Appointments...and more Appointments...

Jacob had alot of check-ups this week and all the doctors were pleased with the progress he has made in the past 6 months.

Our week started with a Cardiology follow-up appointment. Jacob had an Echocardiogram done (an ultrasound on his heart) to look at his pulmonary hypertension and heart function, and then we met with the Cardiologist. His Echo looked great and the doctor didn't see any changes in heart function, so he discontinued the medication for pulmonary hypertension--sildinafil--that Jacob has been on since our stay in the NICU. So...one more medication DONE!!! Yay!

On Wednesday we had a follow up appointment with the NICU clinic to monitor development and overall health. We were so pleased to find out that Dr. Patrick Jones, a Neonatology fellow at VCH, was going to be the one to do the assessment and follow-up on Jacob. He was in the delivery room the night of Jacob's birth, walked with Jacob and Jeff down the long hallway to the Children's hospital, and was one of Jacob's doctors while in the NICU. He was with us from the beginning, and we were all smiles as we showed him the progress Jacob has made. During that visit we had a developmental assessment done. The assessment projected that Jacob's physical development is equivalent to an 8 month old, his cognitve development is equivalent to a 10 month old, and his communication development is equivalent to a 12 month old. We are so proud of Jacob's progress and despite the tough start, he is moving along at a steady pace. We go back at the ages of 2 and 3 to do a more intense evaluation, and we're hopeful that Jacob will be fully caught up by then.

Our final doctor's visit was today with the Pulmonologist (lung doctor). He was pleased with what we had to tell him about Jacob's oxygen requirements, or lack thereof, and said Jacob looked and sounded very clear. It is rare for a child to come off oxygen during winter months, because of colds and RSV, etc. So, we will remain on the oxygen until Spring. As much as we want Jacob off oxygen, this was what we expected. However, he did say that he would like to schedule a sleep study for Jacob some time in early April. During that sleep study they will take Jacob off oxygen and have a variety of monitors recording information about saturation levels, etc. SO....if that goes well, we will be able to come off oxygen completely some time in April!!! YAY!!!!!

As always, Jacob did extremely well during these visits. He's such a happy kid, and didn't seem to mind the doctors messing with him, the nurses checking his blood pressure, or the fact that he was weighed, measured, and had his sats checked during every visit. We're so blessed that Jacob has such an easy going personality.

Here are a couple of pictures of Jacob from this week. He's such a cutie!

Jacob in his Birthday outfit on Tuesday.

Jacob sitting with Papa Bear playing the keyboard. How cute!

Thanks for checking in with us! Have a blessed day!