{johnny-5 months}

Johnny is 5 months old today! He is such an amazing little guy.

I don’t have any height/weight updates since we don’t go to the pedi again for another month, but what I can tell you is this boy likes his milk! He is growing like a weed--just as he should. We did a trial run with some cereal the other day and he did great. I’m excited to start feeding him cereal once daily and then start the really good stuff (homemade by Mommy, of course) when he turns 6 months.

For the last month and a half, Johnny has been in physical and occupational therapy. He attends each therapy once a week. His birth was a rather traumatic one--he suffered oxygen deprivation at birth because my placenta ruptured during labor and they didn’t know until they opened me up for the c-section. His legs started twitching at 2 months old and I immediately brought it up to his pediatrician, because I knew it was not normal. One thing led to another and before we knew it, we were being told by a pediatric neurologist that he needed an MRI because they suspected brain damage from his birth. I’ll never forget that day for the rest of my life--my Dad came to the hospital and sat with Johnny and I through the whole procedure, including recovery. When the neurologist came in the next day with the results, I knew what they suspected was true, that he did suffer some damage. I’ll never forget his words, though:

“The good thing is, it’s not overwhelming or extensive. And while it will be a challenge for him to do some of the things he would naturally do had the damage not been there, the mind at this age is incredible and very plastic.”

Wow. “What just happened to our life?” I thought to myself. It changed in an instant.

The condition he specifically is suffering from is called “muscle spasity”--basically, he has higher than normal muscle tone in his limbs and sometimes becomes overly tense or stiff.

We have no idea what the future holds, but we are incredibly hopeful. The best way I can describe our beautiful, happy, bubbly, PERFECT baby boy is that he’s about a month delayed at this point (he was also born a month premature, so that may account for some of the delay). In just a little over a month since we’ve started therapy, we’ve seen AMAZING things happen. His therapists (who I love!) point out what he needs to be working on and show me ways to help him achieve these goals. We do the exercises at home and in just the past week, he has started to do the things he’s supposed to be doing. They are encouraged by how he is developing.

IT IS SOOOOO EXCITING!

John and I know that he is going to be just fine. While none of the medical professionals we’ve seen in the past 3 months have a “crystal ball” and can tell us what exactly the future holds, I can say that all have been calm with us and are relatively optimistic that any disability he might have would be mild.

We are not focused on the future. We have no control over it. We leave that part up to God. He has magnificent plans for all our lives--why would Johnny’s be any different? We are, however, savoring every day at the present and celebrating with much joy anytime our Buck does something new...and incredibly amazing.