More Rees Follow-Up ... On the Cusp of Starting Jonah's Treatment

Hello Everyone!  

Are you still here?  ... We sure are!

I'll try to make this update a bit more brief than most of my other ones.  

So, remember in the previous post we talked about the photo below and that one of the doctors attempted to aspirate the "bubble" with no luck at retrieving any of the fluid.

Well, from that point on, the "bubble" released all its fluid in less than 24 hours ... SCARY AND EXCITING at the same time! 

This is what our counter looked like when first entering the room!  We have had a plethora of supplies to tend to the wound!

 

And NOW take a look!!

THIS IS HUGE FRIENDS!!

This is progress ... we're so afraid to say that ... but this is the best we have seen Rees' skin look since the first surgery nearly six weeks ago!

THANK-YOU JESUS!!  PRAISING THE LORD!!

We are truly praying that this positive progress continues.  

There are a few spots along the incision that we are watching closely but at the moment, things seem to be improving.

We've had plenty of visitors and playtime with Baba!  That is so important!

Our Pastor Bob and his wife, Becky, came to visit and they brought Rees a cool set of flashcards about BUGS!  He loves them and will actually engage in conversation with them about the various bugs.  He even showed one of the doctors who came in to check on him.

This evening Rees' Grandma and Grandpa Prendergast came to visit again and this time they brought a lovely quilted blanket made especially for Rees from the Prayer Shawl Group at their church.  This is such a special gift and Rees really liked it and wanted it on his bed.

And then Rees wanted to take a photo of me ... just so you know I'm still here.  

Oh, and you don't have to tell me ... I know I look gorgeous!  Hahaha!!!

So, here's the actual update: While there seems to be improvement with Rees, not a lot else is going to be changing any time in the immediate future ... meaning there's no word of us going home.  Now, as disappointing as this is on the one hand, it is also understandable and a relief to know that while we are still watching and waiting to see what Rees's skin and tissue is going to do, we are HERE ... at the hospital ... and as often as we have run into complications, we are A-OK with being here for a bit ... just in case.  Tomorrow, the lumbar drain may be clamped to stop the CSF from draining.  They will not remove the drain just yet as they want to see if clamping it off causes any sort of changes in Rees' face.  While the neurosurgeons are almost 100% certain that there is not a CSF leak affecting Rees' facial healing, the Plastic Surgeon is not convinced.  So, the extra cautious route is being taken and after everything we have gone through with Rees thus far, this route works for us.

Now, while we continue dealing with Rees and his healing, Jonah is about to start his treatment plan.  In fact, tomorrow, he will see the Craniofacial team and also the Orthodontist who will begin the first steps in his care.  We expect to learn much more about the upcoming steps and the surgical procedure itself.

He has been doing really well despite the current disruption in our home and family routine.  He enjoys going to school as much as he enjoys being at home with all of us.  His understanding of and attempts to speak English have come so far.  He understands very well and to the best of his ability he can speak conversational English.  We understand him best because we are used to the way that he makes his word sounds; some he is able to do very well and others are very garbled because of his mouth's inability to form certain letters and letter combinations.

Jonah seems to really enjoy the Arts!  Granted, he isn't able to function yet in a reading or mathematical capacity, but, he really puts forth a lot of effort in doing things like painting, cutting, glueing, coloring, etc ... 

We have been fortunate that his teacher takes photos of many class activities so we have several photos of Jonah's participation.  So, enjoy these photos and stay tuned for the next post, which is sure to be full of more progress and new information.