Dillon's Updates


~* I'm SOOOOO Big!! *~


On September 25th, Dillon is 10 1/2 months old. He is starting to do SO much and is so much fun. He loves to play peek-a-boo both with his hands and with a blanket. He started doing this at about 8 1/2 months old. It is his favorite game and he will play it with you non-stop. He waves hi and bye bye, He will do "so big" and at about 9 1/2 months old he began to shake his head "no no". He is full of smiles and laughs and is a lot of fun!
We flew to Nashville on September 8th for Vanderbilt's annual fetal surgery reunion on September 9th and 10th. We had a blast and got to meet several other couples and their beautiful babies. It was so wonderful to meet all these people that I have been talking to and receiving support from this last year. They all felt like family and their was a definite closeness there with many. There is a photo album of reunion pictures if you have not yet seen them. We did not make it in time for the informal get together friday evening, but saturday morning, everyone gathered in the hotel lobby during breakfast, then saturday afternoon was the NICU picnic in which we all attended, then saturday evening was the reunion get together at the YMCA campground. It was very hard to find, and we had gotten lost for 2 hours before we finally found it, which meant we missed the group photo which was very disappointing, but we had a good time anyway. Camille Lots and Makenzie were in our car and I felt so bad for them since they flew all the way from Utah for the reunion, but we had a good time even under all the stress of being lost! ( ha ha) and gave us time to talk and get to know each other as well. We will definetely make it next year for the reunion, it was a great time.

On Tuesday September 12th, Dillon had a tethered cord repair surgery in Nashville. The surgery was at 720am and we had to be at the hospital at 530am. Dillon had been fussy the night before and I am not sure why. He had been constipated and I had to give him an enema to get him cleaned out before the surgery and I dont know if he was cramping from that or was just starting to realize he was in a strange place and wanted to go home.

The surgery would be around 2-3 hours and there were a lot of risks associated with the surgery. One of them being there could be a nerve in all the scar tissue that they could sever and they would not know it till he recovered and we would then see if he had any leg movement or if he would be paralyzed. It was a long 2 1/2 hours and I could not sit still at all. Dr. Tulipan came out to let us know he thought the surgery went well, and that his syrinx was pretty bad, the spinal cord was buldging and paper thin, so he opened up the spinal canal and put a cathetar in there that would stay permanetely to drain the syrinx. I was glad this was done, so hopefully we will not have to worry about his syrinx too much anymore as long as this works for him.
Dillon went to recovery and we got to go back with him. He opened up his eyes to see me there and smiled at me. It broke my heart that even all the pain he was in, he felt he had to smile. He is always such a happy boy and it is so amazing how strong he is and how much he can endure. He is a gift from God that is for sure!! He was taken up to his room after about an hour in recovery and it was still just a wait and see on his leg movement. I was very nervously awaiting any movement from him, but I knew that he had been in good hands with Dr. Tulipan and that God had been watching over him. The nurse was taking his vitals when he began kicking his legs, and not only was he kicking his legs but he was also moving his TOES!!!!!!! He has never had any movement in his feet before and actually i have always wondered if he had any feeling at all from his knees down. This was truely a miracle. I could do nothing but cry. The nurse was even so amazed she got teary eyed as well and came over and hugged me.

Dillon is still moving his feet very well and seems to have better movement in his legs as well. He always had better movement in his left side then the right before and now it seems to be equal. He is recovering well and not quite as sore. The first few days were rough for him, he was sore when moving him from one place to another but he is such a fighter and is now back to his old self. I am going to be taking him to additional therapy weekly to try to get him caught up on some of his development such as rolling, sitting and standing now that he is feeling better.
While we were in Nashville, Dillon starting to get his 2 bottom teeth. They were popping through the gums and now we are home and they are totally through. I wondered if he was ever going to get teeth! He looks so grown up now, I want him to stay my baby!!

Constipation has also been a problem lately. It all started from the tethered cord problem and has worsened. Thursday September 22nd, he went into the ER for his constipation and he was admitted over night where they would run a G-tube down his throat to administer some heavy duty laxatives to clean him out.

It was really a horrible experience this time. He did not like the G-tube, and they also poked him 8 times before they finally got an IV into him. He was screaming for a straight 2 1/2 hours and I felt so bad for him because I have never seen him So upset. He is usually such a laid back guy and tolerates so much. All i could do was cry for him. He couldnt eat while he had this tube in, so that made for a very long 24 hours before we were finally dismissed and came home. He is doing well now and hopefully we can keep him cleaned out so this episode does not happen again. There is never a dull moment at the Rotherham house!!

I would like to once again thank everyone for their prayers and support. Dillon is a God given gift and he will always continue to amaze me- he is a miracle!!

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