A New Chapter

     Why does this feel like a new chapter to me? Things are always changing (kids, right?) but for whatever reasons coming home from our last hospital stay has felt like a new chapter. So how's it going since the last post?

    Nights are still inconsistent but slowly getting better. Leo has a new tooth and another one on the way! He's continued to gain weight. He emotions and expressiveness continue to get bigger (don't know how that's possible). He's also been more pukey--which is not fun. I've made a lot of calls and we have appointments and such in the works. 

    The puking. It's frustrating when it's worse for unknown reasons. However, he has still been gaining weight even with the extra puking. I find myself developing theories, growing in confidence to monitor his eating and weight, taking what the docs say, and making it work for us. I think having kids does this to you. But I can for sure say that having a medically complicated kid has taught me a lot about finding my voice. I'm not trying to bash doctors. But Leo does not have easy answers for his issues. All of that to say, he is gaining weight so we continue to see results from the hospital stay, but the pukes are still there so we are learning his body and how to manage them more every day. 

Our prayer request for the pukes would obviously be that they stop, but also just that God would help us understand what's going on and what Leo needs.

    His nights have been alright. He still wakes up coughing and gagging every night, but last night I was up from 12-12:15 and that was it! That's the best night he's had. He woke up coughing and gagging but nothing came up. I picked him up and right about then he was back asleep. He stayed asleep when I put him down and I awoke to my alarm to give him meds! We are still in the process of getting help for the nights. If you could just pray God's hand over that and over who comes into our house. Making the calls and setting it up has been hard for me. I'm making a lot of calls and trying to keep a lot straight. 

    Other than the "logistics" of Leo's life, I must just say that overall, I've been experiencing more freedom in caring for Leo. With his newer eating regiment and meds, he's been doing better in the car seat and also not as delicate after eating. I have been able to lay him down for nap times and let him learn about calming himself down. I've been able to play with him and do therapy things without it bringing up food again. I've been able to feed him more purees. And we are learning to get out and about more. He came with me to my eye appointment today. It was funny. Him being with me and my appointment felt different and he seemed like such a big boy to me! I can tell that I've had more time for myself and just life-upkeep things than I used to. 

    The biggest things you can pray for are:

keeping track of follow up appointments and medicine and therapy and just all the stuff

for his puking to lessen again

for nights to go better 

for night care to be set up and for whoever God has to come into our house and care for the little lion

    We are not alone. And we feel it. Thanks to you guys. Thanks for lifting up us and our little lion man day after day. We truly appreciate the care and love we have experienced through the life of Leo and the community who has stuck with us through all of this. I pray that everyone who reads this will see God today and feel his love for them (and if you ever wanna talk about him, let me know!).