Celebrating and Deliberating

    We finally had the surgical consultation! AND he gained another 6oz after Thanksgiving! That's ONE POUND in three weeks! God answers prayers and we have abundant reason to celebrate. 

    

    The question is still feeding tube or no feeding tube. And our prayer request is very much for wisdom in making this decision. If I seem wishy-washy, I am--in a way. Basically, Leo has had some more drastic weight gain issues (as we have shared) but he has gained at a good rate since we added the baby oatmeal to his diet. The doctors have made it clear that there is no right answer right now. If he starts losing weight then that would up the urgency of a tube. But especially with the recent weight gain, there's a lot of factors. There are issues that come with the tube as well. We are praying for wisdom in what Leo needs; we don't want this to be a decision based on our emotions regarding a feeding tube, but on what Leo needs to grow and develop. 

    We are thankful for the medical people we have encountered along this entire journey. After the appointment on Wednesday we have an idea of the procedure, consent forms signed, and a phone number to call and schedule the surgery if we decide to move forward. They are scheduling about one to two weeks out right now. We took the train into Philly and that went really well (no car seat) so another praise is that travel was good. 

    Leo and I went to a new GI doctor on Thursday to get a second opinion. The short version is that he said if this weight gain continues he thinks it is ok to move forward without the tube. He did explain the benefits of having the tube as a safe default. It takes away some stressors. And can add some in regards to reflux. He told me what questions he had regarding Leo's body, tests and such that he would recommend. It was very helpful.

    As of right now, we are going to continue with his bottles and oatmeal the way we have been. Please pray for continued weight gain! We have a well-check appointment on the 10th so we will get to check his weight then.

    And I'll say it again, please pray for guidance in this decision and for God to lead Brad and me to the same place.

    We would also appreciate prayer for us and handling the stress. Parenting and medical complexities and new jobs all put strain on a relationship. Grief and trauma add to that, too. We are doing well, but I just mean to say that this is hard.

    

    We are keenly aware that we cannot do this on our own. As always, we are grateful for the community of support around us. Praise God for the body of Christ and the hope of redemption. This world is not our home.