6 months old

Hayden is now 6 months old and I can't believe it. His smile melts my heart. He is the sweetest baby. Since we have taken a break from the medical community on our vacations, we have been able to relax and just have fun. My vigilant eye looking for things that might be wrong has taken a break. Now that we are back to the regular check ups, there are many wonderful things going right, but also a few tough ones that keep me up at night.

At clinic, Hayden was found to have great weight gain, an MRI of a working shunt and an ultrasound to find some fluid built up in his kidney. We are also treating him for a UTI at the current moment. The urologist's office tried to test him with an analysis of his strength of stream to see if we need to start cathing him again. During this test they couldn't pass the catheter after trying for a very long time. Now he has been swollen for days and are waiting to see where we go from here and have him rechecked after the round of antibiotics.

An optimist would hope that his stream is well and that it doesn't matter if a cath won't pass, because he won't ever need one. The pessimist/realist might think that there is an obstruction, or narrowing of the opening to the bladder and another surgery might be required and possible cathing again to reduce further UTIs.

At his Pediatrician's office, his weight was in the 50% at 17.6lbs and height in the 75% at 27 inches while his head is so small it didn't make the charts. This is something we need to follow up with at next clinic. He got his vaccinations and the doctor recommended we see an opthomologist for his eye (translation= another possible surgery).

During his physical therapy sessions, the PT was concerned about his "low tone". This is not new, but he is lagging significantly in a few areas ie. hands are still in fists, doesn't play with toys, doesn't sit unsupported and falls with rounded back, not rolling over, not pushing up with arms on tummy and head control isn't where she thinks it should be. She recommended a neurologist apmt.

While we are blessed to have great health care and insurance, the co-pays are really adding up. I don't know how others do it with less than we have been blessed with.

Here is a beautiful picture of our little hero and his aunt Melyssa. Please keep him in your prayers. They work.