Livin' Life

So my dad is bothered by the fact that I haven't updated my blog in a very long time. I apologize! Ian is amazing. Truly amazing. I don't think about Dandy-Walker every time I look at him now. I just think of Ian. Physically, he isn't challenged at this point. He walks, runs, jumps, plays on the playground (in your face doctor man!), kicks soccer balls; you name it, he tries it. His speech seems delayed, but who knows if that's associated to Dandy-Walker or just a 23 month old little boy. He has many many words, but not all of them are clear. He isn't speaking in many phrases, but I am confident that will come. He throws great temper tantrums and gets pretty emotional. This too can't be linked to DW at this point in time....we are entering 'terrible two's'! I have read that the cerebellum controls both language and emotions/behaviors, so only time will tell if these are issues we'll be dealing with in the future. I'll try to be better at keeping you all updated. I did rely heavily on blogs that I found and often wondered.....Now what? How are they doing/growing?......when the author just stopped updating. Thank you for thinking of Ian, and please continue to pray for him, other DW kids, and newly diagnosed families.

Just enjoying my little man!

Again I must apologize for not posting in a few months. No news is good news, right? Ian is doing well. He's an active little guy. He loves playing with cars and balls, wrestling with his sister, and making huge messes! He runs more than he walks these days. He amazes me. I could tell you my worries for the future, but why? We all know I worry and always will. Unfortunately that's my nature.   But, the worrying isn't stopping me from enjoying every single second with my little man!

Go, Ian!

Ian started walking last week! He's still quite unsteady on his feet, but he's getting better at it every day. I was recently contacted by a family that received the diagnosis of Dandy-Walker. Their little girl is due in October I believe. Her situation sounds a lot like Ian's. I am so happy that my blog has been able to provide hope and strength to another family. That's the main reason I decided to blog about Ian. If I hadn't found Shayna's blog about Mathew and spoken to Ava's parents, I just don't know how I would have made it through. It's so nice to hear from you Joe and Leslie. We're praying for your little one! It's all going to be wonderful. Praying for all the Dandy-Walker kiddos out there!

Master Crawler!

I am so sorry that I haven't posted since January. Ian continues to amaze us daily. He's growing like a weed. He is so busy these days! He crawls all over the place, pulls himself up, cruises a little, walks when holding our hands....you get the picture! No gross motor issues yet! He's also rotten! His new trick is flushing the toilet. He is so proud of himself. I could go on and on, but it's not necessary! He's developing normally, and we couldn't feel more blessed. Thanks for your prayers! I know that whatever the future holds, we'll be okay.

One Year Ago Today.......

January 20, 2011, Joe and I experienced absolute devastation and heartbreak. It was on this day that we were told that our son would never walk or talk, feed himself, play on a playground...you get the idea. It was on this day that we were told that we would most likely institutionalize our son. It was on this day that options about our son's life were presented to us. I have not healed from this; I wonder if I ever will. Life is much better one year later. Praise God. Thank you friends for the support, encouragement and prayers over the past year. Ian is.......absolutely amazing.

7 months & neuro appt

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ian is now 7 months old, and he is doing something new each day. He continues to grow and develop normally. We may have had our last appointment with his pediatric neurologist today. He is extremely pleased with Ian's development. He marveled at how his posteria fossa isn't even enlarged. He believes we are way past the danger zone for hydrocephalus at least for now. He has met 60 year olds presenting hydrocephalus, but they can usually be treated relatively easily. Dr. Painter feels that if he brought us back anymore, it'd be just to say hello and that there's no reason to keep seeing neurology unless he starts vomitting without other reason, his vision becomes blurry or if he complains of headaches. When I think of the prognosis we were given by genetics doctors....well, I'm just not going to think about it. We are where we are, and I'll take it.

5 months old

Wow, has it really been since August since I have posted? I'm so sorry about that! Life has been crazy busy, and I'm so thankful for it all. I'm thankful that Ian's good health permits me to work and allows our family to book our weekends with fun fall activities and time with family and friends. Ian is amazing in every way. His smile is contagious (as are all babies' smiles) and his giggle brings tears to my eyes quite often. He is happy and healthy. His development seems to be on track. He hasn't rolled from back to belly yet, but his physical therapist isn't too concerned and our doctor thinks it may be because he is such a big guy. He is almost 18 pounds and 27 inches! He is very close to rolling and does it with ease with a little help! He has been introduced to his bouncer and he loves it! He seems in complete control of himself while he bounces. Day by day and prayer by prayer.....thanks for reading and mostly, praying.