Praying for No Change

It's not everyday that we pray for no changes in our lives.

Matt and I are praying for no changes when it comes to Brady's spine. His appointment with the orthopedic specialist is tomorrow. He will have a series of XRAYs to assess the status of his scoliosis and kyphosis. At his last appointment, in July, his scoliosis was 15 degrees and his kyphosis was 42 degrees. We are hoping and praying that there is not an increase in either of these curves. Children with spinal instability are at a greater risk of curve during years of rapid growth. Children up to age 4 are in a period of very rapid growth, then they slow down from 4 until puberty when they hit another period of growing. As Brady approaches turning 4 (1 month from tomorrow!), we are hopeful that he is getting "out of the woods" when it comes to further curve progression, at least for a few years.

I have noticed that the right side of his chest, around his collar bone and under it, seem to be bulging a little. Matt said that this could indicate some change in the curve, kind of pushing that part of his chest out. It is so hard to know if it has been like that for a while, or if it is something new. The XRAYs will give us a good idea of any changes since July.

If you would, please pray that God would protect Brady as he is exposed to radiation (again) tomorrow. Pray that Brady would be brave during the XRAYs as I no longer can stand right next to him because of all the exposure I have had. Pray that God's mighty hand will guide Brady's spine as he grows, keeping it as straight as possible. I'm also going to be asking the doctor what sort of limitations Brady has as far as physcial activity. The triplets are signed up for TBall and I want to make sure we have the go ahead for things like this.

Next up on our schedule in Brady's world are a trip to the eye specialist because of some repetitive blinking he has been doing, a pre-anesthesia physical with the pediatrician, his scans scheduled for April 19th, and his post-scan appointment with the oncologist April 21st. We are going to get all of that out of the way so that we can celebrate Eli, Cara, and Brady's 4th birthday with a whole lot less worry on our minds!

Girls' Day Today, Brady's Day Tomorrow

So girly day with Cara had its ups and downs. Cara is absolutely amazing with doctors and medical personnel. She gets excited to talk to them, does everything with a smile, and adds a hardy dose of sassy personality just for kicks. The verdict on the eye appointment is this: We are going to wait and recheck her in May. The eye doctor did a thorough exam and noted that an improvement in an upward, outward movement pattern that I didn't even realize she was doing. He was concerned that she has started head tilting again. He did mention that sometimes the surgery needs to be repeated, but didn't want to rush into doing it again. So, we will wait. The good news is that she is seeing well out of both eyes, although the left one seems to take longer to focus in on things.

Cara, unlike Eli my official "shopping buddy," is not as content to sit in a stroller while mommy shops. She wants to touch everything, she doesn't want me to look at clothes that aren't pink, and she isn't as patient as we wait in line. But, she IS Cara. A sweetie pie who just wants mommy's attention, wants to do what mommy does, and likes to be in charge of the fun. I was so happy to share today with her. And nothing is sweeter than watching her take care of her baby doll throughout the day. When we got home tonight, she played with her baby doll by putting her in the doll stroller and saying, "My baby is all done shopping. She wants to go home!"

Tomorrow Brady and I have to leave the house at 7:30 to get to PT by 8:30. Then we have to be to the orthopedic doctor at 11am. Please keep Brady in prayer as he really struggles with physical exams. He will also probably need to do XRAYS of his spine, and that is stressful for him.

I promise pictures tomorrow!

Don't forget the January 21st project! Only 8 days to go...