2011 was a very eventful year. I think that it will be remembered by the Golden family as a good year. If you havent been there for the blow by blow this is a recap of the highlights.
Noah: At the beginning of 2011 Noah was getting over the flu and his 3 day hospital stay. From that point on to the end of this year he has been awesome. He hasnt had to have oxygen at all this year and we have controlled his CCHS with nothing more than adjustments to his ventilation rate. For my Non-CCHS friends that is a huge achievement. He has had colds and minor illnesses but we have managed them and due in a large part to a correctly functioning CO2 monitor we are able to accurately measure his CO2 and make the appropritate changes to his ventilator.
Noah has transitioned from using an HME (artifical nose) to a Passy Muir valve and then to a full cap over the course of this year. We now wear the cap on a daily basis. As documented in prvious blog posts, the use of the cap has helped his speech and breathing tremendously. He now knows most of his alphabet and all of his colors. His speech is getting more distinct. This has caused us to lose most of our therapists and for them to declare him on track developmentally with a normal 2 year old. Again that is truly amazing considering where he started from.
On the developmental side Noah has learned to walk and then to run. He is now working on the daunting task of going up and down stairs. My hard headed son has tried to escape from his bed by diving out and learned that this is not the best way to get up in the morning. Noah is also en expert at using an Iphone. He can find it, unlock it and change screens to find his favorite games.
We were once told by one of the doctors that they couldn't say that they felt good about Noah and his prognosis. I'd love to see how he feels about him now.
Hannah: 2011 has been a good year for Hannah too. She has started to transition from a child to a young lady. She has the biggest heart of anyone that I have ever met. She continues to get better at piano and did exceptionally well at the first recital with her new piano teacher. In school, she was evaluated for the RLC (gifted program) program and accepted. She now goes to RLC every Monday and is really enjoying it too. She also is the best big sister that a little brother could have.
Beth: What can I say about Beth... 2011 has been the year of volleyball plain and simple. The year started with Beth deciding that she wanted to play on the school team and then practicing like a mad woman to make the team. Then once the school season was over she decided that she wanted to play on a club team and she went out for that and made it too. So as I write this we are in the beginning of the club season. It will be interesting to see if her new love of volleyball will be something that remains through 2012 and beyond. She has also developed from a young lady into a young woman and is preparing for high school. She is also working on her application for Jefferson County International Baccalaureate high school. She continues to amaze and impress me with her determination.
As a family we went to Disney World this year. We went before in 2008 and had a blast and we all decided that it was time to go back. We were concerned with how Noah would hold up to the heat and the walking required since Disney World is part amusement park and part marathon. He did excellent. Our only gripe was that we had to push the trip back couple of weeks and it turned out to be a hot week. Next time we go we are thinking that we will try for a Thanksgiving trip rather than a summer trip. The family is already talking about the "next" visit.
I hope that 2012 will be as healthy and fun as 2011 was. I look forward to finding out. So we say goodbye to 2011 but we will always have the 12,223 pictures that Melinda (and I) took during the course of the year to remember it by. Here's to a happy and prosperous 2012.
