One Way (Finn's Way)

Hard to believe it is March 5 – ALREADY!  And Finn is 17 months old.  WHAT?!?  But, February was a blur.  With him being sick, in the hospital, and a short month, it FLEW by.  So, yes, Finn is 17 months old.  He is standing on his own for 20-30 seconds, babbling up a storm, has 10 teeth (2 molars on the bottom!), eats everything he can (but yet we still have to supplement with PediaSure – he just doesn’t GAIN), and weighed in at 19 pounds 7 ounces – fully clothed with shoes (Tiny Toms! So cute!) – at the doctor yesterday.  He is a SUPER FAST crawler, and is in to EVERYTHING!  If you can’t find it, check the drawers and cabinets he has been opening – Nana found a missing toy that way, and I found a missing remote control!  (These items had been missing several WEEKS when they were finally found.)  He is still a complete joy and such a happy baby!  His shirt today says it ALL!    Even if the sheer number of doctor appointments has been a bit overwhelming these past few weeks! 

Finn - 17 months - MY WAY!

Britt and I were going through old pictures and videos on our phones over the weekend, and we watched a few videos from our time in the NICU at Mercy.  It still seems surreal – to both of us – that THAT was our lives for over 3 months, and that the tiny struggling baby in those films is OUR son.  It doesn’t seem real.  Or that it happened to us.  But, it was our Finn!  As strong and crazy as he is now, he started out so tiny and frail.  God’s work blows us away.  To HIM be the Glory!

In the meantime, Finn had his first evaluation with the pediatric pulmonologist (physician who specializes in treating diseases of the lungs) yesterday.  We were recommended to see one after our stay in the hospital, and this Doctor came HIGHLY recommended.  While we didn’t really learn much from the visit yesterday, we are glad we went.  They did a chest X-ray (I think this was probably the 20^th one he has had in 17 months), a full exam, and tried to do a sweat test.  This is a test where they stimulate muscles, then collect sweat to evaluate the chemical content in it.  Unfortunately after the (long) procedure, Finn didn’t sweat enough to test anything.  Traditionally, this test is used to check for Cystic Fibrosis, but we know Finn doesn’t have this disease.  So, we assume (no one told us) they do this test routinely just to see what the chemical make-up of the child’s sweat is.  I have another preemie mom friend whose son sees this same physician, and she said they did it with her son as well, and he does not have CF.  So, we were told there is residual evidence of the RSV in his lungs, and to come back in 6 weeks for a follow up and to attempt the sweat test again.  And for Finn to drink LOTS of water before he comes!

(CF sidebar: The girls' father does have CF.  He has a rarer mutation that only slightly effected his lungs, but the end result is what caused us to have to do IVF/ICSI to conceive Emma and Lara.  Before we went ahead with fertility treatments, I was tested to see if I was a carrier since he had the disease, and I am not.  (Both parents have to be carriers in order for the offspring to inherit the disease.)  Each girl has a 25% chance of being a carrier.)

TOMORROW, Finn gets his first HAIRCUT!  I’m sure I will cry.  My last baby’s first haircut.  WOW.  (Emma was over 2 before I cut hers (because she was bald before that), Lara was 11 months,  and Jake was 8 MONTHS at his first haircut!  He had SO MUCH hair!)  I can’t wait to share pictures!