HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2009 is going to be a great year! We can only hope to enrich our lives this year with as many incredible life lessons as in 2008, but without all the drama! The holidays were great, but super-busy! We had an extra-special Christmas this year, although Erik and I were sick over the holidays. Surprisingly, Bruce managed to avoid our germs and never caught it. We hope all of you are having a healthy & happy new year!
Erik is still improving in all areas… especially eating! He is finally eating more and not being fed as much through his G-tube. I finally found a nutritional supplement drink that he likes, and this has also contributed to the decreased G-tube feedings. We are not as concerned now about his ability to swallow. Although he still has to eat some foods slowly, he is capable of swallowing. Erik now seems excited about going to feeding therapy every week. It took him a few weeks to get to know his new therapist, but he now looks forward to seeing her every week. We absolutely love seeing him excited about eating! Speech is still a little slow, but we are seeing small steps. I can usually understand what he is trying to say, although he is not clear to others. I can tell he is trying to put together words to make small phrases, and he has definitely added more words to his vocabulary. His motor skills also continue to get stronger. We are currently still attending therapy four days per week, but we know it won’t always be like this. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Praises to God for all of his progress!
Erik saw his pediatrician yesterday for his 30-month check-up. He is still in the 95th percentile for height and weight, so his doctor was not hesitant about decreasing the G-tube feedings. We will check in with the pediatrician monthly to make sure he is maintaining his weight. Like Bruce and me, Dr. Eidson is focused on trying to get rid of Erik’s G-tube. I have become so determined to get him eating again! Although we are all so thankful for the G-tube because it has kept Erik alive, we are more than ready to see its departure. We know that God is going to provide Erik with the power to overcome this obstacle.
During the last update, Erik had developed granulation tissue around his G-tube site. Thanks to all of you that sent email and messages regarding information about the silver nitrate and ways to keep the site healthy. The tissue disappeared for a few weeks, returned, and now it’s almost gone again. Apparently, this may be something we have to deal with from time to time as long as he has the G-tube. At least we know how to manage it now.
Our family had a wonderful time at the Christmas Parade that was sponsored by the Goodlettsville Chamber of Commerce. Erik had the honor of being the Grand Marshal this year. He rode in a bright yellow jeep at the front of the parade. He had such a good time. He finally got the hang of waving at everyone about half way through the parade. It was a beautiful night and we could not have asked for better weather.
We are making a trip to Birmingham next weekend to see four of Erik’s FAVORITE guys! We are going to see the Imagination Movers’ live show. These are the guys that sing all the cool kids’ songs that I have written about on here several times. After Erik woke up from his coma, we weren’t sure if he remembered anything (including us). Although he was alert, he had a distant, scared look on his face. I finally held up the Imagination Movers’ DVD cover and he smiled. He suddenly had a little twinkle in his eye that I had missed seeing. I knew in that exact moment that he was going to be OK. I really wonder how many hundreds of times he watched that video while in the hospital. I know the people in Atlanta were so tired of hearing it. We have introduced many people to the Imagination Movers since then. They now have a show on the Disney Channel, and I will forever be grateful for their ability to make my son smile at ANY given time of the day! May God bless them with continued success.
Please continue to pray for Erik’s recovery! We thank you so much for the prayers and for keeping up with Erik’s progress! Our thanks to God for all He has done!
