ONE YEAR OLD!

Our May and June have been busy and fun! We celebrated Mitch's birthday on May 19th. We had a party at our house, complete with water fun in our backyard. Mitch loved his cake and the pool, as evidenced by the pictures! May in Texas is HOT, but, luckily, it was not too bad, so all the kids stayed outside. It is hard to believe that Mitch is a year old. He had his fair share of trials in year one, so we are hoping that means his kidney issues are behind him and that he continues to grow and thrive. Mitch is not yet walking, but he is a major climber--much more so than Henry was. He is a good eater and sleeper. He goes to bed around 6:30 at night and sleeps until 6:30 in the morning. In the last few weeks, I have worked to get him on one nap a day, so he naps for about 2.5 to 3 hours in the afternoon. Mitch is a very happy boy who loves his big brother and his dog. We are enjoying him so much!

Spring Fun

Here are some shots of recent activities:

Henry and Mitch, acting as "clean-up crew" after Mitch spilled some Puffs on the floor. Don't worry--we had just had the floors cleaned. This activity is a good immunity builder. ;)

Henry and me at the Cinco Ranch Nature Adventure last weekend. One perk of living where we do is that there are lots of family activities. Note the pool behind us. That is our favorite pool to go to in the summer.

Here's a shot of the boys in matching PJs. I love having two kids of the same gender so I can dress them in matching outfits.

This pic was taken on Mitch's 11-month birthday, right before bedtime. He is a busy boy, who is a thrill seeker. This kid climbs up and into everything.

More Good News!

Mitch saw Dr. B last week. It was a great visit. It was the first time we've seen her since his ultrasound (post-surgery), and she was really pleased with how good his left kidney looks. The hydronephrosis has gone down considerably, and she thinks his remaining kidney has responded very favorably since the nephrectomy. The tone of this visit was so positive, which was great, as Dr. B tends to be quite a realist. She doesn't paint a rosier picture than warranted, so, for her to be so pleased is a good thing. Mitch is still on Bicitra three times a day, which manages his acidosis. His labs showed that his CO2 is holding steady at 25, even as he grows, which means he is not outgrowing the dose and that signs are pointing to being able to eventually be off the meds entirely! Considering that Mitch has been on some type of medication since birth, it is very liberating to think that he could potentially be off of the Bicitra. In all honesty, though, even if he has to stay on it, we are ok with that, as long as his kidney function remains so solid. His Creatinine was .3, which is perfect! We go back to Dr. B and the renal team in June. Until then, we are enjoying our almost-one-year-old!

10 MONTHS

I took pictures of Mitch at 9 months and didn't post them. So, here are some 10-month-old shots! In the second one, you can see all of his teeth. He only had the bottom two for a long time, and then four on the top came in. It made for some rough sleeping, but he seems to be past it now. Mitch still takes two naps a day, but he's showing signs of being ready for one. I may push that to happen sooner rather than later. I kind of think that the morning nap is a pain because it makes it hard to get out in the morning. I would rather have him move to one longer nap starting around noon. He goes to bed between 6 and 7 at night. (We're big believers in the early bedtime around here. Kids are happier and better behaved when they are well-rested!) Mitch and Henry are really starting to interact and "play," which has been so much fun to watch. As far as Mitch's health goes, he has an appointment with the renal folks this week, so let's hope his labs are perfect!

Go Texan Day!

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Some Good News!

Today we met with Mitch's Urologist. He was very pleased with the renal ultrasound. The left kidney actually looks better than it did in July. His bladder is also looking pretty good. Mitch was taken off the Bactrim,the antibiotic he has been on since birth. We'll have to be very prudent anytime he gets a fever; he'll likely have to have his urine tested anytime he's feverish.

Dr. G. reminded us that Mitch will continue to be followed for a long, long time. As we've said before, the unfortunate part of being born with Posterior Urethral Valves is that, essentially, his urinary tract has developed under abnormal circumstances, so there can be issues related to that, mostly with the bladder, as he gets older.

For now, we're happy that he is doing so well. Unless something comes up, we don't need to go back to see the Urologist for 6 months. Mitch will still be seen regularly by his Nephrologist, but we're hoping those visits are nice and boring!

Mitch's Ultrasound

A few people have asked about Mitch's renal ultrasound yesterday. We won't really know anything until Tuesday, when we meet with his Urologist. From what I could tell, his kidney didn't look any worse from the first ultrasound, but, I am not really sure. I do know that I didn't see tons of fluid on it, but, again, I am not trained to analyze the pictures. I guess it was good that there was no emergent situation. After the tech showed the Radiologist the pictures, we were free to go.

On Tuesday we meet with Dr. G. We're hoping he says that the kidney looks good and that Mitch can go off his Bactrim (the antibiotic he's been on since birth).

We're in the middle of a cold snap here. It's been in the 40s. We're looking forward to leaving for the Dominican Republic in a week to see Juju and Grandpa Chores.