A few weeks of changes

Okay, so it's been a while since my last post. We've had kind of a big couple of weeks. Between getting used to living with two kiddos (a chore in itself), dealing with B's stuff, and regular life, we've had a lot to deal with. We're all getting on and everything is going as well as we could hope. N is getting used to having a little guy share the attention, and B is one of the happiest babies I've ever met. Now we've just got to get him all fixed up and we'll be on track.

On Tuesday B had a procedure done to help us understand what needs to happen in his next surgery. On Wednesday night we noticed he was running a low fever. But any fever for a baby his age is a big deal, so on Thursday morning I took him into his pediatrician. She agreed that he was running a fever, and she also agreed that it didn't seem like there was anything obviously wrong with him - no ear infection, no runny nose, eating fine, good attitude, etc. Because of all this, and because any fever in a little guy is serious, she sent us back to Children's Medical Center for further testing. They drew blood, took urine, and did a lumbar puncture to get tests done. Many many many hours later, it all comes down to a urinary tract infection (most likely) that was probably due to the manipulations done in his procedure on Tuesday. He's been on IV antibiotics since Thursday night, and is due for his last dose tonight. He can only get them once a day and needed at least three doses, which translated to many nights in the hospital for us. Boooo!

The good news is that as long as everything remains as it is RIGHT NOW until 3 or 4 pm today, we can switch to oral antibiotics and go home today instead of tomorrow. We'll see. I'm taking time during B's nap to write this. E and N have been up a couple of times so that I can see the other guys in my life. It's been important, because I love them too. I have to stay here with B, because, as E puts it, I'm the chuck wagon for the little guy. It is painful to be away from N so much though, especially when all I'm doing the majority of the day is sitting cooped up in this room w...a...i...t...i...n...g. B doesn't seem to care too much, but N really misses me. I miss him too, which results in inappropriate (or appropriate, depending on how you look at it) crying jags when talking to doctors about the length of our stay here. Fortunately most of them understand that I do have a newborn and a family to care for and that makes this hard.

Once again, thank God for insurance.

In good news, we've got a date scheduled for B's second surgery, and as long as this little stay in the hospital doesn't change anything, we should get that taken care of prior to me being off of maternity leave. We'll find out more about that on Monday. It all looks positive though, and his surgeon is really happy with how things look for surgery. It's really up to the anesthesiologist if they'll do it - but we're hopeful they won't make us change.

A friend of mine put it well - if you aren't in a crisis, you can be sure you're headed towards one. The Lord has a way of making you appreciate what you have. You don't always understand just how lucky you are until you're going through something like this - and even when you're going through something like this. I know we have a lot going on and don't want to downplay how hard it has been for us, but I have learned by all we've been through just how much harder things could be. Thank the Lord that we're healthy, together, happy, and that everything with B can be and will be resolved in the next few months. We have the Lord and each other, and that's all we need to get through this.

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of our family through all this. The outpouring of support and love from friends and family has been overwhelming and wonderful. We really appreciate all if it, and are so glad we can count on so many people and know how much we're loved.