teeth and more on the way. Along with feeling better, he has become much more active. His arms and legs are moving all the time. He can still only roll from his back to his sides, but he would like to do more if his body would cooperate. He enjoys being propped in a sitting position, and likes to bat at those really annoying musical toys that play the same song over and over (you know the ones that you swore you would never get for your own kids). So, lets just say that I spend a lot of time humming “this old man…”. He can now clap his hands together which is quite an accomplishment for him. He has started water therapy which he absolutely loves and we now spend quite a bit of time in our own swimming pool. He is eating less than ½ teaspoon of banana orally each day and absolutely loves it. We’ve got a long way to go to get off of a feeding tube (if ever), but it is great to be able to give him something else that he can enjoy. Cognitively – he is still about the same. He has several sounds in his repertoire, smiles and coos, and has started crying to let us know when he is bored or lonely.
We had a great trip to Indiana for Memorial Day. Nathan did wonderfully on the airplane and we even got bumped up to 1st class on one leg of the trip which made a world of difference in trying to juggle Nathan. We got to see lots of friends and family and Jim even got to go the Indy 500 with my brother-in-law (who, by the way, got the tickets from the winner of the race).
We are still challenged logistically by Nathan’s growing size and getting appropriate equipment to help get him (and us) around. We have postponed thoughts of several things until we get into a groove with the new baby, but I already know that pushing a stroller and a wheelchair at the same time is just not going to work J. I’m sure it is a matter of only one or two more years before we are forced to either move to a 1 story house or do some major remodeling, but we hate thinking about it now. Every day, I continue to fight with insurance companies, service providers, or medical equipment companies for something. I cannot believe how inefficient and ineffective these systems are. But, we just take it one day at a time, and eventually know that Nathan will make a difference in the system somehow.
Madison is starting kindergarten in a few more weeks and has been having a great summer. She talks non-stop about having a new baby, so hopefully the excitement will continue after he is actually here. Come to think of it, Nathan’s nurse, Sandy, is also very ecstatic about a new baby in the family J.
We look forward to hearing from everyone. Jim is insisting that I get more technologically hip and start our journal on a blog. So, after this update, I will attempt to change my archaic habits. Stay tuned J – our next update will probably be a baby announcement.
With Love, Tricia, Jim, Madison & Nathan
