Peek-a-Boo

Backyard Adventures

(And I realize I have two children, but Jake nearly refuses to have his picture taken)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacob - 7 week follow-up

Yesterday, we spent the day in Iowa City meeting with neurosurgery ("The Boss" as Jake knows him) and otolaryngology for a 7 week follow-up. The overall report card was great. Both incision sites are healing fantastically, Jake is not experiencing any pain, and developmentally he has not missed a beat. However, the visit came with a couple of "bummer" moments. We were expecting to ditch the soft helmet after 8 weeks. The Boss noticed that Jake's legs were banged up from, well, being a 3-year-old boy and now he wants him in the helmet for 4 more months...6 months total!! Additionally, he highly recommended that Jake avoid swimming this summer so as to not take the chance of introducing any bacteria into his cerebral spinal fluid. One unexpected good note was that The Boss is comfortable tapering Jake off of the anti-seizure medicine over the next two weeks.

Otolaryngology didn't have much to add. They were very pleased at how the incision and open lesion on his nose are healing. And they reminded us to use as much of the strongest sunscreen as possible.

We go back in 2 months (July 11th) for another check-up. The Boss ordered a skull x-ray to check on the healing of the bone. I am holding out hope that with that information he will offer leinency on duration of wearing the helmet. We will also pop into otolaryngology since we will be there anyway.

I would like to give another enormous THANK YOU for all of the prayers. It is hard to believe that it has been 4 months since the diagnosis and almost 2 months since surgery. But we are forever grateful for everyone who offered their hearts to our family. We are so thankful that our trips to Iowa City are "easy", no hard news and no worrying. This is nearly behind us. I hope and pray that the Lord gives me the opportunity to take this opportunity and pay-it-forward in some way. He sure is amazing!!

Breaking News

A new development tonight...

Fishing

Jacob is so excited to go fishing again this summer that he has been "pretending to fish" for weeks. Well last weekend, he also managed to acquire a boat and a first-mate (with a drinking problem). But the fish were biting!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Cleaned Up

Scott's brother, Kevin, got married on Saturday (4/28). Below are pictures of us goofing around during set-up/rehearsal and also the family all cleaned up for the big event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mobility

Jenna's balance is very good for her age. She thinks she is "big" as she stands in the middle of a room. Now she has moved on to walking behind anything that will roll.

Just Playing

Here is a quick video of Jenna playing with one of Jake's monster trucks. Near the end, you will see a little bit of her attitude as she yells at the truck for not doing what she wants.

Jenna's Favorite Game

For only being 9 months old, Jenna is quite a tease. I was able to capture video of her favorite game. She gives a smile and giggles as she starts going up the stairs, just waiting for someone to remove her or follow her up. You can see the mischief in her eyes.

Soft Helmet

Old - Ill-Fitting - Helmet (provided by the hospital). The entire purpose of the helmet is to protect Jake's forehead. This helmet is square, bulky, and extremely hot. This is also a funny picture of Jake shovelling in Mac-n-Cheese while he was on steriods and eating us out of house and home.

New - Fitted - Helmet. This helmet is actually roundl like a human head. It is open on the top to help his head breathe. It has also been decorated with some pretty awesome stickers!!