Small Victories

These days, I relish the seemingly insignificant accomplishments in Ike's young life. We were told that because of his ever-expanding head size, he would most likely be behind other babies his age in the area of motor skill development. "His neck is too weak to hold up that melon," the doctor said. Well, this weekend, Ike proved that he's a little go-getter! I couldn't believe what I was seeing when, after getting fed up with laying on his stomach, Ike lifted up his big ol' dome and flipped himself right over to his back! After referring to Noah's baby book, I found that, when it comes to this particular skill, Ike beat Noah by 4 days. I guess he just couldn't stand the thought of losing to a girl.

Fun With Body Parts!

My kids spend a lot of time wearing nothing but diapers. We don't get out much and I HATE doing laundry, so I've found a system that works for us...clothing optional. Noah's increasing curiosity about anything and everything is making me rethink my no clothes policy. A few weeks ago, Noah was admiring her little brother (or plotting his demise, who knows), when she casually pointed to those two little round things on his chest and said "Doh?" "Doh" is the word Noah uses when she doesn't know the name of something and would like you to tell her what that something is. I was planning on changing the subject (i.e. "Where's Elmo?" or "Let's sing Jesus Loves Me!") when Jordan flippantly responded, "nipple!" Crap. My daughter is like an elephant...she never forgets. As I gave Jordan dirty looks and he laughed uncontrollably, Noah proceeded to repeat the word nipple about 17 times. Awesome. Fast forward a few days and Jordan is reading Noah a story...he happened to be shirtless at the time (I'm sure you see where this is going.) Noah interrupted him by touching his nipple and proudly saying "Daddy nipple!" What my husband found hilarious only a few days earlier was now very awkward for him...ah, sweet revenge. He told her, "don't touch" and hoped that would be the end of it. Not wanting to disobey, she decided to hold her little index finger about an inch away from the aforementioned body part, look at both of us, and proclaim, "No touch, daddy nipple!" That's my girl! :o)

Waiting Sucks.

What a looooong week! I'll try to give you the shortest version possible, so here goes nothin'. As I noted in a previous post, Ike was scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday. Well, we went...and the doctor called me back 3 hours later to discuss the results. When you get results that quickly, you know things can't be good. Turns out, Ike has excess fluid on his brain (hence the giant head). We were referred to the Phoenix Children's Hospital Neurology Center for further analysis, but of course, we couldn't get in until Friday (today). I can honestly say, those four days were the longest I have ever experienced. Note to self: DO NOT do internet research when you have no idea what you're dealing with...that didn't help my anxiety in the least! Anyway, Jordan and I took Ike to his appointment this morning. In addition to Ike's Plagiocephaly and Torticollis (flat-head and tight neck muscles for the layperson), he has approximately 8 mm of fluid on his brain. Normal levels are around 2-3 mm. The doctor explained that anywhere from 5-10 mm is considered a mild prominence of fluid. However, these fluid levels can change rapidly, so now we have to bring him in every month to be examined. There's a strong possibility that he has what is called "benign subdural of infancy", meaning it will go away on its own by the time he turns 1 (without treatment). If his fluid levels go above 15 mm, he will need brain surgery. They will insert a shunt into his brain and the fluid will drain through a tube that will go from his brain into his abdomen. The shunt will be taken out around age 3. Needless to say, we are praying that he has the benign form. For now, we are doing "physical therapy" and 4 hours of tummy time each day with him at home (to correct the flat-head and neck muscle issues).

So now we find ourselves with a daughter who may need heart surgery (she has a Ventricular Septal Defect...aka tiny hole in her heart that we've known about since she was born) and a son who may need brain surgery. Both kids require monthly/yearly visits to a specialist, and we really don't know when we'll find out what's going to happen with either of them. All we can do is wait. Ugh. Isn't waiting the worst? I remember being a little kid and getting so impatient for the new school year to start...ah the good ol' days.

Well, that's where we're at right now. Just waiting and praying. And if you'd like to help us out in the prayer department, we sure would appreciate it.

A Much Needed Time-Out

Today was WONDERFUL! My sister was kind enough to come pick up Noah and take her to my parents' house ALL DAY!!!! I like to think of it as a sort of "time-out" for me. Ike is very easy, so I was able to get a ton of stuff done. I'm even cooking dinner tonight! I know, normal people do that all the time, but I'm not normal. This has been a rough week so far (I'll elaborate later), and I really needed this. But now I miss my little Cheeks Magee, so I'll be happy to have her home this evening. FYI, this picture of Noah sitting in the corner was taken during an actual time-out...she spends a lot of time there these days. :)

the little things

Jordan's friend's wife was rushed to the hospital a couple nights ago. It looks like she's going to be ok, but it was a scary day for their family. Jordan and I were both praying for her and it looks like God has answered those prayers. It's nice to know that God cares about the big things in life. I think we expect Him to...I mean, He's God! That's His job, right? But what about the little things? I'm not talking about hangnails or forgetting to DVR your favorite show. I'm talking about those things that aren't just tiny annoyances, but also aren't astronomical on the "God scale." For instance...

This summer has been one of those summers. You know, when everything that can go wrong seems to...and all at once! First, our dog Layla had to have expensive x-rays because she'd been limping. Turns out she has hip displasia and will be on medication for the rest of her life. Wonderful. Then, our air conditioner started leaking water into our bedroom closet. Lovely. Next, our exterminator found evidence of termites, so there went 600 bones for termite treatment. Perfect. Now, as I mentioned in my last post, Ike has to have a head ultrasound and will possibly need to be fitted for a helmet (which is apparently not covered by insurance and can cost between 2 and 3 grand!!!) FANTASTIC! Finally, today, after Jordan came home from work, he decided to go to the gym...and wouldn't you know, his car wouldn't start. The engine was making funny noises, but all of the interior lights and buttons were working, so it couldn't be the battery, right? Well, I decided that, even though car trouble seemed like one of those "little things" (especially compared to what Jordan's friend's family was going through), it was something worth praying about. So I did. Jordan went back outside and decided to try to give his car a jump with my car. Praise the Lord, it WORKED!!! Yep, God does care about the little things...we just need to have faith and let Him prove it every once in a while.

My flat-headed blue-eyed son...

Today was Ike's 2 month well-check! As we suspected, he's a BIG boy! He's not as fat as I thought he was (only 13 lbs 4 oz), but he's already 25 inches long (95th percentile!) After the nurse did his measurements, the doctor came in and immediately asked me about his head...uh oh. Apparently, Ike has what is known as "positional plagiocephaly" (aka "flat-head syndrome"). Basically, Ike is such a good sleeper that his head has flattened in the back due to the constant pressure. Now we get to take him to Phoenix Children's Hospital to have an ultrasound on his giant flat head. In the mean time, we have to keep Ike off of the back of his head whenever possible. This means a lot of tummy time (which he hates), and sitting in the Bumbo (which is difficult because he still can't hold up his own head). After two months, if his head isn't showing major improvement, he gets fitted for a helmet. Needless to say, I spent the majority of this afternoon/evening bending and twisting Ike like my old Gumby doll I had when I was a kid...anything to keep him off the back of his head. It's amazing what lengths you'll go to when you picture your kid in the nursery wearing a giant helmet while all the other babies point and laugh. No, I refuse to let my kid be the nursery nerd. Anyway, we've had nothing but good experiences with the staff at PCH (Noah goes there to see her cardiologist), so I'm sure they will take good care of him. Even though the news about Ike's head was rather discouraging, the appointment did end on a good note. According to the doctor, I have a blue-eyed son! Jordan and I both have blue-eyed people in our families, but we both have brown eyes (his also have a tiny bit of green in them). Ike's eyes are very blue, but I thought for sure they would morph into brown as he got older. Not so, says the doctor! I am so excited! I've always wanted a blue-eyed baby, but I didn't think it was even possible! That God, He's a tricky one!