End of Summer

I can't believe it's September! I have no idea where this summer went. Let alone this year! Dominic will be TWO at the end of September. Wild. Anyway, we are starting to get back into our fall routine in the Dunlap house. Mitchell starts school on Wednesday and then soccer on Thursday. I can't believe how old he is getting, or that I'm in the "back to school" phase of my life. We've got a busy calendar these next few months between school, PT, OT, Early On, play groups, Bible study, and soccer. Dominic's Early On OT really wanted him to do this intensive speech playgroup, but I honestly didn't feel like we had the time or energy for it this fall. Plus, it's a playgroup. I've talked with all three of his therapists and none of them feel he should be evaluated for speech therapy at this point, so why does he need an intense speech "playgroup"? We see friends all the time and he is already attending a "playgroup" at Campus Early Childhood once a week! Sometimes I think he just needs to be a kid and play. He has been shuffled around between appointments most of his life. He is FINALLY at a point where he is healthy, thriving, and happy. I hate to add even more appointment to his schedule when it's not really necessary. So, even though I am the queen of "feeling guilty for not doing enough," I said no. And I'm happy about it. Dominic will have all his appointments while Mitchell is at school, but I'm also really hoping for some quality one-on-one time with Dominic. The kid is hilarious and we really don't spend enough time just playing together.

End of summer backyard campout

He loves his new gait trainer

Zoo trip

Playdate at the park

All ready for soccer!

Goofing around 

Cheering for Mom at the Naperville Triathlon

Pizza and ice cream at National Night Out

So besides getting back into our fall routine, we will be celebrating a big birthday for Dominic at the end of this month. We also have our one year follow-up appointments scheduled with. Dr. Chugani and Dr. Sood; as well as an MRI. I'm actually really excited to see what they have to say. We are seeing Dr. Arndt here in Grand Rapids on Tuesday as well. I'm hoping we will reduce or eliminate the Keppra altogether, but we'll see. I guess there's no rush. I got an email from a mother in the Hemispherectomy support group who's son had surgery 10 years ago and recently started having seizures again. It's amazing that Dominic has been seizure-free for a year, but I know we're not out of the woods yet. I'm not against keeping him on an anti-epileptic if it will reduce his chances of returning seizures. We'll see what all the docs have to say in the upcoming months.

Dominic has made some great progress this past month. No, he's not walking yet. But he has gained a lot of confidence and walks all around the coffee table; goes between the couch and the table and back. He has stood for a few seconds on his own before he realized he wasn't holding on. It won't be long before he walks! He just doesn't have great balance being Hemiplegic. But he is motivated and anxious to chase after his big brother :o)

He has made some gains in his speech as well. No, he STILL won't say Mama, but he seems to add a new word or two each day. His most recent new words are "cookie", "keys", and "sock". He even attempted to say "bye bye, Sarah" to his OT today. But nooooooo, won't say "mama"! I'm only the one who grew you, birthed you, cared for you, held you, and nursed you! I'm not bitter, don't worry. I know the day he says it for real though, it will melt my heart.

So, in addition to our busy fall schedule, we decided to spice it up with a little constraint therapy. Sarah and I discussed it today and she's planning on casting Dominic at the end of September. She feels he has gained enough mobility that he's ready for it. So, she will cast his left hand/arm (his good one) for 3-8 weeks! She said they have had a lot of success with other kiddos. I'm more worried about the fact that he won't be able to suck his thumb. I'm thinking it's going to be a rough several weeks. But, if it means he'll gain a lot of fine motor skills in his right hand, I'm all for it. He has just been such a stinker at therapy lately because he knows he can do everything with his left hand, so why should he bother with the right? Sarah assured me she would warn me the day before so I could have a few glasses of wine to prepare myself for the hell that will ensue. I'm really hoping and praying that because Dominic has such a great demeanor that he will get over it in a couple days. But we'll see, he is almost two after all!

We head to Naperville this weekend for a R&R and a Jurgensen family reunion! I'm so excited to see family I haven't seen since last year and relax by the pool. Our last farewell to summer!

One Year

Wow, I can't believe it. It's been one year since Dominic's surgery. Mike, the boys and I went out to dinner tonight to celebrate Dominic and being seizure-free for one year. Mike and I were talking about what we were doing and feeling a year ago. And how crazy it is that he's been seizure-free for a year. The long, grueling, 8 months he was sick were the longest of our lives. It felt like 8 years, not 8 months.

It's amazing how much has changed the past year. Here are some, just to name a few:

1. Dominic is talking/babbling. He is now up to about 10 consistent words - da da, bye-bye, hi, nana (bananas), ba ba (bottle), dog, woof, moo (for cow), quack (for duck), uh-oh.

2. Dominic is "walking with assistance". I guess he's not cruising, because cruising really means he goes side to side around furniture. He walks forward holding on. But that's because he can't use both hands. So, in my book it's adapted cruising. But whatever, he's up and mobile!

3. Dominic feeds himself - he eats with his hands and we are just now starting to have him use a spoon. I say "starting" because he hasn't quite grasped it. He mostly just flicks yogurt off the spoon onto the floor because he knows it annoys me. But, we'll get there.

4. He is FINALLY starting to use a sippy cup. This has been a looooooonnng time coming. Like months and months. I still mostly force it on him, but just recently he's started picking it up and trying to drink out of it. I believe he can do it. I just don't think he wants to. Dominic is very stubborn and set in his ways. Just like his dad :o) He doesnt' like to be told what to do or how to do it. He does it on Dominic time in Dominic style. I'm okay with that. I think this will come in handy in the future...

5. Dominic and Mitchell play together. This is adorable to watch. Mitchell is usually very gentle and patient with Dominic, but lately Dominic has become the feisty one. He takes things from Mitchell and tries to take over things. So, it's fun to watch them interact and "play" together. Their favorite thing to do is both sit in Dominic's crib and throw everything out of it. Mom doesn't love this game, but they do. I can already tell how much Dominic loves and looks up to Mitchell. He laughs at almost everything he does and mimics him all the time. Considering one of  my biggest fears after Dominic's surgery was Mitchell's resentment, it's amazing to watch them. He harbors no ill-will and it's clear he really, truly loves his brother. What a blessing!

6. He is SO happy. I mean really happy. Everything is funny. Everyone gets a smile or laugh and he will be anyone's best friend. It's very rare he cries. If you throw a ball at his face, he will cry. If he cracks his head on the corner of the table he will cry. But other than that, really happy kid who rarely cries. I think this attribute really helped him get through the first 10 months of his life. He inspires me to be a happier person and you can't help but be happy when you're around him.

So, those are just a few. Obviously a lot of them were a long time coming. Dominic refused to even bear weight on his legs until last November. So, the fact that he's pulling up and moving around on his own is incredible. He's obviously delayed but almost everyone (all specialists included) believe he will catch up by school age and will be relatively normal. SERIOUSLY??? I never thought I would hear someone utter those words. I remember with such clarity when I was told that he will probably never feed himself, never walk, never talk, never do anything. Never be 'normal'. Well you know what? Look at him now! He is a true, living, walking miracle. My God is bigger than any illness, any seizure, any doubting doctor. My God is faithful. My God is a healer. My God is a miracle worker.

I have no idea why God chose to heal Dominic. No idea. I know that God can do anything He wants whenever He wants. But He didn't have to. He doesn't heal everyone. And I don't know what to say or how to respond to someone who's child has not been healed. My heart just hurts for them because I do know the pain of watching your child suffer. And I do know the pain of getting that heart-wrenching news that you're child will never be 'normal'. All those thoughts of what they could have been race through your head. And the grief of losing the child you always imagined and prayed for. And then trying to cope with what lies ahead. How your life will change. How your family will change. How people will change toward you. How your life will never be the same. Ever again.

I also know that prayer changes things. And I know that THOUSANDS of people were and continue to pray for my sweet boy. I don't think that's the only reason God healed him. I'm not sure I'll ever know until the day I stand before Him. But I'm pretty sure that's the first question I'll ask. All I can say is that there is not a single day that goes by that I am not in awe of what God has done. Not a single day has passed that I don't look at Dominic and say "Wow God. Look at what you have done". I know there is a greater reason that God healed him, other than to make our lives easier. This boy was born for a purpose and I cannot wait to see what that purpose is.

This isn't to say he'll still have challenges. I mean, the boy is peripherally blind in both eyes, so he may never drive and clearly will not be serving in the U.S. Air Force. He is also Hemiplegic so he doesn't have much strength in his right arm and his right hand is pretty much useless. You put something in his hand and try to get him to hold it and he quickly grabs it out with his left hand. He doesn't like his right hand and really doesn't want you to make him use it. Hopefully one day, when he understands the necessity of it, he will put more effort into using it. But we'll see. He's pretty stubborn. He will also always have a limp. He will wear an AFO (ankle foot orthotic) for many, many years. Most likely into adulthood. He will also probably have comprehension problems. Removing half your brain will do that to you :o) But all of these are minor compared to what could have been and what issues he could be facing. So I will take these any day and hope that when he is old enough to understand, he'll know why we made the decision we did. Even though it left him with obstacles, I hope he will agree with our decision and be as grateful as we are for the miracle he is.

In true Laura form, I put together a sappy video recapping the last year. I did it for me. And for Dominic. I want him to have something for him to look back on when he's older. But I'll share it on here with all of you too. Enjoy!


Cheers Dominic, to a year full of firsts, accomplishments and NO SEIZURES!!

We love you, admire you, and thank God every day for you!

Love,
Mom and Dad