Thanks God!

Thank you God for your blessings! ♥ Through all the good, the scary, and most unsure of times, we have never and will never lose our faith. Six6 months ago we were told Mason would most likely undergo brain surgery in 2012. Today was a day we have been waiting for it seems like forever. After reviewing Mason's most current MRI, his neurosurgeon told us it is no longer necessary for him to have brain surgery!!! We couldn't be more stoked with this news!! Thank you for everyone who has been praying for Mason and our lil fam bam, all those prayers have really paid off!!! 

Believe <3

Mason's MRI and surgery

  I try to remind myself this quote everyday^

Mason had his 4th brain MRI last Friday, and he did so great for it! He had no problem with the anesthesia and was back to his normal self within a couple of hours. He is getting pretty good at these MRI's. What a change from the first couple he had, and not to mention what a relief! We will find out the results on Thursday afternoon, and off of those results, his neurosurgeon, Dr. Louden, will decide if he thinks it is necessary for Mason to undergo brain surgery.

Mason also saw his endocrinologist(hormone specialist) recently, and we received a phone call a couple days ago where she informed us she would like to do more testing because one of his hormone levels is low. It is his cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and it contributes to many things the body does such as eating, sleeping, getting better when your sick. Sometime this month we will know more about that.

Busy Life of Us

Here we are again at another 6 month mark. This means a month of follow up appointments with Mason's team of doctors, blood work and exams, evaluations to see his progress, and of course that oh so dreaded brain MRI, in addition to our already crazy, busy life. But anyway, it's all for the good of our amazing little man. As busy as the 6 month mark is, I do actually enjoy all the reports and evals. It's great to reflect back on our last goals and to see how much progress Mason has made.

We will have Mason's MRI on April 27th, and meet with his neurosurgeon most likely 2 weeks after. We have been waiting for this to aaproach to see the status of the cyst on Mason's brain, then we will determine whether brain surgery is necessary. Praying strong that the will have disappeared, and we will see an end to having these MRI's every 6 months. Either way, everything is in God's hands, and all we can do is pray that no matter what happens it will have a positive impact on Mason's life.

That is up and coming, we will keep you posted on Mason's progress :)

Bye Bye February

Thank you February for everything, but I have to say I won't miss you and I am very ready for March. I was so incredibly sick,then the hubby, then Mason was sick then I was sick again. The worst part of it all was Mason being sick, and our less than glamorous week long stay at Children's Hospital of Orange County. We took Mason to the ER at CHOC Sunday night, because he was vomiting, spiking fevers, and not eating. We went for what we thought would be just a couple hour ordeal. Mason ended up with RSV, a respiratory virus, that really took him down. He slept for 3 days straight, day and night, didn't eat or drink anything, continued having high fevers of 103, and on top of it all his oxygen levels kept dropping really low, to about 78%. Finally after a week, he had a bottle.

But, like everything that happens, there is always a bright side, a blessing in disguise. As you may know, Mason sleeps terribly at night, wakes up anywhere from5-15 times a night. I have brought this up to his pediatrician on numerous occasions, and always have the same response, that's motherhood. I know there is something not right. Sure enough, he most likely has sleep apnea, and he has enlarged adenoids, making it very difficult for him to breathe at night. While in the hospital, Mas had two x-rays done, and saw many respiratory doctors and specialists, who all agreed on Mason doing a sleep study when he is feeling better, and also undergoing a surgery to have his adenoids removed. Although the hospital stay was intense, at least we got some questions answered about his horrible sleep patterns.

This whole month has had me completely exhausted, and unmotivated to do anything. But, now with March just around the corner, I am feeling great and ready for all the new challenges life has waiting for me.

New Glasses!

Mason saw his opthamologist about a month ago and she informed us that his light perception had improved and she would like to prescribe him glasses. I am so happy that his vision is showing some improvement on its own! It's not guaranteed that they will make a difference, but it definitely can't hurt, and you never know! So, he got his glasses a week before Christmas, and the only difference I can see is that his eyes don't seem so lost with them on. Mason also doesn't mind them at all, he never tries to take them off, and he wears them pretty much the entire day. Not to mention how stinkin' cute he is with those glasses!

BUSY BUSY BEES!

Life has been busy as usual! Mason as been making so many improvements, things that may seem small, but actually are so HUGE! *He finally said MAMA!! and bababa. *He is almost sitting himself up, we have been working on this for like 6 months. On the couch he can sit himself, but not on the floor yet. *He is starting to use his right hand more and more, before he wouldn't use his right hand at all, now he will pass things back and forth. * He is putting things in his mouth more and more, still not eating solid foods, only baby food, but hopefully with him putting more things in his mouth he will start liking crackers and things. All these little things show that he is really progressing, slowly but surely, we are making progress, and that means we are that much closer to crawling..and walking!
It's funny, these are all things that I never thought about, you assume they just happen. But, having a baby that needs so much more effort and attention in his development, has made me really appreciate all these little things! I swear the day he starts crawling, we are throwing a party!!

We are now receiving 2 days of physical therapy, 2 days of occupational therapy, and 2 days of infant stim(sensory and vision therapy) plus we will start going to Mommy and Me play group at the Blind Center on Fridays

Aside from driving Mason to all his therapy sessions,I am still works 3 days a week, the hubby is working 50 hours, and we have our new house to take care of, always have some projects going on, yard work, house work, and things of the sort. Sometimes I don't know how we do it all, and sometimes, I would just love to sleep the day away..and then I realize just how blessed we are that we have each other, and that we have created this amazing life together to raise Mason and any other future additions :)
As of now, that's the life of us <3

Update: Mason is AMAZING!!

This is going to be a long one! It has been a couple weeks since I last posted, and A LOT has happened!

First off, poor little Mas was really sick a couple weeks before last. Mostly he had a fever, and vomited twice. His fever reached 104.9, so we went to the E.R. They didn't do much, other than check the obvious, noses, throat, and ears, and gave him Tylenol. I had spoken with Cassandra Fink, from Dr. Borchert's office the morning of. She said it could just be a bad virus, or he might have sensitivity to extreme temperature, which is controlled by the hypothalamus of the brain. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst,^[1] fatigue, sleep, and circadian cycles. So pretty much everything! Hopefully that's not it, but the only way to know is if he gets these high fevers when it's too hot, or has a hard time warming up when it's cold. He is doing much better now! I felt like this whole month had been wasted as far as working on development, because he was either getting sick, sick, or recovering..but actually, he came back with a bang!

Mas is now rolling back to front, front to back!! He started rolling back to front on Thursday. He is really sitting well now also, and super explorative.

His right arm and leg have been working much better as well. He has been playing with those right toes and putting his Binky in his mouth with his right hand. I started only giving him his Binky in his right hand and holding his left down, so he was forced to use that hand, and after 2 weeks, he is doing great! 

On Thursday in physical therapy, he did so great! The best session yet! He was so happy and playful, his p.t. is absolutely amazing!! They started on all fours, weight bearing through his shoulders and arms, and transitioning into sitting, and the usually sit ups. On a sad note..his p.t. is moving to Texas, I'm happy for her and her family, but so heartbroken! She is so amazing, and really gets Mas and knows how to work with him. Now we will start experimenting with other therapists.

Mason also had a had scan for a cranial molding helmet, because his head is flat from laying on the back of it. He is going to be so cute..We will go pick it up in about 10 days. I'm sure it will help with those bumps and bruises too, once he starts crawling :)

We have also had two follow up appointments; we saw his opthalmologist and endocrine. The opthalmologist said pretty much nothing has changed, other than his nystagmus is much better, hardly noticeable, and the same with his wonky eye. But, still she sees no reaction to light and no tracking of objects. We just received the results from his blood work for the endocrine, and she said everything came back great. The only hormone she would like to keep an eye on is one of his thyroids, but nothing to worry about just yet.

GOALS: By the end of the year, in 4 months, I would love to see Mason crawling well, and maybe taking a few steps, eating solid, table foods alone, and using a sippy cup.
He has been taking pieces of bread or banana in with his stage 2 food. I can sneak him a sippy cup when he's asleep, but that's about it. Everything will come with time! Everyday Mason is making more and more improvement! He is our extra special little buggie!

A GOLF TOURNEY, A NEW HOME, AND LOTS OF IMPROVEMENTS..AND ONE BUSY KID!

Bright Side is back in action! We have been so busy with our house, getting settled here, and turning it into a home! Things have been going so great though!! I don't even know where to begin!!
Mason has been making great changes! Therapy is going really well! He's really starting to bear more weight through his arms, shoulders and knees. He has been rolling a little..but only in his crib, and only at night..but this is a new thing, so we're going with it! Mas is getting much more explorative with his toys, and definitely showing more of an interest in playing with different toys. Little by little, Mas is headed towards greatness! 

On June 24, a guy my husband works with, helped to put on the 2nd annual Newport Beach Matsters Golf Tournament to show their love and support for Mason! 'The event showcased 36 stellar teams, who brought both their A-game and drinking caps to the links for a scramble, with a drinking task at each hole.  The tourney was followed by an awards banquet featuring more debauchery and dance parties.' Here's a link from one of the sponsors, Tavik http://www.tavik.com/blog/matsters-2011/
A huge thanks to Mike Wallace,Tyler Hosseini,Ryan Lopiccolo,Daniel Hodgetts and all the sponsors :)

Update:Today was a great day!

Mason is doing so great!! God, I thank you everyday for our blessing! Mas is completely sitting finally!!! He is trying really hard to crawl, and he still needs to begin rolling, but we are seeing small improvements that will lead up to the next big milestones, but small improvements are improvements nonetheless! Feeding is going well, other than the fact he won't have anything remotely resembling something more solid, or chunkier than his baby food. Mixing fruit helps a little..but he just makes the most disgusted face, as if i gave him a spoon full of curdled milk. Poor little bug. He has 2 new teeth, cutest thing ever!! His sleeping isn't phenomenal, but I took a week off work to really work with him and get him sleeping better. We have just made our first appointment in Sept. with Dr. Borchert, and are very excited!! Things are doing well overall! I have to say we have some pretty amazing people working with us and Mason, and so much love from our family and friends, it's really great!

Mason has started physical therapy and occupational therapy. OT is going great!! I love his therapist! Aside from her being so great, I have been working with Mas day and night, and we are noticing big differences! His neck is getting so much stronger, he's sitting better..longer and straighter, he is doing so much better in tummy time, and it's just so encouraging to see these little changes little by little. Our big goals are to get him rolling and reaching, sitting on his own, pushing on his arms, and crawling<<that's the big one. The OT room is great, Mason is loving the swings and he is really trying to roll, he wants to get moving, you can see it!
PT wasn't so great..Mas hated it, every minute, until we left..they're just a little less calming and a little more intense. We only had one session, so we'll see how this week goes. I am very grateful we were approved for 2 sessions a week.
Aside from that, Mason is loving his Mommy and Me group.. he usually has a grumpy spell somewhere in the hour, but I believe a lot of it is him being over stimulated, he smiles and laughs through most of it. Every week at his school, they comment on how much he has changed and grown.
Now Mason is sitting in his high chair on his own, he holds his head up high, and he doesn't sink down into it anymore.
Mason has been taking his naps on his tummy, and I believe that is really helping him to be comfortable staying on his tummy.
He's been sick the last couple days, so we've had a mellow week. It's been a nice break for us.
I love every inch of my little man more than I could have ever imagined! 

 

It is really hard some days to do it ALL, and stay positive and upbeat and count those blessings. We have already seen so much progress with Mason's 6 sessions of therapy a week, and that is what gets me up everyday! In between all the therapies, I am constantly working with him to stimulate him and make him aware of the things he should be doing at 8 months(sitting, rolling, crawling, reaching, pushing up) and it shows...but God, some days everything seems so surreal, like I'm in a dream..a bad one, and I will wake up, and everything will be "normal", but then I realize this is my dream, and Mason is everything and more to me, and I wouldn't change that for the world. Because of him, I have learned so much, and have a new found gratitude for creating life..because there's people in the world who aren't even given that opportunity, and I will never take that for granted. Besides all that there is no one on Earth who makes me smile quite like he does, or makes me so proud quite like he does. Mason is my kind of perfect, and we will keep on truckin every day, moment by moment, enjoying the good, the bad, and everything in between.

UPDATE:

CRAZINESS! So, Mason is falling behind on his milestones..he is 7 1/2 months..he's not sitting, not rolling, not pushing up, and having a hard time to keep his head up. He is also much more active with his left side than his right.. but good news, we have finally been approved for Mason to start some different therapy sessions! He will have physical therapy Monday and Thursday, occupational therapy on Wednesday, see his infant specialist Thursday before physical therapy, and on Friday mornings, I am so excited to start attending the mommy and me sensory group! Aside from his therapies, we have been doing intense exercise at home, and have noticed a huge difference! As exhausting as it is, it is much more rewarding seeing him grow and change everyday! In between all of this I am still maintaining my 3 days of work a week, working 6am-2pm for health insurance to assure Mason is well taken care of. I am so excited the t-shirts finally arrived!! That's going great, it will help to pay for his physical therapy twice a week. Besides that, we are excited for his 5k Walk>Independance for Blind Children's Learning Center on May 14! Oh and by the way..My god, I swear Mason gets cuter and happier by the minute! I love that little boy to pieces!

Things are happening!

Finally, we're seeing some light! Mason will start physical therapy and his infant program sometime next week, I can't wait! I know he is going to do so great! I've been doing my own exercises with Mas at home, and have already noticed big improvements! Besides all of that, I swear Mason sees something! He's been squinting in the sun, and he's been responding more to certain toys with lights and color. I believe he sees peripherally best. Any way only time will tell. We are meeting with an opthamalogist through the Blind Center tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what she has to say. Mason's neck is getting incredibly stronger. My goals in the next 2 months, I would love to see him rolling and pushing up with his arms, and most of all sitting straight on his own.

VISION THERAPY SESH

Today Mason had his vision therapy, and he did great! We did more tactile activities, and we are seeing improvements every week! I am realizing that Mason is very sensitive to too much stimulation. Today he blasted, as in a tsunami of vomit. That was the first time that ever happened, but I believe there was just too much going on and he ate too fast and everything just came back. But, like always, Mas was completely unaffected by the event, and he just carried on with his happy self. I think he has pockets of vision, sometimes he seems to respond in certain areas of his eye, and I think it's more peripheral. Anyway, only time will tell. That's all for today.

Appointment with Endocrine

On Monday, we had an appointment with the endocrinologost. Everything went well. She informed us that everything looks great so far, some hormone levels are borderline. Mason will have to have the same blood tests done again. Poor Buggy, they take so much blood! The endocrine couldn't believe what a happy little boy he is! She was doing her routine check, and everything she did, he would start cracking up! Ahhhh, I love my little man! I would say this was one of the most positive appointments we've met with. If his hormone levels are ever off, it's very treatable. That's a relief.
Tomorrow is Thursday again, that means Vision Therapy :)
That's all for now :)

Developmental Evaluation

I have to say, I absolutely love the Blind Children's Learning Center. They are such a wonderful facility! Last Wednesday, Mason was evaluated for Regional Center Orange County, and I would say it went well. It's always a little disappointing to constantly hear that Mason isn't tracking objects or responding to light or hitting his milestones, but we're still staying hopeful and positive. Mason's not quite sitting on his own yet, and at 7 months he definitely should be, nor is he rolling over, nor pushing up with his arms. The physical therapist informed us that this is very normal because the has no stimulation or reason to hold his head up and make his back and shoulders stronger. He is also using his left side much more than his right, and we will have to ask the neourologist about this, but it should be addressed once we start physical therapy. I am waiting to hear back from Regional Center, to see which sort of therapies he qualifies for. I feel so blessed to have so much help and support surrounding us. Mason is a very blessed little boy.

Mason's therapy was great. This week was a lot of tactile stimulation, feeling different textures and things of the sort. Mas loved it. He definitely gets a little over stimulated after awhile, and he will let you know!  We were told we really need to work on him rolling over, but he really doesn't seem to like it. He's more into standing..he loves to stand up, and he LOVES to jump in his jumper. He is hilarious! Well that's it for now! We have a busy week ahead of evaluations and doctors. Happy Monday!

Tomorrow is Mason's third therapy session, I am excited to see how it goes! A few days ago we received the MRI results, and well I guess most everything is still a waiting game. Mason's pediatrician informed us the cyst on his brain was slightly bigger, and we will be seeing his neurosurgeon next week to review that. On Monday, April 4, we will be meeting with the endocrinologist to review his pituitary, and hormones. Luckily, the blood work results showed his hormone levels were mostly normal, and there were no comments on the pituitary gland. All in all, a positive review of the MRI. We'll be keeping you posted!

From the beginning Mason has been a warrior. He is absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to see what kinds of surprises he has in store for us!

Because of his ONH, he is a little bit slower at reaching his milestones..certain things such as rolling over, reaching for toys, crawling..things that you are usually visually stimulated to do. As of right now he is not reacting much to visual stimulation. We won't know what he sees until he is old enough to tell us. As far as any brain issues, we should have a better idea after the MRI results come back. Through the blood work, Mas' pediatritian said everything looks okay, but we will meet with an endocronologist(hormone specialist) in a couple weeks.


Every Thursday Mason meets with an infant specialist who does things with him to encourage any vision he may have, as well as tactile stimulation, toys and things with different textures. She works a lot with bumps and circles, to prepare him for braille, as well as noise makers, a light box, and other fun things. We've met with her twice now. The first time was more informative, and the second very interactive.