For those of you who still follow this blog, I'm sorry I left you hanging for so long. Grady's biopsy went great - zero rejection. He is doing very, very well! The doctors were extremely pleased with his progress - just some minor adjustments to his dosages for his medications.

Me & the boys.

Grady is doing great - he is into everything! He has a biopsy scheduled for this Friday, October 24 in Cleveland. Please pray for zero rejection.

I tried a winter coat on Grady - he wasn't too happy with me.

Isn't he adorable?

Colby on his first day of school.

I can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post. Things have been going really well for us. Grady started crawling on all fours. He can also pull himself up & walk while holding on to furniture. He was featured on "Pediatric Perspectives" - a medical magazine that goes out to area doctors. He was also on the front page of our local newspaper. He is just doing wonderfully. He will probably have another biopsy either in September or October. I am still waiting to hear back from the transplant team

Colby started kindergarten this year. He goes full days on Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday. He loves it. He made a friend & it sounds like they are inseparable. The first day, on the way home from school, the bus went right past our house & didn't stop. I had to call the school so they could radio the driver to bring him back. I asked him why he didn't say anything to the driver & he said because he wasn't ready to get off - he was having too much fun. I found out later that his friend was supposed to get off at the local daycare - the bus actually stopped there & dropped several children off - but he didn't get off either because he & Colby were having too much fun. Crazy kids!

Something that I haven't mentioned here yet is that I am hoping to go to nursing school. I have been working towards the entrance requirements this past summer. I never had a desire to be a nurse until we went thru everything with Grady. God just really laid it on my heart - so much so that there were some nights that I couldn't sleep. I am hoping to be accepted for the spring semester which starts in January. The first thing I had to do was take a Chemistry class since I never took it in high school. It was already toward the end of the summer when I decided to go for it. In order to be accepted for the spring semester, all entrance requirements would have to be completed and submitted by December 1. All of the Chemistry classes that I could find for the fall semester didn't end until mid December. I started to think I would have to wait until next fall to go to nursing school, when I came across a summer class (this was on a Thursday night) that started the following Monday. Fortunately, they were able to register me as a guest student, manually push my application thru and I was able to take the 5 week class. I also had to pass the ASSET exam (which is a placement test for students who never took their ACT or SATs). The school that I want to go to uses it as an entrance exam rather than a placement test. They test you on Reading, Writing, Math and Intermediated Algebra. I wasn't too worried about the first 3, but I hadn't even looked at Algebra for 14 years. Luckily, a friend of mine had an Algebra book that she let me borrow. I studied pretty hard for about 2 weeks & took the test. I just got my results back yesterday & found out that I passed. Now I just need to wait & see if I will be accepted. I really feel that God gave me this desire & is opening doors & allowing everything to fall into place. My biggest concern is finding good childcare while I am attending classes. God has brought me this far, so I am sure he will provide. I will just take it one step at a time.

Day 21

Yay! The threat is over. We remain chicken pox free. Thank goodness - no hospital stays right before Colby goes to school!! Praise the Lord!

Day 16-19

Colby helping me bake in his underwear.

Grady playing with his toys. He is really getting around these days.

OK - so I thought I would be able to blog every night with a short update - What was I thinking? We are so busy right now with Colby getting ready to go to school, Tball, Ken playing ball, amongst a lot of other things. As of this afternoon, there is still no sign of chicken pox. Grady has had a runny nose for about a week now but I am hoping it is just because he is teething. I have convinced myself that the boys are not going to come down with the chicken pox since we are so close to the end of the incubation period. I would be really upset if they get them now. We should no longer be at risk as of Sunday.

Day 14 & 15

Still no sign of chicken pox. Really praying that we don't get them.

Day 12 & 13

Everything is still looking good.

Day 11

Still no sign of the chicken pox.

Day 10

The boys are doing great. No chicken pox or fevers yet. I, however, am extremely paranoid - constantly checking for bumps and fevers!

I spoke with the transplant nurse this morning. I was correct in assuming that Grady would have to go to Cleveland instead of a local hospital. She also said that since the child the boys were exposed to had already broken out he was less contagious than if it was a day or two before he broke out. That's good news but definitely not a guarantee that we won't end up with them.

Chicken Pox 101

We just found out this past weekend that Colby & Grady were exposed to Chicken Pox on July 20th. For most people it's not a big deal, but for Grady it would probably mean another hospital stay. I have been on the phone with his pediatrician as well as doing some research on my own. I found out that the incubation period is normally 14 to 16 days but can be as long as 21 days. We just completed day nine so we are not out of the woods by a long shot. Colby received the vaccine, but Grady is not allowed to have it because of his suppressed immune system. (Even though Colby received the vaccine, he could still get it - just not as severe).

The transplant nurse told me that if I see even one lesion on Grady (I am supposed to check him several times a day), I need to go to the ER and have him urgently admitted where they will start iv medications immediately. She told me this on my answering machine, so I didn't get to ask, but I am assuming we will have to go to Cleveland where they are more experienced with this type of situation. I will be talking to them more tomorrow & hopefully clarifying the "if" details.

Also, I found out that had we known within 72 hours of him being exposed, they could have given him medicine to prevent it. Even if Grady gets chicken pox now, he will not be immune to it in the future because of the medications he is on so if you or your children ever have any type of rash or anything that looks questionable, please stay away from Grady. Chicken pox is spread thru the air, so even if you don't touch Grady, he could still get it. I know that a lot of times you don't know that you have chicken pox until it's too late but if we find out within 72 hours, we can prevent it.

On a more positive note, I did a little more research this evening and found out that a child who has been vaccinated and contracts the chicken pox virus is only 1/2 has contagious as a child who has not been vaccinated. (The child that exposed us was vaccinated - definitely a plus!) I am hoping that with him being vaccinated and Colby being vaccinated that somehow we can dodge this whole thing. Please pray! I will try to update you daily as to whether we have come down with it or not.

Just so you know, the people who exposed us had no idea at the time and they feel horrible.

Grady on the living room floor (this is one the photographer from Cleveland took).

Colby helped decorate his volcano cake.

Colby and his friends at his party.

Colby & Grady taking a bath together. Grady loved it.

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged! Just remember that no news is good news! Grady has been doing really well - not even an ear infection lately! He continues with his physical therapy once a week & he is making progress each week. He can sit by himself & he is just starting to do a little bit of an army crawl. He has 2 teeth and he has started sleeping thru the night (for the most part - he still wakes up every now & then). So all in all things are going great!

Grady is going to be featured in a magazine called "Pediatric Perspectives". It is a medical magazine that goes out to doctors in the Cleveland area. We had a photographer come down to our house to do a little photo shoot. It was really neat.

Colby turned 5 in July. He had his first "friends" birthday party. It was a lot of fun. We made a volcano cake. He is excited to start school in the fall.

Grady enjoying the pool.

Colby at the beach.

We had a awesome time on vacation, but now it's back to reality! We came home Sunday evening around 6:00. Tuesday Grady started tugging on his ear again & not eating well, so I took him to his pediatrician on Wednesday to have her check for an ear infection. There was so much wax in his ear that she couldn't see, so she sent me to an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat). They used some type of device to clean the wax out - I had to hold Grady against me while 2 other nurses helped hold him down. Needless to say, he was very mad by the time we were done - he is definitely a fighter! The ENT said that his ear doesn't look bright red but that there is definitely fluid there, so they started him on antibiotics again as a short term solution but said that most likely we will have to put tubes in his ears. This is the 3rd ear infection he has had since we got home on January 31. Also, they said that even though it is a very simple procedure it will have to be done in Cleveland because of his history.

Today I took Grady for his first therapy session. He really seemed to like it. It is nice to have someone work with him & tell me what we can be doing with him at home. He does have a little catching up to do, but not much considering all he's been thru.

Colby has been at Bible School this week. He is really enjoying it. I have had to rely on some of my friends to get him there & pick him up when I've been at appointments with Grady. We are so blessed to have such good friends, family & community to support us throughout all of this! Thanks so much!

I almost forgot - Grady is up to 14 lbs. 2 oz. He is gaining, but very slow.

Grady is upset about being in his swing.

This is our dog Molly right after her haircut.

Colby gave himself a "fat belly" in the sandbox.

Colby & Reece playing in the sandbox.

Reece said "Colby put the sand in his shirt all by himself - I just watched."

I think he was afraid of getting in trouble.

This has been a crazy week - we are getting ready to go to Myrtle Beach! Both of my sisters & their families as well as Jolie & Roy had planned this trip last summer when I was pregnant before we even knew about Grady's heart defect. We kept the reservations - with everything we've been thru this year, we could really use a vacation!

Tuesday we had Grady evaluated for physical therapy. His adjusted age is 6 1/2 months & the therapists feel that he is doing everything a 5 month old baby would do & some of the things a 6 month old would do (which is very good considering he spent over 4 months in the hospital). They did recommend some Physical & Occupational Therapy and are just going to keep an eye on his Speech & Language Development. He will probably be going in for therapy either once a week or every other week. His first session will be the week we get back from vacation.

Grady is still not sleeping thru the night consistently. Every now & then he will sleep from midnight until 5 or 6 am but it is unusual. He usually gets up around 3 for a bottle, but then goes right back to sleep. He is also very demanding right now. He can be playing in his exersaucer but as soon as we leave the room he starts crying. He is definitely a little spoiled!

I better get back to packing. You can not even begin to imagine how much stuff we have to take along (pack n play, exersaucer, stroller, golf clubs, food, meds, medical records, etc.). Hopefully everything will fit in the van!

Grady in recovery after the biopsy.

Hello everyone - I don't have a whole lot of time to blog, but I just wanted to let you know that the results of the biopsy yesterday were ZERO rejection! It was a very long day, but Grady did great. I was exhausted when we got home! The dietician changed the recipie for his formula a little to add a few more calories. She also gave some suggestions with his feedings to hopefully get him to sleep thru the night. I will let you know how it goes.

Playing in our room at RMH.

Playing with Jolie.

We made it up to Ronald McDonald House this evening at about 6:15. Grady has a biopsy tomorrow morning at 6:30. We should get the results around 5:00 pm. I am really hoping Grady does well thru the night. He is not supposed to have any formula after midnight. He can have Pedialyte up to two hours before the procedure but he doesn't really like it. Pray that the procedure goes well and that there is no rejection.

I was surprised to see a familiar face when we walked into the dining room at RMH. Maribel & Mateo are back - they were here when we first got here in September & I think they left in December sometime. They will be here for a month. Also, we had a very nice dinner - soup & salad - I couldn't beleive it! I mean for the 4 1/2 months I was here we might have had soup & salad three or four times total!

Jolie came up with me again - she is such a lifesaver. I honestly don't know how I would manage Grady, luggage, meds, cleaning our room after we leave, etc. without her. She is awesome!

I almost forgot to mention, when we went back to the pediatrician see if Grady's ear infection was gone, they checked his weight & it was the same as the week before. He is still very small for his age so we are supposed to try to talk to the dietician up here & see if she has any suggestions.

Well - I need to get going. We still have some settling in to do and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day!

Me & the boys on Mother's Day.

Last week was pretty crazy. Ken & I were both sick (some type of 24 hr. bug), I was trying to get ready for a garage sale and by Thursday evening we noticed that Grady was not himself. He was not eating well, was tugging on his ear & just fussy in general. I was pretty sure he had another ear infection so Friday (right in the middle of my sale) I took him to his pediatrician & she confirmed it. He has a double ear infection & is on an antibiotic for it. Fortunately, I had a lot of help from my mom & Jolie last week & survived everyone being sick & the sale.

Ken and I went to a wedding Friday night while my mom stayed with the boys. We had such a good time being out together without kids! We felt guilty for how long we stayed, but we were having so much fun catching up with everyone and not worrying about meds or feedings. We definitely need to make a point of going out together more often!

We were able to go to church today (Mother's Day). It was great to be back again - I had missed a couple of Sunday's while I was in Oklahoma. We went out for lunch and now I am planning on taking a nap while Ken watches the boys! I can hear my bed calling me - gotta go!

Grady and Aunt Leah

Colby with all of his cousins from Oklahoma.

Colby saying goodbye to Uncle Wes.

Grady in his exersaucer for the first time.

He loves it even though he can barely reach the floor.

Well, we made it back from Oklahoma. Our flight came in Saturday at 10:00 pm. The boys did great. I was very disappointed with the airline, though. I had taken our new stroller (I know - dumb move) and it was checked in plane side and somehow they managed to twist the frame so that one of the front wheels doesn't even touch the floor anymore. I was very frustrated and did file a claim so now I am waiting to see if they will do anything about it. The stroller was a gift we got at the Cleveland Clinic for Christmas. It is one of those car seat stroller combos. Fortunately, I still have our old stroller - I'm just mad at myself for not thinking to take the old one in the first place! Oh well - I guess it is a lesson learned.

Tuesday I had a meeting with a lady from Help Me Grow. It is thru this program that Grady might be able to get some therapy if they feel he needs it. He is almost 8 months old now but his adjusted age is 6 months. He is doing a lot of the things a 6 month old would do, but not everything. He will get evaluated on May 27. He will also have another biopsy in Cleveland on May 19.

It seems as though we have a little bug going around our house this week. Colby threw up on Monday, I got sick yesterday & now Ken is home sick today. The only good thing about it is it doesn't seem to last very long. Hopefully, Grady won't come down with it.

Colby, Grady & I on the airplane - we look like we got up at 2:30 am!

Colby feeding the fish at a local nursery.

Colby with his cousin Brooke.

I am so sorry that I haven't posted for so long. We have been BUSY! We made it out to my sister's in Oklahoma - which is where I am right now. It's me & the boys & my mom. I am so glad that my mom decided to come. The flight out was good, but I don't know how I would have managed with 2 little ones by myself. Both boys did well on the flight - no problems with their ears or anything. Colby was so funny when we left. He was kind of grumpy & tired of waiting (we had gotten up at 2:30 am) so when the plane finally took off, he said real loud "Now this is what I'm talking about!" Everyone around us was laughing.

We have mostly been hanging out at my sister's house & taking it easy. She has 4 kids, so Colby is having a ball playing with them. I am afraid that when we get home he will be bored! I am missing having Ken to help with Grady. My mom & sister help during the day, but Ken usually gets up for the early morning feeding & I am really starting to feel worn out from the lack of sleep. The last 2 mornings I have gone back to bed for a couple hours after mom is up to watch Grady. Tomorrow we plan on heading to Tulsa for a day of shopping. The boys will stay with my sister's husband and mother-in-law. I am really looking forward to it.

Oh - I almost forgot - Colby had his kindergarten screening on the Thursday before we left. He did so good! We got the letter saying that he is ready to go (he turns 5 on July 14). He is very excited. He will be in the Monday, Wednesday every other Friday class. I can't believe he will be going to school this fall! I can't wait to take him to get his school supplies - he will be so proud.

We did make it to church on Sunday & we had a great time. We are looking forward to returning on a regular basis.

We had a bit of a scare on Tuesday. Ken fell approx. 15 - 20 feet at work. He landed on his back. He was taken by ambulance to the ER where they did a CAT scan on his back & found that nothing was broken. He is very sore and will be off of work for a few days. We are so thankful that he was not hurt more seriously. He could have been paralyzed or even killed. God was definitely watching over him!

Grady has been more fussy than normal the last couple of days. We thought maybe he is teething (he is also drooling more) but we have not found any bumps on his gums yet. He is still getting up quite a bit a night. It seems he is not eating enough at one time to get him thru the night. Ugh!

Grady & Isaac

Hannah, Mariah & Colby

Grady eating cereal.

Our friends from RMH, Jason, Tiffany, Hannah and Isaac, are in this weekend to finalize Isaac's adoption. They had some free time so they came to visit at our house & then we all went out to eat along with my sister's family. It is so exciting to see how Isaac is growing and developing. Essentially, Grady & Isaac are the same age (they were both due in early November) even though Isaac was born in July & Grady was born in September. We had a lot of fun watching them "play" and comparing notes on things that we notice developmentally and things that we are concerned about. We also enjoyed reminiscing about life at RMH and all the interesting families we met at the house. It was probably one of the hardest times in our lives and yet we have so many good memories of the house and the people we met there.

Unfortunately, Grady did not continue with sleeping thru the night. He has been getting up around 2:00 or 3:00 each night. It is a little frustrating. I was really hoping the cereal would keep him full until morning.

We are still planning on going to church for the first time tomorrow. We are really looking forward to it. Today was Ken's birthday so it will be a nice present to get to go to church tomorrow.

Thank you to Bonnie Swartzentruber for getting me the information I need to hopefully get Grady therapy in our county. The wheels are finally in motion!

Colby folded all these towels by himself - he was so proud!

Grady slept thru the night twice in a row & then last night he got up at 3:30 am. I was gone last evening so Ken didn't want to feed him baby food & gave him a bottle instead at his 6:00 feeding. I am really curious if that is why he didn't sleep as long. I am definitely going to watch & see if it makes a difference.

Grady has also been sleeping a lot during the day (I guess I don't really know how much he should be sleeping). With transpant babies, small things like sleeping too much or being lethargic can be cause for concern (sign of rejection). Right now, I don't think it's anything except me being paranoid, but I am definitely going to keep a close eye on him. Otherwise, he is really starting to seem like a "normal" baby. He is reaching for toys on his little gym and is cooing and smiling a lot more.

Grady eating cereal.

Grady slept from 8:30 pm to 5:30 am last night. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he will keep it up. Mom & Dad really need some sleep!

I don't think Grady is very excited about his silly hat.

Grady had an appointment this morning to follow up with the pediatrician after his bout with RSV. His weight is at 11 lbs. 14 oz. - not a huge change, but not terrible considering that for a week he couldn't keep formula down & was on iv feeds & Pedialyte. The doctor would like to see him gain weight faster so I am supposed to start feeding him rice cereal mixed with fruit (baby food) twice a day. I tried today & it is almost impossible. He just sticks his tongue out & pushes everything out. I can't even really get him to open his mouth wide - hopefully he catches on quick - I think we were both getting frustrated.

We are still having some issues with him sleeping at night & we are trying some of your suggestions, so thanks for the advice. The doctor did say that at this point if he wakes up hungry, he really does need the extra calories, so we can't just let him cry it out.

Our doctor is also working on getting a therapist to come to our house to work with him. We've been a little frustrated with this issue. When we left rehab in Cleveland, they were supposed to set us up & nothing ever came of it. We finally found out after our insurance company called rehab that they were having trouble finding someone to come out. Hopefully our local pediatrician can figure something out. She feels that he is doing well, developmentally, right now, but she doesn't want him to fall behind. Please pray that they can find someone to come to the house. I really don't want to have to take him somewhere once or twice a week for therapy on top of all of his other appointments.

Also, Tiffany (a friend that I met at RMH) is having some concerns about her little Isaac. Isaac was born VERY premature & they are worried about some developmental issues. You can read more about them here.

Thanks so much to all of you for following our story & all the encouraging posts. We are hoping to go to church with Grady this Sunday for the first time. We were going to go the week after Easter & then Grady got sick - so keep your fingers crossed. We are so excited to go back!

Grady trying out his Bumbo chair.

Grady checking out his new toy from Jolie & Roy.

Colby & Molly

I let Colby take a bath with Molly the other day. It was going fine until Ken stopped in & Molly jumped out of the tub to see him.

It seems like Grady is feeling better every day. He still has a little bit of a cough & sounds a little congested, but overall he has definitely improved. I'm starting to get a little frustrated that he is not sleeping thru the night. Colby started sleeping thru the night at 8 weeks & while I didn't expect that from Grady, I was hoping that by now he would be. I know that he can do it because he did twice in a row - just to tease us! Does anyone have any advice? Do we just need to let him cry? He has an appointment with the pediatrician on Monday & I will definitely be asking her.

I think Colby is finally over his cold & Ken and I are over the worst of ours. We are still a little congested but feeling much better. I am looking forward to warm weather!

Grady in his swing at the hospital.

WOW - What a week! What we thought was going to be a quick trip to see Dr. Boyle turned into a 6 day hospital stay. The good news is that Grady came home today & seems to be doing fine. He is coughing quite a bit still, but the doctors said they expect that to last another week or so. Sorry I couldn't keep you all updated, but since this was unexpected, I didn't have my laptop or access to another computer. Here is what my week was like:

Monday - We got up early to go see Dr. Boyle. Ken went with me since we became concerned during the night & didn't want to wake anyone up. We met Jolie on the way to Cleveland so that Colby could stay with her for the day. When we got to Cleveldand, they ordered an echo, ekg, chest x-rays and bloodwork for Grady but everything looked good. Dr. Boyle also felt that Grady was not himself & had the Infectious Disease doctors come to take a look at him. They took cultures (swabbed his nose & throat) and sent them off to the lab. By this time it was around noon & the results would not come back until Tuesday. Dr. Boyle told us that Grady would be admitted for the night until we know what is wrong. We made plans for me to stay at the hospital with Grady while Ken would come home so he could work. I was going to get a room at Ronald McDonald House, but Dr. Boyle requested that I stay at the hospital with Grady.

Tuesday - We got the results back (RSV). I was pretty shocked that he had RSV. I thought he had been getting his Synergis shots (monthly vaccine for RSV given during RSV season). It turns out his last shot was January 30 - he should have gotten one the end of February but I did not think of it with all of the other things we need to remember for him. Dr. Boyle apologized & said he should have really stressed it with Grady's pediatrician. He said that Grady will still be at risk next winter & we will make sure he gets his shots then. Grady's IV (he was getting fluids so he wouldn't get dehydrated from not eating) went bad & they tried twice to put a new one in his foot. They couldn't get it & decided he may not need it. We attempted to feed him, but he would not drink the Pedialyte & anytime he drank formula he would vomit. I had a horrible night's sleep. The nurse was not very helpful (expected me to do all feedings, etc. - isn't that what they get paid for?) and she insisted that it is not possible to turn his monitor off in my room. Those monitors are so sensitive & every time Grady would move the thing would go off. I had an eye mask & earplugs & still couldn't sleep. I did, however, let the nurse know that I need a break & she would have to do the night feedings.

Wednesday - They decided to put an ng tube (nasal gastric tube or feeding tube) in since Grady would not drink Pedialyte & couldn't keep formula down. They began giving Grady pedialyte thru the tube & he was able to keep it down. I started feeling sick today - major head cold. Doctors said I probably got it from Grady. Adults & older children can carry the RSV virus but it is more like a cold for us. I had a much better nurse today. She turned the monitor off in my room - imagine that - the other nurse said it couldn't be done. She was very helpful & I asked her to please make sure that the night nurse knows how to turn the monitor off so I don't have the same problem as Tuesday night.

Thursday - Still working with Grady to drink Pedialyte from the bottle & trying formula every now & then to see if he would be able to keep it down. I am really starting to feel miserable now - just a major head cold.

Friday - Grady was starting to keep some formula down. Ken came up after work to give me a much needed break. I came home & finally got a good night's sleep. I had taken Sudafed (what I thought was non-drowsy) before I left Cleveland & I struggled to stay awake the whole way home.

Saturday - Grady was discharged around noon. Since I am still not feeling great & I had just driven home from Cleveland last night, Ken's brother, Hootie, was nice enough to take our van to go get them. Grady is sleeping in his pack & play right now.

Things I learned this week

I learned to always, always take a small travel bag when Grady has an appointment in Cleveland. We went up there Monday with nothing except stuff for Grady - meds, extra sleepers, etc. I had only the clothes I was wearing. The hospital gave me a small kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc. On Tuesday my mom brought me some things of hers (extra outfits, lotion, brush, handheld game) which I desperately needed. She didn't come to my house to get my things because it would have added an extra hour to her trip. I went the entire week without my blowdryer, flat iron, makeup, shaver & cell phone charger and I had a total of 3 outfits! I thought about taking a picture of myself for the blog but I was too embarrassed!

I learned to not to be afraid to ask the nurses to take care of Grady when I'm too tired. A lot of them just expect me to do it since I'm there & while I don't mind taking care of him most of the time, there comes a time when you are just too exhausted to do it & that is what they are there for.

I learned that Grady could get RSV again. It is very rare because it would have to be a different strain, but it is possible. There is nothing they can give to cure RSV. It has to run it's course.

I learned to trust my instincts. Dr. Boyle told me almost every day how glad he is that we weren't scared to call him at 1am when we were concerned. He said he doesn't want us to be heros, Grady is fragile & if there is any cause for concern we need to let them know.

I learned that there are no chocolate bars at the Cleveland Clinic. One night I was really craving chocolate so I thought I'd go to the cafeteria & see what they have in their vending machines. They have baked chips, granola bars & gum. You can also buy apples, sushi, yogurt and a host of other health food at all hours of the night but a chocolate bar you cannot find. My sister suggested that I look at the gift shop, so Friday on my way home I stopped in just out of curiousity. They have a few sugar free chocolates (yuck), fruit snacks, granola bars, gum, etc.

I learned that parking in the parking garage is free if you are there for less than an hour. When Ken came up to switch with me, I made free parking by 1 minute. I was pretty happy about that!

I learned that the hospital bed is very uncomfortable if you spend 5 days in it. My neck & back were so sore by the time Ken got there, I begged him for a massage.

I learned that if there is a good show on tv that I really want to watch, a doctor or nurse will come to talk to me or do a procedure or Grady will throw up & need the bedding changed at that exact time.

I learned that you can throw up an ng tube. It is supposed to go in thru the nose & down to the stomach & if you vomit with enough force, the tube can go in thru the nose & out thru the mouth. This actually happened to Grady this week - hope I didn't gross anyone out.

That about sums up my week. I hope yours was better than mine:-)

Please pray for Grady and the family!!!!!

Jeannie called me earlier this evening and asked me to update the blog. As she mentioned in her previous blog they took Grady to the Cleveland Clinic. They ran some tests yesterday and the results today indicate that Grady has RSV. Ken has gone back to work and Jeannie is staying in the room with Grady. Right now Grady is on antibiotics. Ken and Jeannie did not talk to Dr. Boyle after the results were in, hopefully they will know more tomorrow.

Please pray for healing for Grady and for strength, peace and comfort for Jeannie as she is very tired. Colby was with Jolie for a few days and will be staying with Ken's parents some. Steve and Rosy and their children are visiting us in OK right now so we all feel pretty helpless.

Ken and Jeannie, please know that we are lifting you all up in prayer. May God give you strength, peace and comfort. We love you!--Leah in OK

It seems as though Grady has picked up Colby's cold. We noticed Saturday that he was coughing & a little more fussy than normal. We also noticed that in the last couple of days after he eats, he seems like he is in pain. He fusses for a while & then eventually ends up throwing up. It has gotten progressively worse & this morning at 1:00 he was screaming. I ended up calling Dr. Boyle because I was very concerned. Dr. Boyle would like to see him first thing in the morning, so by the time you read this (unless you are a very early riser) Ken, Grady & I will be on our way to Cleveland. Please pray that this is nothing serious.

Grady's appointment went well this morning other than that the doctor was tied up at the hospital & was 45 minutes late. His weight is up to 11 lbs. 7 oz. & he is 24 1/2 inches long. The doctor was pleased with the weight gain even though I was a little frustrated he didn't gain more. She said that she looks at it over a wider period (not from week to week) because it fluctuates too much otherwise & looking at it that way, he is doing great.

We had her take a look at Colby as well because he started with a runny nose & cough yesterday. It turns out he has an ear infection & we started antibiotics for him. He is supposed to go to a birthday party tomorrow for one of his little friends & is going to be really upset if he can't go. I guess we will have to see how he is doing by then. I had taken Colby to the mall & WalMart earlier this week - I'm guessing that's how he ended up with it. Oh well - it was bound to happen sooner or later. We will just have to be extra careful with handwashing.

Colby & Mariah coloring Easter eggs.

Colby & Grady

Mariah & Grady

There is not a whole lot new to report except that Ken put a sleeper on Grady this evening & it was too small. He has officially outgrown the newborn size & is wearing mostly 0-3 month outfits. I am anxious to see what he weighs at his doctor appointment Friday.

Mariah came over this evening to help Colby color Easter eggs. They had a lot of fun & are now watching Tom & Jerry. It is so funny to listen to Colby when he watches it. This has to be at least the 5th time he's seen this episode & he still laughs out loud!

A while back I had posted about my insurance situation at work. We were expecting the premiums for the entire business to increase 30 percent because of our claim with Grady - which my employer said she could handle for one year and then we would have to figure something else out. We got our renewal for the insurance & it actually went down 5%. We have no idea how this could have happened except that it was God! So, now, we have some extra time to work everything out and who knows, maybe it won't go up next year either?!

We have come from this...

...to this in 6 months!

He's still a little peanut!

Colby is a great big brother!

Grady look so much older in real clothes!

Grady's favorite position to sleep.

Our little miracle is 6 months old! Can you believe it?! He has come such a long way (as you can see from the pictures). He can roll from his back to his stomach, he is cooing, smiling and laughing out loud & he has slept thru the night a few times now. We are really hoping the sleeping thru the night becomes more consistent. He did it 2 nights in a row so I really had my hopes up, but the last several nights he has gotten up again. I'm not quite sure how to "make" him sleep & not get hungry - I'm sure it will come (not soon enough though).

He is doing well with his medications. He is still on a lot of medicine, but he takes it much better than he did at first. Also, the vitamin that he hated, he doesn't have to take anymore. I am still looking forward to the day that he is down to just 3 meds at 8am & 8pm - it will be a breeze then.

Grady definitely loves attention. He is such a little stinker. I can lay him down & he will fuss until someone comes and talks to him & as soon as you walk away he gets mad again. It's hard to get anything done around here but that's ok. Also, he won't go to sleep (except at middle of the night feeds) without being bounced or rocked which is completely opposite of what Colby was. We had taught him from the beginning to fall asleep on his own. We didn't have that luxury with Grady & I don't have the heart to just lay him down & let him scream. I'm sure I will have to at some point - I guess because of all he's been thru he's getting a little spoiled.

I can't wait for spring. Hopefully, when the weather breaks, there won't be as much sickness going around & we can finally go out more. Ken arranged for Michelle & I to go out tonight while he watches the boys. Yippee!

GRADY IS 6 MONTHS OLD!!

Here are a couple of videos of the boys. I will try to post more pictures and an update tomorrow.

Jolie with Grady in recovery.

Let me start by saying that Grady slept thru the night Saturday & Sunday - yippee!!! Hopefully he will continue! It's amazing how good I feel with a full night's sleep!

Jolie, Grady & I went to RMH Sunday night since Grady had a biopsy scheduled for 6:30 am (Colby stayed with my sister Rosy). We got to RMH around 6:00 pm - I wanted to be able to relax & unwind after the drive, especially since we had to get up so early the next morning. I had really been craving Chipotle (I haven't eaten there since January 31 - the day we came home) so on the way to RMH I got myself a Fajita Burrito Bowl and some chips & salsa to go! Yummy!

Grady's biopsy today went very well. The procedure only lasted about an hour & then he had to go to surgical recovery for about an hour. From there we went to echo & EKG & then to the M40 floor to be monitored. They allowed us to leave the hospital at about 2:00 but we were supposed to stay at RMH until the results came back. Dr. Boyle finally called at about 5:45 with the results - ZERO rejection - and cleared us to go home. I had to pull Grady's iv out at RMH (they had left it in just in case there was any rejection). He was pretty upset when I did it but he got over it pretty quick.

We decided to eat at RMH while we waited for the results since it was getting so late. I bet you can't guess what we had - well ok, you probably can - pasta of course. I was able to tolerate it, though, since it wasn't the 3rd or 4th time in a week that I was having it. I know you all think that I hate pasta but I really don't - I just get tired of cooked noodles with pasta sauce poured on top which is what the pasta at RMH consists of. I missed a great meal at home tonight. A lady that Ken is working for sent a really good meal home with him since she knew we were in Cleveland all day. Good thing there are left overs - I will definitely be enjoying it tomorrow!

Well, I am exhausted! I'm going to head off to bed - hopefully Grady will sleep thru the night, but if he doesn't, Ken has offered to get up with him. What a sweetheart!

When Grady gets mad he pushes with his feet & ends up with his head on the floor.

Colby shoveling the driveway.

In the tunnel daddy made.

The trip to the pediatrician went well this morning. Grady's appointment was at 8:45 so we beat the storm. He is up to a whopping 11 lbs. 4 oz. The pediatrician is VERY happy with his progress. She had his growth charted & it pretty much spiked straight up this last couple of weeks - very good news. The biopsy is Monday morning so hopefully we will get good news there as well. It's kind of scary because every time Grady is fussy, seems to have a slight fever or throws up, I worry about rejection. These are some of the symptoms of rejection but also very normal things that most babies experience at some time or another - it's just with him we don't know if it's something we should be worried about or not - so in a way even though having to have a biopsy is not fun, it is reassuring when the results come back with zero rejection, so please pray to that end.

So the big news in our area is SNOW! We were supposed to get 2 to 4 inches today & 6 to 10 tomorrow. The weather man was right for today (approx. 4 inches) and we will see about tomorrow. Ken came home from work early because of the weather so he and Colby shoveled the driveway & played in the snow for a while. Roman & Sue are coming over tonight - hopefully Grady will cooperate so that we can play some games.