A week later and all is well...

We came home from the hospital today and all went well! Nicholas had a shunt permanently placed inside his head. It's a small pump that pumps excess fluid through a small tube that drains into his abdomen. This will relieve any pressure from his head/brain. This will not hold Nicholas back from doing anything in life except joining the military. Mommy is not too sad about that. Now all we need to do is keep a close watch for the next year to make sure there is no infection.

Daddy and Nicholas resting at home tonight and pictures from the hospital.

We just found out today that Nicholas needs to have surgery tomorrow. He is getting a shunt to drain the excess fluid from his head. We knew he would need this but were a little surprised the doctors felt we needed to rush and have it done tomorrow. Please keep him in your prayers.

Mommy makes a fool of herself telling me Goodmorning!

My Grandma

My Daddy Cousin Carter

I love my Grandma.

PaPa feeding me.

Sweet dreams.

What are you talking about Grandma?

My cousin Collin holds me.

Mommy hates to have her picture taken but she loves this one cause she says she may not look good but it is one of the happiest days of her life.

Cousin Carley and Casey in the waiting room.

Hello All, I created this blog to share photos of our beautiful son Nicholas with family and friends. This is my first blog so let's see how it goes. Nicholas is 12 weeks and 1 day old today. He is such a joy!
This blog is also for parents and others looking for information on Dandy-Walker Syndrome. Nicholas was diagnosed with this genetic disorder in utero. I spent many days and nights on the internet reading everything I could find on the disorder. The personal blogs I read from other mothers really helped me. I only hope we can be of help to someone else. There is hope!
Thank you family and friends for your love, support and prayers. You will never know how much you mean to me.

Nicholas is doing great! All of his doctors are watching him and so far so good. We are so very blessed.

I know these are old photos but I had to start with something. I will be posting new pics every week! :)
With Love,
Barbara

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Dandy-Walker Syndrome:
Dandy-Walker syndrome is a congenital brain malformation involving the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls movement and the fluid filled spaces around it. The main conditions of the syndrome are an enlargement of the fourth ventricle (a small channel that allows fluid to flow freely between upper and lower areas of the brain and spinal cord), a partial or complete absence of the cerebellar vermis (the area between the two cerebellar hemispheres) and cyst formation near the internal base of the skull, called arachnoid cysts. These cysts may develop between the surface of the brain and the cranial base. Small cysts are usually asymptomatic while larger cysts may cause cranial deformations, headaches, seizures, hydrocephalus and increased intracranial pressure.
Treatment for these cysts is symptomatic. When pressure gets to be too much, a surgical placement of a shunt may be required. Untreated, these cysts may cause permanent neurological damage due to progressive expansion of the cyst or bleeding. But with treatment most pediatric patients do well.
An increase in the size of the fluid spaces surrounding the brain and an increase in pressure can also occur, called hydrocephalus, a condition that causes an enlargement of the ventricles of the brain because of buildup of cerebrospinal fluid, which can lead to increased intracranial pressure. This can be caused by the spinal fluid not being properly absorbed or by some kind of blockage to the flow of the fluid. Ultrasound and MRI are the modalities of choice to check for this abnormality. Treatment entails putting in a shunt to drain some of the excess fluid. This syndrome, much like agenesis of the callosum, can appear dramatically or develop unnoticed. Symptoms that often occur in early infancy include slow motor development and progressive enlargement of the skull.
In older children, symptoms of increased intracranial pressure, such as irritability, vomiting and convulsions, and signs of cerebellar dysfunction like unsteadiness, lack of muscle coordination or jerky movements of the eyes, may occur, as well as other symptoms like increased head circumference, bulging of the back of the skull and problems with nerves that control the eyes, face and neck. Dandy-Walker is commonly associated with agenesis of the corpus callosum. Treatment for this syndrome includes placing a tube to reduce intracranial pressure and control swelling.
Children with this syndrome may never have normal intellectual development, even when the hydrocephalus is treated early and correctly. A long life depends on the severity of the syndrome and associated malformations. The presence of multiple congenital defects may shorten the life span.