Where there's a will, there's a way.

For most of my life, now, I've been struggling with eating. Complicated by GERD (that's gastroesophageal reflux disease), food has not been my most favorite thing in the world. My diet still consists of liquid supplements and high-calorie pediatric formulas, a milkshake of sorts like the one I described in an earlier post.

Every afternoon, I munch a Cheeto after my bottle. I like Cheetos. They hardly ever make me gag. But that is the closest I've gotten to eating food.

As some of you know, my life has been somewhat complicated of late as various doctors attempt to determine if I have Autism. It seems pretty clear to my pediatrician as well as Mom and Dad, but we must have a professional diagnosis before I can start any kind of treatment. Autism is a scary thing. It seems there is no clear-cut reason for its onset, nor any surefire cure, just a lot of different theories that seem to help a lot of different kids suffering from this same disease that disables a lot of normal kids like me. But I have hope.

My Mom spends hours every day researching and reading and finding the best ways to battle the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, and my Dad is always there with her supporting and reading as well. I know it has been hard on both of them. Life pretty much revolved around me before. Now, there is little time for anything else.

Autism in children is best treated if it is diagnosed early. The earlier the better. I'm almost two, and thanks to my parents being diligent and aware, I have a very good chance at overcoming this. My Mom is the miracle worker, always on the phone, getting me appointments, making sure I'm not forgotten by the medical professionals who seem to need sticky notes on the their foreheads to remember they have people they need to help who can't help themselves. Mom's the one that makes sure that sticky note is always front and center on their forehead.

So what are my symptoms:

1. (And this is the big one) I don't talk. Not one word, and although I used to do a little babbling, I stopped that some time ago. Most of my communication is done by leading. When there's something I want, I go to my Mom (or Dad but only if Mom's not available), grab her hand, and lead her to what I want. I don't point or communicate my desires, needs, likes or dislikes in any other way.

2. Tip-toe walking and hand-flapping are two things my parents noticed at a relatively young age; of course, then they thought these self-stimulatory acts were just me being cute. The truth was much harder to swallow as these two things are commonly seen in children with autism.

3. I'm a Grouper. While my parents have filled my home with all sorts of toys, I rarely play with them appropriately. I mostly find balls, Easter eggs, and cars and put them in large groups throughout the house or line them up along the windowledge.

4. The mundane fascinates me. The park near our home has a water fountain that leaks constantly. This is why I like to go to the park. I could care less about the other kids playing or even the toys, its the water that I want, and if Mom would let me, I would spend hours and hours there touching it, looking at it, watching it without any care for the things going on around me. Some of my other fixations include elevators, sprinklers, the flower pot outside the front door (also filled with water), well, those are probably the big ones.

Those are the things that have gotten me a lot of attention recently and I'm scheduled for several evaluations in the next couple of weeks to determine just how to get me back on track with other kids my age. It's been a rough few weeks for us all.

So, as I said before, there's not really any one thing that experts say is "the cause" of autism. What it looks like, is any number of things happening at the right (or wrong) time which seem to trigger autism in children mostly between the ages of 18 months and 3 years. 1 in 150 children are diagnosed with autism. What triggered my symptoms? Well, after much discussion and research, the following seem to be high on that list:

1. My reflux. It seems about 70% of children diagnosed with autism have a severly impaired gastrointestinal tract from disorders like GERD. Between the medications and my limited diet, it's very likely my body wasn't able to absorb and digest the nutrients I needed (Calicium, Protein, Iron, and Zinc to name a few).

2. My vacinations. In 2001 vaccine makers have been taking toxic levels of mercury out of childrens vaccines. I've had the same injections every kid is suppose to have with the addition of Hepatitis A and a Flu shot. The Flu shot was probably the worse of them all because manufacturers are still allowed to use mercury as a preservative in this vaccine. My Mom was also given Rohgam before getting pregnant with me because of a miscarriage, and instead of listening to my Dad and what his blood type was, they gave it to her anyway, saying "It can't hurt anything if she gets it." Mercury is also used in Rohgam as a preservative.

Those are two big red flags when looking at what might cause autism, but again, no one can say this causes autism or that causes autism, which kind of sucks for parents of children with autism. With all that, the last question is "What are we doing about it?"

1. A new diet. Mom and Dad are working to get me on a gluten free/casein free diet, which has been something of a headache since there is so little I will actually eat. I don't eat food. My entire diet consists of liquid and vitamin supplements, and getting me to eat something different that fits into this special diet is not only difficult but expensive, really expensive.

2. All new play. Mom has joined a Mother's playgroup that not only has playdates for me but mother gatherings for her. Don't know what Dad's gonna do. We also spend a lot of time at our local parks trying to get me to interact with or at least notice other little kids and what they do. And there's a lot more one on one face time with Mom and Dad.

3. Doctor's appointements. Oh yes, over the next six months we have appointments with the Regional Center of the East Bay which will help diagnose my condition and determine what therapies are needed to help me develop the areas that have been affected, as well as appointments with the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic and a DAN Doctor, for pretty much the same reason, although the DAN Doctor will look a lot more closely at what's going on internally.

Once the doctor's appointments get going, I'll have a lot more to talk about. Looks like the next year or so is going to be pretty busy for me, Mom, and Dad. We appreciate all the love and support we've gotten and will try to post updates as often as we can. Enjoy the video.

Hunter out.

Family Slide Show

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My Grandpa R asked to see more pictures of my amazing family, so I put this little flick together with some of the pictues I have from our time together as a family. It's been a lot of fun with some good adventures and a couple of tough spots, but we're a family and being a family is what we're all about.

Faces of Hunter

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As I approach the age of two (only a couple short months away), I find I have much more to think about. Not thinking enough about a certain subject seems to bring on fits of rage which I unleash on my Big People, who then counter my rage with a knowing look.

I'm still not talking, don't know why everyone's making such a big fuss about it. Look at me, I love life!!

And, Yes, that is my house in our living room.

Getting Caught.

So, as I approach that point in my life when fits of rage and moments of mischievousness abound, I once again found myself caught in the act by my parents. They actually caught me much earlier on in my destruction of the wipes' box; however, they seemed to think my antics were quite amusing.

Not only did they take the time to capture me in photograph at the scene of the crime, but there was also video of this vandalism in progress. The video, I'm sure, will find its way onto this web of information and my image will be ruined until I do something undeniably adorable, a feat I am very capable of, despite my current, virtually unstoppable urge to get myself into trouble.

Not much is said (mainly because I still refuse to speak), and there's not really any point of formal discipline (because I still tune most things out, not to mention I'm so dang cute), so Ma and Pa are left with the alternative, record my behavior and blackmail me with it at a later date and time.

Chao for Now.

Hunter

Things I didn't know about my Pa

So, after Mom gave me a honest glimpse into her mind, my Pa thought it was only fair that he share the same insider information. I must say, I have two very interesting parents who provide me with the perfect balance of fun and education in this home of ours. With that said, here's my Pa.

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

1. Student at BYU
2. Writing my first screenplay
3. Driving an 88 Nissan Sentra
4. Dreaming of Winning an Oscar
5. Teaching Spanish at the MTC

5 Things on my to-do list today

1. Be a good husband
2. Mow the lawn, trash the weeds, cut the tree
3. Update my various Blogs
4. Read my comic books
5. Play with my son

5 Snacks I enjoy

1. Bread, fresh, buttered, toasted, bread
2. Cheese and Crackers
3. Yogurt
4. Cool, tall glass of Juice
5. Cookies and Milk

5 Songs I know the lyrics to

1. You’ve Lost that Loving Feelin
2. In the Still of the Night
3. Yesterday
4. Great Balls of Fire
5. My Girl

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire

1. Get rid of all my debt
2. Help family with their debt worries (Both Sides)
3. Buy a fishing boat
4. Put some money away, invested, for my three boys
5. Buy a big vacation home somewhere fun

5 Bad Habits

1. Fast Food
2. Not Exercising
3. Procrastinating
4. Doing fun things when I have yardwork to do
5. Getting frustrated with my wife when she gives in to my son every time he cries for something

5 Things I'd never wear again

1. Suspenders
2. A turtleneck sweater
3. My Chicago Bulls jacket
4. A pocket watch
5. Thin neckties

5 Favorite toys

1. My PSP
2. My McGwire, McFarlane, and Marvel Collections
3. My HD Entertainment System
4. My Fishing Gear
5. My Wife (not really a toy, but I love when we play together)

So that's my Pa in a nutshell. Don't I have just the most interesting parents? I think so.

Chao for now. Hunter

Things I Didn't Know About My Mom

So, I know it's been a little bit, September was an unusual month with not a whole lot going on outside of the home. I've developed some new fun quirks, but this entry is not about me, it's about my most wonderful Mom. When my Aunt April sent my Mom this little survey, she gave it some thought and thought it would be good for me to get to know her ten years ago. She's very thoughtful. I love her. With my reading skills not quite as developed as my ability to throw things, I had to get some help with the list, but I've found there's more to my Mom than meets the eye, as my Dad would say.

Here's Mom!

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

1. Working at 1st Bank in Wheat Ridge, Colorado
2. Driving a Subaru
3. Wasting my time in an unhappy relationship
4. Missing my Family in California
5. Living on Macaroni and Cheese due to low income

5 Things on my to-do list today

1. Try to get my son to eat
2. Clean as much of the house as I can before I go to work
3. Email my Dad so he knows I’m still alive
4. Not allow my son to have even one wet, cold, washcloth (So maybe he’ll actually drink his bottle!)
5. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner

5 Snacks I enjoy

1. Ice Cream
2. Chips and Salsa
3. Fruit!!
4. Veggies in Dip
5. Yogurt/Pudding

5 Songs I know the lyrics to

1. Angel (Sarah McLaughlin)
2. I Walk by Faith (LDS Young Women Song)
3. Not That Different (Colin Ray)
4. Power of Love (Laura Branigan)
5. Come What May (from the Moulin Rouge movie)

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire

1. Pay off my house so if something happens to me my hubby can afford to live in it
2. Buy a vacation home in Hawaii (Right on the beach!!)
3. Pay off my Mom’s house so she can retire
4. Buy my Brother a bigger house so he can have plenty of room for his expanding brood and live mortgage free
5. Pay off my Sister’s house so she can stress less

5 Bad Habits

1. Eating whenever I want, whatever I want
2. Watching TV
3. Procrastinating
4. Doing fun things when I have housework to do
5. Giving in to my son every time he cries for something

5 Things I'd never wear again

1. My High School basketball uniform (way short shorts)
2. My first wedding dress (it would be too small anyway, but it was itchy and gave me a rash!)
3. The size 1 jeans I wore in Junior High (for obvious reasons)
4. Maybe my maternity clothes since we can’t get pregnant!
5. Clothes with fluorescent colors (and there was a year that’s all I owned)

5 Favorite toys

1. TV & DVD Player
2. Laptop
3. X-Box (for Tetris World)
4. Did I mention TV?
5. CD Player

Isn't my Mom a fascinating woman? I sure think so. Thanks Mom, for being so fantastic.

Love Ya, Hunter

Fancy Feet!

For all my fans who can't be there when it happens. Enjoy.

Hunter

This Land is My Land!!

This land is my land. It is my kingdom and I reign over it with authority that no one questions. From the hallway of the guest bathroom to the pocket door in the far away kitchen I am the law maker, he who oversees and maintains the quality of life in the Land of Home. There are baskets of toys for all children to enjoy and I dispense then evenly throughout the territory. There is no toy too small, no plaything too daunting, no creation I have not mastered, and I fill my home with their excellence.

Of late, I have discovered the most peculiar item with which to play. I am told by my Big People that they are called Face Cards. They are the most extraordinary things, whatever they are called. Their fascinating construction of thin, glossy paper, rich color, and intricate detailings are like nothing my experienced hands have ever touched. I find them absolutely fascinating and fling them all across the land for everyone to enjoy.

Come all ye toy-makers and makers of things for playing, whether ye be from the Lands of Playskool, Little Tikes, FisherPrice, or Leap Frog, from Parents or Disney, from Infantino, Embryonics, or Lamaze. Bring me your creations and I will put them to good use in the Land of Home.

Fair ye all well until we meet again.

I am Hunter. Hear me ROAR!!

I Love to Smile

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There is always time for a smile. Smile a lot. Smile often.

My Mom and Why I Love Her.

So, life hasn't been much of a cake-walk for my mom and I for some time. It started about five weeks after I was born in December of 2005, and by "it" I mean GERD (that's Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease for short). Although my pediatrician couldn't get things figured out until I was almost six months old and had to hospitalized, a ph probe finally diagnosed the reason for my lack of desire for food and slow weight gain. I was as happy as can be when no one was trying to force food into me, but man oh man, food, in any form, really, really upset me.

Surgery. That was to be the cure-all for this problem with the valve at the end of my esophagus and my body's inability to control the flow of acid in and out of my stomach. Surgery. Mom said no way. There was no way she could consent to having a makeshift valve created at the end of my esophagus, not if there was a chance I could get over my condition with a little more time. And with that came the medications: Prilosec (currently 9 mls twice a day), Zantac (currently 1.2 mls twice a day), and Reglan (currently .3 mls three times a day). The doses changed as I began to gain weight, and figuring out the medication was a bit tricky at first (I have my Prilosec mixed with Dark Karo Syrup to mask the nasty taste of the meds and add 40 calories to my diet), but ultimately, the real test came in figuring out how to get food in me and at an amount to meet my dietary necessities (calories and protein mainly, amongst all the other good stuff a little boy needs to stay strong and healthy).

My food. Mom tried everything you could think of to get me to eat with the help of my Feeding Specialist, Marjorie Palmer. There were all kinds of syringes, spoons, fancy bottles, and other food dispensing items. We tried all the formulas, various brands of the usual baby foods, and all the finger foods we could find at Target (they had the best selection of that type of stuff around here). I ate Cheerios for a little while, but quickly lost interest in those and started gagging and throwing them up when I was given them. There were brief periods when I'd munch down a Cheeto or two, but eventually they went the way of the Cheerio as well. There were arrowroot cookies, too, but they were hit and miss treats. Ultimately, Mom learned they only way to get me to eat was if it came from a bottle and that was when the gourmet came out in her.

She spent hours researching what liquid foods contained the essential vitamins and minerals I needed to grow healthy as well as the ones that were calorie rich. My bottles had to be thickened enough to stay in my tummy as much as possible, but not so thick I didn't want to do the work necessary to get the food out of the bottle. That also meant the nipple had to modified (cut) to make the hole big enough so the food would flow easily through the nipple, but then not so fast that I would gag on the amount of food I got when I sucked. Mom tried Pediasure for a couple weeks but when I refused to eat that, Mom found the base of my current diet, Nestle's Nutren Jr. My complete formula and current diet consists of three bottles made of 4.25 oz of the Nutren Jr., 1 oz of heavy whipping cream, 13 mls of rice cereal, 13 mls of oatmeal cereal, 13 mls of prunes (for constipation issues that can sometimes accompany thickened liquid diets), and 10 mls of a dietary supplement Mom later added to the mixture called Benecalorie. That makes for about 1200 calories a day, on a good day. There are still bad days, especially when my teeth started to grow in. Those days weren't so fun for anyone.

Once the food thing was figured out and fit in to my medicine schedule, there was figuring out how to keep me from being distracted during my feeding times. Three times a day, Mom had to find a way to keep everything around me from doing anything but letting me eat. The phone's ringers were turned off and left off, no one was allowed into the room where I was eating, one of an assortment of videos (ultimately one of the Baby Einstein videos) was put on the TV for me to watch while I ate, and there was my chair where the actual feeding took place. After I ate, I had to stay upright for 45 minutes to an hour. That meant someone was usually sitting right next to me, making sure I didn't sneak out of my chair as I quickly learned to do.

Sleeping also became an issue, my naps were short and although I slept through the night, I was up at the crack of dawn most of the time which was hard for both Mom and Dad who work nights. My bed was elevated at one end for the longest time, Room Darkening measures were taken to keep my room as dark as possible during times of rest, and 'white noise' in the form of a static radio station and a sound machine became a regular part of my sleeping habits.

So, as I'm sure you've gathered by now, there wasn't a whole lot of time left for my Mom to spend on herself, doing the simple things that make women feel womanly. Because she ran such a tight ship, if an opportunity was missed to get her hair done, or go to a movie with my Pa, or spend a few extra minutes painting her toenails, well, then those were just missed opportunities. She never complained about it. Her loyalty, her love, and her concern were for me alone, to keep me happy, healthy, and away from the surgeon's knife. My mom is the most unselfish person I know and loves me in a way that makes me run around the house on my tippy-toes.

I love the way she feels when I snuggle up against her as she carries me up the stairs to my room for a nap or bedtime, the way she smiles when I finish a bottle to the last drop, and the way she smells when she finishes getting ready for the day. She knows all the ways to make me laugh and smile, and is always the first person I go to when I need tears dried. She's my Mom and there's no other woman out there quite like her, just ask my Pa.

Here's lookin' at you , Mom. I love ya.

(And thanks, Pa, for helping me with some of the big words and numbers in this tribute to the special woman in our life.)

Choa for now. Hunter - 1 year 8 months 6 days 1 hour and some minutes, and still GERDalicious.

Loads of Summer Fun

Well hello again,

I know, I know, it's been a while, a long while cause I'm now 20 months old. But at my age there's a lot of things I've got to do and not nearly enough time to do them, especially with parents who are constantly trying to find ways to feed me. I mean, seriously, can you think of anything that wastes more time than eating? I can't.

So, what have I been up to? Well, let me try and show you just a few of the things I've been doing...

Well, there was laundry day, and there's nothing like running and throwing yourself into a giant pile of laundry. I had loads of fun. I've have become aware that my Mom and Dad seem to go through a lot of clothing items as well, though they seem to have a much greater variety of things to wear. I, myself, find a sturdy diaper (size three for now) and a pure cotton undergarment (some might call a onesie) more than sufficient for the activities I find particularly entertaining. Although, Mom has been putting more and more clothes on me as I get older. Shoes, she seems oddly fond of these days, buying two and three pair at a time if Dad will let her. Odd, strangely heavy things I find them, though essential for some environments that I am now drawn to explore. Clothes...something I shall have to look into more, but later.

And, not long after laundry day, we loaded Grandma Jacobs up in our sweet Honda vacationing ride and went to Disneyland. It was my first time. Pirates of the Carribbean, Small World, Jungle Cruise, come to think of it, just about everything we did had some kind of boat involved. I finally passed out in the bjorn, but not after eating the littliest amount of food I'd ever eaten since leaving the hospital (2 ounces), finishing my day at 8.25 ounces of food total. Sadly, I've not been eating happily recently and my personal low is something that has my Mom and Dad on edge every time that magical feeding hour comes around. Then there was traffic on the way home and I cried, and Mom cried, and Dad, well Dad just tried to hang on desperately as our world spun wildly out of control. I heard Dad keep saying, "Apparently, Disneyland isn't the happiest place on earth for this family." He's really good at bringing a smile to your face, most of the time. That day was an unusually tough day.

But back to my Grandma Jacobs, she is the best grandma ever. I especially like going over to her house on the weekends. I spend the night there cause my Mom and Dad both work during the night on the weekends, so Grandma and I get to hang out. I always let her know when I get to her house by ringing her doorbell and then tapping on the front door. My Grandma is the coolest lady ever.

So after our week trip to Southern California, we were off to Santa Rosa, California. Mom had some schooling she had to do for work, so Dad and I tagged along to keep her out of trouble. Truth be told, I don't think she's very good at life without us, so while she was in school Dad and I made the most of each day by going to the pool, or on a walk, or just hanging out in the room where I discovered how much I love EVERYTHING cold. I'm not joking! There was this glass table in the suite we stayed in that was always cold and I would climb right up onto it and just lay there with my face pressed firmly against it. Then I began to experiment. There is a whole world of cold things out there that you can only truly appreciate by putting your mouth right on them. It's probably one of the two things I love having in the mouth: something cold and my Binky. And that's what started my love of a wet, cold washcloth. Absloutely the most amazing treat ever. If I'm unhappy, just give me that wet, cold washcloth and I will be in heaven for the whole thirty seconds it takes me to suck it dry and then give me it again. I mean, wow. No body ever told me how amazing water is. Cold, refreshing, easy to swallow, did I mention cold?

Speaking of Santa Rosa, one of the days we were there, Dad took me to a comic book store. Comic Book stores are cool, especially my Dad's favorite, a place he calls Flying Colors. He and I were there together not long ago for my first ever Free Comic Book Day. It was very exciting, lots of people, free comic books, and cake. Oh yes, there was cake, but if you haven't caught on yet, I DON'T LIKE FOOD, not in my mouth anyway. Dad was having a heck of a time trying to keep me from climbing out of the bjorn while grabbing his favorite reads and as we were walking up to the register, he stopped to let these older ladies batt their eyes at me. They just thought I was the cutest thing ever, right up until they shoved a piece of that blue and white cake at us. I let them know exactly how I felt about that by sticking my left foot right into the corner of the frosted beast they'd cut the smaller piece from. Blue and white frosting went everywhere as did the oogling ladies as they were trying to find something to clean up the mess. And there was no more offering us cake like it was the next best thing to a wet, cold washcloth. Ooooooo, wet, cold washcloth. Now that sounds good.

But as the summer progressed, I discovered the ever fascinating soap bubble. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. I could sit for hours out on the back deck and let them explode in my face, soak my pants, and gather on my fingertips until they're a dripping, sticky goo mess. I love the summer, so much to do, especially in the backyard. I'll push my trike around for a bit, or wander into the grass, but I always come back for the bubbles. Next to my Binky and a wet, cold washcloth, bubbles are my Number Three thing. Ooooo, wet, cold washcloth. That really does sound good. As soon as I finish my little inner monologue thing with you, I'll have to go get one. I say inner monologue cause I have yet to find a need for actual, audible speech. I get everything I need from my ever diligent parents and rarely have to prompt them for anything, so I imagine I'll be content with an inner monologue until I'm forced to express myself through conversation, although Dr. Sultan really freaked my Mom out by suggesting I might have autism. Well, we'll have to see about that. I think Mom and Dad have enough to worry about for the moment.

A couple of months ago, my older twin brothers were in town for summer and we hit the road for a number a thrilling activities like visiting the zoo. Yes, that's me chilling in my roller buggy at the elephant paddock with a wet, cold washcloth. Other than not sleeping, causing a fight between my Mom and Dad, eating very little and then throwing up everything I'd eaten, the trip to the zoo was a pretty excellent one. I wore one of my Dad's favorite outfits, an Oakland A's baseball get-up. He's a baseball fan. I just love any kind of ball I can get in my hands, and I'm quite adept at throwing them as well. But the zoo, fascinating place it is, much more fascinating then say, trying to eat food. What is it with that stuff? Although Mom and Dad, the Boys (my older brothers Ethan and Caleb), my Uncle Jeremy and Aunt April, Grandma Jacobs, Hailey, Hannah, Logan, Miranda, and my newest little cousin, Lauren, all had really excellent looking desserts from a creamery called Fenton's. I watch everyone eat and I wonder, What is it with the sticking of edible stuff in the mouth that gets everyone so exicted. I don't get it, hopefully someday I do though. Mom and Dad really enjoy eating, you can see it when they eat, all dreamy eyed and happy as they clear plates full of food stuffs. Odd my parents, strangely unlike me sometimes, especially in the eating department.

So with my brothers in town, we continued our trek around California looking for interesting places to visit, like Zuma Beach in Malibu. That's right, Malibu and the Pacific Ocean. It was lovely. Water is lovely. Water is Life, and Life was good on Zuma Beach in Malibu.

The waves were perfect, the weather was great, and while my brothers and cousins spent their time getting pounded by waves and digging for sand crabs, my Mom and I just cruised the beach getting our feet wet. Dad was behind the camera taking pics when he wasn't out trying to body surf some of the waves. We had loads of fun at the beach and all took quiet naps on the way home, well everyone but Mom and Dad I suppose, but I couldn't tell you for sure cause I was certainly out. There's a picture of that as well, but I like this one best of me and my Mom at the beach. I'm not one for a lot of sun like my Mom, but we both love the water and the beach.

We made days out of a few other things close to home, like a trip to the Jelly Belly Factory, home of the world famous and original gourmet jelly bean. But mostly, we crashed at the pad, watched flicks (Little Einsteins, Happy Feet, things like that), and hung out in the pool. We got a rather large above ground pool this summer because my bros and I love playing in the water. Hopefully, Mom will soften up and let Dad seriously look into having a pool built into our backyard. That would be the coolest thing ever.

So that was our summer. It was a good one. Things are going pretty well, otherwise, although there always seems to be challenges. We make pretty good use of the time we have together as a family. Pretty good time indeed. It's fun to have fun together and we're good at having fun. Mom and Dad have another project, as if trying to get me to eat wasn't enough, they're now focusing intently on getting me to talk. No words yet, still on a liquid diet, but I'm happy. I love my Mom and Dad. They love me. What more could you possibly want? I know, I know, eat solid foods. Fat chance.

Hunter out.

Doctor says...

Well, where to begin...

Had my fifteen month check-up with Dr. Sultan. I like her, although I'm not quite sure why she always has to stick that cold piece of metal on my back. And then she moves it around as if sticking it on me once wasn't good enough. I tried reaching back there to grab her hand, thinking she'd get a clue, but no, she kept right on pressing that thing onto me. I'm okay with the ear thing, Mom's always poking a thermometer into my ear, better there than...And why is there a need to pry open my mouth with that giant popsicle stick when I obviously don't want you in there. That I hate the most. Makes me scream.

The doctor's office does have lots of cool stuff in it though, and since I've become quite adept at opening drawers and cabinet doors, I find all kinds of new things to get into. The doctor's chair, the one that spins. that's probably my favorite. I can't help but wonder though, why are the rooms so small? I mean really, I've got these great legs that carry me wherever I want to go with very little effort, and they put me in this tiny little room. I don't get it. But, I suppose it's all about numbers, so this is what Dr. Sultan sees when she looks at my growth chart:

Head: 18.5 inches
Weight: 21 pounds 2 ounces
Height: 32 inches

Can you believe that's all they care about? I can do so much more, like: banging my head on the floor for no apparent reason, recognizing my favorite colors in forms of movies on the DVD shelf (red and yellow), running like the wind, fits of anger that sometimes cause me to bite freakishly hard, and climbing up onto the couch. Just to name a few of my more prevalent talents.

So Dr. Sultan says I am good, look good (I already knew that though, get that from Mom), just need to eat (Is she nutty? Why would I put food in my mouth when there are so many other things to put in there?). Oh, and this nurse came out of the place where they jab pointy things into my legs, shots I think I heard Dad say once, but after a quick chat with the nurse, Dad went the other way and took me with him. I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll be going back though. Shots. Yuck.

A few days later, we were on our way to Fremont, California to talk with Speech Pathologist and Feeding Specialist, Marjorie Palmer. Not sure why she follows every compliment with a question, but Mom sure seems to like her. Her office smells funny, don't know how anyone could go in there and want to eat, but it's big, so I can run.

And Mom always tries to feed me there with Ms. Palmer watching. It's a little unnerving, but I try to amuse her. Ate two Cheetos, with a little difficulty (I think I'm biting off a little more than I can chew and swallow safely), but wasn't having anything to do with the Cheerios. And when she brought out the yogurt, I about lost it. It was 2:40 in the afternoon, people, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I wasn't being given my bottle. I mean seriously, I was there to eat so why hold out on me? Finally got my bottle, ate like a champ in my carseat at Ms. Palmer's office in Fremont. Never done that before.

So, Ms. Marjorie Palmer would like Mom and Dad to try and work more foods into my diet. She's always talking about feeding me mayonnaise. Is she serious? Mayonnaise? Am I really that dire of a case that you're going to try and force straight mayonnaise into me? Think I puked when I had the stomach flu? Go ahead and try to feed me that. I dare you.

Luckily, I have a Mom who has a lot more common sense and finds other, more tasteful ways to put the calories in me.

Anyway, I feel good. I sleep well. I eat when I need to (still only liquid stuff from a bottle I won't hold no matter what you do). And life's good. Got some new toys I'm really enjoying: a pair of drumsticks and a Spider-Man/Green Goblin set from the Superhero Squad. There's something about bright colors and banging on things I just can't get enough of.

But the thing I'm really excited about is our vacation that's coming up so quick. We'll be going to Southern California (Disneyland maybe, if Dad has his way) and then to St. George to see Grandma and Grandpa Roberts. Sweet. I bet there's a pool there. I love the water! Not the sun so much, but the water is fantastic!

Chao for now.

I am Hunter, hear me ROAR!

The first fifteen months of my life have been anything but what you'd expect from a growing little boy, so before we get you to what's going on right now with me, how about a brief recap:

I was born the day I was due on a chilly morning in Decemeber at 6 pounds and 6 ounces, and right away began to cause problems because of my eating. The nurses accused my mother of not accurately recording my feedings because I had lost a little more weight than they thought I should have. Little did they know. After a short five weeks of life, I began to reject every form of food offered to me. It started with the breast and ended six months later on a day I ate less than five ounces of formula and no other baby food. That was when someone finally got a clue. Nine days in a hospital and the diagnosis of GERD, an extreme case of the silent form. The meds came then (Prilosec, Zantac, and Reglan) and after several days on a feeding tube, they yanked the tube from my nose and let me eat from a bottle.

Since then, I have been through several eating regimens (various formulas, Pediasure, and ultimately Nutren Jr.) and have settled down to a baby calorie shake of sorts. Mom and Dad have become quite adept at mixing just about everything I need to survive into the smallest amount of liquid possible so that I eat it all. Ya see, I still don't eat much (on average 10 to 12 ounces of liquid food a day: 700 to 850 calories), but I am growing, slowly (on good days I weigh as much as 21 pounds, but dropping just below 20 pounds on rough days). I eat in a chair, three times a day, watching one of a multitude of Baby Einstein videos and absolutely refuse to hold my own bottle.

A few months ago I ended up back in the hospital for two and a half days when I came down with a stomach flu that kept me from keeping even the tiniest amounts of food in me. That was rough. Both Mom and Dad have been very careful to keep me healthy, but lately, that has been a chore.

So, that brings us current. Now you know the history. Let's get to me right now.

Wednesday March 28th, 2007

I still won't eat solid foods, although I did eat four, that's right, 4, Cheetos just the other day. I think my mother might have shed a tear or two she was so proud of me. I'll eat Cheerios every now and then, and yogurt (the Yoplait Thick and Creamy), but I mostly just stick to the bottle feedings, to which Mom and Dad have most recently been adding various fruit mixtures, my most favorite being the Apples and Cherries.

I've finally kicked my latest cold (the fourth or fifth one I 've had in as many months) which ended in a nasty cough. I ran my head into the leg of one of the dining room chairs the other day and threw up a few hours later, don't know if it was because of the lump on my head or because of the sickness, but Dad stayed home with me because Mom was already at work. It was a little bit of a stressful night. I seem to hit my head a lot. Don't know what that is all about. Mom and Dad joke about getting me a helmet.

I also have a babysitter now. Olivia. She's a professional kid-watcher, but I'm only there once every other week or so for a couple of hours, so I hardly consider myself a regular. My first experience was a bit rough, don't know how I felt about it, but I know I didn't like watching the other kids leave before me. Today is my second time there. Although I don't know what to make of this whole thing yet, it's important for Mom and Dad, so I'll give it another shot (not that I have much say in the matter at this point).

Still on my regular meds (Prilosec, Zantac, and Reglan), but have several doctor's appointments coming up to re-evaluate my progress: 15 Month with Dr. Sultan (my Pedi), Consult with Dr. Finley (my Pedi GI), and a Consult with Marjorie Palmer M.A., LSP (my Pedi Feeding Speciailist). I will also be meeting with my Pediatric Neurologist sometime in the near future as well.

GERD friends: Bailey. OTHER BUDDIES: Hayley and Hannah (my cousins, twins!). I seem to know a lot of girls. Not sure what that is all about. But my two older brothers, Ethan and Caleb (also twins!) keep me grounded in boy things, so I think I'll be okay. And my Dad has provided an assortment of Star Wars Galactic Heros to play with as well.

So long for now.