Hank's head

Hank's dr called and said she'd like to refer us to a pediatric neurosurgeon at UMC in Jackson. She's not alarmed, but it does appear that his ventricles are larger than they were, and she's more comfortable letting a specialist check him out. She's going to call and see if they can work us in sometime soon, but it could be a month or more she said. He's doing great developmentally, bringing his hands together at his chest, pulling toys to his mouth, sitting with support, rolling over, and babbling, so we aren't too worried, but we are concerned. We'll keep you informed. Hayden has found her feet. Last night, Jay and I kept hearing this thumping noise...scared us to death. We thought someone was trying to break in. Nope. Just Hayden playing with her feet then dropping them back down to flop on the mattress. She also kicks her little aquarium thing that's attached to the side of her bed and will turn it on in the middle of the night. Hank loves the "Oobi" show on the Noggin channel. He literally squeals the entire time it's on. Oobi is just a hand with some eyeballs on top of it, but he's always been fascinated with hands, so I guess that's what does it for him. It's hilarious to watch him watch Oobi. Y'all have a great week!

So proud of Hank...

Hank was such a big boy yesterday for his CT scan (also their 7 mo. birthday!). He didn't cry or squirm or anything. We got the results this evening, and we're just not sure what to make of them yet. His ventricles are dilated, which usually isn't good, but Dr. Smith needs to see his old scans to compare. She said that they do look enlarged, but she's not sure if they are still in proportion to what they've always been or what. So, I've got to drive over to Jackson and get his old scans for the neurologist to look at. Please put Hank's head back on your prayer list until we can get some good news once they've had a chance to look over his records. Other than that, everything is great. They've tried squash and sweet potatoes now, and Hayden is still none too thrilled with the whole spoon idea. She still likes to just lick it rather than open up. Hank gobbles down whatever is put before him. Thanks for checking in, and I'll let you know as soon as we have more news on Hank.

Another dr appt

Our dr appt went really well today. Hank weighed 13-10, and Hayden was 11-8. Dr Smith was very pleased with their progress, especially their developmental skills and said they'd probably be sitting up in a month or so! She gave us the go-ahead for yellow veggies, so they had carrots for dinner. Hank ate them right up--opening his mouth and everything. Hayden didn't want to open her mouth, she just wanted to stick her tongue out and lick the carrots off of the spoon. We filmed the whole dinner, too. It was pretty funny. Just as a check-up, Hank will have a CT scan on Tuesday. His head hasn't been looked at since we left Baptist, so she just wants to check him out and make sure there's not an increase of fluid in his ventricles or any swelling. Please pray that we get good results. Hayden was a little congested today--apparently, so little that I hadn't even noticed. Dr Smith gave us some medicine that Hayden does NOT like. It was so much fun giving it to her tonight (note the sarcasm). Both are sleeping soundly now after a very busy and stressful day (both got 2 shots). Now it's my bedtime--hope I can sleep as well as they are!

Hank's better now.

He was one pitiful little boy for a few days, but we're over that hump! Both kids have a regular check-up on Wednesday, so we'll get the official word that he's well then. We think Hayden may have gotten a touch of it, but we aren't certain. They are getting so big and more fun everyday. I've posted new black and white pics under August 2004, so check them out!!!

Hank's first illness

We had to take Hank to the dr today. He had a little fever and was very fussy. It turned out that he has a viral sore throat, and we just have to wait it out. Right now, Tylenol seems to be doing the trick, and he feels much better. The real task is going to be keeping Hayden from catching it. He weighed 13 lbs. 2 oz. with clothes and diaper on today. Y'all pray that he gets over this thing--hard to believe we've gone 3 1/2 months without any sickness. The dr said that was pretty good. I guess it has to happen sometime. Going to my kitchen/laboratory to make bottles. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be. We only make 8 bottles a night rather than the 12 we started out with. Plus, we only add formula and cereal to the bottles--not quite the concoction of a month or so ago. Thank goodness--life's getting a little simpler!!!

Roly-poly

Hank finally rolled over! Nobody actually witnessed it, but our sitter said that she put him down in his bed on his belly, and she checked on him later, and he was on his back. He's been pretty close over the past week, so we knew he ought to be doing it soon. He and Hayden are both beginning to try to hold their bottles, and Hayden is starting to discover her feet. They both have the cutest laughs and are so much fun to be around. We go to the doctor on the 11th, so we'll have new weights then. We can't wait to see how much they weigh. Since they are on regular formula now, we don't expect a huge weight jump, but you never know. Thanks for checking up. I hope to take some pics this weekend in McComb, so check back next week for new ones.