I have a free minute (those are pretty hard to come by these days!) so I thought I would update you all.
Mason is doing pretty well these days. He is no longer on winter lockdown and is catching his fair share of the bugs going around. So far he has handled them like a champ with the exception of one cold virus that went into his lungs. We were very much on the lookout and after a couple of days of a worsening cough, we took him in to see Pulmonary. After a long visit and a chest x-ray we were on our way home with antibiotics, steroids and extra breathing treatments (that we had already started when his cough first showed up). After a few days he was feeling much better!
This winter we have a pretty full schedule. Monday he attends a speech class through Early On. He is in it for the structure it provides. His speech has been pretty good considering that he doesn't have the same muscle structure in his mouth that other eating children have. We are hoping that the structure will help him transition easier into his intensive feeding program this summer. On Tuesday we see Heather, Mason's UofM OT. On Friday, he has a 2 year old playgroup followed more OT with Norma. On Wednesdays and Thursdays we try to relax, run some errands or get together with friends...oh and sometimes I make an attempt to clean :)
We recently had a follow-up with the DeVos Intensive Feeding Program. We are still trying to get the gag/retch cycle under control...it is so hard in these kiddos with g-tubes and Nissen wraps. Mason is currently switching tube formulas again...this time to a formula called Compleat. It is made from "real" food like chicken, rice, etc. I guess some kids have better luck with a food based formula. So far he is tolerating it pretty well. We are about 1/3 of the way switched over.
We did receive some great news, the feeding program is running about 3 months ahead of schedule. This means that Mason will probably be attending in the summer instead of the fall (we are doing the happy dance over here!).
He is doing pretty well developmentally too. He spends his days running, jumping, talking, singing, playing games, counting, etc. He still loves his cartoons and wants to watch Finding Nemo all the time! He is also showing signs that he is interested in potty training....look out Mom & Dad!
I wanted to leave you with a few pictures of two amazing little boys! Noah, Mason's CDH buddy came to visit a couple of weeks ago with his Mom and little brother. We had so much fun and wished they lived closer! Here are a few pictures of the big boys (Mason in blue, Noah in green)! Check out our family blog later for some pictures of the little ones playing together!
