Thursday, June 10, 2010
13 Month update (pictures coming soon)
(Up until now I've written all Nate's monthly updates in his baby book, however, it only goes through the first year. I'm sure I won't type up such a lengthy update each month but there's so much happening at this point that I don't want to forget. Enjoy your Nate fix!)
Nate is now 13 months old and we are amazed at his progress every day. He crawls at lightning-fast speeds, he cruises around the entire perimeter of the apartment (along couches, tables, chairs, baby gates, doors, walls), and he can easily walk a good ten feet without falling over. Speaking of falling over, he has finally learned to properly fall on his behind or with outstretched arms instead of falling over like a chopped tree. Thank goodness! I was ready to buy him a helmet.
What else?....Nate still loves ceiling fans, strings of any variety (wires, ropes, leashes), going on walks, swinging at the park (or at Mormor and PopPop's), listening to music, Sesame St. (particularly Elmo), being read to, torturing Piper by pulling her ears and tail, bath time, horsing around with Daddy, and dancing with Mommy. He likes to watch me vacuum and likes to pull himself up on the vacuum and click the on and off switch again and again and again. We're working on patty cake (pat a cake?) but he only has the clapping part down. No rolling or patting yet. We're also working on pointing to facial features (nose, eyes, mouth), but we're not quite there yet.
Words! Nate has lots of words that he knows and uses including fish (when he wants to eat goldfish, pronounced "ish"), key, kix (as in the cereal, which he sometimes eats for breakfast), leash, clock, kitty, and tree. He mimics words all the time (jeans, top, shirt, scout), although doesn't know what the words mean. He understands and follows directions without gestures. For example, if I say "clap your hands", he'll clap his hands, or "go get your ball", he'll go and get it. He loves flags and desperately reaches for them when we're out walking. It seems many of our neighbors have flags out. Perhaps they left them up after Memorial Day. Nate will love the Fourth of July. Nate has the book "Corduroy's Fourth of July" and if I ask him to point to the flag in the illustration, he can. Although when I say point, he's not yet pointing with his index finger, it's more of a whole hand point.
Our once okay/good eater is now a terrible eater. I don't know what happened. He refuses to try most new foods, or even foods he used to enjoy. He will not eat meat or veggies, he'll eat some fruits, and he refuses most of the purees that he used to love. His diet is probably 90% milk mixed in with apple bits, goldfish, cheerios, kix, and ritz crackers. Terrible, I know. Nate's iron count was low at his one year check up so the doctor wanted me to get him to eat beans, chickpeas, beef, tofu, etc, but this is a child who won't even eat things like ice cream, cake, grilled cheese, and hot dogs. Here is what my mom wrote in MY baby book..."At 13 months almost all food is and UN-favorite. Eggs, cheese, and juice are about the only things I can count on her to eat." Like mother, like son.
Here are some things Nate dislikes...having his finger and toe nails cut, having his diaper changed (three arms would be helpful--one to hold up his legs, one to hold down his arms and hands, and one to wipe), and having his teeth brushed. We are really struggling with the last one. He purses his lips tight and i have to stick my finger in his mouth to pry open his lips. I fear I'll lose a finger one of these days. Fortunately they're just baby teeth so if they rot it's not the end of the world. Hopefully by the time he has his permanent teeth he'll be more agreeable to brushing. And speaking of teeth, his four molars are all up through the gums, thank goodness. It was a rough couple of weeks when they were coming through. Come to think of it, I think that's when his eating habits started changing.
Sleep...Nate's bedtime naturally moved back from 7 to 7:30pm. He had been sleeping through the night really well for a couple months but the last few weeks he's started getting up a couple times a night. It's kind of strange, I'll hear him crying, go into his room, and he's often wildly crawling or rolling around his crib but he's really not fully awake. I pick him up and he stops immediately and then I can put him down and he's fine (well unless it happens a few hours later). Hopefully this is just a strange little phase that will pass. Nate wakes up anywhere from 6:15 to 7:15 am (usually around 6:30). He either takes two shorter naps a day (30mins to an hour) or one "long" nap a day. Today was a long nap, and by long I mean 1 hr 20 mins. This child never truly takes a long nap.
I don't think I ever posted Nate's one year stats, not that anyone cares, but here they are:
Weight 21lbs 8oz (25th%)
Height 30 inches (50th%)
Head circumference 49cm (95th%)
Overall Nate is happy and healthy and becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby every day. He is so much fun to be with and I'm so blessed to be able to stay home with him every single day.
Nate is now 13 months old and we are amazed at his progress every day. He crawls at lightning-fast speeds, he cruises around the entire perimeter of the apartment (along couches, tables, chairs, baby gates, doors, walls), and he can easily walk a good ten feet without falling over. Speaking of falling over, he has finally learned to properly fall on his behind or with outstretched arms instead of falling over like a chopped tree. Thank goodness! I was ready to buy him a helmet.
What else?....Nate still loves ceiling fans, strings of any variety (wires, ropes, leashes), going on walks, swinging at the park (or at Mormor and PopPop's), listening to music, Sesame St. (particularly Elmo), being read to, torturing Piper by pulling her ears and tail, bath time, horsing around with Daddy, and dancing with Mommy. He likes to watch me vacuum and likes to pull himself up on the vacuum and click the on and off switch again and again and again. We're working on patty cake (pat a cake?) but he only has the clapping part down. No rolling or patting yet. We're also working on pointing to facial features (nose, eyes, mouth), but we're not quite there yet.
Words! Nate has lots of words that he knows and uses including fish (when he wants to eat goldfish, pronounced "ish"), key, kix (as in the cereal, which he sometimes eats for breakfast), leash, clock, kitty, and tree. He mimics words all the time (jeans, top, shirt, scout), although doesn't know what the words mean. He understands and follows directions without gestures. For example, if I say "clap your hands", he'll clap his hands, or "go get your ball", he'll go and get it. He loves flags and desperately reaches for them when we're out walking. It seems many of our neighbors have flags out. Perhaps they left them up after Memorial Day. Nate will love the Fourth of July. Nate has the book "Corduroy's Fourth of July" and if I ask him to point to the flag in the illustration, he can. Although when I say point, he's not yet pointing with his index finger, it's more of a whole hand point.
Our once okay/good eater is now a terrible eater. I don't know what happened. He refuses to try most new foods, or even foods he used to enjoy. He will not eat meat or veggies, he'll eat some fruits, and he refuses most of the purees that he used to love. His diet is probably 90% milk mixed in with apple bits, goldfish, cheerios, kix, and ritz crackers. Terrible, I know. Nate's iron count was low at his one year check up so the doctor wanted me to get him to eat beans, chickpeas, beef, tofu, etc, but this is a child who won't even eat things like ice cream, cake, grilled cheese, and hot dogs. Here is what my mom wrote in MY baby book..."At 13 months almost all food is and UN-favorite. Eggs, cheese, and juice are about the only things I can count on her to eat." Like mother, like son.
Here are some things Nate dislikes...having his finger and toe nails cut, having his diaper changed (three arms would be helpful--one to hold up his legs, one to hold down his arms and hands, and one to wipe), and having his teeth brushed. We are really struggling with the last one. He purses his lips tight and i have to stick my finger in his mouth to pry open his lips. I fear I'll lose a finger one of these days. Fortunately they're just baby teeth so if they rot it's not the end of the world. Hopefully by the time he has his permanent teeth he'll be more agreeable to brushing. And speaking of teeth, his four molars are all up through the gums, thank goodness. It was a rough couple of weeks when they were coming through. Come to think of it, I think that's when his eating habits started changing.
Sleep...Nate's bedtime naturally moved back from 7 to 7:30pm. He had been sleeping through the night really well for a couple months but the last few weeks he's started getting up a couple times a night. It's kind of strange, I'll hear him crying, go into his room, and he's often wildly crawling or rolling around his crib but he's really not fully awake. I pick him up and he stops immediately and then I can put him down and he's fine (well unless it happens a few hours later). Hopefully this is just a strange little phase that will pass. Nate wakes up anywhere from 6:15 to 7:15 am (usually around 6:30). He either takes two shorter naps a day (30mins to an hour) or one "long" nap a day. Today was a long nap, and by long I mean 1 hr 20 mins. This child never truly takes a long nap.
I don't think I ever posted Nate's one year stats, not that anyone cares, but here they are:
Weight 21lbs 8oz (25th%)
Height 30 inches (50th%)
Head circumference 49cm (95th%)
Overall Nate is happy and healthy and becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby every day. He is so much fun to be with and I'm so blessed to be able to stay home with him every single day.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Neil's advice
This is my first update post-op, so it will be brief and possibly
mis-spelled. Thank you for all your love. I praise God for it. The
standard lesson from this type of event is: hug your kids closer, love
life, live life to the fullest.
I am not giving you any of that advice.
...Trust in Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul, abd strength.
He alone can give us hope. His love alone can bring you throught the
deep waters. His love alone extends beyond the grave. I may recover,
I may not. But I have no regrets. Jesus passed through death and
hell for me. He is my hope. Make him yours too.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Update on Neil
Here are two recent updates from his wife, Christina:
Dear Friends...
This is a hard update to write. Neil made it through the surgery and was extubated. He is neurologically ...intact. However, there was a lot of brain swelling when they opened him up, suggesting it is a more aggressive tumor. Also, the pathology showed that it is not a meningioma as we had strongly hoped. They will not know until the end of the week whether it is a medulloblastoma or a GBM (glioblastoma multiforme). Both of these are much worse than the meningioma that we had hoped for. He will likely need chemo and radiation. I am deeply saddened by this, but I know that good will ultimately come of it. Neil said yesterday that even if he died from this tumor, as much as the idea of leaving a widow and orphans was incredibly sad... that if some of his friends and family came to know Jesus through it, that it would be worth it. I know that God can heal him, either through a miracle, or through chemo/radiation. But I know that even if he does not have a good outcome here, that we will be together forever rejoicing in heaven, and will be able to look back at this and see the thread of goodness running through it and where it lead us. He loved you all so much.
-Christina
Dear Friends,
One last update....
I'm with Neil now. He's totally himself (although a little loopy from having just been under anesthesia), but is making jokes and his memory is intact. He has a 'splitting headache' but I reminded him that they'd just split his head open. He knows that it is not a meningioma, and we are just waiting for the final pathology report (which will take a week) to know exactly what it is. Within medulloblastomas and GBMs there are different grades etc (I am not an expert) which will determine treatment regimen and prognosis. He is in good spirits and says he loves you all.
He is in room 2729, but he isn't in a condition for visitors or phone calls right now. Watch facebook for updates about when he feels ready, or else call me.
Neil says... God was so good to me throughout the surgery. He was good in giving me this tumor, and He is always good.
With best wishes -
Christina
Attached is a picture of Neil smiling to let you know he's ok.
This is a hard update to write. Neil made it through the surgery and was extubated. He is neurologically ...intact. However, there was a lot of brain swelling when they opened him up, suggesting it is a more aggressive tumor. Also, the pathology showed that it is not a meningioma as we had strongly hoped. They will not know until the end of the week whether it is a medulloblastoma or a GBM (glioblastoma multiforme). Both of these are much worse than the meningioma that we had hoped for. He will likely need chemo and radiation. I am deeply saddened by this, but I know that good will ultimately come of it. Neil said yesterday that even if he died from this tumor, as much as the idea of leaving a widow and orphans was incredibly sad... that if some of his friends and family came to know Jesus through it, that it would be worth it. I know that God can heal him, either through a miracle, or through chemo/radiation. But I know that even if he does not have a good outcome here, that we will be together forever rejoicing in heaven, and will be able to look back at this and see the thread of goodness running through it and where it lead us. He loved you all so much.
-Christina
Dear Friends,
One last update....
I'm with Neil now. He's totally himself (although a little loopy from having just been under anesthesia), but is making jokes and his memory is intact. He has a 'splitting headache' but I reminded him that they'd just split his head open. He knows that it is not a meningioma, and we are just waiting for the final pathology report (which will take a week) to know exactly what it is. Within medulloblastomas and GBMs there are different grades etc (I am not an expert) which will determine treatment regimen and prognosis. He is in good spirits and says he loves you all.
He is in room 2729, but he isn't in a condition for visitors or phone calls right now. Watch facebook for updates about when he feels ready, or else call me.
Neil says... God was so good to me throughout the surgery. He was good in giving me this tumor, and He is always good.
With best wishes -
Christina
Attached is a picture of Neil smiling to let you know he's ok.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sharing the message
Two weeks ago our next door neighbors and friends, Neil and Christina and their son Adrian (who was pictured in my last post), moved to NC to start new jobs. Neil is a chemist and Christina, who is 5 months pregnant, will be starting residency at UNC. Last night Neil had a seizure and hours later was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is having risky surgery tomorrow to try to remove the tumor. We were of course shocked and saddened to learn this news. Neil wrote a letter that he posted on facebook to share with his friends and family. In it, he shares his remarkable faith in God that has changed his life and given him peace even in this dark hour. Please take a few minutes to read his letter and reflect on what he says. And if you feel led to do so, please say a prayer for him and his family. Thank you.
Here is a link to his letter:
http://www.chem.yale.edu/~tully/nashenvi/TumorLetter.html
Friday, June 4, 2010
May pix
Day 1 of wedding dress shopping
"Get me outta here!"
(sorry, no pix of the bride-to-be)
legs crossed, as usual
eating breakfast with his favorite ball
Nate's last time playing with his buddy Adrian, who now lives in NC
first time in Mormor and PopPop's pool--loved it!
(of course who wouldn't love a pool heated to almost 90 degrees)
new swing set at M and P's
ah, dinner on the deck, summer has arrived!
dinner at the Circus Drive-In
Nate was very interested in the three kids at the table next to us.
playing after church
someone is supposed to be napping
and here's a strange picture to end with--Nate's first blister!
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