Keeping up with Grant

Life is never dull. This morning at 4am Jim dialed 911 and within 3 minutes we had a firetruck, ambulance and police cars at our house. Thankfully, it was for me and not Grant. It turns out that I am allergic to the pain medication they gave me after the surgery and when I took my 4am dose I had enough built up in my system that I started having horrible chest pain, stomach pain and many other weird symptoms.

They rushed me to the hospital where I had chest x-rays, CT scan, and ultrasound and blood work done. (They thought I might have had a blood clot.) But, thankfully it was nothing serious. As I lay there with an oxygen canula strapped to my nose I thought about how many times Grant has had to go through the same tests. Yuck.

I'm home now and trying to get some rest. Thanks for your prayers for a speedy recovery.

Charming Snapshots

Ankle surgery was successful. I'm in a lot of pain and missing my baby, but Grant's cute 9 month photos brought a smile to my face. Check out www.charmingsnapshots.com under the blog of today's date (scroll down past the pregnant women) to see his adorable photos. :)

Ankle surgery

Tomorrow is the big day for my ankle surgery. Please pray for a successful surgery and quick recovery. Thank you to all the friends and family who are providing meals and care for Grant while I'm out of commission.

Who did this to my hair?

"Da Da!"

Yesterday Grant said "Dada" for the first time! He had not been making any sounds (besides a high pitched squeal of delight) since he used to babble as a baby. We've heard mumblings of a speech delay from various people evaluating Grant and have been praying that he'd start trying to communicate with us. So, we were very delighted to hear Grant saying "words" yesterday.

My favorite daddy son moment came tonight during dinner. While Jim and I were eating dinner (Grant was already in bed), we heard a distinct "dada" cry through the baby monitor. Jim jumped out of his chair faster than I thought possible. He started running up the stairs (in the dark) and I all of a sudden heard a huge crash and then a scream (from Jim!). I could hear him quietly comforting his boy through the baby monitor and then he came limping downstairs with a bloody toe. But, he had a huge grin plastered on his face. It was worth it. :)

Happy Grant

A visit to the zoo

Mom and Grandpa took me to the zoo, but they didn't want to take me out of my stroller because I hate getting buckled back in. So, they tried to give me the best view possible...

Mr. Mischief

Evaluation by Early On

Today Grant had his evaluation with Early On, an early intervention program for kids with medical conditions and developmental delays. I think they did a great job and saw a pretty accurate picture of Grant. They said he's on track for most things (he can throw a ball better than most 18 month olds!), but he shows signs of a speech delay, crawling issue and stiff muscles. Hopefully these things can be corrected with different kinds of therapy. We've got more appointments set up to evaluate him further. She did think that Grant was a ton of fun, especially when he'd do something, smile and clap for himself. :)

Unfortunately, Grant has the flu. We're trying our best to keep him hydrated and will have to see the doctor tomorrow if he's not better. Please pray for a speedy recovery.

Grant and his buddy Jack

Congratulations Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Josh!

What's with this goofy crawl?

Grant started crawling yesterday on all fours. He loves being able to get across the room and into everything that he's not supposed to!

Unfortunately, when I say crawl, his crawl does not look like a normal baby crawl. He is crawling using three limbs and dragging his right foot behind. At first we thought this was kind of cute, but after further discussion with our OT, we realize that it could signify some sort of problem in the brain. Since he was born Grant's right side of the body has been behaving differently than the left. Nothing huge, just the way that he grasps things and moves them. I have mentioned it to our ped, but she didn't see anything that made her concerned.

We'll try to get Grant in to see someone next week. In the meantime, please pray for peace for me. I'm not sure I can handle one more doctor or one more serious problem with my little boy. And, as always, thanks for your prayers for total healing.

"Welcome to the attachment phase!"

Grant is MR.Clingy these days. He loves to be snuggled by his mommy all the time. When the phone rings and mommy answers it, he cries. When she puts him in his pack and play to make dinner he raises up his arms and grunts. Did I mention Grant is clingy? It's nice to know I'm loved and all, but sheeeeh, how do moms of 8 month olds get anything done???

Between knocking over stacks of blocks and eating anything he can get his hands on, Grant is scooting all over the room on his bottom. We're still working on exercises everyday to develop skills for crawling and walking. He's getting closer everyday.

Two docs today

Today Grant saw both the pulmonolgist and the GI specialist. The good news is that Grant's lungs are clear of signs of pneuomonia. The not to great news is that his lungs still look just as bad as they did at our last visit, despite the new medication.

I asked if there is anything we could do. To quote the doctor, "There are some kids who we just don't want catching colds and Grant is one of them, so carry hand sanitizer with you everywhere." So, we continue to be super careful and pray that his lungs will heal.

Grant continues to enjoy his solids and is drinking a couple oz a day from a straw. The other day when our occupational therapist was working with Grant he started crying, (She was making him work!)so we offered him some Gerber puffs and he stopped crying immediately. She looked at me and said, "did you ever think we'd be bribing your kid with food?!" We've come a long way!