We have been so busy since we have been home! Not only do we have a newborn to take care of, but he comes with a lot of extra work :) Between twice weekly home health visits, physical therapy, pediatrician, eye doctor, surgeon, urologist, and developmental specialist, we have had 16 appointments in the 4 weeks that we have been home. This past week was especially crazy because we had 3 appointments in Boise on 2 different days so we had to stay the night there. We were so lucky that the Ronald McDonald House had a room open. It made it so much easier than driving back twice or staying in a hotel.
Here's an update on all of Nate's progress.
- At his appointment on Wednesday he weight in at 10 pounds 1 ounce and was 21.5 inches long. He is getting so big!!!
- His eyes are STILL not quite mature yet. We have been back to Boise twice since we have been home for eye exams and every time we go he is sure it will be the last one until he does the exam. Little stinker is so close. They are at the same stage that they have been for the past couple of months with no signs of worsening so we are pretty hopeful that he will be fine. He will still likely need glasses but they won't be able to do a vision test on him until he is about a year old.
- The surgeon has cleared him for at least another 6 months! She still wants to keep an eye on some other problems that may need surgical correction down the road. He has a couple of hernias that are bad enough that they may not clear up on their own. She is going to check him out again in 6 months and possibly repair them then.
- The urologist has also cleared him for another 6 months. Remember Nate had a UTI a while back in the NICU. When babies get UTIs it is often caused by kidney reflux. Basically, urine flows back up into the kidney and causes kidney infections. Some follow up tests were done in the NICU before we left and since we've been home and things are looking better. He will have to have another kidney ultrasound in March.
- So far, developmentally, Nate is right on track! They will keep track of his age in 2 different ways for the next 2 years. His chronological age will be from his birthday (April 1). So his chronological age is 5 1/2 months but, of course, he isn't doing anything that a typical 5 month old would be doing. Developmentally, Nate will be monitored by his adjusted age, or the age from his due date (July 19). His adjusted age is 2 months. So far, he is doing everything a normal 2 month old would be doing. He is still at risk for significant delays so they are going to be watching him very closely but this is a very good sign.
- There are still quite a few minor things that his pediatrician is watching closely but, overall, he is doing really well!
Fortunately for us, we will have a lot fewer appointments from now on so hopefully I'll be able to be better at updating the blog. I didn't realize how many people still read it :)
Here are the latest pictures of our little man
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| We tried all evening to get a cute picture of us kissing him... this was our best one :) It didn't turn out like we planned but it showed his feelings about the situation perfectly. |
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| After his bath the other night I tried to do a mohawk. You can barely see it poking up there. |
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| He thinks it's fun to stand in his bouncer. He's quite the risk taker :) |
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| I realized that all of the other pictures were of his serious face so here's one to show our happy little boy :) He is such a good smiler these days. |
