Sweet Miguel

So here's the story on Miguel. He is my very good friends very cute son. I am, only by Jesus, his Auntie Risa. And I just love when he calls me that. So Miguels story goes a bit like this. He was born in August of 2006. He was born with one kidney that was not functioning so they quickly removed it. Major surgery at such a young age. So sad. Anyway, so he had his kidney removed. So life continues on for a while and his mommy (Lindsey) is noticing that he is not eating well. So as any mom would she consults the professionals and they just tell her, "well you just need to make him eat." Yeah, okay, let me just tell my infant son, "son, EAT!" I think that will be so effective. NOT! So time passes and he is still not eating. As a matter of fact he is beginning to lose weight. Poor little man. So again, as any mom would she consults some different professionals. This time scoring a good one, who tells her that her son has a very high food aversion. Okay. So let me just say this, coming from an overweight person...I wish I had that problem!!! Well so not the case for a child who should be growing. One who should be getting his chub on! Let me just share a bit of what a food aversion is. For Miguel it is very complicated. Not only does he struggle with the texture and taste of food, but even the site and feel and look of food will cause him to heave as though he is going to vomit. Yes, even the sight of food will do that to him. So many people just say, "oh he's just being picky." So not the case for this sweet man. It is so much more complicated. So for a long while they tried to figure out what would be the best solution for Miguel so that he would gain weight and be a healthy strong boy. So last year in October, they had a G-tube put in. This is a tube that goes straight into his stomach so that she (Lindsey) can attach a feeding tube to it and feed him through that. This is so that he is getting the nutrients that he needs to grow. This required another surgery to place the tube in. Now at the age of two and a half, what do you think a child would do when encountering a tube sticking out of your stomach? PULL IT!! Well, let me just say from experience, when he pulls that hard enough, the tube comes out leaving an open hole which then allows whatever is in his stomach to come rushing out! Oh ya, just as you are picturing that, your right, AHHHH!!! That's about what goes on in your head at that precise moment. So try telling a two year old to hold still long enough for you to empty the balloon, stick the tube back through the hole in his stomach then fill the balloon back up so as to keep it in. Yeah, not so much. So as they thrash around and cry, it creates the stomach muscles to tighten, which in turn keeps you from being allowed to put the tube back in. And if you are unsuccessful, you have to fly over to the ER so that they can do it before the hole closes up as to not have to go through a horrid process of stretching the hole or having another surgery to fix it. Yeah! Crazy right!? I'm happy to say that this has not happened much and that we were able to get it back in. And that was just the time that I was there to help. Lindsey has had to do this on her own before, right after the procedure was done resulting in an ER visit! Scary! So anyway, with all this, this sweet little man has such an amazing personality despite all the stuff he has to go through. I have the privilege of taking him and his mommy to all his appointments every week and watching him learn and grow though all his OT and feeding classes (teaching him food is okay). I've even been able to build relationships with all his doctors, dietitians, and therapy ladies, which helps me to be a better auntie to him. Learning him and what he deals with is a blessing to me. I love him more than you know, and get so excited when he gains ounces. Just yesterday was a weigh in. And he gained!! That is a huge accomplishment! He now weighs 22lbs 2.1 (or so) ounces! Of course he doesn't look as big as an average size 30 month old. But that does not mean he doesn't act like one! He is so precious. Most people see those cheeks and just go crazy over him. I know I do. Him and his mommy are very much a part of my life, and I plan on keeping it that way! You will hear me talk about him a lot so I figured I would give you the low down on this sweet boy so that you might better understand where he's come from since the day of his birth. He has gone through, and still does, more than most of us adults have in our life time. So this is the story of Miguel, and I hope that you will be praying for him as he continues to grow and accomplish the tasks set before him with great strength. Here are some pictures so that you can put a face to a name. :D

This was at the hospital just yesterday while we ate lunch in between appointments.

This is him and his uncle Jeff sitting and watching a movie. They love their time together.

Yesterday we had a chiropractor appointment and he was sound asleep in my arms and when I laid him down for his adjustment, he stayed sound asleep and I just couldn't resist the picture. It was so funny and so incredibly sweet! I totally have these days! LOL