Spina Bifida Clinic Update

Rowan met with all of his specialists Thursday and received a great report.  The neurosurgeon was very happy with his progress and measured his head to exactly 50% which is great. At 6 months he will have an MRI of his head and back to help us get a better look at these structures. The worst part will be going under general anesthesia. The urologist didn't see any need to catheterize Rowan at this time which is a relief to us. Both orthopedics and rehab were very happy to see him kicking his legs.  His hips appeared very stable and he had full range of motion in his legs. They took a pretty close look at all the muscle movements and were extremely pleased.  The rehab doctor said "His movement is as good as I've seen in any child with this condition" which of course we were incredibly happy to hear. So overall a great appointment, we'll see them all again in June.

We recently registered for the Spina Bifida Walk-N-Roll fundraiser walk in Denver May 5. Grammy Buck and Aunt Ashley will be visiting that weekend so we will all be walking in Wash Park that morning. We welcome donations to the event through Stephanie's fundraising page. Our goal is to raise $1000! We know there are many of you who read this blog and ask that if you are able to donate $25 or $50 we would really appreciate it. While we are incredibly thankful for Rowan and think he is amazing we certainly don't wish this disease on any child and hope to be a part of the solution to reducing the incidence of the disease and improving the function of children with the disease.

https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/StephanieThomas/2013

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Each day is a blessing with Rowan and we feel proud to be his parents. 

Blessings,

Kyle & Stephanie

Hello Friend! Would you please donate to the Walk - N - Roll?

Daddy Reading Time

What a desirable pair!

Rowan's Dedication

Time is flying by and little Rowan isn't so little anymore.  He is now over three months old and is a bit chunky at 15 lbs.  I measured him last night and he has grown 5 inches since birth and weeks ago doubled his birth weight.  We visit the Spina Bifida clinic next week and Rowan will have a renal ultrasound to look at his kidney function.  There isn't really anything to update concerning his health. He continues to do very well and is an extremely happy boy.  He has settled into a fairly predictable routine and is sleeping well.  The most fun time of the day is morning when he is especially happy and smiles a bunch.

Two weeks ago we traveled to Indiana to visit family and have Rowan dedicated at Sonrise.

"For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there. 1 Samuel 1:27-28

We felt it would be very meaningful to have Rowan dedicated at the church Grandpa Buck pastored for 25 years.  It was a great celebration and time with family.  We had Casa's for lunch because we just can't find an equivalent in Colorado. 

The Milk Monster is 3 Months Old!

Dedication with Scott

Second Cousins or something?

Buck Family

Fosnough Family

Thomas Family

On our way to Indiana

We all three are sitting in the Denver airport waiting to board a flight to Indy. It's our first experience flying so we're hoping for the best. I always get really frustrated when there's a baby next to me on a flight. I guess perspectives change with time. Now we'll be the ones making rows 12-16 really excited for their flight.

We will be spending some time in Indy with the Thomas family and attending a funeral for Kyle's Grandpa Thomas Saturday before heading to Fort Wayne.

We know many friends and family from Fort Wayne and Sonrise have prayed for us and followed our story. Rowan will be dedicated at the 11 am service at Sonrise Sunday so we would love for you to meet him Sunday morning. Prayers for health for Rowan and some sleep for us all with the disrupted schedule.

Rowan the TV Star

The past few weeks have been quite eventful for Rowan.  Steph has arranged a social outing essentially every day.  I think Rowan has already done more laps around Wash Park than I have.  He enjoys riding in the stroller and being outside and told me that he is really excited to meet all the cute baby girls he sees riding with their moms. He also enjoys eating and is having no issue gaining weight. In two weeks he'll have his next checkup with the pediatrician to see how his growth and any other baby things are coming along.

This past Thursday was the first spina bifida clinic for Rowan.  He saw the neurosurgeon, urologist, and rehab doctor.  All were very pleased with his progress.  Stephanie really wanted a list of activities, stretches, exercises, etc. that she could work on with Rowan but the advice of the whole team was to work with him just like any other baby, nothing extra to do at this point.  His stitches have dissolved from his head and he continues to be a very happy boy.  We will visit the clinic again at the end of March.

About a month ago we met with the PR director of the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children and she wanted to share our story with the public.  She made contacts with a few news media outlets and this past Friday Rowan was featured on the Fox nightly news. It was a pleasure to share our story and we hope that other families facing the journey we have been on will see the story and be encouraged.  The link is included below.

http://kdvr.com/2013/01/25/denver-surgeons-make-breakthrough-in-treating-newborns-with-spina-bifida/

That's a cute duo!

January 12th marked 1 month old

Story Time! 

Discharged and heading home

After a night of little sleep for us all we are very much ready to head home. Pretty amazing how 24 hrs ago Steph and Rowan were walking into the pediatrician and now we're heading home after surgery. Rowan started eating early this morning and seems to be returning to his normal self. We will try to return to our normal routine today and get this kid sleeping and eating on a schedule. Thanks for all your kind words and prayers.

4 weeks old and back to surgery

Rowan is 4 weeks old today and unfortunately spent the day seeing the pediatrician and neurosurgeon. Thanks to a very caring and attentive mom Steph noticed a few signs showing that his shunt might not be functioning correctly. After a quick assessment by the pediatrician Rowan saw the neurosurgeon who felt his condition warranted surgery. His shunt wasn't draining correctly so a portion that was clogged was replaced. Certainly not what we hoped for today but he's doing well now. He's still waking up from anesthesia and we'll all three be spending the night at the hospital. We should go home tomorrow. Please lift up a prayer for Rowan that he wakes up calmly and starts to eat.

Happy New Year! (Merry Christmas too)

Today brings the final day of 2012 and we can't say we're sad to see 2012 go.  It has been by far the most eventful and emotional year of our lives.  I always enjoy the coming of a new year.  As a goal setter and list checker I have made yearly goals for myself since high school.  Today is an opportunity to look back at the year and gaze forward to the year to come.  This past year ushered in a new era for Kyle & Stephanie Thomas.  An era where life is no longer just about us and our priorities and goals but now is about being a family.  Rowan will force us to take a few steps back from our typical schedule.  A few less nights out, not as many weekends in the mountains, and hopefully only a few less miles on the bike.  We welcome the break.  In 2012 we were a major contributing factor to the profitability of Southwest airlines.  In the fall especially we were on planes constantly and for the first time in what seems forever we have no trips scheduled. We are now looking forward to seeing Rowan grow and develop.  

We have had the joy of having Nana Thomas and Papaw Thomas with us for the past few weeks.  They just left this morning and we are very sad to lose our live-in cooks, maids, and nannies.  Aunt Ashley and Uncle Justin will be arriving later today and stay through the weekend followed by Grammy Buck.  It has been great to share Rowan with family and friends.

Rowan had his two week pediatrician checkup earlier last week and he's doing great.  He now weighs 7 lbs and is 19 inches long. His sutures are mostly dissolved and his health seems great to us.  We don't have any appointments until the end of January.

We don't know exactly what to expect with Rowan but we know that God's hand has been upon him from before he was conceived and He will continue to be with him through this year and all future years.  We pray God's blessing on you in 2013.  May our journey provide some amount of peace and courage in knowing that we serve a powerful God who loves us and does not forsake us.  Blessings.
Kyle & Steph

Look what we found in our stocking!

Happily posing for the camera

First Family Christmas Photo!