Nelson Family

Hey all! Happy First Birthday to Burke and 31st to Chris! We're doing well.... Burke is on the surgery schedule for his cochlear implant on October 9th! We're so excited! He's doing well with his hearing aids but we're ready for the implant as it will give him even more access to sound for language development. He's being evaluated for growth hormone definciency and currently taking testosterone shots once a month for 3 months to help his little male parts grow :) He's stronger and has hair on his chest (haha...j/k)....actually he's stronger and is holding his torso and head much better. He still needs support to sit but can do it on his own for about 30 secs to a minute if he's well occupied. He still isn't crawling but can spend more time on his tummy and hold himself up on hands and knees...I know just one of these days I'm gonna be putting up baby gates all over the place...he's such a busy bee! (that's a nickname for him by t

Just a few cute updated photos of our boy! We're currently doing well after a big scare on Wednesday morning when Burke stopped breathing after eating his bottle. I (Chris) had to ressucitate him and thankfully was successful. he was blue and limp for approx 1 minute but started breathing again after I gave him mouth to mouth. We took a ride in an ambulance around the block to Childrens and then spent the night in the hospital but all checked out well and the tests on his swallowing and esophagus were totally normal. The experts think he was so upset and refluxing his milk so much that his body naturally shut down his airway to protect itself from aspiration. Burke bounced right back and has been fine ever since...the nurses thought he was so cute and happy in the hospital and asked if he was always this happy...the answer is yes with the exception of Wed morning :)! We're in the process of getting approved for a cochlear implant. We have approx 3 appts per week and th

Pictures speak a thousand words...Nate you rock!

Hello everyone, sorry it has been so long that we posted our last blog. Our schedules and appointments have kept us going day after day. Burke has been doing very well and he has been working dilgently at listening, talking, gaining muscle, playing, and growing...he's approx 15 lbs now! We're full on into the process for getting a Cochlear Implant for Burke...we think he's going to be a candidate but there is much testing to be done before they'll make a final decision. Our days are filled with lots of time spent eating, practicing our "auditory verbal" therapy, dealing with his hearing aids (which are working great but are a pain to keep on his ears and from buzzing with feedback) motor skill development and just playing and loving our time with this precious boy. He is soooo happy, content, playful, adorable, funny and giggly! His sweet little personality is really starting to show...he's totally cute! We have more good days than hard da

Papa Tom had a fun photo shoot with Burke a few weekends ago when we were in Yakima visiting family! Isn't he the cutest?! We think so! As of Friday 3/9 Burke weighs a whopping 14#~~ gooooo Burke! He's holding his head up much better and tolerates being on his tummy more now (our OT/PT will be very happy to hear this)! Our weekend on Bainbridge went fabulous last week...Burke and Nate had a total bonding experience as they survived a whole 24 hrs without me! Nate later told me that he realizes just how much work it is to be the only one caring for Burke during the day...he is a lot more sensitive to my needs now and knows how to be more helpful...this is great for us all! :) We took Burke out into pulic with us for the first time...went to church with our dear friends Mark & Elle (and Burke's future wife Avery) :) then out to lunch for Indian food..yummy! Burke LOVED it (not the indian food) but being out and about...he's such a social little guy! People we

Forget the carseat, we're rollin Big Boy Style!! Our physical therapist ok'd us to use the stroller with Burke looking out at the world. After our appointment, I immediately came home and got him ready for his first big boy stroll. We went to the water to look at the ducks, found some pretty pink flowers to smell and admired the trees from a different perspective! He LOVED it! Burke is so focused and pays very close attention to his visual surroundings...he is a very smart little boy with much patience (just like his daddy)! Today we had a great visit with Grandpa and Grandma from Yakima and auntie Layci and Uncle Nick from Tacoma. Tomorrow we are adventuring over to Bainbridge Island where I'm attending an overnight Women's retreat with my friend Elle while Nate and Burke stay with Mark (Elle's husband) and baby Avery...it will be an exciting time for Elle and I to enjoy one day and night away and get some good "girl" time and be encouraged! I am a

This week Burke has made many accomplishments! He's been holding his own bottle for the whole feed and eats every last drop! yum yum yum!!! He's been scarfing down his green beans (favorite so far) and holds the spoon and feeds himself..(what does he need me for now?) :) We are super proud of how well he's been eating and the determination he has to embrace all the challenges set before him! You go Burke!

Hi! We had a great long and relaxing weekend in Yakima with the grandparents. We had time to relax, eat great food, get some sunshine and go for long walks! Burke continues to grow and eat well. He sat up in his booster seat at the table with us and it was fun to feed him green beans while we ate! He fell in love with his little soccer ball and now it goes everywhere with him...like daddy like son! We are so proud of Burke and enjoying him more each day. Life is normalizing for us more lately and we are getting more sleep which makes everything better. We are really concentrating on teaching Burke all about words and sounds...we do lots of "radio commentary" all day long. Basically we talk to Burke about everything we do, see and think and try to link sounds, sights, music and expressions to our words. It's exhausting to talk so much and try to think of things and ways to describe the world to him but exciting to watch him starting to comprehend. This week we go

Here we are just having a good time enjoying our little guy! This photo was taken last week after we had a nice long walk with grandpa & grandma! Burke loves to get outside and enjoy the fresh air...even if it's raining! Yesterday Burke weighed in at 13# 7oz....he's certainly growing well and eating like a champ...he tried sweet potatoes today and thought they were yummy. to see videos of Burke go to www.youtube.com and log in with our user name:Burke 26 and password mayb362676

We've been having a great week! Burke has been so much fun to play and interact with. He loves to laugh and talk...and he especially loves daddy time! This week Burke has been able to eat a few times without being hooked up to his tube for "decompressing"...this has been a very exciting accomplishment! Nate and I are both experiencing an intense and amazing bond with Burke. Yesterday Burke looked at me in a way that he's never done before...it was like he looked directly into my heart and I completely melted. It was almost like God was speaking through him saying...I love you and it's going to be ok. The really interesting part was that Nate had an entirely seperate experience with Burke that was very similar to mine. It wasn't until this morning when I was describing my experience that Nate explained he had the same! Burke has an incredible ability to communicate and relate to us...he is so "in tune" with his surroundings and the people in his life!

Burke underwent his last BAER test yesterday...it was literally a "Bear" as he cried and cried for the first 30 minutes until he finally fell asleep. For those who don't know...Burke needs to sleep through the test so the audiologist can get accurate data....the testing usually takes 2 hrs! In order to do this, we had to sleep deprive him and allow him to get hungry so he'd take a nice long nap (he is typically a cat napper)...this is usually not a good idea for preemies and Burke is sensitive to being overtired and hungry! After he finally fell asleep, everything went well and we were able to get more information about his hearing. In a nutshell (there are many details of which are super complicated) his left ear has no measurable response to sound BUT his right ear has more responses to sound than we originally thought. With his "ears on" (hearing aids) he hears our voices and most speech sounds with the exception to the quieter sounds like "s&qu

It's hard to believe 7 months ago we had a baby...let alone believe that just 7 months ago we were living an entirely different life than now. These past months have seemed like years but at the same time have flown by. In all ways, our life has been totally transformed but not without much sacrafice. It has been breathtaking to look back at where we were just 7 months ago. What is truely incredible to see is the physical, social, emotional and mental growth that Burke has accomplished as well as the growth of our relationships and faith. I recently bought a great book entitled "Changed by a Child; Companion Notes for Parents of a Child with a Disablity" authored by Barbara Gill. As you know, Burke has been diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss...he is deaf and with that diagnosis comes membership to a whole new group of people...the disabled. I wanted to share some very touching and beautiful meditations and quotes from the book that resonated with me... I ho

Our good friend and my co-worker Marcus was able to capture some great photos of Burke in mid December. We've decided to make all of the photos available for purchase to raise money for Children's Hospital. We feel very compelled to support the place that helped to save Burke's life. We realize that without their expertise and state of the art interventions, Burke would not be where he is today. Please take some time to look at the photos and consider purchasing a few to support Childrens Hospital! http://fdlphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/2293827 Password is: Nelson Lots of Love and Thanks! Chris, Nate & Burke Nelson

Burke is now a whopping 12# 14oz and 23" long! Overall, he is doing great...growing and changing so much everyday. He especially loves his bathtime and is so cute in his little froggie towel (Thanks to our friend Kate!). We just got his new hearing aids yesterday...they're blue and look great on him (they match his eyes)! He is really responding well to our voices and starting to coo and talk (especially first thing in the morning...at like 4am)! The best part is when we turn on his hearing aids and the first thing he does is smile and giggle at us...it's amazing to experience a connection with him on this level! Burke has slept through the night for the past 2 nights so we are feeling great...it's amazing how much a little bit more sleep can help all of us! I'm working part time and really enjoying being back in the office with my colleagues..it's great interaction and mentally stimulating so I feel refreshed when I return home! Erica is our nanny and she i

Hello all, Happy 2007!!! Sorry for the lack of blogs, our computer went down and by the time we got a new computer the holidays happened. Burke is doing very good and is healthy and growing. We took Burke to Yakima for Thanksgiving and Christmas, both times were very healing and comforting for Chris and myself. Burke was loved on by family and friends and he loved it. Chris stayed a few extra days in Yakima after Christmas with Burke and continued getting loved on by family. We want to say again how thankful we are for the support everyone gave us throughout 2006 and our journey. The support we recieved was want we needed and could not have asked for anything more. In the next few days we shall update you all more on the progress of Burke and our family. Love to all