Morning snack

He's saying, "Man, these things are so good."

Nose stents

Here is Ian with the nose stents. They seem to really be making a difference with his nose, and surprisingly, he doesn't seem to mind them.

Weekend Fun

Ian stayed at Grandma's this past weekend. Of course, we stayed too. We're not quite ready to leave him for the night. He was also able to hang out with the boys at Uncle Tim's shop while they worked on a derby car for his cousin, Christian. The weekend rounded out with some shopping with Mama Clydie along with a quick visit to Great-Grandma's and Aunt Terri's to meet some more relatives.

Smiling at Aunt Erica.

Sitting with Christian.

Grandpa and his boys.

A few of his favorite things

Yummy fingers

Playing peek-a-boo

Laughing

Aunt Suzie's birthday

We got to see my sister and the rest of the family Sunday to celebrate her birthday. Unfortunately, Ian was in no mood to celebrate. We spent most of the time trying to get him from crying. Since Ian was fussy, I was in a pretty bad mood myself. All he really needed was a good nap, which can be difficult in the middle of the Cheesecake Factory with so much going on. Luckily, Ian eventually fell asleep in DJ's lap(picture).

Making progress- Week 3

After 3 weeks with the NAM and 3 days with the nose stents. The profile picture isn't the best; he was being squirmy.

Doctor Visit

We went to Scottish Rite Friday to see Dr. Bennett, the hematologist, and Dr. Granger. Ian weighed in at 13.10 pounds. We discussed plans for Ian prior to surgery with Dr. Bennett. The day of surgery he will have some blood drawn to determine for sure if he has a factor 8 dificency or von Willebrand. It is necessary to do it that day since the levels can vary so much. Dr. Granger put the nose stents on the NAM. Ian was not a big fan, especially since it was nap time. I don't think he even notices them now and they do not have an impact on his feeding. He's still a little chunk! :)

Our Rollie-Pollie

Moving around. He looks so proud of himself.

Surgery- Lip Repair

Ian's lip surgery is set for April 1. It's hard to believe it's actually going to happen this time. The initial date was set for next week, but waiting to have the second NAM has pushed us back a little. Luckily the second time around has been much easier for us all. Hopefully his mouth will continue to change and be ready on time.

Making progress- Week 2

After week 2 with the NAM

Feeding himself

Look at our big boy!

Sleeping better

Ian has started sleeping a lot more, making him a happier baby. For a while now he has been able to take his bottle around 8 or 9 at night and sleep for 6 hours straight. Now he's able to go at least 8 hours after his last bottle. Some nights he falls asleep earlier than others, so he's still waking up in the middle of the night to eat. However, now it's usually only once. Of course there are those nights when he has trouble sleeping, but those have become fewer. I think we can attribute more sleep to two things: cereal and his fingers. We've started putting cereal in his bottle more consistantly. Ian now has better aim with his hands, meaning he can use those precious little fingers to soothe himself if he does wake. He's also started napping more frequently during the day. The naps are short, but they make all the difference.

What's this?

Ian discovers his tongue.

Lots going on

First off, here are some pictures of Ian after having the NAM in for a week. (Taken Sunday.) I plan on taking pictures week by week to see how his mouth changes. Even after 7 days there is a big difference. Secondly, his appointments at Scottish Rite went well. We first saw Dr. Granger, who made his normal weekly adjustments. He told us we should find out the new surgery date sometime this week, which will probably be in early April. Then we went to see Dr. Sipp, the ENT. They did a hearing test to determine whether or not Ian would need tubes. Ian failed the hearing test, most likely because he had fluid in both ears. To pass the test, he needed to get 4 out of the 6. Ian was able to get 3 in both ears. This is very common in babies with cleft palates. Since his ears are not infected, there is nothing we can do until surgery time. He will have tubes put in during his lip repair surgery. It is likely that Ian will have two sets of tubes, the second to be put in in about 2 years. He weighed 13.6 pounds at the ENT with everything on. Lastly, Ian got a new chair, which he loves! He's been trying so hard to sit up on his own for weeks now. We finally decided he could handle one of those Bumbo seats since he has better control of his head. It's adorable to see him sitting up! Not too much longer until the little guy is up on his own.

God's will

Even though it's sometimes hard for us to remember that Ian is different, not everyone makes it so easy. We went out to eat last night with some friends. When our waitress saw Ian she asked, "Aw, a baby. Does he have something stuck in his mouth?" (Referring to the NAM.) My first reaction was anger. Why would someone say something like that? Luckily DJ was the first to say anything. He explained that Ian had a cleft lip and palate. "Oh, I've seen documentaries on kids like that. He's going to be such a sweet boy." I was still a bit frustrated with the whole thing. I had to remind myself that most people are not familiar with clefts and as parents of a cleft baby, it is part of our responsiblity to teach them.

DJ and I were talking the other night about Ian's conditions. Once I found out I was pregnant with Ian, I did everything I could to ensure he would be a healthy baby. Since he was a surprise baby, I didn't start taking prenatal vitamins until 8 weeks into the pregnancy. I did my best to eat healthy once we did learn about him, taking care to not eat things not recommend for pregnant women. Once we found out about Ian's cleft, I was even more careful and ate even healthier. For example, eating blueberries, which are good for the brain and no-caffine, which is bad for the baby in large amounts. I made sure to stay away from others who were smoking. I didn't want Ian to have to deal with anything else. Sometimes now I can't help but feel like there was more I could have done. Did the fact that I did not start taking the vitamins until later have an impact on his cleft? Or even, had we been tested, could we have learned our child could have blood disorders? Well, the other night DJ reminded me that there was nothing we could have done differently. God wanted Ian to be like he is. He hasn't given us more than we can handle. Instead He's blessed us with a child that can teach us, as well as others, about his differences that so many others also deal with. Only God knows exactly why Ian was born with a cleft, but I know our little man will do great things.