Our little Logan boy gets stitches!!!

Warning: Another long post. This blog is serving as a family journal for me, so many posts will be longer than you care to read. Skip over anything you like!!

Yes, Logan gets stitches!! It's not like it's the first time we've been to the ER with this little guy. But the whole experience still had me needing to sit down every few minutes so I didn't faint!! I am very weak when it comes to hospitals, needles, blood----and my BABIES!!!

Logan earned these lovely stitches by running full speed ahead, tripping, and coming in contact with the bottom of a set of outdoor stairs with metal slip gaurds on the edges. He was with Darin and Ellie, on their way to swimming lessons. I met them at the ER at Primary's. The swim towel, swimming suit and shoes, had MUCH blood on them. But the bleeding had mostly stopped, and Logan was fine. He was ALL OVER THE PLACE in the waiting room--we KNEW he was fine!! He kept trying to feel the open wound with his bloody, dirty fingers. He was VERY brave and only cried a minute when they had to give him shots to numb the area. The doctors say to lesson the scarring effects, we are to put sunscrean on the area twice a day for a YEAR!!! What??? There is NO WAY we will remember that!! Any ideas??

This sweet little guy sure has had his share of hospital stays and conditions!! I was thinking about them and here are the ones I can list without checking any baby books or records: He was born emergency C-section because his placenta broke away. (I don't know what you call that.) Luckily his birthmom did all the right things and everything was OK. (WE love you, Keri !!!) He spit up small amounts of blood for a few days, but still came home from the hospital at 36 hours old weighing five+ pounds. He was born with blisters on his nose and upper lip. So, from the get-go, this trooper has had his challenges. His first fever was at six weeks old--I remember because I FREAKED out!! This was also around the time he had what the doctors called, "severe colic". I called it "crying 24/7, mommy and child". The term, "medicate the mommy" entered my life. His first year of life he had three infections from ingrown toenails, too many ear infections to count, and breathing treatments every time he had so much as a cold. The breathing treatments continued for years. At age 18 months, he burned both hands on a woodburning stove, requiring weeks of treatments and then skin grafts surgery, and then months of recovery. Within the next year he was diagnosed as having PDD-NOS, an autism spectrum disorder, which diagnosis was recently changed to Asperger Syndrome. Around this same time he began having seizures, which continued for several years. (We think they are done now!!) The first seizure had us straight to the ER, and he also once had a seizure in preschool at age three and went to the hospital in an ambulance. He had mild sleep apnea, and has always have very loud, raspy, snory sleep. That led to surgery to have his tonsils removed at age four. For the first time in his life we didn't HEAR him sleeping!!! He had an overnight sleep study at Primary's to diagnose the sleep apnea, which also revealed that he has severe RBMD, rapid body movement disorder. This means his body jerks and moves and arouses him from his deep sleep dozens of times more than is normal, per night. It does not wake him up, but he doesn't get the deep sleep his body needs. he has had multiple CT scans, ECG's, MRI's, and blood drawn. I can't even remember what they were all for. One was for a concern at the size of his head. Turns out he has macrocephaly. Now what does that mean, you ask?? Big head!!! Duh, doctors!!! We think he had a broken toe once, but Dr. Douglas told us what to do about it without seeing a doctor. One doctor diagnosed him as having chronic asthma, and gave us two perscriptions for him to start on EVERY day. We went with our gut and told her NO WAY!! That was before the tonsils being removed, and now his breathing is fine. I don't know about all these doctors!!! That's all I can think of off hand. I'm sure we could list more if I pulled out the baby record books.

Logan has been an angel through every last one of these experiences. We thank our lucky stars that he has been so patient and happy through it all. I'm not sure if he feels pain to the same degree as what is normal--but I am sure that he is one brave, strong little boy!! He has been a sweet, genious of a blessing in our lives. I don't know why he has had to have so many challenges thus far in his life. And I am sure there will be more to come. But he is sure proving that nothing will keep him down. His mind moves faster than his body. His spirit is stonger and larger than his five year old frame. His heart is bigger than the organ pumping blood through his body. He is a giant of a little boy in every way. He came with gifts we have not yet figured out how to help him utilize....but we're hoping we can lead him in the right direction in this journey called life.

We love you more than words can say, Logan. We waited for you and knew you were ours even before you were born. We worried you may not end up making it here with Ellie. We wondered if maybe Heavenly Father decided you didn't need this earthly test. But you showed your determination and strength even before birth, and that determination continues to surprise and bless us even today. You wanted the challenge of life--and you certainly have had and will continue to have it in ways we don't even know yet. You will do amazing things. You will help us all be a little more human, and a little bit more accepting in this lifetime!!

Way to be so brave getting stitches this week. I wonder how long it will be til our next visit to the ER??

Logan just a few days old. (Yes, I know there is a pink blanket in the picture--but it IS Logan. Here you can see his first ever "owies" healing. He was born with blisters on his nose and upper lip. I think he must have been hungry before he was born--or at least he wanted to put something in his mouth! He still put things in his mouth at age four (non-food things). But I think he's moved past that now.

Logan's first Christmas Day. Breathing treatments were a regular occurance in those days. he was always a good boy and didn't pull off the mask.

Logan's second Christmas Day. Checking out his new barking puppy with his "boxing gloves". He never once asked or whined to have those bandages taken off. He even had to go back to me feeding him every bite of food--no complaints!! Sweet, sweet little angel boy!!

A few photos of a few of the physical challenges Logan has had. #1-While waiting to have Halloween pictures taken with the nieces and nephews, Logan's cousin scratched his face really good. #2-Even though he was bleeding, he was the ONLY child out of six, smiling in the picture. See the scratch on the side? He still has a scar. #3-Almost a year old. He had his regular shots this day, as well as having blood taken for who-knows-what!!! I think it had to do with the size of his head. #4-Gauze wrapped around each finger and hand after the burns, but before the skin grafts. This was the waiting phase to see what skin would grow back on it's own. #5-The changing of the bandages. This is how I held him twice a day while we did his bandages. I purposely cropped out the hands. Logan has never seen the pictures. He was SUCH a good boy EVERY time we had to do this. Pretty heavy pain meds before each time must have helped. #6-After the skin grafts surgery, at a family Christmas party. Those big mits stopped him from NOTHING!! #7-After the skin grafts are healing, before the gloves and braces. #8-The day Logan had his first seizure. First one that we know of anyways. It was The Fourth of July!! #9-Another seizure day. Happens to be Labor Day. We were at the Johnson's cabin when it happened. One of the many seizures that happened when we were not at home.

WE LOVE YOU, LOGAN!!!!