Carson's Story

My name is Kayla, and I am so proud to call myself Carson's mom, and, since he's only a toddler, I still get the joy of claiming title as his best friend! I'm a young mom, younger than most, but am making it work with the support of my amazing family and friends. Even after almost 2 years of being a mom and juggling activities like work, daycare pick-ups and drop-offs, doctor appointments, dinner, and temper tantrums, I'm still fumbling through and trying to find my way. Only now am I beginning to realize that there is no such thing as knowing what you are doing when it comes to parenting. My house may be covered in legos, cars, and misplace/unmatched socks at the end of the day, but seeing Car tucked into his bed fast asleep makes it all worth it.

Carson was born 8 weeks premature on June 10th 2012, weighing 4 pounds 7 Ounces, and measuring 18 inches long. He was beautiful. When Carson was about a week old, we were told that he had suffered a grade 3 brain bleed when he was born due to his prematurity, and that the brain bleed had caused a significant amount of damage, including hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is a condition where the ventricles can not control the amount of fluid that builds up in the brain, causing a large amount of fluid to build up over a short amount of time. By the time Carson was 5 weeks old he underwent his 2nd brain surgery, where doctors put in a shunt; a programmable device that opens up and allows the excess fluid to drain off of the brain and into the stomach cavity.

Since Carson was discharged from the NICU 8 weeks after he was born, he's faced so many hurdles, but he has faced them with more strength than anyone I know. Car has a mild case of Cerebral Palsy which has caused a delay in his motor development but he works very hard with physical, occupational, and speech therapists to overcome all of the challenges this puts in front of him. We recently were informed he has a sensory processing disorder which causes very high highs, and an extremely quick drop to an really low low, sensitivity to loud environments, and a battle with self abuse as well as a few other symptoms that come along with SPD which we are working through and have found some great ways to overcome some of the side effects of this condition.

To me though, none of this really defines who he is. Carson is an energetic, loving, spirited, and joyful little toddler. He loves to play with cars and balls, enjoys games of peek-a-bo