Thanksgiving

Cade finally got to meet his cousin Rachel over Thanksgiving. I think he thought that she was another toy because he just would stare at her, then grab her, then roll on her. But don't feel sorry for Rachel. That little one is feisty and it won't be too long until she is beating up her cousin Cade. We also had the opportunity to baptize my godchild while she was here. My family took turns having the stomach flu and they all tried to blame poor Cade because he had it first.

Helping me Study

I go to The University of Texas where I am in the nursing program. I have one year left. As you can imagine, going to school with an infant has been quite a challenge. My professors are very understanding when things with Cade arise and so far it has been manageable. Here is Cade helping me study for finals. He enjoys tearing my papers and eating my pen.

Cade learning to eat

Teaching Cade to eat has been a very difficult experience. We began giving him solids in May but after a few pneumonias (due to aspiration), we were told not to feed him by mouth. So we didn't get the OK until September to slowly try to feed
him again and we have been very cautious. He now eats about 1/2 jar a day and is learning to eat gram crackers and drink from a cup. I have to get him naked first because he makes a horrible mess.

Hanging out with Cade...

Cade's first Halloween

Cade was in the hospital for his first Halloween so it is a good thing that his mother is so on top of things and she put him in his costume early. As you can see, he really enjoyed it. His cousin Rachel helped him celebrate a late Halloween when she visited for Thanksgiving. They trick-or-treated at their grandparent's houses and got some new toys.

Cade's Story

Cade is a very unique individual who has had a rough start to his life. He was diagnosed with Chromosome 6 p deletion which means he is missing a little bit of information from his DNA that has caused him to have a recessed chin, low muscle tone, and some heart defects. So far he has had 5 surgeries and at this point will require two more. He will be having his hole in his heart repaired on December 27th and will be having his jaw fixed (well, broken and moved out) on January 19th. Hopefully the next two surgeries will lead to the removal of his tracheostomy and increased energy so he can have the strength to learn to crawl and walk. So far he has made tremendous progress with the help of therapy and is stronger everyday. He is so much fun to have around because despite his feeling less than healthy pretty much his whole life, he still manages to laugh and smile and play with us. God has blessed us with a very special little boy that has taught us so much.

The Akins

My cousin Sandy started a blog when she had her son Aiden and we have enjoyed checking it so much that we have decided to start our own. We thought that this would be an easy way to keep everyone informed on what is going on in our lives. Cade is a very busy man and has many things to share with his friends so this will probably be all about him. Enjoy!