8 Month Update, and some news....REALLY good news!

Well, it happened. My newborn baby turned 8 months old. It feels like yesterday that I first held his tiny body in my arms! He is now 2/3 of a year old. And yes, in case you're wondering I've already started planning his 1st birthday party. :) The way I see it, you can NOT celebrate this miracle of life enough! So he will have one spectacular party!

I can't believe I am the mother of an 8 month old! He is growing so fast, and developing such a wonderful personality. He loves, loves laughing with his Daddy. One of my favorite times of day is when Michael comes home and Owen sees him for the first time. It's amazing how Owen knows us and loves us and he is finally able to show us! He loves to play tickle games with Daddy and he just squeals with delight when Michael plays the "I'm gonna get ya..." game! I'm convinced there is no sound sweeter than a baby's sweet laugh.

Owen is a Momma's boy through and through. :) He isn't quite going through separation anxiety, but he is very leery of new people. He doesn't cry or throw fits, he just doesn't "perform" right away like he does when it's just Mommy and Daddy. It could also have something to do with the fact that he meets  a lot of new people at the hospital and doctors offices, and they aren't always pleasant experiences. :(

BUT Owen is doing great! We are still getting labs every 2 weeks. We are doing all our labs here, at UK. We have found the best nurse that just loves Owen! She gets the same vein each time, and Owen has not cried the past 3 times we've seen her! All his labs are looking great, they've actually been getting better each time! Our doctors are happy with a BUN under 75-Owen is 35! That's great! We are so thankful for all your prayers and sweet encouragements. Please continue to keep Owen in your prayers. We will be returning to Cincy this Friday for his monthly nephrology check up, but also to see urology. It's going to be a very long day. Urology is going to be a lot of testing on Owen's bladder to see if some of the damage from utero has been reversed. Basically, if his bladder isn't in good shape then he could need augmentation surgery. We don't want to transplant a good kidney with a bad bladder, we will end up where we are now. So pray that everything will be in tip top shape as far as urology goes.

Now, on to the good great news....

Michael has passed Phase 1 of our transplant process!

We waited an incredibly long time to get our results. So I finally called our transplant coordinator last Tuesday because I just couldn't wait any longer! She said Michael is actually a really good match so far!

Why do I say so far? Well, because we have more testing to complete. He hasn't been cleared "the donor" just yet. Basically, he passed the blood cross matching and tissue typing. This was actually a big step because Owen and Michael are not the same blood types. Owen is A and Michael is O (universal donor). Owen had a blood transfusion when he was about a month old after a surgery. So the fear was the he could have built up antibodies against other blood types. Praise God that he can accept Michael's blood! The tissue typing is actually not a necessity in a kidney transplant, but the they check it anyway for some reason. There are 6 factors to match and Michael matched 5! (He would automatically have 3 because he is his Dad)

So this Friday Michael will also be having some testing done in Cincy to move on to Phase 2 of our transplant process. He will be having a catscan to check:
                                      1. That he does indeed have 2 working kidneys (some are born with only 1)
                                      2. To look at the number of vessels connecting his kidneys (small ones and too
                                      many are not good to transplant)
So please be in prayer that Michael's kidneys will be appropriate to donate to Owen. Also, continue to pray for our family as we go through this process. Although we are so excited to be moving on with transplant, it is still our hope and prayer that God will intervene and heal Owen. Pray that our faith is unwavering and we will continue to be strengthened each day in our walk as we strive to glorify God through this time.

I want to share a passage from my devotional this week. I've re-read this several times and it has really hit home with me:

By George Matheson - a well known preacher from Scotland:
My dear God, I have never thanked you for my thorns. I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but not once for my thorns. I have always looked forward to the place where I will be rewarded for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as present glory itself. Teach me O Lord, to glory in my cross. Teach me the value of my thorns. Show me how I have climbed to You through the path of pain. Show me it is through my tears I have seen my rainbows.

* Just so you know, George Matheson was blind. :)

So today I am thanking God for my thorns, for if it weren't for them, chances are I would not be snuggled in beside a sleeping 8 month old miracle. :)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
-1John 5:14