GREAT NEWS

Thank you so much for all of your prayers yesterday!  Tayden's MRI went very well.  We arrived on schedule and they got us checked in very quickly.  They explained the whole procedure to us and then I got to go with Tayden to the "holding room."  They gave him some nose drops that really relaxed him and then the nurse blew bubbles while we waited for the next nurse to come and get him.  He loved the bubbles and would get so excited each time she blew more.  It did get harder and harder for him to grab them as the medicine kicked in.  The next nurse arrived and it was time for me to hand him off to her.  He was very calm, which made things easier for me.  They then took him back and gave him anesthesia through a mask to sedate him.  After he was asleep they put in his IV.  The entire procedure lasted about an hour and a half.  They let us go back and see him when he first started waking up.  His breathing was very quick, which concerned us all a little bit.  The doctor kept him a little longer than usual to observe him, but as he woke up and started moving around, his breathing returned to normal.  We would sit him up and he wanted to pull up on the side of the bed to stand, which was impossible due to the IV, so we held him for most of the time.  He was laughing and being his normal self before long.  They finally discharged us after noon.  He took a good nap once he ate at home and then was up for the remainder of the evening.  We were told that the scans would be read last night and that the doctor would get them in the morning.  They even told us to call the doctor today to remind them that we had been in on Monday.  Much to my surprise, I got a call yesterday evening with the results.  Nurse Laura said that all of the scans came back normal.  His head size is not due to any abnormalities - he just has a big head!  This was such great news - another answered prayer!!  God is so good!  They did weigh Tayden and he is now at 22 pounds!  His voice is a little coarse today from the breathing tube and he is coughing some, but other than that he is doing very well.
Brooklyn has had a stuffy nose the last few days.  She wakes up several times a night and is restless and fussy - which is not normal.  We have started giving her Zyrtec to see if that will help.  We will go on Thursday for their flu booster shot.
I found out last night that my co-worker and friend Emely, lost her battle with cancer.  She had been diagnosed in October with Stage 4 liver cancer while pregnant with her first baby.  They ended up delivering the baby early and started her on strong chemo.  She went in for a check-up before Thanksgiving and the doctors could find no sign of cancer in her body.  She continued her chemo, but was anticipating a full recovery.  Last week she began feeling very ill and weak.  Tests on Friday revealed that she had cancer cells in her brain and spinal cord.  They began aggressive treatments, but they did not work.  Emely had a super strong faith and love for the Lord.  She was an excellent teacher and was such a positive force.  Her optimism was contagious.  She will be greatly missed by so many.  Please keep her family in your prayers, especially her husband Jose and their new baby Elizabeth.  She has left her precious child an amazing legacy!