Amanda is stable right now. She's pale, weak, and looks like a cancer patient should. She spends most her time doing sedentary activities. There are still many highs and lows all throughout the day, both emotionally and physically. I have found that talking about the baby keeps us both focused and upbeat. She is very excited about him coming and I know she wants people to be excited about him too. For those interested, here's an update.
Two months ago a funeral looked more probable than a homecoming. I think many prayers have benefited him, but I am still cautiously optimistic about every baby item I organize and acquire. With each one of my specialist appointments I am reminded that his progress has not been normal nor expected. We don't have a clean bill of health yet. He's still a month behind on his growth, but is growing at his own steady pace. His heart is still slightly enlarged, but his cardiologist thinks it is not a problem. It is just "working harder than normal" for some unknown reason. She thinks it's pregnancy related and will get better when he's born. He is missing one artery in his umbilical cord, which may or may not be contributing to the heart condition. We may never know what caused all his problems, or what has caused them to resolve. It's still a high risk pregnancy which means a lot of non-stress tests, doctor's appointments, and many ultra-sounds (nestled between chemo treatments, home health - welcome to our crazy medical lifestyle!!). He needs to come out as soon as he's full term. We have Aug 20th scheduled as the day to come, but will adjust it around Amanda's chemo treatments. My doctor's have been so supportive of her and our situation. This is the plan unless her treatment schedule changes, he goes into distress, or his growth slows down. I think we can make it - just one day at a time right now! We are entering a lot of scary unknowns, but I have known two things for a while.
1. He will come when Amanda is well enough for me to be away from her.
2. One of the reason's he's coming is to help Amanda.
Mary Ann, I was anxious to get home and see how all of you are doing. When I logged on I saw the headline Baby and I started to panic. I quickly started to scan the entry to make sure everything was ok. I'm glad Amanda is not so violently ill. I'll give you a call in the next day or two. Call if you need anything.
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