Another month has come and gone and today's celebration of my very first Mother's Day was a great way to celebrate Carter being 7 months old. There has been a lot that Carter can do from last month, and although I feel like I'm a broken record, I am so proud of everything he has accomplished.
This month Carter has grown, not just in his usual weight but also with his milestones ;). Mike and I went from having a baby that could kinda sit up and roll onto his back, to a baby that can sit up all by himself and roll from his tummy to back, and back to tummy. That's right, we have a roller!
This is a great step in what Carter can accomplish because it shows us that he has the stomach muscles to pull his legs up (that he can feel!) and throw his body over and onto his stomach. Mike and I were so surprised when we set him down to play on his back and reach for something and all of the sudden we looked over and he was on his tummy reaching for a toy!
Over the last month Carter had his 6 month check up with the pediatrician. During this time he had a round of shots, which he took like a champ. He only cried for about 30 seconds and then started smiling and laughing once he had calmed down. What a tough little guy.
While we were at the doctor's we finally got the okay that Carter could start eating real food! It was so much fun watching him try to eat with a spoon and try food for the first time. We started with Rice Cereal that had a banana and apple flavor, something he tends to enjoy a lot. From there he has tried Squash, which he doesn't seem to enjoy that much, and peaches... which he LOVES. He has days where he is really interested in his food and other days when he isn't but overall, eating is fun for Carter. He has even tries to take the spoon and feed himself, although those pudgy fingers sure get in his way.
Mike and I have also found out that Carter is a big talker and loves to laugh. When he laughs it comes from his belly and is a very deep laugh; something that Mike and I cannot help but to laugh when we hear it. Those are by far our best nights together :).
We have a lot of things coming up in the next couple of weeks. Carter has an appointment at MOTT so we can take another look at his ventricles and make sure that they are still decreasing in size. Should everything look good and his ventricles continue to decrease we will not need to see his neurosurgeon for another 6 months. Following the neuro. appointment we are meeting with the Plastics department again to take a look at the scars on Carter's back. His right side scars have gotten pretty hard and we were told if that continues to happen he may need a skin graft. We are hoping that he won't need one and that all will be okay but won't know until that appointment time.
In other really cool news... Carter will be featured in a medical magazine throughout the state of Michigan. MOTT is publishing an article to let doctors offices know that fetal surgery for the SB repair is available for families now in Michigan. After all of our appointments Cater, Mike, and I will take pictures around the hospital to be featured as part of the article. We are so happy and honored that MOTT continues to include us in these adventures so that we can share our story and be there as an advocate for fetal surgery and other families who will go through the same struggles we did.
An update will follow after Carter's appointment at MOTT! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers that his ventricles are continuing to decrease and that he will not need a skin graft.
Trying to wave hi already?!
Sitting up on his own :)
Distracted by dad ;)
Smiles and Rolls :) :)
He just can't get enough of looking at his dad... :)
This month Carter has grown, not just in his usual weight but also with his milestones ;). Mike and I went from having a baby that could kinda sit up and roll onto his back, to a baby that can sit up all by himself and roll from his tummy to back, and back to tummy. That's right, we have a roller!
This is a great step in what Carter can accomplish because it shows us that he has the stomach muscles to pull his legs up (that he can feel!) and throw his body over and onto his stomach. Mike and I were so surprised when we set him down to play on his back and reach for something and all of the sudden we looked over and he was on his tummy reaching for a toy!
Over the last month Carter had his 6 month check up with the pediatrician. During this time he had a round of shots, which he took like a champ. He only cried for about 30 seconds and then started smiling and laughing once he had calmed down. What a tough little guy.
While we were at the doctor's we finally got the okay that Carter could start eating real food! It was so much fun watching him try to eat with a spoon and try food for the first time. We started with Rice Cereal that had a banana and apple flavor, something he tends to enjoy a lot. From there he has tried Squash, which he doesn't seem to enjoy that much, and peaches... which he LOVES. He has days where he is really interested in his food and other days when he isn't but overall, eating is fun for Carter. He has even tries to take the spoon and feed himself, although those pudgy fingers sure get in his way.
First time eating.. already reaching for the spoon :)
Looks Yummy!!!
Mike and I have also found out that Carter is a big talker and loves to laugh. When he laughs it comes from his belly and is a very deep laugh; something that Mike and I cannot help but to laugh when we hear it. Those are by far our best nights together :).
We have a lot of things coming up in the next couple of weeks. Carter has an appointment at MOTT so we can take another look at his ventricles and make sure that they are still decreasing in size. Should everything look good and his ventricles continue to decrease we will not need to see his neurosurgeon for another 6 months. Following the neuro. appointment we are meeting with the Plastics department again to take a look at the scars on Carter's back. His right side scars have gotten pretty hard and we were told if that continues to happen he may need a skin graft. We are hoping that he won't need one and that all will be okay but won't know until that appointment time.
In other really cool news... Carter will be featured in a medical magazine throughout the state of Michigan. MOTT is publishing an article to let doctors offices know that fetal surgery for the SB repair is available for families now in Michigan. After all of our appointments Cater, Mike, and I will take pictures around the hospital to be featured as part of the article. We are so happy and honored that MOTT continues to include us in these adventures so that we can share our story and be there as an advocate for fetal surgery and other families who will go through the same struggles we did.
An update will follow after Carter's appointment at MOTT! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers that his ventricles are continuing to decrease and that he will not need a skin graft.
Mommy & Carter
It is always a pleasure to read about how well Carter is doing and amazed at the things he has already accomplished. You and Mike must be really good parents in all the progress that Carter has made in his journey. Love you all. AC
ReplyDeleteHello! I am a U of M RN and read about Carter's story on the daily news feed. Let me start by saying how completely adorable he is! I'm so happy he's on target for moving his body around, rolling and sitting. That's great. His pictures are great and you deserved the best Mother's Day ever. I'll look forward to keeping up with Carter via your blog. Blessings - Deborah
ReplyDeleteDeborah,
DeleteThank you so much! I apologize I just saw this comment. Thank you for the kind words and I hope you have an amazing weekend. There is no way we would have been able to get through everything we did without nurses like you!!