So I am a little behind on updates with the holiday season. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Carson got to meet lots of his Louisiana cousins, great aunts and uncles, and he got to see his great grandma again. I thank God for the distractions of Christmas parties, gift wrapping, as well as our 3 yr old social butterfly. After going non-stop for a month or so today has hit us really hard. We had a Christmas party for a few of our close friends and kids last night and while chaotic, it is always lots of fun. This has been a great distraction for me, but now that it is over reality is hitting. The closer we get to Christmas the closer we get to Carson's kidney surgery. The first part of his two part surgery is scheduled for December 30th. I can't explain the emotions and worries that surface as each surgery or procedure approaches. Not to mention the ever nagging feeling that even after he has all his surgeries, he still will struggle in life with down syndrome. There is also the struggle of what therapies does he really need? Which ones can we afford? What is best of Carson and our family? I guess with any child, as a parent, you have to make choices and hope they are the right ones. We feel this is even more of a stresser with Carson. We just want what is best for him and sometimes the overwhelming feeling of doing everything right gets in the way with just enjoying our sweet baby.
Here are some 4 month updates of our little man. He weighs a little over 13 lbs and is around 23 1/2 inches. He is in the 50% for the trisomy 21 curve and 10-25% on the typical growth curves. His development is around a 3-4 month old, which is awesome for Carson! :) He is holding his head up well and we are working hard on rolling over intentionally. He is now grasping for toys and really raising his legs up. He is still a very happy and content baby. Caron loves to sleep and eat. He has the cutest laugh and when he smiles his eyes light up. He gets PT around 2 times a week and just qualified for oral motor/speech therapy. We are still trying to figure out what program we want to go with and how insurance works with all these therapies. We are really loving OCH Baylor and the therapist there.
Our family wishes each and everyone of you a very blessed holiday season. Please keep us in your prayers as the 30th approaches. While we are beyond blessed to be able to save his kidney and have such wonderful doctors we are still scared to death. No one wants to see their baby go through surgery.
*** Thanks again to Diana Busch Photography for all our awesome photos****