Brain Matter

3/24/11
I started this post about a few days before Tyler got very sick.  I never finished it while he was sick.  So allow me to sneak this in now.


2/16/11
I've been a little busy over the last week or so.  I find it's easier for the kids to be a little more busier when Ben is gone so they don't dwell on the fact he's gone.  We have a couple more days before he comes home, but today will be a quiet day as the girl nurses a barking cough and a fever.  Poor thing has been curled up on the couch all morning.

Hey Pink flowers go great with Backhoes!

Last week was full of doctor appointments.  I believe the most exciting visit was with neurosurgery. He had his MRI, which he still quietly sits through and amazes the techs.    Monkey was even given some ear muffs this time.  Our visit with neuro was a very happy flirty one for Tyler.  He talks up a storm with her and smiles.  The MRI showed a lot of good news.  First his head has not grown very much over the last 4 months.  Which is great, we want the rest of his body to grown into his very large head.  More about that later.  The fluid pockets on the outside of the brain have decreased some and what's more have shifted in such a way to indicate that it's moving into areas to be absorbed.  His ventricle size has not changed since his last MRI.  This is great because that tells us the shunt is working at the right setting to keep a balance.  So if his head hasn't grown, the fluid on the outside is smaller, and the ventricles are the same size what fills the extra space that just has been made?  Why brain matter!  Tyler's brain has grown in size.  His brain is bigger and developing.  Getting a little bit of control of the ventricles has allowed the brain to grow and either push the fluid out or the fluid is getting absorb to make room for the brain.  So a major hurray!
We talked  a little more about his in ability to perceive depth well and how his vision still has a few weaknesses.  We wonder if the cyst that formed in the area of the brain where vision is processed disrupted Tyler's ability to processes how to see depth a bit.  Time will give us more information of how his sight develops.  For now we just continue what we are doing and enjoy his smiles and antics.

Back to 3/24/11
That was the huge great news I was trying to get out before Tyler got sick!  Yeah for Brain Matter!

A couple of smiles before the storm.