Nathaniel had his blood drawn for labs today and then went to the doctor’s office where he received his flu vaccination. His white blood count came back in the lab results as being low so he is still very susceptible to infections. We are doing are best to prevent him from being exposed to anything that might cause infections. Nathaniel turned 8 months old today. I’ve noticed with him that the little milestones normally celebrated with babies and children seem different than they had for his sister Cecilia. We haven’t made as much of a big deal about checking whether his abilities are in line with what other babies his age tend to be able to do. Don’t get me wrong. We love seeing him sitting up with just minimal wobbling. We love that he has his ways of communicating with us verbally and even seems like he says a few words like “dadda” and “hi” in their proper context. We know he has the aptitude to do what babies his age are normally expected to, but sometimes we hold off on some of the physical activities that could lead to him getting hurt out of our desire to protect him from harm. We consider every day we are able to have him here with us to be a blessing and truly appreciate each one. Nathaniel’s social characteristics seem to stand out the most. He, without a doubt loves people. He looks up to his sister most of all. Any time Cecilia is nearby, all of his attention goes to her and he grins and giggles while his eyes and head turn wherever she goes. He seems to have a smile for anyone who will pay any attention to him, whether he knows the person or not. He even loves to look at pictures of himself and of people he knows. He seems like he’s remembering the fun times he has had and the people he has had the pleasure to meet and get to know. I may have mentioned this before, but his oncologist recently asked if he’s always so happy. We were honest when we said that he is. It’s almost like he knows what a blessing life is and he’s just thrilled to be living it. Nathaniel is not able to take any ibuprofen or Tylenol at this time with his counts being so low so please pray that that he is able to withstand any pain he experiences without too much discomfort. Also, with his levels being as low as they are now, he does not have much protecting him from infections. Please pray that he will remain infection-free and that his infection fighters return as they should. Thank you to all of you again for any prayers and support! It goes towards a baby who means so much to us.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 04:18:15 +0000