For those of you that have not heard....... the quarter passed! Hip Hip Hooray! I was never so happy to see a quarter in my entire life. If I hadn't just pulled it out of the toilet I would have kissed it. We did rinse it thoroughly and put it in a zippy bag that is being stored very high and away. The picture of Jenna in the bathtub taking a soak was the night she passed the quarter. Guess she needed to relax after all that hard work:)
Also wanted to post a few new pictures of sweet Caden. He is just so happy lately. He kicks his legs like crazy whenever someone gives him a big smile. He is doing pretty well right now. He had a recent evaluation at UCLA for cochlear implants. As of right now they are not sure if he is a candidate for them. He was fitted for ear molds that will hold hearing aides and will start wearing them in about 2 weeks. They are not sure if the hearing aides will help, but it is a mandated part of the process towards implants to wear hearing aides for at least 4 months. He will also need an MRI and CT scan to evaluate his ear structures and auditory nerves. This will have to be done under general anesthesia so I am not looking forward to this at all.
In other Caden news, he is now rolling from his back to his tummy and his tummy to his back. We are working on the sitting. He is still on continuous feeds and that seems to be his toughest area. We tried to up his food intake from 40cc's an hour to 41 and he started vomiting continuously. I really did not anticipate upping his intake by 1cc would have such a terrible affect on him, but it did. We took him to the GI doctor and she would like to go back to 40 for awhile and then work on consolidating his feeds over shorter periods of time. I am not convinced we can do this right now since he could not handle 1 more cc an hour, but we shall see.
Our life is even more crazy right now if that was at all possible. Natalie is now playing All Stars for softball and Chad is one of the coaches. They practice for two and a half hours every day of the week and in another week will have a game every night of the weekend (Fri., Sat., Sun.). I am not thrilled about all this, but she really wanted to play and Chad was excited to be asked as one of the coaches. This will go on for the next 6 weeks. Hopefully I will still have my sanity by the end of all this.
Mary
So happy to hear that Jenna lost that quarter on her own. Thank goodness for small miracles, huh? You'll have to put that in her hope chest one day.
ReplyDeleteCaden looks just as happy as ever. You'd never know all he goes through by those big smiles and bright smiling eyes.
Good luck with the softball Natalie. We know you love to play!
If you need any help Mary, I'm a phone call or a knock at the door away.
Love to the Lukkes family,
Sharon
I'm going to hide all the coins in this house!!!!! Jenna deserves that bath! Caden is so adorable. He looks so happy. We think of you all the time. You are in our hearts and prayers. We would love to see you but realize you are so busy. You are an amazing family and an inspiration to all of us!
ReplyDeleteLot of love, Carolyn, Brian and Delaney
Hi Mary! Glad to hear that things are going well, I think about you often! Love the new pictures of Caden, such a sweetheart! His little personality is really starting to show...such a fun time. :) We have 17 days of school left, and sometime this summer I'm determined to get these little guys together for some play time...
ReplyDeleteThoughts and prayers to you guys! -Kalissa
Great update and wonderful pictures Mary! I love following your blog so much. Love, Aunt Dean
ReplyDeleteCaden looks adorable in the pictures. We love being able to watch him grow. He's making so much progress. Love you. See you soon.
ReplyDeleteJames & Molly
Hi Mary! Caden is looking so grown up, handsome and content in these photos! What a sweetie! I am SO excited about his rolling back and forth - a big deal - and evidence of his strength! Go, Caden, go!
ReplyDeleteSounds like life is busy as ever...but so hopeful summer brings with it some quiet, lazy mornings with your sweeties and popsicles and sprinklers in the afternoon (this is what I'm looking forward to with Viv, at least :-)).
lots of love*hannah
Thanks for your sweet words on our blog, Mary!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, so glad the quarter has passed! :-) I laughed so hard when I read that the pic of Jenna in the bath was the night of the "big event!" Too funny (well, not really... but sort of!). So glad there weren't any further issues!
As for your sweet boy... he is so bright-eyed and sweet! I am in love and can't wait to meet him (and you... and your family) in person! HOORAY for the rolling back and forth - - a huge milestone - - and like Hannah said, great evidence of his strength and coordination.
I completely understand what you've written about upping his volume by just 1cc and noticing a difference. I am glad that the doc (who do you see? Idries?) seemed to agree to hold off on raising it for now. We have found so many docs don't "get" the true volume intolerance and how much of a difference the tiniest amount can make. I hope that this becomes less of a problem as Caden gets bigger. For now, though, trust your instincts. I know the pump is a hindrance and it's hard to have Caden tethered to a line all the time, but while he's not independently mobile, it's a great way to keep that bulk on him. If he's getting what he needs without too much intolerance at the 40ccs/hr (that's Gracie's max at night now...) and you know the slightest increase is a problem, then the attempt at bolusing him might need to wait a while... docs need to respect what you experience at home with him. :-)
All things going as planned, we should be back to see Ally next week. When do you see her? Would love to connect in person! :-)
hey there i found you through marissa and chis blog she posted ru chi impact with the link and beign a charger my self i had to take a look caden is so sweet im on the list serve as well hugs and kisses ellen in aus
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