Today was certainly a big day! Not only did Atticus's big sister Sandy start her very first day of kindergarten (homeschool), but Atticus has now officially been OUT of the hospital 1 day longer than he was IN the hospital!! What a wonderful gift from God! My oldest child is growing up, and moving on to school, and my youngest child has now been home with all of us for an offical majority of his life! This has been a day I've been looking forward to on both fronts!
Words can't describe how special it is to have Atticus home longer than he's been away. It's hard to express the emotions that go along with this day. It's almost like validation after such a rough and difficult start to Atticus' life. To have been hospitalized for such a long time, we can officially begin to say that he's been "well" more than he's been "sick". To show the power of God and prayer; to be able to say that he's not had ANY emergency room visits or ANY rehospitalizations since we left MUSC now 161 days ago. That is a wondeful feeling.
We went to visit all our wonderful doctors and nurses in the PCICU on Saturday, when Atticus had some check-ups in Charleston. (His appts were the day before, but they had a baby come back from the OR just as we got there, so we came back the next day.) It wonderful to see everyone under such very different circumstances. The nurses all took turns holding him, playing with him, and snapping pictures of him with their phones. They couldn't believe how big he's gotten (up to 22.3lbs!), how many teeth he now has, his new hearing aids, and how red his hair has turned! Several told me how he was their inspiration, because he was able to pull through so much! They said they share his story with some of their new families; especially the ones going through a particularly hard time, as proof that sometimes, you never know what can happen. That was humbling. I'm glad to know that Atticus already means so much to people I've never met; and that maybe his story can bring them hope through difficult times.
Thank you all for your many continued prayers for Atticus and our family. He is living proof that God is powerful and that He has a plan for all of us. Thank you for continuing to share in our journey. I am so humbled by all of your love and kindness and support. Atticus still has so much to face in his life, so as always....Keep on prayin'!!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
We have Hearing Aids!!
We had a very exciting day today...Atticus finally got his hearing aids!!! It was amazing! I'm so glad I got to record it on video to share with our friends and family! Too bad I can't post it on here! :) But I'll try my best to describe it.
Atticus was very wiggly and squirmey while Dr. Little was cutting the tubes to the correct length to fit over his ear. Dr. Little was talking to Robbie and I while she made the final adjustments; explaining a few last minute details about the care of them, when she slipped the first one in his right ear. He immediately froze and got very still. My husband smiled and gently talked to him. He turned as Dr. Little was coming around to place the other hearing aid in his left hear, because he could hear her! He snapped his head around, and his eyes continued to be open wide as she place the second hearing aid.
Everyone began to talk at once, taking turns vying for his attention, and Atticus just stared with his fingers in his mouth (his natural defense/comfort position). This continued for about 2 minutes, when once again, Atticus turned and looked at Robbie, and it's like the light clicked on! He realized the sound was coming from Daddy, and he burst into the biggest smile! He quickly turned his head to me and smiled up at me, reaching up to grab my face, and leaning his head on my chest. Then he looked at Robbie again and laughed, and it was all ok! He was full of wonder at where these different noises were coming from, and you could tell he had just entered a whole new world of sound! He was so exhausted by the time we got home that he slept for almost 3 hours!
It was such a great moment; one I'll truly treasure! I can't wait to see how this will improve his understanding of the world around him! It's already made a difference in his response to his name and the various sounds around him. I feel so blessed! Thank you all for continuing to pray for us!
Atticus was very wiggly and squirmey while Dr. Little was cutting the tubes to the correct length to fit over his ear. Dr. Little was talking to Robbie and I while she made the final adjustments; explaining a few last minute details about the care of them, when she slipped the first one in his right ear. He immediately froze and got very still. My husband smiled and gently talked to him. He turned as Dr. Little was coming around to place the other hearing aid in his left hear, because he could hear her! He snapped his head around, and his eyes continued to be open wide as she place the second hearing aid.
Everyone began to talk at once, taking turns vying for his attention, and Atticus just stared with his fingers in his mouth (his natural defense/comfort position). This continued for about 2 minutes, when once again, Atticus turned and looked at Robbie, and it's like the light clicked on! He realized the sound was coming from Daddy, and he burst into the biggest smile! He quickly turned his head to me and smiled up at me, reaching up to grab my face, and leaning his head on my chest. Then he looked at Robbie again and laughed, and it was all ok! He was full of wonder at where these different noises were coming from, and you could tell he had just entered a whole new world of sound! He was so exhausted by the time we got home that he slept for almost 3 hours!
It was such a great moment; one I'll truly treasure! I can't wait to see how this will improve his understanding of the world around him! It's already made a difference in his response to his name and the various sounds around him. I feel so blessed! Thank you all for continuing to pray for us!
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