Doctor Visits, Surgery, and a Surprise

Daddy took Caden to have his kidneys checked out last Wednesday. The kidneys still look the same, so I have no real update there. I do want to say what a big boy Caden was while we were there. He fussed only at a minimum and did everything that he was supposed to do.

Mommy took Caden to his pediatrician, Dr. Krenzer, today for a checkup before his operation on Thursday. He is now 32 inches long (long since he's not walking yet) and weighs about 25 lbs. He had his clothes on which obviously won't weigh very much.

Thursday he will have the second operation to finish bringing down his testicles. This one is going to be intensive. The doctors have scheduled the surgery for 5 hours. I would say that is intensive for a 17 month old. Holly also talked to Dr. Donovan, Caden's kidney doctor, and he said that if they have time they are going to see about trying to fix Caden's reflux. They don't know if they're going to have time, but they said that they will see what happens. They also don't even know if what they are going to try will work. Obviously we'll have to wait and see.

The surprise is what Caden did yesterday while grandma was watching him. She had him sitting on the couch with his book and she went into the other room to get something. When she came back, he wasn't sitting on the couch anymore, he was standing at it!

She has no idea how he got down. She didn't hear any noises or anything. So she stood back and watched him for a little while. He was just playing with his book. And when he dropped it, he would hold on with one hand and bend over to pick up the book only to resume standing and playing with it.

What a big boy!



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Photo's from the pumpkin patch

The photos from Vala's Pumpkin patch are now posted on Caden's website.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Teeth, Growth Hormone, Pumpkin Patch, & a Frog

Caden visited the dentist. Mommy's friend Rachel said that one of his teeth kind of looked like a shell, so she thought that he might already have a cavity or just a weak tooth. We took him in, and the dentist said that his teeth look great. She actually said that his teeth were hard and strong. This was a shock and happy news for us. She said that his tooth was formed and aligned for the tooth on the bottom.

The dentist has worked with children with Prader-Willi before, so that is one of the reasons why we chose her. That and mommy's friend Rachel works there. The dentist also went to school with Caden's pediatrician, Dr. Krenzer. Isn't it truly a small world?

Caden has started his Growth Hormone (GH) shots (Click here to read more on Growth Hormones). He got his first shot this last Sunday (September 24th, 2006).

We went to the place that will be supplying the GH for us, OptionCare. We got there about 1:00 PM and our appointment was at 1:15 PM. The lady assigned to teach us was just getting there. She lead us in and asked us how much we had been briefed as to what he was recieving. I had done my own research and Holly had heard tidbits from the doctors as well as myself. Caden is being given GH called Humatrope which is made by Lilly, a pharmaceuticals company. (As with any drug, the name varies based on the company that makes it.)

We have what is called a Humatrope Pen (at right) that the GH is stored in. It contains the doses that he will recieve for 4 weeks (exactly 28 days). We will use this every day to give Caden his shot.

Believe it or not, mommy actually volunteered to give Caden his first shot. I am so proud of both of them. She went through with it immediately. No hesitation. She was crying before she gave him the shot, as well as during and after. He only cried for maybe 2 seconds. He looked at mommy like, "Why are you crying mom?" He did so awesome.

Last night when we gave him the shot, it was daddy's turn. I wasn't worried about it at all. I knew I could do it and that Caden could do it. I got the stuff ready, and gave him the shot. He didn't cry, he didn't flinch. He just sat there and waited for it to be over with.

My little boy is such a trooper.

We took him to Vala's Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. He absolutely loved it. They have goats there and all he wanted to do was touch them. We went on the hayrack ride to get a pumpkin. As soon as it started moving, Caden was all smiles. He was looking around and laughing.

We took him on the train as well. You can only sit two to a seat, so mommy decided that it was daddy's turn since mommy and aunt Tiffany sat next to him on the hayrack ride. (Hey, somebody has to take pictures!) I sat him on the seat and put his blanket over his lap. Then I sat next to him.

When we started to move, I had him hold my left hand. I didn't fully expect him to hold on for too long, but he didn't let go during the whole ride. He actually signaled for me to move closer. After I did, I put my arm around him. He then grabbed my right hand and held on to it as well. He didn't let go of either hand until we were done with the ride. He sat there the whole time holding my hands, watching all of the little towns and scenes that they had set up. Sometimes smiling, but always watching and holding on to me.

We took him into one of their "haunted houses," which is nothing more than a bunch of glow in the dark paint and "scary scenes." When we exited, he had this mad look on his face and he just let out a big, mad sigh. "Hugh!!!" It was kind of funny. There were a couple of people outside that saw this and got a chuckle out of it.

I bet you were wondering about "...a Frog." Well, that is Caden. Rather, that is what Caden is going to be for Halloween. "Aunt Amy" was at Old Navy and saw a frog costume there and told us about it. We were going to have him be Pablo from one of his favorite shows "The Backyardigans." Holly had found the costume on Nobbies' website, but since Amy found the frog we thought that we might as well check it out. Well, we liked it and decided to get it.

NOTE: For the pumpkin patch and Caden's costume, pictures are soon to come.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

20 burgers, 40 bags of chips and I was still hungry

20 burgers, 40 bags of chips and I was still hungry

I know this article has nothing to do with Caden right now, but it does help us to know that there is some kind of hope. The guy in the article has Prader-Willi Syndrome and he lives with his new wife who has cerebral palsy.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden as Motivation

(Click to see larger.)


Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

It's been a while...

I know that it's been a while since I've given any kind of update. It's been nearly a month. Sorry.

Where do I start. Caden did see more fireworks around the 4th of July. Caden also got to see, and pay attention to his first parade during the Ralston 4th of July parade that goes right past Grandma Debbie's house.

Caden is now getting his 4th, 5th, and 6th teeth in. This will now be kept (somewhat) updated on the right hand side along with his height and weight. He has regressed back to the bottle a little bit. We had him off of the bottle or about a week and a half, but he got sick and he didn't want to eat or take his sippy cup. So, the best way to get him to take anything was to give him a bottle again. "Two steps forward, one step back." Isn't that what they say?

There are more pictures posted on his website, http://vermule.brinkster.net/caden/. They are family pictures with aunts, uncles, and cousins. I do plan to post images of the 4th and other images when I get the time.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden's First Fireworks Show

Caden's aunt Tiffany was with her mom at the ball fields in Carter Lake, Iowa where they light fireworks off every year. Holly had called to talk to Tiffany and ended up talking to her boyfriend Isaiah. He told her that she would be there. So, Holly decided that she wanted to see fireworks.

So we went.

He wasn't as afraid of the fireworks as we thought that he might be. We had thought, "He's a baby, so he is going to be at least somewhat scared at first." But, he wasn't.

When the fireworks started, Caden did jump a little. He buried his face in Aunt Tiffany's shirt and threw his arms around her neck. Then, he decided to look and see what was making the noise. He was lost to us after that.

Once he got a look at the fireworks, he was mesmerized except for when he was looking to make sure that we were still there and that we were watching them as well.

(Pictures and Video to come shortly.)



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Pool Time & Eye Surgery Followup

We took Caden to a local pool and he liked it. At first he shivered because the water was chilly. Even I understand that. We put him in some more and he got used to the water.

We put him in his raft that his grandpa had given him for his birthday. It has a bottom with holes in it for his legs so that he can kick in the water. After a little while of being in the water, he was splashing with his hands. Eventually he figured out that if he kicked he could move some.

I was on my knees walking beside him when I needed to get up. So, I got up and then I got Caden out and set him down on his raft so that he was laying on it. He crossed his feet and put his arm out as if he knew how to lay in the raft. (See picture.) He seemed to be comfortable and enjoying his self, so I left him for a little while. There is another pool photo on his website at http://vermule.brinkster.net/caden/.


As for his eye surgery, the anesthesiologist called on monday telling us to be there around 6:00 AM. Initially it was 5:30 AM, so we get an extra half an hour of sleep. When we got there, they had me put Caden in the same type of hospital gown that he sported for his testes surgery. We got to go play in the playroom for a while before Dr. Troia came to talk with us. He is such a nice doctor. He brought Caden a really soft plush puppy. He said the procedure should be short and quick. The anesthesiologist came very shortly after Dr. Troia.

When they came to get Caden, the nurse told me that I shouldn't go anywhere because it would be a quick surgery.

It seemed like I had just looked at the TV and Dr. Troia was already coming into Caden's room saying that it was done. He said that there was a very thin layer of skin that was blocking his tear duct. He gave me some drops that we have to put in Caden's eye four(4) times a day. He said that there could be some inflammation and/or bleeding, but we'd just have to watch for that. If it bleeds into the eye, we'd have to get Caden to the ER immediately.

When they brought Caden back to the room, they were carrying him. He was awake and looking around, but you could see he wasn't too happy. I took him and he immediately put his head down on my shoulder and started to cry a little. Since he had to stay a short in the hospital, I kept a hold of him and sat down in the chair. I laid the chair back and we fell asleep watching TV together. I fell asleep for only a minute or two, but he fell asleep really quick and slept until a moment before the nurse came in to check on him to see if he could go home.

They said to watch him all day and to be sure I give him the eye drops.

So all in all, his surgery went great. His eye already looks clear and he won't have another surgery until the end of November. That is when he has the second and 'final' surgery for his testes.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Eye Surgery

Caden has had some drainage from his left eye off and on for a little while. His ophthalmologist, Dr. Sebastion Troia, thinks that he has a blocked tear duct.

On Tuesday June 13th, Dr. Troia is going to do a simple procedure where they take a real thin, smooth wire and stick it into Caden's tear duct to poke a hole into where the block is. The surgery is going to be at 7:00 AM at Children's Hospital in Omaha, NE. We have to be there at 5:30 AM. The nurse that set up the surgery said that we should be out of the hospital around 9:00 AM or so.

To read on blocked tear ducts and surgery, look at the following links:
http://kidshealth.org/
http://www.webmd.com/



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Up!!

Caden said "Up!" He only said it once after I had said it. So, we have heard him say: Mama, Dada, Baba, More, & Up. Those are the ones that we are sure that he has said at least once. There have been people who thought that they heard him say other words, but were not sure if they did or not. So, I'm not going to list them.

On the sidebar, there is a map now. This way Caden's family and friends can put themselves on the map and he will be able to see where you are.

There is also a box on the sidebar so that you can put your e-mail address, so that when a new posting is up, you'll automatically recieve an e-mail letting you know this.

Caden got some pictures taken at Sears with his cousin Cameron on Saturday. They are the last photo set on his website, http://vermule.brinkster.net/caden/.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

My Son the Movie Star

Everybody knows that Caden has therapists that come over and work with him, but over the past couple of months, they have been bringing along a student with them. She is learning and doing an internship.

When they were over last, the student asked if she could film the session for her class. Holly said that it was okay.

The student called Holly today and said that her teacher had asked if the video could be used as a training video. They want to use it as a part of their course. Holly had told her that it was okay.

Imagine that, he's only a year old and already a movie star.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden's Surgery

Holly woke up around 5:45 AM and I woke up around 6:00 AM. The doctors told Holly we should be there at 7:00 AM since his surgery was scheduled for 9:00 AM. I had the initial times that they gave us on my schedule. They had told us to be there at 6:00 AM, and that his surgery was scheduled for 8:00 AM. I suppose they changed the times. Such is life, I guess.

We brought him in around 6:50 AM, and they got his registration done right away. After asking us a long string of questions, we got to take Caden to the playroom to play for a little while. (See the pictures.) he was liking some of the toys that they had in the playroom.

They have this fire engine that the kids sit on and push with their feet. They even get to steer the wheels with a real working steering wheel. He got a trike from Uncle Josh, Aunt Amy, & family for his birthday, so he will probably be on that more.

Caden was doing good in it. He was slightly pushing forward, but he was pushing backwards pretty good. His therapist said that children tend to go backwards first. I'd move him forward to me, and he'd push back to mommy.

The nurse came to get us so that we could get his pre-op vitals and other things done. They had came to get him about half an hour early. They said that they were running a little ahead of schedule. They gave Caden a mild sedative so that he'd be a little more reluctant to go with the nurses without mommy and daddy.

So, for mommy and myself, we were stuck with the Waiting Game. We decided to go get some breakfast down in the cafeteria. They asked us to be back in the room around 9:00 AM. Even though they came to get him around 8:30, and the doctor said that the surgery would take between 1 and 1 ¹/₂ hours.

We were back in the room at 9:00 AM and no answer yet, which we had expected.

Around 10:00 AM, the nurse had came in and told us that the operating room had just called and that Caden was doing just fine.

The doctor came in and told us that his testicles were in his abdomen, and that they did the first of two operations to get his testicles to his scrotum. He had said that they found them pretty quickly and that they appeared that they may have been on the verge of descending. But, they had moved his testicles down a little and they had cauterized an artery so that it would grow and strengthen for his next operation.

Caden didn't get back to his room until around 11:15 AM. So, we waited for over an hour when it was communicated to us that it would be 20-30 minutes. We started to get very anxious and worried.

When they brought him in they said that he had had some trouble getting off of the oxygen. They said that it was expected due to his low muscle tone and his syndrome. And they hadn't said this to us.

Caden was a very tired baby. For the most part, all he wanted to do was to sleep. He did wake up a few times, a couple of times he was in pain so they gave him Tylenol with codeine.

We didn't get to take him home until around 4:00 PM because is SpO₂ or oxygenation level kept going down below 90. It had stabilized several times during that 4-5 hour period, but it kept dropping, mostly when he seemed to be in pain or when he was sleeping with his head bent forward.

When we finally took him home, he slept quite a bit, but he did want to play and sit up a little when he was awake.

Since the day after surgery, you wouldn't guess that he had had surgery. He's been rolling around, sitting, wanting to stand, and playing. It's amazing how fast he bounced back.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

1st Birthday & Surgery

I know I didn't post anything for Caden's first birthday, but as you might know, I was very busy the days before and after.

Caden had a great birthday. I will post pictures later of how much he loved it. He especially loved his cake.

Caden's surgery went will. They found his testicles and did the first of the two surgeries.

I will post a little bit longer on both things when I get more time. I am very busy at work right now, partly due to his surgery, and partly due to some tight deadlines.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

A Shameless Plug

I figured since everybody was doing things for the "March of Dimes" around this time, that I'd make a stab at letting people know about one of the things they help with and what my son's future will entail.

The link HERE is the story of a boy with Prader-Willi Syndrome and will help you understand more about this syndrome. There is also a PDF at http://www.pwsausa.org/AwarenessWeek/GA-01A.pdf that also contains some more information to help understand.

Now, this isn't a plug for money, but more as an awareness plug. Prader-Willi Awareness week started on Sunday April 30th, 2006 and runs through Saturday May 6th, 2006 (Caden's first birthday).



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Only 10 days left...

It is very hard to believe that Caden is almost a year old.

Where did the time go?

The funny thing is, I can barely remember what it was like without him. I wouldn't have it any other way of course, but it's just funny that way.

We are going to have a party for his first birthday at our house, and we are going to grill out. We already have his balloons on order, some decorations bought, we're in the process of picking what food we are going to grill.

We're going to get his cake from the The Cake Gallery. We are going to get him a small cake with a frog on it since he seems to love frogs so much. Then we are going to get a cake to match the party's theme. I won't say what the theme is yet, you'll just have to wait until you get there, or until I do the after party posting.

We are going to put Caden's picture on Channel 6 news for the "First Birthdays" segment they do everyday; like we did when he was 7 months on Channel 7 for thier "Birthdays on the 7's" segment.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden walks assisted!!

Mommy said that she held him up to stand and he stood straight up for her. Then when she stepped, he did also.

Obviously I can't write too much since I wasn't there.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden Stands!!!

We were at the mall and we Holly decided that she wanted to put Caden in one of the moving vehicles for kids. She decided that she wanted to put him in the Bob the Builder steamroller.

At first, he looked at me like, "What are you doing?" After a he got a hold of the wheel. He didn't care.

We put the quarters in and Grandma Debbie stood behind it with her arms through the back to make sure he stayed still. She moved away when he started to scoot forward.

I took a couple of pictures, but wanted some from the side too. So, I moved to the side, and he was standing there playing with the wheel. And I do mean "standing" in the literal sense. I couldn't believe my eyes. Both mommy and grandma were just as excited and surprised as I was.

He stood for a good 30 seconds before turning to the Bob the Builder next to him, then to me when he started to cry. So, I had to pick him up of course.

To see the other pictures, you do have to visit his website: http://caden.vermule.com. Then click on "Photo Collections" link.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Another Ear Infection

Caden has yet another.

Caden was stuffy this past weekend, he has also had a slight cough, and you can tell that he's had a sore throat. He has also been kind of cranky lately.

I took him to see Dr. Krenzer, his pediatrician, yesterday and she confirmed that he had an ear infection. She prescribed him Augmentin (by GlaxoSmithKline) which is used to treat many things including ear infections. So, that means he'll be on that twice a day for the next 10 days.

Since he is on that, he can't be in the Amoxicillin that he normally is since Augmentin contains Amoxicillin. He'll resume taking that once a day after he is done with the Augmentin.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Bath Time Pictures...

There are new pictures posted on Caden's site. Just go to http://caden.vermule.com and to the photos section to view them.

As usual, the newest pictures on the bottom.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Where to start?

Caden is actually saying some words. He kind of says "Momma" and "Dada." But, he has said "More." We actually think that he kind of knows what it means.

One day we were feeding him some baby food, and we kept saying "More. Caden, do you want more?" And one time, he actually said it. He didn't say it for the rest of the jar of baby food, but he did say it that night when we visited grandpa Jay.

He also said it for grandma Debbie a couple of times.

Today, his therapist Kaye came over and when she was leaving, she said "Bye bye." and waved. Caden waved back. Holly and the therapist about hit the floor in amazement. He did it 3 times when she waved to him and said bye.

Earlier on today, Holly had called me because she had brought down a cube toy that Caden has. It's one of those toys that has shaped holes in it and the little shapes that children are supposed to start recognizing to get the shapes in the cube. The lid comes off pretty easily and Caden figured that out one day, so he took it off. We left it off and kind of used it to hold those pieces and a couple of other toys around easily.

Caden dumped the toys out in front of him, then he sat the cube next to him. He then proceeded to pick up the toys he dumped out and then put them back in the cube. How smart is that?!?

His therapists say that it is like day and night when they visit the other child in Ralston with Prader-Willi Syndrome. They said that the other baby was at about a one month level, and he is only a month younger than Caden.


On a sad side note, the therapist told Holly that the other child in Ralston that the therapists were working with passed away about a month ago. They said he was so weak and he couldn't eat. Please send your prayers to the family.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden is 10 Months Today

For this post I primarily wanted to point that out.

Don't for get to check Caden's new website here.

I'll post more later.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

New Pictures

I have uploaded some new pictures. (Daddy finally got a bluetooth for his computer so that he can get the pictures off of his phone.)

To see them, go to his website, then click on "Caden Photo Collections," and then select the group you want to see.

I have Valentine's photos, photos of his first haircut, and some other assorted pictures.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Some Updates

Sorry that it's been so long since my last posting. A lot has been going on, so I haven't had a whole lot of time. Let's see, where do I start?

As you all know, Caden was hospitalized due to him contracting RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). Holly had taken Caden into the doctor the Thursday before he was admitted because he was sick. The doctor looked at him and figured that it was RSV, so she sent Holly home with a nebulizer and some medication to help Caden breath easier. Holly said that he started breathing a little easier when the did the first treatment at the doctor's office.

Over the weekend he was doing okay. He kind of looked sick and had a stuffy nose as well as the breathing problems, but he was eating the same as normal and playing just fine.

On Monday, February 6th, Holly said that he didn't really want to wake up and he looked a little pale. She called the doctor and she said that she wanted to see him. The earliest urgent appointment she had open was at 1:50 PM. We went in and she said he seemed the same as when he was last in. Stuffy nose, and the same crackling while he was breathing due to the secretion build up. She decided to check his oxygen level, and it was down to 73%. It is supposed to be 90% or higher. Preferrably in the high 90's. Dr. Krenzer said that with an oxygen level that low, she would feel much better admitting him to Chilren's Hospital and putting him on some oxygen, at least overnight.

Of course, this put Holly in tears. I completely understand why, we already had 6 weeks of worrying; and with all of the other news that we've had. They gave him another breathing treatment then put him on oxygen. We had to sit and wait at the doctor's office a short while before we could go over to the hospital. Luckily it is only a few blocks away. They said he would be fine without oxygen until we got over there. We left daddy's truck at the doctor's office and just drove the car.

Dr. Krenzer had called over so that the paper work would be ready and we could get right into a room. When we got there I dropped Holly and Caden off at the front doors and then went to park. I expected that they would already be going up to his room by the time I hit the lobby to find out where they went. When I got to the lobby, there they were sitting at one of the admittance desks. They said that they didn't have a room ready yet. So, they took us up to the 5th floor and put us in a treatment room so that they could get the stats that they needed from Caden. Mommy filled out paperwork and answered questions while daddy comforted Caden.

They got us into room 514.

As soon as we walked in, we knew this room was better than the one he had in the NICU. It was bigger, it was completely private with a door you can shut, it had it's own private bathroom, more seating, and a TV.

We figured he'd be in the hospital for 2 nights for sure; not the 4 (almost 5) nights that it was. He didn't get released unil Friday night.

We also figured that Caden was too old to leave in the hospital by hisself and he was too used to sleeping in his own bed that we decided that at least one of us should stay with him overnight. The first night, Holly stayed at the hospital overnight with Caden. The second night, I did. And the third and fourth nights Holly stayed.

They took some blood, a urine sample, and gave us instructions on what we should do. (Ex. keep track of how much he takes from each bottle, not throw away his dirty diapers,...) They said they could do a Rapid RSV test to verify that that is what we are dealing with. The next day they actually did the test and did verify that it was RSV.




Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

A Hospital Visit

Due to Caden's RSV, he is in the hospital. I'll write more in a day or so when I have more time.

Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

A Day of Turmoil

Holly just called me. It turns out that Caden has RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and an ear infection. I of course did some fast research and the ear infection may have been caused by the RSV.

Dr. Krenzer prescribed Caden an aerosol treatment called ribavirin. We put it in a machine and Caden has to breathe it in. They also recommended we raise his bed a little and use a humidifier in his room.

Holly has to take tomorrow off as well, and the kids can come back next week. We have to watch him to make sure that it doesn't get any worse. We don't want him to be hospitalized due to this.

NOTE: I found a preventative you can get that will help prevent RSV. It's called Synagis. It's a shot that helps those at a higher risk that will help protect you for 30 days.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

A Night of Turmoil

Last night I woke up several times to try to suction Caden's nose out. He hated it and cryed out to let me know. This woke up mommy. One time when I was trying to suction, he thrust forward and his nose bled a little, but it stopped quickly.

Then we noticed that he was really congested and had a little bit of a cough. We tried several things to soothe him including Vicks BabyRub, Children's Tylenol, & holding him.

He eventually calmed down and was breathing better. We put him back to bed and went to sleep. When we woke up at 6:30 AM to give him his first bottle, Holly decided that he needed to be seen by the doctor. Not wanting me to take anymore time off, she called her daycare parents and told them that she had to have the day off to take Caden to the doctor.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden's Follow-up Is Today

They drew blood from Caden's arm last Monday. They had trouble getting to his vane at first. Then they got some blood. They weren't sure if it was going to be enough or not. So, they had me take Caden for a walk for about 15 minutes before checking to see if they'd have to stick him again.

We went to fix Caden's bottle and the water in the bathroom got barely above luke warm. And Caden likes his bottles warm, so I wasn't sure how well he'd eat. We had some time to waste before going back, so we looked in the gift shop and Caden just started to talk.

We went back to the window and they said that the machine just finished spinning and they had enough. I was so glad, I didn't want them to have to stick him twice in one day.

When Caden recieved the shots last week, the nurses did it well enough that Caden didn't even know that he was getting a shot until it was pretty much done. So, all he got out for a cry was an initial "Ahh!" and then some "Why did you do that?" wimpers.

On Saturday, we didn't get the same luck that we did on Monday. Mommy didn't even want to go in because she didn't want to hear him cry. They tried his right arm again. I'm not sure why they did, since they could tell that's where he was stuck earlier in the week. They were having troubles again, and Caden was just belting out the complaints. He was giving them his patented lip and looks. He looked at me with his look that just says, "Daddy, help me! Why are they doing this?" I just wanted to stop them, but I knew that they were only doing it for good.

They stopped and put a band-aid on since they knew they weren't getting anything from his right arm. They allowed me to pick him up to soothe and calm him. As soon as I laid him down to get blood from his left arm, he gave me the "Don't give me back to them!" look.

This time, it was much quicker. They stuck the needle in and blood came out almost immediately. I was so happy. They put a band-aid on and I picked him up immediately. He put his head on my sholder to calm down. They nurse held up a basket of stickers and we let Caden pick his own. He actually picked up a sheet with kittens on it, but then dropped it to go for one with a Colt on it instead. I couldn't believe that he actually picked one out on his own, and neither could mommy when I told her.

We are going to see Dr. Donovan again, and he is going to give us the results. I just hope for good results.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Caden's Christmas Photos in a Video

Just wanted to post a quick link to Caden's Christmas Video in case I haven't sent it to you already.

http://caden.vermule.com/caden/Videos/X-Mas_2005.wmv

Doctor Day Cont'd

When we went back to the doctor's office, he was going to see two different doctors. One doctor is a kidney specialist, the other is the doctor that did his surgery to remove the valves that he had when he was born.

They got his weight, height, and blood pressure. His blood pressure was unusually high. It was something like 129/92. Not only did it surprise us, but it surprised the nurse. Holly was getting kind of worried about it, especially since I have high blood pressure. The nurse said that he may have moved a little to much or something, and that we could try again a little later.

Then it was the kidney specialist's turn to look him over. Her name is Dr. Lavelle. She also gave us the results of his ultrasound and blood tests. She said that the left kidney hasn't grown. She said that it still looks to be the same as it was previously. She then told us that his right kidney had grown. And that so far it looked like it didn't have any damage from the reflux, but we'll have to keep bringing him in to monitor it.

She then proceeded to tell us that if his kidney's don't do their job, that in about 18-20 years, Caden could be on dialysis or have a transplant. She did also say that if the right kidney grows enough to make up for both kidneys, that he may not even have that. She said that there are a lot of people living normal lives with one kidney; many don't even know it.

Normal kidney processing is between 80 and 100 mL per minute. (I think that's what the doctor said.) Caden is currently at 80 mL per minute. So, if it stays in the normal range, he'll be just fine. She also commented on his blood pressure. She said that children with kidney problems tend to have higher blood pressure. She wanted to try his blood pressure again, because if it is high, he'd have to be put on medication for it.

Once she left, we thought it would be a good time to try his blood pressure again. Was this ever a mistake. We tried about 8 or 9 times, and Caden just screamed and kicked. (He is so strong now.) We just thought we'd give up for now.

Dr. Donovan came in and looked Caden over, but he still couldn't feel his testis. He decided that we should try to give Caden some hormone shots to see if his testosterone levels spike. If they do, he has testis and he will schedule surgery to have them pulled down. If they do not, then he doesn't have them and we'll know for sure that he won't be able to have children.

Of course the news of Caden possibly needing two surgeries upset us, but we know it would be in his best interests. Neither surgery is for sure. The kidney surgery won't be for almost 20 years. And that's even if he needs that. The surgery for his testis, we'll find out in about a week and a half. He starts the shots on Monday, January 23rd, 2006. He'll have them Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He'll have blood drawn Monday morning before the first shot, and then Saturday, a day after the last shot.

So, please cross your fingers. This is the surgery that we actually do want him to have.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.

Doctor Day

Yesterday was a day full of tests and doctor visits.

We started the morning with Caden getting a bag taped to him so that the nurses could get a urine sample. Holly thought that they were going to put a catheter in to get the urine sample. She said that is what they did last time.

We then went to Radiology so that they could do an ultrasound of Caden's kidneys. (If you don't remember, when Caden was readmitted to the hospital, it was because he had a Urinary Tract Infection. He had some extra valves that weren't allowing him to urinate properly, so he had backflow into his left kidney. He is on amoxicillin so that it does not damage his kidneys.)

Caden was such a trooper. When the technician was doing the ultrasound on his right kidney, he didn't fuss at all. When she was doing the ultrasound on his left kidney, he didn't fuss until she was almost done. Then we had to put him on his tummy so that she could see them from the back. He did great at first, then he started to get a little fussy. He did a great job. The technician left the room to let the radiologist look at the ultrasound pictures and numbers. When she came back, she said that it looked the right kidney had grown, but the left kidney was unchanged.

The next trip was to get the bag removed. But, this was only if he had went potty since it was put on. It looked to be as though he had when we were in radiology. When the nurse took the bag off, he had went. But either most of it had leaked out, or as I have just thought, it may have been pushed out when we were moving him around during the ultrasound. The nurse decided to ask to see if the little amount that was in the bag would be enough. We were in luck, it was.

We now had to go to the lab so that they could draw some blood. Obviously we weren't looking forward to this, but we knew that Caden had done this before and that it shouldn't be to bad. When we got in there, they said the blood needed to come from his arm. Now we were worried at how he would handle this. As soon as the nurse held his arm down he started to cry. He knew they were going to do something that he wasn't going to like. He is so smart.

After this, we had a break before his clinical visit. So, we decided to visit daddy's work and grandma Debbie's work. And as usual, everybody loved him. When we stepped into daddy's department, we got about two feet in before we had a mob of people around. Everybody said that he is getting so big and that he is so cute.




To be continued...

A Couple Developments

Holly called me around a quarter to noon today, "Caden rolled over!!"

She said that he just went for it, and he made it over. When he tries normally, he doesn't quite get his arm out of the way. But, today he did. I'm so proud of my strong little boy.

The next thing we need to work on is getting his arm strength up.

Speaking of arm strength; I need to get to the other development. Caden will hold his bottle on his own. Sometime last weekend, I think Saturday he did it for the first time.

When we feed him, we hold the bottle to him so that he'll get the recognition of, "Oh, a bottle. I must be getting fed." He has got that concept down to a 'T.' He has followed the bottle for a while now, but he has been reaching for his bottle for around a month.

I decided to let him take the bottle. He took it right away, and put it in his mouth. He ended up taking 4 ounces from a 6 ounce bottle. I was so proud. Then on his next bottle, he finished it.

He holds his bottle for most of his feedings now. At 5AM, he is not really even awake, so he doesn't hold it then. And sometimes on his bottle before bed he doesn't, but otherwise, we let him do it. He goes until he finishes, gets tired of holding the bottle, or just plays so much that he is making a mess or will take a really long time.



Until Next time, I continue to ask for and thank you for your prayers.