July 28, 2009

Hi everyone over the last 2 weeks we started Caden's vaccinations and had our meeting with the Birth-3 program coordinator to discuss services Caden might need. At this point we are only getting required vaccinations not recommended and we are spanning them out over a long period of time. We are also considering which vaccinations are more important for him with his condition. Our boy continues to gain weight and we are happy to say he is almost in the "normal" percentile for weight.

At the birth-3 meeting the different therapists discussed what they would like to see Caden work on to gain strength. For now, they would like to see him once a week for (Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy) and twice a month for (speech therapy). Caden is showing signs of chest, shoulder, upper arm weaknesses that obviously are from the extended time on his back while in the hospital. Each day he continues to get stronger and with the therapists help we will see him gain this strength back. Speech Therapy has also recommended a Video Fluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS). This will allow them to see exactly what the damage was to the vocal cords and how he is compensating when he eats. This will be more important to know as he begins eating solid foods so he doesn’t aspirate. This test will be done this Friday up in Milwaukee. On Friday we also have a Cardiology Clinic Appointment so it will be a full day of appointments for Caden. We hope to see some of the HLHS parents if we get the opportunity while we are up there. There are still so many sick babies on the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) floor. Please pray for their healing so they too can come home soon.

A special prayer request for baby girl Carsyn, HLHS, who just received a new heart today. We pray for the donor family for their loss, and for the ability to give Carsyn the heart she desperately needed.

We continue to thank you for your prayers and support. We are constantly reminded of how lucky we are for each day we have with our son.

Love,
Melissa