Movin and Groovin

Nate is one happy camper now that he no longer has his feeding tube in. Let's just hope he can keep up the good work and stay off of it. Nate is now really reaching for things and playing. He wants to be playing all day long. No longer are the days of laying around and cuddling. He is sooo happy! He got great news from his liver doctor... all of his liver function tests came back normal for the first time in his life. This is HUGE! They took him off another medication due to these results. We have had so much fun with him this week.

A week with grandma

Scott and I went out of town last week and came home with a bad stomach virus. Scott got it first and then gave it to me. I am still in the bed recovering and miss Nate so much. He has stayed with Scott's parents so that he didn't catch this horrible thing. It will have been 6 days since I have seen him. I am going crazy, but know that he is in good hands. He pulled out his feeding tube on Sunday and since Scott and I were both sick we didn't want to expose him to this virus so we didn't put it back in. Since then he has been taking all of his bottle by mouth. If he is able to continue taking enough by mouth he can stay off the tube.

He went to the doctors in Atlanta this morning and got a good report from the liver doctor. He took him off three of his medications so we are down to four, which is really exciting. He had another swallow study to see if he was aspirating and he still is on the thinner consistencies so no change. This was discouraging. They will not test him again until he is a year old. If he is able to continue gaining weight by taking enough of his bottle by mouth than he will be ok and will not have to put a feeding tube back in. Keep your fingers crossed.

World's greatest exersaucer

Scott and Nate enjoyed a boys day on the couch watching UGA football. Go Dawgs

I bought Nate a new form of entertainment. His exersaucer. I thought he might be a bit little for it, but he actually really likes it. I added a some parts from other toys and created something that every parent would only dream of. I think it might be a little overstimulating.

Frustration

Sometimes I struggle with the weight of everything that has happened and the fear of the future. Today is one of those days. Nate pulled out his feeding tube for the second time this week. It breaks my heart when we have to put a new one in. He has gotten smart and knows what it is before we put it in. I have been fighting with the insurance company to try and get Nate approved for a synagis shot. This helps in case he were to get RSV, a respiratory infection that can be extremely severe. We are now officially into RSV season so we are at risk. I was also disappointed to find out that we were denied by Medicaid. I spent weeks preparing the application because Nate is not eligible based on income but should be based on his medical conditions. It seems like you have to work so hard to just get a little bit of help. It is really not worth it.

I have to focus on how good Nate is doing and he always makes me feel better with his precious smile. He laughs all the time. We have been fortunate to have a great resource through GA Pines which helps families who have children that are hearing impaired. They have been really good to us and are always teaching us something new. I know Nate will have to work a little harder for everything in his life, but I know he can do it. He has already come so far. He is such a fighter and yet such a sweetheart.

He loves to sleep on the couch now and especially on his brown fuzzy blanket. As soon as his face hits the blanket he is out like a light.

Sniffles

Nate has gotten a touch of a cold. He coughed two or three times and I immediately called the doc to get him checked out. They did some xrays and his lungs look fine. There was a little bit of fluid on them so we decided to go back on Lasix, which is a diuretic that takes the excess fluid off his lungs. He has a stuffed up nose, but nothing bad. We are still lucky that he has been so healthy thus far. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't get worse and stays just a minor thing.

I want to thank everyone who has continued to pray for Nate. We are so happy to have so many great friends and family around us that think of Nate often and check up on him through this blog. Everytime someone tells me that they have been keeping up with him, I am so thankful!

Rolling

Nate rolled over this week. He did it first with Scott's mom earlier this week and then we saw it officially today. So proud. Here is a pic of him riding in his stroller.

Nato Tomatoe

Nate has got terrible dry skin and the doc recommended baby oil. I struggled to find any at the store but finally found some while we are the beach. We tried it on him yesterday and he had an allergic reaction to it and turned bright red. It was Grandma Hudson's birthday and it looks like he got to close to the candles with that bright red forehead. I felt so bad for the little guy.

Beach Boy

Nate took his first trip to the beach this weekend. He didn't get a chance to hit the waves since Hurricane Gustov was on the way. I think he enjoyed getting out of the house and seeing new things. It was nice for him to get to spend some quality time with Aunt Whitney and Uncle Shane.