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Once again it’s hard to believe that another seven months have passed since we last updated Brett’s website. He’s now four years old and getting bigger every day. (While he’s still slightly shorter than most children his age, he looks like such a big boy weighing about 37 pounds!)
Brett has finished his second year of preschool at Cherry Run Elementary and again this year he’s been fortunate to have wonderful teachers and therapists. While we’re saddened to report that Miss Denise, his teacher from last year and the beginning of this year, had to leave the class mid-year due to medical reasons, we’re pleased that Miss Anne Marie has stepped in to lead the class. Among Brett’s favorite activities this year in school is playing on the computer a real state-of-the-art kind of a guy! He’s able to sit at the computer and activate a variety of musical / animated programs by hitting a switch with his head. This is a great way for him to learn cause and effect, as well as experience some decision-making on his own. The other area that we’re really focusing on is communication giving Brett the opportunity to vocalize to us when he wants something. Currently we’re offering him two choices for example, watching a video or listening to music. He then has to vocalize by saying "ah ha" for whichever activity he wants. So far he’s doing a great job with this. We recognize that Brett’s ability to communicate in any environment will greatly add to his overall life experiences.
As we reported last time, Brett has been vocalizing a lot more now that he’s wearing his Pasey Muir valve. He continues to mimic songs (right on tune) and is starting to mimic some other sounds. Of course, like most children, we’ve been unable to capture any of his "singing" on video - he’s a bit camera shy like his Mommy! He’s recently shown an interest in singing the National Anthem along with Mommy. While it’s unlikely that this duo will make much money with a singing contract, they do enjoy belting out this patriotic song.
Overall Brett has been extremely healthy - making it through another winter season without as much as a cold. (This is even more amazing given all of the illnesses that float around the preschool!) The only set back he’s had occurred just last month. Much to our surprise and shock, Brett experienced his first ever seizure. After taking a minute to realize what was happening, we immediately called 911 for help and got him to the hospital. This was truly a terrifying moment for us - as it would be for any parent. After a couple of days in the PICU and several tests later, it was determined that there’s no real medical reason for why Brett had this seizure. The CT scan of his brain came back normal,the EEG (which looks at his brainwaves) was normal and all of his blood work was normal. This was quite a relief to everyone. However, given all of Brett’s other complexities, the neurologist felt that it would be best if we took precaution and started Brett on anti-seizure medication. So far he seems to be doing fine on the medication and we’re hopeful that we’ve seen the last of his seizures. We’d also like to thank the PICU doctors and nurses - Dr. Alicia Freedy, Cheryl, Meghan, Debbie, Cristin, and Dennis - for taking such great care of Brett - and us!
Finally, we wanted to mention, for those of you who may not already know, that Brett is going to be a big brother in mid-October! Beth is now 6 months pregnant and at the 18-week sonogram, we learned that the baby is not only healthy, but looks to be a girl. We couldn’t be more excited! Brett is going to be a great big brother and we’re looking forward to the arrival of our newest family member.
Click on the link to view previous "Latest News" updates.
Spring 2002 News
Fall 2002 News
Spring 2003 News
Winter 2004 News