Nelson Family

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...

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