Today is national preemie awareness day so I just had to share an update on our not so little any more micro-preemie. First off, I can hardly believe that our little gladiator is almost three in just two short months! I believe this will be the first birthday that 1) he isn't in the hospital and 2) he will actually look his age...my friends, he is getting huge!
Max is weighing around 27 pounds and is 3 feet tall...oh you heard right...36 inches! He not only recently had a growth spurt but I definitely think he inherited the Clayton genes. He is all smiles, growls, raspberries, and giggles. I can't even begin to express the pure joy that outflows from his spirit. I still believe he is talking and joking around with his angels as he likes to have a party in his crib late at night :). Max still struggles with sitting up for long periods of time, but we work on it frequently and he is slowly getting stronger...
He is most definitely still obsessed with anything that spins or turns. He especially loves when the guys set up their bike shop in the kitchen so he can join in on the fun by spinning big brother's wheels...
Max still prefers hard surfaces (like tile or wood) over anything soft and thinks it is way too much fun to read the mail...
I know, totally unsanitary and against the strict home bound rules! Well, he can be a little stinker at times and grabs something then just takes off army crawling like crazy to get away :). Even though he is developmentally only around a 12 month old (at best) he can still be a mischievous 2 year old boy at times like throwing temper tantrums when he isn't getting his way. Max is still non-verbal, but is doing amazing at trying to communicate with us through gestures, his variety of cries, waving bye bye, and his high-pitched exciting noise he makes to show you he likes what he is doing, like when Kason hangs out with him...
Max and Zoe still fight like twins over toys or gets jealous when we are holding the other one when it is imperative that we hold them, but he absolutely adores his big brother. Kason is so good at trying to bring him toys he knows he will like, plays with him on his level like cars on his new tray of his wheelchair...
Kason is so sensitive of Max's needs that he will even try to pick things out in the color red or yellow since that is what Max sees best and is drawn to the most. I'm not sure our home could be more blessed with such a compassionate older son. Besides hanging out watching his favorite show, Mickey Mouse, Max also likes to look at his light box and out the windows in his new stander...
He is drawn to light because of his visual impairments, so he thinks it's a treat to see the sun outside. Max LOVES being outside, but we have had to cut back on his trips with the weather getting colder, his seasonal allergies picking up, and the need for already starting his breathing treatments again. We have gone into serious home bound mode recently where we aren't getting him out except for dr. appointments and are cutting back on visitors at the house. Daniel and I have decided to not be quite as strict with our limitations as the past two years to challenge him a bit more and provide our family with sanity, but we will continue to be extremely cautious since he is still medically fragile. As you have noticed in the pictures, Max now has a wheelchair for when we leave the house and a stander for indoors to help him learn how to weight bear correctly to learn how to walk. Speaking of walking, this little guy is watching everything Zoe does and wants to get his legs moving so bad! We are practicing with him walking short distances with loads of support and assistance, but he is trying to move those little legs! Of course, all the therapy just tuckers the little fella out and he will usually crash no matter where he is...
While Max is thriving, growing, developing, and making great strides...he has recently started having seizures. To be honest, this has been extremely hard on Daniel and I because this was the one area that we always were able to say no on during doctors' visits. It is scary to watch a little one have an episode and be completely helpless to help them out. His first couple of seizures were very long and he slept 12 hours after each and his third one was short and slept for only 4 hours after. After ruling out shunt malfunction, our neurologist in Houston believes he has developed epilepsy. Therefore, he is starting medicine to help keep the seizures at bay. While there is a small chance he may outgrow this, we have been informed that this will most likely be a lifetime deal for Max since he's had a traumatic brain injury with his hemorrhaging when he was a few weeks old.
While it is hard to continually feel like we never catch a break with this little guy, Daniel and I still can't help but feel like our cups runneth over. Even though having Max in our family creates more emotional heartache at times, physical exhaustion due to his medical needs, and mental preparedness to be creative with how to balance his needs while allowing our other children to have somewhat normal childhoods...we are richly blessed that our family encounters God on a daily basis. We see His face within Max's innocence, within Max's joy for life, within Max's forgiveness when we are having a bad day, within Max's unconditional love for everyone he encounters. My most favorite characteristic of Max now is that whenever he encounters someone, he feels the need to greet them with a hug and get into their arms. His love for others is beautiful and inspirational...it is no wonder our cups are overflowing with thankfulness and appreciation that our Savior chose to save this little miracle and allow our family the honor of serving and loving alongside him. In case you didn't already know, our God is good!
Such a sweet post - we just love Mighty Max! By the way, did he get a haircut recently?
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