The boys are down for a nap and Jodi is out making Christmas happen so I finally have a chance to update the blog…

Wednesday’s trip to the hospital was a good one. It’s obviously a very long day for both Jodi and JT but they are both cheerful and tough. Dr. Filipovich ordered her battery of tests as expected and it sounds comprehensive in all regards: they took over 70cc of blood. The results should be in by the end of next week. We’re hoping and praying for big-time celebratory news just in time for Christmas. 

JT’s skin is still healing slowly but surely and we’re very thankful. His skin is still bright red in many places but the calluses are slowly flaking off and the red coloring looks like healing, not inflammation. That said, he’s developed a mini flare-up right around his belly button where they insert the needles into the fat tissue there to administer the subcutaneous IG but as the doctors said, we’ll take it in an isolated patch.

This week, the big adventure will be administering the subcutaneous IG at home. He’ll get it once a week right here at our house. So far, it’s proving to be the answer to prayer we’ve been hoping it would be. He’s done great with it in the hospital and the doctors in Cincinnati said that if all goes well here, we won’t have to return to the hospital there until March. That would be absolutely wonderful – not only that Jodi and JT wouldn’t have to make the grueling trip during the worst part of the year, but also that JT won’t have to enter the germ-infested hospital where he picked up that accursed rotavirus last winter.

Not much to report on the eating front. Still going to Pittsburgh for therapy every Monday morning. Still getting all of his nutrition through the feeding tube and taking “bites” of Pediasure/water from a spoon for his daily homework.  We’re settling in for a long, long recovery in this arena.

Spirits are high here. Since JT was born, we’ve spent two Christmases at home and two in the hospital. Everyone is looking forward to spending this one at our new home, overcoming once and for all the existing 50/50 ratio. The boys love the snow and all things Christmas. We took them sled riding last weekend for the first time and they talked about little else over the following days. We continue to be reminded of the little blessings that make up a joyful life.

Thanks for checking in with us…hope that you’re all staying warm and dry – the snow is coming down furiously here…