Yay, I'm 102 weeks old today!
Masinja went to the doctor on Monday and thankfully he did not have an ear or sinus infection. The doctor told us that his lungs were clear and that there really wasn't much more that we could do other than what we were already doing. He said we just had to let the cold run it's course. Hopefully Masinja will feel better soon.
Masinja also went to the neurologist this week. He had a good checkup but he had to have bloodwork done to make sure he was in the therapeutic range with his phenobarbitol. He was quite upset when he got his blood drawn but he calmed down when the phlebotomist gave him some stickers. In fact, he fell asleep in the car on the way home with a sticker clutched in each hand :O)
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Weekly Update -- 8 - 14 December 2008
Yay, I'm 101 weeks old today!
Masinja had his 6th ECI session this week. It was a pretty eventful session too. We met his teacher at the Early Childhood Center and Masinja absolutely loved it. They have two rooms: a gross motor room which is kind of like an indoor playgound, and a reading room where children get to participate in story and music time, as well as play with a variety of toys. We spent most of our time in the gross motor room, because they have a ball pit and a slide, as well as all sorts of ride-on toys. Masinja's teacher warned me that when it was time to go he would probably get very upset. She assured me that is was a normal reaction and that all children throw fits when it's time to leave. Well, she was right because Masinja sat down on the floor and proceeded to throw a temper tantrum when it was time to go home!
Masinja got his first official cold this week also. His nose started running on Friday afternoon and he has been all stuffed up and running a low-grade fever ever since. I have been using saline spray and the bulb syringe to suction his nose several times a day, because it's the only way he gets any relief. We are planning on taking him to the doctor tomorrow just to make sure he doesn't have an ear or sinus infection and to see if there is anything else we can do for him. He also has a check-up with the neurologist on Tuesday, so we'll keep you posted on how that goes as well.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had his 6th ECI session this week. It was a pretty eventful session too. We met his teacher at the Early Childhood Center and Masinja absolutely loved it. They have two rooms: a gross motor room which is kind of like an indoor playgound, and a reading room where children get to participate in story and music time, as well as play with a variety of toys. We spent most of our time in the gross motor room, because they have a ball pit and a slide, as well as all sorts of ride-on toys. Masinja's teacher warned me that when it was time to go he would probably get very upset. She assured me that is was a normal reaction and that all children throw fits when it's time to leave. Well, she was right because Masinja sat down on the floor and proceeded to throw a temper tantrum when it was time to go home!
Masinja got his first official cold this week also. His nose started running on Friday afternoon and he has been all stuffed up and running a low-grade fever ever since. I have been using saline spray and the bulb syringe to suction his nose several times a day, because it's the only way he gets any relief. We are planning on taking him to the doctor tomorrow just to make sure he doesn't have an ear or sinus infection and to see if there is anything else we can do for him. He also has a check-up with the neurologist on Tuesday, so we'll keep you posted on how that goes as well.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 1 - 7 December 2008
Yay, I'm 100 weeks old today!
Masinja had his 5th ECI session today. His teacher came at lunch time so she could observe his eating habits and maybe give us some pointers on getting him to use his utensils and not throw his food on the floor. It went pretty well and we learned a few things that I'm anxious to try with him.
Masinja got to see his Daddy play hockey this week. T.M. has joined a Beer Hockey league and he is having a blast. He is playing center instead of goalie which is hard for me to get used to considering the fact that he played goalie in high school and all through college! Masinja and I got to "see" T.M. score his first goal last night though. I say "see" because it was kind of hard to tell that it was T.M. but I knew someone on his team had scored. He brought the puck out with him after the game and gave it to Masinja who proceeded to say, "Hockey, hockey, hockey" while trying to eat the puck :O)
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had his 5th ECI session today. His teacher came at lunch time so she could observe his eating habits and maybe give us some pointers on getting him to use his utensils and not throw his food on the floor. It went pretty well and we learned a few things that I'm anxious to try with him.
Masinja got to see his Daddy play hockey this week. T.M. has joined a Beer Hockey league and he is having a blast. He is playing center instead of goalie which is hard for me to get used to considering the fact that he played goalie in high school and all through college! Masinja and I got to "see" T.M. score his first goal last night though. I say "see" because it was kind of hard to tell that it was T.M. but I knew someone on his team had scored. He brought the puck out with him after the game and gave it to Masinja who proceeded to say, "Hockey, hockey, hockey" while trying to eat the puck :O)
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Weekly Update -- 24 - 30 November 2008
Yay, I'm 99 weeks old today!
Masinja celebrated his second Thanksgiving this week. Last year he wasn't able to eat Thanksgiving dinner because he had just started eating baby food about a month before and he didn't have any teeth! Well, he wasn't very interested in eating Thanksgiving dinner this year either. He ate one piece of turkey, a few pieces of sweet potato, and a bite of cranberry sauce, but he threw his mashed potatos and stuffing on the floor. He ate almost an entire roll all by himself though. I had to hide the remainder of his Thanksgiving dinner in yogurt just to get him to eat it. This is the norm most days though. He absolutely loves yogurt. When I take the container out of the refrigerator he says "woogar" over and over again :O)
Who You Calling a Turkey PJ's Pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja celebrated his second Thanksgiving this week. Last year he wasn't able to eat Thanksgiving dinner because he had just started eating baby food about a month before and he didn't have any teeth! Well, he wasn't very interested in eating Thanksgiving dinner this year either. He ate one piece of turkey, a few pieces of sweet potato, and a bite of cranberry sauce, but he threw his mashed potatos and stuffing on the floor. He ate almost an entire roll all by himself though. I had to hide the remainder of his Thanksgiving dinner in yogurt just to get him to eat it. This is the norm most days though. He absolutely loves yogurt. When I take the container out of the refrigerator he says "woogar" over and over again :O)
Who You Calling a Turkey PJ's Pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 17 - 23 November 2008
Yay, I'm 98 weeks old today!
Masinja had his 4th ECI session this week. T.M. was able to be here because he was off that day. His teacher talked with us a lot about Masinja's tendency to throw his toys around the room as well as throwing temper tantrums. She gave us some suggestions for redirecting his behavior. We also worked a bit on getting him to actually roll a ball back and forth. T.M. and I have been working with him on this for a few months now, but Masinja is more interested in throwing the ball around the room than rolling it back and forth! He is doing a little better now though and it is one of his favorite games to play now. Our goals for the next couple of weeks are to work on curbing his tendency to throw things and getting him to tell us whether he wants more to eat or more to drink.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had his 4th ECI session this week. T.M. was able to be here because he was off that day. His teacher talked with us a lot about Masinja's tendency to throw his toys around the room as well as throwing temper tantrums. She gave us some suggestions for redirecting his behavior. We also worked a bit on getting him to actually roll a ball back and forth. T.M. and I have been working with him on this for a few months now, but Masinja is more interested in throwing the ball around the room than rolling it back and forth! He is doing a little better now though and it is one of his favorite games to play now. Our goals for the next couple of weeks are to work on curbing his tendency to throw things and getting him to tell us whether he wants more to eat or more to drink.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 10 - 16 November 2008
Yay, I'm 97 weeks old today!
Masinja went to PT this week for the last time. He was discharged because he has met all of his goals for gross motor skills. He will need to go back in 6 - 8 months though for a checkup to make sure he is still on track. I know he is going to miss his therapist immensely. Whenever we say her name he repeats us and grins from ear to ear!
Masinja also went to OT this week. T.M. and I have been having a lot of trouble getting him to eat lately. He prefers to throw things on the floor or to spit his food out rather than chew and swallow it. He has become extremely picky, too. He has been subsisting on chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and yogurt. His therapist gave me a few ideas to try to get him to eat more and she also got him transitioned to a cup with a straw. It was actually pretty neat how she did it.
She used a honey bear container with a long flexible straw. She explained to me how it was easy to sqeeze the honey bear and get a bit of water to go up the straw and into Masinja's mouth. She said after a little while he would figure out that sucking on the straw would produce the same result. Well after only about 5 minutes Masinja was doing it all by himself! He loves to drink from a straw cup now because he can hold it all by himself like a big boy :O)
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja went to PT this week for the last time. He was discharged because he has met all of his goals for gross motor skills. He will need to go back in 6 - 8 months though for a checkup to make sure he is still on track. I know he is going to miss his therapist immensely. Whenever we say her name he repeats us and grins from ear to ear!
Masinja also went to OT this week. T.M. and I have been having a lot of trouble getting him to eat lately. He prefers to throw things on the floor or to spit his food out rather than chew and swallow it. He has become extremely picky, too. He has been subsisting on chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and yogurt. His therapist gave me a few ideas to try to get him to eat more and she also got him transitioned to a cup with a straw. It was actually pretty neat how she did it.
She used a honey bear container with a long flexible straw. She explained to me how it was easy to sqeeze the honey bear and get a bit of water to go up the straw and into Masinja's mouth. She said after a little while he would figure out that sucking on the straw would produce the same result. Well after only about 5 minutes Masinja was doing it all by himself! He loves to drink from a straw cup now because he can hold it all by himself like a big boy :O)
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Weekly Update -- 3 - 9 November 2008
Yay, I'm 96 weeks old today!
Masinja went to the dentist this week. He now has 12 teeth with 4 more coming in. The dentist gave us some good news. His back molars are half white and half yellow so hopefully when his permanent teeth come in they won't be nearly as discolored as his baby teeth are now.
Masinja had his third ECI session this week. He has mastered the art of saying more during mealtime when he wants more to eat. Our next goal is to get him to say more eat or more drink to indicate which of two choices he wants more of. He has started using more in other situations also which is great. My favorite is when I am singing to him and he says more to get me to continue singing. He absolutely loves the song "You are My Sunshine" and before I have even finished singing it the first time he is already saying more to get me to sing it again :O)
Dentist Visit Pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja went to the dentist this week. He now has 12 teeth with 4 more coming in. The dentist gave us some good news. His back molars are half white and half yellow so hopefully when his permanent teeth come in they won't be nearly as discolored as his baby teeth are now.
Masinja had his third ECI session this week. He has mastered the art of saying more during mealtime when he wants more to eat. Our next goal is to get him to say more eat or more drink to indicate which of two choices he wants more of. He has started using more in other situations also which is great. My favorite is when I am singing to him and he says more to get me to continue singing. He absolutely loves the song "You are My Sunshine" and before I have even finished singing it the first time he is already saying more to get me to sing it again :O)
Dentist Visit Pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 27 October - 2 November 2008
Yay, I'm 95 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty eventful week this week. On Halloween T.M. had his promotion ceremony and Masinja got to help me pin on T.M.'s new rank. Masinja got to see his Uncle Jeremy and his girlfriend Carmen again too because they came to visit and to celebrate T.M.'s promotion to Major. Masinja didn't really pay attention during most of the ceremony though because he was more interested in exploring the room that the ceremony took place in. He kept me quite busy to say the least!! From the comments that were made by those who attended the ceremony, Masinja pretty much stole the show as usual :O) He also got to meet one of T.M.'s old bosses who flew in to officiate the ceremony. I think she was more excited to see Masinja than T.M. and I :O)
T.M. and I, along with Jeremy and Carmen, took Masinja to the park for what will probably be the last time this year. Jeremy was kind enough to video tape it for us so everyone could see how much Masinja enjoys sliding down the slide and swinging on the swings.
On another note, we found out this week that Masinja was denied the opportunity to have an off base PCM. Basically, the reasoning behind the denial was that he was receiving adequate care on base. Due to this, he definitely will not be getting the Synagis shot this year. We are still pursuing other options but for the time being our hands are tied. Hopefully, in the near future we will be able to permanently move him to an off base doctor. We will keep you posted.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a pretty eventful week this week. On Halloween T.M. had his promotion ceremony and Masinja got to help me pin on T.M.'s new rank. Masinja got to see his Uncle Jeremy and his girlfriend Carmen again too because they came to visit and to celebrate T.M.'s promotion to Major. Masinja didn't really pay attention during most of the ceremony though because he was more interested in exploring the room that the ceremony took place in. He kept me quite busy to say the least!! From the comments that were made by those who attended the ceremony, Masinja pretty much stole the show as usual :O) He also got to meet one of T.M.'s old bosses who flew in to officiate the ceremony. I think she was more excited to see Masinja than T.M. and I :O)
T.M. and I, along with Jeremy and Carmen, took Masinja to the park for what will probably be the last time this year. Jeremy was kind enough to video tape it for us so everyone could see how much Masinja enjoys sliding down the slide and swinging on the swings.
On another note, we found out this week that Masinja was denied the opportunity to have an off base PCM. Basically, the reasoning behind the denial was that he was receiving adequate care on base. Due to this, he definitely will not be getting the Synagis shot this year. We are still pursuing other options but for the time being our hands are tied. Hopefully, in the near future we will be able to permanently move him to an off base doctor. We will keep you posted.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Weekly Update -- 20 - 26 October 2008
Yay, I'm 94 weeks old today!
Well, still no real resolution on the synagis shot. Now I find out that the decision for Masinja not to get the shot lies at a different base. The program manager here submits his info to a "high-cost drug" officer, and that person, who doesn't know him from Adam, makes the call on his getting the shot or not. Again, the magic "criteria" is adhered to, and he's declined. I'm still working on getting an answer from the patient advocate on moving him to an off base doc. The patient advocate told me it wouldn't matter if Masinja went off base, it would still need to be approved by Tricare. Bottomline: Masinja's health is not going to be dictated by a beaurocacry.
So, let's do some basic math: 4.5 month NICU stay = $1M+ VS. series of synagis shots = $6K to $10K... so much for preventive medicine.
I'll let everyone know when I get him assigned to his new doc. It won't be anyone military ever again.
On a happier note, we took Masinja to the Fall Festival at church. He got to wear his Halloween costume, and be a big scary giraffe! He hung out with his new friend at church, who was a dragon.
pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Well, still no real resolution on the synagis shot. Now I find out that the decision for Masinja not to get the shot lies at a different base. The program manager here submits his info to a "high-cost drug" officer, and that person, who doesn't know him from Adam, makes the call on his getting the shot or not. Again, the magic "criteria" is adhered to, and he's declined. I'm still working on getting an answer from the patient advocate on moving him to an off base doc. The patient advocate told me it wouldn't matter if Masinja went off base, it would still need to be approved by Tricare. Bottomline: Masinja's health is not going to be dictated by a beaurocacry.
So, let's do some basic math: 4.5 month NICU stay = $1M+ VS. series of synagis shots = $6K to $10K... so much for preventive medicine.
I'll let everyone know when I get him assigned to his new doc. It won't be anyone military ever again.
On a happier note, we took Masinja to the Fall Festival at church. He got to wear his Halloween costume, and be a big scary giraffe! He hung out with his new friend at church, who was a dragon.
pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 13 - 19 October 2008
Yay, I'm 93 weeks old today!
Masinja had his second ECI session this week. His teacher was pleased with the progress that he made in the week since she last saw him. His vocabulary has increased a bit and he is now saying about a dozen words or so. In addition to Mama, Daddy, doggie, boogie, hockey and bake-a-ba, Masinja is now saying ball, block, huggie, kitty, and blue. It has taken us quite a while but we finally figured out that bake-a-ba actually means peek-a-boo :O)
Masinja had PT this week and his physical therapist decided that he is ready to be discharged. We go back next month for her to administer the Peabody test once more so that we can see how much progress he has made since January.
We found out this week that Masinja will not be getting the synagis shot again this year. This is a shot that protects against RSV. After much wrangling with his primary care manager (PCM); I went to the patient advocate to get the situation resolved. I spoke with the synagis program manager from the clinic and the patient advocate, and still didn't get a good answer, other than Masinja didn't meet the manufacturer's "criteria". I put in a letter to get his PCM changed to a civilian doctor off base, so we'll see where this takes us.
This is a video of Masinja being his goofy self.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja had his second ECI session this week. His teacher was pleased with the progress that he made in the week since she last saw him. His vocabulary has increased a bit and he is now saying about a dozen words or so. In addition to Mama, Daddy, doggie, boogie, hockey and bake-a-ba, Masinja is now saying ball, block, huggie, kitty, and blue. It has taken us quite a while but we finally figured out that bake-a-ba actually means peek-a-boo :O)
Masinja had PT this week and his physical therapist decided that he is ready to be discharged. We go back next month for her to administer the Peabody test once more so that we can see how much progress he has made since January.
We found out this week that Masinja will not be getting the synagis shot again this year. This is a shot that protects against RSV. After much wrangling with his primary care manager (PCM); I went to the patient advocate to get the situation resolved. I spoke with the synagis program manager from the clinic and the patient advocate, and still didn't get a good answer, other than Masinja didn't meet the manufacturer's "criteria". I put in a letter to get his PCM changed to a civilian doctor off base, so we'll see where this takes us.
This is a video of Masinja being his goofy self.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 6 - 12 October 2008
Yay, I'm 92 weeks old today!
Masinja had his first ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) session this week. It went pretty well. His teacher gave us a few goals to work with to help Masinja start using his words more often. Right now we are focusing on getting him to indicate when he wants more of something. We started by working with one of his favorite toys, a toy I'm sure everyone remembers playing with as a child. It's a peg that has 5 rings of varying sizes on it. Basically we had Masinja take the rings off and then gave them back to him one at a time to put back on the peg. My job was to be in control of the pieces, mainly so Masinja wouldn't throw them across the room :O) Once Masinja had put a ring on the peg, I would ask him "want more?" His teacher said to keep it to one or two word questions and commands because it's easier for him to comprehend right now. We also have to work with him at meal times to get him to say more. His taacher will be back next week to see how much progress we have made and to add to the goals.
Masinja also had his second OT appointment this week. His therapist gave us a few tools to work with to get Masinja to eat and drink more efficiently. She gave us something called a Nuk brush to help him learn to chew better. She also gave us another tool to use as well to encourage proper chewing. Masinja doesn't seem to be too thrilled with either one at the moment but we have a few weeks to work with him. He prefers to keep everything in the middle of his mouth and use his tongue to smush it against the roof of his mouth :O) His therapist suggested using beef jerky since it is a bit tougher and it has a strong taste. We haven't ventured there yet but I am certainly curious to see how he does with it! We were also given a neat cup that has a small section cut out on the back part of the cup to allow Masinja to drink without smushing his nose. He loves the cup. He likes to make slirping noises when he takes a sip and then he giggles :O) We certainly have a lot of things to work on but we have a month in which to do it before he has to go back again.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had his first ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) session this week. It went pretty well. His teacher gave us a few goals to work with to help Masinja start using his words more often. Right now we are focusing on getting him to indicate when he wants more of something. We started by working with one of his favorite toys, a toy I'm sure everyone remembers playing with as a child. It's a peg that has 5 rings of varying sizes on it. Basically we had Masinja take the rings off and then gave them back to him one at a time to put back on the peg. My job was to be in control of the pieces, mainly so Masinja wouldn't throw them across the room :O) Once Masinja had put a ring on the peg, I would ask him "want more?" His teacher said to keep it to one or two word questions and commands because it's easier for him to comprehend right now. We also have to work with him at meal times to get him to say more. His taacher will be back next week to see how much progress we have made and to add to the goals.
Masinja also had his second OT appointment this week. His therapist gave us a few tools to work with to get Masinja to eat and drink more efficiently. She gave us something called a Nuk brush to help him learn to chew better. She also gave us another tool to use as well to encourage proper chewing. Masinja doesn't seem to be too thrilled with either one at the moment but we have a few weeks to work with him. He prefers to keep everything in the middle of his mouth and use his tongue to smush it against the roof of his mouth :O) His therapist suggested using beef jerky since it is a bit tougher and it has a strong taste. We haven't ventured there yet but I am certainly curious to see how he does with it! We were also given a neat cup that has a small section cut out on the back part of the cup to allow Masinja to drink without smushing his nose. He loves the cup. He likes to make slirping noises when he takes a sip and then he giggles :O) We certainly have a lot of things to work on but we have a month in which to do it before he has to go back again.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Weekly Update -- 29 September - 5 October 2008
Yay, I'm 91 weeks old today!
We got the results of Masinja's ECI Evaluation this week. He does qualify for services for fine motor skills and communication. At this point, he is considered developmentally delayed. His teacher will be coming to the house to work with us 12 times within the next 6 months. Once we reach the 6-month mark, Masinja will be reevaluated and his goals will be adjusted.
Masinja got his first haircut this weekend. He was so good. He sat still for the most part, at least until the hair stylist tried to use her clippers to trim above his ears and along the back of his neck. He did not like those clippers one bit!
Haircut pic
Jammin with Daddy Video
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
We got the results of Masinja's ECI Evaluation this week. He does qualify for services for fine motor skills and communication. At this point, he is considered developmentally delayed. His teacher will be coming to the house to work with us 12 times within the next 6 months. Once we reach the 6-month mark, Masinja will be reevaluated and his goals will be adjusted.
Masinja got his first haircut this weekend. He was so good. He sat still for the most part, at least until the hair stylist tried to use her clippers to trim above his ears and along the back of his neck. He did not like those clippers one bit!
Haircut pic
Jammin with Daddy Video
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 22 - 28 September 2008
Yay, I'm 90 weeks old today!
Masinja's glasses came in this week. His first pair were just basic plastic frames. This time around we bought wire frames that are super flexible. He isn't really impressed with them but he'll get used to them with time. The opthamologist said to put them on him in the morning and if he is still fighting them after about 10-15 minutes to take them off and try again the next day. So far the longest he has worn them is about 15 minutes!
Masinja has also officially started the "terrible twos." We have been taking him to the playground just about every day. We have to walk up a hill to get to the playground and he absolutely loves to walk. He has started to like swinging now but sliding down the slide is still his favorite. Each time we walk back to the car and get ready to put him in his car seat, he throws a temper tantrum :O) He screeches and arches his back, because he doesn't want to stop walking.
Glasses Pic
Crib Feet pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja's glasses came in this week. His first pair were just basic plastic frames. This time around we bought wire frames that are super flexible. He isn't really impressed with them but he'll get used to them with time. The opthamologist said to put them on him in the morning and if he is still fighting them after about 10-15 minutes to take them off and try again the next day. So far the longest he has worn them is about 15 minutes!
Masinja has also officially started the "terrible twos." We have been taking him to the playground just about every day. We have to walk up a hill to get to the playground and he absolutely loves to walk. He has started to like swinging now but sliding down the slide is still his favorite. Each time we walk back to the car and get ready to put him in his car seat, he throws a temper tantrum :O) He screeches and arches his back, because he doesn't want to stop walking.
Glasses Pic
Crib Feet pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 15 - 21 September 2008
Yay, I'm 89 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty busy week. Monday he went back to the opthamologist. His lazy eye is acting up so he needs to wear glasses again. His far sightedness has actually improved since April though, so that's positive. His glasses should be in sometime next week so we will post some pics soon.
On Tuesday Masinja had his Early Childhood Intervention Evaluation. It went pretty well. He did a few things for the evaluators that he doesn't normally do for T.M. and I but that's typical. He is always doing things for his physical therapist that he doesn't do for us at home :O) We won't get the results until 1 October but we are pretty sure that he is going to qualify for services in the areas of fine motor skills and communication.
On Friday Masinja had PT. He showed off for his therapist as usual by walking all over the place and standing up without assistance numerous times. The one thing he is still having trouble with is crawling up and down stairs. He would rather walk which is not developmentally appropriate for his age. His therapist would really like to get him to crawl on his knees to go up the stairs and he prefers to crawl by placing his feet on the steps instead. Our biggest obstacle though is getting him to crawl down the stairs. He doesn't understand the concept that he is supposed to go backwards and would rather go head first! Since he is doing so well with walking and standing though, he is now only going to PT once a month.
We decided to post the other half of the bathtime video this week!
AfterBath time!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a pretty busy week. Monday he went back to the opthamologist. His lazy eye is acting up so he needs to wear glasses again. His far sightedness has actually improved since April though, so that's positive. His glasses should be in sometime next week so we will post some pics soon.
On Tuesday Masinja had his Early Childhood Intervention Evaluation. It went pretty well. He did a few things for the evaluators that he doesn't normally do for T.M. and I but that's typical. He is always doing things for his physical therapist that he doesn't do for us at home :O) We won't get the results until 1 October but we are pretty sure that he is going to qualify for services in the areas of fine motor skills and communication.
On Friday Masinja had PT. He showed off for his therapist as usual by walking all over the place and standing up without assistance numerous times. The one thing he is still having trouble with is crawling up and down stairs. He would rather walk which is not developmentally appropriate for his age. His therapist would really like to get him to crawl on his knees to go up the stairs and he prefers to crawl by placing his feet on the steps instead. Our biggest obstacle though is getting him to crawl down the stairs. He doesn't understand the concept that he is supposed to go backwards and would rather go head first! Since he is doing so well with walking and standing though, he is now only going to PT once a month.
We decided to post the other half of the bathtime video this week!
AfterBath time!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Weekly Update -- 8 - 14 September 2008
Yay, I'm 88 weeks old today!
Masinja has been pretty busy this week. He is now standing up all by himself like a pro. He doesn't like to sit still for very long at all, so he is constantly on the go.
Masinja also went to the doctor this week. He was having some tummy problems and was pulling on his ears quite a bit, so we took him in for a checkup. The PA and pediatrician noticed that his right eye was turning in quite a bit, so we decided that it was time to call the opthamologist. He had an appointment scheduled for November, but the last time we were there, the opthamologist said to bring him in sooner if we saw any changes. He has his appointment tomorrow so we'll give y'all an update in next week's post.
And as if this week wasn't busy enough, this next one will be even busier for Masinja. Aside from his eye appointment, he has an Early Childhood Intervention evaluation. The team will be coming to our house to evaluate him and determine whether or not he has any developmental delays. His pediatrician thinks that he may qualify for speech therapy, but we won't know the results of the evaluation until early next month. We'll be sure to let you know the results as soon as we do.
Last, but not least, we video taped Masinja at bath time.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja has been pretty busy this week. He is now standing up all by himself like a pro. He doesn't like to sit still for very long at all, so he is constantly on the go.
Masinja also went to the doctor this week. He was having some tummy problems and was pulling on his ears quite a bit, so we took him in for a checkup. The PA and pediatrician noticed that his right eye was turning in quite a bit, so we decided that it was time to call the opthamologist. He had an appointment scheduled for November, but the last time we were there, the opthamologist said to bring him in sooner if we saw any changes. He has his appointment tomorrow so we'll give y'all an update in next week's post.
And as if this week wasn't busy enough, this next one will be even busier for Masinja. Aside from his eye appointment, he has an Early Childhood Intervention evaluation. The team will be coming to our house to evaluate him and determine whether or not he has any developmental delays. His pediatrician thinks that he may qualify for speech therapy, but we won't know the results of the evaluation until early next month. We'll be sure to let you know the results as soon as we do.
Last, but not least, we video taped Masinja at bath time.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Weekly Update -- 1 - 7 September 2008
Yay, I'm 87 weeks old today!
We were so intent on posting a video of Masinja walking so y'all could see it, that we forgot to mention a few things in last week's post!
Masinja will be undergoing another evaluation in the middle of this month. A week ago this Friday we met with a woman who is the coordinator for the Early Childhood Intervention program. It is a program that is run through the local school district. Basically, they will evaluate Masinja to determine whether or not he has any developmental delays. Depending on the outcome of the evaluation, he may qualify for a number of services. Based on what we talked about with the coordinator, Masinja may indeed have some delays as far as speech and communication are concered. We won't get the results of the evalution until the first of October, but we will keep y'all posted.
Also, Masinja got to go to a picnic last week. T.M. had a picnic for work and we all went. At the picnic, we had a welcome/send off for people who were new and people who were leaving. After each person was recognized, everyone clapped. Well Masinja decided he was on the 'delayed' clapping program. He would wait for everyone to clap. Look around to make sure everyone stopped, and then he clapped. It was like he couldn't clap when everyone else was clapping. So, he basically did the delayed clapping for about a dozen or so people. It was pretty amusing to say the least. Masinja also got to meet another NICU graduate that was at the picnic. One of the folks from T.M.'s division had a premature baby. He only spent 3 weeks in the NICU, though, and is doing very well. Overall, everyone seemed to have a good time.
Now, on to this week. It started off pretty slow for Masinja, but he has had a pretty eventful weekend.
He went to PT on Friday and proceeded to be his usual self, doing things for his physical therapist that he doesn't do for us at home. This has been the norm with him since she started working with him and she gets the biggest kick out of it :O)
Anyway, our goal when we left the last time was to get him to stand without having to use a piece of furniture to pull himself up. His therapist showed us a few tricks to get him to do so. Needless to say, T.M. and I didn't have much luck at all. Well, shortly after we got to PT on Friday, Masinja was pretty much standing up on his own. His therapist tried a technique that involves just giving him a cue by pushing on his hips with your index fingers. It worked like a charm and after about 2 or 3 times he didn't need the cue anymore. He has even done it a few times at home yesterday and today. At the rate he is going, he will be a PT graduate before we know it. He doesn't go back for 3 weeks since he is doing so well.
Masinja also went to the park for the first time today. We finally found a park close to the house and we decided that since it was such a beautiful day we would take him. He got to swing in a swing, (which he really wasn't all that impressed with), walk across a bridge (which he loved), slide down the slide, (which he thoroughly enjoyed) and "ride" a motorcycle (which was by far his favorite)! He also got to play in the sand a bit after which he promptly put his hand in his mouth. Oh well, eating a little dirt won't hurt him that much!! All in all I think his first trip to the park was a success.
Here are some pics from his time in the park:
swing
motorcycle
slide
bridge
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
We were so intent on posting a video of Masinja walking so y'all could see it, that we forgot to mention a few things in last week's post!
Masinja will be undergoing another evaluation in the middle of this month. A week ago this Friday we met with a woman who is the coordinator for the Early Childhood Intervention program. It is a program that is run through the local school district. Basically, they will evaluate Masinja to determine whether or not he has any developmental delays. Depending on the outcome of the evaluation, he may qualify for a number of services. Based on what we talked about with the coordinator, Masinja may indeed have some delays as far as speech and communication are concered. We won't get the results of the evalution until the first of October, but we will keep y'all posted.
Also, Masinja got to go to a picnic last week. T.M. had a picnic for work and we all went. At the picnic, we had a welcome/send off for people who were new and people who were leaving. After each person was recognized, everyone clapped. Well Masinja decided he was on the 'delayed' clapping program. He would wait for everyone to clap. Look around to make sure everyone stopped, and then he clapped. It was like he couldn't clap when everyone else was clapping. So, he basically did the delayed clapping for about a dozen or so people. It was pretty amusing to say the least. Masinja also got to meet another NICU graduate that was at the picnic. One of the folks from T.M.'s division had a premature baby. He only spent 3 weeks in the NICU, though, and is doing very well. Overall, everyone seemed to have a good time.
Now, on to this week. It started off pretty slow for Masinja, but he has had a pretty eventful weekend.
He went to PT on Friday and proceeded to be his usual self, doing things for his physical therapist that he doesn't do for us at home. This has been the norm with him since she started working with him and she gets the biggest kick out of it :O)
Anyway, our goal when we left the last time was to get him to stand without having to use a piece of furniture to pull himself up. His therapist showed us a few tricks to get him to do so. Needless to say, T.M. and I didn't have much luck at all. Well, shortly after we got to PT on Friday, Masinja was pretty much standing up on his own. His therapist tried a technique that involves just giving him a cue by pushing on his hips with your index fingers. It worked like a charm and after about 2 or 3 times he didn't need the cue anymore. He has even done it a few times at home yesterday and today. At the rate he is going, he will be a PT graduate before we know it. He doesn't go back for 3 weeks since he is doing so well.
Masinja also went to the park for the first time today. We finally found a park close to the house and we decided that since it was such a beautiful day we would take him. He got to swing in a swing, (which he really wasn't all that impressed with), walk across a bridge (which he loved), slide down the slide, (which he thoroughly enjoyed) and "ride" a motorcycle (which was by far his favorite)! He also got to play in the sand a bit after which he promptly put his hand in his mouth. Oh well, eating a little dirt won't hurt him that much!! All in all I think his first trip to the park was a success.
Here are some pics from his time in the park:
swing
motorcycle
slide
bridge
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Weekly Update -- 25 - 31 August 2008
Yay, I'm 86 weeks old today!
Here's a video of Masinja doing his 'thing'! He's gotten so vocal lately, that we're having trouble getting into the conversation. Of course, he wouldn't talk that much for this video. That is, until after we shut off the camera, and he talked non-stop for 20 minutes...
Enjoy!
That's all for this week.
Peace,
T.M.
Here's a video of Masinja doing his 'thing'! He's gotten so vocal lately, that we're having trouble getting into the conversation. Of course, he wouldn't talk that much for this video. That is, until after we shut off the camera, and he talked non-stop for 20 minutes...
Enjoy!
That's all for this week.
Peace,
T.M.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Weekly Update -- 18 - 24 August 2008
Yay, I'm 85 weeks old today!
Masinja had a very eventful week. On Monday he had a feeding evaluation done by an Occupational Therapist and a Speech Therapist, who is also a feeding specialist. We had gotten a referral, because we were having trouble transitioning him to table food and to a sippy cup. We found out that there is actually a food continuum and that we had skipped a level completely!! I don't know about anyone else, but I figured since the baby foods are labled stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3, that you just go from one stage to the next. Well, that is not the case. Before you move on to stage 3, you're supposed to introduce things like carrot sticks and celery stalks and pretzels and such. These things are not intended for consumption, but are meant to teach the baby how to chew and to increase the gag reflex. Well, needless to say, we're having to backtrack with Masinja now. The OT and ST both said that we are feeding him what we should be feeding him though.
The week before his evaluation I was actually successful in getting him to eat the gerber graduates meat sticks and cut up veggies and fruit. He still isn't exactly chewing them though. He has a high palate due to being intubated for so long. He basically just puts whatever we give him in the indentation and then smushes it with his tongue.
We also pretty much got him transitioned to a sippy cup the day before the evalution too. T.M. forgot to put the rubber stopper in the sippy cup Sunday and Masinja chugged his juice! From that point on he was pretty much ok with the sippy cup with and without the rubber stopper. Some mornings he still gets a bottle, but we're working on that.
The most exciting news from this week though is that Masinja started walking on his own!! T.M. and I were sitting in the living room watching TV and Masinja just pulled himself up to the coffee table and proceeded to start walking. We were so excited!! He is still pretty wobbly but I'm sure he will get better as he gets more confident. His physical therapist was so happy to see him walking on Friday. She just said, "Masinja, I have been waiting for this!"
Our next goal is to get him to stand up without having to pull himself up on a piece of furniture. His therapist was so impressed with his progress that she said he can go back to a biweekly schedule. She is hoping that by the time we go back in 2 weeks he will be standing up on his own and then he can be released. We will take some video of him walking and post it next week.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a very eventful week. On Monday he had a feeding evaluation done by an Occupational Therapist and a Speech Therapist, who is also a feeding specialist. We had gotten a referral, because we were having trouble transitioning him to table food and to a sippy cup. We found out that there is actually a food continuum and that we had skipped a level completely!! I don't know about anyone else, but I figured since the baby foods are labled stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3, that you just go from one stage to the next. Well, that is not the case. Before you move on to stage 3, you're supposed to introduce things like carrot sticks and celery stalks and pretzels and such. These things are not intended for consumption, but are meant to teach the baby how to chew and to increase the gag reflex. Well, needless to say, we're having to backtrack with Masinja now. The OT and ST both said that we are feeding him what we should be feeding him though.
The week before his evaluation I was actually successful in getting him to eat the gerber graduates meat sticks and cut up veggies and fruit. He still isn't exactly chewing them though. He has a high palate due to being intubated for so long. He basically just puts whatever we give him in the indentation and then smushes it with his tongue.
We also pretty much got him transitioned to a sippy cup the day before the evalution too. T.M. forgot to put the rubber stopper in the sippy cup Sunday and Masinja chugged his juice! From that point on he was pretty much ok with the sippy cup with and without the rubber stopper. Some mornings he still gets a bottle, but we're working on that.
The most exciting news from this week though is that Masinja started walking on his own!! T.M. and I were sitting in the living room watching TV and Masinja just pulled himself up to the coffee table and proceeded to start walking. We were so excited!! He is still pretty wobbly but I'm sure he will get better as he gets more confident. His physical therapist was so happy to see him walking on Friday. She just said, "Masinja, I have been waiting for this!"
Our next goal is to get him to stand up without having to pull himself up on a piece of furniture. His therapist was so impressed with his progress that she said he can go back to a biweekly schedule. She is hoping that by the time we go back in 2 weeks he will be standing up on his own and then he can be released. We will take some video of him walking and post it next week.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Weekly Update -- 11 - 17 August 2008
Yay, I'm 84 weeks old today!
Masinja had a follow up appointment with the neurologist this week. He now weighs 25 pounds and he is still measuring 31 inches long. He had to have his phenobarb levels checked to make sure his dose is correct. He did pretty well considering the phlebotomist ended up having to stick him in both arms because the vein in the first arm rolled!! He got to sit in T.M.'s lap instead of having to be pinned down though so that helped a lot.
On another note, we got the results of Masinja's rapid MRI this week. According to his neurosurgeon here, he no longer fits the criteria for hydrocephalus. The ventricles in his brain are still slightly enlarged though. He also has some fluid between his skull and his forehead but that should go away as he gets bigger. He has to go back in 6 months to have another rapid MRI to see if there have been any changes. If everything is still the same, then Masinja will be released from the neurosurgeon. If his ventricles have gotten bigger though then he is eligable for an alternative procedure to drain the excess fluid. That means he won't have to have a shunt!!
Masinja has a feeding evaluation next week because we are having trouble transitioning him to table food and to a sippy cup. We'll let you know how that goes.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a follow up appointment with the neurologist this week. He now weighs 25 pounds and he is still measuring 31 inches long. He had to have his phenobarb levels checked to make sure his dose is correct. He did pretty well considering the phlebotomist ended up having to stick him in both arms because the vein in the first arm rolled!! He got to sit in T.M.'s lap instead of having to be pinned down though so that helped a lot.
On another note, we got the results of Masinja's rapid MRI this week. According to his neurosurgeon here, he no longer fits the criteria for hydrocephalus. The ventricles in his brain are still slightly enlarged though. He also has some fluid between his skull and his forehead but that should go away as he gets bigger. He has to go back in 6 months to have another rapid MRI to see if there have been any changes. If everything is still the same, then Masinja will be released from the neurosurgeon. If his ventricles have gotten bigger though then he is eligable for an alternative procedure to drain the excess fluid. That means he won't have to have a shunt!!
Masinja has a feeding evaluation next week because we are having trouble transitioning him to table food and to a sippy cup. We'll let you know how that goes.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 4 - 10 August 2008
Yay, I'm 83 weeks old today!
Masinja did a great job at PT this week. He took more unassisted steps than T.M. and I have ever seen him walk. His theraptist was pretty impressed too. He pretty much performed for us also. T.M. and I were telling her all the words that Masinja is saying now and each time we said a word he would repeat it. His vocabulary now includes: Mama, which he uses both to address me and whenever he wants something, probably because he knows Mama will give it to him; Daddy, which sounds more like Gaggy sometimes; Doggie, which he says whenever he sees or hears the dogs; baker's man, he obviously loves playing Patty Cake; and last but not least, hockey, which we think stems from the fact that he loves to watch T.M. play hockey on the play station.
Masinja also walked up stairs for the first time this week. We often have to take him downstairs to the undercroft and let him walk around during church because he gets restless. I usually let him walk back to the staircase and then pick him up and carry him back to the chapel. This Sunday he decided he wanted to walk instead! I let him walk to the base of the stairs and was about to let go of his hands and pick him when he picked up his right leg and placed in on the bottom stair and began to push. He walked up the entire flight of stairs except for the last 6 steps. I was so proud of him. I told T.M. when we got back to our pew. It was T.M.'s turn to take Masinja downstairs about 15 minutes later and when they came back Masinja walked up the entire flight of stairs again!! He is certainly making progress. It will be interesting to see what he does at PT next week.
Masinja has a followup appointment with the neurologist next week. We'll let you know how it turns out.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja did a great job at PT this week. He took more unassisted steps than T.M. and I have ever seen him walk. His theraptist was pretty impressed too. He pretty much performed for us also. T.M. and I were telling her all the words that Masinja is saying now and each time we said a word he would repeat it. His vocabulary now includes: Mama, which he uses both to address me and whenever he wants something, probably because he knows Mama will give it to him; Daddy, which sounds more like Gaggy sometimes; Doggie, which he says whenever he sees or hears the dogs; baker's man, he obviously loves playing Patty Cake; and last but not least, hockey, which we think stems from the fact that he loves to watch T.M. play hockey on the play station.
Masinja also walked up stairs for the first time this week. We often have to take him downstairs to the undercroft and let him walk around during church because he gets restless. I usually let him walk back to the staircase and then pick him up and carry him back to the chapel. This Sunday he decided he wanted to walk instead! I let him walk to the base of the stairs and was about to let go of his hands and pick him when he picked up his right leg and placed in on the bottom stair and began to push. He walked up the entire flight of stairs except for the last 6 steps. I was so proud of him. I told T.M. when we got back to our pew. It was T.M.'s turn to take Masinja downstairs about 15 minutes later and when they came back Masinja walked up the entire flight of stairs again!! He is certainly making progress. It will be interesting to see what he does at PT next week.
Masinja has a followup appointment with the neurologist next week. We'll let you know how it turns out.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 28 July - 3 August 2008
Yay, I'm 82 weeks old today!
Masinja has had a pretty eventful week. We took a roadtrip to Ohio to visit family and we have had a great time. Masinja went to the zoo for the first time this week. We went to the Columbus Zoo on Friday and it was absolutely HUGE!! He got to see all sorts of animals and he got to spend time with his Uncle Gary, his cousins Taylor and Jordan, and his Godparents Tom and Leslie.
We went to a giganitc mall and an Irish Festival on Saturday which was pretty neat. Masinja also got to spend time with his Uncle Sean and his Aunt Joyce that day. Everyone was surprised with how big he was because the last time they saw him was last October. His Uncle Gary kept calling him Hulk-a-Baby because he has gotten so big :O)
We also had a family picture taken on Sunday and Masinja was a complete ham!! It took the poor photographer at least 8 tries to get a good shot of all 8 of us because Mason wouldn't cooperate and look at the camera. She told the rest of us to look at the camera while she would do whatever was necessary to get Mason to smile and look at the camera at the same time. The reason it took so many shots is because the rest of us were watching him to see what he would do :O) We finally got a good shot though and she took some other pictures as well. One of the pictures that she took of Mason is absolutely priceless!! He looks like an angel.
Pic
We are heading back to Nebraska in a few days and we only hope he is as content on the ride back as he was on the way here!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja has had a pretty eventful week. We took a roadtrip to Ohio to visit family and we have had a great time. Masinja went to the zoo for the first time this week. We went to the Columbus Zoo on Friday and it was absolutely HUGE!! He got to see all sorts of animals and he got to spend time with his Uncle Gary, his cousins Taylor and Jordan, and his Godparents Tom and Leslie.
We went to a giganitc mall and an Irish Festival on Saturday which was pretty neat. Masinja also got to spend time with his Uncle Sean and his Aunt Joyce that day. Everyone was surprised with how big he was because the last time they saw him was last October. His Uncle Gary kept calling him Hulk-a-Baby because he has gotten so big :O)
We also had a family picture taken on Sunday and Masinja was a complete ham!! It took the poor photographer at least 8 tries to get a good shot of all 8 of us because Mason wouldn't cooperate and look at the camera. She told the rest of us to look at the camera while she would do whatever was necessary to get Mason to smile and look at the camera at the same time. The reason it took so many shots is because the rest of us were watching him to see what he would do :O) We finally got a good shot though and she took some other pictures as well. One of the pictures that she took of Mason is absolutely priceless!! He looks like an angel.
Pic
We are heading back to Nebraska in a few days and we only hope he is as content on the ride back as he was on the way here!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 21 - 27 July 2008
Yay, I'm 81 weeks old today!
Masinja worked pretty hard at PT this week. He wants to walk so badly that he tries to get as far as he can as fast as he can. The problem is he still doesn't quite have enough balance. He ends up doing face plants more often than not! This week his therapist put weights around his legs in an attempt to force him to slow down and focus on his balance. It worked really well while he had the weights on, although he did get kind of tired because he walked from the clinic out to the lobby of the hospital and back again. His therapist said that he would most likely revert back to his old ways as soon as we took the weights off, and sure enough, that is exactly what he did :O) He isn't quite confident enough to walk on his own yet either. About the only way he will walk is if he is holding someone's hands. Actually he likes to hold your index fingers and he squeezes so hard that they turn purple!! We are trying to get him to hold only one hand and most of the time he will relinquish one hand quite readily but some days he just doesn't want to cooperate.
Next week we will be going on a road trip to Ohio. We are going to visit Masinja's Uncle Gary, cousins Taylor and Jordan, Uncle Sean and Aunt Joyce. We are also going to see one of Masinja's three sets of Godparents. When we went on a roadtrip last year he was pretty content so let's just hope he is just as content this time!!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja worked pretty hard at PT this week. He wants to walk so badly that he tries to get as far as he can as fast as he can. The problem is he still doesn't quite have enough balance. He ends up doing face plants more often than not! This week his therapist put weights around his legs in an attempt to force him to slow down and focus on his balance. It worked really well while he had the weights on, although he did get kind of tired because he walked from the clinic out to the lobby of the hospital and back again. His therapist said that he would most likely revert back to his old ways as soon as we took the weights off, and sure enough, that is exactly what he did :O) He isn't quite confident enough to walk on his own yet either. About the only way he will walk is if he is holding someone's hands. Actually he likes to hold your index fingers and he squeezes so hard that they turn purple!! We are trying to get him to hold only one hand and most of the time he will relinquish one hand quite readily but some days he just doesn't want to cooperate.
Next week we will be going on a road trip to Ohio. We are going to visit Masinja's Uncle Gary, cousins Taylor and Jordan, Uncle Sean and Aunt Joyce. We are also going to see one of Masinja's three sets of Godparents. When we went on a roadtrip last year he was pretty content so let's just hope he is just as content this time!!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Weekly Update -- 14 - 20 July 2008
Yay, I'm 80 weeks old today!
Masinja had his rapid MRI on Monday. It was pretty neat because the whole process from start to finish only lasted about 5 minutes. Masinja was mesmerized by the sound of the machine. About the only thing he didn't like was having to be strapped down. He hates being pinned down. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he associates it with getting stuck with needles!
Masinja also had his 18-month well baby appointment this week. He now weighs 24 pounds 2 ounces and is 30 inches long. The doc put in a referral for him to see an occupational therapist because we are having trouble transitioning him to a sippy cut and table food. He doesn't like to eat things that aren't pureed. If you put a small piece of food in his mouth that he actually has to chew he gets mad! He also doesn't like drinking from a sippy cup. I think part of the problem is that the liquids come out faster with the sippy cup. Hopefully the occupational therapist will be able to give us some pointers on how to transition him.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had his rapid MRI on Monday. It was pretty neat because the whole process from start to finish only lasted about 5 minutes. Masinja was mesmerized by the sound of the machine. About the only thing he didn't like was having to be strapped down. He hates being pinned down. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he associates it with getting stuck with needles!
Masinja also had his 18-month well baby appointment this week. He now weighs 24 pounds 2 ounces and is 30 inches long. The doc put in a referral for him to see an occupational therapist because we are having trouble transitioning him to a sippy cut and table food. He doesn't like to eat things that aren't pureed. If you put a small piece of food in his mouth that he actually has to chew he gets mad! He also doesn't like drinking from a sippy cup. I think part of the problem is that the liquids come out faster with the sippy cup. Hopefully the occupational therapist will be able to give us some pointers on how to transition him.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 7 - 13 July 2008
Yay, I'm 79 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty uneventful week this week. About the only thing to report is that his physical therapist is making him work a little harder. He is rising to the challenge though. She is trying to get him to go outside his comfort zone and take more unaided steps. He did take several steps and do a 180 all by himself this week.
Masinja will have his rapid MRI tomorrow. He also has his 18-month well baby appointment next week. We'll update you on both appointments next week.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a pretty uneventful week this week. About the only thing to report is that his physical therapist is making him work a little harder. He is rising to the challenge though. She is trying to get him to go outside his comfort zone and take more unaided steps. He did take several steps and do a 180 all by himself this week.
Masinja will have his rapid MRI tomorrow. He also has his 18-month well baby appointment next week. We'll update you on both appointments next week.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Weekly Update -- 30 June - 6 July 2008
Yay, I'm 78 weeks old today!
Masinja is getting more and more active every day. He constantly wants to be on the go! T.M. and I take him for "walks" around the house daily. He also likes to "walk" with his Tonka Push, Ride, Pull Truck. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite figured out how to turn around yet though! This week T.M. and I sat about 2 feet away from each other and had Masinja "walk" back and forth between us. We spent most of the time preventing him from performing faceplants, but he did manage to take 4 - 5 steps on his own a couple of times. I give him a few more weeks and he will be walking all over the house all by himself. I guess I had better enjoy the ability to sit and relax while I still can!
Masinja is scheduled for a rapid MRI next Monday. We have been trying to get this scheduled since April and the insurance company finally approved it! The neurosurgeon just wants a baseline and the rapid MRI doesn't require Masinja to be sedated. In fact, the whole procedure from start to finish is only about 5 minutes long. We'll let you know the results as soon as we hear from the doc.
Here is a video of Masinja with his tonka truck:
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
P.S. We ended up finding the woman who hit me and all is well that ends well.
Masinja is getting more and more active every day. He constantly wants to be on the go! T.M. and I take him for "walks" around the house daily. He also likes to "walk" with his Tonka Push, Ride, Pull Truck. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite figured out how to turn around yet though! This week T.M. and I sat about 2 feet away from each other and had Masinja "walk" back and forth between us. We spent most of the time preventing him from performing faceplants, but he did manage to take 4 - 5 steps on his own a couple of times. I give him a few more weeks and he will be walking all over the house all by himself. I guess I had better enjoy the ability to sit and relax while I still can!
Masinja is scheduled for a rapid MRI next Monday. We have been trying to get this scheduled since April and the insurance company finally approved it! The neurosurgeon just wants a baseline and the rapid MRI doesn't require Masinja to be sedated. In fact, the whole procedure from start to finish is only about 5 minutes long. We'll let you know the results as soon as we hear from the doc.
Here is a video of Masinja with his tonka truck:
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
P.S. We ended up finding the woman who hit me and all is well that ends well.
Weekly Update -- 23 - 29 June 2008
Yay, I'm 77 weeks old today!
Well, Masinja and I had a pretty eventful week this week. He was in his first car accident. We were hit on our way to his PT appointment on Friday. We were driving through a construction zone and the highway was narrowed down to one lane. Traffic was pretty much at a standstill and we were rear ended, twice! We pulled off at the next exit so we wouldn't be blocking traffic. I checked on Mason and he was fine. He was just chillin' in his carseat babbling away. The woman who hit us said that her shoe had slipped off her foot and she had accidentally hit us while trying to put it back on. Thank God she didn't hit us too hard! Anyway, she refused to exchange information with me and pretty much left after making sure we were ok. After all was said and done, the accident ended up being classified as a hit and run.
Masinja made a lot of progress at PT that day. He took 10 steps all by himself! It always amazes me that he seems to do more for his physical therapist than he does for T.M. and I at home. She says that is normal though.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Well, Masinja and I had a pretty eventful week this week. He was in his first car accident. We were hit on our way to his PT appointment on Friday. We were driving through a construction zone and the highway was narrowed down to one lane. Traffic was pretty much at a standstill and we were rear ended, twice! We pulled off at the next exit so we wouldn't be blocking traffic. I checked on Mason and he was fine. He was just chillin' in his carseat babbling away. The woman who hit us said that her shoe had slipped off her foot and she had accidentally hit us while trying to put it back on. Thank God she didn't hit us too hard! Anyway, she refused to exchange information with me and pretty much left after making sure we were ok. After all was said and done, the accident ended up being classified as a hit and run.
Masinja made a lot of progress at PT that day. He took 10 steps all by himself! It always amazes me that he seems to do more for his physical therapist than he does for T.M. and I at home. She says that is normal though.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 16 - 22 June 2008
Yay, I'm 76 weeks old today!
Masinja is getting bigger every day. His personality is blossoming more and more each day as well. He has started throwing what most would consider temper tantrums. He has a play area that we call his octagon because it is shaped like an octagon. We keep all of his toys in there because our yellow lab is nortorious for grabbing things to take outside with her.
Well, in the last week or so he has decided to throw his toys outside the octagon and then cry when they are out of his reach! He also likes to play with his blocks and rings on the coffee table. The only problem is that he pushes them to the center of the table where he can't quite reach yet. He will then proceed to whine and cry until T.M. or I reach over and push it back towards him. He has even started to throw his head back while whining! I am terrified to see what he will be like when he reaches the terrible two's considering right now he is only technically 13 months old!
Here's a video of him doing his special "bear walk."
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja is getting bigger every day. His personality is blossoming more and more each day as well. He has started throwing what most would consider temper tantrums. He has a play area that we call his octagon because it is shaped like an octagon. We keep all of his toys in there because our yellow lab is nortorious for grabbing things to take outside with her.
Well, in the last week or so he has decided to throw his toys outside the octagon and then cry when they are out of his reach! He also likes to play with his blocks and rings on the coffee table. The only problem is that he pushes them to the center of the table where he can't quite reach yet. He will then proceed to whine and cry until T.M. or I reach over and push it back towards him. He has even started to throw his head back while whining! I am terrified to see what he will be like when he reaches the terrible two's considering right now he is only technically 13 months old!
Here's a video of him doing his special "bear walk."
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 9 - 15 June 2008
Yay, I'm 75 weeks old today!
Masinja is now enamored with the dogs. He likes to crawl over to the window and watch them play outside. He likes to pet them even more. About once a week T.M. and I have one of the dogs lay on the floor so that Masinja can pet her. He has even started saying doggie ocassionaly.
Here's a video of Masinja crawling.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja is now enamored with the dogs. He likes to crawl over to the window and watch them play outside. He likes to pet them even more. About once a week T.M. and I have one of the dogs lay on the floor so that Masinja can pet her. He has even started saying doggie ocassionaly.
Here's a video of Masinja crawling.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 2 - 8 June 2008
Yay, I'm 74 weeks old today!
Masinja has been making a lot of progress with physical therapy but his therapist wants him to come once a week now instead of once every two weeks. She wants to work with him more frequently so she can capitalize on his momentum as far as progress goes.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja has been making a lot of progress with physical therapy but his therapist wants him to come once a week now instead of once every two weeks. She wants to work with him more frequently so she can capitalize on his momentum as far as progress goes.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Weekly Update -- 26 May - 1 June 2008
Yay, I'm 73 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty uneventful week this week. About the only exciting thing that happened was that we went and had his 1 year pictures done. Even though he is now 16 months old, his corrected age is 12 months so it seemed more appropriate to have them done this month.
The only other exciting thing this week was the weather, and the tornados that just missed us. We're at the height of the season, so hopefully we won't end up in Kansas with ruby slippers any time soon!
That's all for now.
Take care,
T.M.
Masinja had a pretty uneventful week this week. About the only exciting thing that happened was that we went and had his 1 year pictures done. Even though he is now 16 months old, his corrected age is 12 months so it seemed more appropriate to have them done this month.
The only other exciting thing this week was the weather, and the tornados that just missed us. We're at the height of the season, so hopefully we won't end up in Kansas with ruby slippers any time soon!
That's all for now.
Take care,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 19 - 25 May 2008
Yay, I'm 72 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty good week this week. He had PT on Wednesday and it was quite entertaining. His therapist is trying to get him to go out of his comfort zone but he isn't exactly cooperating. She has been working on getting him to take a few steps without holding on to anything. She extended the distance that he had to go between two benches and helped him to "cruise" from one bench to the other a few times. After about the 3rd time he got mad because he didn't want to have to work so hard and he let her know it by yelling at her. She and I both bust out laughing because it was just so cute. After that he must have decided it wasn't so bad because he did it all by himself about half a dozen times.
Masinja also climbed the stairs again. Once he got to the top he decided it was time to go back down again. The only problem was he was trying to go down them head first! His therapist let him attempt it just because she wanted to see what he would do and then she tried to correct him and show him how to crawl down the stairs backwards. He didn't want anything to do with it though because he wanted to do it his way.
Right now he is scheduled to go to PT every two weeks but his therapist said that if he doesn't stand on his own without holding on to anything by the next time that we go he will have to go once a week. She wants to get him walking so we can start getting him caught up. He did officially reach 12 months corrected age this month so it is time that we start encouraging him to walk.
Masinja had a great weekend because T.M. finally came home on Friday. Masinja was so happy to see his Daddy! I'm sure he won't want to let him out of his sight for a few days.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a pretty good week this week. He had PT on Wednesday and it was quite entertaining. His therapist is trying to get him to go out of his comfort zone but he isn't exactly cooperating. She has been working on getting him to take a few steps without holding on to anything. She extended the distance that he had to go between two benches and helped him to "cruise" from one bench to the other a few times. After about the 3rd time he got mad because he didn't want to have to work so hard and he let her know it by yelling at her. She and I both bust out laughing because it was just so cute. After that he must have decided it wasn't so bad because he did it all by himself about half a dozen times.
Masinja also climbed the stairs again. Once he got to the top he decided it was time to go back down again. The only problem was he was trying to go down them head first! His therapist let him attempt it just because she wanted to see what he would do and then she tried to correct him and show him how to crawl down the stairs backwards. He didn't want anything to do with it though because he wanted to do it his way.
Right now he is scheduled to go to PT every two weeks but his therapist said that if he doesn't stand on his own without holding on to anything by the next time that we go he will have to go once a week. She wants to get him walking so we can start getting him caught up. He did officially reach 12 months corrected age this month so it is time that we start encouraging him to walk.
Masinja had a great weekend because T.M. finally came home on Friday. Masinja was so happy to see his Daddy! I'm sure he won't want to let him out of his sight for a few days.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Weekly Update -- 12 - 18 May 2008
Yay, I'm 71 weeks old today!
Masinja had an interesting week. He has been waking up crying hysterically about 3 times a week or so, and Wednesday morning it was the worst. I went in to get him and he was actually still asleep but he was crying so bad that he had a hard time catching his breath. T.M. and I decided that it was time to take him to the doctor and see what was going on. I called the neurologist's office first, because T.M. and I thought that it would be more her field of expertise. Well, the nurse told me to take him to the pediatrician, because she thought it might be a virus or an ear infection. I followed her advice and off to the pediatrician we went. The doctor examined Masinja and his ears were clear and he was fine. The only thing that she could think of based on the symptoms was "night terrors." She said he was a bit young, but I guess if anyone is entitled to have night terrors, it is certainly Masinja. Afterall, he has been through a lot in his young life!
Masinja also went to the audiologist this week. He had his hearing tested last December, and it was recommended that he be checked again in 6 months. Babies who are in the NICU for more than 5 days are at risk for hearing loss due to the amount of antibiotics that they are given. Masinja did very well on his test. His ear drums are working well and he seems to be hearing just fine.
He has been practicing his "cruising" by going from the coffee table to the couch and back again. I'm sure his PT will be proud when he goes to PT again. He is getting really good at it and it's really quite scary. The next step is for him to actually walk!
Oh, I almost forgot, Masinja now weighs 22 pounds! He is just getting so big!!
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had an interesting week. He has been waking up crying hysterically about 3 times a week or so, and Wednesday morning it was the worst. I went in to get him and he was actually still asleep but he was crying so bad that he had a hard time catching his breath. T.M. and I decided that it was time to take him to the doctor and see what was going on. I called the neurologist's office first, because T.M. and I thought that it would be more her field of expertise. Well, the nurse told me to take him to the pediatrician, because she thought it might be a virus or an ear infection. I followed her advice and off to the pediatrician we went. The doctor examined Masinja and his ears were clear and he was fine. The only thing that she could think of based on the symptoms was "night terrors." She said he was a bit young, but I guess if anyone is entitled to have night terrors, it is certainly Masinja. Afterall, he has been through a lot in his young life!
Masinja also went to the audiologist this week. He had his hearing tested last December, and it was recommended that he be checked again in 6 months. Babies who are in the NICU for more than 5 days are at risk for hearing loss due to the amount of antibiotics that they are given. Masinja did very well on his test. His ear drums are working well and he seems to be hearing just fine.
He has been practicing his "cruising" by going from the coffee table to the couch and back again. I'm sure his PT will be proud when he goes to PT again. He is getting really good at it and it's really quite scary. The next step is for him to actually walk!
Oh, I almost forgot, Masinja now weighs 22 pounds! He is just getting so big!!
Here's a pic from sleepy time!
That's all for now.Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 5 - 11 May 2008
Yay, I'm 70 weeks old today!
Masinja took his first assisted steps this week. He was standing at the coffee table and he reached one of his hands out to T.M. T.M. then took his other hand and started to walk backwards. Masinja only took about three steps, but it's a start.
Masinja also went to see his physical therapist again this week. He is making really good progress. He learned how to "cruise." The PT lined some toys up on a bench that runs along the wall, and set up another bench in front of him. She kept moving the toys back and forth, and showed him how to turn around while standing up and go from one bench to another. At first Masinja just wanted to sit down in between the benches and pull himself up again, but after she corrected him several times, he got the hang of it and did it all by himself! He also climbed up stairs for the first time. T.M. says Masinja is going to be a mountain climber!
T.M. had to go away to school this week, so Masinja has had some adjusting to do. He had a hard time going to sleep the first couple of nights. T.M. and I think it is because he has been waiting up for Daddy to come home. Hopefully the time will go by quickly because Masinja misses his Daddy very much and can't wait for him to come home.
Here are some pics from PT:
pic
pic
pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja took his first assisted steps this week. He was standing at the coffee table and he reached one of his hands out to T.M. T.M. then took his other hand and started to walk backwards. Masinja only took about three steps, but it's a start.
Masinja also went to see his physical therapist again this week. He is making really good progress. He learned how to "cruise." The PT lined some toys up on a bench that runs along the wall, and set up another bench in front of him. She kept moving the toys back and forth, and showed him how to turn around while standing up and go from one bench to another. At first Masinja just wanted to sit down in between the benches and pull himself up again, but after she corrected him several times, he got the hang of it and did it all by himself! He also climbed up stairs for the first time. T.M. says Masinja is going to be a mountain climber!
T.M. had to go away to school this week, so Masinja has had some adjusting to do. He had a hard time going to sleep the first couple of nights. T.M. and I think it is because he has been waiting up for Daddy to come home. Hopefully the time will go by quickly because Masinja misses his Daddy very much and can't wait for him to come home.
Here are some pics from PT:
pic
pic
pic
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 28 April - 4 May 2008
Yay, I'm 69 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty eventful week. He had his first dentist appointment on Monday. The dentist counted his teeth (he has two on the bottom and four on the top) and brushed them. His teeth are very yellow right now. The dentist said that because he was so premature, and jaundiced for so long, that the coloring was actually inside the teeth. She said that his baby teeth may be the only ones that were affected, but we won't know until he gets his permanent ones. He also got a flouride treatment and a toothbrush to take home.
Masinja also went to the opthamologist this week. The doctor tested his vision with a series of cards that had black and white stripes on them. The stripes got smaller and smaller with each consecutive card. Masinja did a really good job tracking the stripes. The doctor said that he was on track for normal vision. He also said that we didn't have to fight the battle with his glasses any more. He speculated that Masinja's opthamologist in Shreveport prescribed the glasses, because he has the potential for a lazy eye in the future. He said it wasn't necessary for him to wear the glasses now, since he knows that Masinja is more interested in eating them than wearing them!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a pretty eventful week. He had his first dentist appointment on Monday. The dentist counted his teeth (he has two on the bottom and four on the top) and brushed them. His teeth are very yellow right now. The dentist said that because he was so premature, and jaundiced for so long, that the coloring was actually inside the teeth. She said that his baby teeth may be the only ones that were affected, but we won't know until he gets his permanent ones. He also got a flouride treatment and a toothbrush to take home.
Masinja also went to the opthamologist this week. The doctor tested his vision with a series of cards that had black and white stripes on them. The stripes got smaller and smaller with each consecutive card. Masinja did a really good job tracking the stripes. The doctor said that he was on track for normal vision. He also said that we didn't have to fight the battle with his glasses any more. He speculated that Masinja's opthamologist in Shreveport prescribed the glasses, because he has the potential for a lazy eye in the future. He said it wasn't necessary for him to wear the glasses now, since he knows that Masinja is more interested in eating them than wearing them!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Weekly Update -- 21 - 27 April 2008
Yay, I'm 68 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty eventful week. It started on Monday with a trip to the pediatrician. He had his 15 month well baby exam. He got his checkup and then he got some of his immunizations. After that he got bloodwork done. He was not too happy about the immunizations but he was a trooper for the bloodwork. He also had an EEG on Monday afternoon. His new neurologist wanted a baseline EEG. T.M. got to stay with him and I had to wait in the waiting room. I let T.M. go with him because I was afraid that he wouldn't cooperate for the technician. Unlike the EEG that he had done in Louisiana, they do not sedate here. We had to deprive him of his nap that morning in preparation. He did really well. He fell asleep fast and only got upset when the technician woke him up and then proceeded to pull the electrodes off of his head. I can only imagine how much it hurt since it involved pulling his hair!
Masinja had his first appointment with his neurosurgeon on Thursday. He will be going back for an MRI sometime in the next week or so.
Sunday we participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk. This week marked the one year anniversary of Madelinja's passing so we wanted to do something in her honor. They were passing out balloons and T.M. was given a pink balloon. We considered it quite symbolic. It was as if Madelinja was walking with us. Even though she was not with us in body, she was certainly with us in spirit.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had a pretty eventful week. It started on Monday with a trip to the pediatrician. He had his 15 month well baby exam. He got his checkup and then he got some of his immunizations. After that he got bloodwork done. He was not too happy about the immunizations but he was a trooper for the bloodwork. He also had an EEG on Monday afternoon. His new neurologist wanted a baseline EEG. T.M. got to stay with him and I had to wait in the waiting room. I let T.M. go with him because I was afraid that he wouldn't cooperate for the technician. Unlike the EEG that he had done in Louisiana, they do not sedate here. We had to deprive him of his nap that morning in preparation. He did really well. He fell asleep fast and only got upset when the technician woke him up and then proceeded to pull the electrodes off of his head. I can only imagine how much it hurt since it involved pulling his hair!
Masinja had his first appointment with his neurosurgeon on Thursday. He will be going back for an MRI sometime in the next week or so.
Sunday we participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies walk. This week marked the one year anniversary of Madelinja's passing so we wanted to do something in her honor. They were passing out balloons and T.M. was given a pink balloon. We considered it quite symbolic. It was as if Madelinja was walking with us. Even though she was not with us in body, she was certainly with us in spirit.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Weekly Update -- 14 - 20 April 2008
Yay, I'm 67 weeks old today!
Masinja had his second PT appointment with his new therapist Kate this week. Kate had given us exercises to do with him the last time we went and T.M.M. had been trying to work with him over the last 3 weeks, but cooperation is not in his vocabulary yet. Masinja worked quite well for Kate though. She was able to get him to pull himself up to a standing position several times using different techniques. He had been pulling himself up to a standing position at home but not as frequently as he should. Kate also got him to "cruise" 5 steps to the left and to the right. By the time his session was over, he was pulling himself up on everything he could without any assistance. Masinja has been doing a great job at home ever since. Now he pulls himself up on the couch and the coffee table and tries to walk all the way around the coffee table. He has really gotten the hang of it and seems eager to start walking. I'm not so sure T.M.M. and I are quite ready for that yet though!
Masinja has his 15 month Well Baby Exam on Monday. He will get some of his immunizations, as well as bloodwork done. He also is scheduled for an EEG that afternoon. Well, let you know how it all turns out.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja had his second PT appointment with his new therapist Kate this week. Kate had given us exercises to do with him the last time we went and T.M.M. had been trying to work with him over the last 3 weeks, but cooperation is not in his vocabulary yet. Masinja worked quite well for Kate though. She was able to get him to pull himself up to a standing position several times using different techniques. He had been pulling himself up to a standing position at home but not as frequently as he should. Kate also got him to "cruise" 5 steps to the left and to the right. By the time his session was over, he was pulling himself up on everything he could without any assistance. Masinja has been doing a great job at home ever since. Now he pulls himself up on the couch and the coffee table and tries to walk all the way around the coffee table. He has really gotten the hang of it and seems eager to start walking. I'm not so sure T.M.M. and I are quite ready for that yet though!
Masinja has his 15 month Well Baby Exam on Monday. He will get some of his immunizations, as well as bloodwork done. He also is scheduled for an EEG that afternoon. Well, let you know how it all turns out.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Weekly Update -- 7 - 13 April 2008
Yay, I'm 66 weeks old today!
Masinja had a pretty eventful week. It stated off scary when he fell off the bed on Monday and landed on his head. He and T.M.M. were taking a nap and she got up to go to the bathroom. Masinja was still sleeping so she figured it was safe and just blocked him in with the pillows. Masinja decided to wake up and crawl out from in between the pillows and go looking for Mommy. Just as she was coming out of the bathroom he fell head first off the bed. T.M.M. called me and asked me if I could come home early from work and told me what had happened. I told her to call 911. We didn't want to take any chances since he has hydrocephalus. He was a real pill for the EMT guys. They were trying to immobilize him and he didn't want any part of it. He went for a ride in the ambulance. He went to the Trauma Center in Omaha and they checked him over and released him after about an hour. They just advised us to keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours. Masinja had a pretty good bump and bruise on his forehead and the left side of his face was swollen. He had to go to see his peditrician the next day just to make sure everything was still ok. The left side of his face was still pretty swollen and his eye was black and blue.
Masinja also went to see his new Neurologist this week. She did a pretty thorough exam and ordered blood work and another EEG. She wants to keep him on the phenobarb until he has been seizure free for two years. He is scheduled for the EEG in a couple of weeks. We'll let you know how it all turns out.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja had a pretty eventful week. It stated off scary when he fell off the bed on Monday and landed on his head. He and T.M.M. were taking a nap and she got up to go to the bathroom. Masinja was still sleeping so she figured it was safe and just blocked him in with the pillows. Masinja decided to wake up and crawl out from in between the pillows and go looking for Mommy. Just as she was coming out of the bathroom he fell head first off the bed. T.M.M. called me and asked me if I could come home early from work and told me what had happened. I told her to call 911. We didn't want to take any chances since he has hydrocephalus. He was a real pill for the EMT guys. They were trying to immobilize him and he didn't want any part of it. He went for a ride in the ambulance. He went to the Trauma Center in Omaha and they checked him over and released him after about an hour. They just advised us to keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours. Masinja had a pretty good bump and bruise on his forehead and the left side of his face was swollen. He had to go to see his peditrician the next day just to make sure everything was still ok. The left side of his face was still pretty swollen and his eye was black and blue.
Masinja also went to see his new Neurologist this week. She did a pretty thorough exam and ordered blood work and another EEG. She wants to keep him on the phenobarb until he has been seizure free for two years. He is scheduled for the EEG in a couple of weeks. We'll let you know how it all turns out.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 31 March - 6 April
Yay, I'm 65 weeks old today!
Masinja had another cranky week. T.M. had to go out of town for work so Masinja was missing his Daddy again. He talked to Daddy on the phone each night and that seemed to help for a bit.
Masinja discovered that he can clap his hands so he plays Pat-a-Cake a lot. He is even starting to try to say the rhyme while he claps! One of his favorite phrases that he says all the time is "Baker's Man."
Masinja had another cranky week. T.M. had to go out of town for work so Masinja was missing his Daddy again. He talked to Daddy on the phone each night and that seemed to help for a bit.
Masinja discovered that he can clap his hands so he plays Pat-a-Cake a lot. He is even starting to try to say the rhyme while he claps! One of his favorite phrases that he says all the time is "Baker's Man."
I know we have fallen shamelessly behind on posting pics so we have added a slew of them to this post. Enjoy!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 24 - 30 March 2008
Yay, I'm 64 weeks old today!
Masinja is busy crawling all over the place now. He is getting into everything that he possible can, too. T.M.M. and I spend most of our time trying to keep him out of mischief! T.M.M. actually made a trip to Omaha this week to buy a play yard to keep Masinja safe. It is basically a big octagon where he can play and move around as much as he pleases. It also keeps his toys safe from the dogs. He seems to really like his new play yard. He even used it to help pull himself up into a standing position!
Masinja had his first Physical Therapy appointment here in Nebraska this week, too. He is still on track. We just need to work on standing and walking now. He seems to like his physical therapist and was flirting with her like the little charmer that he is.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja is busy crawling all over the place now. He is getting into everything that he possible can, too. T.M.M. and I spend most of our time trying to keep him out of mischief! T.M.M. actually made a trip to Omaha this week to buy a play yard to keep Masinja safe. It is basically a big octagon where he can play and move around as much as he pleases. It also keeps his toys safe from the dogs. He seems to really like his new play yard. He even used it to help pull himself up into a standing position!
Masinja had his first Physical Therapy appointment here in Nebraska this week, too. He is still on track. We just need to work on standing and walking now. He seems to like his physical therapist and was flirting with her like the little charmer that he is.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 17 - 23 March 2008
Yay, I'm 63 weeks old today!
Masinja is still eating well, but he seems to be reacting to something because he has had a diaper rash on and off for the past couple of weeks. T.M.M. has tried all of the diaper rash ointments on the market, but none of them seem to clear it up completely. She took Masinja to the doctor this week because he has been so raw that he cries when his diaper is changed. The doctor prescribed a special mixture so we will see if it gives him some relief.
Masinja is no longer low-crawling. He started crawling on all fours this week!! T.M. was on the phone and I was sitting on the couch. Masinja was playing on the floor. When I glanced over I noticed that he was crawling. I asked T.M. if he had been doing that the night before and he said no. I told him that he hadn't done it all day long, so he must have chosen that moment to go for it. He is still a little shaky, but I'm sure he will get faster and faster with each passing day.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja is still eating well, but he seems to be reacting to something because he has had a diaper rash on and off for the past couple of weeks. T.M.M. has tried all of the diaper rash ointments on the market, but none of them seem to clear it up completely. She took Masinja to the doctor this week because he has been so raw that he cries when his diaper is changed. The doctor prescribed a special mixture so we will see if it gives him some relief.
Masinja is no longer low-crawling. He started crawling on all fours this week!! T.M. was on the phone and I was sitting on the couch. Masinja was playing on the floor. When I glanced over I noticed that he was crawling. I asked T.M. if he had been doing that the night before and he said no. I told him that he hadn't done it all day long, so he must have chosen that moment to go for it. He is still a little shaky, but I'm sure he will get faster and faster with each passing day.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Weekly Update -- 10 - 16 March 2008
Yea, I'm 62 weeks old today!
Masinja saw his new doctor for the first time this week. The nurse weighed and measured him. He weighed 20 lbs 6 oz and measured 29.5 in. He is in the 50 percentile for his weight but only the 5 percentile for his height.
Masinja stood up for the first time by himself this week. T.M.M. was sitting with him on the floor and his empty bottle was on the coffee table. He stood up and reached for the bottle all by himself!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja saw his new doctor for the first time this week. The nurse weighed and measured him. He weighed 20 lbs 6 oz and measured 29.5 in. He is in the 50 percentile for his weight but only the 5 percentile for his height.
Masinja stood up for the first time by himself this week. T.M.M. was sitting with him on the floor and his empty bottle was on the coffee table. He stood up and reached for the bottle all by himself!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 3 - 9 March 2008
Yea, I'm 61 weeks old today!
Masinja is still low-crawling. He seems to be getting faster each day. He has a few more teeth now too. The two teeth on either side of his top front teeth are starting to come in. We are going to take him to the dentist soon just to make sure that everything is kosher with his teeth. T.M.M. brushes them for Masinja on a daily basis and he seems to enjoy it.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja is still low-crawling. He seems to be getting faster each day. He has a few more teeth now too. The two teeth on either side of his top front teeth are starting to come in. We are going to take him to the dentist soon just to make sure that everything is kosher with his teeth. T.M.M. brushes them for Masinja on a daily basis and he seems to enjoy it.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 25 February - 2 March 2008
Yea, I'm 60 weeks old today!
Masinja got his forth series of RSV shots this week. He was very unhappy because he got a bigger dose in his left leg. Due to the fact that he has gotten so big, they had to give him a higher dose. They had to open a new vial of medicine and since the vials can't be mixed, he got almost 1mL in his left leg. He cried quite a bit, but who could blame him!
Masinja sat up for the first time on his own this week. T.M.M. put him in his crib and I went in to stay with him until he went to sleep. When I walked into the room, he was sitting up in his crib. I asked T.M.M. if she had left him sitting up and she said no, that she had layed him down. He obviously pushed himself up into a sitting position!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja got his forth series of RSV shots this week. He was very unhappy because he got a bigger dose in his left leg. Due to the fact that he has gotten so big, they had to give him a higher dose. They had to open a new vial of medicine and since the vials can't be mixed, he got almost 1mL in his left leg. He cried quite a bit, but who could blame him!
Masinja sat up for the first time on his own this week. T.M.M. put him in his crib and I went in to stay with him until he went to sleep. When I walked into the room, he was sitting up in his crib. I asked T.M.M. if she had left him sitting up and she said no, that she had layed him down. He obviously pushed himself up into a sitting position!
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 18 - 24 February 2008
Yea, I'm 59 weeks old today!
Masinja is crawling now. He isn't quite up on all fours yet, but he is low-crawling. He is getting faster with each passing day, too.
Masinja seems to be adapting to his new surroundings pretty well also. He is sleeping in his Pack-n-Play for the time being as we await the rest of our belongings. He isn't used to having to be all bundled up, but he doesn't seem to mind his "snowsuit" all that much.
He will get his forth series of RSV shots next week and hopefully go to his new doctor for the first time within the next week or so for his 12 month checkup.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja is crawling now. He isn't quite up on all fours yet, but he is low-crawling. He is getting faster with each passing day, too.
Masinja seems to be adapting to his new surroundings pretty well also. He is sleeping in his Pack-n-Play for the time being as we await the rest of our belongings. He isn't used to having to be all bundled up, but he doesn't seem to mind his "snowsuit" all that much.
He will get his forth series of RSV shots next week and hopefully go to his new doctor for the first time within the next week or so for his 12 month checkup.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 11 - 17 February 2008
Yea, I'm 58 weeks old!
Masinja had to go to the doctor this week. He was sneezing and coughing a lot, so T.M.M. thought it was best to take him and get him checked out. It was a good thing we did take him, because he had sinusitis and a double-ear infection. He is on antibiotics for 10 days now.
Masinja got to go for a very long car ride this week as we made the move to Nebraska. He was a trooper though. He slept most of the way and didn't complain too much when he was awake.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja had to go to the doctor this week. He was sneezing and coughing a lot, so T.M.M. thought it was best to take him and get him checked out. It was a good thing we did take him, because he had sinusitis and a double-ear infection. He is on antibiotics for 10 days now.
Masinja got to go for a very long car ride this week as we made the move to Nebraska. He was a trooper though. He slept most of the way and didn't complain too much when he was awake.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Weekly Update -- 4 - 10 February 2008
Yea, I'm 57 weeks old!
Masinja has had a pretty uneventful week for the most part. He has been quite cranky because he has been missing his Daddy. Masinja has talked to his Daddy every day and he has even "typed" him messages on the computer sometimes. We have been very busy packing with the help of Aunt CC. We will be making the big move next weekend. We all have mixed emotions about moving. We have made some great friends in Shreveport as well as added members to our extended family.
We intend to continue the blog so that all of our loved ones can keep up with Masinja's progress from afar.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja has had a pretty uneventful week for the most part. He has been quite cranky because he has been missing his Daddy. Masinja has talked to his Daddy every day and he has even "typed" him messages on the computer sometimes. We have been very busy packing with the help of Aunt CC. We will be making the big move next weekend. We all have mixed emotions about moving. We have made some great friends in Shreveport as well as added members to our extended family.
We intend to continue the blog so that all of our loved ones can keep up with Masinja's progress from afar.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 28 January - 3 February 2008
Yea, I'm 56 weeks old!
Masinja had his third series of RSV shots this week. He is getting to be a pro. He still isn't very fond of them, but who could blame him!
Masinja now has four teeth, two on top and two on the bottom. They have been coming in pretty slowly but they are very visible now. He likes to chew on everything just to hear them make noise. His favorite "teething toy" is the coffee table. For some reason he loves to chew on the legs! We are trying to break him of this habit, but it isn't very easy.
T.M. left this week to make the move to Nebraska. He is getting things ready for Masinja and I to join him in a week or two. He got a house in base housing and is just biding time until he can come back and get us.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Masinja had his third series of RSV shots this week. He is getting to be a pro. He still isn't very fond of them, but who could blame him!
Masinja now has four teeth, two on top and two on the bottom. They have been coming in pretty slowly but they are very visible now. He likes to chew on everything just to hear them make noise. His favorite "teething toy" is the coffee table. For some reason he loves to chew on the legs! We are trying to break him of this habit, but it isn't very easy.
T.M. left this week to make the move to Nebraska. He is getting things ready for Masinja and I to join him in a week or two. He got a house in base housing and is just biding time until he can come back and get us.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.M.
Weekly Update -- 21 - 27 January 2008
Yea, I'm 55 weeks old!
Masinja's birthday party was held on Monday. He had a lot of fun visiting with everyone and he especially had fun opening his presents! He wasn't able to eat any of his birthday cake, because he hasn't quite made it to table food yet, but T.M.M. gave him some cereal and applesauce.
Masinja got his glasses today. He doesn't quite know what to make of them yet though. When they were first put on his face, he started looking all around. They obviously made quite a difference for him. He kept them on for about an hour, but he needed a break after that.
Masinja also went to PT for a follow up visit this week. He is still on track and making progress. He even pulled himself up to a standing position! This was his last PT session here as the big move is fast approaching.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja's birthday party was held on Monday. He had a lot of fun visiting with everyone and he especially had fun opening his presents! He wasn't able to eat any of his birthday cake, because he hasn't quite made it to table food yet, but T.M.M. gave him some cereal and applesauce.
Masinja got his glasses today. He doesn't quite know what to make of them yet though. When they were first put on his face, he started looking all around. They obviously made quite a difference for him. He kept them on for about an hour, but he needed a break after that.
Masinja also went to PT for a follow up visit this week. He is still on track and making progress. He even pulled himself up to a standing position! This was his last PT session here as the big move is fast approaching.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 14 - 20 January 2008
Yea, I'm 1 year old!
Masinja's first birthday was obviously 20 Jan. His party is set for the 21st, and we should have a good turnout. We got him a cake with a penguin on it, so it fits his "angry penguin" personality perfectly. We also got him a bunch of balloons (helium rocks!) and "1st Birthday" themed party products.
Masinja continues to make steady progress. His rash has seemed to clear up and we're wondering if he's having food allergy type reactions. We're keeping track of what we're feeding him, so I guess we'll see what happens.
Last, but not least, we should be picking up his glasses this week. Wish us luck.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja's first birthday was obviously 20 Jan. His party is set for the 21st, and we should have a good turnout. We got him a cake with a penguin on it, so it fits his "angry penguin" personality perfectly. We also got him a bunch of balloons (helium rocks!) and "1st Birthday" themed party products.
Masinja continues to make steady progress. His rash has seemed to clear up and we're wondering if he's having food allergy type reactions. We're keeping track of what we're feeding him, so I guess we'll see what happens.
Last, but not least, we should be picking up his glasses this week. Wish us luck.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Weekly Update -- 7 - 13 January 2008
Yea, I'm 53 weeks old.
Well, we're closing in on Masinja's first birthday. We measured him this week, and he's about 28.5 in long! He's been growing like a weed lately, so he will definitely be caught up to all the other kids his age.
We're planning Masinja's birthday party for 21 January. Our church is booked for the 20th, and a few key attendees have to work that Sunday, so we'll celebrate with cake and friends the day after.
Masinja went to the doc this week. He has contact dermatitis on his chest, and the poor guy is just itching away. He also had the start of an ear infection, so the doc prescribed him some antibiotics and some hydracortisone cream. The rash is starting to come around, but I've experienced the contact dermatitis, and I hurt just watching him itch.
Well, we're closing in on Masinja's first birthday. We measured him this week, and he's about 28.5 in long! He's been growing like a weed lately, so he will definitely be caught up to all the other kids his age.
We're planning Masinja's birthday party for 21 January. Our church is booked for the 20th, and a few key attendees have to work that Sunday, so we'll celebrate with cake and friends the day after.
Masinja went to the doc this week. He has contact dermatitis on his chest, and the poor guy is just itching away. He also had the start of an ear infection, so the doc prescribed him some antibiotics and some hydracortisone cream. The rash is starting to come around, but I've experienced the contact dermatitis, and I hurt just watching him itch.
We also got his phenobarb levels, and they're fine. We're looking at the possibility of weening him off it as he hasn't had any seizures since Aug 07. He's scheduled for a CAT scan and follow-up with the neurosurgeon, so we'll have more info later.
Last, but not least, Masinja went to the eye doctor this week. He's been prescribed corrective lenses, and T.M.M. and I have been prescribed fear, because we have no idea how we're going to keep glasses on a little boy who is as active as Masinja is.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 31 December 2007 - 6 January 2008
Yea, I'm 52 weeks old!
Masinja had a quiet New Year's. We spent it at home watching T.V. and just chilling.
Masinja had his phenobarb levels checked this week. We're waiting on the doc to call us with the results. He has been doing well so far, so we're not paranoid about his development.
Masinja also said "mama" for the first time this week. Unfortunately for T.M.M., he said it as he was getting his blood drawn. She about broke down, but held it together for him. He's now using "mama" whenever he doesn't feel well, or wants something.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Masinja had a quiet New Year's. We spent it at home watching T.V. and just chilling.
Masinja had his phenobarb levels checked this week. We're waiting on the doc to call us with the results. He has been doing well so far, so we're not paranoid about his development.
Masinja also said "mama" for the first time this week. Unfortunately for T.M.M., he said it as he was getting his blood drawn. She about broke down, but held it together for him. He's now using "mama" whenever he doesn't feel well, or wants something.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
Weekly Update -- 24 - 30 December 2007
Yea, I'm 51 weeks old!
Masinja had a very fun Christmas holiday. First, he unwrapped his presents with T.M.M. and T.M. Second, he spent most of the day with the Funny Bunnies and their family. (The Funny Bunnies are his surrogate aunt and uncle.)
Masinja got some cool stuff for Christmas, and plays with his toys everyday. He's getting so big, and even more vocal everyday.
On the medical front, Masinja received his second series of RSV shots this week. He didn't have any negative reactions, so all seems to be well.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
P.S. We're going to catch up on the pics... I'll probably have one big picture post here soon.
Masinja had a very fun Christmas holiday. First, he unwrapped his presents with T.M.M. and T.M. Second, he spent most of the day with the Funny Bunnies and their family. (The Funny Bunnies are his surrogate aunt and uncle.)
Masinja got some cool stuff for Christmas, and plays with his toys everyday. He's getting so big, and even more vocal everyday.
On the medical front, Masinja received his second series of RSV shots this week. He didn't have any negative reactions, so all seems to be well.
That's all for now.
Peace,
T.M.
P.S. We're going to catch up on the pics... I'll probably have one big picture post here soon.
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