Wow, this year has gone so fast! Christian's 1-year birthday came so quickly! I just wanted to give you all updates on our progress!
As you know, Chrisitan was born on February 15, 2004, a full 16 weeks early. He weighed just 1 pound 6 ounces and was a slight 11 inches long. He had many problems and spent 4 months 1 week and 1 day at St Joe's hospital. When he came home, he weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and was 19 inches long. Well, at 1 year and 6 days, Christian is a whopping 14 pounds 1 ounce and about 25 inches long. He is very behind and probably won't hit the charts for awhile yet. But, he's getting there, at his own sweet time! We are very pleased with his progress.
Edwin and I have modified our version of normal. Since Christian is our first child, what he is and does is normal to us. We don't know any different. Many people tell us we're brave and strong. If you were in our shoes, you'd probably be doing the same thing. It's a very tough and long road. Our life has not been an easy one since his birth. We've had a lot of rough times. We've made a lot of decisions that didn't come easy to us. We pray daily that it doesn't happen to others, but truthfully, it happens to people everyday. Some people are able to handle things better than others. Either way, it's rough. We are grateful for the prayers that you've said, the well wishes that you've sent. We ask that you continue to pray for Christian that his cochlear implant surgery goes well. This will be his 4th surgery. I've provided details about the surgery and what it entails.
He's a strong little boy! He amazes Edwin and I everyday. He just recently realized that he can roll to get where he needs to be. Like to his bottle, or to a toy that he can't reach. The day after his first birthday, he decided to crawl. It's a commando crawl, but it's just so funny watching him do it. He's requiring more attention because he likes to get into things. Strong little guy he is! Christian is holding his own bottle. Makes those feedings soooo much easier and faster.
The surgery will happen sometime in April (we're praying for sooner). It will only take about an hour and he could go home that same day, or early the next day. It depends on how well he does.
The cochlear implant works like this: (All of the diagrams are above). Christian will have the surgery where the electrode in picture 3 will be threaded into the cochlea in his inner ear (the shell-looking part of the inner ear). They will drill a little of his skull so that both of the round pieces in picture 3 will fit flat inside the scalp. The bronze round piece is the magnet. Another magnet on the outside (the tan circle in picture 4) will attach to the magnet implanted in his head. He will be using the body-worn processor for awhile as his ears won't be strong enough to hold the BTE processor. The tan magnet (in picture 4) will attach to the skull. When a sound is made, the sound will enter through the microphone on the magnet. It will transfer down the wire that connects to the body worn processor and will be *made* into sound then it will travel back up the wire and then into the electrode into his cochlear and then to his hearing nerve.
If you still have questions, just ask. I got the pictures from www.advancedbionics.com. That is the company that we have chosen for Christian's cochlear implant. They have the best reputation and a very *sound* product. The doctor that will be performing the surgery, Dr Daspit, seems like a really nice guy and has been implanting children and adults for a long time. After Christian is implanted is when the fun really begins. He will have therapy once a week for an hour. They will show us what we need to do at home. Once implanted, he still won't be able to hear. He will have to *learn* to hear. It will be very hard, a 24/7 job. Edwin and I will really have to work together to make it work. The harder we work with Christian, the sooner he'll be able to hear. Christian will go to a preschool at 2 years 9 months old. He will either go to a school where they concentrate on speech, or a total communications school where they'll do whatever they need to help the child communicate. We will see where he does best and go from there. Again, all prayers for the surgery would be appreciated.
I hope that I've explained this so that you understand. Edwin and I are still learning about it. But, so far, everyone has given us the thumbs up for the surgery, even the surgeon. All the information they've collected will be presented in front of a panle of 50 people and they will make the ultimate decision that he is or isn't a candidate. We aren't too worried as the hearing aids he wears don't help him at all. Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope that everyone's year is going well!
February 14: Christian will be 1 tomorrow! He weighs 13lbs 13oz and is 25-26" tall!
February 15: We celebrated Christians birthday today with a small party. First, Edwin and I delivered 100+ beanies and toys to the NICU and cupcakes for the hard working nurses! They were upset that we left Christian with Grandma. It's RSV season, so we thought he wouldn't be allowed!! Then, we went home for cake and ice cream with Grandma. Christian made a royal mess, and enjoyed every minute of it! He fed himself for the first time!! He really enjoyed the bath and getting all clean again!
February 16: Christian had his 12 mos shots and cried for all of 5 seconds! He can now go to whole milk, once we run out of formula! The results of sedated ABR showed a profound hearing loss. BUT, he's now commando crawling. It's an absolute riot. He rolls onto one side, puts his arm in front, shifts his legs and scoots forward.
February 18: We met with Christians Cochlear Implant surgeon. He said the surgery will be in April, sometime. Everything from the CT Scan is normal! He will most likely get the implant on the right side, which is normal for the first time!
February 23: The surgery date is set! Christian will get his implant on the right side on April 13, 2005. We'll be able to take him home either the same day or the next day.