Where did the past 9 months go?!

Hey y'all!

Today Isaiah had his 9 months check up. Time goes by so fast! I can't believe he will be 1 in less than 2 months! He has come such a long way! We actually saw Isaiah's original PCM (Primary Care Manager) Dr. Jimenez today because Dr. Carver is gone til August #insert sad face. Dr. Jimenez knows about Isaiah's history but she's never met him so she didn't expect him to ace his check up but he sure did! Again, above average in so many areas and right on track with his physical development. She sure was proud of him and so were we but as she said "nothing we didn't know already". His affected hand was only noticeable when he tried to fight her, haha.

God has been so good to us! Time and time again He has proven that He is able! We know of many fellow stroke survivors who have to use AFOs, get tons of therapy, have delays, etc. so we certainly don't take this blessing for granted. But God has a plan for each of them! Their trials will be somebody's testimony. They've partly been ours. The things they've accomplished have been what kept us going. Their stories have helped us identify issues Isaiah had and that we would not have been able to spot so easily otherwise. Their stories have helped others get a proper diagnosis and therefore, get the right help and therapies. They have helped raise awareness in many, many states and countries. You can read about some of them here.

We are so excited to meet many of them in a mere 3 weeks at the CHASA Family Retreat! 3 weeks!?! Ahhh! That means I only have 3 weeks to get the SWAPS done, like 117 of them! I also only have 3 weeks to gain weight so I can fit in my shorts and I only have 3 weeks to work on my post baby belly so I won't look gross in a bathing suit, lol. If you only see me in a one-piece at the retreat it means I didn't quite reach that goal, ha! The retreat is also where Isaiah will receive his iPad, whoot whoot! Oh, and please remind me to take lots of sunscreen! ND has made my skin weak!

When we come back I will start planning Isaiah's first birthday party! A little early you might think; well, yes, but we are going to incorporate a fundraiser. Isaiah doesn't need gifts, he has everything he needs, from clothes to toys. So we thought it would be nice to invite everyone from NICU nurses to doctors, family and friends to come out and have fun while raising money for a good cause. That is, if we are here for his birthday. If we are in Germany we will have to find a different date....but I still like the idea of cake walks, pie throwing contests and such! Yeah, I'm a kid at heart, I hope I will always be!

Alright y'all, let me get off the computer now and enjoy some sunshine with my monkeys. God bless you and thank you for following us!

Love,

Oh what a Monday!

Good morning y'all!

Usually I don't necessarily like Mondays but today is entirely different!!! About an hour ago CHASA announced the winner of the iPad contest on their Facebook Page....and guess who it is! Yep, Isaiah!!! Well, technically they pulled my name out of the hat but Isaiah is the true winner. We are soooooooooo excited! I had told Kelly from IDP about the contest and since IDP has gotten iPads to work with their kiddos, she will give me an entire list of apps that can help Isaiah with his motor skills! Obviously, this would not have been possible without all of you who donated so THANK YOU!!! Thank you also because that means I will finally get my kindle back! Haha.

As I mentioned last week, we were supposed to find out if our insurance would cover Isaiah's splint. Well, they won't. Thankfully, Isaiah won't need it after all because he now keeps his thumb in the right position most of the time. He is doing so well, we have reduced PT to once a month instead of every two weeks. Needless to say I'm quite proud of him! I didn't mention this after our neuro appointment in Fargo but because of him doing so well, she thought he may not have had a stroke but maybe the seizures caused the MRI to look like he had one. Well, we know Isaiah had a stroke, not only because of the MRI but because of all the symptoms that came with it. Dr. Carver, Isaiah's pediatrician as well as a neonatologist, also knows far too well what seizures are, as his son had them for years. He most certainly knows the difference. See, she didn't follow his journey, his development; she didn't see how hard he had to work every day to open his hand, to get the strength back in it, how hard he had to work so he could use it almost as well as his strong hand. She met him months after. She did notice that his right hand is weaker and that he has a left hand preference but she doesn't know how much it took to get there. There's only so much she can observe in an hour. We told her his story but some people need to see it to believe it. We know he had a stroke, and we know that it was God who healed him. Yes, we helped by working with him but we could not have done it without God. I don't blame her for thinking it may not have been a stroke, except for Isaiah, I only know one other kid whose story went this way. You don't see this often. But it happens, and we're thankful for it.

We have one hurdle to overcome this week though. Isaiah will have a hearing screening on Wednesday. His 6 months screening didn't work and there are times where it seems like he doesn't hear well on his right side. Although I suspect he simply ignores me! So we'll see what the results will say. Please keep him in your prayers. Thank you guys! And again, thanks to everyone who donated, spread awareness, and to everyone of you who follow his journey!

Love,

Isaiah's bear crawling, well his left leg is!

Sooo, I finally got a chance to take a video of Isaiah crawling! But now he has developed this funny new thing - he does a "normal" crawl with his right leg and a bear crawl with his left leg! It is hilarious! It doesn't seem to be anything we need to be concerned about as apparently there are plenty of kids doing this. I will still show it to Nancy tomorrow. So here it is!!!

 

I thought I recorded him yesterday when he crawled normally but unfortunately I didn't have the SD card in my camera. Ahhhhh! This one's more fun anyway! Hopefully, tomorrow we'll know whether or not our health insurance is going to cover Isaiah's splint. I'll keep you posted!

Love,