6 Weeks Old

Sorry about the delay in posting. We have been very busy these last few weeks.

Grayden has already gained two pounds since he was born and is now officially weighing in at 7lbs, 7oz. The pediatrician said that we do not need to come in for any more weight checks, so the next appointment with her will be for his two month check up. Grayden has also had a few other appointments over the last few weeks. Last Tuesday we went to the neurosurgeons office for his first appointment here in Grand Rapids. It was an uneventful visit to put it nicely. We did not gain any new information at this first visit. We spoke with the Neurosurgeon who said that we would need to schedule a head ultrasound so that he could compare the results with the most recent head ultrasound that was done in Philadelphia to see if Grayden's ventricles (hydrocephalus) have increased at all. He said that he would need to have this done once a month for the first year of his life. If he makes it to six months without needing a shunt then the chances significantly decrease that he will need one at all.

We also had an appointment with an orthotist to be fitted for some AFO's (andle foot orthosis) to help stretch Grayden's feet out while he is sleeping. However; upon meeting with the orothotist, he and I decided that we would wait a few more weeks before we do this.

We have a lot more appointments scheduled for the next few months. We will be meeting with the urologist, orthopedic doctor and the physiatrist who runs the spina bifida clinic here in town. We also have the monthly neurosurgeon appointments as well as his regular pediatrician visits. I have also called and referred Grayden to our local Early On program to have an in home evaluation for possible therapy, which may be a little strange for me considering that is what I do for work. How we will manage all of the appointments once I return to work full time is yet to be determined. I guess we will just have to figure it out as we go. I am planning on returning to work the week after Thanksgiving, which I am not looking forward to at all. It seems like my time is going way too fast and I am really wishing that I lived in Europe so that I could take at least a year off to spend with my boys.

Zander continues to amaze me with how well he is adjusting to life as a big brother. For the most part he just keeps his distance from Grayden and keeps himself busy playing and running around. He is constantly making us laugh and his personality continues to blossom. It is just so much fun to watch him grow and learn everyday. When he does pay attention to Grayden he mostly likes to look at him and is constantly making sure I don't forget him anytime we leave the house. It's so cute that he is already looking out for him!

We had some fall family pictures taken on Friday so here is a little preview. We just love our photographer and if interested you can view the rest of the pictures by going to her website which is: http://www.photosbyrenae.com/. If you click under clients it will take you to the page where she keeps all of her pictures, scroll to the bottom and click on Zander and Grayden.