Goodbye Hospice and Hello Progress!!

Well as usual I haven't been very good at updating, partly because I'm a little superstitious now and I don't want to jinx anything.  But I am very happy to say that Zackary has been doing absolutely amazing lately!!!!

First things first, Zack has officially "graduated" from hospice!! This doesn't change anything at all, but it does give us a good feeling and cause to celebrate how far Zack has come!!

Everything with the new G tube is going great, and we have our last follow up appointment to learn how to change the Mic Key next week.  Zack has gained weight very well lately, and we haven't had to use the tube for feeds very often!!  The difference in his energy level and overall strength is unbelievable!! He is up to 19 lbs 5 oz now and has grown to 30 1/2 inches long.  His hair is coming in thicker and his tiny little feet are finally starting to grow! He has also cut his 1st tooth through, and is already working on his second!!  While he was already on his way to doing great things before, since the tooth came through Zack's personality has really started to show. I always heard teething was very hard on seizure kiddos, but I would never have expected the before and after differences we have witnessed!!

Zack's development as really been taking off lately, and he is "inching" his way toward great things! He can now hold his head up much more steadily than ever before, to the point we are now starting to work on sitting in the Bumbo (never would have thought we could even try this before!).  During tummy time he lifts his head up a little and is constantly kicking and moving his legs (trying to get off of his tummy, but its something!) This is so rewarding to see after so many months of zero interest in participating in this much hated time of day :).  When he is on the floor or the couch he is now able to turn himself in a circle, sort of pivoting around (see pictures below).  This is his first step towards mobility of some sort!!!!  He also is now able to roll from his back to his side, and from there he can go either direction.  It is not always consistent yet, and we are working on being able to make it more of a fluid motion, but it is a huge accomplishment for Zack and truly shows just how strong he is getting!! (C

Getting ready to spin!

Still going!

"I made it all the way around!!"

My favorite area of development that has improved dramatically is his ability to make sounds and interact with us and his environment.  He is "talking" so much lately and making so many fun sounds, and we can tell he is trying to interact with us for what feels like the first time!! He takes turns chatting with us now, and is even trying to imitate some of our sounds! Along with his new found voice, Zack has some new found attitude too, which is more than welcome in our eyes.  I cannot express how proud I am of everything our big guy is doing lately!!