Evaluations

Sam had his evaluation done this week on his fine motor skills, gross motor skills, speech, and cognitive skills. These evaluations are so scary. You are told what level they are on and how far that they are behind. It has yet to be a pleasant experience. Everyone involved in the evaluating is so nice, it's just that the results are often not what you want to hear. They recommended that Sam continue in the three therapies that he is receiving as well as start occupational therapy. His results for cognitive was 27 months which is right on target. But, as far as the rest, they ranged from 13 months to about 20 months. Whenever we get discouraging news, I try to only spend one day upset. Then, get up, give it to the Lord, and move on it. This isn't always the case, but I do try. So, the positive outlook is that it could have been much worse. Sam could have ranked much lower cognitively or on the other hand, he could have just barely passed which would have disqualified him from getting the therapy that he needs.





Today, Sam went to the plastic surgeon. He said he thought all along that Sam should have been on the growth hormones. He even contacted Sam's pediatrician several times about it. We had no idea! He said he has seen such great results with it. That is always good to hear. He wants to correct the palate eventually. It is too short on one side. He thinks that Sam is still too small for another surgery and we will see him again in three months. I am glad to wait.



Thank you all for praying with us! I cannot thank you enough.

Weight Gain

Sam has gained 4 pounds since these shots have started. No, I am not kidding. He has increased his body weight by about 20 percent. Jeff and I were carrying him yesterday and could not believe how much heavier he felt. We took him to the scale and sure enough, he has gained weight. He is still adjusting to the shots. When he sees me getting it ready, he will start to cry. Hopefully, he will get used to them a bit more. I know, who gets used to a shot, right? Thank you all for your prayers. Tomorrow, Sam will be having a speech evaluation. On Wednesday, we meet with the plastic surgeon. Please pray as we make plans for Sam's future surgeries.

And We're Off...

This morning I spent about 2 hours learning how to give a shot. I feel like I could go right into nursing about now. After practicing on a fake behind, which was definitely fatter than Sam's, I feel pretty prepared. I gave him his first shot right before his nap. He hardly cried at all. In fact, he has already outgrown the clothes that he was wearing this morning. :)

Tomorrow, Tomorrow....It's only a day away

The shots have been delivered and we will begin administering them tomorrow. The home health nurse will be out tomorrow morning to teach us how to give them. We have been told that we will see pretty dramatic results in a couple of months. Please pray that God will protect Sam from any side effects of these drugs. As with all medications and vaccines, there are so many unknowns. Yet, we as parents, have to make those decisions based on what we do know. We do know that he is not growing
and that it has been hard on his body. We do know that he will have more surgeries in the future and we want him to be as strong as possible. Parenting sure seems to be tough sometimes. But, we are sure that God's grace and mercy will help guide us through.

Sam is really working hard at keeping up with his brothers and sister. He is going through a bit of a stubborn streak and is proving to give all of the therapists a run for their money. Truthfully, I'm afraid that we have spoiled Sam rotten. We are cracking down, though. Thank you all for your prayers.

Sam in the Pool

Sam's Upcoming Treatment

Well, the last few weeks have been spent getting Sam approved for the hormone shots. The Doctor ordered an x-ray of his wrist and hand to see what age his bones were. The results were that his bone size shows that he is 1 and a half when it should say 2 and a half. The Doctor said that this confirms that he is not growing the way that he should. These shots are so expensive. We are so thankful for the insurance that we have. Our insurance does cost us a good bit each month, but the cost of these shots will make it well worth it. The cost per year is about $20,000. Wow! These will be delivered to our house on Tuesday. A nurse will be instructing us on how to administer these shots. Please pray that these shots will cause as little pain as the doctor told us that they would. Sam is doing pretty good. He is walking great. His speech needs alot of work. We are so thankful for his therapists. The therapy that he is currently having will only be available until he turns 3. Then, the program will be offered through the public schools. I will be meeting tomorrow with Sam's care coordinator as well as representatives for the public school program. Please pray for us as we make these decisions. I don't want a label on Sam. The term "disabled" is not one that I am very fond of and it is very hard to hear that term associated with your child. Yet, we do want the top notch help that they can offer for Sam. All of these decisions to make on your child's behalf can seem a bit overwhelming. I know that ultimately God is in control. That is such an easy statement to say, but a very hard one to always understand.