7.26.13 Eye Shell Removed

Zachary does not appear to be tolerating the eye shell.  His eye has been watering a lot and his eye lid looks swollen.  He is very fussy and cuddly.  This morning he would not open either of his eyes. His eye and eyelids are very red and irritated. He is not acting like himself. We went back to Erickson Labs where we decided to remove the shell.  I have put a call into his Ophthalmologist to see what she feels the reasoning could be.  The Ocularist (the person who makes the eye) has never seen a reaction like this.  It is difficult to figure out what he is feeling since he obviously can't tell us.  Hopefully this clears up quickly and then we can decide what our next steps are.  We may attempt to try the same shell in a few weeks, go with a smaller/thinner one, or hold off for a while.  We will just take it one day at a time and do whatever is best for Zachary.

7.24.13 Eye Shell Adventure Started

Today, Zachary had his first appointment with Erickson Labs Northwest to start his journey with an Eye Shell.  The process went much quicker then I thought, because he was fitted with a clear ocular shell today and we left with it in place. He seems to be doing well with it.  He only rubbed at if for a few minutes and then left it alone.   It looks like it is fitting really well. We don't have to come back for two months. At that point they will adjust it so that it will continue to grow with his other eye.  We feel it made a difference in the overall appearance of his eye. It opened up his eye lid and brought out his eye lashes. It is magnifying the iris to make it look larger.  My biggest fear is if he some how removes it and he eats it (since he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth) or we lose it.  I am very excited that they said I will not have to remove it to clean it.  Since we will be going in fairly frequently!!

 

Before picture.

 

After

Clear Eye Conformer Shell- Which is similar to a thick contact made out of acrylic which has been used since WWII! This will be made thicker and larger as he grows and continue to stimulate his eye muscles and orbit to grow.

 

 

An example of what a final painted eye shell looks like.

 

7.16.13 Blueberries

Grandma and Grandpa Brost bought us Blueberry bushes for Ryan's garden last year.  One of the plants is doing really growing and has produced some blueberries.  I was very excited that some were ripe enough to pick and eat!!

 

7.18.13 Crawling

Look out world.  Zachary has finally decided to start knee crawling.  He has been getting around very well with his advanced style army crawl.  But today he crawled  on his knees about 3 times before getting to where he wanted or reverting to the army crawl.  He did it about 3 or 4 times through out the day.  Very exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.  He is growing up too fast!!

7.13.13 Ferry Ride

Today, we went on our first Ferry Ride.  We went to visit Daddy's friend in Kingston.  I was so excited to drive our car onto the Ferry and walk around the Ferry.  Zachary really enjoyed being outside and wanted to go over the edge to get the water.  This really scared Daddy even though he had a firm grip on him. We stayed away from the edge.  It was really windy once the boat started moving, so we would only stay outside for a few minutes and then go back inside and sit down.  We probably went in and out of the cabin about 6 times.  But it was so fun. 

 
 Our new friend Joseph pulled us around the yard in a wagon. They also had a lot of outdoor activities and I wore myself out. Zachary and I both slept on the way home.  I can't wait to go on the Ferry again!!

 

7/8 - 7/12/13 Camp

I was lucky to be able to go to camp all week.  We woke up early all week to get ready. Mommy drove me to a park where she dropped me off.  Zachary wasn't able to go, because he is just a baby and camp is for "BIG" kids.   I was a little scared on the first day, but I quickly realized I would have fun.  We went swimming every day, sang songs, did arts and crafts, played with new friends and made a neat snack every day.  One of my favorites was making the race car beagle.  I really enjoyed camp, but was glad when it was over.

7.17.13 Eye Check Up

Zachary had an eye check up at Children's today.  Good News is that there is no change in his vision, bad news is that it hasn't improved either.  He will be start the process to receive an eye shield or officially called a Scleral Cover Shell Prosthesis in the coming weeks.   It will fill in the increasing gap in his left eye socket.  We are not sure if the size difference is from atrophy or if his eye just is not growing.  But we feel it is a good idea to go ahead and have him fitted for an eye shield.  It will also assist in the structural development of the eye socket.  We will hopefully be making an appointment in the coming week to get the process started.  His next Children's check up will be in about 4 months.

Here is an idea of what the process may be like, Microphthalmia (small eye) are treated with progressive sized ocular conformers, which help stimulate the muscle and bone of the orbit, promoting orbital and soft tissue growth. Clear ocular conformers are custom made to fill as much of the socket as possible. These conformers are not painted to look like a normal eye because they are changed too frequently. When the conformers are in place the eye socket will look pink or cloudy. Every few weeks a child will progress to a larger size conformer until symmetry is achieved, or about 1-2 years of age. Once a child is wearing a custom prosthetic eye or Scleral Cover Shell Prosthesis , the eye will be enlarged regularly to keep symmetry with the natural eye. The average child will need three to four new painted prostheses before the age of 10. The causes of these conditions may include genetic mutations, abnormal chromosomes or possible environmental factors, but often the cause is unknown. . 

If you are interested in learning more about the Shield, Process  you can check out this site. It is pretty amazing and is an art!
http://www.ericksonlabs.com/v/About_Our_Lab/in_the_media.asp
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7.12.13 Peek-A-Boo

Zachary has discovered door jams and that he is able to open and close the doors.  He is entertained for 15+ minutes a time through out the day.

 

7.12.13 Hair Cut

Zachary's hair is really growing and has been getting into his eyes.  Mommy decided it was time to get his bangs cut.  He did really great at sitting still.  We think he looks even more handsome now.  The best part of Zachary getting his hair cut is that I got his sucker!!

Before

 

After 

 

7.7.13 10 Months

New Foods:

Corn

Beef

Puffs
Strawberries
Turkey
Rice
Apricot
Cookies

 New Activities:
Clapping
Pulling Myself Up
Swimming in the Pool/Ocean

7.6.13 Beach Time

The weather has been so gorgeous lately we decided to take a trip to the beach.  We went to the Mukilteo Lighthouse & Beach.  This was our first time at this beach. Since it is actually the Puget Sound, it was pretty windy and the water was cold.  But, with a lot of whining, and reaching, Zachary finally convinced Daddy to let him get in the water. He LOVED it despite the cold water, he especially liked the waves.  He didn't want to get out.  Another couple with young kids was amazed at how well he did and tolerated the water.  Mommy and I made rocky sand castles and played on the playground.  It was a fun family afternoon.

 

7.4.13 4th Of July

We had fun watching the fireworks, lighting sprinklers and just spending time with family.

 

6.28.13 Wild Waves

Mommy, Daddy and I went to Wild Waves today.  It was quite the adventure.  There were tons of people and we had to park down the street and walk to the park, since the parking lot was full.  I loved the wave pool and wanted to go down the slides but was too scared to go down by myself.  We checked out the kiddie area where I enjoyed the small slides.

 

Next, we decided to try out the rides.  I rode the Merry Go Round, Kangaroo, Kiddie Roller Coaster, Spinning Cups, Boats and a Space Ship.  I had a really good time and can't wait to go back another day. 

6.25.13 Sink Bath

Zachary needed a bath while at Grammy and Grandpa's house and the bath tub at Grammy's is too big for Zachary to go in.  So, he received his first sink bath.  He loved it since he loves the water, but he sure did make a mess!!!

 

 

6.22.13 Grandparents Weekend and Pirate Daze

Grammy and Grandpa are always bugging Mommy about when they can take me for a couple days.  Well, this weekend Grandpa picked me up on Friday and we went to Auburn Family Day.  He and I had a great time. We made sand necklaces, went in the Jumpy houses, went on Pony rides, played at the park and lots of other fun activities.  A lady that works for the city asked Grandpa if she could take my picture.  It was supposedly going in the Newspaper, but we never saw it.  But she did send us a copy of the picture.

 

On Saturday morning, Grandma, Grandpa and I, woke up early and headed to Westport, WA for Pirate Daze.  I was able to go on a real pirate ship, meet lots of real pirates, go on a train ride, get a pink sword, climb the tall inflatable slides, eat donuts and ice cream!!  It was so much fun!! I can't wait to go back next year!!

While I was off with Grandma and Grandpa, Zachary had some Mommy and Daddy time.  One fun activity they did was take him into a "Real" swimming pool.  He wasn't really too sure about it and was pretty scared.  He was hanging onto Daddy really tight.  But, after a little while he started to relax a little and started to kick and splash.