Happy Summer Everyone!
I cant even believe tomorrow is the 1st of August. Seriously where does the time go?!
So many things to update everyone on that I don't even know where to start... so I guess Ill start right here :)
Since our last post Westin got his new braces that were recommended from Baltimore. They were terrible.. they didn't hold his foot at all.. so we had to have another pair made. These were the same style as his past pair which worked will for him, however because of ongoing issued with is feet these new braces aren't working well either.. which goes to tie in with the title of this post... however I will get to those nasty casts in a minute.
Westin also has gotten his new gait trainer which is adorable! Its lime green and cute as can be. He thinks he is one cool dude in that thing! It also has pretty much every attachment under the sun, which is nice however he is so mobile that he doesn't really need most of them. He is learning how to use it and has even walked into therapy with is a couple of times, but again we haven't gotten as much use out of it as we would like because of the bracing issues.
We also received out E-Stim unit for home. We are suppose to use this on Westin 2x/ day for 30 min each time. While I would love to say I am using it this much.. I'm not... its not possible. I use it as much as I can, but I need to get in a better habit of using it.
Now on to our crazy, fun, full of life little man! He is officially 1.5 years old. How is that possible??? It seems like it was just yesterday that we were walking through the door with out little bundle of joy. He is such a blessing. We simple cant imagine what out lives would be like without him.. He sure keeps us busy with therapy, and early intervention, and Dr appts but I wouldn't change it for the world. He is a busy little boy! He loves his trucks, tractors, and anything that he can throw. Man does that kid have an arm on him.. maybe we have a future baseball star on our hands!
He is also starting to talk a lot more and he wants to be Mr. Independent. He has learned to open containers, screw off lids, so anything that was once safe.. no more. He knows how to open his bubbles and pour them into his "tubby" he can also pull all the lids off his markers.. so the dogs now have a beautifully decorated dog bed. I knew when he was quiet for more then 6 seconds he was up to no good.. and I was right! He is using his spoon and fork a lot more. and when he really wants something like fruit snacks or his gummy vitamins he says "peeeeeese"
He also loves to be outside and blow bubbles, be pushed in his green car, ride in the wagon, ride on his little power wheels tractor or ride in the bike carrier. He loves to be outside, he would be outside all day if we could.
Now on to the casts... yuck just typing that makes me cringe. I never thought we would end up with more casts.. I think he has had his fair share of them.. I believe it was right around 20 weeks with them the last time, But after soooo many issues with his feet and them not staying in a neutral position, we knew something had to be done. So we met with Westins Orthopedic Dr. and we decided he needed surgery again. So this past week Westin had bilateral heel cord lengthening tenotomy as well as a posterior ankle release. He did well with the surgery, and the Dr was pleased with how flat he was able to get his feet... but we wont know how successful it was until we are done with the casts in 5 weeks and try him with his braces again.
Even though we have to put up with more casts, hopefully the end result will make it all worth it.
Thats all for now! Until next time....
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
Home Sweet Home!!
Were back!! Talk about a long two weeks away from home!! It was a productive two weeks too.
We flew in on Saturday and were able to get settled in a little bit before the excitement started on Monday. Westin did really well on the airplane. I was so nervous about this, but with the right toys, we were able to keep him calm the whole time. He even took a little snooze, Yay! Also.. when renting a car, never choose the economy size when traveling with 3 large suitcases, a stroller, and a baby! As soon as we go to the car rental place I saw this tiny little car and started laughing and told Travis wouldn't that be so funny if that was our car.... and the guy goes.. "it is"! hahaha I thought I was going to die laughing. Google Chevy Spark.. and you will see that little beauty. Good thing the guy decided to upgrade us to the next size for free!
We were so glad we decided to get a rental car.... I think we would have go stir crazy without it. Plus we were able to get in a bunch of sight seeing, which was a major bonus!
The first Monday started out with a bang. we learned quick that a 2 mile drive in Baltimore isn't the same a 2 mile drive in Wahpeton. One takes 20 minutes the other takes 1 minute! The first day started out by going over all of Westins medical history. Good thing I was prepared because there is A LOT! After that we were on to our first day of Physical Therapy. The first day was pretty much just watching him to see what he can and cant do. They also learned very quickly that what Westin wants Westin gets. We started in a huge room with people of all ages getting treated for anything and everything. We knew that this type of environment wouldn't work well for Westin. To many things to distract him. So we went down to the Peds floor which was much better. Not sure why we didn't start there in the first place. There were LOTs of toys and they also had smaller rooms which we ended up using a lot.
The next few days were spent using Estim, which we also now use at home. Westins muscles respond well to this type of PT. It help keep the muscles strong that he isn't voluntarily using. By the middle of the first week we were able to get Westin in the pool. Talk about a awesome pool. The entire floor moves up and down as one so they can adjust it to whatever level that they want to work with him at. At home he really enjoys the pool so we were excited to try it here. The first 10 min went great and then they brought out this floating walker type thing. BIG MISTAKE.. once he saw that, he freaked out and that was the end of pool PT. We tried two other times while there.. and no such luck, just the sight of the pool made him upset.
They had some other cool equipment out here that we don't have at home, like a small treadmill, and some gait trainers. The treadmill was really cool. They would harness him in and it would take three people working with him. One would hold his hips, and one person working with each leg to make sure the placement was just right. By the end of the two weeks, Westin was doing about 25 min each day.... Of course we had Bob the Builder on the dvd player, he also had to walk holding his lovey "aka Blanket" and his little white puppy. While being bribed with mini M&M's but, Hey! whatever works!
We also were able to try out a Riffton Mini Pacer Gate Trainer. Its the upgraded version of his current walker. These gate trainers offer pretty much even option you can think of. It was nice because he was able to explore on his own without us having to keep an eye on him every second. We are in the process of getting one ordered, so hopefully within a few weeks we will have it!
While out there we also wanted to see another orthopedic Dr. to get a second opinion on Westins feet. Im glad we did this because we got a recommendation for a new type of leg brace. Its made from the same material as his current ones, but its like two braces in one. Its from Sure Step, its the Indy2. He also suggested that at night Westin sleep with the Ponseti Brace. We are NOT excited about this at all. This has been mentioned in the past and then at the last minute his current Orthopedic Dr changed his mind. This is pair of sandals that has a bar between the legs. They like this type of brace to be wore every night until the age of 5!!!! This is to help with the position of his feet, and also to assure they don't become clubbed again.
Of course we also had to have some fun and go sight seeing. While there we went to 2 baseball games, ran a 5k for the Ronald McDonald house, went to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Zoo, we also walked around the inner harbor where there were some fun stores, and restaurants. We also drove to Washington D.C. Neither of us had ever been there so it was really fun. We walked around the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, we saw the White House, The Capitol Building, WWII Memorial. We also drove past the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. We sure had a lot of fun!
The first question everyone asks is if we are glad we went and if we thought it was worth the trip. The answer is yes, while it was a LONG two weeks away from home. We learned a lot, we saw a lot and we can see am improvement in Westin and his leg strength. So we are happy we went and plan to go back with in the year.
Here are some pictures of our trip!
We flew in on Saturday and were able to get settled in a little bit before the excitement started on Monday. Westin did really well on the airplane. I was so nervous about this, but with the right toys, we were able to keep him calm the whole time. He even took a little snooze, Yay! Also.. when renting a car, never choose the economy size when traveling with 3 large suitcases, a stroller, and a baby! As soon as we go to the car rental place I saw this tiny little car and started laughing and told Travis wouldn't that be so funny if that was our car.... and the guy goes.. "it is"! hahaha I thought I was going to die laughing. Google Chevy Spark.. and you will see that little beauty. Good thing the guy decided to upgrade us to the next size for free!
We were so glad we decided to get a rental car.... I think we would have go stir crazy without it. Plus we were able to get in a bunch of sight seeing, which was a major bonus!
The first Monday started out with a bang. we learned quick that a 2 mile drive in Baltimore isn't the same a 2 mile drive in Wahpeton. One takes 20 minutes the other takes 1 minute! The first day started out by going over all of Westins medical history. Good thing I was prepared because there is A LOT! After that we were on to our first day of Physical Therapy. The first day was pretty much just watching him to see what he can and cant do. They also learned very quickly that what Westin wants Westin gets. We started in a huge room with people of all ages getting treated for anything and everything. We knew that this type of environment wouldn't work well for Westin. To many things to distract him. So we went down to the Peds floor which was much better. Not sure why we didn't start there in the first place. There were LOTs of toys and they also had smaller rooms which we ended up using a lot.
The next few days were spent using Estim, which we also now use at home. Westins muscles respond well to this type of PT. It help keep the muscles strong that he isn't voluntarily using. By the middle of the first week we were able to get Westin in the pool. Talk about a awesome pool. The entire floor moves up and down as one so they can adjust it to whatever level that they want to work with him at. At home he really enjoys the pool so we were excited to try it here. The first 10 min went great and then they brought out this floating walker type thing. BIG MISTAKE.. once he saw that, he freaked out and that was the end of pool PT. We tried two other times while there.. and no such luck, just the sight of the pool made him upset.
They had some other cool equipment out here that we don't have at home, like a small treadmill, and some gait trainers. The treadmill was really cool. They would harness him in and it would take three people working with him. One would hold his hips, and one person working with each leg to make sure the placement was just right. By the end of the two weeks, Westin was doing about 25 min each day.... Of course we had Bob the Builder on the dvd player, he also had to walk holding his lovey "aka Blanket" and his little white puppy. While being bribed with mini M&M's but, Hey! whatever works!
We also were able to try out a Riffton Mini Pacer Gate Trainer. Its the upgraded version of his current walker. These gate trainers offer pretty much even option you can think of. It was nice because he was able to explore on his own without us having to keep an eye on him every second. We are in the process of getting one ordered, so hopefully within a few weeks we will have it!
While out there we also wanted to see another orthopedic Dr. to get a second opinion on Westins feet. Im glad we did this because we got a recommendation for a new type of leg brace. Its made from the same material as his current ones, but its like two braces in one. Its from Sure Step, its the Indy2. He also suggested that at night Westin sleep with the Ponseti Brace. We are NOT excited about this at all. This has been mentioned in the past and then at the last minute his current Orthopedic Dr changed his mind. This is pair of sandals that has a bar between the legs. They like this type of brace to be wore every night until the age of 5!!!! This is to help with the position of his feet, and also to assure they don't become clubbed again.
Of course we also had to have some fun and go sight seeing. While there we went to 2 baseball games, ran a 5k for the Ronald McDonald house, went to the National Aquarium, the Maryland Zoo, we also walked around the inner harbor where there were some fun stores, and restaurants. We also drove to Washington D.C. Neither of us had ever been there so it was really fun. We walked around the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, we saw the White House, The Capitol Building, WWII Memorial. We also drove past the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. We sure had a lot of fun!
The first question everyone asks is if we are glad we went and if we thought it was worth the trip. The answer is yes, while it was a LONG two weeks away from home. We learned a lot, we saw a lot and we can see am improvement in Westin and his leg strength. So we are happy we went and plan to go back with in the year.
Here are some pictures of our trip!
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| At the baseball game |
 |
| At the Maryland Zoo |
 |
| Washington Monument |
 |
| The cherry blossoms were in full bloom! |
 |
| Lincoln Memorial |
 |
| Ready for the 5k! |
 |
| Stopped running for a quick picture! |
Saturday, March 23, 2013
SPRING YET?
Is it spring yet?
I seriously think that winter is going to go on forever. Wow once again I have forgotten to update the blog for quite some time so please let me get you caught up to speed with the wild life of the Wiberg's! I have officially been home with Westin for just over a month and we are loving it! Other then Westin's therapy appointment we come and go as we please... although this time of year there really isn't anywhere in this town to go.....but its still good to get out of the house. Westin is busy with PT. We go 2 times a week. We have started doing some E-Stim therapy so that he is used to it once we get out to Baltimore because part of the spinal cord injury program that he will be doing really focuses on E-stim. He actually does amazingly well with this type of therapy. Sometimes when the machine quits he almost cries, it must feel good on his legs?! He has also started pool therapy. He is slowly getting more use to this. Heck I would jump right in as the therapy pool is a cool 92 degrees!
He has also started to become more vocal. He loves to say "HI" with such enthusiasm to complete strangers. He also says:
Mom
Dad
Dada
Mama
Daddy
Fish
Glasses
Chasey
Auntie
Yup
Those are a few that come to mind. He sure has one heck of a wild personality though. When he wants something, he wants it like yesterday. I wonder where he gets that from.... :)
He loves to be around other kids. Today we took part is a pre easter "party" at a elementary school in town. There was a Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts, pet the real bunny. He was also able to see some of the kids that he use to go to daycare with. While there he wanted to go on his feet soo badly but what his head thinks and what his feet think are two totally different things. It breaks my heart to see him with other kids his age just running all over the place, but he doesn't feel sorry for himself so I can't either. No matter what I need to be his cheerleader. /
I cant even believe we head out to Baltimore 2 weeks from today.. where did that time go? I'm so nervous for the plane ride with Westin.. I'm trying to think of everything I can possibly bring with me to keep him busy, because we all know he WON'T be napping! While we are out there we are also going to make it fun. We have too, we have no other choice... not our ideal vacation but you make the best of the situation that you are given. We have baseball tickets for the day after we get there, the Orioles play the Minnesota Twins! I bought really good seats for Travis Bday gift! he was soo surprised that little old me could pull of a surprise like that! We also plan to tour Arlington National Cemetery. It's only about 15 minutes from where we are staying. I would also like to tour QVC so we will see if I can squeeze that is somewhere. From all the research that we have done it seems like a really fun city. We are very hopeful that we will leave with a lot of great information, in terms of Westin and his development and also a plan to get that kid a moving one way or another!
Here are some of the latest pictures. More to come after we get home from out trip! See ya in a month!
I seriously think that winter is going to go on forever. Wow once again I have forgotten to update the blog for quite some time so please let me get you caught up to speed with the wild life of the Wiberg's! I have officially been home with Westin for just over a month and we are loving it! Other then Westin's therapy appointment we come and go as we please... although this time of year there really isn't anywhere in this town to go.....but its still good to get out of the house. Westin is busy with PT. We go 2 times a week. We have started doing some E-Stim therapy so that he is used to it once we get out to Baltimore because part of the spinal cord injury program that he will be doing really focuses on E-stim. He actually does amazingly well with this type of therapy. Sometimes when the machine quits he almost cries, it must feel good on his legs?! He has also started pool therapy. He is slowly getting more use to this. Heck I would jump right in as the therapy pool is a cool 92 degrees!
He has also started to become more vocal. He loves to say "HI" with such enthusiasm to complete strangers. He also says:
Mom
Dad
Dada
Mama
Daddy
Fish
Glasses
Chasey
Auntie
Yup
Those are a few that come to mind. He sure has one heck of a wild personality though. When he wants something, he wants it like yesterday. I wonder where he gets that from.... :)
He loves to be around other kids. Today we took part is a pre easter "party" at a elementary school in town. There was a Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts, pet the real bunny. He was also able to see some of the kids that he use to go to daycare with. While there he wanted to go on his feet soo badly but what his head thinks and what his feet think are two totally different things. It breaks my heart to see him with other kids his age just running all over the place, but he doesn't feel sorry for himself so I can't either. No matter what I need to be his cheerleader. /
I cant even believe we head out to Baltimore 2 weeks from today.. where did that time go? I'm so nervous for the plane ride with Westin.. I'm trying to think of everything I can possibly bring with me to keep him busy, because we all know he WON'T be napping! While we are out there we are also going to make it fun. We have too, we have no other choice... not our ideal vacation but you make the best of the situation that you are given. We have baseball tickets for the day after we get there, the Orioles play the Minnesota Twins! I bought really good seats for Travis Bday gift! he was soo surprised that little old me could pull of a surprise like that! We also plan to tour Arlington National Cemetery. It's only about 15 minutes from where we are staying. I would also like to tour QVC so we will see if I can squeeze that is somewhere. From all the research that we have done it seems like a really fun city. We are very hopeful that we will leave with a lot of great information, in terms of Westin and his development and also a plan to get that kid a moving one way or another!
Here are some of the latest pictures. More to come after we get home from out trip! See ya in a month!
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| Mommy and Westin drawing a bunny |
 |
| Marley making something for Westin |
 |
| Mommy got me some silly glasses since I like to pull them off peoples faces:) |
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| Another silly photo of me rockin the shades:) |
 | ||||||||
| I think Justin Timberlake wrote his "Suit & Tie" song about me. haha |
Sunday, February 3, 2013
And hes 1!
Once again sorry for the delay in updating the blog. All we can say is life happens and soon enough a month has passed and we still haven't updated the blog. Well what is new in our lives is that Travis got a new position with his company which is going to allow me to be a stay at home mommy!! Westin is growing like a weed and is starting to do more and more silly things. He now sticks out his tongue when we ask which makes us smile every time.
His development is coming along, and Travis says that he sees Westin do a bunch of new things every time he gets back home from a trip. Westin will be going to therapy 3 times a week to help strengthen his ankles. He will also get some swim therapy which will be interesting. Westin is crawling all over the place and will stand next to toys. He will sometimes take a step or two with some help when behind his walk behind toy. He is also saying new things all of the time. Its fun to watch him grow. We are starting to get excited for our trip to Baltimore in April for Westins therapy. We also don't have to go back for more tests in the cities until June. Its sure nice to have a little break from those.
We tried scheduling a 1 year birthday party for Westin, but the weather hasn't cooperated yet. So we keep having to reschedule it for another date. During the weekend of his birthday, Travis and I decided to have a little mini party for Westin anyway. Here are some photos of our cute silly boy.
His development is coming along, and Travis says that he sees Westin do a bunch of new things every time he gets back home from a trip. Westin will be going to therapy 3 times a week to help strengthen his ankles. He will also get some swim therapy which will be interesting. Westin is crawling all over the place and will stand next to toys. He will sometimes take a step or two with some help when behind his walk behind toy. He is also saying new things all of the time. Its fun to watch him grow. We are starting to get excited for our trip to Baltimore in April for Westins therapy. We also don't have to go back for more tests in the cities until June. Its sure nice to have a little break from those.
We tried scheduling a 1 year birthday party for Westin, but the weather hasn't cooperated yet. So we keep having to reschedule it for another date. During the weekend of his birthday, Travis and I decided to have a little mini party for Westin anyway. Here are some photos of our cute silly boy.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Christmas!!!
Happy Holidays everyone!
I cant believe another Christmas is just around the corner! Only a year ago at this time I was on bed rest awaiting our little Westin! With so many fears and worries, I just wish I knew then what I know now. We were back in the cities on December 5th-7th. On the 6th we had a full day of tests again to finish of the year. The day started reallllly early! Westin decided to get up at 5am! We had to be at the hospital at 7:30 to get him ready for his sedated MRI. We were both really dreading this test, one because he had to be put under for it, but mostly for the results. This is a test where you can really get the best picture at his brain and spine. Once out of the MRI he has another bladder ultrasound and another RNC, which is the test where they insert a catheter and fill the bladder with a radioactive dye so they can watch to see if there was any reflux. Then they also watch to see if he initiates voiding on his own. All of these bladder tests are done frequently to watch for any changes in his voiding or to see if the level of reflux has changed. There #1 goal is to protect those little kidneys.
Once done with all of these tests we were of to meet with the Dr's for the test results. First we met with Peter who is the nurse for Westin's neurosurgeon. Hes a great guy, really easy to talk to, and tells it like it is. Once is his room he pulled up the test results for the first time so we could go over everything together. For the MRI they were checking for symptoms of tethered cord: Tethered cords are a group of congenital developmental malformations in which the spinal cord is fixed to surrounding tissues within the spinal column and cannot move freely at the lower end. As a child grows, his or her spinal column grows, but the spinal cord may not grow at the same rate. This fixation of the spinal cord as the spine lengthens causes tension on the spinal cord and nerves, producing various symptoms.
There were also looking for Syrinx.: A syrinx results when a watery, protective substance known as cerebrospinal fluid, that normally flows around the spinal cord and brain, transporting nutrients and waste products, collects in a small area of the spinal cord and forms a pseudocyst.
Lastly they were looking at the ventricles to check for hydrocephalus and they were also checking for Arnold Chiari Malformation type 2, Chiari malformations are structural defects in the cerebellum. That's the part of the brain that controls balance. Around 90% of kids with Spina Bifida have AC11.
Once the test results were pulled up. He looked at us and shook his head. He said that the MRI couldn't have looked any better. His ventricles were at the correct size, which means there is no sign of hydrocephalus which means NO SHUNT!!!! This is something that is very exciting!!! Also there were no signs of tethered cord or any syrinx. Also through the MRI we learned that he doesnt have Arnold Chiari type 2. This is really rare that he doesnt have this because Spina Bifida and AC type 2 pretty much go hand in hand.
What a relief it was to have this test over and done with, and to top it to have awesome results! We are so blessed. He continues to prove that he is one special kid!
Once done with Peter we were of to meet with Dr. Marker to go over the bladder tests. These test results continue to be good. Both kidneys measured equal in size, there is still a small amount of reflux on the right side. This has been the same since Westin was born, at this time isn't enough to worry about. So we don't have to have any more tests with Peter for a year, at that time Im guessing another MRI will be done to check the ventricles again. As far as any more bladder tests, we won't go back until this coming summer! It will sure be nice to have a few months break!
We also had some fun, lots of shopping, good food and meeting new people! We were able to meet up with another family who has a little girl who also has spina bifida who just turned 1 in November. We had soo much fun with them. And I'm pretty sure Westin has a crush on Leah.. They were so cute together. Both just happy, smiley and so full of life! What blessings they are! If was fun to chat because Leah also has the same Doctors as Westin. We had lots in common with them and look forward to getting together next time we are in the cities!
Here are a few new pictures, I hope you enjoy!
I cant believe another Christmas is just around the corner! Only a year ago at this time I was on bed rest awaiting our little Westin! With so many fears and worries, I just wish I knew then what I know now. We were back in the cities on December 5th-7th. On the 6th we had a full day of tests again to finish of the year. The day started reallllly early! Westin decided to get up at 5am! We had to be at the hospital at 7:30 to get him ready for his sedated MRI. We were both really dreading this test, one because he had to be put under for it, but mostly for the results. This is a test where you can really get the best picture at his brain and spine. Once out of the MRI he has another bladder ultrasound and another RNC, which is the test where they insert a catheter and fill the bladder with a radioactive dye so they can watch to see if there was any reflux. Then they also watch to see if he initiates voiding on his own. All of these bladder tests are done frequently to watch for any changes in his voiding or to see if the level of reflux has changed. There #1 goal is to protect those little kidneys.
Once done with all of these tests we were of to meet with the Dr's for the test results. First we met with Peter who is the nurse for Westin's neurosurgeon. Hes a great guy, really easy to talk to, and tells it like it is. Once is his room he pulled up the test results for the first time so we could go over everything together. For the MRI they were checking for symptoms of tethered cord: Tethered cords are a group of congenital developmental malformations in which the spinal cord is fixed to surrounding tissues within the spinal column and cannot move freely at the lower end. As a child grows, his or her spinal column grows, but the spinal cord may not grow at the same rate. This fixation of the spinal cord as the spine lengthens causes tension on the spinal cord and nerves, producing various symptoms.
There were also looking for Syrinx.: A syrinx results when a watery, protective substance known as cerebrospinal fluid, that normally flows around the spinal cord and brain, transporting nutrients and waste products, collects in a small area of the spinal cord and forms a pseudocyst.
Lastly they were looking at the ventricles to check for hydrocephalus and they were also checking for Arnold Chiari Malformation type 2, Chiari malformations are structural defects in the cerebellum. That's the part of the brain that controls balance. Around 90% of kids with Spina Bifida have AC11.
Once the test results were pulled up. He looked at us and shook his head. He said that the MRI couldn't have looked any better. His ventricles were at the correct size, which means there is no sign of hydrocephalus which means NO SHUNT!!!! This is something that is very exciting!!! Also there were no signs of tethered cord or any syrinx. Also through the MRI we learned that he doesnt have Arnold Chiari type 2. This is really rare that he doesnt have this because Spina Bifida and AC type 2 pretty much go hand in hand.
What a relief it was to have this test over and done with, and to top it to have awesome results! We are so blessed. He continues to prove that he is one special kid!
Once done with Peter we were of to meet with Dr. Marker to go over the bladder tests. These test results continue to be good. Both kidneys measured equal in size, there is still a small amount of reflux on the right side. This has been the same since Westin was born, at this time isn't enough to worry about. So we don't have to have any more tests with Peter for a year, at that time Im guessing another MRI will be done to check the ventricles again. As far as any more bladder tests, we won't go back until this coming summer! It will sure be nice to have a few months break!
We also had some fun, lots of shopping, good food and meeting new people! We were able to meet up with another family who has a little girl who also has spina bifida who just turned 1 in November. We had soo much fun with them. And I'm pretty sure Westin has a crush on Leah.. They were so cute together. Both just happy, smiley and so full of life! What blessings they are! If was fun to chat because Leah also has the same Doctors as Westin. We had lots in common with them and look forward to getting together next time we are in the cities!
Here are a few new pictures, I hope you enjoy!
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
― Mother Teresa
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Oh where does the time go!
As usual Westin has been keeping us busy! He has made some GREAT progress this week with his gross motor skills. He has 4 point crawled a few times. The first time I saw it I thought I was imagining things! He has also pulled to stand on his own a few times.... These are such huge accomplishments, we couldn't be more proud of him! He is one determined little boy. He has alot started to babble a lot more, and I have even heard MaMa a few times!! he also says DaDa, Dad, Daddy and Hi Daddy... there is something very wrong with this picture! He also loves getting into things, like the dogs food and water dishes.
He is still going to PT 2x/ week, and meeting with Marcy from Early Intervention 1x/week. Its a lot of running but it is so worth it when we look at how far he has come. Westin has also been approved to go to the Kennedy Krieger Institute out in Baltimore. He will participate in there 2 week physical therapy program for spinal cord injury. We wont go until April 8th. I decided to wait until he's a little older as I think he will get more benefit out of it. The program is 3 hours of PT/Day. They also work a lot with E-Stim therapy so I'm excited to try something new!!
We are headed back to Minneapolis next week for more tests. He will have a sedated MRI as well as another renal ultrasound, and RNC. We will also meet with a few of Westins Drs to go over the test results. So say a prayer for more good news!
Here are some new pictures!!
He is still going to PT 2x/ week, and meeting with Marcy from Early Intervention 1x/week. Its a lot of running but it is so worth it when we look at how far he has come. Westin has also been approved to go to the Kennedy Krieger Institute out in Baltimore. He will participate in there 2 week physical therapy program for spinal cord injury. We wont go until April 8th. I decided to wait until he's a little older as I think he will get more benefit out of it. The program is 3 hours of PT/Day. They also work a lot with E-Stim therapy so I'm excited to try something new!!
We are headed back to Minneapolis next week for more tests. He will have a sedated MRI as well as another renal ultrasound, and RNC. We will also meet with a few of Westins Drs to go over the test results. So say a prayer for more good news!
Here are some new pictures!!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
And we lived through another Spina Bifida clinic
Wow am I glad to be home! For as much as we look forward to clinics we also dread them....Its makes for a few long days, but we are home, happy and healthy!
There is something about clinic days that I love. It makes us feel like we aren't on this crazy journey alone. As we were sitting in the radiology waiting room there were two other families waiting for tests as well with little ones with Spina Bifida. It was fun to listen to their stories, and to know that as Westin gets older we will be okay.
As normal, Westin was run through the ringer with all of his tests. He had a head, bladder and kidney ultrasound. He also had a RNC "Radionuclide Cystogram" which is a diagnostic imaging exam that determines if Westin has vesicoureteral reflux. When he had this test in June we were told he reflux on the left side which was a grade 1-2. The test results this time reviled that this was unchanged. Which Dr. Glasser was very excited about. He even stated that its possible that Westin could outgrow this reflux, which he said is very rare, but possible. He said there is no need to start cathing! YAY!!!
We also met with Dr. Marker who went over the head ultrasound. This will be our last head ultrasound because Westins soft spot is closing and once that happens the only was to view the ventricles is through an MRI. These results were also wonderful. Thank God!
They were all so happy with Westins progress. The tests couldn't have come out any better. We will head back down to Minneapolis on December 6th for a MRI which is standard for babies with Spina Bifida around a year old so they can get a baseline for when he is older. We will also have another bladder ultrasound and another RNC.
So for now we will continue with physical therapy 1x/ week as well as early intervention 1x/ week. He still isn't crawling on all 4's but he sure can get around. Hes into EVERYTHING. Its sure fun to watch him get into things and to see how excited he gets when he finds something new.
We have sooo much to be thankful for. Westins is always happy, smily and he just rolls with the punches. We thank God everyday for bringing him into our lives.
Here are some new pictues! I hope you enjoy!!!
There is something about clinic days that I love. It makes us feel like we aren't on this crazy journey alone. As we were sitting in the radiology waiting room there were two other families waiting for tests as well with little ones with Spina Bifida. It was fun to listen to their stories, and to know that as Westin gets older we will be okay.
As normal, Westin was run through the ringer with all of his tests. He had a head, bladder and kidney ultrasound. He also had a RNC "Radionuclide Cystogram" which is a diagnostic imaging exam that determines if Westin has vesicoureteral reflux. When he had this test in June we were told he reflux on the left side which was a grade 1-2. The test results this time reviled that this was unchanged. Which Dr. Glasser was very excited about. He even stated that its possible that Westin could outgrow this reflux, which he said is very rare, but possible. He said there is no need to start cathing! YAY!!!
We also met with Dr. Marker who went over the head ultrasound. This will be our last head ultrasound because Westins soft spot is closing and once that happens the only was to view the ventricles is through an MRI. These results were also wonderful. Thank God!
They were all so happy with Westins progress. The tests couldn't have come out any better. We will head back down to Minneapolis on December 6th for a MRI which is standard for babies with Spina Bifida around a year old so they can get a baseline for when he is older. We will also have another bladder ultrasound and another RNC.
So for now we will continue with physical therapy 1x/ week as well as early intervention 1x/ week. He still isn't crawling on all 4's but he sure can get around. Hes into EVERYTHING. Its sure fun to watch him get into things and to see how excited he gets when he finds something new.
We have sooo much to be thankful for. Westins is always happy, smily and he just rolls with the punches. We thank God everyday for bringing him into our lives.
Here are some new pictues! I hope you enjoy!!!
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