Poor Baby!

On the 12th of Decemeber I took Will to a pediatric pulmonologist to have his neck looked at.  It's a very long story but since birth, Will, hyperextended his neck WAY back!  At first we just thought he was just used to being crammed inside of me but after about 4 weeks we started to be a little concerned about it.  When asking the pediatrician about it he recommended that we see a pediatric pulmonolgist because he thought the reason he was hyperextending was because he had a week trachea causing an airway issue.  They thought he had Trachea Malacia.  Google it.  I did and then I was worried for my little baby.  After a visit to the specialist they ordered several test and wanted us to come back January 25th.  About a week after this appointment Will started having major breathing issues. We took him to our pediatrician on a Saturday morning and he was diagnosed with brochiolitis.  He was weezing, having trouble breathing, and he was just plain miserable.  Poor Will!  We rented a nebulizer and had to do breathing treatments every 2-3 hours.  I have a new found respect for parents of chronically ill children.  The round of clock care was exhausting and so stressful.  You don't care about anything but your baby being well. 

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 Thankfully my mom (retired nurse and exceptional Grams) would come and help me give Will his treatments.  Poor Zachary cried the first couple times we did this to Will because he was so scared and worried for his brother.  We were thankful that Will is SUCH A GOOD baby because it really did not bother him.   He was so good even when he was SO sick. 

Unfortunately the weeks before, during, and after Christmas were busy taking care of this sweet baby boy.  Not exactly the 1st Christmas we imagined but we were so thankful that we were not in the hospital.  On January 9th we stopped the treatments and the pediatrician said he was 100% better.  Back to the hyperextended neck issue.

See how Will held his head....It was always hyperextended back. Let me say that when he was born he was born SUNNY SIDE up.  He was stuck in the birth canal for over 3 hours with his neck bent back.  In hindsight he should have been a C-section baby but at the time he came out after a very hard labor. 

  Will saw the pediatric pulmonologist yesterday afternoon for a follow up of his hyperextended neck. Dr. Carlise reviewed all of the tests (Barium swallow, oxygen/sleep study, blood gases, and chest Xray) that we had done in December. Dr. Carlise and his nurse cannot explain Will's current condition but he is 100% healthy.
My mom and I really think that when Will saw Dr. Carlise in December that the doctor did some sort of manipulation or streching of his neck when he was doing his physical exam. Dr. Carlise said that what he did would not have "fixed" Will's condiiton. He said that he thinks there was "someone higher up" that fixed Will. Prayers have been answered! Both Dr. Carlise told us in a very candid conversation that when they first took a look at Will back in December they knew something serious was wrong with him. Today they saw no signs of that at all. So much so that we are released from his office and no further testing is required. This means NO trachea Malicia, NO cerebral palsy, NO torta collis!
The ONLY explaination was that God heard our prayers and healed Will. We are praising God for his full recovery!

2 months: November 12. 2011

On November 12th Will turned 2 months. I feel like time is flying by so much faster this time around than with Zachary.  Man I love my boys. I want them to be grown up but it is so hard to say goodbye to the newborn stage. 

Will is the best, most content baby.  He is so laid back, easy-going, and 99.9 % of the time super happy. 

On November 17th Will had his 2 month check up and immunizations. 

Here are his stats:

Weight: 11.13 lbs (50%)

Height: 23 1/2 inches (50%)

Head: 39.5 (25%)

At two months: Will sleeps from 8 pm until 5:30 am without getting up at ALL!  Praise the Lord for a sleeping baby!  Will loves to smile, loves his big brother, and anyone that will talk to him. 

Will wears size 3 month clothes and size 2 diapers.

Will enjoys breast milk and long walks on the beach...just kidding. LOL!

Will has lost most of his black hair except a ring around the back of his head. 

Just because my boys have birthdays 16 days apart it is super easy for me to compare what they were doing at 2 months, what they were wearing etc. 

Here's Zachary's stats on November 17, 2006...

Weight 11.1 lb (50%)

Height: 23 1/4 (50%)

Head: 39 (25%)

Basically they were the exact same size which I think is hilarious!  I thank God several times each day that he gave us these two precious boys to raise.  Even though some days are long, exhausting, and rough I am SO thankful for this chapter in our lives.  I love having a 5 year old. I love seeing how much Zachary learns each day.  I also love holding a newborn so long that my arms go numb. I love the smiles I see when I go to his crib to get him out of it. I love seeing the two of them interacting together.  I love my boys so much that those rough moments seem like nothing.  Thank you God for my life!

Will Collins at 1 Month (Oct 12th)

My sweet friend, Kim, gave us these adorable monthly onsies to use each month.  When Zachary was a baby a friend of mine, Kaci, gave me these monthly signs.  It's funny for me to look back 5 years and see how much has changed in 5 years...from poster signs to custom made onsies.  LOL! 
So on October 12th Zachary and I posed Will for his monthly photo shoot.

Currently his eyes are blue and his dark black hair is falling out. 

Currently his eyes are blue and his dark black hair is falling out. 

 Due to a mild blow-out we had to have an outfit change. LOL!

Will's Stats at One month old:

Will weighs 10.5lbs and is 21.5 inches long. He wears size one diapers and 0-3 month clothes.

He loves his Big Brother and smiles at everyone. 

Will is the BEST baby. He sleeps from 10pm until 5:45 almost every day. Occasionally he will wake up at 4:00 am for a "snack".  After his snack he immediately returns to his crib and goes back to sleep like a champ. 

Will is a cuddle bunny. He loves to be held and loves kisses. 

Will is very strong.  He loves to lift his head and look around. 

This month he has been to church, Freddy's 85th birthday party, 5K walk, several baby showers, to the movies with Big Brother to see Lion King, to the movies with mom & dad to see Courageous, and out to several restaurants for family dinners.

His favorite thing to eat is his milk.  He nurses like a champ too.  He eats every 3 hours except during bed time. 

Will this past month our family can't imagine what we did before you were born.  You have changed your brothers life! He adores you. We love you so much and are so glad you are a part of our family.

He's Here!

As most of you know William Collins has arrived! He arrived on 9/12 at 2:35 a.m. weighing 8lbs 8 oz and 21.5 inches long. He has a ton of black hair.

A very sweet friend who happens to be our "family photographer" stopped by the hospital to visit us when Will was less than 12 hours old.  I had no idea she had her camera and was planning on taking some photos of us.  It was a sweet surprise. Thankfully I had just happened to hop out of the shower.  Our hospital room was total choas but she made it look super peaceful and serene.  Thank you Kara for taking these photos for us.  Photos are property of Owens Photography.

Our first family of four photo


Daddy and Will

 This is one of my favorites....Zachary was totally hamming it up for the photos. 

 Zachary checking out his baby brother

Checking on Baby Will

 Kevin and his new best buddy!

 Will Collins....still a little swollen from his overwhelming entrance into the world. What a night!

 Sleepy Little Boy!

I have not been motivated to get on the computer and blog....Too busy loving on my two boys.  Anyways, I am hoping to get a bunch of photos on here this week.  Thanks for all the prayers for our little bundle of joy!