Little DK Turns 2

Dex's 2nd birthday was last Friday. I know this sounds incredibly cliche, but I can't believe he's so old already. Gavin had to work on his birthday, so the day before we celebrated by going out fishing at a nearby pond. 

Definitely gets his fish fearlessness from his dad.

Owen soaking up the sun and enjoying the fishy view

This picture looks adorable and perfect, but this actual instant was surrounded by rock throwing,
 pole slamming, and everything but fishing with patience

Giving Oman some hand holding love on the way home

We had a little shin-dig at our house Friday night. Since Dex is completely into socializing with,...well, everyone, he had an awesome time. I didn't do the greatest at taking many shots throughout the party, but thanks to Kendi, I at least got some candle-blowing, gift-opening shots.

Still need a little more practice...

Most of the kiddos that helped Dex celebrate

Dex's new ride in his new Batman PJs...nice sexy pose buddy

Owen's Elvis smile....hey baby

Speaking of sexy poses, I can't help myself. For some reason, Dex has been "working it" for the camera lately. Here is a little taste of Double D's moves:

A little over the shoulder sweetness

Yep, still PG

Ummm....notice the thumb in the pants?

I cut him off after this one

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEX!!!! 

So Far....Bummer

I have had a lot of people asking how Owen is doing since his chip was turned on last Monday (and thank you, by the way, for everyone's concern). I finally realized I hadn't blogged about it, so here I am. And the title pretty much sums it up. So far, we have actually seen harder more frequent seizures since the chip has been turned on. I guess this possibility never crossed our minds, we were merely hoping for a slight improvement or at the least for the seizures to stay the same. We weren't expecting any real change yet; the medical professionals have been telling us that it will take months, possibly even over a year for the chip to show its true colors. But for his seizures to be worse is very disheartening. Owen had a pretty rough day yesterday; usually having about 2 hard seizures a day, he had about 6 or 7. We go back to KC this Friday already to bump him up another notch; hopefully the sooner we get this chip to where it needs to be the better.

I did ask the dr. about why he didn't have a seizure the four days after surgery. My theory proved to be correct; the anesthesia he was given is actually in the same family as the medication he takes that has been so successful. He still had small amounts of the anesthesia in his system, which is why he was doing so well. Which brings me to my next thought....now WHY can't we give him this anesthesia medication every day again????!!! I will continue to post updates after Owen's VNS adjustments....hopefully we will see some improvement next time!

Completely Baffled

Owen, Dex, and I drove home on Monday afternoon, right after Owen was released from the hospital. Owen did an amazing job; no crying, no whimpering...he was actually kicking excitedly post surgery. As a matter of fact, Owen is still doing unbelievably well. Here is a list of the improvements that I've seen already:
1. GAVIN AND I HAVE NOT WITNESSED A SINGLE SEIZURE SINCE SUNDAY (pre-surgery). This is unheard of; Owen usually has AT LEAST two every single day, if not ten.
2. Owen's eye contact has improved dramatically; it doesn't come and go. He has so much more passion in his eyes. He already tracks so much better as well.
3. His mood is awesome. He seems happy, comfortable, and "with it" all of the time.
4. Owen's sitting has taken a drastic turn for the better. He has on multiple occasions sat for almost an entire episode on NickJr. Before, he would barely sit for a few minutes on a good day. He is no longer throwing his head back like he used to pre-surgery....at least so far he's not.
5. He hasn't been taking naps. This is, I guess, a good sign, considering the seizures make him tired. No naps must equal fewer seizures, right?
So here's the weird irony of it all....the chip hasn't even been turned on yet. Yeah. That's the same old Owen in there, but for some reason, he's taken this leap of improvement without a working chip inside of him. I don't get it. Gavin and I have a couple of theories for this change. One, we think these improvements might be attributed to the liquid diet we've been giving him the last couple days. There is no doubt that Owen has most of his seizures during mealtime; maybe the lack of stress from swallowing chunky foods is helping? The table foods might also have some ingredient in them that cause a seizure to happen as well. The other theory we have is that the pain medication he's on might have something to do with the decrease in seizure activity. So far....we don't care what it is, we are just going to continue what we are doing, and hopefully this good streak will keep on coming!

Thank you to everyone for the kind words and support. I was a little more anxious--and nauseous--about this surgery than I thought I would be, but now that it's over, I am excited to see what the next few months bring for Owen!