Anyone Seen Oliver?

Yes, this is the dog's water bowl...

Little Red Riding Hood

September

It is hard to imagine that a year ago we were thinking about open heart surgery. Oliver is healthy and happy, and he is charming. He waves and claps his hands, but not on my command. Only when he wants! We meet with the GI doctor in two weeks. Hopefully she'll pull the Mickey Button out.

Life is good, and we are grateful for this season.

I Love Birthday Cake!

We celebrated Oliver's birthday last Saturday with some friends.

Happy Birthday Oliver!

July 14th was Oliver's first birthday. We celebrated with a five mile bike ride to Kent Station, and a mud pie at the RAM. Oliver was gracious enough to share his birthday ice cream with the rest of us.

I'll post photos later!

Mic-Key is in!

I just spoke with the surgeon, and the Mic-Key was placed with no problems. While Oliver sleeps, the cardio people will do an echo cardiogram to check his heart.

Surgery rescheduled...

Oliver didn't have surgery on May 1st, because he and his siblings caught a nasty bronchiolitis and flu. He is now in that post-flu feeding frenzy and packing on the pounds.

The second attempt to place the Mic-key button is this Friday, May 15. I'm pretty impressed that in 5 months we have not accidentally ripped the peg-tube out of his stomach.

We named our new chickens (thanks Lacey for the idea!): Madeleine, Condoleezza, and Hillary. Unfortunately, Hillary got lost under the crawl space of our home, and we haven't seen her for weeks. We like to think that she's on a diplomatic tour around the neighborhood and will return to us soon.

No News is Good News!

I'm happy to report that the Showell household is thriving! Oliver is getting fatter and stronger by the minute. Our next hospital visit will be May 1st, when the staff will place a "Mic-Key" button in his stomach. It should be a same-day deal if the procedure goes as planned.

We had to say goodbye to a family member recently: Margie the chicken. She lived a good life and has gone to that special place where all birds get to fly. We have three baby chickens ordered, and we are accepting suggestions for names. (I'm not sure if we should name a fourth chicken after Aunt Brianna.)

Finally, mark your calendars: Alex and I have April birthdays: April 20th and April 30th, respectively.

Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

The February Update

Oliver is almost 15 pounds. His heart is great. His stomach is too.

Oliver is officially enrolled in physical therapy. Yesterday the therapist asked me what my 6-month goal is for him. I said I'd like to see him crawling. The therapist asked, "Why? I mean, what is the reason you want to see him crawl?" Apparently she needed to document my motivation for any goal I suggested. It was challenging to give sarcastic-free response, but I did.

It’s Like an Orange on a Toothpick!

On Tuesday we visited the cardiologist. She charted Oliver's height, weight, and head circumference. Then she asked, "Did your other kids have big heads?" I laughed, because their heads were off-the-charts huge. All along I thought Oliver was a pinhead, but as it turns out, he's inherited the Davis gargantuan cranium. We are so proud.

Six Months Old

Oliver celebrated his 1/2 birthday yesterday. The little man continues to grow and is now eating baby food (via his mouth). Such a big boy...

Just call me Dizzy

Is it me, or is Oliver a budding trumpet player?


Oliver is pushing 13 pounds now. On Tuesday he got 2 thumbs up from the surgeon, the cardiologist, the nutritionist, and the GI doctor.

New Year's Resolution

Our whole family has resolved to be healthy this year. That's right...no more hospital visits for us! I cut it pretty close, however, because I injured my back yesterday when I lifted Issac Owen. A trip to the chiropractor and the massage therapist enabled me to ring in the New Year feeling much better. (It did help that we were in bed by 10 p.m.)

Oliver is a whopping 12 pounds and 2 ounces! He is now in the 23rd percentile on the Down Syndrome growth chart.