How is Max?

Updated April 26, 2009.

We think he's pretty cute. Seriously, it's hard to answer the question in just a few words because Carolyn and I are so deeply involved in Max's care. So let's take a step back.

In April 2009, exactly at his six-month birthday, Max came home after spending a couple of months at the HSC Pediatric Center (see explanation here). He moved from the intensive care unit for babies (called a NICU) at Georgetown University Hospital to HSC in early March to prepare him (and his parents) for the less intense home environment.

Max suffered bleeding into his brain around the time he was born. This bleeding damaged the part of his brain responsible for transmitting instructions from the brain to the body. Although he's too young for an official diagnosis of cerebral palsy, Max's doctors think it almost certain that he will suffer some level of CP. The only treatment for CP is early and aggressive physical, occupational and speech therapy to help Max figure out how to communicate with his body.

At the moment, we're working hard to control Max's reflux. His medical team think that his brain is failing to communicate with his stomach and esophagus, allowing the stomach contents to flow freely back up the throat. Max gets all of his food via a very slow drip through a tube running from his nose to his stomach (called an "NG tube").

All of that said, Max is an extremely cute and engaging baby. He smiles constantly and is clearly delighted by the world. See the embedded slideshow below or click here for more pictures: