In Awe!

Just about everything Strider does amazes me. The fact that he is alive and in my house is a daily jaw dropper! There are several side effects to what he went through the first seven+ weeks of life. One doctor told us, "He won't be the brightest bulb on the porch." We were told to prepare for many potential troubles such as cerebral palsy and other muscular problems, learning disabilities, verbal delays, hearing loss, eye problems, asthma. We will always have to watch him for pneumonia and other illnesses with the lungs. But a very common side effect of children who have been on ECMO suffer from eating disorders. They just don't eat for several reasons. It's something we were warned about, and we were taught a few things/tricks by therapists in the hospital to help introduce him to foods and to teach/coach him to eat. I had to post a picture of this kid at lunch today! He is our child! He loves to eat! No problems in the food department. This little lunch consisted of four nuggets, a large amount of angel hair pasta in a white sauce, a cheese stick, and an entire cup of Mandarin oranges.