Caden has been doing great. He continues to need suctioning as much as 4 to 5 times per hour during wake time, but requires much less during the night when he is sleeping. He will be going to MUSC later today for a MBS (Modified Barium Swallow) study. This will test his current swallowing functionality so that the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor will have a good reading on how successful the botox injections next week. Caden will have another MBS a week or two after the botox treatment. We do 
not have a time for the botox treatment next Wednesday. We suspect it will be early since the cardiologists are involved and like to get things done early. The ENT performing the procedure will utilize the anesthesiologist from the Pediatric Cardiology department. The cardiologist being involved in Caden’s other treatments is standard practice.
Here on the left you can see Caden showing off his sitting skills again. He is doing more sitting everyday, but still needs a little help to keep him from falling over on his side. He is not yet able to sit without having his hands on the floor. Down below you can see Caden’s newest trick. He has found his toes and obviously thinks they taste pretty good. Yuck! I guess it is a baby thing. His therapists love this kind of stuff.
I promise that I will post some more pictures in the next few of days. I am trying out some new picture gallery software on my web site and I have not yet got it running the way I would like just yet. In the meantime, I will post a few cool 
images right here in each of the postings as I have been doing in the past couple of weeks.
Please continue to pray for our family. We continue to experience extreme frustration and exhaustion at times and are constantly being hit from all sides by new challenges. God continues to bless our family in so many ways. One big way is through the great friends and family that read this page and pray for our specific needs.
I know it seems like it has been for ever that we have been making these prayer requests. Tomorrow 7/29 will mark one year since Caden’s heart defect was found on a level II ultrasound at MUSC. Business picked up for us from that time forward with doctors appointments almost weekly leading up until October 2004 when Sherry ended up getting hospitalized due to preterm labor concerns. Then Caden was born on November 2nd and well you can read most of the story from there forward right here on Caden’s Page. I will admit that I have not always given the entire story here on Caden’s Page. It would be safe to assume that if I am writing about a bad day then it is probably at least twice as bad as it sounds in most cases. Lately it has been most difficult because help has sort of dried up. We were warned by other families who have been in similar circumstances that this often happens, but it took longer than I thought it would to be honest. Maybe part of it is that we have lost the energy to seek help or simply feel like we have over run our welcome in other cases. Regardless of the underlying reason we are just surviving and looking for the day when we can pack up that suction machine and get a full night’s sleep more than one or two days per week. Not to mention the more important fact that Caden experiences discomfort and frustration from the continued suctioning. Please remember us daily in your prays.
Keep praying that this botox treatment next week will work as advertised. Better yet, you should pray that we go in this morning for the MBS and Caden gulps down a few ounces of barium like he knew how to all along. There’s plenty of room for divine intervention here and I would love to tell the ENT that her services will not be required for botox. Wouldn’t you?
Riley had a little trip to the doctor today. It appears his ahs a stomach bug that has been going around. Riley stood up when the doctor came into the room this afternoon and clearly stated, “I not want poke and I not want shot.” The doctor assured Riley that there was little chance of needing a shot today and Riley said, “Okay.” I hope you found that to be a cute as I did. Of course I am just a little bias.