Christmas Vacation!!!

7 Months Old

He really likes his highchair. Although it is a Christmas present, we gave it to him a little early because he was ready for it.

Nick graduated!

I am getting better at capturing smiles, usually by the time the picture takes he has a startled look on his face, but I think I might have figured it out.

Vince is getting ready for his graduation too.

We wanted to wish everyone Merry Christmas a little early. We hope your holiday season is going well so far. Nick, Vince, and I have been enjoying our vacation. We all have two weeks off. Because Vince is not a fan of long car rides we will be staying home this year. The last trip up north ended with a 6 hour car ride when it normally takes 4 and a half because Vince was so upset. With that our parents will be coming down to us, which we are very thankful for. Everyone has been healthy here which has been great. Vince continues to work really hard at therapy and has been improving. He is working on sitting and almost has it. He can now catch himself when he starts to tip, but sometimes he has too much momentum and can't stop himself, but he loves it. We have also started working on 4 point which is just where we put him on his knees and hands and help get the feeling of crawling. He really hates this, but we know with time he will love it and before we know it he will be crawling and getting into everything. Vince is also getting something called a parapodium on New Years Eve. Because he is starting to bear weight on his legs they want to get him started right away with standing and it will help him with that. Once we get it we will be sure to post some pictures. Other than that we are just really looking forward to our first Christmas as a family of three. Again Merry Christmas to everyone.

Love,

Nick, Andrea, and Vince

December Already!

6th month professional pictures

This is really how the session went, the photographer did a very good job of getting some good shots.

Our first "real" family picture

Avocado's, he seemed to like these quite a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving! We are also starting to practice with a sippy cup.

Messy carrots

The count down to Christmas has begun. We cannot believe how fast time has gone, Vince is already 7 months old! Since the last post we have had quite a few appointments so I will start with those.

Vince got his 6th month shots which went well, he did not cry too hard, he saw Dr. Warder - his Neurosurgeon, the GI specialist - Dr. Atay, and had Myelo clinic. Overall everything went really good. His Neurosurgeon appointment went well, everything is looking how it should and we don't have to go back for 6 months. Dr. Atay liked what he saw and said he did not need to see Vince again for a whole year. Once we start potty training we will start seeing Dr. Atay more, he has worked with SB patients before and is confident Vince will be potty trained. Myelo Clinic was very busy but they were all very impressed with how he is doing. We saw a Nutritionist, Pediatrician, Neurologist, Social Worker, Urologist, Physical Therapist (she had another type of doctor with her but I cannot remember what type), and the clinic coordinator. We were there from about 8 until 12 and Vince did great, he missed a meal and a nap and did not fuss at all. For any of you who have seen Vince lately you know that he has some very cute chubby thighs going on so the Nutritionist was not worried at all. He passed all of the little tests that the Neurologist did, I think the Social Worker was there more for me and everything was good, the Urologist said his kidneys were steady so that means everything is still good there. In about 3 months we will have a more extensive test done to test his bladder and the capacity that is has. The physical therapists thought he was doing great. Because Vince is starting to bear weight on his legs they prescribed a device for him that will help him continue to gain strength while standing. He is being fitted for it on the 16th of this month. At this point they see him using all of the muscles in both of his leg and are not going to brace him yet. They want to see how he progresses first. They did say that his left leg is a little weaker than his right, but we knew that, they did say that they think it is not because of the muscle development but because of the nerves in his leg, which we had not heard before. This should not effect his ability to walk, but he may need a brace when he starts to walk for it and with physical therapy it will continue to get better. All in all it was a very good day.

Lets see what else. We have been working with food, he does not seem to really like it or really hate it, but he is not very sure about it. So far his favorite are pears. It is fun watching him as he tries something new. Vince also celebrated his first Thanksgiving. It was a great day we went to Aunt Kathy and Uncle Paul's house first and saw a lot of family. Vince and Emme played on the floor for a little while until she rolled on him and he did not like that very much. Later we went to the Jackson's house and had a great dinner there. Nick finished his MBA and we will be going to his graduation on the 13th. Overall we are having a lot of fun and getting in the Christmas spirit. Like I said in the beginning the count down has begun and this year Nick, Vince, and I will have a whole two weeks off together which we are really looking forward to.

Wow, sorry that was a lot of information. We will try to update more often so we don't overwhelm you in the future. We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving and we hope you all have a great holiday season. Thank you for all of your love and support this year.

Love,

Nick, Andrea, and Vince

Busy November so far

6 Months Old

Eating his first solid food - bananas

Monkey costume for Halloween

We are a couple of weeks into November now and it has been pretty busy around here. It started out with Vince's first Halloween. He was dressed as a monkey and helped pass out candy at Grandma and Grandpa Santini's house.

The next week was Andrea's birthday (3rd), Vince's 6 month birthday (4th) and Nick's birthday (5th). It was a busy week for us, but all three of us enjoyed a great birthday week. We gave Vince his first solid food - bananas. He wasn't sure what to think of it, but we think it went well. He wasn't too excited for it but he didn't hate it either, so that was a good start. We gave him some avacado yesterday and he seemed to like that a little better but still isn't a big fan of eating real food yet. He'll get there, though and we'll keep trying new things and hopefully will find a winner.

This past week, Vince has been feeling under the weather. He's had a cold and his nose has been really stuffed up and having a hard time breathing. We went to the doctor on Friday for his 6 month checkup but decided not to get his shots because he was sick. I don't think Vince was complaining about not getting shots but we'll have to take him back soon to get them once he starts feeling better. Other than the cold, he's been doing really good lately. He is getting stronger and has been learning how to use his hands a lot more. We have to start being more careful about what we have within his reach - including the glasses on face. He is also being a lot more vocal and talking to us more.

Next week is going to be busy with appointments. He has his myelo clinic in Lansing on Tuesday which will be an all morning day of appointments with a neurologist, urologist, physical therapist, pediatrician, and nutritionist. Then on Friday, we have follow-up appointments in Kalamazoo with the GI specialist and the neurosurgeon. Those are on top of our physical therapy which is always on Mondays and Thursdays in Lansing.

Then the week after that, we are already at Thanksgiving. Hopefully we'll have a nice long weekend to relax.

Love,

Nick, Andrea and Vince

More October

Go Blue!

The battle begins between Emme and Vince. Emme won this year.

Five months old

Silly face

It has been a busy month so far, I can't believe it is almost over. Our excitement last week was that Vince rolled over. He did it six times in one day and once the next, but has decided that he is now to cool for it and has not done it since, but we know he will do it again. :) We are also working on sitting and bearing weight on his legs. We also experienced his first fever last week. I was sick and must have given it to him, but we made it through it and are doing much better this week. Nick has been keeping busy with work and school. He will be done with his MBA at the end of November. We hope you are all enjoying fall and the colors that go with it.

Love,

Nick, Andrea, and Vince

5 months

Remember this picture - 1 month old trying on pants

These pants fit me now

Big smiles

First day of daycare

Watching the Michigan football game

Vince will be 5 months old already on Sunday. September has really flown by for us and we can't belive it is over already. It was quite a busy month for all of us and I don't see it slowing down too much soon. Andrea is doing well and getting adjusted to all her new students at school. Vince is enjoying day care and is back to two days a week at physical therapy and continues to improve on his head and neck strength - all that tummy time is paying off. We are now working on sitting up and rolling over. I've been busy traveling and getting acclimated with my new job and working on my last two classes for my MBA. Luckily, the only doctor's appointment we've had this month was for Vince's 4 month check up and shots. He weighed in at 14lbs, 4oz and was 24in long but was not a big fan of the shots.

Tomorrow we plan on going to watch the Michigan - Michigan State game with Andy, Amy and Emme. Hopefully I can teach Vince how to say "Go Blue" by then.

Love,

Nick, Andrea and Vince

Back to Work/School

Ben and Lindsay's Wedding

Vince at 4 months old

Crazy hair after his bath

Enjoying his bumbo

So exhausted during his first night in a hotel

Well it has been a little while since we last posted. Vince has been very good, we have not had a lot of appointments lately which is nice after this summer. Nick and I decided to count and see how many appointments we had including physical therapy in Vince's first 4 month of life and we came up with 72. We were pretty surprised it was that many. Nick started his new job and is enjoying it. He is very busy getting everything set up how he needs it and visiting customers. He is working for a foam company again. I have also gone back to work. The first week with students went really well. This year I have all Econ classes which does make it a little easier for me because last year that is what I taught, so I have some experience with it. Vince is going to a lady's house each day where he is the only little one there. She was recommended by my principal and has been great so far. I think Vince is really going to enjoy it there. Other than learning how to balance work and be parents at the same time we think everything is going great. We hope you are all enjoying what is left of summer. Also, congratulations to Ben and Lindsay Chargot, your wedding was beautiful!

Love,

Nick, Andrea, and Vince

Great Week

Big smiles

Tummy time is paying off.

The beginning of sitting up, even though it looks like Nick is holding him up, he is not.

We have had a great week. Nick got a job and Vince continues to do well. On Thursday last week Nick had an interview and was offered the job that day. His new company is based in Indiana, but he will be working from home. He will be traveling about four days a week, but will be home most nights. Because of this we have been in the process of finding day care for Vince and we think we have found a couple of really great options. It will be hard leaving him at first but we will all adjust very fast I am sure.

Vince had an MRI as well that day and it showed that the blood was going away and that there is just a little bit of staining left. Hopefully that means when we go back for an EEG it will show normal activity and we will be able to take him off of the phenobarb.

Vince continues to do very well with his physical therapy and keeps showing improvements. He is getting better at tummy time and sitting. He does not have sitting down yet but he is able to hold himself up for a few seconds at a time with his hands. I know it does not seem like very much but it is really exciting for us. He has also decided to giggle at therapy on Friday after his therapist bounced him on the ball. It was very cute.

Today we went to the GI specialist to have a check up due to the blood in his stool and it looks like it has cleared up. He thinks it was fissure, so Vince is on Miralax until November to make sure it does not come back. I think that is all for now. We hope you are all having a great end of summer (hard to believe that school is about to start). Oh and congratulations to David, he left to college today. I can't believe my little brother is starting college.

Love,

Nick, Andrea, and Vince

Busy Weekend

They wore matching outfits up at the cottage

A very nice sunset after a very cold day.

Vince all bundled up and ready for his first boat ride. He slept through the whole adventure.

Vince at 3 months old

Vince and Sam

He had crazy hair when he woke up from his nap.

Emmie and Vince. They are about three months apart in age.

Vince dipped his toes in the water at Paul and Kathys house for the first time, he was not to sure what to think.

The Bellmore Boys, at least the ones that were there. Luke, David, Nick, Tom and Vince, and Andy.

The Bellmore great grandkids minus Ethan. Korine holding Emmie, Madeline, and Chloe holding Vince.

I can't believe it is already August! Where has the time gone? We had a very busy weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Santini came down on Friday, and we went to Uncle Paul and Aunt Kathy's house on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we went and saw the newest addition to the family Emmie, Andy and Amy are her parents, Andy is Nick's cousin. She is only a week old and so cute. Vince and Emmie got along very well, they looked at each other, held hands, and Emmie even sucked on Vince's hand when he put it in her mouth. It was so sweet watching them together. Nick's other cousins were there too, David, Courtney, their kids Korine, Chloe, and Madeline, and Becky. We had a wonderful dinner and stayed pretty late but Vince did very well.

On Sunday we went back to their house to see Luke before he left for the Army. All of the people above were there plus Tom and Aunt April. Being that it was about 95 degrees and very humid Paul and Kathy's pool came in handy. Overall it was a great weekend.

Vince also turned 3 months old on the 4th so we took some pictures again. He is getting so big. On Monday he weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces. You will notice in the pictures that the jean overalls he has on in the 3 month pictures are the same ones that were huge on him in the pictures of him trying on clothes at about 1 month old. We have had to start putting away his newborn clothes.

Other than all of this, last week was a pretty slow week with the exception of Vince having a little bit of blood in his stool. Last Sunday we ended up at the ER because he had quite a bit of blood in it but after all of the tests they ran they were able to rule out any infection and they sent us to a GI specialist the next day. They are still not exactly sure what is causing it but we are trying to figure it out. They are treating him for a fissure right now but if that does not work they are going to look into him having a milk protein allergy. If he does have that the doctor said that most kids outgrow it by the time they turn one, so that is not too bad.

This week is going to be a busy one. I am going to be working Monday through Wednesday for sure and possibly Thursday. I was able to get some work writing curriculum for the ISD. It will be a good test for what it is going to be like when I go back to work in September. Vince has physical therapy like usual, his first Early On home visit, a MRI to check the blood that was in his brain after the seizures, and a Neurosurgeon appointment. We hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer and that it is not going to fast.

Love,

Nick, Andrea, and Vince

Catching Up

Already a Tigers fan.

Vince with Donkey at Luke's graduation party.

At the Micketti Family reunion.

He is smiling a lot more lately.

It's been a while since our last post and we have had many appointments and trips since then, so I'll try to do my best with the updates to get everyone up to speed.

Two weeks ago, we had a total of six appointments in four days - two sessions of physical therapy, two meetings with the Early On program, a pediatrician and a urologist appointment. At the pediatrician, Vince got his 2 month shots which he was not a very big fan of. We only got 2 of the 4 shots that time, so he is not going to be happy when we go back soon to get the other ones. The urologist said that Vince's bladder and kidneys looked really healthy, but from the VCUG test that he got the week before it looked like he wasn't emptying his bladder completely. Since that could lead to kidney problems in the future, he decided that we should cath Vince with every diaper change for a week to give him more data. So we have been cathing him a few times a day and recording how much liquid was in his bladder and we will have a follow up with the urologist in the next couple of weeks to go over those numbers and see what he recommends.

That weekend we drove 4 hours (it now takes about 5 hours with a 2.5 month old) up to Rogers City for Nick's family reunion and his cousin Luke's graduation party. Both parties were on Saturday, so Vince had a busy day meeting all of his relatives but he did very good and I'm sure he had a fun time.

Last week was a bit slower for us which was nice. We had an ultrasound on Vince's head to look at his ventricles and see if his shunt was working correctly. We will go back on Wednesday to meet with the neurosurgeon for the results of that. Friday we took a drive up to Grand Rapids so Vince could watch Uncle David play in a baseball tournament and then Uncle Chris met up with us after that for dinner.

The next couple of weeks shouldn't be as busy so hopefully the weather gets to be nicer and we can get out and enjoy the summer.

Nick, Andrea and Vince