Monday, November 12, 2012

JOY

 When we first learned about Theo's kidney failure, we knew that there would be "ups" and "downs" along the way.  These last few months have definitely been "ups."  If I had to pick one emotion to describe it, I would pick JOY.  Theo is full of it, and so are we.  We live an incredibly good life, and have had an outstanding October and early November.

Roar!
Aside from a nasty cold, which Theo probably picked up from his one and only day in daycare, we have nothing but good news to report.  Theo is growing really well again, has made progress army-crawling (and can move faster than you can imagine), and his throwing up has greatly improved.  The near-zero throwing up during the day is truly a miracle, and one that has made our lives immensely better.




We took advantage of great fall weather all month, with lots of walks, a trip to the pumpkin patch, and numerous hours at the park.   We also had several family members visit, making us feel special and reminding us how much we genuinely love our families.  We learned a couple of things this month: 1) Theo does not like pumpkins.  We couldn't even get a hint of a smile at the pumpkin patch.  My grandma says it's because he knows they are a vegetable and thought we were going to try to feed it to him.  2) Theo loves playing in leaves.  3) He will put anything in his mouth, except for food.  (Though we are working on this!) 4) He thinks his dad is hilarious.  5) He really loves music and has good rhythm. 6) He is smart!  He mimics what we say, and has now added "momma" and "duck" to his vocabulary.  7) He loves watching other people.  He's an observant little fellow.

Medically, we have almost nothing to report.  Theo is now receiving feeding therapy once a week, and his initial visit last week was very positive.  Most kids on Peritoneal Dialysis don't eat.  At all.  Theo, on the other hand, takes the majority of his food by mouth during the day, with only a small portion dripping overnight.  He'll eventually learn to eat solid foods, but it will be a slow process.  We are very fortunate that he does so well already.

On Friday, Theo has his next clinic visit with the dialysis unit, and we are planning to start the paperwork for the transplant process.  Our goal right now is to get Theo through all the preliminary tests and studies so that in January he can be approved to receive a transplant, and we can start the search for the perfect kidney for him.  (That's a prayer that we continually pray.  We are praying for the right kidney, at the right time, from the right person.)

There is something very special about having a child that was not always assumed would "make it."  Nick and I have a heightened sense of pride in all that Theo is accomplishing, and our love for him could not be greater.  It's also been really amazing to get to watch God tangibly at work in our lives, in Theo's life, and in the life of so many others who have been our support system and prayer warriors.  I've had these lyrics stuck in my head for about a month, and I think they suit what we've been through perfectly (thanks to John Mark McMillan):
"When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions
Eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me."

In a couple of weeks, we will celebrate Theo's first birthday.  Wow.  It's hard to believe how much has changed in a year.  Thank you all for your support, prayer, and love.  We are eternally grateful.



4 comments:

  1. Great post! So excited for you to celebrate all that God has done in Theo's life during his first 12 months!
    Love,
    Lauren

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  2. So happy to hear how great Theo is doing!! he's adorable, love the tiger Halloween costume!

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  3. Thank you for sharing this. It's so incredible the things God has done this year. We're so grateful for the Foy family! We love watching Theo grow, even from a distance :)

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  4. Just saw this. Love it. We're always praying for all of you. Theo has a special stamp from the Lord on him and he is going to do great things. :)

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