As of about 5 minutes ago, we have officially begun to wean Brock off of one of his anti seizure medications. This is a huge step, and for sure wasn't something his doctors suggested or just happened to agree to. Please be praying for us- as it means no date nights due to the increased risk of seizures, more stress, etc. and for Brock and his body as it adjusts. [...]

It’s been one of those weeks! Sunday evening, Brock was perfect. Went to bed normal, but we heard him moving around a lot more during the night. He wasn’t crying, but just seemed to not be able to really get comfortable. We left the house around 7:40 Monday morning for a feeding appointment- and he wasn’t really interested in eating during the appointment even though it had been several hours. It makes it difficult to evaluate a skill when you flat out refuse to demonstrate it…and Brock really, really struggled when he was eating (difficulty pacing, eyes red, coughing, etc.). So, they want to see him more often for the next few weeks to hopefully get some of that figured out. But it was downhill from the appointment in all areas- he wasn’t wanting to eat, was incredibly irritable, and around 5 (of course, as soon as the doctors office closed) Brock began screaming and was inconsolable. He would cry until he would cause himself to cough, which would result in him throwing up, and then falling asleep for 10-15 minutes before starting the cycle all over again. It didn’t take long for Brad and I to decide it was definitely worth taking him in to get checked out. We went ahead and drove straight to Children’s- and stood in line with the other hundreds of people. Seriously- I don’t know if it was just because of the ice storm the first time we took him in or what, but this was the first time I’ve ever had to really “wait”. As a parent with a child who was sick and obviously in pain, this was so incredibly difficult to just sit and wait for your name to be called while hearing conversations of people who had already been waiting one hour plus! Brock was taken back for vitals, and we were almost immediately put into a room. Several hours later, (and one very sleepy mom), doctors all came to the same conclusion that it was most likely a virus of some sort, but wanted to keep him for observation to ensure it wasn’t a virus plus something more serious- specifically pressure in the brain. He did have a CT scan, and the third and forth ventricles in his brain are larger- but comparing a CT scan with an MRI gets complicated, so we will have another MRI at the end of the month before our neurosurgery follow up next month. The pediatrician that we had in the hospital (once we were actually admitted) is good friends with our neurologist and gave him a page, so we were able to visit with him in person while we were there. He had some very good news for us. Brock’s EEG from two weeks ago came back….COMPLETELY NORMAL!! While this doesn’t mean that Brock hasn’t or won’t have seizures, it is a likely indicator that he isn’t having them on a regular basis. When we first began seizure medications, he was having about 20 seizures PER HOUR, so the fact that he had zero over an hour and while having both awake time, and sleep time, is a very good thing. Even better, the neurologist is going to let us take him off of phenobarbital! This is our least favorite medication because one of the biggest side effects is extreme drowsiness which typically accompanies severe developmental delays. In all the craziness of another hospital stay, this was very welcomed news. After about 15 hours on fluids, Brock was back to his more normal smiling self, and we were allowed to go home after about 40 hours. He has been batting at his head a lot and still been fussier than usual, so we are hoping he is still getting over whatever he had- but we have been led to believe that a shunt is in the very near future for our little guy. While this should be a very “routine” brain surgery- if that is even a real thing, it does involve signing those scary consent papers, and the shunt doesn’t exactly have a great track record for avoiding failure the first year. With summer coming up, that’s a very scary thing for me. I’m worried about being home alone this summer while Brad is at camp. I stress about the idea of needing to take Brock in and not having him there also. I worry about Brock needing a shunt while Brad is gone at camp where cell service is practically non-existent.  We’ve learned time and time again that we have so many people that we can call on- and we would not survive without that network. The network of people who stop their lives to help us by bringing us meals, helping us do yard work, watching/playing with our kids, sending an encouraging card or text message. They help remind me that there is such a larger picture than the medicine bottles and syringes and EOB’s that seem to overtake my life.[...]

Van Reet Photography donated a photo session for our family, and she was able to capture some excellent images of our little family. If you are in the DFW area, or plan on visiting, hook up with her! (see the pictures and you will know why!) Also, I have five coupons for discounted services from her, so get in touch with us and I will get you the coupon! If five of you book sessions, it'll get us another free photo session...eeek!! To see more pictures, go to http://vanreetphoto.com/morrow-family-grapevine-family-photographer. [...]

I apologize that updates are few and far between. We have been in such a time of transition and new things- therapies, spring cleaning, busy schedules and at the end of the day, it’s all Brad and I can to just fill each other in, if that. We so appreciate the fact that so many of you still come to the site on a regular basis to check on our sweet little boy- who is growing up so very quickly before our eyes.[...]