Another update of progress

It's been a busy week in Evan's world.

1.) He met his cousins, Ariana (9) and Logan (5), for the first time

2.) We have started him on rice cereal once a day to give him something with texture and he's been doing well. He doesn't take much, but he sits in the high hair like a little gentleman, and will smack a lot when we give him the rice cereal. He's reluctant, still, to have the spoon go far into his mouth, but it's getting better.

3.) He gets to sit in an exersaucer... We're working on strengthening his legs and his torso. It's not yet exactly FUN for him, but it's a change of pace.

4.) He now is off the ventilator 8 hours a day, 4 hours in the morning and evening, and is doing great. We've been going up on the time about every other day. Not surprisingly, it wears him out, so he tends to nap more and sleep harder, because his little body is working harder to breathe, so two days to adjust isn't asking too much. If we continue in this fashion, we might see completely off the ventilator by March 9th. After that, there really isn't a reason why he can't come home shortly after.

5.) Carl and I have taken to taking him out on stroller rides around the unit while he's on the trach collar once a day because we can now fit everything he needs into the stroller. Again, it's a change of pace for him, but he finds it to be a lot of fun.

6.) He got his helmet yesterday, and he's adjusting to it slowly. He has no problem sleeping in it, and seems perfectly comfortable, except when we take it off or put it on. He still looks adorable even in a helmet with skulls and crossbones (I HAD to pick that one.... I mean, first of all, it's just so cute! And secondly, how ironic is it to put skulls on a helmet to reshape his skull?)

7.) It appears we might just see his first tooth soon. I massage his gums frequently to help with the speech therapy, and the bottom front teeth feel closer to the surface than before. He bites my finger often, and chews on his tongue. I judge that this will be a big step to help get rid of his oral aversion because he actually WANTS things in his mouth so he can chew on them.

8.) He got his 6 month vaccinations. In typical Evan fashion, his feelings were VERY hurt for two minutes after, and then he was all smiles. So far, he really hasn't had an adverse reaction to vaccinations, not even being fussy.

9.) Monkeys EVERYWHERE! We almost have Evan's room completely decorated. It's a jungle theme, with mostly monkeys, and the occasional lion or zebra thrown in. I'll be sure to post pics once I have all the wall decals up and curtains in place. It's going to be such a cute boys room. :-)

10.) The scab fell of Wednesday night from his belly wound to reveal whole and healthy pink skin beneath! We are sooooo excited about that. Now, it just needs to toughen up, but IT'S HEALED! One less place to worry about infection!

Now it's time for me to get my happy butt up to the hospital so we can enjoy more of EVAN. Soooooon we'll be home. But I leave you with pictures of his progress this week- Enjoy!