Back from the doctors

We're back from the visit to the neurosurgeon with good news. After a thorough review of his previous MRIs, medical history and an evaluation of his current progress, the neurosurgeon delivered a diagnosis that he is very comfortable with: Dylan is a normal, perfect preemie.

The absence of any significant developmental delays, the normal head growth, and just general good progress that Dylan has been making all lead to what Barbara and I were expecting- Dylan is just fine. It was good to hear it from a professional, though. Of course, there's never a definate way to say that Dylan may one day end up with some sort of delay, but there is no reason to think that this would be the case. So... hopefully the myriad trips to Gainesville for various doctor's appointments are behind us and we can go to just the normal amount of worrying that any parent has to deal with.

In other news, by the time you read this, Dylan will have eclipsed the 5 month mark. Yep, he's 5 months old now. He is also 25 inches long and weighs 18 lbs. It's hard to believe that the baby that now takes two hand to hold and even then only for a short period of time before I begin to get tired is the same little guy that I once held entirely in one hand. He's growing so well...

The neurosurgeon today mentioned that he is almost completely "caught-up" to other babies his age. He is definately ahead of where he would be expected to be if he had gone to full term. Developementally, he is somewhere between a 4 month and a 5 month old baby. That's pretty impressive considering that he should only be about 3 months old right now. Of course, when it comes to Dylan, I am a bit easily impressed.

Dylan is progressing well though, even if I am easily impressed. He's more and more talkative every day, babbling to both his Mom and I, his toys, the cats- whoever or whatever happens to ne nearby. And when he babbles, it really seems like there is a purpose to it. Sometimes, it's almost as if he is picking his words before he lets out a "Gooooooeeeeey" or "Ahhhhhhgooo". Occassionally, when he feels that what he has to say is very important, he winds himself up by pumping his arms and then belts out with a loud exclamation of "AAhhhhhhhhhhoooooo" ot something like that. It's quite entertaining, actually. I hope to get some of this on video and get it posted to the blog soon. I'm actually typing this from Barb's computer this week, as mine is torn down for some major rebuilding. Hpefully, I'll have that finished soon, and when I do, I'll make it a priority to get some fresh video posted of the little guy.

Anyway, that's it for now. Remember, if you haven't already voted, let your choice be known for the Halloween costume. Also, I would encourage anyone interested to subscribe at the bottom of the page for instant email alerts when the blog is updated.

Halloween's Coming!

As promised, if a little bit late, this installment of Dylan's Den brings you the Halloween costume selection poll...

Barbara has found several costumes that she simply could not decide between. I wasn't much help deciding, and neither was Dylan.

So... the choice is yours, dear reader. Help us decide which costume Dylan will be wearing for trick or treating at his Grandparent's house and his Nana's job.

Once you've seen the pictures below, make your choice and vote in the poll to the right. I understand that some have had difficulties posting comments and voting in the polls. If you do, feel free to email Barbara at babyfundsales@aol.com with you costume choice.







In other news, Dylan had an appointment for a physical therapy/occupational therapy evaluation this past Monday. It was something that had been mentioned long ago in the in the NICU, but his previous pediatrician had never addressed it. Barbara and I were looking forward to getting a professional opinion regarding Dylan's progress thus far.

Tricia and Erin, the physical therapist and the occupational therapist both thought that Dylan was incredibly cute, and who could blame them for that? They also though that he was doing very well overall. He does have some weakness n his left side that Tricia feels can be addressed with some PT work. It's nothing extreme, but it's something we'd like to address before it could possibly stand in his way of doing something, like learning to crawl. I imagine if he was significantly weaker in his left side, and he was learning to crawl, he might just end up going in circles. We'd rather not have that, if possible.

So, he'll be attending PT sessions every Tuesday and Thursday for 30 min each session. As he progresses and Tricia is able to see how well the therapy works, the frequency may drop to once a week or less, or even to home based therapy that Barbara and I do with Dylan with only follow up visits at the office. We're looking forward to seeing how this pans out over the next few months.

Speaking of doctors, Dylan also has an appointment to see a neurosurgeon next Wednesday. It's not about anything new, though. As part of the confusion regarding the visit to the neurologist, the scheduling of the MRI and subsequent cancellation of it, we set up this appointment to meet with a neurosurgeon, who would be the expert regarding Dylan's hydrocephalus, to have an exam and evaluation done, as well as set a "starting point" in case he did need additional attention regarding that issue. It certainly seems like the whole hydrocephalus thing is a non-issue, but we'd rather a professional take a look and tell us that. Dylan hasn't shown any of the typical signs of difficulties stemming from hydrocephalus, and his head growth has been normal, so we really don't have any cause for concern. We'll let you know how that turns out, of course.

One last note: for those who have not seen it or didn't know what it s for, there is a link at the bottom of this page where you can subscribe to Dylan's Den via email. Simply enter your email address into the box and click "subscribe" and whenever I post an update, it will automatically be emailed to you.

Back from the Doc

Dylan visited his new pediatrician today, and it was a good visit. Barbara and I were both impressed with how thorough the new doc is and how attentive she was to our questions, concerns and comments. She took the time to give Dylan a very complete exam and then answered our questions for another 15 minutes or so.

Dylan got his second round of shots today, and again, he seems to be handling them like a pro. He cried at the time of the shots, of course, but they don't seem to be bothering him much. He's a bit more sleepy than usual, but that's about it.

Dr. Niger (the new pediatrician) examined Dylan's umbilical hernia and said that it appears to be healing. The reason that it seems to get hard more often is that the opening from the abdominal cavity is getting smaller, so when the hernia fills with fluid it does not drain as fast as it once did. When Dylan tenses his muscles, he now completely closes the opening, so no fluid can escape until he relaxes. So... no worries there, and no need for a surgical consult.

Dylan's weight, head growth and length are all within the norms for a baby of his adjusted age. In fact, he has almost "caught up" in weight. He's at 15 lbs, 8 oz. He measured at around 24 inches long, but that's just too difficult to get an accurate measurement, in my opinion. His head circumference is 16.5 inches. It's all looking good.

All in all, it was a good day for Dylan. We'll keep you updated!