It's Been A While

I know it's been quite a while since I last posted. We have been busy with family in and out for quite some time (which has been fun). But to be quite honest, I've also been exhausted. There are people I need to email and so many things I just can't seem to get done that this blog has really fell off my radar. I hope to pick it back up as I know people are probably wondering what's going on here!

So, here's the scoop. Nathan has a cardiac cath scheduled for 8:00AM tomorrow morning. This is in preparation for his 2nd heart surgery which we are expecting to take place in Oct. If he is doing well, the surgeon might determine that it is a good idea to do both his 2nd and 3rd surgeries together. This cath will most likely give him the information he needs to make that decision. We are praying that he can have both of them together just so he doesn't have to have another surgery in 6 months or so.

Also, in preparation for this cath Nathan had to be taken off of his oral blood thinner and on Monday we needed to start giving him shots twice a day. Thankfully, Richard has assumed that role because I couldn't bear to do it. It's awful. Nathan is doing well with it though (as much as can be expected). Richard gives him a little bit of ice cream after each one and that helps. :) Poor boy. I was afraid he'd hate us for it but he shakes it off pretty quickly and he seems fine afterward.

We are still giving Nathan his IV antibiotic every 8 hours. That is the cause of most of our exhaustion because it makes us pretty sleep-deprived. We are going to bed after 11:00PM (his medicine finishes at this time) and we have to take his medicine out of the fridge at 5:00AM (so it can come to room temperature), give it to him at 6:00 and then it's done at 7:00. We are so ready for him to come off of it. Actually, the doctor's mentioned that if the abscess hasn't shrunk anymore by his next MRI, which is Oct 22, they are going to pull his line and stop the antibiotic. They will also take it out if the abscess is gone, of course. There is the possibility that some of what they are seeing is scar tissue. I am praying it's completely gone. That would just give me more peace of mind. :)

Because of Nathan's medicine, we spent our summer at home. Richard regularly pushed the kids in our jogging stroller while we both ran. We almost always started at a park and when we were done the kids got to play. I think the kids really enjoyed both riding and playing.

Nathan is doing so well physically. He can climb up a slide and pedal his tricycle. He has more balance too. He is saying more words now but they still aren't very clear. He has also been evaluated by our local school district and they are going to set up an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for him. Our insurance doesn't really provide many benefits in terms of speech therapy so we have to go through the school district. We will get the results of their evaluation at the end of Oct. I can't wait to see how speech intervention helps him because he is REALLY motivated to talk. He talks all the time! We don't understand all of what he says but he chats away. He also likes to sing!

I am constantly amazed at how Isabel has taken Nathan under her wing. She loves him so much. We have never had any problem with her adjusting to having a little brother. We had wondered how she would adjust initially since she had been an only child for 4 years but there was no need. God opened her heart wider than we could have even imagined. Even before we left for China she was asking when we were going to get her little sister. Yesterday she brought me a newsletter we received from the agency we used for Nathan's adoption because there was a little girl's picture on it and asked me if we could go and get her. I always tell her if she wants a little sister she needs to talk to Jesus. :)

Anyway, I know this post is all over the place but I wanted to update and share with all of you. Things here aren't without their challenges but we are persevering. There are also many sweet moments amongst the hard ones.

I hope all of you had a wonderful summer. I will post an update on Nathan's cath as soon as I can. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words.