tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53126070961609174332024-02-08T07:17:59.223-06:00Henry LouisHere is the latest on our family...Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-29047170392968706412012-01-17T20:45:00.005-06:002012-01-18T06:08:05.463-06:00Welcome to the Year 2012!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We have had a whirlwind six months since Gus's arrival. While getting used to life as a family of four, we have had many adventures.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Aunt Peggy accompanied us on a trip to the <a href="http://www.anatbanielmethod.com/">Anat Baniel Method</a> Center in San Rafael, California in September. We cannot thank her enough for all of her help. Henry had a week of intensive therapy with Anat Baniel and some other practitioners. Peggy and Gus became fast friends while Henry was otherwise occupied with his lessons. Henry responded positively to the lessons, and we hope to return to the center in 2012. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We live not far from the Glenview Public Library. Henry is the proud holder of his very own library card:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717874345/" title="20111011 - Henry Library Card by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6717874345_c23dab3b49.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20111011 - Henry Library Card " /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We also live near <a href="http://www.wagnerfarm.org/">Wagner Farm</a>. Here, Henry got to pet a cow:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717873819/" title="20111015 - Dad & Henry & Cow Wagner Farm by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6717873819_e3e85030d8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20111015 - Dad & Henry & Cow Wagner Farm " /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Over Halloween weekend, Gus had his first long road trip to Pennsylvania. He also saw his first snow. He and Henry were subjected to costumes appropriately humiliating for their respective ages:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717865477/" title=" 20111030 - Halloween 2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/6717865477_273c1d1c1c.jpg" width="402" height="500" alt=" 20111030 - Halloween 2" /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here is Gus on Pap's lap:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717874837/" title="20111029 - Pap August by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6717874837_6ded4a0f2b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20111029 - Pap August" /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We snapped a quick family portrait at Thanksgiving:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717865679/" title="20111124 Thanksgiving by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6717865679_0204cc0d89.jpg" width="427" height="500" alt="20111124 Thanksgiving" /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry turned 3 on November 26. We celebrated with his first real birthday party. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718096335/" title="20111128 - Henry bday cake Mom Henry Dad 2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6718096335_7f91570bf0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111128 - Henry bday cake Mom Henry Dad 2" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718097179/" title="20111128 - Henry bday let's eat cake by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6718097179_4f15b41124.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111128 - Henry bday let's eat cake" /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The most major event since our last post is definitely that Henry aged out of the Early Intervention program and officially became a schoolboy. His first day at the <a href="http://www.nssed.org/">NSSED</a> Pleasant Ridge Early Childhood Education room was Monday, November 28. He attends school daily from 9:15 - 2:45. He has a wonderful aide, Miss Carolyn, who rides the bus to and from school with him and is with him all day. Henry participates in Speech, Physical, Vision, and Occupational Therapy throughout the week with various therapists. His teacher, Mrs. Kay, along with Miss Carolyn, see to it that Henry is included in group time and play time with his classmates. He's even done a couple art projects (proudly displayed on the fridge). This has been a significant transition for all of us, but the reports are good, and we are excited that Henry has the opportunity to be with his peers and to experience school. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717867981/" title="20111128 - Henry first day of school mom dad by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6717867981_ca2a9b5a0f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20111128 - Henry first day of school mom dad" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718299079/" title="20111128 - Henry Dad first day of school by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7169/6718299079_4dec8307eb.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20111128 - Henry Dad first day of school" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717868197/" title="20111128 - Henry first day of school on bus by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6717868197_d5bc362251.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20111128 - Henry first day of school on bus" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Sadly, Meade's uncle Toby Potter died in August after battling leukemia since last spring. We (Sean, Meade & Augie) were glad to be able to go to Portland shortly after his death to be with Meade's aunt Jenny and cousin Stu. Meade and Augie went back in December for the memorial service; it was good to be with all the family.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Juna<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718299569/" title="20111204 - August Juna Portland 1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6718299569_787331d177.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20111204 - August Juna Portland 1" /></a><br /><br />Jana & Lauren<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718322647/" title="IMG_20111204_075505 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6718322647_dde47c742a.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="IMG_20111204_075505" /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Gus's first Christmas (and Henry's 4th!) was a lot of fun. As always there were many wonderful gifts for both boys and lots of family time.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718104981/" title="20111225 - Christmas kids Kate by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6718104981_349eb275f1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111225 - Christmas kids Kate" /></a><br /><br />Big Don & Holly<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718105415/" title="20111225 - August Big Don Holly by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6718105415_d8773db89c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111225 - August Big Don Holly" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The last major bit of news to report on is that Henry had adductor myotomy surgery on December 28. Since Henry has throughout his life consistently pulled his legs inward, in adduction, the heads of the femurs are not seated properly in his hip joints. Therefore, his hip joints are at risk of becoming malformed. In Henry's case, the problem is much worse in the left hip than the right. This surgery helps weaken the adductor muscles, allowing greater range of motion from the hip joint. The idea is that, over time, with practice in weight-bearing activities such as standing and walking, the heads of the femurs will come into place. We have our fingers crossed for that; if this process is not successful, hip and leg reconstruction could be necessary. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">After he had the surgery (while still under anesthesia), he had another ABR (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_brainstem_response">auditory brainstem response</a>) test. He had one in January 2010 which showed poor auditory processing in his brain. This one showed near-normal hearing in the left ear, but did not get interpretable results from the right ear. This result is consistent with the improvement we have noticed in Henry's responses to sound over the last several months/year.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Lastly, here are a few pictures of some of our recent visitors (as always, you can see more pictures on our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker">Flickr</a> site</span>.) <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;">We love to have company and hope to see many of you in 2012. Happy New Year!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Bret<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718301493/" title="20111217 - Bret August by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6718301493_554cdf291b.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20111217 - Bret August" /></a><br /><br />Melissa<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718323081/" title="20111206 - Melissa August by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6718323081_ea5de42780.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20111206 - Melissa August" /></a><br /><br />Diana<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718297857/" title="20111126 - Mom Augus Diana by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6718297857_454e90ba5e.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20111126 - Mom Augus Diana" /></a><br /><br />Kate<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718100019/" title="20111225 - Meade Kate Augie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6718100019_a0a553f3ff.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111225 - Meade Kate Augie" /></a><br /><br />Joan<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717872373/" title="Joan August 20110824 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6717872373_87fdb4a6c1.jpg" width="500" height="490" alt="Joan August 20110824" /></a><br /><br />Heather & Jason<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717871335/" title="20110814 - Heather Jason August by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6717871335_3fe435cd84.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20110814 - Heather Jason August" /></a><br /><br />Owen, Michelle & Diane<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717871115/" title="Owen Michelle Diane August 20110811 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6717871115_8ee1333a14.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Owen Michelle Diane August 20110811" /></a><br /><br />Nanna<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717869659/" title="20111214 - Nanna Gus Balloon 1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6717869659_be47555e75.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111214 - Nanna Gus Balloon 1" /></a><br /><br />Paul<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717869549/" title="20111213 - Paul Dad August Henry by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6717869549_89959aa76a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111213 - Paul Dad August Henry" /></a><br /><br />Grammy & Nanna<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6717869175/" title="20111213 - Family Grammy Nanna by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/6717869175_eca8fffd42.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20111213 - Family Grammy Nanna" /></a><br /><br />Rob & Todd<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6718468171/" title="20111230 - August Rob Todd by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6718468171_f66d7aa60b.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20111230 - August Rob Todd" /></a><br /></span></div><div></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-45390239427863704152011-08-04T20:09:00.005-05:002011-08-04T20:19:23.774-05:00Big Brother!Henry has a brand new little brother! August Nichol (AKA Gus, Augie) was born July 11, 2011, at 2:53 PM. He was 8 pounds 5 ounces and 20.5 inches long.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6010307960/" title="Gus-wrapped-up by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6133/6010307960_fdfd77a8a3.jpg" alt="Gus-wrapped-up" width="400" height="500" /></a><br /><br />As you can see, he and Henry are already good pals.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/6010307732/" title="Henry-and-Gus by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6147/6010307732_b1aa21544a.jpg" alt="Henry-and-Gus" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />I apologize for the brevity of this post, but you can find many other pictures of Henry and Gus on our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/sets/72157627358686862/">Flickr site</a>. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes! We are all happy to be a family of four.Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-64388209305512685002011-03-27T22:05:00.006-05:002011-03-27T23:11:16.453-05:00First post of the year<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As March comes to a close, we are finally getting around to our first blog post of 2011. At least we kept it within the first quarter. Although our last post was in early December, we'll spare you the jarring site of Christmas trees and wrapping paper. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry has been happy and healthy except for a couple of colds and an ear infection that was discovered to be </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004520/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">MRSA</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. Fortunately, the tubes in his ears relieve him of the pain most of us associate with childhood ear infections. When his doctor finally determined which antibiotics would be effective, the infection cleared within a day.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's biggest news is that he is going to be a big brother. Meade is due July 4 and is doing great, of course. We don't know if we're having a boy or girl, but we're open to suggestions.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Although Henry continues to struggle in his high chair, we do have fun moments now and then. (Notice his new glasses.)</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566843056/" title="20110219-chair by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5566843056_5951763933.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20110219-chair" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A piece of equipment that he much prefers is his bath chair.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566842110/" title="20101226-bath-chair by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5566842110_cfa1f5b90a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20101226-bath-chair" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">During the Super Bowl, our devotion was not enough to inspire any life into the Steelers' usually-stellar defense.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566842346/" title="20110123-superbowl by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5013/5566842346_4832204c40.jpg" width="500" height="448" alt="20110123-superbowl" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Henry decided that he would rather nap than watch lackluster football.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566842680/" title="20110123-sleepy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5566842680_6b7b20eb9e.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20110123-sleepy" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here are some photos taken on Christmas Day:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566262857/" title="20101225-watching-presents by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5566262857_40a8674918.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20101225-watching-presents" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566262857/" title="20101225-watching-presents by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566840748/" title="20101225-tired-of-presents by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5134/5566840748_0179682c7a.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20101225-tired-of-presents" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566840748/" title="20101225-tired-of-presents by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566841844/" title="20101225-family-portrait by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/5566841844_96488d9a73.jpg" width="500" height="435" alt="20101225-family-portrait" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566841844/" title="20101225-family-portrait by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5566841362/" title="20101225-Big-Don by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5566841362_cc2dc8c2a9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20101225-Big-Don" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Finally, Henry has a new trick. He can now roll from his back to his side. He can only do this from right to left, and he will only do it when his parents are not watching. We owe many thanks to Jennie for capturing this video on her phone. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><object type="application/futuresplash" width="400" height="327" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=21f16777b2&photo_id=5515095299"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/futuresplash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=21f16777b2&photo_id=5515095299" height="327" width="400"></embed></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-84104449372357581702010-12-21T20:51:00.002-06:002010-12-21T21:56:52.689-06:002nd Annual HanksgivingNo longer a baby, Henry is now two years old. As his birthday was the day after Thanksgiving, we celebrated a day early in order to enjoy cake and pie on the same day. <div><br /></div><div>Henry's day of surgeries at Children's Memorial Hospital was without incident. He has new tubes in his ears and his testes are in place. The MRI was disappointing but not surprising. His brain has experienced quite of bit of atrophy. Although his shunt is functioning properly, his ventricles remain large as cerebral spinal fluid fills much of the space that was once occupied by brain tissue. </div><div><br /></div><div>Believe it or not, this photo was taken before anesthesia:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281445475/" title="20101118-atCMH by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5281445475_20582214d4.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20101118-atCMH" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He continues to make slow and steady progress with his therapies. One of his favorite weekly activities is his music class, Wiggleworms. We attend the 6 - 12 month old class and sing songs that involve lots of clapping and body awareness. </div><div><br /></div><div>We finally found an outdoor activity that Henry can enjoy visually – Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281443311/" title="20101204-zoo-lights by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5124/5281443311_13fc4a5a8f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20101204-zoo-lights" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Aunt Cara and Uncle Joey stayed with us for Hanksgiving. Here we are getting ready for a delicious breakfast at Over Easy:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282046802/" title="20101126-Cara-and-Joey by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/5282046802_e51aa36b08.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20101126-Cara-and-Joey" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is Henry trying on a birthday outfit from Cara and Joey:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282041940/" title="20101126-new-clothes by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5282041940_d01bb19a8c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20101126-new-clothes" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>What Thanksgiving would be complete without a deep-fried turkey? (Do not try this at home.)</div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281444401/" title="20101125-fried-turkey by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5163/5281444401_a972aa4308.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20101125-fried-turkey" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Backing up one holiday, we had a great time haunting the streets of Park Ridge with cousins at Halloween. Henry wore an adorable frog costume – er, well, it would have been adorable if Henry were about 20% smaller. We'll find a better-fitting costume next year.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282037892/" title="20101031-frog-costume by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/5282037892_61012d6e62.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20101031-frog-costume" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282036750/" title="20101031-halloween by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5282036750_0650f1fcc1.jpg" width="500" height="391" alt="20101031-halloween" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We got to spend a morning with Henry's friend Owen. Owen is an impressively mobile and curious fellow these days.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281442387/" title="20101128-Owen by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5281442387_1fe6944226.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20101128-Owen" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I gave Meade and Henry a much-needed break and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with Mike, Zach, Susan, and Peggy. We had a fantastic time.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282033120/" title="20101112-taking-a-break by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5008/5282033120_5186b31ef3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20101112-taking-a-break" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry is still not enamored of his high chair. He has developed a couple of tricks in hopes of taking his meal in a lap, as nature intended. One of his tricks is falling asleep and refusing to eat. Once removed from the chair, however, he miraculously awakes and finishes his meal. Jennie took this photo one afternoon at dinner time:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282038662/" title="20101104-asleep by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5164/5282038662_9b10ff48e5.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20101104-asleep" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is another sleeping shot, although this one was more genuine:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282031196/" title="20101114-napping by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5282031196_2d3cc7b472.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20101114-napping" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry's head control is getting better. Some of the techniques that we use to help him improve his head control are...</div><div><br /></div><div>his arms braced on our chests: </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281440851/" title="20101125-head-control by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5281440851_9ea2a499de.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20101125-head-control" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>crawling position:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282034810/" title="20101121 Holiday Card 2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5169/5282034810_c40cb6978e.jpg" width="500" height="416" alt="20101121 Holiday Card 2" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>and sitting:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281435123/" title="20101013-sitting-practice by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5121/5281435123_b23985ce2c.jpg" width="405" height="500" alt="20101013-sitting-practice" /></a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some posed pictures intended for holiday cards. </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281431523/" title="20101121-greater-family-photo by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5281431523_a923a1c07e.jpg" width="500" height="376" alt="20101121-greater-family-photo" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281431523/" title="20101121-greater-family-photo by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282034014/" title="20101121 Holiday Card 1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5085/5282034014_3f016eb4c4.jpg" width="500" height="367" alt="20101121 Holiday Card 1" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282034014/" title="20101121 Holiday Card 1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281439135/" title="20101121-family-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5129/5281439135_7af8fbd285.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20101121-family-2" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5281439135/" title="20101121-family-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5282040524/" title="20101121-closeup by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5161/5282040524_4e63ced76b.jpg" width="500" height="417" alt="20101121-closeup" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, Henry has been doing quite well in his gait trainer. We made a couple of videos of the first time that he completed multiple trips (6!) up and down our hallway without needing help from us. </div><div><br /><object type="application/futuresplash" width="400" height="225" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=00a1ccfcc9&photo_id=5160053485"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/futuresplash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=00a1ccfcc9&photo_id=5160053485" height="225" width="400"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /><object type="application/futuresplash" width="400" height="225" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=837fc8724f&photo_id=5160693420"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/futuresplash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=837fc8724f&photo_id=5160693420" height="225" width="400"></embed></object><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-4605022493687445352010-10-17T22:40:00.002-05:002010-10-18T00:28:27.593-05:00Not quite 2Even by Henry's standards, we have been extraordinarily busy over the past few weeks. During this time, Henry has been happy, healthy, and seizure-free. Given the long period of time since our last post, we have twice as many photos to share as we typically do. You may notice that a large percentage of these photos feature Henry held by or strapped to me. I just want to point out that I am not intentionally seeking the spotlight – riding Henry's coattails to fame. Rather, the number of people willing to carry Henry any distance is inversely proportional to his weight. If he gets much bigger, he'll have to carry us. <div><br /></div><div>Henry has been taking a very low oral dose of an anti-spasticity medication called baclofen. In combination with his latest botox treatment, it appears to be greatly reducing the stiffness in his arms. We are able to do more reaching, stretching, and exploring his body. He particularly likes to slap his knees and clap his hands, although he needs assistance to do so.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have one very busy day on our medical calendar coming up in November. Henry will have a full MRI, a procedure that requires sedation. Since he will already be sedated, he is also going to have his <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/retractile-testicle/DS00742">retractile testes</a> stitched into place and the <a href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/tubes-for-ear-infections">tubes in his ears</a> replaced. </div><div><br /></div><div>In August, we had a followup visit with the vision specialist in Pittsburgh. She was pleased with his progress since his initial visit in February. She believes that his vision has now outpaced his motor skills. His inability to either support himself in an upright position or accept the help of positioning equipment (high chair, car seat, etc...) is a real challenge. His head control does continue to improve, so we remain hopeful that he will be sitting and playing independently one day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Over the past couple of months, Henry has become generous with his smiles. He even laughs now and then, most frequently after a loud kiss on the cheek. He is becoming a happy little guy, and we cherish every grin. </div><div><br /></div><div>And now for the story of our past couple of months in pictures...</div><div><br /></div><div>Our travels began with a weekend trip to see Henry's Aunt Cara and Uncle Joey in St. Louis. We were delighted that Aunt Dori and Uncle Nate were able to join us. Here we are in front of a giant Chihuly sculpture at the Missouri Botanical Gardens:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091732995/" title="20100731-chihuly by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/5091732995_d11917af63.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20100731-chihuly" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>The heat was rather draining, and we were quite tired afterwards:</div></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092330994/" title="20100801-naptime by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5092330994_c36f0c1588.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20100801-naptime" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>The very next weekend found us in Pennsylvania to visit family and see the vision specialist in Pittsburgh. We bought a special flotation device for Henry so that he could experience the freedom of reduced gravity in the swimming pool. As you can see, he really enjoyed it.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092332258/" title="20100808-swimming-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5092332258_c4921c6f42.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100808-swimming-1" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092332258/" title="20100808-swimming-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091733437/" title="20100808-swimming-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5091733437_6a2b95d75e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100808-swimming-2" /></a><br /><br />He also got to spend time with his Grammy...</div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092332538/" title="20100808-Grammy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5092332538_71466a148f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100808-Grammy" /></a><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092332538/" title="20100808-Grammy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br />...and Nanna and aunt Talisa...</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092332870/" title="20100808-Nanna-Talisa by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5092332870_c153a71d89.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100808-Nanna-Talisa" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092332870/" title="20100808-Nanna-Talisa by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br />...and Pap, of course.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091734851/" title="20100808-Pap by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/5091734851_059d9aa5e0.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100808-Pap" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after returning from PA, it was time to go to cousin Rachel's wedding in Baltimore. For this trip, Henry flew on an airplane for the very first time. As you can see, he loved O'Hare (and who doesn't?).</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092333912/" title="20100820-airport-with-Mom by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5092333912_01832cdce2.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100820-airport-with-Mom" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here we are on the airplane. Henry slept for nearly the entire flight. </div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092333656/" title="20100820-first-flight by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5092333656_fdba956b2a.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100820-first-flight" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>Henry was able to meet many members of my family for the first time. Unfortunately, we did not do a very good job of documenting that in photos. We did get another one with Nanna.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092334410/" title="20100821-Nanna by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5092334410_336e5e831f.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100821-Nanna" /></a><br /></div><div><br />Here we are back in Chicago enjoying a visit with our friend Whitney (notice Henry's dinosaur camouflage PJs):</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092334926/" title="20100825-Whitney by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5092334926_a277be8bdd.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100825-Whitney" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Henry's cousin Holly celebrated her first birthday in style – with ice cream!</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091736049/" title="20100828-ice-cream by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5091736049_d30d5427b7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100828-ice-cream" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We had a fun breakfast with Erika, Eno, Dana, and Sandra.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091736669/" title="20100829-Cornelisens by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/5091736669_e090932e34.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100829-Cornelisens" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We spent part of the Labor Day weekend in Door County.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092335496/" title="20100905-Door-County by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5092335496_cabb6e0b3a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100905-Door-County" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091737945/" title="20100906-door-county-cabin by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5091737945_d4ea4bf457.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100906-door-county-cabin" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091737945/" title="20100906-door-county-cabin by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091738343/" title="20100906-Jim-Susan by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5091738343_68bd745bfe.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100906-Jim-Susan" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091738343/" title="20100906-Jim-Susan by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092337578/" title="20100906-fireweed by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5092337578_266846e922.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100906-fireweed" /></a><br /></div><div><br />Big Don and Jim would not share the seesaw with the other children. </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091737523/" title="20100905-seesaw by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/5091737523_9a8c1cf640.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100905-seesaw" /></a> </div><div><br /></div><div>We topped off all of this travel with our first real family vacation. We went to Oregon, dividing our time between Portland and the coastal town of Manzanita. In Portland, we were graciously hosted by Jenny and Toby. They threw a party one evening:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092338180/" title="20100911-Portland-gang by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/5092338180_ddf2cb10ab.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100911-Portland-gang" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry was delighted to meet Brian and Sera's daughter Sofia.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091739183/" title="20100911-Brian-Sofia by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5091739183_402325cd7f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100911-Brian-Sofia" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We got to spend some quality time with cousin Lauren.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091738591/" title="20100911-Lauren by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5091738591_feab8c95d6.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100911-Lauren" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lauren, Seth, and Sage hosted us for breakfast one morning.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092339608/" title="20100912-Lauren's-house by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5092339608_0c02941437.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100912-Lauren's-house" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jenny and Henry are resting in preparation for what will become a big day of hiking.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092339192/" title="20100912-Jennie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5092339192_bbe3e8ac63.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100912-Jennie" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jenny and Lauren accompanied us on a steep hike up Mount Hood. We didn't quite make it to the very top.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091740027/" title="20100912-Mt-Hood by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5091740027_5d55e9a42d.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100912-Mt-Hood" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We then headed to the coast. Here are Henry and I hanging out on various gorgeous beaches:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092340112/" title="20100915-Cannon-Beach by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4113/5092340112_865fd88b47.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100915-Cannon-Beach" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092340112/" title="20100915-Cannon-Beach by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092340340/" title="20100916-Ocean-Side by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5092340340_46d3624213.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100916-Ocean-Side" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092340340/" title="20100916-Ocean-Side by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091741271/" title="20100916-on-the-rocks by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5091741271_0d8013896a.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20100916-on-the-rocks" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>At one point, we encountered a baby seal. It pondered us a few moments before lumbering off into the waves.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091742045/" title="20100916-seal by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4085/5091742045_473d6160f3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100916-seal" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Can you believe we actually managed a full-family shot?</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092341056/" title="20100918-Ecola by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5092341056_4287a9d17a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100918-Ecola" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Our friends Chris and Laura joined us for our last couple of days on the coast.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5092340828/" title="20100917-Manzanita by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/5092340828_f0b7706f61.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100917-Manzanita" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We shared a great little house in Manzanita.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091742853/" title="20100919-Manzanita-house by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5091742853_3358c4d407.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100919-Manzanita-house" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Back in Chicago, we were pleased to host our friends Peter, Sarah, and Ian. Here are Sarah and Ian enjoying the model railroad at the Chicago Botanic Gardens:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091743353/" title="20101009-Sarah-Ian by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5091743353_33a270bb28.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20101009-Sarah-Ian" /></a><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>Sarah ran the Chicago Marathon while the rest of us cheered her on and partied. Grandma Judy and cousin Emika were especially enthusiastic.</div><div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091743701/" title="20101010-marathon-party by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5091743701_5c46340f6c.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20101010-marathon-party" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Watching a marathon can be tiring. Here we are taking a break from the action with cousins DC, Charlie, and Harry and our good friend Kathy. </div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/5091743985/" title="20101010-marathon-party-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5091743985_fe63fb424c.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20101010-marathon-party-2" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Congratulations for making it all the way to the end of this post. We'll attempt to return to our usual monthly schedule for postings, but I cannot make any guarantees. </div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-27857816973250476762010-07-25T16:09:00.003-05:002010-07-25T16:57:17.421-05:00Hot Hot Hot<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This summer is flying by at an alarming rate. Given how hot that past few weeks have been, this is not entirely a bad thing. Of course, Henry is not bothered by the hot weather in the least. He loves to be outside in the sun, and he is fascinated by the transition from indoors to outdoors and back again. Each time the light and temperature change as we cross a threshold, his jaw drops in amazement, and he swivels his head from side to side. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry had an appointment with his pediatrician at the beginning of June. Although his height had shot up substantially to 35 inches, his weight had only moderately increased to about 27 and a half pounds. His doctor assured us that we were not starving him, but told us that we should add calories to his diet. We switched his morning banana for oatmeal (with butter and yogurt), started adding a little olive oil to his veggies, and added a mid-morning snack. We (OK, it was mostly his dad) might have been a little ambitious, because he gained 3 and a half pounds in the following six weeks. He certainly looks like a sturdy little boy now, and I think we have found a happy medium with his diet lest we soon find ourselves unable to lift him.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Last week, we had his hips X-Rayed at RIC. We were elated to discover that the head of his femur is now in its proper position within his hip joint. Our standing practice is paying off. His botox treatment is wearing off (as expected), so he will receive another in early August. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">After a seizure-free 5 months, Henry did have a short seizure last week. Given his rapid weight growth without an accompanying dose increase of his seizure medicine, this was not entirely surprising. We have increased his medicine and have not witnessed another seizure since. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry loves the hot fudge sundaes at Margie's Candies, and so do his cousins:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824775976/" title="20100620-Margies by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4824775976_6e4190349b.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100620-Margies" /></a><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824775976/" title="20100620-Margies by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824163729/" title="20100620-yum by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4824163729_44e9480f0a.jpg" width="500" height="479" alt="20100620-yum" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For those of you curious about what goes on during Henry's physical therapy with Carol:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824775620/" title="20100504-PT by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4824775620_ea1761fe07.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20100504-PT" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824775620/" title="20100504-PT by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824162793/" title="20100420-PT by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4824162793_793aba5bcf.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100420-PT" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We took Henry to the Cancer Survivors' Walk. Although he didn't do much walking, he did get to ride a trolley and meet Willie the Wildcat:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824161583/" title="20100606-SelfPortrait by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4824161583_2596900230.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20100606-SelfPortrait" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824161583/" title="20100606-SelfPortrait by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824775072/" title="20100606-Trolley by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4824775072_327b784974.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20100606-Trolley" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824775072/" title="20100606-Trolley by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824162191/" title="20100606-Willie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4824162191_c7c079e1f0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20100606-Willie" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry had a great time at the </span><a href="http://www.redbaraat.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Red Baraat</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> concert:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824164367/" title="20100711-RedBaraat by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4824164367_a54683bde2.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100711-RedBaraat" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Can you believe we went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens and forgot to bring our camera with us into the park? So, here we are eating a snack in the parking lot:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824161959/" title="20100704-Snack by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4824161959_d1144995bb.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20100704-Snack" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We met Meade's friend Beth, her husband Chris, and adorable daughter Stella for breakfast one morning:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824776578/" title="20100718-BethStella by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4824776578_bc43882fd5.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="20100718-BethStella" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Of course, Henry has had lots of visitors. We have missed taking pictures of a few of them, so apologies to anyone who feels left out. You'll just have to come visit us again. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Meade and Henry had a great time with Dana and her daughter Zola, Elaine and her son Will, and Erika (no pressure...):</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824773662/" title="20100612-ErikaDanaZola by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4824773662_d69b7265c9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100612-ErikaDanaZola" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824773662/" title="20100612-ErikaDanaZola by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824160797/" title="20100612-Zola&amp;Will by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4824160797_6151dc1506.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100612-Zola&amp;Will" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Several of my colleagues from Northwestern live close by. We hosted dinner one evening for the Uptown/Andersonville crew:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824161271/" title="20100703-DinnerParty by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4824161271_3e18e80f6b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100703-DinnerParty" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And of course Henry always has a great time with his pal Owen:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4824160465/" title="20100604-OwenAndJack by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4824160465_51ff6b57f1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100604-OwenAndJack" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry continues to dislike being strapped into his chair or carseat. However, sometimes he is simply too tired to struggle. Here is Henry asleep in his carseat with one of his favorite toys:</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4825021640/" title="20100716-SleepwithBall by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4825021640_3a0f44027f.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="20100716-SleepwithBall" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That's all for now. We hope to hear from or see you soon. </span></div><div><br /></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-1313307596512013662010-05-30T22:27:00.003-05:002010-05-30T23:06:02.978-05:001.5 years youngWe have been very busy since our last post. I know that we are overdue, so I will try to make it worth the wait.<div><br /></div><div>Henry has had a couple of good reports from specialists. In early May, Henry and Meade spent the night at Evanston Hospital so that he could have an all-night <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography">EEG</a>. This test was scheduled because we witnessed some movements that were suspicious, but we could not determine whether or not they were seizures. Our neurologist wanted to monitor Henry overnight because the transition periods between wake and sleep are the most common times for seizure activity. The test showed no seizures, so we were quite pleased with that. Here is a picture of Henry with his leads attached and his head wrapped in bandages:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654268301/" title="20100507-allnight-eeg by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4654268301_32f75bc113.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20100507-allnight-eeg" /></a><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry also had a follow-up appointment to check for the state of his left hip after his Botox injection. The X-ray showed slight improvement in the position of his left femur, so we are pleased with that progress. In early July, he will have another X-ray followed by a repeat Botox injection. Botox only lasts for a couple of months, so we will continue this course of periodic injections and X-rays until either his hip forms normally, or we are forced to have surgery. </div><div><br /></div><div>To help correct his hip issue as well as to further develop his head control, we have been using a piece of equipment called a "<a href="http://www.rifton.com/products/mobility/pacergaittrainers/">gait trainer</a>." Although a gait trainer is typically used for the development of walking, we can lock the wheels on Henry's and use it as a stander. As shown in the following pictures, he usually enjoys time spent in his stander:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654260765/" title="20100408-stander by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4654260765_ce42fce415.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100408-stander" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654260765/" title="20100408-stander by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654263739/" title="20100411-stander by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4654263739_a94f72f384.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100411-stander" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654263739/" title="20100411-stander by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654269275/" title="20100523-stander by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4654269275_9212589843.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="20100523-stander" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, we also continue to spend much time practicing sitting:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654262681/" title="20100508-sitting1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4654262681_8b4f0a3559.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100508-sitting1" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654883130/" title="20100508-sitting2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4654883130_2e180f7d45.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100508-sitting2" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654264571/" title="20100511-sitting3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/4654264571_4bd26bd275.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100511-sitting3" /></a><br /></div></div><br /><br /><div>Henry has had a couple of very important visitors this month. His Nanna came in from Pennsylvania to spend a few days with us. We forgot to snap many pictures, but we did get at least a couple: </div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654268753/" title="20100523-Nanna by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4654268753_99fa743c2c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="20100523-Nanna" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654266277/" title="20100525-Nanna by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4654266277_ec602483f1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100525-Nanna" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kate came to visit us from Montana:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654267903/" title="20100528-Kate by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4654267903_766d3611dd.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100528-Kate" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>When Henry is concentrating, he cannot be bothered with trivial tasks such as swallowing his saliva. Therefore, he has developed a reputation as a prolific drooler:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654267125/" title="20100511-drooling by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4654267125_4b072b2e0a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100511-drooling" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry has great hair. It is increasingly becoming little boy hair instead of baby hair. It looks best right out of the shower:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654261913/" title="20100411-hair1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4654261913_71bc2e0dd2.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100411-hair1" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4654879040/" title="20100411-hair2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4654879040_636543e649.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100411-hair2" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, a shameless plug... I am raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Illinois by bicycling 175 miles on June 12 and 13. If you would like to contribute to my ride, please visit my fundraising website <a href="http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/ILDBikeEvents?px=5797331&pg=personal&fr_id=13201&s_tafId=170484">here</a>.</div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-11324847155408683192010-04-04T21:18:00.002-05:002010-04-04T22:21:52.569-05:00Spring time<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We finally have some reason to believe that perhaps we will not see more snow this year. We are certainly enjoying the end of our hibernation. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry is receiving a </span><a href="http://www.rifton.com/products/mobility/pacergaittrainers/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">gait trainer</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> tomorrow. Although he is not ready to learn to walk, the wheels can be locked into place to help him learn to stand. Since he is not yet rolling or sitting, standing may also seem like a stretch. However, if he will cooperate, practicing standing should be very good for his hips. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">An X-ray recently revealed that Henry's left </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adductor_muscles_of_the_hip"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">hip adductor muscles</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> are beginning to pull the head of his femur out of its proper position in the hip socket. This is a common problem for children with cerebral palsy. We are in the midst of our first course of action to mitigate this problem. Henry received a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulinum_toxin#Medical_uses"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">botox injection</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> into his adductors in order to loosen them temporarily. The looseness should last from three to four months. During this time, we will be trying to keep his legs at least 30 degrees apart whenever practical. This includes holding him with his legs straddling our bodies and positioning him for sleep with a specially-designed foam wedge strapped between his legs. Bearing weight through his legs will also help his hips form properly. We plan to use the new gait trainer to this end. If our efforts are successful, we will be able to avoid having surgeries to either cut one of the adductors or physically reshape the bones. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We anticipate beginning Henry's hearing therapy this week. We are looking forward to improving his auditory response to his environment and to us. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry underwent another fast MRI last week to check on the size of his ventricles. His head circumference had not changed from his previous visit, which indicates that the pressure inside his head is likely normalized. However, the image showed little, if any, change in ventricle size from the previous MRI. The size of his ventricles is determined by the balance of intracranial pressure and health of the brain tissue. That his ventricles remain large despite his head size stabilizing indicates that Henry's brain has most likely experienced quite a bit of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrophy"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">atrophy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. This is not the conclusion we want, but it becomes increasingly certain as time passes. We will have another fast MRI in three months, and then a full MRI around his second birthday.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry continues to develop at his own pace. Here he is working out with his first dumbbell:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4492035010/" title="20100321-Dumbell by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4492035010_9cbd470923.jpg" width="500" height="338" alt="20100321-Dumbell" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Obligatory tummy time:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491401149/" title="20100404-TummyTime by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4491401149_8cfc9e704c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100404-TummyTime" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We discovered that he loves brownies:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491396887/" title="20100321-Brownie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4491396887_61594f5527.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100321-Brownie" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry isn't the only one making progress in our house. Here is Meade practicing sitting:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491395541/" title="20100310-SittingPractice by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4491395541_94213e3c6f.jpg" width="349" height="500" alt="20100310-SittingPractice" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491395541/" title="20100310-SittingPractice by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491396277/" title="20100310-Cute by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4491396277_d668204db3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100310-Cute" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Photo credit to Jennie for snapping him napping:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4492035680/" title="20100401-Napping by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4492035680_dd83675d05.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100401-Napping" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here he is hanging out with Big Don:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491395245/" title="20100305-BigDon by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4491395245_7d1f0b969a.jpg" width="500" height="473" alt="20100305-BigDon" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Today was Easter, and it was a fine day for an Easter egg hunt:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491397939/" title="20100404-EasterEggHunt by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4491397939_9d9e1b7b94.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100404-EasterEggHunt" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Holly had a very busy first Easter:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491397491/" title="20100404-FirstEaster by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2709/4491397491_12a6599829.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="20100404-FirstEaster" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Emika was able to dodge the paparazzi long enough to find some eggs:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491398933/" title="20100404-Emika by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4491398933_67a26ca98e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100404-Emika" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry found an Easter egg of his own:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4491401791/" title="20100404-EasterEgg by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2765/4491401791_b599a622d7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100404-EasterEgg" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Our happy family:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4492039030/" title="20100404-Family by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2723/4492039030_19b9bd5107.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="20100404-Family" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For a few more photos of our Easter, check </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/tags/easter/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></div><div> </div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-82673302751117257712010-02-28T21:09:00.002-06:002010-02-28T22:06:57.173-06:00All over snow<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As we head into the final stretch of winter, we would like to share some of what has been happening with Henry during the first weeks of 2010.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's head circumference has remained stable since his </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_shunt#Complications"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">shunt revision</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, so it appears that the surgery was successful. As you can see from this picture, his scar is barely visible:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397125454/" title="02-07-10-scar by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4397125454_c605fd7ccb.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="02-07-10-scar" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He did finally have the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_brainstem_response"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ABR</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> performed in order to accurately assess his hearing. The test demonstrated that although Henry's hearing mechanism is functioning normally, his brain does not properly or consistently interpret sound. We know that Henry hears something because he responds in his own way to our voices, and he startles at certain sudden, percussive sounds. We are in the process of finding a hearing therapist in order to help us teach Henry how to use his hearing more consistently. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We made a snowy trek to Pennsylvania in early February. We had dual purposes for this trip: visit a vision specialist in Pittsburgh and see family. The vision specialist gave us many good ideas for helping Henry to continue to improve using his sight. We will likely visit her again in August.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We were able to see Henry's Great Grammy, Nanna and Pap, and all of the aunts and uncles except Dori and Nate, who were snowed in. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">After much waiting and drama, we finally have an adaptive chair for Henry. The chair helps to support his body and can be positioned at various heights. He still much prefers to be held, but here he is eating dinner in his chair:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396359201/" title="02-10-10-chair by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4396359201_f28571a38b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="02-10-10-chair" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We stayed with the Costellos while in Pittsburgh:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397127094/" title="02-09-10-Costellos by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4397127094_cb60057f9d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="02-09-10-Costellos" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And here we are with my family in Curwensville:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397128512/" title="02-11-10-Whitakers by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4397128512_affc189fd5.jpg" width="500" height="247" alt="02-11-10-Whitakers" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He also got to snuggle with Grammy:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396361025/" title="02-11-20-Grammy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4396361025_b4bc5fe3d7.jpg" width="500" height="396" alt="02-11-20-Grammy" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry and I watched the Superbowl, but were disappointed to discover that the Steelers weren't playing:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396357587/" title="02-07-10-Superbowl by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4396357587_0ab04c2b74.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="02-07-10-Superbowl" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's favorite toy continues to be strings of beads. You can see from this picture that he'll almost roll over for them:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397130250/" title="02-14-10-beads by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2716/4397130250_0c2ac650d3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="02-14-10-beads" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry had fun playing on a set of soft stairs at Gymboree:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396400589/" title="02-23-10-stairs by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4396400589_4d713a5d0a.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="02-23-10-stairs" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's friend Owen is learning lots of new skills and serves as a great example for Henry:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397167830/" title="02-23-10-Owen by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4397167830_93786f7bb6.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="02-23-10-Owen" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397167830/" title="02-23-10-Owen by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397129404/" title="02-14-10-Owen-and-Michelle by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4397129404_f260342170.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="02-14-10-Owen-and-Michelle" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4397129404/" title="02-14-10-Owen-and-Michelle by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396364061/" title="02-14-10-Owen by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4396364061_19ecd38ea1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="02-14-10-Owen" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here is Henry with his friends Ciara and Will:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396370829/" title="02-28-10-Ciara-Will by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4396370829_1e71705a88.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="02-28-10-Ciara-Will" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Most recently, we were pleased to be able to host Aunt Cara for a couple of days:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4396371333/" title="02-28-10-Cara by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4396371333_83ae8b837f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="02-28-10-Cara" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We are now looking forward to a busy start to Spring!</span></div><div><br /></div><div> </div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-65506802040988344412010-01-25T23:02:00.003-06:002010-01-25T23:53:18.566-06:00Welcome to the year 2010!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Much has happened since our last post. We had a peaceful Christmas here in Chicago, and Meade and I attended a wedding in Connecticut while Henry stayed at Big Don and Gramma Judy's. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_brainstem_response"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ABR</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> Henry was supposed to have in December was canceled because he had some fluid in his left ear. This eventually led to his first ear infection and several sleepless nights, but he was able to get over that with the help of some antibiotics. Although the fluid persists, the ABR has been rescheduled for January 28. If the fluid is present on the morning of the procedure, we will have it addressed by an ear, nose and throat doctor and proceed with the test. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In early January, a checkup with Henry's neurosurgeon revealed that his shunt was not functioning correctly. He had surgery (known as a "shunt revision") to determine and address the cause of the failure. The surgeon discovered that the catheter into his ventricle was partially obstructed. He replaced the catheter, and a subsequent MRI indicated that the shunt is once again draining properly. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry is extremely lucky to have recently added massage therapy to his list of weekly appointments. He really enjoys Melissa's visits, as do Meade and I. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here are some Christmas pictures:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry and Dad by the tree.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305758242/" title="12-25-2009-WithDad by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/4305758242_3530af624e.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="12-25-2009-WithDad" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Playing dinosaurs with Charlie and Harry.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305758242/" title="12-25-2009-WithDad by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305757004/" title="12-25-2009-PlayingWithCharlieAndHarry by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4305757004_b3c35a6797.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="12-25-2009-PlayingWithCharlieAndHarry" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Christmas Eve with Lisa and DC...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305757004/" title="12-25-2009-PlayingWithCharlieAndHarry by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305808496/" title="12-24-2009-LisaDC by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2709/4305808496_1197d262d1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="12-24-2009-LisaDC" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and Natalie.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305808496/" title="12-24-2009-LisaDC by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305065683/" title="12-24-2009-Natalie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4305065683_f895df244f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="12-24-2009-Natalie" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As usual, we have had some visitors. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Baby wrangling with Henry and Hilary.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305065267/" title="12-12-2009-BabyWrangling by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/4305065267_bbf8a4af47.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="12-12-2009-BabyWrangling" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Cousin Michele from North Carolina stopped by for dinner.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305758658/" title="1-13-2010-Michelle by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4305758658_f3293e0e11.jpg" width="500" height="383" alt="1-13-2010-Michelle" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jemmie, Christine, and James spent a weekend with us.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305812922/" title="1-16-2010-ChristineAndJames by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4305812922_e5790c4984.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1-16-2010-ChristineAndJames" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's surgery was postponed by 8 hours, so we spent a lot of time waiting in the hospital.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305810612/" title="1-7-2010-Waiting by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4305810612_b5886e5eed.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="1-7-2010-Waiting" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305810612/" title="1-7-2010-Waiting by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305066675/" title="1-7-2010-Beads by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4305066675_7c19cdf771.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="1-7-2010-Beads" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305066675/" title="1-7-2010-Beads by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305066319/" title="1-7-2010-MoreWaiting by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4305066319_872bf9f497.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="1-7-2010-MoreWaiting" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The morning after the surgery, it was time to play with beads!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305067885/" title="1-8-2010-Reaching-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4305067885_cd642de876.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1-8-2010-Reaching-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305067885/" title="1-8-2010-Reaching-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305812394/" title="1-8-2010-Reaching-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4305812394_bd427aed20.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1-8-2010-Reaching-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305812394/" title="1-8-2010-Reaching-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305811750/" title="1-8-2010-Mirror by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/4305811750_19ce9f3299.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1-8-2010-Mirror" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The first surgery left Henry with a small, tidy scar. The revision, on the other hand...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305812108/" title="1-8-2010-NewScar by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4305812108_a8a4f7fc9a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1-8-2010-NewScar" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Don't worry it looks much better now. I'd take a picture of it, but he's asleep.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry and Meade spent a couple of days in Door County. Here he is taking a bottle from Diana.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305812674/" title="1-23-2010-Diana by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4305812674_039173d86b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="1-23-2010-Diana" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry can't wait to get to Montana one day.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4305066021/" title="12-13-2009-MissoulaShirt by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4305066021_c9e2b77907.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="12-13-2009-MissoulaShirt" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Finally, here is Henry working with his developmental vision therapist. She brought a vintage toy (1995) that he found quite interesting. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><object type="application/futuresplash" width="400" height="225" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=823097c4d5&photo_id=4305175835"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/futuresplash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=823097c4d5&photo_id=4305175835" height="225" width="400"></embed></object><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-47814990753345924692009-12-01T21:41:00.004-06:002009-12-01T23:03:25.175-06:00Happy Hanksgiving!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What a fantastic week we had! Henry's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year (thanks to Ted and Rob for naming the new holiday), and we had many visitors to celebrate the convergence of gratitude and gluttony. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Backing up just for a moment: Henry had an EEG on the 21st. The test showed no signs of seizures but plenty of abnormal brain activity. We have come to expect the abnormal activity, so we are focusing on the positive aspect of a seizure-free test. Here is Henry getting ready for the test:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152176658/" title="11-21-09-eeg by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/4152176658_51d8393383.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="11-21-09-eeg" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A couple of days prior to that, he had a fast MRI to monitor his ventricle size. His head circumference measurement indicates that although his head is still extremely large, it is now growing at an appropriate pace. We were hoping that the MRI would show a significant reduction in ventricle size, but this was not the case. Although the ventricles are shrinking, they are shrinking very slowly. The change from his previous test was barely distinguishable. We do not yet know what this means because of ambiguities resulting from the interaction of the shunt and the brain. The combination of normal pressure within the cranium and continued large ventricles would indicate that the brain has undergone much atrophy. Henry's surgeon told us that the ventricles usually reach their final size within about a year of surgery, so we still have time to see improvement. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here we are waiting for the surgeon to arrive:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151416555/" title="11-11-doctor-office by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2802/4151416555_fce05c5f78.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="11-11-doctor-office" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We also saw the pediatrician last week. He is almost 27 pounds and 33.5 inches tall. In short, he is gigantic. He received his H1N1 vaccine along with the standard first-birthday regimen.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Within the next couple of days, Henry will see his neurologist, have an </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_brainstem_response"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ABR</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> to determine the range of his hearing, and visit a therapeutic equipment specialist to make sure that his new </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankle-foot_orthosis"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">AFOs</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> fit him correctly (We're fairly sure that they do.).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Back to the fun stuff...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry had many visitors from my side of the family including cousin Susie:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152130868/" title="11-23-09-Susie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2608/4152130868_3a8c5b59fc.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-23-09-Susie" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nanna:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152129850/" title="11-21-09-Nanna by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/4152129850_819905cc85.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-21-09-Nanna" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Cara and Joe:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151373295/" title="11-24-09-Ciamaccos by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/4151373295_fd922e6a40.jpg" width="500" height="423" alt="11-24-09-Ciamaccos" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Talisa and Jason:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152142176/" title="11-28-09-Dimmicks1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2702/4152142176_3ceffe8def.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-28-09-Dimmicks1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Pap somehow avoided being photographed individually, so you'll have to find him in the family portrait at the end.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry loved his first Thanksgiving dinner:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152136278/" title="11-26-09-yum1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2534/4152136278_c0cf4478b8.jpg" width="500" height="448" alt="11-26-09-yum1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151375475/" title="11-26-09-Henry-thanksgiving-dinner by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/4151375475_a9bb251414.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-Henry-thanksgiving-dinner" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151373955/" title="11-26-09-yum2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2785/4151373955_1f10935ec8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-yum2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We did not suffer from a shortage of desserts...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151377291/" title="11-26-09-desserts by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2655/4151377291_c421f79b9e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-desserts" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />...but Henry was most interested in his very first birthday cake, a "bib" cake (a family tradition on first birthdays) made especially for him by his Nanna.<br /><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151376239/" title="11-26-09-first-cake by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4151376239_94dea32b93.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-first-cake" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151376239/" title="11-26-09-first-cake by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152137742/" title="11-26-09-happy-birthday by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2713/4152137742_12767d9946.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-happy-birthday" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152137742/" title="11-26-09-happy-birthday by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151378867/" title="11-26-09-candle by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4151378867_be7eb461e5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-candle" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151378867/" title="11-26-09-candle by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152141082/" title="11-26-09-eating-cake by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2637/4152141082_608391a28b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-eating-cake" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152141082/" title="11-26-09-eating-cake by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151379543/" title="11-26-09-first-bite by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2696/4151379543_877a4923c4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-26-09-first-bite" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151379895/" title="11-26-09-mom by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2718/4151379895_d699746268.jpg" width="500" height="432" alt="11-26-09-mom" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br />Hank received many (too many) great birthday presents including this stylish hat:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151381623/" title="11-26-09-hat2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2804/4151381623_7af04c0f85.jpg" width="500" height="433" alt="11-26-09-hat2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151380427/" title="11-26-09-hat1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/4151380427_f91bf16213.jpg" width="500" height="389" alt="11-26-09-hat1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We are spending as much time as we can developing Henry's vision. We discovered that his favorite non-illuminated objects are strings of shiny beads. Here are some pictures of Henry with his beads. Notice that he is even beginning to reach for the beads, integrating vision with motor skills.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151372025/" title="11-24-09-beads2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/4151372025_5d84ee7c02.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-24-09-beads2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152134278/" title="11-24-09-beads1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/4152134278_e81c845a4e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-24-09-beads1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151372749/" title="11-24-09-beads3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/4151372749_c36fac07c3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-24-09-beads3" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The beads are also highly motivational for head control. We use them while we work on sitting so that he focuses on watching the beads rather than struggling with his floppy body. He is making great progress with sitting, but we still have a ways to go. I can only let go of him for a second or two before he slumps over. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151384335/" title="11-28-09-sitting1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4151384335_f21ea8b825.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-28-09-sitting1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152145766/" title="11-28-09-sitting2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4152145766_6a44fce50b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-28-09-sitting2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151385135/" title="11-28-09-sitting3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2516/4151385135_7d7c0f5127.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-28-09-sitting3" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152146508/" title="11-28-09-sitting4 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2547/4152146508_ba408172bc.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-28-09-sitting4" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry got to play with his cousin Emika.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4152177324/" title="11-29-09-cousin by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/4152177324_21b5d52658.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="11-29-09-cousin" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And finally, here is Henry posing with my family. We certainly enjoyed their visit, although we missed Dori, Nate, and Grammy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4151382873/" title="11-26-09-family by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/4151382873_531992e77a.jpg" width="500" height="291" alt="11-26-09-family" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We hope everyone had a Happy Hanksgiving! </span></div><div><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-82995997688912916202009-11-04T21:35:00.004-06:002009-11-04T22:59:49.591-06:00Trick or Treat<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">October came and went in a blur of visitors and therapy appointments. Henry continues to be seizure-free, and he is making slow, steady progress with his various therapies.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In physical therapy, we are focusing on rolling over. If we initiate the roll through his shoulders, he can complete it with his legs and vice versa. Now he just needs to figure out how, when, and why to initiate the roll. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We now feed him a small amount of meltable solids (aka cheese puffs) each day. The primary goal is to teach him to chew solids. Becoming an obedient consumer of corn-based foods is secondary. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's neurosurgeon confirmed that he believes the shunt is now functioning properly. We will measure its progress with a fast MRI on November 11. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Dori and Nate spent a weekend with us. It was our first chilly weekend of the year, but that didn't stop us from exploring Millennium Park:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076271213/" title="10-10-09-Dori-and-Nate-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2556/4076271213_aa348c60c8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="10-10-09-Dori-and-Nate-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076271213/" title="10-10-09-Dori-and-Nate-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076270893/" title="10-10-09-Dori-and-Nate-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2716/4076270893_c943c8feae.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="10-10-09-Dori-and-Nate-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076270893/" title="10-10-09-Dori-and-Nate-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4077026078/" title="10-10-09-strolling-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/4077026078_d590fc951c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="10-10-09-strolling-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4077026078/" title="10-10-09-strolling-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076271931/" title="10-10-09-strolling-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2432/4076271931_ec6d39edba.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="10-10-09-strolling-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For children, the month of October is filled with the anticipation of Halloween. Although Henry does not yet know the sweet taste of candy, he had three Halloween costumes from which to choose. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The tiger costume was a little too scary. We wouldn't want to frighten the neigborhood:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076220129/" title="10-25-09-tiger by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2655/4076220129_fefb6a923b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-25-09-tiger" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He wore his bear costume to a Halloween party with his cousins:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4077131276/" title="10-25-09 Bear Cousins by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2703/4077131276_6b9a0fd8ba.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="10-25-09 Bear Cousins" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But for Halloween day, we chose the cutest (most humiliating) costume we could find:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076980610/" title="10-31-09-bee4 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/4076980610_b554a831c2.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="10-31-09-bee4" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076978886/" title="10-31-09-bee1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/4076978886_a83c78ccd4.jpg" width="500" height="372" alt="10-31-09-bee1" /></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076978886/" title="10-31-09-bee1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076222789/" title="10-31-09-bee3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/4076222789_ba2437621e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-31-09-bee3" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076222789/" title="10-31-09-bee3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076979716/" title="10-31-09-bee2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/4076979716_0a8ba709c8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-31-09-bee2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The highlight of our month was a trip to Pennsylvania. Here is Henry hanging out with his great grandmother, Grammy:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076225995/" title="11-1-09-Grammy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/4076225995_0c9a31541a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-1-09-Grammy" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">His aunt Talisa:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076982434/" title="11-1-09-Talisa by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/4076982434_9f8006aa33.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-1-09-Talisa" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and his Pap:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076982980/" title="11-2-09-Pap by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/4076982980_3982f4f5e9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-2-09-Pap" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Here he is practicing head control:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076225405/" title="11-1-09-Grammy-Talisa by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/4076225405_76637d6d5d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="11-1-09-Grammy-Talisa" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And enjoying the great outdoors with his dad:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076221111/" title="10-31-09-thingsarelookingup by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4076221111_951118d88f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-31-09-thingsarelookingup" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076220661/" title="10-31-09-Happy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/4076220661_4697ef9865.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-31-09-Happy" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076221361/" title="10-31-09-profile by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/4076221361_415c3e08c4.jpg" width="500" height="416" alt="10-31-09-profile" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry's friend Owen came for a visit earlier this month. They had a great time playing, and Owen got to practice being a bully by stealing Henry's pacifier.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076973082/" title="10-24-09-Owen-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/4076973082_9a04f7639a.jpg" width="500" height="331" alt="10-24-09-Owen-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076217991/" title="10-24-09-Michelle-Owen by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2760/4076217991_2aab03b389.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="10-24-09-Michelle-Owen" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076218933/" title="10-24-09-moms-and-boys-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2632/4076218933_0b0b4b3b5b.jpg" width="500" height="356" alt="10-24-09-moms-and-boys-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076218423/" title="10-24-09-baby-torture by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3517/4076218423_765a723b1f.jpg" width="454" height="500" alt="10-24-09-baby-torture" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry gets to see his Gramma Judy on most weekends:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076975106/" title="10-24-09-GrammaJudy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4076975106_282aee8dff.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-24-09-GrammaJudy" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />And he always has fun hanging out with his cousins. Here they are gathered around the newest addition:<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076271493/" title="10-11-09-cousins by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/4076271493_8b9ec2eac8.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="10-11-09-cousins" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Some days, Henry gets to spend a few hours with his good friend Luan:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076270045/" title="10-2-09-Luan by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/4076270045_f3040a217f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="10-2-09-Luan" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Finally, here are a couple of pictures of Henry fresh out of the shower:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4076269581/" title="9-20-09-showertime-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/4076269581_20d5f09534.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="9-20-09-showertime-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/4077024920/" title="9-20-09-showertime-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4077024920_3d8f87e56a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="9-20-09-showertime-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-86791212019052977362009-10-01T22:10:00.003-05:002009-10-01T23:01:27.918-05:00October already<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">October finds us with much good news to report. Henry has been seizure-free since our last post. His latest MRI showed a decrease in ventricle size. This indicates that his shunt, now on its lowest-pressure setting, is finally functioning correctly. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He also has new glasses. Not only is he taking an increased interest in the world around him, but he looks like an older, more sophisticated baby.</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3972889677/" title="9-30-09-NewGlasses by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3465/3972889677_48ea2c3915.jpg" width="500" height="458" alt="9-30-09-NewGlasses" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We were very lucky to find a fantastic babysitter for Henry. Jennie spends two fun-filled days per week with Henry, and he adores her. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3973656690/" title="10-01-09-WithJennie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2542/3973656690_e28afac7d4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="10-01-09-WithJennie" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We have been encouraging Henry's love of nature with trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3973654962/" title="9-06-09-BotanicGardens by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3505/3973654962_530deb6dd4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9-06-09-BotanicGardens" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3973654962/" title="9-06-09-BotanicGardens by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3972889271/" title="9-06-09-Flowers by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3493/3972889271_4f1471f649.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="9-06-09-Flowers" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3972889271/" title="9-06-09-Flowers by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br />Finally, Henry is starting to laugh for us. Meade is quite good at making him laugh while playing with his "squeaky mirror." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=826e0c4767&photo_id=3973749430"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=826e0c4767&photo_id=3973749430" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><div><br /></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-69224697312838046992009-09-06T22:36:00.002-05:002009-09-06T23:51:39.547-05:00End of summer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Summer is coming to a close. Henry loves to be outdoors, so we have greatly enjoyed the mild weather in Chicago throughout this season. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872704079/" title="8-9-09-Sun by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2563/3872704079_b3aa983b1f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="8-9-09-Sun" /></a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872704079/" title="8-9-09-Sun by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry is using his vision a lot more. He is becoming increasingly interested in faces, but his favorite objects to look at are trees.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872659957/" title="8-30-09-Canopy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3872659957_edea598333.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-30-09-Canopy" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872659957/" title="8-30-09-Canopy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br />We recently discovered that his glasses prescription needs to be significantly increased. Once we receive his new glasses, his world will be all the more clear. This picture shows Henry with his developmental vision therapist playing with the lightbox.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872650589/" title="8-3-09-Lightbox by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/3872650589_b1d24c0c2c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-3-09-Lightbox" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Unfortunately, Henry's seizures seem to be returning. We have gone through several rounds of increasing his seizure medicine, observing a seizure a week later, and increasing the dosage yet again. We still have a few dose increases of his current medicine before we hit the maximum safe amount, but each increase is an indication that we may need to choose a different seizure medicine to keep his seizures under control. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We finally found something Henry enjoys that does not involve someone holding him. Here is a video of him playing with a mobile that was given to us by our friends Bryan and Adele. He not only watches the hanging animals drift by, but he attempts to grab them.</span></div><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=fc7ccaeb83&photo_id=3894645223"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=fc7ccaeb83&photo_id=3894645223" height="300" width="400"></embed></object></div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Our friends Peter, Sarah, and Ian spent a weekend with us in August. </span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873435666/" title="8-9-09-Sarah&amp;Ian by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/3873435666_0c7f5f2eeb.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="8-9-09-Sarah&amp;Ian" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873435666/" title="8-9-09-Sarah&amp;Ian by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We had a lot of fun playing on the slip-n-slide with the cousins.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872705907/" title="8-9-09-SlipNSlide by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3502/3872705907_431329220b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="8-9-09-SlipNSlide" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We have had many other visitors this summer. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Carol visited from Michigan.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873432506/" title="8-2-09-Carol by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3873432506_8a86ab523f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-2-09-Carol" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Jess dropped in from San Francisco.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872652839/" title="8-9-09-Jess by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3872652839_449e8a0bed.jpg" width="500" height="453" alt="8-9-09-Jess" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mark braved the journey from the wilds of Elgin.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872653461/" title="8-9-09-Mark by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2434/3872653461_571daee859.jpg" width="500" height="419" alt="8-9-09-Mark" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">Molly came from LA.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872704879/" title="8-10-09-Molly by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2495/3872704879_fd71e6ba4f.jpg" width="454" height="500" alt="8-10-09-Molly" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Bobby stopped over on his way from Vermont to Vancouver.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872654009/" title="8-22-09-Bobby by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/3872654009_e2bc7abac4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-22-09-Bobby" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mom spent a week with us. We all greatly appreciated her help and company.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873441110/" title="8-28-09-Nanna-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3873441110_503efcac7e.jpg" width="500" height="438" alt="8-28-09-Nanna-2" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873441110/" title="8-28-09-Nanna-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873439710/" title="8-28-09-Nana-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2541/3873439710_8eb01cdc3f.jpg" width="500" height="389" alt="8-28-09-Nana-1" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Henry is pleased to have a new baby girl cousin, Holloway (Holly). As you can see, she was cute from day one.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3894772873/" title="Holly by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/3894772873_78f5de679e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Holly" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3894772873/" title="Holly by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3894772657/" title="Ross-Sarah-Holly by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2496/3894772657_988ee4e9bb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Ross-Sarah-Holly" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">Our friends Mike, Angela, Isabella, and Will are moving to Minneapolis later this month. We will miss them terribly. We had a fun excursion with them to the Morton Arboretum.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3872661001/" title="8-30-09-Doyles by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3872661001_a91a793fd8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-30-09-Doyles" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">Here are some random pictures of a Happy Hank.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873434390/" title="8-8-09-Sleeping by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2625/3873434390_2f60987c3e.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="8-8-09-Sleeping" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873434390/" title="8-8-09-Sleeping by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873439028/" title="8-23-09-Giggles by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/3873439028_c951e3b870.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-23-09-Giggles" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873439028/" title="8-23-09-Giggles by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873440230/" title="8-23-09-Smiling by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3873440230_1d5b01fa4a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="8-23-09-Smiling" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873440230/" title="8-23-09-Smiling by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873490680/" title="8-27-09-ReadyForWork by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3451/3873490680_4b7b322073.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="8-27-09-ReadyForWork" /></a></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873490680/" title="8-27-09-ReadyForWork by macwhitaker, on Flickr"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873489462/" title="8-19-09-Haircuts by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3483/3873489462_1a918bb965.jpg" width="489" height="500" alt="8-19-09-Haircuts" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Finally, here is a shot of Henry getting clean with his cousins.</span></div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3873491380/" title="8-19-09-Bathtime by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2589/3873491380_40e4929144.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="8-19-09-Bathtime" /></a><br /><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-80768358607345299802009-08-02T20:46:00.002-05:002009-08-02T22:56:20.209-05:00Busy summer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We have had quite a busy summer. Besides Henry's many ongoing therapy sessions, we have had a few highlights.<br /><br />Here we are with Henry's cousins looking quite patriotic on the 4th of July:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782952698/" title="7-4-09-Patriotic by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3782952698_c4b6f8b75e.jpg" width="500" height="301" alt="7-4-09-Patriotic" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />We finally found an opportunity to spend a weekend in Door County. Here we are getting ready for a road trip:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782939896/" title="7-25-09-Carride-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3591/3782939896_1685e580f2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-25-09-Carride-1" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782942600/" title="7-25-09-Carride-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3782942600_52996a7c32.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-25-09-Carride-2" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782135717/" title="7-25-09-Carride-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3424/3782135717_3f8f234833.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-25-09-Carride-3" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />Here is lunch time with cousins:<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782115631/" title="7-24-09-Cousins by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3782115631_f51de0ec5d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-24-09-Cousins" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />Jim and Susan's house is surrounded by lush vegetation. When Henry spotted the fireweed, he broke into a huge grin:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782928036/" title="7-24-09-Fireweed-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/3782928036_e4befc2293.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="7-24-09-Fireweed-1" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782930356/" title="7-24-09-Fireweed-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3493/3782930356_9ac053d0d0.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="7-24-09-Fireweed-2" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782122973/" title="7-24-09-Fireweed-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2541/3782122973_343cc39d8f.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="7-24-09-Fireweed-3" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Henry also got to spend some quality time with Diana:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782936832/" title="7-24-09-Diana by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/3782936832_fc5e224a87.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-24-09-Diana" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />We have been lucky enough to have quite a few visitors this summer. To name a few...<br /><br />Ted took a brief hiatus from the glitz of Los Angeles:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3783171153/" title="7-14-09-Ted by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3783171153_39006d2f43.jpg" width="500" height="437" alt="7-14-09-Ted" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Kate moseyed in from Montana:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782102413/" title="7-12-09-Kate by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3782102413_6d5be1b07c.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="7-12-09-Kate" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Will also get to spend a couple of days with us:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782949666/" title="7-31-09-Will by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3782949666_35b32b3de2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-31-09-Will" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Henry has been progressing well with his therapy. He is eating baby food several times per day:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782921118/" title="7-24-09-Carrots by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3559/3782921118_332b1c4703.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-24-09-Carrots" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />He also gets lots of sitting practice:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782094327/" title="7-5-09-SittingPractice-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2492/3782094327_66342e9ab3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-5-09-SittingPractice-1" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782098517/" title="7-5-09-SittingPractice-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/3782098517_e06fea3821.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-5-09-SittingPractice-2" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782900184/" title="7-5-09-SittingPractice-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3561/3782900184_51cfb6483c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-5-09-SittingPractice-3" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />In other exciting news, Henry has a brand new cousin, Emika Alice. Here she is with Peggy:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782954094/" title="7-23-09-PeggyEmika by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3782954094_53ae7ca8e5.jpg" width="477" height="500" alt="7-23-09-PeggyEmika" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />And on Daddy Wesley's shoulder:<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782916810/" title="7-23-09-WesleyEmika by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2098/3782916810_a91c3ff056.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-23-09-WesleyEmika" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />As far as Henry's general health is concerned, within a week after his shunt implantation he began sleeping through the night about half of the time. To put that in perspective, prior to the surgery he had slept through the night a grand total of three times. We are all a lot happier with the dramatic increase in our dormant hours.<br /><br />We had a little bit of a scare this past week. On Tuesday, Henry had a runny nose and a slight fever. By Wednesday, the runny nose and fever had subsided, but he refused to nap or eat and spent the day whimpering to himself. We were instructed by our surgeon to take him to the emergency department at Children's Memorial Hospital to make sure that he did not have an infected shunt. Once we arrived, we learned that the analysis of his cerebral spinal fluid would take up to 48 hours. The good news was that they could remove the fluid directly from the shunt valve rather than doing a spinal tap. Fortunately, our stay was cut short when Meade and I both contracted terrible colds. The doctors were convinced that Henry's symptoms were completely consistent with a cold and that the best thing for everyone was lots of rest in our own beds. We spent a total of 24 hours at the hospital, and we were all happy to be home again.<br /><br />We have a lot more going on in August, and we are especially excited that Henry's Nanna will be visiting from Pennsylvania.<br /><br />To close this post, here is a picture of Hank fast asleep. The feet belong to Bean, his pet moose.<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3782895800/" title="7-4-09-Sleeping by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3418/3782895800_e89627e2b4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="7-4-09-Sleeping" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><div><br /></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-42552876403727045692009-07-12T21:47:00.002-05:002009-07-12T22:50:56.092-05:00Home againWe were discharged from the hospital around noon on Saturday, possibly a record for the earliest anyone has ever been discharged from a hospital. Before we left, Hank had a fast MRI in order to get a baseline image for future comparisons. We have not yet seen those images, but we do not expect any real change so soon. One of the residents had to reset <a href="http://www.neurosurgery.pitt.edu/endovascular/treatments/nph.html">Henry's shunt</a> after the MRI. <div><br /></div><div>Since leaving the hospital, we have been hanging out at home recovering from an eventful few days and attempting to get Henry back into a normal sleep/wake schedule. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some pictures of Henry that we have taken over the past few days:</div><div><br /></div><div>Last weekend, we took Henry for his first swim. He will have to wait a few days for his stitches to heal before going again. He seemed to enjoy being in the water.</div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714718314/" title="7-5-09-Swimming by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/3714718314_f67f50ca89.jpg" width="435" height="500" alt="7-5-09-Swimming" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived at the hospital bright and early on Friday to prepare for the surgery.</div><div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714777046/" title="7-10-09-HospitalGown by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2431/3714777046_03b50c94aa.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="7-10-09-HospitalGown" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry's head before the surgery...</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3713909787/" title="7-10-09-HeadBefore by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2614/3713909787_7b534d304e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-HeadBefore" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>...and after the surgery. The blue on his head and ear is from a specialized device (called a "ball point pen") used for denoting which side of the head will receive the shunt. The orange stain is disinfectant. The stitches do not need to be removed, but we do need to keep them dry for a few days. The valve sits under the scalp just below the cut. It does not show well in this picture.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3713918365/" title="7-10-09-HeadAfter by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2567/3713918365_98d8a9d800.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-HeadAfter" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He has a matching scar on his tummy. This one has a thin artificial skin covering it. Surprisingly, it does not seem to cause him any discomfort at all.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714748454/" title="7-10-09-TummyScar by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3714748454_e24db914ed.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-TummyScar" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some pictures of Henry sleeping soundly after the surgery.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714752552/" title="7-10-09-Resting by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3714752552_579f3567b7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-Resting" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714750250/" title="7-10-09-Meade by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3714750250_28e594c3b4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-Meade" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714741136/" title="7-10-09-TryingToWake-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2582/3714741136_811bccc416.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-TryingToWake-1" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714745570/" title="7-10-09-TryingToWake-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/3714745570_0f8449de1d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-TryingToWake-2" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714737288/" title="7-10-09-KnockedOut-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3443/3714737288_4838c4408e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-KnockedOut-2" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, he awoke enough to take a bottle.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714754700/" title="7-10-09-FinallyEating by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/3714754700_befd03eb9d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-10-09-FinallyEating" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry looked adorable as we prepare to leave the hospital.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3713946375/" title="7-11-09-ReadyToLeave-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3713946375_b20c7f5e6c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-11-09-ReadyToLeave-1" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3713948245/" title="7-11-09-ReadyToLeave-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2471/3713948245_6befd8a949.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-11-09-ReadyToLeave-2" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3714769128/" title="7-11-09-ReadyToLeave-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/3714769128_b8de5eaec1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-11-09-ReadyToLeave-3" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-62025420160315677482009-07-10T22:27:00.002-05:002009-07-10T22:43:34.809-05:00Up and at 'em<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Hank is awake and just finished breast feeding. His voice is hoarse from being intubated during the operation, but he is vocalizing as he usually does. He is no longer connected to the IV drip, and Meade is holding him free of any sort of monitoring equipment. We are managing his pain through children's tylenol only, although we have morphine standing by if needed. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">He had an X-ray earlier this evening that showed the position of the shunt. It truly does reach into the very center of his head. The valve sits under his scalp, and the drainage tubing traces down his neck before looping three times within his abdominal region. He will have a fast MRI tomorrow to set a baseline for the size of his ventricles. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We expect to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow afternoon after a final consultation with his surgeon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-89349711871057258052009-07-10T10:50:00.002-05:002009-07-10T11:08:15.987-05:00Resting peacefully<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We found Henry sleeping peacefully in the recovery room, possibly the most chaotic environment that we have ever experienced. As much as parents dislike surgeries, apparently the children undergoing them dislike them even more.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We have since been moved to a private room while we wait for Hank to wake up and for a bed in the neurological evaluation area to become available. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">All of Henry's vital signs are strong, and his new scars will lend some street cred to his otherwise cherubic visage. </span></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-80040973756988106412009-07-10T09:07:00.002-05:002009-07-10T09:08:36.600-05:00Successful surgery<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We just chatted with the surgeon, and Henry's surgery was quick and uneventful. We will soon be headed to the recovery room to wait for him to awake.</span>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-60671632172021389072009-07-07T09:33:00.002-05:002009-07-07T09:35:14.032-05:00Surgery scheduled<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Henry's surgery has been scheduled for this Friday morning, July 10. We will post an update after the surgery as soon as we are able.</span><div><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-5187114550046787402009-07-03T21:37:00.003-05:002009-07-03T23:34:39.359-05:00MRI #3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The past few weeks have been fairly calm for us. Henry has been getting lots of therapy, and he continues to make slow and steady progress on nearly all fronts. In addition to nursing, he is also eating baby food. While he took an instant liking to vegetables, especially squash, he is less certain of fruit. After a few consecutive attempts at a given fruit, though, he usually starts to like it. Here is a video of the second time we fed him bananas:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="225" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=cb618de082&photo_id=3685514327"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=cb618de082&photo_id=3685514327" height="225" width="400"></embed></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Our calm was disrupted this week. Five months ago, Henry's head circumference was measuring in the 5th percentile for his age group. This measurement has been steadily climbing since that time and is now in the 90th percentile. Increase in head circumference is driven by two factors: brain development or the pressure from trapped cerebral spinal fluid (a condition known as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocephalus"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">hydrocephalus</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">). Given the nature of Henry's brain injury, the latter is more likely. However, Henry's head is not misshapen, his </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontanelle"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">fontanelle</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> is still soft, and his eye examination showed no abnormal pressure behind his eyes. Each of these factors is evidence against hydrocephalus. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">To find out what is actually going on inside of Hank's head, our neurologist ordered an MRI. The MRI was performed at Evanston Hospital, where we spent most of the day waiting for Henry to wake up from sedation. By the time he awoke, the results had been read, and we were sent directly to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for a consult with a pediatric neurosurgeon. The new MRI shows that Henry's ventricles are now much, much larger than they were back in December, the time of his second MRI. Ventricle size increase can be caused by either brain atrophy or fluid retention. Due to the dramatic increase in size, our neurosurgeon suspects that both factors are present. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">A </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_shunt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">shunt</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> is the usual apparatus for dealing with excess fluid. Because of the extremely swollen ventricles and brain matter of unknown integrity, we need to take extra precaution that Henry's brain does not collapse due to draining the fluid too quickly. To reduce the risk to Henry's brain, they are going to install an adjustable, high-pressure shunt. Once installed, the pressure point of the valve on the shunt can be adjusted by using a special magnet. (We won't be doing this at home.) Our goal will be to drain enough fluid from the brain so that the brain tissue has optimal space in which to operate but not so much that his brain collapses. He will be closely monitored by the surgeon at Children's Memorial Hospital. Children's has a special MRI for monitoring ventricle size that requires only about five minutes to capture the image and does not necessitate sedation. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We do not have a specific date yet, but we have been informed that Henry's surgery will take place late next week. Although this surgery is a big deal for us, it appears to be the simplest, most routine surgery that a pediatric neurosurgeon performs. Hank's surgeon assures us that he will be back to normal within a couple of days. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">If Henry's brain is currently under stress from being compressed, we may observe an increase in his functional development once the pressure inside his head is normalized. Meade and I are resisting the urge to hope or speculate at this time. We want to get him safely through this surgery, then we'll see what unfolds. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">OK, enough of the medical discussion. Henry continues to grow bigger and cuter... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Here he is trying to wake up from being sedated for the MRI:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3686259746/" title="7-01-09-SleepingItOff-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3686259746_cb6aa23411.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-01-09-SleepingItOff-1" /></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3686262150/" title="7-01-09-SleepingItOff-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3686262150_b1a8112a41.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="7-01-09-SleepingItOff-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />Then at Children's Hospital for overnight observation:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3685454805/" title="7-02-09-AtCMH by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3647/3685454805_b5cd77cf23.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7-02-09-AtCMH" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Henry had his first haircut! Thanks, Big Don!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682851631/" title="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/3682851631_8dc0b0cd09.jpg" width="500" height="425" alt="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3683664924/" title="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2502/3683664924_fa54cffe8e.jpg" width="486" height="500" alt="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682841289/" title="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/3682841289_0555d39f5f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-3" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682842899/" title="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-4 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2549/3682842899_491c76172b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-14-09-FirstHaircut-4" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Here is our Big Guy practicing his sitting in the corner of the couch:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3683661406/" title="6-14-09-SittingPractice by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3683661406_8f14508384.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="6-14-09-SittingPractice" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Here is some serious bed head:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682844733/" title="6-26-09-BedHead-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3682844733_e011f1a94a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-26-09-BedHead-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3683659648/" title="6-26-09-BedHead-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/3683659648_e3f2e0c2a8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-26-09-BedHead-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Hank loves hanging out with his family.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3683662520/" title="6-07-09-PlayingWithGramma by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/3683662520_6f32bbdf30.jpg" width="472" height="500" alt="6-07-09-PlayingWithGramma" /></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682839187/" title="6-07-09-Outside by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2560/3682839187_5bf203a318.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-07-09-Outside" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682837701/" title="6-07-09-Sarah by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3682837701_8efe032346.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-07-09-Sarah" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3683647492/" title="6-07-09-Ross by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3683647492_ea8c3678f3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="6-07-09-Ross" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Finally, we're not sure if this is a grumpy face or if he is just making fun of his dad...</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3682854741/" title="6-26-09-GrumpyFace by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2659/3682854741_1d8fb38d7b.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="6-26-09-GrumpyFace" /></span></a></div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-45561996993065286432009-06-02T21:25:00.003-05:002009-06-02T22:39:24.957-05:00Six months<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We can't believe that May is over already! Time has been flying by as we enjoy a schedule full of events...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">We celebrated Meade's first Mother's Day with lots of family:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3520893794/" title="5-10-09-Betsy-Cindy-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3520893794_78e4ab5b2e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-10-09-Betsy-Cindy-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3520119705/" title="5-10-09-Don&amp;Charlie-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/3520119705_15a32ec86d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-10-09-Don&amp;Charlie-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3520162165/" title="5-10-09-Lisa&amp;Boys-4 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3552/3520162165_aa8e406cd9.jpg" width="500" height="386" alt="5-10-09-Lisa&amp;Boys-4" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3520146709/" title="5-10-09-Meade&amp;Henry-4 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3554/3520146709_aaacae88d5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-10-09-Meade&amp;Henry-4" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3520964584/" title="5-10-09-Meade&amp;Henry-6 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/3520964584_086ac4bbe9.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="5-10-09-Meade&amp;Henry-6" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The following weekend, Henry and I had the house to ourselves as Meade went to see Gina graduate from Boston University. Although we missed her terribly, it was nice to have a break from all of her messes. While away, Meade stayed with our friends Adele and Bryan and their twin cuties, Max and Chloe:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3591293450/" title="5-17-09-MeadeGina by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3329/3591293450_ca8579fb78.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="5-17-09-MeadeGina" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3591295374/" title="5-17-09-GinaGraduated by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3416/3591295374_7363d4ddfc.jpg" width="500" height="436" alt="5-17-09-GinaGraduated" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3590486517/" title="5-17-09-AdeleMaxChloe by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/3590486517_313ebb7da7.jpg" width="500" height="429" alt="5-17-09-AdeleMaxChloe" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Just when we thought we couldn't get any busier, we packed up and went to Pittsburgh to see Cara graduate from pharmacy school at Duquesne. We had a short-but-fun visit with my family:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574172435/" title="5-23-09-Graduation by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3574172435_1ce74eeaf3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-23-09-Graduation" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574174697/" title="5-23-09-Nanna-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/3574174697_a236dcd281.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-23-09-Nanna-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574984244/" title="5-23-09-Nanna-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3586/3574984244_a9e65785fc.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-23-09-Nanna-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">On our return to Chicago, we stopped in Columbus to visit our good friends Peter, Sarah, and Ian:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574181037/" title="5-24-09-CaseFamily-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/3574181037_c3beedfba5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-24-09-CaseFamily-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574178679/" title="5-24-09-CaseFamily-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/3574178679_92eff0a2c9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-24-09-CaseFamily-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574991180/" title="5-24-09-Ian by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3574991180_3467229d46.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-24-09-Ian" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />We had quite a few visitors the following weekend, too. Our new friends Jack, Michelle, and Owen stopped by for breakfast on Saturday. Jack and Meade went through school together and were recently reconnected by one of our neighbors. These sorts of things happen a lot to people from Park Ridge.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3590418237/" title="5-30-09-MicheleJack by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3590418237_72daabba1f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-30-09-MicheleJack" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3591231226/" title="5-30-09-Owen-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2478/3591231226_d4b945ca78.jpg" width="500" height="390" alt="5-30-09-Owen-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Sunday's breakfast was with cousins Dave and Andrew, Michele, Melanie, and newly bipedal Charlotte.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3590419893/" title="5-31-09-Charlotte by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3624/3590419893_2010bf3921.jpg" width="431" height="500" alt="5-31-09-Charlotte" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">So, that was May. Henry is now six months old and weighs over 18 pounds. His height is in the 97th percentile. He continues to make slow progress in controlling his head and trunk. Although his arms and hands seem to be relaxing nicely, he still has quite a bit of tension in his legs. His physiatrist is fairly certain that Henry has </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">cerebral palsy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">, although she is not making predictions regarding the severity or any specific outcome. CP is a broad diagnosis, and nothing is changing with his therapies at this time. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">After some initial false starts and setbacks, we finally are seeing some success with sleep training. His night sleep is still a bit short and easily interrupted, but his sleep is dramatically better than it was one month ago. We recommend </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Solve-Your-Childs-Sleep-Problems/dp/0743201639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243999603&sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Ferber's book</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> to anyone experiencing difficulty with a child's sleep.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The best news is that we are getting better at making Henry smile. A baby's smile magically erases the symptoms of sleep deprivation. Henry loves to be jiggled, and he loves to play with his squeaky mirror. I am concluding this post with some attempts to capture Henry's smile on camera:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574192533/" title="5-20-09-Smiles-6 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3553/3574192533_b9cabeda20.jpg" width="477" height="500" alt="5-20-09-Smiles-6" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574191511/" title="5-20-09-Smiles-5 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3416/3574191511_6470e6e246.jpg" width="363" height="500" alt="5-20-09-Smiles-5" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574997044/" title="5-11-09-MeadeHenry-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3574997044_e3273a3001.jpg" width="500" height="491" alt="5-11-09-MeadeHenry-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574998400/" title="5-11-09-MeadeHenry-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2479/3574998400_101b751686.jpg" width="464" height="500" alt="5-11-09-MeadeHenry-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574161159/" title="5-20-09-Smiles-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/3574161159_b94e41f3a5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-20-09-Smiles-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574163995/" title="5-20-09-Smiles-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/3574163995_f9464c3890.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-20-09-Smiles-2" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574974752/" title="5-20-09-Smiles-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3574974752_eeb13de454.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-20-09-Smiles-3" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3574169859/" title="5-20-09-Smiles-4 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/3574169859_8f251ea3d5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-20-09-Smiles-4" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-18674156460992221452009-05-07T20:56:00.002-05:002009-05-07T21:19:27.320-05:00Door County<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Today, Henry saw a neurologist who specializes in sleep. She gave Meade and me a reasonable plan for helping him to learn to fall asleep without constant intervention from us. She felt that his poor nighttime sleeping habits are learned behaviors rather than a direct result of his brain injury. Wish us luck as we teach Henry how to fall asleep!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The extended chilly weather in Chicago gave us the opportunity to dress Henry in one of his several animal suits. On this particular occasion, we went for a walk around the park. He was quite a hit with the Mather girls' soccer team. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3511739078/" title="4-28-09-BearSuit-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3388/3511739078_0a1be4037d.jpg" width="314" height="500" alt="4-28-09-BearSuit-3" /></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3511737618/" title="4-28-09-BearSuit-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3511737618_0a935dccb6.jpg" width="451" height="500" alt="4-28-09-BearSuit-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3510924769/" title="4-28-09-BearSuit-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/3510924769_8fe7bc2d14.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="4-28-09-BearSuit-1" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Meade and Judy took Henry on his first of many trips to Door County. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3510923493/" title="5-1-09-MeadeSusanJudy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/3510923493_ea5eddf216.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-1-09-MeadeSusanJudy" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3510921139/" title="5-1-09-JudySusanJim by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3510921139_0e403fef2e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-1-09-JudySusanJim" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3511730652/" title="5-1-09-Susan-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/3511730652_8ee8a3af94.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-1-09-Susan-2" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3510916827/" title="5-1-09-Susan-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3510916827_3ce039115d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-1-09-Susan-1" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3510914825/" title="5-1-09-Yawn by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3510914825_6e33bbb5a4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-1-09-Yawn" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3511725238/" title="5-1-09-Jim by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3614/3511725238_f39105fe4a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="5-1-09-Jim" /></span></a><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-7084877093726856712009-04-27T22:09:00.002-05:002009-04-27T22:40:44.840-05:00Music and FamilyWe are resting after a busy and fun weekend of concerts and family. Nanna, Grammy, Aunt Talisa, and Uncle Jason visited from Pennsylvania. We spent the weekend hanging out and attending a couple of concerts that I played. <div><br /></div><div>Like just about everyone else on this continent, Henry has been enjoying the brief glimpses of spring weather. He and his mom were out and about in their matching U of I gear:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482270042/" title="4-23-09-ILL-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3545/3482270042_6b3acde631.jpg" width="436" height="500" alt="4-23-09-ILL-1" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482272450/" title="4-23-09-ILL-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3482272450_a39a01637d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-23-09-ILL-2" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Henry attended his first CSO kids' concert and got to hear his dad perform!</div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482242690/" title="4-25-09-CSO by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571/3482242690_be479d7c1e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-25-09-CSO" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><br />He also attended his first chamber music concert and was quite well-behaved.<br /><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482278896/" title="4-26-09-Patrick by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/3482278896_6376863c0a.jpg" width="500" height="316" alt="4-26-09-Patrick" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But best of all, he got to spend quality time with family and friends.</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3481466993/" title="4-26-09-Dimmicks by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3330/3481466993_e10c033842.jpg" width="500" height="338" alt="4-26-09-Dimmicks" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482277142/" title="4-26-09-NannaSleepy by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3590/3482277142_6f536e5cca.jpg" width="500" height="389" alt="4-26-09-NannaSleepy" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482274516/" title="4-26-09-GrumpyFace by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3604/3482274516_a39fb98684.jpg" width="500" height="498" alt="4-26-09-GrumpyFace" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482274082/" title="4-26-09-Burping by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3482274082_4b92ae0390.jpg" width="500" height="462" alt="4-26-09-Burping" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3481455589/" title="4-18-09-ErikaClaire by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3337/3481455589_ab69dee9f5.jpg" width="500" height="408" alt="4-18-09-ErikaClaire" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3481451765/" title="4-26-09-Glasses-3 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3414/3481451765_16f887d5d5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-26-09-Glasses-3" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482262142/" title="4-26-09-Glasses-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3381/3482262142_d227c7131c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-26-09-Glasses-2" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482256450/" title="4-26-09-Nanna by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3482256450_08e780eec3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-26-09-Nanna" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3481439289/" title="4-26-09-Whitakers by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3481439289_407d90a6d4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-26-09-Whitakers" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482248814/" title="4-25-09-Grammy-2 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3397/3482248814_8c496dea2c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-25-09-Grammy-2" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3482245628/" title="4-25-09-Grammy-1 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3353/3482245628_f78c9da287.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-25-09-Grammy-1" /></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3481426577/" title="4-18-09-Dave by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3632/3481426577_df30cf4d3a.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-18-09-Dave" /></a><br /><br /></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312607096160917433.post-21141646713392936492009-04-19T20:01:00.002-05:002009-04-19T20:30:19.914-05:00Hi everyone, it's Meade. Sean is playing a concert tonight so I thought I'd do a quick blog update.<div><br /></div><div>There's not too much to report. Henry is still getting acclimated to his glasses, so we haven't noticed too much difference in his behavior. He does seem to be fixing on objects and faces better, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">however</span>, and we did see our first real smiles! We are only sorry we didn't have our camera at the ready.<div><br /></div><div>We are increasing our physical therapy appointments from 1x/week to 2x/week. Carol, our therapist, is terrific and Henry enjoys his visits with her.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a really fun Easter at my mom & dad's. Here are a few pictures. To see the rest, click <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/sets/72157616690588910/detail/">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3436726392/" title="4-12-09-Melanie by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3372/3436726392_aac304be95.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-12-09-Melanie" /></a></span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3436042775/" title="4-12-09-EasterEggHunting-24 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/3436042775_363385eb9c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-12-09-EasterEggHunting-24" /></a></span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwhitaker/3436855592/" title="4-12-09-EasterEggHunting-25 by macwhitaker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3609/3436855592_3ace82f4fa.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="4-12-09-EasterEggHunting-25" /></a></span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We also celebrated Sean's birthday yesterday. Happy birthday, Sean!</div></div>Sean Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10478173500691556954noreply@blogger.com2