If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I am beholding true beauty...
Caleb Allen Swiney
August 1, 2008
4:39 pm
7lb, 11oz
19.5" long
What a blessing

Potty Training

"Hey, that one looks like a camel!" Jeremiah, commenting on the appearance of Logan's 'poopies' in the big boy toilet. For the record, I could not pick out a camel in what I saw. I guess it takes a child's imagination.

First day with big boy undies for Logan. The day's end tally stands at: 3 wet undies, 3 sweat pants changes, 2 hilarious expressions on Logan's face as he realizes that peeing without a diaper makes him WET! 2 pairs of socks, 6 successful peepee attempts, innumerable reminders, and finally, one camel. A good start. What might tomorrow bring--lions?

Home again

After 6 days in the hospital, Mom returned home, feeling much better. She was diagnosed with pneumonia, but is on antibiotics & various breathing exercises to keep it under control. We are thankful that she is feeling so much better. We were in Chicago for two days last week, and though we did not see her, we were glad to know that she was feeling better.

Speaking of Chicago, we had a great time. Tim was there for business, so we met up with him at the hotel & played in the pool. Much fun! The boys are just a blast in the water. Jeremiah is a regular fish the way he swims (with his swimmy things). Logan is not quite as comfortable with the pool yet, but he likes splashing from the sidelines. We had a great winter get-a-way.

Mom

A few ups and a few downs the past couple days:
Mom's counts went up enough that she was able to return home on Friday. We were ecstatic, she was tired. By Friday night, she was not just tired, but was running a fever and experiencing an elevated heart rate. Late that evening, she went back into the hospital where she is now. We trust that she is exactly where she needs to be, that she is in good hands with the doctors. Apparently, these types of 'downturns' will be common until 100 days after her transplant (she is at 16 now). The road continues... But we remain hopeful, trusting that our God is in control.

Friends

Here (if I figure this website out) are some pictures of Jeremiah and Logan along with friends Owen and Eva Jeltema --Matt and Ellen's cute kids for those who are wondering. They are best of friends.


The third picture includes a massive pile of toys. Owen and Jeremiah took it upon themselves to build a fence to keep the younger kids out of one area of the nursery. Ellen & I thought it looked as complex as the Great Wall of China--we are glad no one was buried alive during the build. Note the circle hole at the bottom of the green play 'thing'... It is a rabbit hole: which the younger kids used to get through the fence. Great fun!

Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound last week. Jeremiah, as proud big brother, sat in on the whole 'procedure'. He said he could see the baby. We made it through the ultrasound without asking the taboo question: Is it a boy or a girl? Let me tell you, I had to bite my tongue! Baby number three's gender remains a secret--despite Uncle Jason's confidence in our 'ability' to produce a child with male anatomy. ;-)

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Mom's counts went up to 5.9! In the transplant process, you are eligible to go home once the white blood cell count has gone up to 5. Her counts were as low as .9 for a while. So, the doctors have told her she can go home tomorrow! We of course have to wait and see if anything changes this, but this is great news regardless! This past weekend was really difficult on her physically, having gotten two different infections and feeling quite sick. So we are so thankful! And grateful to you all for your prayers!