Witt is about the same today. He is still running a low grade fever. The tests that have come back so far have been negative. We don't have the results of the tests to determine if the infection has to do with the central line. That should be in today or tomorrow. The doctors have decided for today to not really change any settings on the ventilator. Yesterday, he didn't tolerate the change that was done probably because of not feeling well with the infection and fever. As Christmas draws near, my hurt for Witt, Melanie and Austan grows. Some of you may not realize but Witt will have spent both his Christmases here. I know that my God...their God...is in control and I praise Him for that! My trust in Him hasn't wavered but there is still hurt. If I hurt I can't imagine what must be in Melanie's and Austan's heart. Would everyone please join me today so that as one body with one loud voice we are asking the God of Witt, Melanie and Austan, our God who loves them more than I can imagine to replace the hurt with joy...not a giddy, surface joy but with the joy that runs so deep and is unshakable! It's a joy that remains through the hurt and tears. It is simply the joy of the Lord that is our strength!

UPS AND DOWNS

In the midst of writing this post Mel called from Witt's room. I just left the post as is to give you all a little glimpse into the ups and downs that Melanie and Austan go through!

Things are pretty uneventful here for Witt which is good! You can tell that the extra fluid is coming off his little body. The lung x-ray showed that the right side is about the same but the left is definitely better. Witt is really not happy on the ventilator. They are giving him sedation pretty frequently to keep him from getting upset. Honestly, this is a hard time but just when I need it God sends me encouragement! Today, it comes from the mom of a patient that I wrote about way back this summer when Witt was here in the PICU. Chase is a 19 year old boy who has been waiting for a lung transplant. His whole life he has dealt with lung issues. His mom (Carol)is such an good example of persevering and doing it with steadfast joy. Yesterday I saw her in the PICU waiting room and she told me that Chase had the transplant the night before. Today he is off the ventilator!! She is placing the glory right with God. This summer I shared a few steps of hert "valley" and now I am getting to share in her "mountaintop" and the view is wonderful!!! As for Witt, there is no talk at all about going home. Not even the doctors could give that a guess but each day now he is moving slowly towards that. The big hurdle is to get off the ventilator.
UPDATE!! I am resting in the recliner and Mel just called with the news that Witt now has a fever...101. They will do some cultures. It could be the central line. One of the risks with a central line is infection. This is the way it is for Witt, Mel and Austan. So many ups and downs to handle. Mel's and Austan's emotions have got to be raw. Please pray that God completely takes over and "hides them in the secret place of His presence". Pray that through God's wisdom the doctors determine the cause of Witt's fever. And still in the midst of all this please join me in praising our God who is Mighty, Mighty to Save because as I learned this summer...NEVERTHELESS I will praise Him!

SLOWLY MAKING PROGRESS!

Witt continues to slowly improve. The main overriding goal is to wean him off the vent. His levels that are taken in blood tests are staying in the normal range. The blood sugar is tested very frequently to be sure it is staying up as they make some changes in his feeds. The doctors were trying to get his feeds back to the home regimen but have had to change slowly because Witt's stomach/abdomen is pretty bloated. The concern about this is that when there is bloating in the abdomen area this can exert pressure on the lungs from the outside constricting them from expanding. In order for Witt to continue to be weaned off the ventilator his lungs need to be expanding well. They may need to change Witt from formula to something like pedialyte that is easier on the stomach and gut. Overall he is improving. He is sedated as needed which means he is awake quite a bit. They give him sedation when he gets agitated and "fights" the breathing tube. Witt's eyes have always been very expressive and especially now since all he can do is look at you! Here are a couple of pictures and a video from a week ago at ER. As soon as he gets off that ventilator newer pictures and video will be posted!

One of my prayers through all of Witt's hospital stays is that I don't get so focused on what we are going through that I miss an opportunity to allow Christ to minister to others here as well. There is a lot of heartache right now in several families with children in the PICU. One family is making the decision whether or not to remove there 15 year old daughter off life support. Another family's son has maybe 32 hours to get an organ transplant or he is expected to die. I know it would seem like this would be a place where God is absent but it is the opposite. I know that wherever there is heartache, despair, hopelessness there is Christ...holding on to those who know Him and reaching out to completely embrace those who don't. His presence in here is undeniable! As you continue to pray for Witt to heal would you pray not only for strength for Mel and Austan but also for the other families as well. Pray that they draw closer to the Living God or perhaps meet Him for the first time!

SATURDAY UPDATE

Thank you for all the prayers!

(picture taken a week ago

in the ER)

Witt continues to make slow steady progress! His "numbers" that have been concerning continue to improve. The main focus right now is to pull the extra fluid off his little puffed up body and from his lungs. The cardiologists in rounds today decided to add a third diuretic to his daily regimen which is now being given by IV. They are very closely monitoring everything especially his kidney function through this process. The goal is to dry his lungs out to the point that he can come off the ventilator. The vent is on as low of settings as Witt's lungs will allow for now. The hope is to over some period of time wean him off of it. Witt also had an echo yesterday and it showed that his heart has not changed for the worse through all this...thank You, Lord! We have no idea how long this stay will be. What will guide the timing is how Witt responds to the steps being taken. Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. They have helped to calm my spirit and keep my focus squarely on God!!!

A RECAP OF THE LAST 24 HOURS!

I want to try to recap what all has happened over the last 24 hours with Witt. Early yesterday Witt was doing really well. His potassium was down to 3.3 which was great. At that point they stopped the extra fluid he was getting and were just giving him his maintenance amount which is 730ml for the day. The previous days he was getting around 1400ml and no diuretics at all(at home he gets 4 doses a day). I was even thinking that he would probably go home in a handful of days. In the early hours of yesterday morning Mel and I were getting a little concerned that he was now beginning to be overloaded on fluids. Witt wasn't requiring oxygen at that time but his saturation was dropping overall a few points indicating that his lungs might be getting wet. Unfortunately, added into the mix was that he had a stomach ache that can affect his oxygen. Every step of this hospital visit Mel has told the doctors how sensitive to fluid he is and although he was dangerously dehydrated they needed to carefully hydrate him. Mel kept saying in the ER that she just remembered the last time this happened after his heart surgery that Witt ended up being rushed to the PICU and put on a ventilator because he swung too far on the fluids. I am not sure the doctors could have done anything different. Now we know that maybe his fluids need to be backed off when he is definitely headed in the right direction and not wait till his levels are exactly where they want them. His body obviously keeps absorbing the fluids and swings to far. Yesterday before noon Witt had to go on a little oxygen. Since his last labs had been so good the doctors assumed it was because of the way he was from his stomach issues. The decision was made to transfer Witt to a regular room on 15(the cardiac floor). The whole process of getting moved took a couple of hours or so. In that process Witt started requiring more oxygen...up to 3/4 liter. In just a few hours he had gone from no oxygen to 3/4 liter. I was actually away from the hospital with the other 2 most cutest grandbabies in the world(very biased opinion of course!). Mel called when Witt got into his room on 15 and said she just didn't like they way he looked. He was on oxygen and his breathing was becoming labored. The attending cardiologist on the floor came to look at Witt and wanted to keep a close eye on him. When I got to his room around 3pm he looked really bad. I have never seen him so pale. Even his hands were grayish white! His breathing was very labored. Doctors were there and the attending cardiologist came back in. He couldn't believe how much worse Witt had gotten in the hour since he had seen him. Witt was now on over 1 liter oxygen and having to work very hard to breathe. He was immediately given a diuretic through his gtube and several teams were called to try to get an IV in so he could get the diuretics by IV. Finally, the Kangaroo transport team were able to get an IV in his stomach using an ultra sound machine. During this time it was decided to send Witt back to PICU. Austan and Mel stayed back with Witt in PICU but they were getting very worried. Mel texted me she was getting really nervous that nothing had been done for him since he was brought down. He was getting worse. Finally she texted at 7:30 that she thought he had to be put on a vent because he was hardly breathing. Not that he was breathing hard and labored but now he just was barely breathing. His little body was probably wearing out. I hurried back to look at him and he was taking very few breaths. The doctors moved fast then and put him on the ventilator. He was then sedated and a central line was put in. All his labs came back really crazy. At one point his blood sugar dropped dangerously low to an 8 then a 4! Today its back at 119. His potassium had also become too low along with his heart rate. Today he is sedated and remains on the ventilator. All his "numbers" are getting back in the normal range. However, his little body is definitely overloaded with fluids. His lungs now have fluid in them. Melanie just asked the nurse to check with the cardiologist about the amount of diuretic Witt is getting. Right now he is getting just his normal home regimen through the gtube. In the past when Witt was on fluid overload he was given extra diuretic and through the IV which makes it even more potent. We have absolutely no idea how long this hospital stay will be. Since Christmas is a week away I am sure Witt will spend this Christmas here too. As I was walking in the hospital I heard some employees talking about their Christmas plans. I just started crying...I hurt for Witt, Mel and Austan. BUT my Faithful God would not let me stay in those thoughts. He reminded me that a little over year ago we thought Witt wouldn't be with us anywhere to celebrate even one Christmas and especially not two! I, my entire family, Mel and Austan have so much to be grateful for! Sure, there are legitimate things that we don't have but God clearly wants us to live in the light of the blessings and not in the darkness of what might be missing. I am standing in The Light rejoicing in the blessing we have in Witt!!!

Friday, 11am

Witt is being kept pretty sedated for now as the doctors work to get things back in balance. His "numbers" seem to be getting back to within normal ranges. It is evident that he is holding fluid now...he looks puffy. The respiratory therapist explained that lungs are just like sponges and they soak up extra fluid. So, it is vitally important that they are able to pull off the excess fluid...Witt just can't handle it. Please pray for speedy restoration of the perfect fluid balance!!!

~Cheryl

Thursday, 11:00pm

They are running a battery of tests on Witt right now to determine why all of his "numbers" are "off." Everything is "out of whack" and just not making medical sense. He is on the ventilator and has a central line inserted.

It has been a whirlwind since this afternoon when he was moved to the cardiology floor and quickly went downhill...it doesn't seem that the move was the cause but the culmination of too much fluid build-up. As we have said before, it requires a very delicate balance of fluids with Witt...he had been dehydrated we know so they had him on double the normal amount of fluids and no diuretics at all. By the time he was brought back down to PICU his blood sugar and heart rate were way low...in fact, his blood sugar was dangerously low...it was 23, dropped to 8 and then dropped to 4. It is now up to 129, thank God. But, everything is still way off...even his potassium is low now.

Again, we are so proud of Mel and Austan and the strength they are showing through this. They are by Witt's bedside now and are sending updates as they can. We will keep you posted...until then, please just pray that God reveals Himself and the answers to this amazing team of medical professionals that are working with our sweet Witt.

~Cheryl

PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY FOR WITT!

Witt took a horrible turn for the worse! He is hardly able to breathe so they are putting him on the ventilator as I type. Not exactly sure what all is going on. We think he ended up with too much fluid. His lungs are crackling again. The last several hours he's been on 1-2 liters of oxygen. Please Lord, please heal Witt! Please just bypass medicine and touch him!!

Please pray for all of us that God will fill us with faith and trust to look past Witt's circumstances and hold fast to Him!

Thursday, 3pm

Witt's "numbers" all continue to trend in the correct direction so he has been moved out of PICU and onto the cardiology floor. But, poor little guy is not feeling well at all today...he is back on some oxygen and is very pale...it appears that his stomach is really bothering him. Please pray that the doctors will be able to diagnose what is bothering him and quickly make the proper adjustments!
~Cheryl

10:00pm Wednesday...GREAT NEWS!

All of Witt's "numbers" are trending positively...meaning those that need to go up are doing so and those need to go down are going down!!! PRAISE GOD! The doctors have decided to maintain status quo for the night at least. He will still be getting the sugar water mixture through his feeding tube and no diuretics or heart meds. As Karen explained, "that may all change in the morning but that's what's happening now!"

Our dear friend, Rise', sent lyrics from a song that her church choir will be singing for their Christmas program...she said it makes her think of Witt and his family every time they practice it...

Sometimes faith will bring you

to trust a promise that's illogical.

Sometimes faith will lead you

to cling to hopes that seem impossible.

So often faith looks foolish,

a leap into the dark,

but that's not how it is

for the believing heart.

Doubt will always whisper

there's no one there to catch you

when you fall.

Fear will come to rob you

of any chance to see a miracle.

So trust the One who loves you

Whose Word won't let you down.

'Cause resting in His Grace is

where your strength is found.

'Cause when all your dreams have fallen through

and your plans come crashing in on you,

don't lose hope no matter how it seems.

'Cause faith will hold you closer...

Faith will keep you safer...

Faith will take your farther than a dream.

In Him,

Cheryl

2:00pm Wednesday

Witt had a rough night and didn't sleep much at all. Unfortunately, today has been even worse...he was getting everything by iv and no feeds at all...he hasn't been given anything that contains potassium and have also added a bicarbonate...all of this is an attempt to bring his potassium level down without overloading him with fluids. It's such a delicate balance with Witt because he desperately needs fluids but he can't handle too much at once.

Sometime around 11am, the iv in Witt's foot "blew out." Several different people have tried to find a vein and they have even used an ultrasound machine to try to find one to no avail. There was talk of giving him mixture of sugar water through his feeding tube but that has caused diarrhea in the past. When they were trying to stick Witt (for over an hour!!!) Karen said that she has never heard him cry like he did...please, Lord, please hold Witt!

Just before 2:00pm a team of doctors came in. Witt had gone over 3 hours with no fluids! The lead doctor said to start him immediately on just sterile water in his feeding tube...in the meantime, the sugar water mixture also came so he is getting both through his tube now.
**Please pray that Witt is able to absorb these fluids so he won't require the "impossible" IV!

Another finger prick has just been done to check some levels...I'll post again just as soon as I hear any results!
PRAY, FRIENDS, PRAY!!!
~Cheryl

PICU

Witt's potassium level went down a good bit but not enough for him to go to the cardiology floor. He is being taken to PICU now.

Please pray for Mel and Austan. As Karen just texted me, "We have got to hang on tight to God right now!"

~Cheryl

8:00pm...STILL IN ER

Witt's potassium level was high when they first drew blood in the ER. It was still high in the second draw but down a little. They are waiting in the ER for 2 more hours and will draw blood yet again (poor, little Witt)...if his potassium level has gone down a lot, he will be able to go the cardiology floor, if not, he will be admitted to PICU. Karen says "We've got 2 hours of knee-scraping, praying time!!!" AMEN!

WITT HAS BEEN ADMITTED TO TCH

Please pray for our sweet, little Witt...he has been admitted to Texas Childrens again. Dr. Macicek had Mel bring him in this morning for an echo and his heart looked really good. But, thank God for Dr. Macicek and his determination to discover exactly what is bothering the little guy...they did a full blood work up which showed that Witt's creatinine level had doubled since he was in on Saturday. As I write they are waiting for a room on the cardiology floor...but, they have taken Witt down to the ER to draw more blood and if his levels have worsened even slightly, he will be put in PICU. The cardiologist came down to see Witt and explained that his high creatinine count could be from dehydration but it also could be something very serious with his kidneys...they just don't know yet. And with his current "numbers" there is always a possibility that he could go into heart failure so they want him in a room and on iv fluids ASAP.

Please pray for a total and speedy recovery...I am begging God to have him home by Christmas!

We will keep you posted...as always, your prayers are appreciated more than you'll ever know!
~Cheryl

BACK HOME

Witt is back home from the ER but...

Melanie took Witt's temperature when she got home it was actually a little high(100.2). I think that technically this isn't considered a fever or at least not a fever that is high enough to treat. However, for Witt any change is cause for concern. For now he is home and staying put. Witt had more blood work done in the ER and it showed that he is actually in some ways doing better than the day before. His carbon dioxide level is up some and the indicators for how hard the heart is having to work are better. Because of this the cardiologist felt comfortable in sending Witt home. He did have to come home on 1/2 liter of oxygen but they expect that will not be needed in a day or two especially now that he can get back on his diuretics. Melanie and Austan have both been suffering from a head cold and our prayer is that Witt isn't coming down with this also. Its hard to know what his heart and lungs can handle. Please pray that Witt is on the mend and not getting a cold! Please pray also that both Melanie and Austan can get some peaceful rest. In some ways it seems like Witt has been home for a long time but it has actually only been about 2 1/2 months...not nearly long enough for Melanie and Austan to catch their breath from his previous 4 month stay. Right now they are all resting after yet again another trip to the ER. Thank You, Lord, that once again Witt was able to come home!

BACK TO ER :(

Mel and Austan decided this afternoon that they needed to take Witt back to the ER...he is moaning a lot, obviously very uncomfortable, and Mel and Austan just don't feel totally confident in deciding whether or not to give him his Lasix. (Lasix is a diuretic and is an integral part of Witt's drug regimen for his heart...but, when he's dehydrated, Lasix is withheld) It took a long time to draw blood because sweet little Witt is a "hard stick" to say the least...he was so upset by the whole ordeal that they actually had to put him back on oxygen. (My heart breaks for Mel and Austan having to stand by and watch this...thank God that Witt is in capable hands at TCH) As I write, they are awaiting the results of the blood work and also to see someone from cardiology.
We'll keep you posted...thank you for praying, sweet friends!
Cheryl

PLEASE PRAY FOR WISDOM!

Witt is still not feeling well. Dr. Macicek said that with his "numbers" he wouldn't probably feel great. The incredibly hard part for Mel and Austan is to know what to do next. They have been told to hold off on some of the diuretic unless his oxygen saturation indicates he needs it. However, because Witt still doesn't feel good(moans a little the entire time he's awake), he also is not really breathing even normally for Witt so his saturation bounces all over. When he settles down his saturation stays up fairly well but not quite as steady as it usually is. I can't imagine having to make these decisions but what I do know is that God can give them all the wisdom and discernment they need. That's my prayer! I am asking God to pour out His wisdom on Melanie and Austan and that His great peace will be prevalent too. I am asking for His wisdom not just so Melanie and Austan can make the right decisions but that by their wisdom and faith that He is glorified! The decisions that Mel and Austan are asked to make about their son would be impossible EXCEPT God! He most assuredly will continue to pave the road before them...sometimes one stone, one decision at a time!

Not quite the "Mr. Bright Eyes" that

he usually is!

Headed Home!

The doctors in the ER, after careful evaluation, decided to send Witt home tonight. They believe that he's already getting better and that it's not a cardiac issue but is the result of being a little sick a couple of days ago. Mel was able to talk to Dr. Macicek after they were released and he cautioned her to watch Witt VERY carefully this weekend.

Praying for Witt to get better and for peace and discernment for Mel and Austan! What an incredible road these young parents have been called to walk! Thank you once again for covering them in prayer...INCREDIBLE!

May God bless each of you mightily!
Cheryl

ER visit...please pray!

Witt has had some diarrhea the past couple of days so Mel has been carefully watching him for dehydration. She has been in close contact with the cardiologists and they have been withholding the lasix but he seemed a little worse today. At his check up with Dr. Lange this afternoon, Mel and Austan asked that extra blood work be done to make sure that all of Witt's levels were remaining in the normal range...the test showed that his co2 and sodium were way off. After unsuccessfully trying to reach the cardiologist on call, Mel and Austan decided to take Witt down to the ER. The charge nurse in ER explained that his blood work results are indicative of dehydration...the trick with Witt will be to rehydrate him at a safe pace...in the past, pumping him full of iv fluids has triggered significant problems.

Once again, I'm in awe of Mel's motherly instincts with Witt! She knows him better than most of us know ourselves. But, even more impressive is her willingness to act on her instincts and act FAST! It's so very important that these issues are taken care of as early as possible before other complications arise.

Please pray that the doctors are able to accurately and swiftly diagnose Witt's trouble right now and that he is healed quickly! Mel and Austan are preparing to move back into their own home this weekend...I'm praying fervently that will still happen instead of another hospital stay. But, as always, HIS WILL BE DONE!

In Christ,
Cheryl

JUST HANGING OUT

Witt went to the cardiologist on Monday and it was a great visit. It was a very long day, we got there at 1 and did not leave till sometime after 5. They ran a few labs to check some of his levels and all of them look pretty good. His B.U.N. was a little high because of his diuretics but he needs the diuretics to help with his lung function. I also talked to the nutritionist about switching Witt over to toddler formula. Since he is over a year old he needs more then just regular formula. We are trying to switch him over slowly since his stomach seems to be very sensitive. Other then Mondays visit this week has been pretty calm. I take Witt on Friday to DR. Lange just to catch up with him and form some plan to get Witt's vaccines up to date. We have not seen DR. Lange since March because of Witt's long hospital stay this summer. Austan and I are hoping to be moving back to our house this weekend or the next. It will defiantly be a bittersweet moment when the time comes but we are only going about a mile down the road. What a blessing its been to be able to stay with my parents this last year. We are very grateful that we have two sets of parents who would open there home to us anytime we need it. As soon as we get settled back in our house I will post pics of Witt's new room.

-Melanie

SNOW!

Since Witt can't go to the snow God just brought the snow to Witt! It was amazingly beautiful and rarely seen here!

Witt also got to meet his newest cousin, Graham. It was a very quick picture then

right back to isolation for Witt!

Witt has an appointment tomorrow with Dr. Macicek. Once again the timing is perfect because Melanie has been concerned that Witt might be a little dehydrated. She has talked to the cardiologist on call a couple of times. First it was decided to hold the extra dose of Lasix. Then today Witt's osat has dropped a little. The cardiologist told Mel to go ahead and give him the dose today. Please pray for that amazing, God given discernment for Melanie and Austan as they will most likely be on a plan that will require them to decide when to give or hold a dose of diuretic. Also, during this Christmas season please remember all the families who will spend it in Texas Children's Hospital!

FINALLY AN UPDATE...SORRY!

I marvel at how well Witt is doing! He remains off oxygen and his saturation remains very good. In fact, the moniter alarm rarely goes off unless he's very active. Today, Witt is being evaluated by ECI(Early Childhood Intervention). Stephanie(PT) has been coming once a week to work with Witt and he is improving. He isn't sitting up on his own yet but he is definitely holding himself up more and more so that he just needs to be propped up some. I remember when he wasn't able to hold his head up...God has brought him so far! Tomorrow its off to Dr. Lange(pediatrician) for his first real check up there in a very long time. Witt will get several vaccinations. He hasn't been able to get any since he was 2 months old because of all the time spent in the hospital. They will find out more about the RSV shot and if more steps are needed to get it approved. Next Monday is Witt's appointment with Dr. Macicek. Hopefully that will be pretty uneventful!

A little side note: I am sorry the blog hasn't been updated as often as I normally do! I intend to keep updating regularly because I want all of you who have walked in the valley with us to celebrate the mountain tops with us also! I have not been able to upload video to the blog because of some glitch. I finally figured out a different way to do it. Those of you who know me will celebrate that miracle too!!! Also Witt's cousin was born yesterday...Graham James McCord to Evan and Annalee(for pics go to http://www.annaleeper.blogspot.com/). Mel is so excited for Witt to have a boy to join forces with!

HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING

Witt and The Cross!

Thank You, Lord, for Witt but first and foremost thank You for the Cross! Thank You for the Cross of Christ that from it freely flows salvation, hope, mercy, grace and power. Without the Cross, life has no meaning and Witt most likely would not even be alive today to be placed at the foot of it! So today I am most grateful for the Cross and my Christ who put Himself on it and held Himself there. It is because of the Cross that I can truly give thanks in all things...in all circumstances. My prayer for each of us today is that we find ourselves at the foot of the cross thanking God for Who He is and what He has done. I pray that He opens our eyes to all that we should be thankful for. Thank You, Lord...thank You for Witt and what You have accomplished in and through his life. May we all (along with Witt) always find ourselves at the foot of the Cross...Glory!

The Foot of The Cross by Ray Boltz

They were watching from a distance

And they could not take their eyes from You

You were bleeding , they were weeping

Faithful sisters, they had followed You

They did not understand, they could not see

They were mourning their loss

As the sky turned black and the Earth turned red

At the foot of the Cross

He was standing near Your mother

They were so close, they could hear You sighing

All around them angry voices

Pierced the darkness and You were dying

But they would not leave, they lingered there

No matter the cost

They were saying and they were praying

At the foot of the Cross

Keep me near the Cross, near the Cross

May I never stray so far

that I cannot see what flowed down for me

At the foot of the Cross

Now I'm standing in Your presence

And I cannot take my eyes from You

You have risen, I'm forgiven

Precious Saviour, oh I worship You

No, I'm not looking back

I've heard Your voice and I'm staying here

I've made my choice, for now it's real

Now I kneel at the foot of the Cross

Keep me near the Cross, near the Cross

May I never stray so far

That I cannot see what flowed down for me

At the foot of the Cross

13 MONTHS OLD!

He is still all smiles!

Yesterday was Witt's 13th month birthday!! He also saw Dr. Macicek for a follow-up appointment from 2 weeks ago. Witt is still on the extra dose of lasix and hasn't needed any oxygen since that last little episode a couple of weeks ago. Witt also was seen by the pediatric surgeon's nurse about his stomach tube. About a week ago his tube was accidentally pulled all the way out by Mel's dogs chasing our cat! Melanie deflated the balloon on the end of the tube, stuck it back in and re-inflated the balloon to hold it in place. Witt's tube had already been leaking some so Melanie wanted it checked. Witt had been losing quite a bit of his feed at times. This was worrisome not just because of wanting him to get the calories but also because he is on the extra diuretic. The nurse ended up putting a slightly shorter tube in which seems to be making a difference. For now Witt is doing maybe even better than the doctors had expected. It is incredible that he is off oxygen and his heart has not changed! It feels like Thanksgiving everyday around here. Maybe that's just what God desires...give thanks in all things everyday!!!

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Two snappy dressers!

Witt seems to be feeling good. He is still on the extra dose of diuretic and hasn't required any oxygen! He does have a follow up appointment with cardiology(Dr. Macicek) this coming Monday. Yesterday Stephanie, the physical therapist, came by and worked with Witt. Both Melanie and Austan have been needing to make phone calls on Witt's behalf recently. Austan has been dealing with the insurance company about occupational therapy and now the rsv vaccination. Today, Dr. Lange's office called to say that insurance is not wanting to pay for the rsv shot which is incredibly expensive. It's crucial that Witt get this because a respiratory illness could be devastating for Witt! Melanie has been talking to the people at Early Childhood. She wants Witt to have everything possible that's available to help in his development. Please pray for favor as they make these calls! As Thanksgiving draws near, I find myself almost at a loss of where to start with all that I have to thank God for...tears of joy just seem to take over!