Everything is good this week. My last update said I would post some more pictures, but I haven't had a chance to organize them yet. Lucas and I ended up flying to Ohio the day after we went to New York. I had a meeting come up in Indianapolis on that Monday (which is just a couple hours from my hometown), so I decided to take advantage of the trip and give my family some time with him. So Bran and I got back from NY at noon on Saturday, and Lucas and I were on plane at 4 pm to Ohio! We had a family event Saturday night, then got to hang out with my brother & sister in law, and visit with one of my best friend's Jodi and her family on Sunday, and then Mom was thrilled to be off work and babysit while I went to my meeting Monday. We flew back to DC on Tuesday...whew, very quick and busy trip, but well worth it! .
The timing was good for the trip home because my Mom & Blain had a get-together with some of my Mom's side of the family that I haven't seen in a long time, and most had never met Lucas. He was all smiles and the entertainer for all of them. For those of you that have been following our blog for awhile, you may remember me writing about my first flight with Lucas last year to see my Uncle Roger, who passed away a few weeks after our visit. I know it meant a lot to me to be able to spend that time with him and I treasure the pictures from that day, but talking with my Aunt last weekend reconfirmed that it was worth the trip when she told me how much it meant to Roger to get to see and hold Lucas. She said he knew that he would never be able to experience any of his own grandchildren, and that "Lucas was like his grandchild." Makes me cry just thinking of that day, I'm glad that our little man could bring a smile to his face after being sick for so long. The last thing Roger said to him as we were leaving was, "Thanks for coming to see me, Lucas. The next time I see you, you'll be able to talk to me." I know that Roger is watching over him and I like to think of him smiling as Lucas squeals his adorable, "hiiiiiiieeee!"... and all the other babble that totally sounds like Lucas is having a conversation.
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Lucas did great on the flight, and said "hi" constantly to the people sitting around us (and never stopped saying, "ab-by, ab-by, ab-beeee!") Everyone thought it was cute for awhile, but I think they were getting annoyed about half way through. I finally had to turn him the opposite direction so he'd stop trying to get their attention! He is such a social boy! If you don't answer him, he will say "hi" fifty times until you do. I really need to get some videos of him talking... sometimes he draws out "haaaaeee" really long and it sounds like a cross between a having a southern draw and Will Ferrell's impersonation of Harry Caray. (If you are a Will Ferrell fan and have seen this skit on SNL, you know what I'm talking about and are probably chuckling right now).
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A couple of appointments since my last update... we saw our holistic pediatrician about his weight gain and she feels that he's right on track and is not worried, like the GI. According to her scale, he has gained since the last visit in May and he is still following the curve (not on the chart yet, but is maintaining his own curve). When I told her that GI was concerned that his weight was too low according his height/weight ratio, she said it is more important that he IS gaining along the curve. She has a better comparison, having done a weight check in May... and the GI's last weight to compare was in March. Here's something interesting... what the US considers "normal" weight on the body mass index, it is typically considered "overweight" in other countries. Our normal BMI is higher than most other countries. Go figure, and the US is one of the unhealthiest countries! We also took the plunge and eliminated the final part of dairy in his diet (Pediasure), and are no longer doing bottles. I'm a little nervous since the GI wanted us to increase Pediasure, but Lucas just doesn't want the bottle anymore. She feels since lately we can only get a few ounces of Pediasure in him/day anyway, we can replace what he was getting with fattening, but more healthy and natural alternatives (not something manufactured in a plastic bottle). I was also reluctant to stop the bottle because he's not entirely onto the sippy cup or straw yet (still just takes small sips), but she feels we should try eliminating it and is not concerned that he's not into drinking much. She said some kids just aren't big drinkers. She gave me some more advice on high fat foods that are very healthy, like chopping nuts and seeds and adding it to his food, and adding nut butters every chance we can. We're going to give it two weeks and check his weight at that time to see if he's doing ok with this latest change.
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Overall she was really excited about his progress since making the diet changes in May, she immediately commented on how strong he feels, and his alertness and level of interaction/play. Even the GI doctor said that inspite of the low weight gain, she was extremely impressed with his overall demeanor and how healthy he looks. We also got the bloodwork back from GI a day later, and all of his levels are right in line, ("excellent" was the word she used). I was sooooo relieved to get those results, and it made me a lot more confident in following the nutritional advice from our holistic pediatrician. Obviously we are doing something right if his blood levels are excellent... and they took five vials, so I know they checked everything! So, we're going to stick with our Pediatrician's lead and stay on the healthy food track, rather than the GI's advice. I really feel like these new food choices are the key.
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We decided we are going to get a second opinion on his eyes, muscle surgery, and patching, since what the ophthamologist is recommending is contradicting what we and our vision teacher are seeing. I got a referral to a doctor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and he's scheduled to go at the end of August.
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While I work on getting our other pictures organized, here's a few that we had taken last month for Bran for Father's Day by the same photographer that did the Cherry Blossom pictures (Stacey Vaeth). I wanted to get them posted before they get old! I don't like to post so many of me, but I think some of the shots she got with Lucas and I are so sweet. I think she's a great photographer!
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PS, Lucas can now sit up all by himself for about 5-7 minutes-- not propped, but while using his hands with a toy! And he's starting to use his left hand to stabilize sitting so he can use his right for playing. :-)
Kisses for Mommy
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
My favorite picture - our little miracle standing on his own two feet!
This may not look like much, but up until about a month ago, he wouldn't stand or weight bear at all.
Say "cheese!"
Slapping Five
Little Ham... It wasn't hard to get smiles out of him!
More kisses
My friend Courtney & Lucas' girlfriend, Elle (also a 25 weeker) 
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