Day 1: Evaluation Day

Evaluation day at the Institutes is all about seeing what has improved since your last visit and seeing what still needs to improve for you next visit. Noah has gained some weight and gotten over an inch taller (no one is surprised there -- Noah gets taller even when he doesn't gain weight), but the big improvement over the last six months was reflux. Those of you who have followed Noah for a long time understand what a huge deal that is. Noah used to vomit regularly, and he was only able to eat very small amounts of food. He used to spit up four or five times a day or more. His reflux was severe and got in the way of doing a lot of his program. It was a huge obstacle to every physical program and kept him from growing and absorbing nutrients from his food. Not that it hasn't taken a lot of hard work and patience, but now Noah rarely ever vomits. He spits up a few times in a month, and he eats at least twice the amount he could eat a year or so ago. So when I say that reflux has improved -- it is a huge deal. It is not gone, but we've got a really good handle on it. It is a really big deal.

I think when we look at Noah's hip, and the obstacle that it presents, it helps to remember the struggles that we have been through with the reflux and know that with God all things are possible.

Noah's hip problems have caused him to be limited in his improvement in other areas over the last six months, but I know we can overcome this problem just like we did the last one (reflux). Prayer is tool number one, and we will utilize it regularly. We will meet with a specialist on Thursday to talk about what to do for the hip, and after that I can let you know what the other tool(s) will be.

Hopefully I will have pictures soon, too. Mom took lots of nice ones today but didn't bring her cord to download them. I will take pictures with my camera, too, from now on.