Overdue Fall Update

Post date: Oct 28, 2011 2:26:53 AM

October 27 - We have let the blog lapse for our longest period so far. With the busyness of ministry this fall, Grady resuming his work on his Ph.D., and spending lots of time playing with Grady Jeremiah, we let more than two months pass with no updates. However, Grady Jeremiah is doing really well. We'll let you see for yourself how far he has come...

So here is a quick update:

Weight: 15 pounds, 10 ounces
Personality: Fun-loving, easy going (except when he really wants something!), and curious about his world
Verbal development: Imitating sounds, making lots of babbling noises and looking at us expecting us to understand what he is saying :-)
Motor skill development: Sitting up, able to turn around while sitting, grabbing objects, touching and holding onto whatever he can get his hands around, and trying to learn how to crawl and walk
Eating: Doing great with his bottles (still on breast milk) and beginning to learn about baby foods, though it is only a small taste each day!

The specialists from early intervention say he is meeting all of his development goals and is doing great! There are no signs of developmental delays from the missing septum pellucidum. His doctors continue to tell us that he does not look like he was a premature baby!

His Favorite Activity...

Grady Jeremiah's favorite activity continues to be us reading to him. Beginning this week we can place several books in front of him and ask him which one he wants us to read. He will look at them, then lean forward and either put his hand on one or grab one. It is so much fun to watch! He is a creature of habit as he normally chooses "The Big Red Tractor and the Little Village," "Bear Hunt," and "Go Dog Go" (and usually in that order!). Here are two recent pictures of Grady reading to Grady Jeremiah...

Quarantine update:

Many of you have asked about his quarantine. It continues through May 2012. We were able to relax it some during the summer months. However, with cold/flu/RSV season upon us, we are back to the restrictive quarantine that we had last winter after returning from the hospital. That means that Grady Jeremiah can't go with us to church, restaurants, or anywhere else indoors where airborne sickness can spread. That also means that visitors to our house will need to carefully review the health requirements for visiting page before coming. Thank you for your understanding during this time. We can hardly wait for next May to be here!

While it was still warm without much sickness going around, we did get brave and take Grady Jeremiah for a walk on Auburn's campus before one of the early football games. We kept him a safe distance from the crowds but let him experience his first Tiger Walk with the band, gameday crowds, and rolling Toomer's corner!Closing Thought:Grady Jeremiah's one year birthday is approaching in less than two weeks! We hope to post a blog around that time reflecting back over the journey of this past year. Check back in a few weeks for it. Also, during the next seven weeks we will have several visits to the pediatrician as he begins his monthly Synagis shots (a shot of antibodies to protect against RSV for 30 days) and has his one year check-up and shots, as well as visits in Birmingham to pediatric neurology, pediatric endocrinology, and newborn follow up clinic for follow up visits.