update from a few visits

We took a trip to Phoenix last week and I thought I would post an update on David. It was a whirlwind of two days which it always seems to be... We saw the ophthalmologist (eye doctor) and he is getting more concerned about David's eye crossing on the right. You may see this in his pictures... at least I do. So, David will be wearing an eye patch on his left eye for 2 hours a day to strengthen the muscles in his right. He is such a sweet little baby, it doesn't bother him too much, we are thankful for this.

David had to get his circ repair while we were in Phoenix, a quick outpatient surgery with a urologist. To spare you the details, he is doing great and I'm glad it is finished and we can move on from that. If you have a question about it, please ask! :)

He also saw the neurodevelopmental doctor, who is the one who determines his developmental age based on his current milestones. She has a wealth of knowledge about children like David and the things he has gone through. She gave me a website can child that has a lot of info for children with disabilities that is based from a University in Canada. I try to pick her brain and get as much information as I can when I speak with her. And I was just thinking about how (silly) worried I was about milestones with Anna, crawling, walking, talking... she would be the last person you would want to visit if you were! Ha! I learned my lesson with David, worry gets you nowhere. Trust and hope in God, thankfulness for every day and new milestones that are reached (no matter how long it takes!) I think that she rated David at a 9 month developmental age and she said it would have been higher but he is not crawling... That is belly up off the floor. He is army crawling and gets pretty much anywhere he wants.

We have also been discussing doing some constraint therapy with David, so that he will use his left arm and hand more, something that will need much prayer and coordination with doctors and therapists. More on that another time.

David is eating so much better and everyday I get the courage to try new and more difficult foods to eat. But, although he picks up his food, he does not put it in his mouth... something that needs some serious work and prayer! Hopefully speech or OT can help with this or at least give me some ideas to help. He also is not drinking from a sippy cup, he just wants to play with it. We have tried so many different kinds that it is starting to make a hole in the grocery bill! (Ok that might have been a bit of an exaggeration... but seriously!) Please keep these two issues in your prayers, it would be greatly appreciated!

Despite the prognosis that we received early in David's life, we continue to pray and seek and treat David as if he CAN do anything he sets out to do. I have started to realize Jesus' love for children... why else could they be able to overcome severe brain injury?

Thank you Jesus!

P.S. David is exploring the entire house in the army crawl fashion and I find myself having to tell him no! As in, don't pull the electrical cord out of the wall or pull that curtain down, ha! Isn't that great? And his two front teeth are making an arrival as well! He actually started some grinding, which is humorous but also a little like the nails scratching the chalkboard! Anna continues to be his greatest love and he loves it when she is around and paying attention to him.

This is a long p.s.... but I couldn't forget, David weighs 19 lbs, 11 oz now (I thought he would at least be 20 lbs!) And is on the growth chart! We switched him to regular milk and I am so excited!

That's all for now... enjoy this pic!