It has been awhile.....

Things have been quite busy around here hence the lack of blog updates. The busyness has not been all medical things, though, so we are mixing the good in with the bad. Caden continues to thrive at home, and brings us so much joy with his sweet little ways. I am getting to know this new little guy more and more every day which makes life a bit easier. The one thing that hasn't changed, unfortunately, is his crazy nights. The lack of sleep is definitely taking a toll.

We did get an awesome night away 2 weekends ago when my mom, for a Valentine's Day gift, took all four kids (yes you read it right - ALL 4 KIDS) for a spend the night at her house. Chad and I were so excited to actually have a whole evening and morning to ourselves. We went to an early dinner and came home and were asleep before 9:00. It was quite the luxury. The next day Chad's parents watched Caden so we could spend some special time with the girls. We had a blast. We felt a little refueled after that nice weekend. We have also squeezed in a few date nights and I had a great girls night out. Having these breaks to look forward to helps me get through all of the doctor appointments and therapy sessions. This weekend we are going to the horse races for my Dad and Chad's birthdays. My grandparents are coming in from the desert to come along, too. Chad's parents will have Caden. It should be a lot of fun. If it weren't for the amazing help of our families I am not sure where we would be (mentally) at this point. I am grateful to God every single day that I am richly blessed with the most wonderful, compassionate, and selfless family. Thank you is so completely inadequate to describe how much I appreciate all that they do.

On to some updates about "Sweet Caden". We have an unofficial surgery date of March 23 for his lip repair. Some things need to be ironed out before it becomes official, but I am really excited to get this ball rolling in the right direction. As excited as I am for the surgery I am also very nervous. Today Caden had a minor surgical procedure of removing his g-tube and replacing it with a mickey button. He is still tube fed; it is just a different, more efficient contraption. Handing Caden over for this brief surgery was tough. It was also heartbreaking watching him get his little I.V. put in. The waiting was the worst. Mind you this was a 20 minute procedure. I do not know how I will manage waiting through a four hour major surgery. He is just so innocent and happy and has no idea of what is going on. It is hard to knowingly put your baby through these things, but it is all in his best interest. What I am excited about is to see what he will look like after the repair. He is already, in our eyes, just as cute as can be so I am anxious to see the results. The recovery could possibly be the most trying part of the whole ordeal because he has to be in arm restraints for two weeks in order for him not to pull all of the stitches out. The restraints are called "no no's" and they look like little casts. They basically keep his arms straight out at his sides preventing him from pulling at his lips. He loves to put his hands in his mouth so it is going to be rough.

Prior to getting this tentative date we met with a new ENT that we love. She is located near our plastic surgeon in the L.A. area. It is quite a drive but most definitely worth it. She was friendly, informative, kind, and answered all of the questions we could possibly think of. I felt at ease with her and I feel completely confidant that she will take great care of Caden. She will be putting tubes in Caden's ears during the lip repair operation. She will also be following Caden very closely with all of his hearing issues. Since we need be very involved with an ENT I am extremely happy we found someone like her. We left her office with big smiles on our faces knowing we wouldn't be back to the infamous other ENT.

Caden's therapy is going well, too. We are at CHOC twice a week for e-stim treatments. We love the therapists there making the sessions easy on Caden and I. The therapists are very gentle, kind, and informative. They really think Caden will benefit from the treatment and are impressed with how he is doing already. I get to sit in this huge swing and rock back and forth while he is getting his treatment. The swinging is supposed to relax Caden and it definitely works. It is pretty enjoyable for me, too!

Caden is now weighing in at 12 pounds 4 ounces and is growing well. He loves to bat at his little toys and coo at his sisters. We love watching all of his little milestones because they are true miracles in our eyes. Each day he is in my life I feel so blessed to have him here. Yes, it is very difficult, exhausting, ect., but he is such a little angel. I really feel he is an angel here on earth that is teaching me so much about life and about myself. His strength through all that he goes through inspires me. The road has been, and will be, rocky and long, but it is full of many enjoyable, breathtaking moments.

Mary