Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Glory to God in the Highest

Caleb made an appearance in a recent video for the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma. The video was for their recent board meeting, and I got permission to share it with all of you! Caleb's part starts at 1:28.

Santa

We took Caleb to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop on Friday evening. He wasn't so sure about Santa but he did enjoy watching the toy cars with Daddy and carrying around a packet of chili mix that he grabbed while we were doing a little Christmas shopping.

And just because I've been having fun comparing Caleb's photos from last year and this year, here's his Santa photo from 2012. Sweet, little baby!

No Bandages!

Per doctor's orders, I removed Caleb's bandages this morning. Aside from a few brief glimpses during bandage changes at the surgeon's office, today was my first time to see Caleb's hand since surgery three and a half weeks ago. It looks pretty gross right now, but the swelling will go down soon. The scabs will flake off little by little over the next few days and weeks. I didn't ask the surgeon about the stitches, but I'm guessing they'll dissolve or fall out. At least one stitch already fell out today. Caleb returns to the surgeon in early January.

Happy to have his bandages off

Trying to figure out what's different

Before surgery

3.5 weeks after surgery

Hand Surgery Recovery #3

Caleb had his three week post-op appointment with the hand surgeon this afternoon. The surgeon is pleased with how Caleb's fingers are healing. He rewrapped them and told me to remove the bandages in three days. We'll then be able to start gently washing his hand., and the scabs will gradually start flaking off. Unless we have some concerns between now and then, Caleb won't go back to the surgeon for a check-up until early January,

He will be able to return to Mother's Day Out and the church nursery next week! I do worry about the other kids in MDO and nursery messing with his hand while it continues to heal, but I'm glad that we'll be able to return to our regular schedule.

Snow Day

OKC received around 4-4.5" of snow on Thursday afternoon and Thursday night. Work was cancelled for both Brad and me on Friday, so we spent the day at home with Caleb. We bundled up and went outside for a few minutes Friday morning. Caleb wasn't too interested in playing in the snow, but he was all smiles when Daddy brushed the snow off of his swing and let him go for a ride. 

Caleb's First Birthday

I just realized that I never posted anything about Caleb's birthday. We invited family and a few close friends over to the house to celebrate Caleb's big day. Most of my party photos are on our old computer, but here are a couple that I have on my new computer.

Rather than gifts, we asked Caleb's birthday party guests to bring donations for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of OKC. The house needed cleaning supplies, paper goods, snack foods, bedding, etc, and our family/friends were so generous! The cargo area of my Jeep was packed with donations! When Brad, Caleb and I delivered the donations to the house, we had the opportunity to meet with the executive director. She took us on a tour, and we discussed some volunteer opportunities. Brad and I are still discussing how we want volunteer, fund raise, and collect donations for the local house. We'll be sure to share more as we recruit our family and friends for help!

After the party guests left and Caleb went to bed, Brad and I spent some time reminiscing about the last year. As we were talking about all the wonderful nurses Caleb had, I received a call on my cell phone from an unknown number. I usually ignore those calls, but I went ahead and answered. It was Caleb's first nurse! She was in the delivery room with us and took amazing care of Caleb during his first few hours before he was transferred to a different hospital's NICU. She also went out of her way to make Brad and I feel at ease during a very uneasy time. Her call on Caleb's birthday was so unexpected but so appreciated! I still cry every time I think about it!

The day after his birthday, we took cookies to the NICU where he spent his first ten days. We got to see a couple of his nurses and doctors while we were there. It was a great way to end a wonderful first birthday weekend!

Hand Surgery Recovery #2

Caleb had his two-week post-op appointment today. His bandages were removed, so it was my first opportunity to see his "released" fingers. A resident removed the bandages, and I think she may have pulled a little too hard on the last layer of bandages. His fingers started bleeding a little, and Caleb started screaming! She left the room, and I spent several minutes trying to console my very inconsolable child. He was so mad and obviously in some pain. The surgeon returned and worked on the bandages a little more. He told the resident that the skin graft had been "disturbed". Maybe that's because she pulled too hard a few minutes before. The surgeon rewrapped Caleb's fingers and said to return in 10 days. He said he expects Caleb's hand to be fine next week, so maybe that "disturbed skin graft" isn't a big deal.

He can't go to Mother's Day Out or the church nursery until at least after his next appointment. But some good news... his skin graft site on his groin is healing well! We dont have to keep that area bandaged anymore! And Caleb can take real baths now! No more sponge baths! We will have to keep his bandaged hand dry, but I'm so glad I can bathe the rest of his body now!

Hand Surgery Recovery

It's been one week since Caleb's hand surgery! I took Caleb to see the surgeon last Thursday, and he'll go back next Monday. I think he'll get his bandages off at his next appointment. He seems to be doing really well. He hasn't needed any Tylenol the last few days, and he doesn't ever mess with the bandages. It probably helps that I keep the arm bandages covered most of the time, and the groin bandage is covered by his pants.

(Sorry for the poor-quality iPhone pics) 

Syndactyly Surgery

Caleb had his syndactyly release surgery on his right hand this morning. We arrived at the hospital shortly before 5:30 and were taken to a pre-op room shortly before 6:00. After getting his vitals checked, we spent time playing, reading, and taking photos (cue eye roll from Brad).

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb seemed like an appropriate book to read before surgery. 

Above is one last look at his right hand before surgery. We won't see his "released" hand for at least a week, maybe two.

He was taken back to the OR at 7:00. It took about 30 minutes to prep him, and the surgeon started at 7:30. The surgery took about 2.5 hours. The surgeon came out to the waiting room afterward, and then Brad and I were both able to go back to recovery and be with him around 10:30. 

He was very fussy for quite a while during recovery, and we thought it was just because he was waking up from anesthesia. We tried all sorts of things to get him to calm down. Offering him juice, offering him water, breathing in humidified air, breathing in some supplemental oxygen, covering him with warm blankets, rocking, bouncing, etc. Eventually, the nurses decided that he was probably in some pain. A dose of Tylenol/codeine and he felt quite a bit better. Sorry it took us all so long to figure that one out, Caleb! 

We were able to take him home around 1:00. Caleb has slept off and on for most of the afternoon/evening. When he has been awake, he has been wanting to eat and drink. He hasn't had any pain medicine since 11:30, but we will probably give him a dose right before bedtime. 

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Caleb and for those who sent us thoughtful messages today. Thanks to Jen for giving us some BabyLegs that her son no longer needed. I was able to modify them with my sewing machine, and now they're cute bandage covers for Caleb's arm! Thanks also to our sweet neighbor who prepared a delicious dinner for us this evening! 

Caleb's One Year Photos

Here are some of Caleb's one year photos, as well as a few family photos we had taken during the same session.

 





 

 

 

 

MMR Reaction or a Virus?

When Caleb was a few weeks old, we had the vaccine conversation with our pediatrician. Should we vaccinate? Should we follow an alternate schedule or the one recommended by the AAP? Do vaccines cause Autism? You know... all those things you hear about on the evening news and at the "natural baby" stores. As expected, our pediatrician recommended the traditional vaccination schedule and said that the vaccine/Autism research has been discredited. We considered her thoughts and decided to follow her recommendations.

Caleb had his one year check-up on Tuesday, October 29th and received several vaccines (MMR, varicella, flu, and another one that I can't remember right now). Aside from a few tears during and immediately after the shots, Caleb did fine. No fever or other issues... until Sunday, November 3rd. He sounded a little congested Sunday morning and a little "hoarse" when he cried. He took a brief nap before church, and he also took a nap in the church nursery. The nap at church isn't abnormal but definitely strange since he had napped before church too. At lunch, he refused to eat and was very irritable. Brad and I took turns holding him, and eventually, he fell asleep. Nap #3 before 2:00pm. Caleb's pediatrician is a partner at two pediatric after hours clinics in OKC, so I called both to see if she was working that day. She wasn't, but we decided to go ahead and take him to the location closest to our house. The triage nurse thought he had croup, but I knew he didn't. He had croup before, and this was definitely not the same thing. The doctor said his throat was very red and swollen. He tested negative for strep, so she said it was probably a virus.

The sore throat, hoarse cry, and irritability continued for a few more days, accompanied with very restless nights and a low-grade fever. On Wednesday, Nov 6th, a rash appeared on his torso. Brad called the pediatrician's office and spoke with a nurse (not Caleb's regular nurse). She said "That's his MMR reaction." She said it would run its course in a few days and to give him Tylenol to keep him comfortable. The rash spread to his arms and legs the next day, so I called the nurse again. She still insisted it was a reaction to the MMR. No mention of a possible virus.

By Sunday, Nov 10th, he started feeling a little better. The rash started going away, and he hadn't had a fever for a couple days. Even though he was improving, I took him to the pediatrician's office on Monday, Nov 11th. Caleb's hand surgery pre-op appointment was scheduled for the next day, and I wanted to make sure the pediatrician thought he'd be okay for surgery the following week. She examined him and said that she couldn't say for sure if it was a reaction or a virus. Since his throat was fine and the rash was going away, she diagnosed him with an "improving virus" and said he'd be fine for surgery.

It's been 2.5 weeks since Caleb received his vaccine, and it's been almost two weeks since symptoms appeared. He seems to be feeling fine and is back to sleeping 11-12 hours each night (thank goodness!). We don't know for sure if Caleb had a reaction to the MMR vaccine or a virus, but all of his symptoms do line up with what we've read online about MMR reactions. Who knows.

I don't blame Caleb's pediatrician for the vaccine recommendation she gave us, and we don't regret the decisions we made based on the info we had at the time. We don't know yet how we'll approach his vaccines in the future, but we've got time to figure that out. For now, we're trying to catch up on lost sleep and prepare for Caleb's hand surgery on Monday.

Hand Surgery Pre-op

Caleb's third surgery of 2013 is right around the corner... next Monday, Nov 18th! Caleb has syndactyly, and the surgery is to separate his middle finger and ring finger on his right hand.

Caleb had his pre-op appointment this afternoon. We completed all of the registration paperwork and got the surgery day instructions. We have to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 Monday morning. I don't know what time the surgery is scheduled for, but my guess is sometime around 7:30-8:00. The surgery should take about four hours. It is an outpatient surgery, so we should be back home Monday afternoon/evening. 

Caleb also has syndactyly on his left hand, and he'll have surgery on that hand sometime in early 2014.

Buddy Walk and Run for T21 5k

We attended our first Buddy Walk on Saturday, October 19th. The day started with the Run for T21 5k. It was so cold outside at 8:00am, so Brad and Caleb ate breakfast at Starbucks while I ran. Immediately following the 5k, the Buddy Walk started at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. About 25-30 of our friends and family came to support Caleb. From 9:00 to noon, we visited and let the kids enjoy all the Buddy Walk activities! At noon, we joined all of the other teams for a walk around the ballpark to show support for people with Down syndrome. Team Caleb raised $2909.00 for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma!

12 Month Recap

Weight: 17lb, 6oz

Length: 27"

Clothing size: Mostly 9 month, but he wears a few 12 month shirts and pants. He wears size 3 infant shoes.

Diaper size: size 3

Eating: For breakfast, Caleb drinks 5-6 ounces of formula from a bottle and eats purees. At lunch, he drinks 4-5 ounces of formula from his straw cup. He also eats purees at lunch. He drinks another 3-4 ounces from his straw cup mid-afternoon and eats a snack (diced fruits, turkey, cheese, graham cracker sticks, Puffs, etc.). At dinner, he eats purees, Puffs, and little bites of whatever Brad and I are eating. He drinks 4-5 ounces of formula from a bottle before going to bed. 

Sleeping: Caleb goes to sleep around 8:00pm and wakes up around 7:00am. He naps a couple times during the day, and those naps are anywhere from 0.5-2 hours. I'm trying to get him to nap in his crib, but that's a battle I'm not winning right now. He only wants to naps while I hold him or while he's in his car seat.

Highlights of the month: Caleb got his second tooth, started standing with assistance, and is babbling more and more every day. His favorite thing to say is "Da da da". He also says "Ba ba ba". I only hear "Ma ma ma" when he's really upset.

 

Happy Birthday!

What a wonderful day of celebrating Caleb's first birthday! I plan to write a longer birthday recap post in a few days, but I just had to share a couple iPhone pics from his big day.

Wichita

Brad, Caleb and I spent a great weekend with friends in Wichita, KS! The guys played golf while the girls took the kids to Botanica on Saturday afternoon. My future botanist was in Heaven with all the plants! And this morning, Katy and I ran our first half marathon! My time was a little slower than I had hoped but not too bad for my first attempt.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month! To kick off the month, here are a few pics of my favorite two "chromosomally enhanced" boys. Caleb and Emerson had a great time at the library and then playing at Emerson's house this morning.