Eighteen months and counting

Toby's 18 month checkup showed continued good health and progress. He gained enough weight to keep his nutritionist happy and continues to edge up toward "normal" on the chart. This lets us continue the process of decreasing the tube feedings and letting him learn about hunger and how to make it go away. He also saw his occupational therapist for a final consult about his feeding issues. She has given us some helpful hints about how to expand his horizons. Putting both together (hunger and hints), we have already had some small successes. Enough to give us hope for the future; maybe someday soon Toby will graduate from non-eater to just another picky eater.

Toby has also had success in the pulmonary catagory. He completed coming off the diuretics without any major problems. Praise God; he now has a much reduced daily drug routine. A breathing treatment morning and night, one medication morning and night, and one just in the evening. This is another one of those areas where progress has been so gradual, we only see how far we've come by looking back. Not too long ago, it took a chart to plan, organize, and track all that was required. Now it is simple enough to be almost thought-less. Just perfect for advancing maternal age . . .

The plan to wean off the oxygen has not gone any further. His pulmonary team decided to delay and do another test first since he continues to have episodes of "fast breathing" for which they don't have an explanation. Some time in October, he should be scheduled for a bronchoscopy. They will put a scope down into his lungs to see if there's any thing going on down there they don't know about. After that, we will be back on track.

Meanwhile, we thank God every day we look at this big, healthy child. The wonder never goes away.