Facebook, I'm in

Well, it look as though the time has come...I must join Facebook. I am probably one of a handful of Americans-- or people across the world with Internet access-- without Facebook, and I, honestly, am quite content with my decision. I didn't really feel like I was missing out on too much. And, as an added bonus, I think it really helped my time management skills (or lack there of) to not have it. However, in this technological age, apparently it is necessary in order to keep up with your child's school. Yes, people, my number one reason for getting Facebook is to know the preschool schedule, field trips, etc. Otherwise, my sweet son might miss some big event, and we would never even know it. :) And I guess we can't have that. (Actually if we never knew the difference, it would probably be okay, but ya know...) I don't want him to miss out on fun stuff because his mama is stuck in the dark ages. So, "Facebook, I'm in."

Next Steps

Our sweet little guy is nearing his first birthday. In some ways, time has absolutely flown by, but at the same time, I can't remember my life before him. He has been an amazing addition to our family, and we are so thankful that he is doing as well as he is. It absolutely melts my heart to watch his big brother love him in huge ways. His smile and laugh really do have the ability to light up a room. He is precious, and I feel so blessed to get to be his and Brant's mother.

As his birthday draws near, we still have some unanswered questions regarding his health. Many of the "what-ifs" over the last year revolved around how he was doing at magic number one. The doctors have wanted to give him time to catch-up and gain some ground before looking at more possibilities. There is a protocol to follow, and I do understand and appreciate their approach. I think they believe in giving kids who have a sort of rocky start to growth and digestion a chance to recover and thrive before subjecting them to more testing. Many children do tend to "take off" after the appropriate medical intervention and of course, that is still our hope for Beckett. When he was first hospitalized with the diagnosis of failure to thrive, we all thought that once on the proper special formula and reflux meds, he would grow and chunk up. To be quite honest, I think he has surprised the doctors as he continues to be a "little puzzle." His formula intake is good, and he exceeds their minimum calorie count every day. We are still looking for an explanation as to why our son doesn't grow at the typical rate and why his digestive system basically doesn't work. We have learned that sometimes there is no "why," but we want to give it a search first.

So, after months of research and prayer, we have decided to contact a team of doctors at the Colo-rectal Center for Children at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. This is the number one rated children's gastrointestinal department of all the children's hospitals in the nations. I guess we figured if we are going to get a second opinion, why not go to the top rated place? This is the only colo-rectal center for children in the nation, and they have helped countless children with severe idiopathic constipation, Hirschsprung's Disease, and other GI disorders. I have heard many positive stories from other mothers. So I emailed one of the lead doctors, and they are interested in helping us with Beckett. We have sent all of his medical records and radiological images to Cincinnati, and we are waiting for the team to review his case, and decide if they have any ideas of how to help Beckett. They will then decide if we need to pack up and head to Cincinnati so they can treat and care for our little guy. Of course, the doctors there could also decide that there is nothing they would do differently with their treatment then what is already being done. From my research, I do know that if there is no other diagnosis (such as Hirschsprung's disease), they treat with the same medications as our doctors here. It could be up to 6 weeks before we hear their review of his case. We are just looking forward to having another set of eyes review Beckett's history to ensure that we are doing everything possible for him.

We are thankful for our doctors here and the great job they have done "maintaining" Beckett. We are blessed that he has been watched very carefully and has avoided infections such as enterocolitis (a serious infection of the small intestine and colon which is often a complication of Hirschsprung's Disease or severe, chronic constipation.) They have been steady and helpful throughout the course of the year, constantly reminding me that it is a marathon, not a sprint. We have to troubleshoot and try new and different things slowly in order to get a better idea of what is going on. It can just be so hard as a parent to have patience when it comes to your child's health care. While we think TCH has done a good job of keeping Beckett GI system moving (he now vomits very rarely and has a bowel movement every 1 to 2 days), we are looking to Cincinnati for the possiblility of a larger umbrella diagnosis that might cause his list of problems or for an unlikely oversight of Hirschsprung's. We also would just like to hear from another set of doctors about how they would treat our son's motility disorder in order to possibly have some options.

In addition to the doctors in Cincinnati reviewing Beckett's case, our doctors here are beginning to look into more possible explanations for his slow growth such as rare metabolic disorders. After he turns one, and we see where he is growth-wise, his GI team will consider what needs to happen next, if anything. For now, our pediatrician has decided to refer us to a geneticist to get the ball rolling with that set of testing. Our appointment with the geneticist is not until the end of November, but he is on a waiting list should something become available sooner. We are hoping for sooner.

We spent some time deciding if we wanted to share all of this information here, but ultimately what we need right now is prayer. We are juggling a lot in this next phase of Beckett's health care...trying to learn why? Please be praying that as the doctor's in Cincinnati review Beckett's medical history, they would be careful and wise. I pray that God would make any important and pertinent part of Beckett's records jump out to the doctors. I pray for patience while we wait for these next steps to take place. I pray that we will feel confident in the answers we get, while at the same time, having the wisdom to know when to keep looking. I pray for peace. Please pray that Beckett would just miraculously start gaining weight and digesting his formula on his own (without drugs). We believe in prayer, and we are so thankful for all of your prayers for our family. Thanks for checking on us and praying for sweet Beckett and the doctors as this next phase of diagnostics begins. Thank you.

P.S. I apologize for the wordiness of this post...I am one tired momma, and sometimes I can't get all my thoughts together. Thanks for understanding. :)

A Farewell to the Puppies (and something I enjoy)

His favorite new trick...

Little man on the loose! Determined to get out of that chair!

Beckett's puppy room has seen us through many sleepless nights. Nights that felt as though they may never end. Nights filled with pacing in circles to keep him calm. Nights worrying about what would happen next. Nights of holding him upright in the rocking chair so that he would sleep calmly. Nights learning to work a feeding pump. Nights where he wasn't allowed to eat in preparation for the next day's procedures. Nights filled with tears. Nights of prayer. And then also, days of prayer. Days of thanks. Days of wonderful firsts...first smiles, first laughs, first rolls, first peek-a-boos, first babbles, first discoveries. Days of sunshine! It has been good to us. The puppies have been the predictable part of every day since his birth. I had fun spending a lot of time and energy picking the puppies and finding people to help make the bedding and curtains. (Thanks Mom, Jonnie, and Misty). I painted. I decorated. Yes, the puppy room has been very good to us. It has seen us through this year of ups and downs and up again. I will always love Beckett's first bedroom. But it is time to bid it farewell!

I have decided that we are going to kick Beckett's second year off with a bright, fresh start. I have found the perfect thing to fit Beckett's fun and silly personality. It is wonderfully cheery and absolutely precious. It still has a lot of brown in it, so I will be able to ultilize many of the same basic, core parts of his room. Also, decorating and painting is just something I enjoy doing. It is fun for me...a hobby. I love a new project-filled with paint colors and fabric swatches and everything crafty. So it is kind of for me, too. :) I think it should be fun.

In order to give the puppy room the proper send off, I attempted to take B's picture in every sweet spot in the room. However, now that he is growing into quite the little boy, he is starting to not be so compliant with my photographing. How very male of him!

I hope you enjoy the attempted pics with sweet Beckett, and then the ones where I clearly gave up fitting him in the photo. (And if you know anyone who might LOVE a puppy room, just let me know... :) )

Pictures of Brant's room...coming soon. It still needs a few finishing touches. And maybe a new coat of paint. We'll see how crafty I feel in the coming weeks!

Sweet Summer Days

One of Brant's favorite activities this summer (and the only outdoor activity we can enjoy in this crazy Texas heat) has been swimming. We frequent our neighborhood swimming pool as often as I can summon up the energy to lather everyone up in sunscreen and gather all our gear up to head to the pool...which quite honestly, has not been as often as I would like. But nevertheless, we do make it, and the boys do love it. It is a great way to spend our day.

Brant has learned so much and has become very comfortable in the water. He loves to jump in the water and make a big splash. The look on his face when jumping in the water is priceless. He is so proud of himself. And we are proud of him, too! His precious Aunt Jenna has spent a lot of time doing swimming lessons with him over the summer. She even came and spent a week with us in order to teach Brant swimming lessons (and she was super helpful in other ways as well.) Thanks Aunt Jenna!

These sweet summer days will come to an end soon, and Brant will start at his school year soon at his new preschool. We spent a lot of time and prayer deciding where Brant should go to school this year. I think I visited nearly every preschool in the area, gathering information and opinions about each one. Still, it was a hard decision, but one I do feel confident about. We really need this school to be a wonderful fit for our sweet boy...a place where he can grow and learn and feel comfortable. A place where he can meet some little boy buddies, his next "girl friend" :) (yes, he has already had 2. Ha!) , and a loving teacher. As school is such a big part of his little world, please pray for him as he starts this school year. We really need this to be a positive and wonderful experience. Thank you for checking on us!

Standing Man!

Our standing man!

So proud of himself!!

We have a standing man! Yay, Beckett! He started pulling up every now and then about a week ago. And then, this weekend, he just really took off, and now he is pulling up to a stand every time I sit him down. I walked into his room Saturday night, and there he was, standing in his crib. It is absolutely precious to watch him learn new things, and I am so proud of him! We are so thankful that his development has not really been delayed. It seems as though the ear tubes did more than help with his recurring infections and painful fluid. Emptying the fluid out of his ears has also helped with his balance. His gross motor skills have really taken off in the past couple weeks. He looks so proud of himself, doesn't he?

More good news to report: the c.diff (bacterial infection) in his colon is gone! We pray that it continues to stay away and that his colon can heal.

After his last GI appointment, we were given the okay to move forward with baby food. We were excited to try again. Beckett seemed to enjoy his sweet potatoes, and he was determined to feed himself. He got a few bites a couple times a day, and in turn, began to spit up several times a day and sleeping poorly. We tried backing off and giving him less and less, but that did not make much of a difference. After talking with his GI, it has been determined that we once again need to hold off for a few more weeks. His poor motility makes it very hard for his body to process the thickness of baby food. We are hopeful that as his body matures, and he reaches toddlerhood, he will be able to digest food. We will try food again around his first birthday--next month!! For now, his formula is nutritionally complete and highly caloric, and much more beneficial than baby food. We just need to take it slow. They reminded me that it is a marathon, not a sprint, and they reassured me that our little man will not go to kindergarten on formula. :)

Thanks for checking in. I will post again much sooner this time. We have been having busy summer days, and I just haven't been at the computer much lately. I will update again soon! Thanks for your prayers!