My Not So Little Man

Remember what a sweet baby he was??? I feel the need to do a little Cade update as well! Cade is doing marvelously and making progress every day. He just requires lots of patience! He is a sweet natured, full of energy, curious little boy. He gets into lots of trouble and can be very taxing on his caretakers but he doesn't mean to be. Like I said, he's curious, and with his curiosity he brings destruction. His very favorite things are listening to books, riding anything that moves, especially Grandpa's lawnmower, swimming, and Gerber Graduate fruit snacks. Cade loves everyone, especially anyone walking out the door. He loves to go and hates to be left. I think he likes men more because he likes to play rough. He likes to be right up in the action and outside. He is the sweetest boy and will give hugs and kisses to no end. He weighs 45lbs and is 42 inches tall. Below is a picture of him on his way to an appointment. He removes everything he can: shoes, socks, seat belt, feeding tube, shirt, etc. And then he wraps the car's seat belt around him. I fix it at every stop but you all should pray that I don't get in any accidents.

Cade has had many appointments the past couple of months. To update you on Cade's health, the nurse in me feels it is appropriate to do a head to toe assessment of Cade.

Neuro/EENT: Cade continues with developmental delay. He hasn't had a seizure in over a year that we know of. His neurologist left it up to me whether or not we wanted to treat him for ADHD and we currently aren't. He had a repeat ABR hearing screen and it confirmed he is moderately deaf in his right ear and almost normal in his left. We have followed up with the audiologist and he has been fitted for a hearing aid and we are waiting for that adventure to begin. The pics below are from his ABR hearing screen for which he had to be sedated but not before he stuck stickers on his head, crazy kid.

I am waiting to hear from the cranial facial team about his mess of a mouth. The next step is a swallow study and then we will meet with the team again. His 6 year molars are coming in and the Dentist says they are pre-cavity which could mean he has an enamel defect. We will have to wait and see what the rest of them look like. He continues to be nonverbal but says MAMA frequently. His therapist claims he says "out", I haven't heard it.
Cardio: Cade had his over-due check up on his ticker. Everything looked great. His right side of his heart was enlarged from the stress of his first year of life but it appears normal. His Bicuspid Aortic Valve also doesn't appear to be leaking. The doc said we had a "limited" echo because Cade did not like to be held down or still. EKG looked fine. No problems there.

Lungs: Clear. If he has asthma it is mild. We have rescue inhalers but rarely use them.
GI: Still breaks feeding tubes like it's his job

Hands: He can sign about 5 signs (please, more, water, drink, wave bye), not perfectly but well enough that I know what he wants. He has a nasty wart on his middle finger that the dermatologist is in the process of freezing off.

Feet: He saw his orthopedic doc this summer. Her and his physical therapist are concerned with Cade walking on the insides of his feet with toes pointed out. He was prescribed some orthodic insoles for his shoes which, after a long process, he tried out today. He also has some type of bite on his ankle which has turned into cellulitis so he got antibiotics for that today. Hopefully it will clear out so we can avoid any incision and drainage. He saw his dermatologist last week because his cardiologist thought he had athletes foot (he was checking pulses, cap refil.) Derm said it was just irritation so we are watching to see if that is clearing up with cortisone.

It's a good thing his momma is a nurse! Here we are bored waiting on a doc...

Cade is a full time job but well worth it. I don't know what I would do without his simple smile to brighten my day. Last night at church we were discussing this verse with the high schoolers:
"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Cade instantly popped into my mind. I know God knows what he is doing but it is hard to trust and not question. Cade is truly an angel on Earth and I know he has already taught so many people so many simple lessons and he doesn't even talk. I know Rachel is putting in a good word for him so I am expecting great things. I am honored to have a front row seat in watching him grow and progress and nothing makes me prouder. I love you Cadester!