Back to the Grind

The last two weeks have been chock full of doctor and therapy appointments, and last minute summer plans, while John and I both prepared to re-enter the working world. The last 4 months have completely flown by, and again we want to thank you all for your continued love and support as we navigate this exciting yet difficult time. It's friends like you that help keep us motivated and inspired.

We have several updates:

Denver: John and I have decided to stay in Cleveland this year to keep Evie's medical care consistent, which means he'll be traveling to and from Denver as needed. He will hit the road this fall to college towns like usual and we'll look into getting a small apartment in Denver during the season and into the winter. Come visit us in either Cleveland or Denver, and go Broncos!

My job: I return to work full-time on Thursday, August 1st, and my mother will be caring for Evie while I'm in the office. Wish us both luck - ha!

Evelyn: After 4 months and 3 days of the valgancyclovir, which we were administering to help stop the progression of CMV, we decided to heed the recommendation of our Infectious Disease doctor and take her off the medication. She tolerated the medicine without incident, but because of the incredibly limited knowledge on the subject, he was no longer clear that the benefits outweighed the risks. He did mention however that Evelyn stayed on the medication longer than any other infant/child he's ever worked with, and his peers concurred. This girl is a fighter!

Her seizures have subsided with the recent medication and she received a positive progress report from neurology in regards to her growth and movement. Evie is a whopping 13+ pounds, and 24 inches long. We think she's enormous! She'll begin outpatient physical therapy in the next couple of weeks to help with some of her gross motor skills and we'll continue working her out at home in the meantime.

Evie's speech therapist continues to work with her 2x a month, and she was fitted for new ear molds because she's grown so quickly. The ENT recommends an MRI at 9 months and if all goes well, we can schedule the cochlear implant surgery for as early as February!

We paid a visit to the pediatric ophthalmologist again and her eyes look good. We're a little concerned about how her brain is processing the information that her eyes are gathering, so please send positive energy that this resolves. We should know more in the next 6+ months.

Last, we 'fired' our pediatrician because she was grossly unprepared for each of our visits, and frankly, we don't have time for that. We're looking forward to working with a more empathetic and enthusiastic doctor in September.

I'll leave you with this charming face.