Pics and Surgery Friday

As we continue down the road of healing we have felt that hunkering in as a family feels pretty good.  Although we are keeping life simple to help reduce the chances of Isaiah or us catching a bug before his surgery, we are also sticking close to home because it feels so good!  Less than a month ago we sat with our son in his hospital room nearly twenty-four hours a day praying and believing that one day we would be able to bring him back home.

Sometimes I dared not to think that far ahead.  I wasn't fully convinced it was possible.  Now we are here.  Home.  Putting Isaiah to bed in his own room.  Hearing him giggle and chat with his sisters from each of their rooms at bedtime.  Watching him play, laugh and tell funny stories.  We get to play games with him and as a family.  We get to be with him.  That is a privilege we've always felt with raising and having children to care for, but it is so real since having been faced with such fear and uncertainty in the hospital.  Nothing else matters or is more important than soaking up the moments being back as a family and enjoying life together once again.

Friday, Isaiah has a same-day surgery to remove his stent.  If everything looks good inside they will remove the stent and we will be that much closer to complete healing.  Please join us as we pray that everything goes well and Isaiah does great with anesthesia.  When he wakes he is looking forward to a slushy party with his sisters in the post-anesthesia care room.

We will never know how well his kidney heals.  As the surgeon said, it is unrealistic to think every nephron in the kidney is paired back up perfectly and filtering at 100%, but having some function and, hopefully, most of the function restored with time, is the ultimate goal.  He looks fantastic, but we still have to allow the inside to heal.  That is why we remain hunkered in and life on the simple side.  The more time passes the more we'll be back to normal.

Here are some pictures to share when in the hospital.  We will always be so thankful for everyone who cared for Isaiah while there!

 Physical Therapist, S, showing Isaiah maps of where he is from.  He was born in Egypt.  Raised in Brazil and is half french and half Italian.  He speaks six different languages!  He was a lot of fun.

 Dr. K, known to the kids as Dr. Kangaroo, checking up on Isaiah.  He has a "mile-wide" smile like Isaiah!  It really did light up the room.

  Uncle E, visiting Isaiah once off the vent.  He brought pictures of the family to show Isaiah.  We miss our special time with Uncle E and Aunt C, but will treasure the memories of their support forever.