Consolidation Begins!

We had an 8-hour day at MD Anderson (the second in a row for Joy and Nana) so that James could receive chemo and also undergo surgery for a port-a-cath. I was happy to find that a port is merely a small, dense rubber disk that is embedded under the skin in the chest area that is connected to a catheter that runs to his heart. The skin grows over the incision where the port was placed, allowing James to return to normal activities like bathing without having to worry about infection from having a wet bandage. This is great for all of us! Interesting tidbit...the anesthesiologist working with James noted that his wife was due this Monday, 8/27, with their first child and that he wanted to personally carry James back to the operating room "to get practice." What is the likelihood that we would be paired with a physician whose baby's due date coincided with Adrianne's? Even more important was the special interest this doctor took in James. Amazing. On a humorous note, this same doctor told us that this was the year of the golden pig on the Chinese calendar. Children born on this year are said to be specially blessed because the golden pig only comes every 200 years. Wow, a golden pig. That must be the most delicious bacon.

This was a difficult day considering that James was not able to eat for over 12 hours until after surgery was completed. We were all fortunate that he was able to sleep through the one-and-a-half hour wait in pre-op and awoke without agitation after surgery. It's amazing to think that just over a month-and-a-half ago, our lives were "normal." Our faith has grown as God has revealed Himself in both subtle and also huge ways along this journey, and as a result, our family bond has strengthened with each challenge we face.

We are essentially in a holding pattern - awaiting Adrianne's arrival. We are excited about the opportunity to love, nurture, and guide another child, but we also realize that the challenges will compound in the near future. We regularly learn the lessons of humility and true Christian community by the meals and assistance provided each week. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to see us through this challenge and, most importantly, to continue to hold us in prayer. We look forward to posting about ordinary days with ordinary issues. For instance, James has now honed the fine art of tantrumming when told "no." He flails his arms about and makes this high-pitched squeal almost inaudible to humans. It's actually kind of nice to see some normal kid things in this not so normal time. Now, I probably won't be saying that a few months from now.