My First Halloween Party

I got invited to my first Halloween party! California Pacific Medical Center (where I was born) holds an annual NICU Reunion and Halloween Party for all the babies that were patients. It's been going on for 42 years...wow that must be a really long time because it's the same age as Daddy.

So I decided to dress up like a little 'Cheeky Monkey'.



When I putt my costume on Mommy says I look just like Daddy...who was born in the year of the Monkey.



What do you think?

And you think a wedgie hurts...

Today I got a barium scan...not too much fun. Think of it as a million times worst than getting an "Atomic Wedgie" but I thought I looked cute in the hospital gown.



For those of you who don't know what an Atomic Wedgie is...imaging having your underwear pulled from behind all the way over your head.

Mommy tried to calm me by giving me a bottle but I felt sorry for Daddy because he had to hold me arms down during the scan. I had to get a barium enema because the surgeon wants to check if everything is okay with my large intestine before scheduling my reattachment surgery. They do it under a fluoroscope, which is basically a real-time x-ray and the barium is used as a contrast to show the internal structures of my bowls. The not so fun part is that they have to get the barium in me via an enema. Needless to say it was quite uncomfortable and I let Daddy and everyone in the room know, just how uncomfortable it was. Imagine putting a pen up your butt...but remember my butt is much smaller than your butt.





Here are some pictures of the scan...you can see the long thing they used to put in the barium enema.

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The only good thing is that Daddy promised to buy my a pony!

My surgery is now tentatively scheduled for November 12.

Let's Ride!

It's been a few weeks since I last posted...sorry! I've been pretty busy gaining weight. I am officially over 10 lbs now...as you can see Wolfie isn't looking too happy with me riding on his back.






Last week I had an appointment with Dr. Daniel a neurologist at Children's Hospital of Oakland. He is a hard person to get an appointment. Daddy spent weeks calling central scheduling to get me an appointment. Dr. Daniel is very nice, we spent a long time talking with him and he examined me. Like everyone else, Dr. Daniel said it's hard to say what will happen. He liked how my upper body and head moved but he also did think that my legs had too much tone and in extension more than other kids. We talked to him about the Anat Baniel Method and he said he's heard of it because one of his patient's with cerebral palsy has been going. Dr. Daniel said the kids mother thought it was helping so he thought it was fine that I am also getting treatments. I am going to see Dr. Daniel again in January...he just told Mommy and Daddy to keep doing what we've been doing.

I also

Are you looking at me?

Daddy took this series of pictures a little while back. I was trying to work the camera like Derek Zoolander doing his Blue Steel look.

Like Zoolander said, "I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is."

Two Down...One to Go

Mommy and Daddy keep telling me that I need to update my blog because their friends keep asking "what's going on?"



Well not much...I'm just trying to gain weight to get myself ready for my reattachment surgery. I'm around 9.5 lbs now and closing in on being a "10" pounder.



Once I get my intestine reconnected I can officially say that I beat NEC...I've already beat ROP...at my last eye exam, Dr. William said the retinopathy was resolved and I wouldn't need to have laser surgery, I just need to go back for a check up in one year....so that will be two down and one to go.



We still don't know what effects the PVL will have on my development. Right now I am not showing any signs of being delayed. I had an evaluation with the Regional Center of East Bay this week to see if I would be accepted into an early intervention program. It was good news and bad news...the good news is that I was accepted into the program so I will be eligible for therapy programs for the next three year but the bad news is that the doctor that evaluated my felt that I needed to be in a program. The criteria is to show a 33% delay but it's hard to say with me because I am still only 7 weeks corrected age (from my original due date August 18) so I am still not really suppose to be doing much. The doctor told Mommy and Daddy, she was really basing it off that I had such a rough medical history and that she felt I have a bit too much tone in the muscles of my lower limbs (aka legs and calves)...I was just flexing my calves practicing for those 4 inch heels when I get older.