We welcomed our newest addition to the Friend Family, Riley Alexander Friend, at 8:28 p.m., on February 10, 1999.

I labored for about 4 days and it was horrible. During the day the contractions would subside but in the evening I'd start having hard ones and they'd go through the night. The thing is, they never dropped to under 7 minutes apart so I waited at home (in agony) until I was hollering in pain on my knees!

Drew took me to the hospital around 7:00 p.m. on the 10th and I was already 8 cm. dilated! Of course, as with all my pregnancies, my water did not break until the doctor broke it and Riley was born about 15 minutes later.

The little guy had the cord wrapped around his neck twice so the doctor told me I couldn't push after his head was out (very frightening!) He also had meconium in his lungs and needed to be intubated and have oxygen. Because of that, he didn't want to suck for hours after he was born. I felt so sorry for him! Thanks to everyone who was saying prayers and thinking of us!

Until he was about 6 months, Riley progressed and developed according to schedule. He didn't gain much weight though and always seemed small to me. Doctors kept saying not to worry about it.

Finally at his 10 month check I voiced a lot of concern to the doctor. I felt he was just too behind developmentally and size-wise. Being that I had 3 other children before Riley, I'd seen various types of development but none like his.

After measurements and the doctor's exam, she looked at me and touched me on the arm and said she was concerned too. I felt so sick inside to have a doctor confirm that there was, indeed, something not quite right.

They immediately did an EKG (he's had an heart murmur since birth) and a chest x-ray and appointments were scheduled with a pediatric cardiologist and neurologist. He has been diagnosed with Failure to Thrive and the doctor says he has severe hypotonia.

At 17 mos. Riley weighs 17 pounds. He is approximately 29.5 inches long. He is off the charts for his head circumference and weight but is on his own curve which is good.

He is on Pediasure and baby foods but chokes or gags easily on anything with substance. Just recently though he is trying to eat some regular food in tiny bits.

He started to sit on his own at 10 months if we put him in a sitting position but cannot get to sitting from laying down or vice versa. He cannot pull himself up to sitting, standing or anything like that. He just recently started pivoting (going around in circles) on his butt. He doesn't creep or crawl and he shows no protective response with his arms if he starts to fall over. He loves to roll though and will roll around an entire room, prefering to roll on his right. He is finally standing with stiff legs with assistance but is very wobbly.

His legs appear muscular but his upper body looks "wasted." He has a sunken chest (pectus excavatum?) and tiny arms.

Riley loves to go in circles or watch things spin, though I'm not sure that has to do with anything else! :) His spine is curving in two places and the pediatrician feels it's mainly from the hypotonia.

Over the months he's had blood work, enzyme screenings, urine and stool tests and a rectal biopsy to check for Hirschsprung's Disease. He's seen a pediatric neurologist and cardiologist, had an echocardiogram, MRI, which indicated a small pituitary but not abnormally small, and an EMG indicating normal muscle function.

We are working with early intervention downtown and Riley sees a physical therapist and occupational therapist once a week. He is testing very low in gross motor ability and none of the professionals have ever seen a child like this before, which really surprised me.

Next up are genetics testing and seeing an endocrinologist about further blood work. We are also going to a Shriner's Clinic in August.

Other than the physical stuff, Riley is bright and alert. He is a happy, easy going baby (most of the time). Everyone comments on how personable he is. He doesn't even fight with the doctors usually.....he is just a very peaceful child.

We are always welcome to hear about others' stories similar to ours and what they have found out. We'd love to hear from you. I'll update on this page frequently as Riley progresses!