tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15870335038212433062024-03-05T02:14:07.370-08:00Mason J's Cranio JourneyA place to come for updates on the crazy, cranio journey of our amazing Mason J.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-2828342257148757772010-01-14T13:43:00.000-08:002010-01-14T14:05:52.028-08:00Four months post-op!I haven't written an update on Mason for a while, so here comes some nap-time blogging. Mason is doing absolutely wonderfully! We are happily living life, and Mama is not spending every second worrying about her boy's head...a much welcome change. In fact, some days go by that I don't even think about it. He's climbing on everything in the house, putting words together into sentences, and learning so much every day. We had our first post-op check up in Dallas back in November, and Dr. Fearon said he looks great, he's very pleased with his head shape, and he doesn't need to see him back until he's 5!<br /><br />I am confident that we made the right decision to go ahead with the surgery, though it was the toughest decision of my life. I know that is was right for Mason. Within days after the surgery his vocabulary just exploded. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don't think so. It might have been increased pressure in that area of the brain, or maybe the reduced blood flow along the fused suture, but my mama intuition tells me that the fused suture was definitely affecting his language ability. Also, before the surgery he used to pull on the back of his head and fuss. He has not done this one time since the surgery. And the shape of his head...what can I say...it's perfect. (I've no doubt in my mind that Dr. Fearon is not just a surgeon, he's an artist). His head will always be slightly narrower than some, but completely within the scope of normal. Hats fit him great now and we won't have to worry about helmets not fitting later in life. Most importantly, Mason's brain has plenty of room to grow, and we don't have to worry about what consequences raised pressure might have on his development. <br /><br />I know, I know, you want to see pictures. As soon as I find my camera cord I will post some recent photos of our amazing Mason J and his beautiful head. Love to you all and many, many thanks for your support before, during and after the surgery and our time in Dallas. I can't imagine going through something like that without family, friends and community.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-70000310002478468502009-09-22T15:30:00.000-07:002009-09-22T17:04:49.571-07:00Some photos from the last few days<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsGxv-ve4DDK5WBfdBRMAHK5Uq0vybtqDeB2uVY8wxHlMqcJ0rUxHh77_y6ZJSFCzOhHONrv_nZsmGs_HqaFJPXTxnEekMpz4ahvGOwoh4EomtEmeupz8uokf6d113vhiLdGWSEwEDmb7/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsGxv-ve4DDK5WBfdBRMAHK5Uq0vybtqDeB2uVY8wxHlMqcJ0rUxHh77_y6ZJSFCzOhHONrv_nZsmGs_HqaFJPXTxnEekMpz4ahvGOwoh4EomtEmeupz8uokf6d113vhiLdGWSEwEDmb7/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384445742098907170" border="0" /></a>Nice looking-head, and more importantly, plenty of room for his brain to grow!<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcGipe7Hs3gG6-VbhIBSKx375vqvZAuwtZOA1GpSPJHhhcJFnLpb0AEKy4eHG4ajxMwk7b8460KyEaqHG0vAhA6ljhJeyL0OSMTF4uRLfJ4_F-cC9dVGX28r_SE3ZYG8iPQs3NC9mVGuY/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcGipe7Hs3gG6-VbhIBSKx375vqvZAuwtZOA1GpSPJHhhcJFnLpb0AEKy4eHG4ajxMwk7b8460KyEaqHG0vAhA6ljhJeyL0OSMTF4uRLfJ4_F-cC9dVGX28r_SE3ZYG8iPQs3NC9mVGuY/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384445730175833890" border="0" /></a>He definitely has his appetite back, it's lot of work to build that blood back up.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_xHdv9mqA3IzToeOAuRPfkc5xJSSOhVXUN5yBupba4OuWk6ldsOrY9ISF94DvXV2XBNywDiAbvbDvlYJ4EYwMUH5uWboWMRfiQqzLpND44crs2JpZUmLkvcKiq9i_kn0kMARdVTDuw2v/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+046.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_xHdv9mqA3IzToeOAuRPfkc5xJSSOhVXUN5yBupba4OuWk6ldsOrY9ISF94DvXV2XBNywDiAbvbDvlYJ4EYwMUH5uWboWMRfiQqzLpND44crs2JpZUmLkvcKiq9i_kn0kMARdVTDuw2v/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384445725597425090" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk4ZbbziNew2GIiqsldKE3sitHtV0RmDQgsTRKzldkPi_vRGdnVgDdkLWt88MPNqXVG0-tsHzxBtkOwjRvTItGm0QGLHFLLQNiF_PLXXZ2dj8B5OBZ_O41yCOJY4noTm3G4cfNH37g5an/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirk4ZbbziNew2GIiqsldKE3sitHtV0RmDQgsTRKzldkPi_vRGdnVgDdkLWt88MPNqXVG0-tsHzxBtkOwjRvTItGm0QGLHFLLQNiF_PLXXZ2dj8B5OBZ_O41yCOJY4noTm3G4cfNH37g5an/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384445717411257458" border="0" /></a>The swelling is almost gone here.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiIbAN__VXHEgKwt66mBRGEAPIO4cCZQEbsT2x7Cgy-Amt85VFtyiaS0hHxm2YiKPAvoclF2FAWrq9PWuuAFC51FXDXruen06SyEMVoTuIao2B-KjptW9FBoYgoDFM221k7-Dheth8MMN/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaiIbAN__VXHEgKwt66mBRGEAPIO4cCZQEbsT2x7Cgy-Amt85VFtyiaS0hHxm2YiKPAvoclF2FAWrq9PWuuAFC51FXDXruen06SyEMVoTuIao2B-KjptW9FBoYgoDFM221k7-Dheth8MMN/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384444818459458306" border="0" /></a>Playing with cousin Clarissa.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLeaPdc6NGZdClWSAe1WM8UJzq7q_tu6ydfsF51u0TcCZjQU735YsBql7YiYvZKGoUoWnkmBeA95BBatC9TsAU3t7A-UnQgRidbE467HaaumYbPPGaIvqZD4ix8KJTduK6Jm6m57Lxd-r/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLeaPdc6NGZdClWSAe1WM8UJzq7q_tu6ydfsF51u0TcCZjQU735YsBql7YiYvZKGoUoWnkmBeA95BBatC9TsAU3t7A-UnQgRidbE467HaaumYbPPGaIvqZD4ix8KJTduK6Jm6m57Lxd-r/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384444804249687986" border="0" /></a>Playing in the pool! (Don't worry, the doc approved it.)<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrHxkguiK-jooug3D5T4UxMbVR3FkAMEYwQwvsyTjM7DJ5iXg0h17_Eg4mC1zlDsVFOsQNDSufD3OOpPcxFTurgauReYxxuc0x3gOaGU5rNrptn4Th_WUXdXjWIIFmQnK3gzGqs8KH3sM/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrHxkguiK-jooug3D5T4UxMbVR3FkAMEYwQwvsyTjM7DJ5iXg0h17_Eg4mC1zlDsVFOsQNDSufD3OOpPcxFTurgauReYxxuc0x3gOaGU5rNrptn4Th_WUXdXjWIIFmQnK3gzGqs8KH3sM/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384444797345473058" border="0" /></a>Fun times in the pool.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIF9y6RMg3GUD-XhpxE6S2S-a9jKmju2kmJmlOykrqBLJIbB8ZQnXvBPFh7Ege4mT65w9kqFoMIBDX3MUVAAoIV00kWUD8N2cctsdrtFvWXgemYeIJIGwjlZxJqIXcv2houdpHyExTgqPU/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIF9y6RMg3GUD-XhpxE6S2S-a9jKmju2kmJmlOykrqBLJIbB8ZQnXvBPFh7Ege4mT65w9kqFoMIBDX3MUVAAoIV00kWUD8N2cctsdrtFvWXgemYeIJIGwjlZxJqIXcv2houdpHyExTgqPU/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384444790769401666" border="0" /></a>Thanks for the balloons Student Affairs! Mason loves them!<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyT-pOVQaGP3UCMeoLJzQYWg-4jXzWeTwrdvbh-VdQNMPNe5gaa9ZD2yJpCKaiYME9X8XgOkfGMiKQvtfPWArlXWEJCy6jvyEZRd-i9MWaLEgOtOFqo4QHnBAqHAS5qfUbPu6eBFoHQWH0/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyT-pOVQaGP3UCMeoLJzQYWg-4jXzWeTwrdvbh-VdQNMPNe5gaa9ZD2yJpCKaiYME9X8XgOkfGMiKQvtfPWArlXWEJCy6jvyEZRd-i9MWaLEgOtOFqo4QHnBAqHAS5qfUbPu6eBFoHQWH0/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384444777909586530" border="0" /></a>Cooking with some strawberries.<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-70992499990675778432009-09-22T15:12:00.000-07:002009-09-22T15:29:52.865-07:00And a few more...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelo1YSCHAdrUJU5XHCZnQcCQijpNV3rBqJjdLbIxs1Lnt4MTH-Cg3tXOqDBoHxvk0UhjpwgGZlN0_nYSbQXWxMt9AWjrlsrjz1I2GzsQuMmRDSC5w92dCyCKxtr3YxZlMT1kdTI7KC64_/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelo1YSCHAdrUJU5XHCZnQcCQijpNV3rBqJjdLbIxs1Lnt4MTH-Cg3tXOqDBoHxvk0UhjpwgGZlN0_nYSbQXWxMt9AWjrlsrjz1I2GzsQuMmRDSC5w92dCyCKxtr3YxZlMT1kdTI7KC64_/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384421910987083570" border="0" /></a>Papa is happy is baby boy is doing so well.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw5BXZpEugji7jJBIv-fLJxPci1jZNKYLfAj-q_uuXLWmio_K66rzTL8cA7-w9G3gOLtkpBH5nxhaE0isMNy7ua6IWHSHVEBEgF-b8MRZOHD2DmJ_Ld_RxZ9lQHI0Afs2Jof1c9Rmnzi7/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw5BXZpEugji7jJBIv-fLJxPci1jZNKYLfAj-q_uuXLWmio_K66rzTL8cA7-w9G3gOLtkpBH5nxhaE0isMNy7ua6IWHSHVEBEgF-b8MRZOHD2DmJ_Ld_RxZ9lQHI0Afs2Jof1c9Rmnzi7/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384421905024913330" border="0" /></a>Resting peacefully in mama's arms.<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQJNeOide8dcIivTy7FURp7J6jj_9rGXOPqcC8fAMMoW9pM-c3gATgT3mXe10iaoi0K6okF5aesWWg9oCetKHfCHxNXffXHZCayDR7W-TtG-XbZ0nwbwygkHaGXqIr3eALeuAJvTA8cOY/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQJNeOide8dcIivTy7FURp7J6jj_9rGXOPqcC8fAMMoW9pM-c3gATgT3mXe10iaoi0K6okF5aesWWg9oCetKHfCHxNXffXHZCayDR7W-TtG-XbZ0nwbwygkHaGXqIr3eALeuAJvTA8cOY/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384421893620277970" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddlCrsh2KmwtKIRtcllTXk7at01yiUu5ef4c2mwTicTnhAXCu_HH2QPwZuyBU_JPTvdrN2eRL3HsBiix_FbQ9WDfNmQhM051l3auDnQOdr6CIwMvwyI1LPYhUWlCKXxgMtDxiSL9ShE_3/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddlCrsh2KmwtKIRtcllTXk7at01yiUu5ef4c2mwTicTnhAXCu_HH2QPwZuyBU_JPTvdrN2eRL3HsBiix_FbQ9WDfNmQhM051l3auDnQOdr6CIwMvwyI1LPYhUWlCKXxgMtDxiSL9ShE_3/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384421886135781314" border="0" /></a>Tubes, wires, monitors. <br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKqob1rsb6_q1KZmMAMPSuhIGuu-2VdWddcidbJikPG1Gdp3wHxkjEDsXIOkQnYafjs4AcCZkN6XDBMG4aFWp9TTbA0FCDeFFcXokmDOokwZ5bfrRH_qGWx_xEgfVK_A0J45uQwrXadPI/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKqob1rsb6_q1KZmMAMPSuhIGuu-2VdWddcidbJikPG1Gdp3wHxkjEDsXIOkQnYafjs4AcCZkN6XDBMG4aFWp9TTbA0FCDeFFcXokmDOokwZ5bfrRH_qGWx_xEgfVK_A0J45uQwrXadPI/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384421883333046866" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-86521735694187367472009-09-22T14:50:00.000-07:002009-09-22T15:10:55.470-07:00More pics from the hospital<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLB0PixDE_XFf6zvYwtN3EwpltuCz39TYkHy65bmljGc4LvAsj6ByElEtxwni8zo-6v9NmThQH9qQ-oNXShfof5xCj-kAONwuc1cbS9iYXGEfziPtV7yAA-6QfwACu9T6SSzLTm8VdLdT/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLB0PixDE_XFf6zvYwtN3EwpltuCz39TYkHy65bmljGc4LvAsj6ByElEtxwni8zo-6v9NmThQH9qQ-oNXShfof5xCj-kAONwuc1cbS9iYXGEfziPtV7yAA-6QfwACu9T6SSzLTm8VdLdT/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416586648067170" border="0" /></a>We just got the news that he was out of surgery.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDby46m_yKdKkx3vnKk1xGoOV_OEZjRMZm0mgaQK1aZwCfE8SxO3cnllqqUiKp1NB0wTTNqbPox_sZ-GX1932TCoXOlzZl3lQmnb7UNCMj6JX74lc9NtMLsEq1ZlMgTKfRO5PCGZRDgyw/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDby46m_yKdKkx3vnKk1xGoOV_OEZjRMZm0mgaQK1aZwCfE8SxO3cnllqqUiKp1NB0wTTNqbPox_sZ-GX1932TCoXOlzZl3lQmnb7UNCMj6JX74lc9NtMLsEq1ZlMgTKfRO5PCGZRDgyw/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416581200683362" border="0" /></a>Dr. Fearon and crew come to tell us how the surgery went and what to expect when we see him.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH4VYqXQP9K0PcnRmMccQ_GbrVmVAvx_bjdzeesM_zK8zHzcm0q76-zoKbSucNfvahI6gw-3QZI3_3wlYhNaY59Ozw12rnbWyg-ofYgDUAuCq3j6Gnu2ALcActIL0nTHsGADyzztlb6o6/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH4VYqXQP9K0PcnRmMccQ_GbrVmVAvx_bjdzeesM_zK8zHzcm0q76-zoKbSucNfvahI6gw-3QZI3_3wlYhNaY59Ozw12rnbWyg-ofYgDUAuCq3j6Gnu2ALcActIL0nTHsGADyzztlb6o6/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416566547559522" border="0" /></a>We finally get to see him!<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fUtLRDMDQBvBb5Vwh-S6kjCxtmnZwuyP4k1HfzmGOO4_MCTEE8xd-vJapM8DvbfZDuzljhp4G2kt8mS6WB9VcohApBUcTYJHgkQ-_TwSsS5TIS2sW8TXzZ8G24gXw1Dee0GMfUTYBPnC/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fUtLRDMDQBvBb5Vwh-S6kjCxtmnZwuyP4k1HfzmGOO4_MCTEE8xd-vJapM8DvbfZDuzljhp4G2kt8mS6WB9VcohApBUcTYJHgkQ-_TwSsS5TIS2sW8TXzZ8G24gXw1Dee0GMfUTYBPnC/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384416555165068194" border="0" /></a>The amazing Dr. Fearon checking in on us.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZdlXceZ_jHw1294UisPdjr4g3T4LIKSGG5K0JRacO_OcVI_JFYi61CDzwP9LpDGuPpwy_CIdGg_2uun5pDURUiFuzdBKqFW9JeHYxxRfMVZ6xBXVxEUHr8RUIyJhPtgff5sGhJ1_GwPl/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZdlXceZ_jHw1294UisPdjr4g3T4LIKSGG5K0JRacO_OcVI_JFYi61CDzwP9LpDGuPpwy_CIdGg_2uun5pDURUiFuzdBKqFW9JeHYxxRfMVZ6xBXVxEUHr8RUIyJhPtgff5sGhJ1_GwPl/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384415185022887346" border="0" /></a>A little Moby wrap comfort.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUisY_oqqUk6eN9fpZrIwrujxwLbKWiKmCZcR89IUUUXqqkINR06gktIzHOjoooOmzbgiU2WUCfbHxHltfR9W1uDII9WKMDaT3pFJoNf83xujggFPAEbPNdzmyDm2-SX96LCVBOBlJ_LDg/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUisY_oqqUk6eN9fpZrIwrujxwLbKWiKmCZcR89IUUUXqqkINR06gktIzHOjoooOmzbgiU2WUCfbHxHltfR9W1uDII9WKMDaT3pFJoNf83xujggFPAEbPNdzmyDm2-SX96LCVBOBlJ_LDg/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384415177403638034" border="0" /></a>The first time he showed interest in something after surgery.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkt2dV4ogVawh0UflWNKjsjgDw5j3poPsGUOEHlJ4HZzE1u6wgw8UG4JGWWvoLk3dhXO18ta6utvAoe5VFFBGm1-RyOSr-QrWmbVXj7Zd9Q6eRqqFxDnsP3GBgZ4iIbSGvNDJeI7dX9vGk/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkt2dV4ogVawh0UflWNKjsjgDw5j3poPsGUOEHlJ4HZzE1u6wgw8UG4JGWWvoLk3dhXO18ta6utvAoe5VFFBGm1-RyOSr-QrWmbVXj7Zd9Q6eRqqFxDnsP3GBgZ4iIbSGvNDJeI7dX9vGk/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384415172543668514" border="0" /></a>First attempt at solid food.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM-Hx7nMKznQtX1Lr_13EYFtUfVKweTFMSPwd3ZqHYjsQSzavVoe9aR9B0tpf8KpMzvLYtVDNWOOBM4H84JCPomJ4fOXvwZ5knrY0jv-j41Pdrju1jCZTvq5oa2mXx-zfVyoP4hgnYi6B/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAM-Hx7nMKznQtX1Lr_13EYFtUfVKweTFMSPwd3ZqHYjsQSzavVoe9aR9B0tpf8KpMzvLYtVDNWOOBM4H84JCPomJ4fOXvwZ5knrY0jv-j41Pdrju1jCZTvq5oa2mXx-zfVyoP4hgnYi6B/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384415164546186882" border="0" /></a>Checking out the world.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcARpNO02w3VkiwpiUS5UnaeMNRViihNIkDd64F2gaFYIhti29GQsCRWJ2i3SlyCJgnExlgDa7T5eKXnjLOHCWsnh4cyY08MHRbXNKtCkntsPWg4lm-PhQSbl0GbIcJjdMR2gaRZ0Qzlh-/s1600-h/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcARpNO02w3VkiwpiUS5UnaeMNRViihNIkDd64F2gaFYIhti29GQsCRWJ2i3SlyCJgnExlgDa7T5eKXnjLOHCWsnh4cyY08MHRbXNKtCkntsPWg4lm-PhQSbl0GbIcJjdMR2gaRZ0Qzlh-/s400/the+Amazing+Mason+J-+Austin+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384415155603576306" border="0" /></a>Aaron hiding after a sleepless night.<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-48882069708438239992009-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:002009-09-21T13:26:10.373-07:00Recovering in AustinWe're spending a few days in Georgetown at my parent's house so we can all have some R&R before we make the road trip back to Alamosa. It's so nice to have this time to give Mason our undivided attention without the daily schedule of work and household chores. Mason continues to do really well. It's amazing how fast these little guys can bounce back. He still has a little purple on one of his eyes, and some big circles from not sleeping very well, and the very back of his head is still swollen and squishy with fluid. The surgeons said it might take weeks for all of the swelling in the back of the head to go down. I'm trying to remember that recovery is not usually all uphill, but mostly uphill with some steps back occasionally as well. Yesterday was a great day, with Mason playing, and smiling and laughing more and more, but today he has been very fussy and clingy. Lot's of crying and not a lot of sleeping. We're also keeping an eye on signs of infection. He's been pulling at his ears a little, and ear infections can be common after this surgery due to the fluid that collects in them. The pulling at his ears may also be related to pain from the incision and swelling. <br /><br />We're still giving him Tylenol and Motrin (which he hates) which makes him feel much better. In fact, he hates anytime we mess with him in any way, and he'll cry and fight us when we give him medicine, clean his face, change his diaper, and brush his teeth. And then there's the dreaded shampoo. This might be the worst for him. It's so hard to have to force him to do these things when he gets so upset, and it's understandable why he does not want anything else done to him right now. I'm ready to get his trust back!<br /><br />On a much happier note, I think his head is looking great! When the rest of that swelling in the back goes down, I think you won't even be able to tell that he had sagittal craniosynostosis. His forehead will be prominent for a while, but will eventually round out as he grows. I was worried that he would look so different after the surgery, but he still looks like our beautiful baby boy, with a more "normal" looking head. <br /><br />I've got lots more photos on my mom's camera from the surgery and the last few recovery days...we'll post them soon. Thanks for checking in!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-48343903911672030702009-09-18T15:16:00.000-07:002009-09-18T15:22:16.441-07:00Back at the hotel!!It feels so wonderful to be out of the hospital! Mason is already acting more like himself. He's up and walking, eating, playing and smiling. These moments are shorter than normal, interspersed with crying and fussing, but at last we are seeing our baby boy coming back. Here he is!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInAeHRTyIkCkvTrTb8eyUbkbn0KDGqHVlFUqSP0_RW-az9kYaFckeLmAyF1CFyFOMRRHM2wXuuCQY7Px4Mt44bgqreJpZBqSIKbrpPIfhyphenhyphenANHNISqCfi6StvM2wIZVO1jortxP9Ya-bsZ/s1600-h/recovery+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInAeHRTyIkCkvTrTb8eyUbkbn0KDGqHVlFUqSP0_RW-az9kYaFckeLmAyF1CFyFOMRRHM2wXuuCQY7Px4Mt44bgqreJpZBqSIKbrpPIfhyphenhyphenANHNISqCfi6StvM2wIZVO1jortxP9Ya-bsZ/s400/recovery+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382935370629118786" border="0" /></a>A little top-heavy, he needs some extra attentive hands close by.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMw66UO3OGQZfcbiXjZWDoTRd6JFgsfWPt4n-ZhzM-hEzNtjFquz_a5qnXHLY3PdnwCIhhcRGx01Vb9Lf_YmQPpGDCaXHOPiIQeJBq2b6cw3gWPwOegiYi5YQb9BZePjnBQYPVf_ZLIZMd/s1600-h/recovery+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMw66UO3OGQZfcbiXjZWDoTRd6JFgsfWPt4n-ZhzM-hEzNtjFquz_a5qnXHLY3PdnwCIhhcRGx01Vb9Lf_YmQPpGDCaXHOPiIQeJBq2b6cw3gWPwOegiYi5YQb9BZePjnBQYPVf_ZLIZMd/s400/recovery+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382935363854153122" border="0" /></a>Playing with Papa on the bed.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nmqiJAcF66jxtDgTP2X_TMxouYO54wndIvWnib8_m_eKvVZF-oCHYTe-W63YoiblfoW4aY3YrY-_hUqwwrS0oQJKm-hHVg-6gB4KFMxhquO76pcQVLDEV9QFWn7iMgOkD-7uVgTPEPQw/s1600-h/recovery+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nmqiJAcF66jxtDgTP2X_TMxouYO54wndIvWnib8_m_eKvVZF-oCHYTe-W63YoiblfoW4aY3YrY-_hUqwwrS0oQJKm-hHVg-6gB4KFMxhquO76pcQVLDEV9QFWn7iMgOkD-7uVgTPEPQw/s400/recovery+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382935353228751010" border="0" /></a>Smiling boy.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyjuleqi3jHT7zlnO2J_UEah31sJuzcz91x3HzGZjX1jB1V44fr3ac9Pq6g5xk0WtJ_lD7PMHMKMIFLTlVVqMKZM2VSJ9gZjjFt1l1pLZnsZYZU4EhItGjzJn43jo6QtZy_ulFV4tI-vM/s1600-h/recovery+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyjuleqi3jHT7zlnO2J_UEah31sJuzcz91x3HzGZjX1jB1V44fr3ac9Pq6g5xk0WtJ_lD7PMHMKMIFLTlVVqMKZM2VSJ9gZjjFt1l1pLZnsZYZU4EhItGjzJn43jo6QtZy_ulFV4tI-vM/s400/recovery+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382935345800946226" border="0" /></a>"You should have seen the other guy!"<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-16027011080924453102009-09-18T13:03:00.000-07:002009-09-18T15:15:17.267-07:00The road to recovery<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">We're two days post-op and Mason is finally sleeping without me holding him...time to update the blog! It has been a long few days, but Mason is doing so well. There are some photos below so you can see him at various stages. He did great during his surgery, and though he lost a lot of blood, he never ended up needing a transfusion. We had been a little concerned that another of Mason's sutures had started fusing, but they reported that the rest of his skull is doing exactly what it is supposed to. Dr. Fearon says he's very happy with the way it went. We knew what to expect in terms of swelling, various tubes, and Mason's fussiness afterward, but still nothing can truly prepare you for seeing your baby laying there like that. He cried a lot, and was very confused. I got to hold him that evening, and even though it was hard to manage with all the tubes, it felt so wonderful to finally have him in my arms again. (And he really hasn't left my arms much since). Our PICU nurses were all great, which helped. <br /><br />The second day in PICU, before we got moved to the normal pediatric floor, they life-flighted a little three year old girl in and she was put in the room next door. She was there maybe an hour while they worked frantically on her, anxious parents looking in from the hall, until she died....from the flu. (They are not sure which strain yet). It was extremely hard and painful to witness. I felt such pain and sadness for her parents, and at the same time such gratitude that I was holding my little one in my arms. <br /><br />Mason has continued to recover wonderfully. He has spiked a fever a couple of times, but it went away with Tylenol. The doc says it's completely normal to have a fever post-op for a few days, but if he has one 5 days out will need to get him to a doctor to be checked out. It's crazy that he had major skull surgery two days ago and he's doing fine on Tylenol and Motrin. He did have a dose and half of morphine immediately after, and some anti-anxiety medication as well that first day. <br /><br />The swelling is behaving exactly as expected. It's so hard with both of his eyes closed! It would frighten and frustrate me too. We won't see his new head shape for a little while still because of the swelling, and Dr. Fearon says it can actually take years for everything to smooth out, and for new layers of bone to be laid down. Even through the swelling, it looks beautiful to me. There are funny squishy spots on his head where fluid has built up underneath the skin...it feels funny, like there is no bone there. The way it was explained to us is that the skin wants to maintain its old shape, even with the bone in a new location, and so the area retains a lot of fluid for a couple of weeks until it all goes down. There are some changes that are immediately obvious, like the new wideness to the back of his head, and the roundness when viewed from above. Most importantly, we know now that his brain has plenty of room to grow!<br /><br />Many, many thanks to all of our wonderful friends and family for your amazing support through this process!<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-mbhEVamQjSqiZ1K-iBhdZ0eHhjdmGimkTfV-CDlz13cu335ewDXNFvA5OMvdN0GFhoKlzFJC32H9ys1iF_O0SGzY4eRNwUTUQuRJQYgWKshR2HDbqGmow8rs3mD78t-R1v7BXWuS8qJ/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-mbhEVamQjSqiZ1K-iBhdZ0eHhjdmGimkTfV-CDlz13cu335ewDXNFvA5OMvdN0GFhoKlzFJC32H9ys1iF_O0SGzY4eRNwUTUQuRJQYgWKshR2HDbqGmow8rs3mD78t-R1v7BXWuS8qJ/s400/Mason+surgery+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382926560191449010" border="0" /></a>First time to see our baby boy after surgery.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_Kj_o-vM9tl7nF5ZitM9FOVlPSS-IbXDheP-pQ5ywEHPU18YVhlZeREuhXhxr0sYfWZlFjKmDI2cSsbN-zgyeud4JGttGiYuC3ew9q31lfhtv0VVcwDkoMq-hURcV2hmIsx5nIc6SFMF/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_Kj_o-vM9tl7nF5ZitM9FOVlPSS-IbXDheP-pQ5ywEHPU18YVhlZeREuhXhxr0sYfWZlFjKmDI2cSsbN-zgyeud4JGttGiYuC3ew9q31lfhtv0VVcwDkoMq-hURcV2hmIsx5nIc6SFMF/s400/Mason+surgery+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382926549943683458" border="0" /></a>Medicated and sleeping.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CFiWl9hmWmb-ZD0TDbvrO72M8WI6HdJlJDc49Uf-Boxf-MiqH9JF7L8UhgyDvFuIrtoe9KlXS5hIlYK4FUUzT1GggwNguaRSTYxK3qqWmENoSEqW92SInm254HGf6pvtOXvp8mEHgr9Y/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CFiWl9hmWmb-ZD0TDbvrO72M8WI6HdJlJDc49Uf-Boxf-MiqH9JF7L8UhgyDvFuIrtoe9KlXS5hIlYK4FUUzT1GggwNguaRSTYxK3qqWmENoSEqW92SInm254HGf6pvtOXvp8mEHgr9Y/s400/Mason+surgery+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382926542412451506" border="0" /></a>New head shape.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQAuGWwdYUOeMMGcA2zJC34PM-XWexPWkCIczjykq8rk5KfcFtD6e4i9_bSET7hspMQDjEcVxhuoCFZqQ7Yan0k4lxclsFE_8a-H6B3D3xoNrzkLLC9KVIyvNJf51pMZoELEGFHO9WdFy/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQAuGWwdYUOeMMGcA2zJC34PM-XWexPWkCIczjykq8rk5KfcFtD6e4i9_bSET7hspMQDjEcVxhuoCFZqQ7Yan0k4lxclsFE_8a-H6B3D3xoNrzkLLC9KVIyvNJf51pMZoELEGFHO9WdFy/s400/Mason+surgery+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382926532399652242" border="0" /></a>Nice round head.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbak69xTpoJiXToTTv7lhbgWtlRRTrJFmDaIIQXKBHCjbNYroQigYOIG03oVtEH8eODOwpknv6aXewnEM6kpergINIC67Zcg5Uscmmm0PYkmZvSWkhOVC7Hd88GEjyzve1QTJeR46wB2MA/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbak69xTpoJiXToTTv7lhbgWtlRRTrJFmDaIIQXKBHCjbNYroQigYOIG03oVtEH8eODOwpknv6aXewnEM6kpergINIC67Zcg5Uscmmm0PYkmZvSWkhOVC7Hd88GEjyzve1QTJeR46wB2MA/s400/Mason+surgery+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382926525352019154" border="0" /></a>1 day post-op.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCI6xCmy8z7C-NurVARj8U3Z4GyDLjCWkCtRJ3sXjYYBaG7K_XuRkYuvcTiSp1lgR3LnQ9FDDE0SLsiwKDTlj36StRh4Je6jMLNRuT0luSJAnZBKNdejkUJB2xPaEcnLUmXzP_lOs7ebn/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCI6xCmy8z7C-NurVARj8U3Z4GyDLjCWkCtRJ3sXjYYBaG7K_XuRkYuvcTiSp1lgR3LnQ9FDDE0SLsiwKDTlj36StRh4Je6jMLNRuT0luSJAnZBKNdejkUJB2xPaEcnLUmXzP_lOs7ebn/s400/Mason+surgery+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382923034612526066" border="0" /></a>Getting settled in the wagon.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFc-uPwxHOkKZHoXcluFHn7Z474B8wrf9h0rvWmhnCIVhB03DSPXBhv-19CNi1zMC1o3WzLG_wRB058FgPzG9D4mP7ISkaTbClk5jvVPw4YzPLDoWTRfUYA8sExxnPksHvfdxMNEDc0R7/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFc-uPwxHOkKZHoXcluFHn7Z474B8wrf9h0rvWmhnCIVhB03DSPXBhv-19CNi1zMC1o3WzLG_wRB058FgPzG9D4mP7ISkaTbClk5jvVPw4YzPLDoWTRfUYA8sExxnPksHvfdxMNEDc0R7/s400/Mason+surgery+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382923020197231810" border="0" /></a>Going for a wagon ride.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lQvp7p8h4NhK-liC5egMioiDAhpxntE0AF3s-QMhecAvtzqBuzUFNsdJZu6FrLp-MUXBT1BiZkKW37OY0fQgHdV7ZfKeQGS7IAIzLyaElCeFjLNI-X-eW1Co-FX91AQbhvEBhoPV3DZt/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lQvp7p8h4NhK-liC5egMioiDAhpxntE0AF3s-QMhecAvtzqBuzUFNsdJZu6FrLp-MUXBT1BiZkKW37OY0fQgHdV7ZfKeQGS7IAIzLyaElCeFjLNI-X-eW1Co-FX91AQbhvEBhoPV3DZt/s400/Mason+surgery+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382923008190085474" border="0" /></a>Playing with Grandma this morning.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTpGM_qaN-_LCMOxKidZ3u7981euafoHmDeyhosuKEoO5YoR2DJaD5LusgvPRxUyhU8rIwYlocGuXyxcq3RQSFdI0_2Kd25PVErrKp0GW8d_P5XQsHo4iB4Cp6_ZQaYCNDhwxAL-2GGDB/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTpGM_qaN-_LCMOxKidZ3u7981euafoHmDeyhosuKEoO5YoR2DJaD5LusgvPRxUyhU8rIwYlocGuXyxcq3RQSFdI0_2Kd25PVErrKp0GW8d_P5XQsHo4iB4Cp6_ZQaYCNDhwxAL-2GGDB/s400/Mason+surgery+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382923003624016402" border="0" /></a>Aaron curled up in the baby crib last night.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIohM_w2d23V7hbbNpwaQZf4ptdqDdlJIQj6vYTSTHg9CeQguvCfcTfkqRwacFkYRzsWVfnIRIi5dNuhqW0f2EtZhSrWen-gozS-t0Pe9bTaDqwOYnEDqP_77YUqREwwmhIEfgdwKb87vC/s1600-h/Mason+surgery+020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIohM_w2d23V7hbbNpwaQZf4ptdqDdlJIQj6vYTSTHg9CeQguvCfcTfkqRwacFkYRzsWVfnIRIi5dNuhqW0f2EtZhSrWen-gozS-t0Pe9bTaDqwOYnEDqP_77YUqREwwmhIEfgdwKb87vC/s400/Mason+surgery+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382922989255822994" border="0" /></a>This is mostly what he wants to do, especially with his eyes swollen shut.<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-72348933029282293992009-09-16T16:11:00.000-07:002009-09-16T16:43:38.017-07:00See with your own eyes..Nothing like a video to let you know.. he is sleeping, but you can get the sense that he is ok.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNpDIgZgnLA"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Mason J Video</span></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-4548165127733007522009-09-16T14:41:00.000-07:002009-09-16T14:45:58.904-07:00Out of SurgeryAllison is back with Mason J, I don't think that anything could pull her away from our son right now, so I wanted to shoot out an update. Mason J is doing absolutely fine. The doctors told us that he went through the surgery well, and that they had to push more fluids than normal because his bp was fluxing, but he did fine and is in recovery now in the PICU. We hugged all the doctors and I had tears in my eyes, seeing our boy after his tough journey. His little body is so strong that I imagine it could take just about anything. Thankfully, because of Dr. Fearon, Dr. Sacco, and their group, he won't have to work too hard. We asked the PICU doc what we should be worried about and he said 'honestly, we don't have any problems with Dr. Fearon's patients, they all seem to do fine because he is so careful."Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-1088154819806630962009-09-16T12:06:00.000-07:002009-09-16T12:10:11.380-07:00First UpdateMason has been in the OR an hour and we just got our first update. They actually just started the procedure, the first hour they got him to sleep and put in his IV lines and an arterial line that keeps track of his blood pressure with each heart beat. They said that all his lines went in very smoothly, and everything is right on track. He's wrapped up in my moby wrap...a little bit of comfort.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-80162288223734314262009-09-16T11:19:00.000-07:002009-09-16T11:58:54.488-07:00Surgery is under way<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwXkjLNO1nnZ9uqUqRi3bDWfj24wlEhPmojaDnEq6C-zXVHzWoCzdhyphenhyphenKTHEDaucVTS6MuixP7RQ2YMSQ_1ZjC6hirVcRwBZJDf44PI6MOeJ3_gwidCsmK1cfeuS6-WfdNWjECgJ98n7kw/s1600-h/dallas+trip+028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwXkjLNO1nnZ9uqUqRi3bDWfj24wlEhPmojaDnEq6C-zXVHzWoCzdhyphenhyphenKTHEDaucVTS6MuixP7RQ2YMSQ_1ZjC6hirVcRwBZJDf44PI6MOeJ3_gwidCsmK1cfeuS6-WfdNWjECgJ98n7kw/s400/dallas+trip+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382138928895370210" border="0" /></a><br />Mason entered the OR at 1:03, and we get our first update at 2. Handing him over was the hardest thing I've ever done. He was on "goofy juice", so he was really loopy. He fell asleep on me in the moby wrap right before he went back, but I had to take him out to weigh him, and he woke up. The nurse took him and he started to fuss a little. We watched them walk through the door to the OR, and then we headed back out to the waiting room. They say he won't remember anything because of the medicine, but I keep seeing his little face, scared and confused, and it breaks my heart. Updating the blog really helps right now.<br /><br />He did have a very fun time this morning after check in because he just got to play in the huge room of toys. He didn't seem to think about milk, until around 12 when he started asking for it. That's when I just put him in the wrap and let him have my finger.<br /><br />Here are some photos from this morning.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5GRahjVn7u46GfylYdkHD5KNcwQCevVGT_gO7-mjoJiu_2q6-Pm-6WmE0SxNAxJvO1X1LH4s6TuXsWc_tM5dawWYzBBpY-f4jqe-KxAhq5W3695mjue2ZIcm_LRr1gjqO-zZHaZCNtFV/s1600-h/dallas+trip+030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5GRahjVn7u46GfylYdkHD5KNcwQCevVGT_gO7-mjoJiu_2q6-Pm-6WmE0SxNAxJvO1X1LH4s6TuXsWc_tM5dawWYzBBpY-f4jqe-KxAhq5W3695mjue2ZIcm_LRr1gjqO-zZHaZCNtFV/s400/dallas+trip+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382138952426674498" border="0" /></a>Playing in the playroom before surgery.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNh3ZZbShXwohx4GmQ6YW4aogOvcNmo40ja_wUmRl-OhTD2HJQIe_2bv6-_lRdlECVIANA4GXh08Lnc0LresLRgX-c0_AJpnYnI_1pgehpur_5bNzyPAp6PpvADPHvAQ79SbAAKsCgeM4/s1600-h/dallas+trip+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNh3ZZbShXwohx4GmQ6YW4aogOvcNmo40ja_wUmRl-OhTD2HJQIe_2bv6-_lRdlECVIANA4GXh08Lnc0LresLRgX-c0_AJpnYnI_1pgehpur_5bNzyPAp6PpvADPHvAQ79SbAAKsCgeM4/s400/dallas+trip+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382138937959247570" border="0" /></a>Playing with Grandma.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy6NTltr-wbKK5omlbPi1lYSpEE6ud4yKU9gQreqCunjx-NSNDj7UBmOzSuqIVPTVPnllMpeZVgyf4yGUGtRoY5r_KJg9fNbSsgkcEhiSA4LjMt6MzMCjk7nuP1R6wfZnea5CP1c1aZbU/s1600-h/dallas+trip+036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy6NTltr-wbKK5omlbPi1lYSpEE6ud4yKU9gQreqCunjx-NSNDj7UBmOzSuqIVPTVPnllMpeZVgyf4yGUGtRoY5r_KJg9fNbSsgkcEhiSA4LjMt6MzMCjk7nuP1R6wfZnea5CP1c1aZbU/s400/dallas+trip+036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382138960353135810" border="0" /></a>Walking to the holding room.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DIW3BsY41XfXAn-7OU87Dc-Y1pskB-MzkO5zcyjr6360n5i71yLA6t9y7ox_dhsapfQSF4oQKZeRtBaaxhG5Dit39aDVewYLP7sWZXVvsomTBkI95Ts89ZoZnvfkFMfYvPbzcYtkjRNI/s1600-h/dallas+trip+037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DIW3BsY41XfXAn-7OU87Dc-Y1pskB-MzkO5zcyjr6360n5i71yLA6t9y7ox_dhsapfQSF4oQKZeRtBaaxhG5Dit39aDVewYLP7sWZXVvsomTBkI95Ts89ZoZnvfkFMfYvPbzcYtkjRNI/s400/dallas+trip+037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382138969883600594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eoXhC3lyk8GySmaFoRcU_Nv8p3_OY2V0ppi4NfLoeimI9R1hqS5N7Vxc-nWJbcLydeRj1QbVW-eTQDpsq7175bxo7sjHUp1-xfzBq8u4gFEJphEWAOjIHSQK-Kd4bPOCrqgFpo5xMrVR/s1600-h/dallas+trip+038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eoXhC3lyk8GySmaFoRcU_Nv8p3_OY2V0ppi4NfLoeimI9R1hqS5N7Vxc-nWJbcLydeRj1QbVW-eTQDpsq7175bxo7sjHUp1-xfzBq8u4gFEJphEWAOjIHSQK-Kd4bPOCrqgFpo5xMrVR/s400/dallas+trip+038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382139285652812642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGR67OGg_HTIpGkFEFh_MTTOm4yZtXc0DYmJZG3KDThj4fVFrg2lQhVpzrOI5n8135LSNZWacLmz9gSlgKkYfSaXjvXqaJwJH-MEddrfsyUDWv_s5cgCKfWDaVZrxkwFj8iRl_q4qvifa/s1600-h/dallas+trip+041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGR67OGg_HTIpGkFEFh_MTTOm4yZtXc0DYmJZG3KDThj4fVFrg2lQhVpzrOI5n8135LSNZWacLmz9gSlgKkYfSaXjvXqaJwJH-MEddrfsyUDWv_s5cgCKfWDaVZrxkwFj8iRl_q4qvifa/s400/dallas+trip+041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382139295505959970" border="0" /></a>Peaceful sleeping baby.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4kL7xsRTZ0B_oOaEg6E_H8e0kavcVpDe_QNNuciP8GY3ULe2pnZVHD4xHF2A4-EhIs_hy9uf7H0kJJtnLD7yLqqtA0iUL6l6HRW-Jnjgb1b4iG7hsew69BAqQiwufzFc8-VrNri8d1aH/s1600-h/dallas+trip+043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4kL7xsRTZ0B_oOaEg6E_H8e0kavcVpDe_QNNuciP8GY3ULe2pnZVHD4xHF2A4-EhIs_hy9uf7H0kJJtnLD7yLqqtA0iUL6l6HRW-Jnjgb1b4iG7hsew69BAqQiwufzFc8-VrNri8d1aH/s400/dallas+trip+043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382139304818661586" border="0" /></a>Family photo right before he went in to surgery.<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-10119213169238869002009-09-16T06:13:00.000-07:002009-09-16T06:15:29.875-07:00Surgery timeMason's surgery did not get moved up, so we are on as scheduled. We go to the hospital at 10:30 and get him ready, and then they plan to start at 12:30. This means he should be out of surgery and in the PICU around 4:30 or 5.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-71367169032298306502009-09-15T16:17:00.000-07:002009-09-15T20:44:43.930-07:00Pre-op DayOur long pre-op day is over and we are having fun in the hotel after a great dinner. I'm trying not to think about tomorrow, though if it is anything like today, we will breeze right through.<br /><br />We started out the morning just trying to find the right building, though it ended up being pretty easy. I checked us in while Mason and Papa played with lots of fun toys. Then it was off for pre-up testing. It went so well! They did all the usual stuff, weight, height, blood pressure, etc. The nurse did something I did not expect, which was to put some numbing cream on Mason's arms before the blood draw. We left it in place covered with a bandage while we did a few other things. Next it was to the anthropologist for measurements. (Anthropology was one of my majors in college, and I never heard of such a job as an anthropologist before!) Apparently, this is the part where many babies often scream and fuss, but Mason just sat there very calmly on his papa's lap. He was certainly interested in what was happening, but not scared.<br /><br />Then came Max. Max is the photographer for the media department. They get lots of pre and post-op photos of all the kiddos. All I can say about the "photo shoot" is that it was hilarious, and quite possibly the closest thing to a David Bowie music video shoot I will ever experience. Ask Aaron to describe it sometime plus see photo below...<br /><br />After the photos it was question and answer time about the surgery with a nurse, and then time for the dreaded blood draw. I could not believe it, but Mason did not even cry! That numbing stuff really works! Why doesn't our hospital in Alamosa use it? It was over in no time.<br /><br />Then we had some lunch before our appointment with Dr. Sacco, the pediatric neurosurgeon. He was very nice, and Mason loved playing with some big trucks in his office. He drew some pictures of the surgical procedure for us, and explained what would happen tomorrow. He also said that there is even more evidence emerging that when treated and untreated cases of sagittal cranio are compared, the kids who have had surgery tend to do better cognitively. <br /><br />The we had a break to come back to the hotel before our last appointment with Dr. Fearon. He called us back to his office himself, and we really like him. He's such a genuinely kind man....I definitely feel like I can trust him. We talked to him for a while about Mason and the surgery. The last thing he said to us as we left his office was "I guess the only guarantee I can make is that I will treat Mason as if he were my own son", and his eyes told me that he meant it.<br /><br />The anesthesiologist called us tonight as well, to tell us when to stop feeding solids, breastmilk and clear liquids. The surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning before us might be canceled, and if that happens we will be called in for an earlier time. This means that I have to stop nursing Mason at 5:30, and we will get a call at 7:30 either telling us to come in for surgery, or to go ahead and nurse Mason again. If he ends up going in earlier we will definitely post an update so everyone knows. <br /><br />So here we are. I'm a wreck thinking that this is happening tomorrow. I'm nervous about him asking for milk and not being able to give it to him, of the moment when he his taken from the holding room to the surgery, and of the moment that we will see him, swollen with a different head shape. Part of me so wants to just take him and go home, but I know that tomorrow morning we will go and he will have the surgery. Please keep sending us lots of love...we need it right now! <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2S6jfh6iXNzE0JCjIbCGUN1ya_xjs740PJp6g2QfKu_aVk8aDvgMJKACRPihMDZKzeTtjLUAOvhqn-_QFI4E77Uhrtw5PaCkL2wHlvvzMahL8FTp7vEjxDIba024yyOQfhO63wOy9yoz/s1600-h/dallas+trip+019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2S6jfh6iXNzE0JCjIbCGUN1ya_xjs740PJp6g2QfKu_aVk8aDvgMJKACRPihMDZKzeTtjLUAOvhqn-_QFI4E77Uhrtw5PaCkL2wHlvvzMahL8FTp7vEjxDIba024yyOQfhO63wOy9yoz/s400/dallas+trip+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890881407549042" border="0" /></a>Playing on a fun snake at the hospital.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDikM6rh9hbkBBTbkDj8pOB5Tn4zwYRg-3gEmeW61iXpJQD9dim1Am7zshLivGFWsr9kRLFsedLet0j4yOtJ9YLvH59iUfKXCazElLBSAW0PJRgE8byGZj_X4uppkMFJYBU_4vMNymcH8E/s1600-h/dallas+trip+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDikM6rh9hbkBBTbkDj8pOB5Tn4zwYRg-3gEmeW61iXpJQD9dim1Am7zshLivGFWsr9kRLFsedLet0j4yOtJ9YLvH59iUfKXCazElLBSAW0PJRgE8byGZj_X4uppkMFJYBU_4vMNymcH8E/s400/dallas+trip+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890872937246242" border="0" /></a>Sleeping on mama....so nice.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7BSAQr1mJId3WcV57WAXgE9yNynSoZ8iLs8ZZ9Bv5_bHpI8OAlSvI6IZt3DGalEMVNBMip4PkjoJICaqVZBuG1erbkCbn1dajUeVl3kMBKf4wQdpql3kmPbTQWvBiGKAGVPwf9XVU9gb/s1600-h/dallas+trip+025.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7BSAQr1mJId3WcV57WAXgE9yNynSoZ8iLs8ZZ9Bv5_bHpI8OAlSvI6IZt3DGalEMVNBMip4PkjoJICaqVZBuG1erbkCbn1dajUeVl3kMBKf4wQdpql3kmPbTQWvBiGKAGVPwf9XVU9gb/s400/dallas+trip+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890860772460002" border="0" /></a>Helping unpack at the hotel.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO67zyyfdXckVPlu0UNzXNXH3DJb5udIVI5WKLcyIiFlteufb4BOVzEUwyduTgcB1QRFPVehYsJs9i9D3TI3Bw4a6YFH9iyVLGyV0Jj0QERL-gaeEErQW3k70rSLeRjlUcE7a4ypp6z2X3/s1600-h/dallas+trip+013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO67zyyfdXckVPlu0UNzXNXH3DJb5udIVI5WKLcyIiFlteufb4BOVzEUwyduTgcB1QRFPVehYsJs9i9D3TI3Bw4a6YFH9iyVLGyV0Jj0QERL-gaeEErQW3k70rSLeRjlUcE7a4ypp6z2X3/s400/dallas+trip+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890327234760210" border="0" /></a>The unique photo shoot...<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil34xLThNUqDis8LWkFFYoLi18T7_bXj7SNgZOwAxcTh_fHd-gdPoRBm3A-ktSIFizoQfiqTTtgd9HVrYnuoqdnOA0CqlsVlVu-FPDg7GKcvnUzqavjYLVyU7HqzsG5Jgpn8M4OG2BPRQx/s1600-h/dallas+trip+010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil34xLThNUqDis8LWkFFYoLi18T7_bXj7SNgZOwAxcTh_fHd-gdPoRBm3A-ktSIFizoQfiqTTtgd9HVrYnuoqdnOA0CqlsVlVu-FPDg7GKcvnUzqavjYLVyU7HqzsG5Jgpn8M4OG2BPRQx/s400/dallas+trip+010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890316496962322" border="0" /></a>Head measurements.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzij9evrjh0EN1sfm1xEhTZgYURwvCLi4PblLm4ySNyztSkDxvIgq3h5xzrVJLfvI6kywd75BBOSvntz-UXIZw3KccjE9CCjE6AC5My7f4_tpKUQOi3FQ51gHZSUb6i0U26EGt1wiwQ1qv/s1600-h/dallas+trip+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzij9evrjh0EN1sfm1xEhTZgYURwvCLi4PblLm4ySNyztSkDxvIgq3h5xzrVJLfvI6kywd75BBOSvntz-UXIZw3KccjE9CCjE6AC5My7f4_tpKUQOi3FQ51gHZSUb6i0U26EGt1wiwQ1qv/s400/dallas+trip+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890308097444482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzczvlvq94LxLmdhaLSR-zWVrBJ09heAMVbtEMKJfZ2lzRJWUdhtYdXFjA3HHk857pUxTVZj-YPmoQnAppq9sQv2RE8LFRJhcFKjsZ2vacFizWQ_GM2TrF_XUNJEPEbA7Nh4r_h8RFCtg/s1600-h/dallas+trip+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzczvlvq94LxLmdhaLSR-zWVrBJ09heAMVbtEMKJfZ2lzRJWUdhtYdXFjA3HHk857pUxTVZj-YPmoQnAppq9sQv2RE8LFRJhcFKjsZ2vacFizWQ_GM2TrF_XUNJEPEbA7Nh4r_h8RFCtg/s400/dallas+trip+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890299392119314" border="0" /></a>Checking out the blood pressure cuff.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkV7tNHMPLOOGuaKWVAf6xs2hgOgO1NyMWuMWKEOGdKmbqNbRFk971njjSlBMPl1zt1805OUpqW1TCAPB_EQAXfq0iWxDvTJ9p2_6ZBSdGKvhAMEyVznJIoyMatEy_AiwOcUGJU5gzGpy3/s1600-h/dallas+trip+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkV7tNHMPLOOGuaKWVAf6xs2hgOgO1NyMWuMWKEOGdKmbqNbRFk971njjSlBMPl1zt1805OUpqW1TCAPB_EQAXfq0iWxDvTJ9p2_6ZBSdGKvhAMEyVznJIoyMatEy_AiwOcUGJU5gzGpy3/s400/dallas+trip+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381890296330403666" border="0" /></a>Playing with some cool toys in the waiting room.<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-35754879682545237342009-09-14T16:40:00.001-07:002009-09-14T18:37:05.178-07:00Trip to Dallas<span style="font-size:100%;">Well here we are in Dallas, Texas. We've checked into our wonderful hotel, less than five minutes away from the hospital. Mason is crashed out in bed after a long day. Our trip here was actually really fun except for a few minor melt-downs in the car. We got into Dallas around 3pm today, and went straight to the Dallas World Aquarium to stretch, let Mason run around a little and check out the exhibits. It was a blast! Mason had so much fun looking at the fish, birds, sharks, stingrays, turtles, manatees, monkeys</span>, otters and many other little (and big) critters. He recently learned the sign for bird, so he was doing that non-stop. I know tomorrow is going to be a long day in the hospital, so we're very glad that he had this experience today. He also had a wonderful time running around the hotel room this evening...it's amazing what a toddler can do to a room in less than five minutes...<br /><br />Tomorrow is a big day with a real blood draw, head measurements, and consultations. I've already posted our schedule of appointments for tomorrow, so check that out if you haven't already. Luckily our hotel has a complementary shuttle anywhere within five minutes, so we might not even drive to the hospital. We'll update again tomorrow evening with details on how everything goes. Thanks for sending Mason lots of love!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMrW6_8xKD-vToO_TmDrFECehrkdQwtA6g7zrzjmHEc-Zyjaqah0e2KYhJHbzsjmv2vAfHBiTdbc8k7V8txEkBuI81XXsb8SnY47kwpf2Pg-1kP9zS6X6S6WXyGPS9PJ-WHrbno59NU5W/s1600-h/dallas+trip+032.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMrW6_8xKD-vToO_TmDrFECehrkdQwtA6g7zrzjmHEc-Zyjaqah0e2KYhJHbzsjmv2vAfHBiTdbc8k7V8txEkBuI81XXsb8SnY47kwpf2Pg-1kP9zS6X6S6WXyGPS9PJ-WHrbno59NU5W/s400/dallas+trip+032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381493980761558338" border="0" /></a>Dinner time at the hotel.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPtZGk24iBMmPO_eGGuxSc6WWW7aXLTJN-HGQkhhkCnznTG41Q46yPTcfbOzuRU3ChAa9fliaamH-gTqmg3insTR-mc87N-FLfVpkEig8GEdxaj28D6o8DXbJBpCkIvQ423uqDA7MWHZE/s1600-h/dallas+trip+029.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPtZGk24iBMmPO_eGGuxSc6WWW7aXLTJN-HGQkhhkCnznTG41Q46yPTcfbOzuRU3ChAa9fliaamH-gTqmg3insTR-mc87N-FLfVpkEig8GEdxaj28D6o8DXbJBpCkIvQ423uqDA7MWHZE/s400/dallas+trip+029.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381493973586208674" border="0" /></a>Looking at fish!<br /><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6a-EaV50x9skYVfEHWXAKGNsm-t-0gQ8rZRqlu_FGCyo8QCLBy5KJDpkkDSh9U0HitxocPnJW-QET8LrBEypFkzUcb8WC5xAHjdZvfFJzHXmZzswDxF8xnLceqaS-XVF4GdnPWhBgg0c/s1600-h/dallas+trip+027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6a-EaV50x9skYVfEHWXAKGNsm-t-0gQ8rZRqlu_FGCyo8QCLBy5KJDpkkDSh9U0HitxocPnJW-QET8LrBEypFkzUcb8WC5xAHjdZvfFJzHXmZzswDxF8xnLceqaS-XVF4GdnPWhBgg0c/s400/dallas+trip+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381490768067665202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2Ja03uTLkZDLh8yD6Etp0sVNmosj8OYh4WWvUYNSXE3nMiDeOppMC-FyPc_w0PjpKPkeUR27gMRMS3gv1vUtWl_inxZWZoKuD2ftMkbVScgQ9apvzDta0wYOQcSDE-1BByUPpkUypkNV/s1600-h/dallas+trip+022.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2Ja03uTLkZDLh8yD6Etp0sVNmosj8OYh4WWvUYNSXE3nMiDeOppMC-FyPc_w0PjpKPkeUR27gMRMS3gv1vUtWl_inxZWZoKuD2ftMkbVScgQ9apvzDta0wYOQcSDE-1BByUPpkUypkNV/s400/dallas+trip+022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381490760829695442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQYVCSAl6973Pd8tXfGwpLK2OsLFGRJNkj7i_lNECBNXgDR2_PJroMYuBd8kg4sJiVROnxfQxQSDayfhhkzFZ4ytztR_znTmkMmlirndYWFk_f_1efklH1A3LGHz8s9ryOQDyC6u6fq1T/s1600-h/dallas+trip+017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQYVCSAl6973Pd8tXfGwpLK2OsLFGRJNkj7i_lNECBNXgDR2_PJroMYuBd8kg4sJiVROnxfQxQSDayfhhkzFZ4ytztR_znTmkMmlirndYWFk_f_1efklH1A3LGHz8s9ryOQDyC6u6fq1T/s400/dallas+trip+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381490756253413858" border="0" /></a>ooooooh!</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswFO5iQNE2xm5vrQFa27GjWu5YhkX3Z6GNUIIlBe4crWH4ivp7m5YLUVC_MyVTnMTIJXomiL1pW8bCG2iy4Hpxuu2x1OGsNVaktEQ6xiyJbj8fLj6SqGC38-YqHQpyCKdiH2M0xvg2TdN/s1600-h/dallas+trip+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswFO5iQNE2xm5vrQFa27GjWu5YhkX3Z6GNUIIlBe4crWH4ivp7m5YLUVC_MyVTnMTIJXomiL1pW8bCG2iy4Hpxuu2x1OGsNVaktEQ6xiyJbj8fLj6SqGC38-YqHQpyCKdiH2M0xvg2TdN/s400/dallas+trip+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381490748316231986" border="0" /></a>Nature walk at our lunch stop yesterday in New Mexico.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtQlwAhqbGtJoCQ5dYgGtP6ksvdSNwpkS2q_zKiZY1eklgJf2zGANmXQQuwjJAlyTkRIMYQRzvg396dwYZHUjtq7TKZe5OH8UBLzSqxHw6SBp5_mq8St6bvAvu_HcC_L6dwlkjg8mj3AN/s1600-h/dallas+trip+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtQlwAhqbGtJoCQ5dYgGtP6ksvdSNwpkS2q_zKiZY1eklgJf2zGANmXQQuwjJAlyTkRIMYQRzvg396dwYZHUjtq7TKZe5OH8UBLzSqxHw6SBp5_mq8St6bvAvu_HcC_L6dwlkjg8mj3AN/s400/dallas+trip+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381490732757340482" border="0" /></a>Mason loves to smell flowers!<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-27003219012154482082009-09-13T08:59:00.001-07:002009-09-13T09:09:15.482-07:00And we're off...It's 10am and we're packing the last few things in the car and heading out. Of course, we'll need to stop by a couple of places before we leave town (mostly Milagros for coffee), so we'll probably actually leave town at 11. Everything takes so much longer with a toddler! We're not stressed about leaving a little later than planned though, because we're doing the trip in two days. Thanks to Chris Mackey for arriving at the perfect time this morning to hang out with Mason while Mama and Papa packed, to Karen for putting up the rest of the tomatos I didn't get to and to Paula for bringing over food last night. We have such amazing friends. Getting ready to go yesterday was a little (ok, a lot) emotional for me because it's just one more way that it's becoming real. I asked Aaron yesterday, "How can I possibly do this? How can I just hand over Mason to go with strangers and have this done to him?" He said, "How can we not?" I'm still holding on to the (small) hope that when we get there they'll tell us he doesn't need the surgery after all. Well, it's time to leave! More updates later.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-88394669583762127772009-09-12T12:46:00.000-07:002009-09-12T12:48:27.952-07:00Our Trip to DallasHere is a map of some of the places we will be in Dallas. The hospital for any family who is coming to visit, and our hotel. Also, we are going to try to get there in time on Monday to take Mason to the Dallas World Aquarium...looks like an amazing place!<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108214260802439082251.0004734108180f63f8911&ll=32.850004,-96.786297&spn=0.133418,0.037798&iwloc=000473410bbce1179126c&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108214260802439082251.0004734108180f63f8911&ll=32.850004,-96.786297&spn=0.133418,0.037798&iwloc=000473410bbce1179126c&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Dallas Time</a> in a larger map</small>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-56821542319808363772009-09-10T16:06:00.000-07:002009-09-10T16:41:29.336-07:00Last Procrit Injection<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIjLmgktXExAQkNpJcJDMVWvyGdYawKwDlYpWDgyKsblWLt82NvjKXczoStJQX8edr9EOVZ6mrD-3JSl5zhoVOjKeIxRnQiAz-4cIYvns2vzFuVD0sTeuccffzjkL9Jl_1awJv4deCYSr/s1600-h/September+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirIjLmgktXExAQkNpJcJDMVWvyGdYawKwDlYpWDgyKsblWLt82NvjKXczoStJQX8edr9EOVZ6mrD-3JSl5zhoVOjKeIxRnQiAz-4cIYvns2vzFuVD0sTeuccffzjkL9Jl_1awJv4deCYSr/s400/September+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379986120364821794" border="0" /></a>Reading a book with Mama before the last injection.<br /></div><br /><br />Mason had his third and last Procrit injection today. His pre-injection finger poke went well today, though the nurse did it yet a third way from the previous two. I guess there are no standard protocols for a finger stick hematocrit?? What do you think my doctor/nurse friends out there? They've used different lancing devices, poked different fingers (and thumbs) and used different collection devices as well. Today she just used this plastic tube to collect the blood, as opposed to the tiny vacuum tubes before, and it seemed like there was much more time for exposure to air, which possibly affected the results. His hematocrit today was lower than last week! I called wonderful nurse Cindy in Dallas when we got home and she said not to worry, that the drug is definitely working, and that she's seen this happen before. Different collection methods and lab technicians can produce different results, even with the same sample. Makes me wonder about some of my labs from my time in the hospital...<br /><br />One thing I've noticed this time is that Mason is definitely less trusting when we go into the hospital/doctor's office. He gets upset now before a poke even happens because he knows it's coming. He had is chiropractor appointment today as well (he and I both go every month), and he was much less trusting today than normal. He was also tired and hungry, so I'm trying not to let it make me too sad. <br /><br />I can't believe that we leave for Dallas in three days! I'm starting to feel a little unprepared...bills to pay, house to clean, insurance stuff in order (that will be it's own post some time), making road trip food, packing, getting directions to everywhere in Dallas, making sure everything is settled with the house sitters and putting up the two boxes of tomatoes (before they spoil) that I decided to buy at the last farmer's market...plus harvesting, farmer's market and the normal keeping up with the boy. <br /><br />At this time next week the surgery will be behind us and we'll be focusing on Mason's recovery.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHisE6GeaK-pjCWYLTT06XDYWQ6GNTQCw8TKhtb33_nDcvwYOoMySuLLWz114yIa7FjGq45azvbEDc9WhCgbCa4jSuEoWOT7ZRhHym-A0kjZooKSqnTDwAw3s8PwJu4ha9yUOU4eTWvhTa/s1600-h/September+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHisE6GeaK-pjCWYLTT06XDYWQ6GNTQCw8TKhtb33_nDcvwYOoMySuLLWz114yIa7FjGq45azvbEDc9WhCgbCa4jSuEoWOT7ZRhHym-A0kjZooKSqnTDwAw3s8PwJu4ha9yUOU4eTWvhTa/s400/September+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379986112528186514" border="0" /></a>Hanging upside down with Papa.<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-52063181099423734332009-09-03T13:30:00.000-07:002009-09-03T20:01:24.456-07:00Injection number twoToday was Mason's second round of Procrit injection/labs and he did great! It went much better that last time. Apparently the reason that Mason kept bleeding for so long last time was that the nurse (mistakenly) poked his thumb, which should not be done due to the artery there. This time they poked his finger to collect the blood, and they had to poke a second finger after the first did not produce enough. He cried a little bit at the first poke and then only whimpered a little after the second. He sat in his papa's lap and I let him suck on my finger which kept him really calm. It was soon over and he was happily playing. He did cry a little more after his injection this time, but it too passed relatively quickly. He went to the doctor's office wearing his "brave little lion" hat that I just finished knitting for him, and the nurses raved.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaNRUDonMQdFMmTlQ7heqINm5ci6DsYjLDqXxEdJV33h3nc55YuTCvUEI6YwaEeEWyZ7skZ3oKZLaz3TGAzEcr0T-SJUHkXyBoIaeV7WEF9kJiLH_AyMVWKIVGqXHDVjh1HSuqWwrwyit/s1600-h/September+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaNRUDonMQdFMmTlQ7heqINm5ci6DsYjLDqXxEdJV33h3nc55YuTCvUEI6YwaEeEWyZ7skZ3oKZLaz3TGAzEcr0T-SJUHkXyBoIaeV7WEF9kJiLH_AyMVWKIVGqXHDVjh1HSuqWwrwyit/s400/September+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377345977137001074" border="0" /></a>Mason in his lion hat playing with crayons before his injection.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv14ocez3KB1qNNZRB0QbAVz7mdSqPvWnxEXPHFulBVraKJyk9ZlUZ3ZYEYCJicunRtcxBtjnbAGVjFqhvUr43GW9gTh1mrt0ASexS7q0eirnNnnv_J6BW5bxzD6dfWleE3UN0qNC08Yh0/s1600-h/September+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv14ocez3KB1qNNZRB0QbAVz7mdSqPvWnxEXPHFulBVraKJyk9ZlUZ3ZYEYCJicunRtcxBtjnbAGVjFqhvUr43GW9gTh1mrt0ASexS7q0eirnNnnv_J6BW5bxzD6dfWleE3UN0qNC08Yh0/s400/September+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377345968964688386" border="0" /></a>Playing with Papa in the waiting room.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVd0D12GsZCqtcrSRP1k7f3N8TD7u6gQCHTzUjq0JxPbORg0XHW2NwsEAzPam-97wE6fPUhFM_iS86mPC3t24suZLJK1aJbWGq-_wwTfF-KPP_ot5UqRQNvIvalt_ySqu0q4r4WiDiQezE/s1600-h/September+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVd0D12GsZCqtcrSRP1k7f3N8TD7u6gQCHTzUjq0JxPbORg0XHW2NwsEAzPam-97wE6fPUhFM_iS86mPC3t24suZLJK1aJbWGq-_wwTfF-KPP_ot5UqRQNvIvalt_ySqu0q4r4WiDiQezE/s400/September+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377345963608962786" border="0" /></a>Our brave little boy!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELoPp2vD6O45QpcqoCKQ41X7tGSggIPF0hH4StVRAGhlYZcku1-vrp2zCDqmu6thN3cRBsn-gl40iNWe2ryuWQuv9MQT8f_i09cNazQlEe6cuF7YqhLDoHMU-yn9Hqar6Azu6o2QGqHH3/s1600-h/September+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELoPp2vD6O45QpcqoCKQ41X7tGSggIPF0hH4StVRAGhlYZcku1-vrp2zCDqmu6thN3cRBsn-gl40iNWe2ryuWQuv9MQT8f_i09cNazQlEe6cuF7YqhLDoHMU-yn9Hqar6Azu6o2QGqHH3/s400/September+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377345953655701346" border="0" /></a>Ouch, here comes the poke...fingers make everything better.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3eyY77ICsuphI3ZQfyasKJ5hDaJEKI-4qanBS9ueciwO0HN0_6YYSZUeV18TX9fTEKLm1j6-fEl4ELiL6V6mZx9T2YhaoxfmbBIKQhFzdzG199-ij3GeS9_zEhxlCrjJ1mPbsxM1LQWT/s1600-h/September+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3eyY77ICsuphI3ZQfyasKJ5hDaJEKI-4qanBS9ueciwO0HN0_6YYSZUeV18TX9fTEKLm1j6-fEl4ELiL6V6mZx9T2YhaoxfmbBIKQhFzdzG199-ij3GeS9_zEhxlCrjJ1mPbsxM1LQWT/s400/September+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377345945053362690" border="0" /></a>Nice job nurse!<br /></div>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-83073575429720984062009-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:002009-08-31T13:21:04.960-07:00Pre-op and Surgery Schedule<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal">We just got more information from Dr. Fearon's office including the schedule below:</p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal">Tuesday</p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal">September 15 09:30 a.m. <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Registration-Specialty</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;">10:00 a.m. Dr. John Kolar-Anthropologist </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;">10:30 a.m. Preop Testing and Education </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;">11:00 a.m. Media-Photography </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;">12:30 p.m. Dr. David Sacco-Neurosurgeon </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;">04:20 p.m. Dr. Jeffrey Fearon-Surgeon </p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal">Wednesday </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -1in;font-family:times new roman;">September 16 10:30 a.m. Please proceed to Building D, 6th Floor (Pediatric Day Surgery), for <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>check-in. Please call 972-566-4190 if you need assistance in locating the unit.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;">12:30 p.m. Surgery with Dr. Fearon and Dr. Sacco</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: times new roman;"><br /></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal">Mason is not suppose to have anything to eat or drink after 6:30 the morning of the surgery...I can't imagine how that is going to work since his surgery is not until 12:30! Tuesday is going to be a long and tiring day, and Wednesday will probably be the hardest day of my life...but I know we'll get through it.</p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We got his Hematocrit back, and he was at 40 before the first injection. They want him at 45 before the surgery.</span><br /></p>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-40493303638890980642009-08-27T11:01:00.000-07:002009-08-27T11:15:19.404-07:00First injectionToday was Mason's first shot ever. Yesterday I picked up his very expensive Procrit from the pharmacy ($100 copay!), and today he got his first injection. Aaron held him, and he only cried for a minute. Luckily it's a subcutaneous injection instead of in the muscle. His nurse Ramona did it very quickly. As soon as we were in the car he was smiling and back to his normal self. It went as well as it could. The hardest part of the morning was the lab work. The doctor ordered just a hematocrit finger prick, which didn't sound so bad...better, I thought, than the full-on tourniquet/vein draw. It was horrible. First of all it's really more of a cut than a poke, and she had to hold his thumb tight while she collected 3 little vials of blood, Mason screaming the whole time. And then his thumb would just not quit bleeding, so she had to hold cotton ball after cotton ball for maybe 10 minutes. At this point I know it didn't hurt anymore, but it was really scary to him that this strange lady would not let go of his hand. I nursed him while she was trying to get the bleeding to stop, and it calmed him down (which probably helped with the bleeding), though he definitely kept his eyes on her. Poor little guy. He fell asleep in the car on the way home after all that excitement. One down, two or three more to go. The next two weeks we do the hematocrit first, to see if he needs an additional injection of Procrit.<br /><br />Thanks Katherine for the text! We saw it in the waiting room before Mason's appointment and it helped me relax a little!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-84799033171802644392009-08-25T13:34:00.000-07:002009-08-25T14:37:11.760-07:00It becomes very realOne of the (many) reasons we chose Dr. Fearon in Dallas is that he does everything possible to maximize safety and lower risks during his operations. One of the ways he does this is by prescribing pre-surgery Procrit injections. Procrit is a drug that increases the red blood cell count in the body, thus decreasing the chance that Mason will need a blood transfusion. The biggest risk of this surgery (and it is a very serious risk) is blood loss. He is to have 3 injections (maybe 2 if his count is high enough before the third), once a week the three weeks before his surgery. I've heard from other mom's that the hardest part is the blood draw, and they have to do this before each injection to check his hematocrit. Some even say that this was one of the hardest parts of the whole experience. Well, his first one is this Thursday, just two days away, and I find myself really dreading it. Hopefully it will go better than expected. I imagine it will all become much more real after this.Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-8667741428995687932009-08-20T11:35:00.000-07:002009-08-20T11:48:40.167-07:00Headaches??For the past week Mason has been really pulling on his ears and grabbing/pulling at the back of his head (right where his fused suture is). He has done this off and on for the last few months, but it seems to have really increased this last week. He definitely does not have an ear infection, and there is no sign of new teeth coming in. His sleeping is completely disrupted, as he wakes up fussing every hour or so. Of course, there is no way of knowing for sure that he is having headaches, and if so, if they are related to his cranio, and I realize that it could be any number of things, but it's hard not to wonder if the two are connected. His doctors tell us that though older kids with untreated cranio sometimes complain of headaches, there is no evidence that it is a common problem with babies. His nurse Cindy thinks that diminished blood flow at fused sutures might cause some strange nerve sensations, and that this could be bothering him...but it is all speculation since he can't tell us exactly what he's feeling. It's so hard to see him uncomfortable!Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-60531478895628854542009-08-19T13:12:00.001-07:002009-08-19T13:15:06.198-07:00What caused Mason's cranio?<p>The following discussion is taken from <a href="http://www.thecraniofacialcenter.org/synostoses_treatment.html">Dr. Fearon's website</a>. I found it extremely helpful in understanding why this might have happened to Mason J.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">"What causes sutures to fuse shut before they are supposed to? The two most common causes for premature closure of a suture are either a change in one of the child’s genes, or from outside pressure on the skull. When only one single suture is fused shut, the most common cause is probably “environmental” (or from outside pressure on the skull). We know that it is possible to cause craniosynostosis in animals by restricting skull growth while the animal is still in the womb, and it is very likely that this is the primary cause for the majority of the single sutural synostoses in babies. The uterus, or womb, is a relatively small space. We know that sometimes babies can end up in certain positions in the uterus where they cannot move around freely (for example, the breech position). We suspect that children born with a single sutural synostosis may have been positioned in the uterus so that there is pressure on a part of the skull. If the skull gets caught in a tight place in the uterus, this pressure can restrict the ability of the skull bones to be stretched apart by the growing brain. If the suture is not stretched apart, it “thinks” it’s job is done and it fuses shut with normal bone. Abnormal skull shapes and single sutural synostoses are more commonly seen in twins than in single births, further supporting this theory of in-utero constraint. Craniosynostosis is also more common in boys than girls leading some researchers to speculate that testosterone might make suture closure more likely if there is any restriction of skull growth inside the uterus. Mothers who have delivered babies with single sutural synostosis should not feel guilty that they did anything wrong during their pregnancy to cause this condition. Craniosynostosis occurs in spite of the mother doing everything “right.”</p> <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><br /></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Usually, when children with a single sutural craniosynostosis gow up, they do not pass this trait on to their children. However, it has been reported (and we have seen cases of this, as well) of a single sutural synostosis being passed from generation to generation. This hereditary pattern suggests that the single sutural synostosis is caused by a problem with a gene allowing this trait to be passed from one family member to the next. It is possible to test for some of these genes to see if they are present in children with craniosynostosis (which is something that we are currently doing in Dallas). However, it should be remembered that the overwhelming majority of single sutural synostoses appear to be the product of two parents with normal genes, and a mother who has normal prenatal care. Should children born with a single sutural synostosis decide to have children of their own in adulthood, the chance of passing on the condition is estimated to be less than 2%. If a couple has a child who is born with a single sutural synostosis, the chance of this couple having a another child with a single sutural synostosis is also thought to be about 2%."</p>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-54708808277224962582009-08-19T12:23:00.000-07:002009-08-19T12:34:24.513-07:00Head shotsWhen I tell people about Mason's surgery, they often look at him and say "I think he looks fine, why would you do surgery?" It's true, he looks like the healthy, beautiful boy that he is, but here are a few photos to help you understand what we're talking about. It's easiest to see his head shape with wet hair, from a bird's eye view. Here are a few wet head photos taken recently that show the forehead and occipital bossing, as well as the elongated shape. One things for sure, he sure is one good-looking kid, funny noggin and all!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtSYB4SZvej9EoIxU3cKuzXt9C6nRUkZNI1THDSKLV6xh5if9WmF16QsNhz4ZPG0XhFhVd1YGz4GKJlcTPtvsFRxEfRd7MKeD_vGE0VC36hgYKe7Ajj72iSvCtL9DOBpU8IJXRD-meOo1/s1600-h/July+09+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtSYB4SZvej9EoIxU3cKuzXt9C6nRUkZNI1THDSKLV6xh5if9WmF16QsNhz4ZPG0XhFhVd1YGz4GKJlcTPtvsFRxEfRd7MKeD_vGE0VC36hgYKe7Ajj72iSvCtL9DOBpU8IJXRD-meOo1/s320/July+09+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371758248264991794" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDoXZgrOYir6RM2VLQpvyjS-AgKkZsCIR8g1PSXww-HZo80qnX5PH7O_rx_2KQbpI_o_i7EUV6zdFZyETWLEKcDnVFFaC5Lq4-FwWpA82Sp-0s2xwFaMetDOwJJfyMBcrixTOuIxpx6wO/s1600-h/spring+09+102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDoXZgrOYir6RM2VLQpvyjS-AgKkZsCIR8g1PSXww-HZo80qnX5PH7O_rx_2KQbpI_o_i7EUV6zdFZyETWLEKcDnVFFaC5Lq4-FwWpA82Sp-0s2xwFaMetDOwJJfyMBcrixTOuIxpx6wO/s320/spring+09+102.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760087349556498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9NSaom_x3i7EYU2PhInOAhB3jt_Tvip4NWQfRSTJ-ykTMfjPqo5mfHpWCDn-cEXxpFp6vX-41oiy1udAIzFr_y4Vebc-NqTBCF6kwYLR_aFAhOtdZAAtkzZDQuH9cdc89fMCVA2_y8Cr/s1600-h/spring+09+098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9NSaom_x3i7EYU2PhInOAhB3jt_Tvip4NWQfRSTJ-ykTMfjPqo5mfHpWCDn-cEXxpFp6vX-41oiy1udAIzFr_y4Vebc-NqTBCF6kwYLR_aFAhOtdZAAtkzZDQuH9cdc89fMCVA2_y8Cr/s320/spring+09+098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760077199390898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSCBmLJ1NTgiKnhVTXELh7BLTiXyKtfv2X2SbRyJhtH2ZKO7vWgQRCeXuEjgelt5VDqme-ODJJvXyzrqFDckP1-Pi9QCtpA0I7UVbuXnD0nj1ddVjWUCXFjvfbGb2EtL6U9HYRRRxMIVj/s1600-h/spring+09+023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSCBmLJ1NTgiKnhVTXELh7BLTiXyKtfv2X2SbRyJhtH2ZKO7vWgQRCeXuEjgelt5VDqme-ODJJvXyzrqFDckP1-Pi9QCtpA0I7UVbuXnD0nj1ddVjWUCXFjvfbGb2EtL6U9HYRRRxMIVj/s320/spring+09+023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760069443141890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ4qTDBhby0GhCTz63ltKhNR7EGXOBn8U6RIhKYegJbB7t7H5m_7n76TQfFbPKc84d9iCWss_3MDjLhKynDavjwPYSIkwhVT4vu8O8TAQO31pJ-MEjSHyzMvf4Zxdqjj9KHFN6-9O5LnD/s1600-h/July+09+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ4qTDBhby0GhCTz63ltKhNR7EGXOBn8U6RIhKYegJbB7t7H5m_7n76TQfFbPKc84d9iCWss_3MDjLhKynDavjwPYSIkwhVT4vu8O8TAQO31pJ-MEjSHyzMvf4Zxdqjj9KHFN6-9O5LnD/s320/July+09+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371758240354205202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-gbx_V4g8NrhNoptaocniYDFGnuOhhsHRMcG6xO6tfa1PTEZ2pKUqx1je5x1HmZT8BWaHRPJgwLK4U0SIVrwGusagLD5TVZi5D9lIFxgbxwcDJhXnbJSEjqvJauDPcnUYvTgO9XWQLFb/s1600-h/July+09+021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-gbx_V4g8NrhNoptaocniYDFGnuOhhsHRMcG6xO6tfa1PTEZ2pKUqx1je5x1HmZT8BWaHRPJgwLK4U0SIVrwGusagLD5TVZi5D9lIFxgbxwcDJhXnbJSEjqvJauDPcnUYvTgO9XWQLFb/s320/July+09+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371758233198768418" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfLUTyMJmdhAMUL2NHH-dbE0S-Q_5ESDMnSzUZPjYQIkXJTwmgyDSU243z3fHy2cdEibvz5iCmUMc78_KA6qpHwLMlJu2qr4PK6-v-tvYAY1a0fqyn9mFuSeHKw6kqoCzOt1fssh0Vt0A/s1600-h/July+09+024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfLUTyMJmdhAMUL2NHH-dbE0S-Q_5ESDMnSzUZPjYQIkXJTwmgyDSU243z3fHy2cdEibvz5iCmUMc78_KA6qpHwLMlJu2qr4PK6-v-tvYAY1a0fqyn9mFuSeHKw6kqoCzOt1fssh0Vt0A/s320/July+09+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371758222134122066" border="0" /></a>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1587033503821243306.post-66915847571198075732009-08-13T20:53:00.000-07:002009-08-18T21:06:57.905-07:00Our StoryWelcome to Mason J's cranio blog. We're starting this to keep our friends and family updated on what is happening through this whole process (as well as to divert some of mama's energy away from constantly worrying). It's mid-August now, and I can't believe our little guy is already one year old! In a little over a month Mason will most likely be undergoing major skull surgery to correct his sagittal craniosynostosis. I say most likely because I'm still having trouble believing that it's actually happening, still having trouble completely deciding to do it, and still hanging on to the the hope that when we get to Dallas that Dr. Fearon will tell us that Mason does not need surgery after all. I'm getting way ahead of myself... For the purpose of this blog I should probably start with a little explanation about all of this. Sorry but this first post will probably be long.<br /><br />Most of you know a little or a lot about Mason's birth story....it could be a whole blog to itself. As that is not my purpose here, I'll be brief. Mason was born on August 6th, 2008 by Cesarean section after a long labor and many hours of pushing. I pushed and pushed in every way possible (I'll spare the details here) and he just would not budge. He was posterior in position, with the cord around his neck, and as we were soon to learn, his head could not mold properly due to a premature fusion of one of his cranial sutures. His head was a little pointy at the crown, but it was assumed this was normal and due to birth and nothing else was mentioned about it. He was a strong, beautiful, healthy baby boy, and he grew (and continues to grow) wonderfully. At his first well-baby check-up the doctor noticed that is anterior fontanel (soft spot) was closing a little too quickly. He said it was nothing to worry too much about at this point, but that we should keep an eye on it and regularly check his head circumference. He also mentioned that sometimes when this happens surgery is necessary to allow room for the brain to grow.<br /><br />Being the mom that I am, I went straight home and began researching premature closing soft spots and what it meant. I kept coming across craniosynostosis and wondering if this is what Mason had. I could definitely see a resemblance in head shape when I looked at Mason's head and the pictures I found on line of other kids with cranio. Even so, Mason's head was not nearly as severe in shape as most of the photos I came across. I could also feel a bony ridge along Mason's sagittal suture, another indicator (besides fontanel closure and abnormal head shape) that this suture was closed before it was time. I called our doctor to get a referral to a specialist at the Children's Hospital in Denver.<br /><br />A couple of weeks later we headed up to Denver for Mason's appointment. I had no idea what to expect, and was scared that we'd immediately need to do surgery. All of my research seemed to suggest that surgery was almost always the best option for kids with sagittal cranio (or scaphocephaly). We saw a very nice nurse practitioner in Denver, who is supposedly an expert at diagnosing craniosynostosis. I could tell that she is use to seeing much more severe cases, because at first she didn't think anything was wrong with Mason, though she admitted that his head shape was "on the cusp" of normal, with a small amount of forehead bossing (when the forehead sticks out a little). I pointed out the ridge along the suture, and she decided to send us down for an xray. The xray confirmed my mama intuition, that the back portion of Mason's sagittal suture was prematurely fused. (See the picture on the side). She called in a neurosurgeon to do a consult, and they both agreed that though the bones were fused, Mason's case was very mild and no surgery was recommended at that time. They also said that it was a cosmetic issue, and whether or not to do surgery would be our choice.<br /><br />We went home relieved that for now at least we'd dodged the surgery bullet, but I was still concerned about what this meant for Mason now and in the future. I put it out of my mind for a while, but I still looked at his head all the time, wondering if he would need surgery one day. A few months later my intuition kicked in again, and I began doing more research. His head still looked good to us. It was growing in the characteristic football shape of scaphocephaly, but it was still mild compared to others, and well masked my his hair. His development was (and still is) right on track. As I researched I came upon quite a bit of evidence which disagreed with what the docs in Denver told us. It seemed that in many cases cranio was much more than "just cosmetic", and that often kids had dangerously raised intercranial pressure (ICP) which could lead to headaches, seizures, developmental delays and other cognitive problems. It makes sense that if the brain is not able to grown in the shape it was meant to, that problems could arise. I found a wonderful online forum, <a href="http://www.craniokids.org/">Cranio Kids</a>, where I met and talked with other parents of kids with various types of cranio.<br /><br />That is where I learned about <a href="http://www.thecraniofacialcenter.org/index.html">Dr. Fearon</a> (click his name to take you to his website where you can learn more about him, the center, and the condition that Mason has). He is a very well-known, very experienced craniofacial surgeon, who specialized in cases like Mason's. I emailed his some photos of Mason, and we did a phone consultation with him. (He does this free of charge, and also is willing to answer any questions we have, even if we don't end up using him.) Everything that I've heard about him is wonderful, from his level of expertise, to his loving bedside manner, and that was only confirmed in talking with him. He believes that Mason does need treatment. Given all that we know about brain growth, brain metabolism and blood flow, there are risks that not doing this surgery for Mason may cause problems later down the road. Of course the surgery has it's own risks, and this is not a decision we are making lightly. <br /><br />If fact, I'm terrified of putting my baby boy through this. It has been and continues to be the hardest decision I've ever had to make. He looks so perfect and beautiful to me, but lately I'm pretty sure he's been having headaches. We could wait and see for another couple of years, but then doing the surgery later is a little more complicated because of the continued growth of the skull. From what I can tell on the craniokids forum, these babies do really well through surgery and recover very quickly...in fact, in some ways it seems harder on the parents than the kids. I'll write another post explaining exactly what will happen during the surgery and how long we're likely to be in the hospital. <br /><br />So where are we now? Though I question our decision daily, we are heading to Dallas mid-September to have a consultation with Dr. Fearon. After that, if we believe that surgery is the best option for Mason, it is scheduled to happen on Wednesday the 16th. I will be posting regular updates on this site to keep everyone informed. OK, that's probably a long enough post for now. More info to come. Thanks for reading and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!<br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><div> </div> <div><br /><br /><br /></div></span>Allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12637773397908957634noreply@blogger.com3