Well it's been a very busy last few weeks for Nate. Where to start?!
I don't think I ever updated with his 3year height and weight update - Nate was 98cm and 14.8kg on his third birthday, which is above 50% percentile and a great outcome :-). Here he is below with Anna our District Nurse, who visits him every six months or so now. He got to pick his reward stickers after we successfully weighed and measured Big Teddy, and then we did Nate :-)
We also had a fleeting visit from Big Sister Mia, who was up for a couple of days from Wellington where she is at uni. Nate quickly had her doing his bidding again - reading on the rug in his bedroom and running up and down the hallway playing ball :-)
And in more good news, Nate has taken to his car bed quite literally like a duck to water. Given how much he loves his cot, I had some concerns about moving him to a bed, but it's been no problem at all. In fact he won't get out of bed in the morning until someone comes in to get him (such a good boy!), but we know he sneaks around before he goes to sleep at night or before his daytime nap. We can tell because all sorts of things end up in bed with him - like a massive box of newborn nappies destined for his baby sister, 6-7 books, sometimes a few extra blankets, you name it, he'll find it! Once I caught him out of the bed in the middle of his rug, obviously en route to get something, and he just froze! Then he flashed me the 'finish' sign, like he was just finishing up whatever he was doing and heading back to bed - cheeky monkey!
His fascination with cars continues outside of his bed too - he loves to point out and say 'round and round'. In fact when we were out the other day and he had decided he had had enough of being there (at Starship A&E as it happens), he was quick to verbally tell us 'round and round' (which sadly had to fall on deaf ears at the time as we waited for x-rays). He has an ever growing collection of little cars though, and loves to try them all out....
And here he is sharing a few cuddles with Daddy the same day...
Technically these magnatiles do oh-so-much-more than just this, but Nate still loves to stack them! In fact this is one game where he can get quite frustrated if you don't sit with him and play alongside.....
And here he is gesturing and signing along with a stirring rendition of 'If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands......and stamp your feet (only this must be done with great concentration (cue tongue), and VERY enthusiatically!)....
.....followed by pat your head (equal enthusiasm required!)......
......and then....to celebrate.....climb the furniture - like most three year old boys like to do :-)
In other good news, we got his MRI results back and they show no change on the MRI prior (I think from about 18-24months ago). There were some small abnormalities then, but they are no worse or different now. We had requested the MRI because of the seizure the other month - so it looks like that for now, that was just a one-off occurrence (touch wood), which is good news. Unfortunately we have another anaesthetic coming up later this month, when we finally do his hearing test on his right ear. That will tell us whether his hearing aid needs a boost, which hopefully might help his speech come along.
Speaking of speech...it hasn't been coming along so well....we have been on Gemiini for over a month now, and while he really enjoys those videos and definitely seems to comprehend them, we haven't seen a radical change. Unfortunately it hasn't really prompted mimicking of new sounds, although he does join in on the ones he already knows. We have had the occasional words like 'home', 'again', 'dog', and Granny has heard a 'zebra' and 'lion' once too. Unfortunately they are just that, occasional and rare. Points again to some sort of apraxia which is pretty disheartening quite frankly. Nate (and us) continue to get frustrated at our mutual lack of communication, although we are still progressing with sign and also a picture board in an attempt to get him to use that as a backup route. His comprehension is still pretty good - if you ask him to show you a number or a letter, he can do it. Just can't quite manage to actually say it. I'm not sure what that is going to mean in terms of future schooling options though, and that is a bit of a worry for us :-(
Anxiety-wise, we haven't been too bad in the last month or so - he really is better when people come to our place, versus when we go to other peoples! Or if we are out, we bribe him into places with promise of him getting to choose a treat - works well in busy food courts (provided there is a McDs!), or equally in supermarkets and even cafés. Hey we'll take whatever works! Our paed has given us the name for some public and private help - it might be a long wait for public.....so we may venture private to get some support. We are also waiting a PT and OT assessment for him at home, hoping to have some aids that might encourage toileting and the like.
More recently in May/June, we have had a run of sickness over the last month too - he picked up an ear infection after his brain MRI (probably picked up in hospital), which then became a UTI - all of which resulted in three Starship visits in the space of basically three days. Not fun. And then it took a solid two weeks to kick it all to touch, so no daycare for Nate over that time. He then made it back to daycare for a week (he goes two days a week), and promptly picked up another virus, which saw us back to the GP. Challenged in his ability to clear the mucus and flem, he then choked on a chip, resulting in the need for assistance from Helen to help him dislodge the chip and throw up. Pretty scary stuff.
So with his symptoms continuing to worsen, we then had another trip to Starship A&E, to make sure that what we were dealing with was a virus turned bacterial (in which case, just needing antibiotics), or possible chip-aspiration on the lungs. One x-ray later, and it confirmeds signs of a bacterial infection in his upper chest, so back on strong antibiotics we went. As I write this now, he is four days into antibiotics and on the mend, but still needing ventilin to help him with his coughing fits. Poor little chap has had a rough run. And frankly so have we. It really takes it's toll, the stress of a special needs kiddo, and that statement goes well beyond just dealing with the bugs. (Later update - after 10days of antibiotics, Nate is now back on track).
Anyway here he is on happier days over the last few weeks, reading with Grandaddy...
And charging around in Granny's slippers.......
Granny and Grandaddy have been gone about a week now on their 8week USA-Europe jaunt. By all accounts they are having a fabulous time in California with my brother Craig and family, and getting some quality R&R in the warm weather. Shortly they will be off to the UK to spend time with my other brother Darryl, and Jo, Tom and Ethan, and also spending two weeks on a river cruise which I am sure will be just amazing. Here we are at the airport seeing them off...
And here is the little man, enjoying an ice lolly, while he helps us start to clean out the garage - prompted by the annual inorganic collection, and a need for us to start getting rid of some of our stuff that has been cluttering the garage for at least 2years now - trademe here it comes! Wow won't it be amazing to actually park two cars in there one day?!
Finally, our beautiful little man in winter-chill out mode at home.....x
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