That Kid with the Droopy Eye

Our baby is perfect! Absolutely perfect. However...

At just moments after Liam's birth (well, maybe not moments since I was "out" and can't really remember much of the first several hours of Liam's life...so let's say hours), I mean, hours after Liam's birth I noticed he had one eye that looked kind of "droopy." This was really no big deal to me - Ben was born with a droopy eye too...it runs in our family.

Liam's, though, was different, his eye was almost closed. He also had some "goo" in his eye. The doctor told us this should resolve over time, as it was just a blocked tear duct and was fairly common.

At Liam's four month check up our pediatrician decided to send us to a Pediatric Opthomologist to have the eye checked out - it seemed to be getting worse, not better.

We were able to get in to see the Ped. Optho doctor pretty quick. I fully expected for him to say "yep - it's a blocked tear duct...let's wait it out." That, however, is not how it went down.

It turns out that Liam has a little more going on than a blocked duct. His right eye lid is very lazy and his pupil is smaller than the other. Liam has Horner's Syndrome. Horner's Syndrome is caused by some type of nerve damage which effects the eye and sometimes one side of the face. In infants it is most often caused by a traumatic birth - yep, that's us! Liam was born via c-section yet they still had to use the vacuum extractor and forceps -multiple times. It took almost 45 minutes to get him out - he was literally stuck in there. Traumatic, to say the least!

There could be other causes for Horner's - some are kind of scary, so Liam is going to have an MRI to investigate the cause and extent of the nerve damage. I am not worried!

From what I have read there is no way to "fix" Horner's syndrome - he just may always be known as "that kid with the droopy eye." It may or may not effect his vision, that will be determined by yearly visits to the Opthomologist...but it will most likely change his eye color in that one eye. His eyes are already blue - but the Horner's eye may fade to a light green...I think that will be kind of cute!! I think a droopy eye will be cute too!

Some people might want to play the "blame game" and blame the doctor who delivered Liam. I, however, think that is ridiculous! Our doctor did what he had to do to get Liam here safely! He had a limited window of time to get Liam out - and considering the circumstances, he did pretty good! (Seriously, it was not your everyday "run-of-the-mill" c-section. My doctor later told me that this was one of the most difficult c-sections he had ever done. It was very scary!)

Liam is healthy. This is no big deal (I'm pretty sure). I have many friends who are dealing with much bigger issues. I can deal with a droopy eye!!!

Liam 4mos (almost 5). Horner's Syndrome - Right eye

Four Months of Miracles (in pictures)

Liam, 1 month. Loves his Seven Sling!

 

Liam 2 months. Loves his baths!!

Liam (being wiggly) 3 mos with his big brother. They love each other so much!

Liam, 4 months. He REALLY loves his baths! He also loves to chew on all of his blankets, towels, and as you can see here wash cloths!

Faithfulness

This is me. I don't usually add pictures to my blog...mostly because I didn't know how...but I am trying to 'get with the program.'

This picture is one I will treasure for the rest of my life. As it was being taken I was thinking, "This is real. This is happening. God is faithful."

And he is...faithful. He may not always answer our prayers in the way we want him to or in the timeline we expect (point proven), but he will answer them.

I am so thankful for his faithfulness!

This is what an answered prayer looks like! Liam Jamison and his big brother Ben, January 21, 2013.

Blogging & Sleeping

A note about blogging:
I will be the first to admit that I am not a savvy blogger. I don't know how to do much - other than type and publish. I'm a pretty smart girl, actually...I just choose not to be tech savvy. It's really quite a brilliant plan.

Let me explain,

You see we have a few techies at work. A few. Like, you can count them on one hand few. Whenever I have a computer problem - I run to one of my techie friends and usually have to wait in line behind someone else who is having a computer problem. By making the choice to have very minimal computer knowledge I have much more free time on my hands. I am not bogged down with questions and problems posed by tech dummies like me. But...then again, if I knew how to solve said tech problems I could just fix them myself and avoid the whole waiting in line thing. Hmmmmm....

Anyway, on to baby stuff...

I am currently sitting in a quiet and kinda clean house. I just finished lunch and have managed to do laundry and mop floors. Liam is sleeping. SLEEPING! Oh, how I have waited for this! He is such a good sleeper now! He still does not sleep through the night - but I actually don't mind a little cuddle in the middle of the night. He wakes eats and goes right back to sleep.

He only fusses when he is tired or hungry. When he is tired I just lay him in his crib, give him his blankey, and walk away. That's it. He snuggles his blankey (which I know is against the rules, blah, blah, blah) and actually sucks on the corner of it and quietly goes to sleep. He is perfect! He usually sleeps on his side - which I think is adorable.

I am so enjoying having a baby again. I just find joy in the mundane routine of making and washing bottles, giving baths, folding baby clothes, packing diaper bags, etc... I love it. I really do. It is not always easy - and I struggled at first. But, I found my footing and we are truckin' along!

Big brother is a huge help. Liam love his big brother so much. He literally laughs at him every time he sees him. I imagine he is thinking something like "boy, do I have plans for you buddy...I'm gonna drive you nuts in a couple of years!" Yep -I think Liam is going to give big brother a run for his money....and big brother is going to love it!

Our miracle!

Hello Again!

What can I say...after working and taking care of two kids all day...I just don't have time to blog. (I am sure there are plenty of people much busier than me who still find time to blog...I'm a slacker....what can I say!) But, it is summer now so get ready...

Let me start by saying that our precious baby is doing sooooo well! He is over his colicky phase and is now one of the happiest babies you will ever meet. I can't believe how different it is..but it is wonderful.

Liam is four months old now and can do all of those things typical of a baby his  age. Just yesterday he reached for me as I was leaning down to pick him up, and this morning he reached and actually touched our dog - which was a huge deal, but mostly for the dog!

Night times (which I once dreaded) are now a breeze! He eats, bathes, plays, and is in bed (happily) by 8:30 most nights.

I am off for the summer and other than a few meetings here and there I will get to be home every day with my boys - and I am so excited!!!

I am looking forward to getting Liam on a good schedule (that will go out the door when I go back to work, I'm sure) and enjoying my last visit in the baby hood!


I will write this summer - promise!