...and we're checking things off! As you all may know, John's outcome at birth was not very promising. However, Jamie and I knew that John was put here for a special reason and we insisted that the doctors do everything in their power to save our little boy. John's predicted future (per the neurosurgeon & the statistics of children with brain bleeds as severe as his) looked something like this:
- 70-90% chance of having cerebral palsy.........no signs yet...check!
- He will never recognize us.........definitely wrong on this one...check!
- He could be mentally retarded.....well, we all know that this isn't true...check!
- He will never be able to eat.....well, as of last Friday, his ST discovered that he CAN swallow. She put his food in a syringe and squirted it in the side of his cheek and he swallowed it!!!!!! She said that his tongue is tight at the base and he has a severe gag reflux but he CAN swallow and that's all that matters! We can work through the rest...check!
- He will never sit....we're still working on it but I am certain I'll be able to check this one off soon.
- He will never crawl......can't check this one off yet but it's just a matter of time before he gets the hang of it.
- He will never walk.....I KNOW I'll check this one off someday too!
I have to mention though that John's outcome is not typical for a child with a Grade III bi-lateral and cerebellum bleed which left his cerebellum a third of the size it should be. However, there has to be children that fall into that very small "positive" percentage.
As a fellow preemie mom (Billie) told me, "Those physical milestones really mean so little in the grand scheme of things. John is so cute and smiley and interactive. That is all so much more rewarding and important. His smiles will help get you through anything!" Isn't that the truth!
All parents have hope and dreams for their children but sometimes those hopes and dreams have to be altered a bit. Anyhow, it doesn't make those new hopes and dream any less important.
7 comments:
You guys are so awesome! I just love logging on everyday to check on my little guy!!Love you and Miss you! Brayden and Blayke are counting down the days they can play with their buddy John!!xoxoxo
I think John is amazing and deserves at least a triple check (plus a few gold stars) for being cute and clever. I can't wait until Hallie gets the hang of this computer thing (she skypes with her Mommy at work and with her Aunt Laura and the cousins all the time now) so that she can check out John's pictures on line. I'm sure that she'll agree with me!
You are right, John is here for a reason. He has defied the odds since his early arrival. I am confident you will check off everything on this list and then some! He will do amazing things in his life!
What a great post. You are absolutely right - sometimes we have to alter our hopes and dreams but having a loving child is worth every bit of the alteration.
That kid never ceases to amaze me. He is such an amazing little boy--DEFINITELY here for a reason! God has great plans for that little man of yours!
One day you will have everyone one of those checked off...John and Kellar, ivh's and cerebellum bleeds and all will one day be in the "positive" percentage..They are both such fighters and there is going to be no stopping them...
Wow, what an adorable little boy. He looks soooo happy!!! Keep doing what you are doing it seems to work!! My brother has CP and they told him he couldn't do a lot of things and he is doing ALL of them now, due to the persistance of my father. He is now 24 and lives on his own. Good luck with little John!!
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