The One Where Lara Got Tackled

September 8 - 11,  2017
This weekend was the girls’ weekend to spend at their Dad’s house.  Somehow, I think I saw more of both of them this weekend than I do weekends when they are at my house!  Dichotomy of parenting teenagers, I guess.

This weekend started with our first home football game for the Pioneers.  Our first Friday Night Lights.  Lara’s first time on the sidelines for a Varsity game in front of the hometown crowd.  Emma and her dad decided to come too, since they were taking Lara home with them after the game. The trainers had all decided to dress up for the school day, so that moment had to be captured in a picture. 

 

Then it was time for business.  Back to the blue polo shirts and khaki shorts. 

Kick off happened under clear, sunny skies and the sun was setting on a beautiful (although a little windy) day.  As the game progressed, everything was going very well.  Pioneers were having a great game offensively, defense was holding their own and had kept Moore scoreless, we were winning, and there were about 7 minutes left in the half.  That’s when the Moore Quarterback was being pursued by a couple of Pioneer Defenders, and he decided to run the ball out of bounds.  Straight into Lara!  In her defense, she was totally paying attention and knew what was about to happen.  She took a couple of steps back, but that just had her running in to her Pioneers.  She was trucked, as the boys would say!  From my vantage point in the stands, she looked like she flew backwards a few feet, landed HARD on her bottom, then her head fell back on the track!  Watching that red hail flail about from the stands shook this momma to the core!  I took off towards the track (that surrounds the field), but I quickly saw the football boys pick her up, head ATC Aaron Harmon looked her over and sat her down for a breather.  All the players asked if she was OK, the Orthopedic surgeon came and checked on her and patted her on the shoulder, then the  cheer coach sat with her for a minute, and a fellow mom that was taking cheer and pom picks went over and hugged her for me, too.  I didn’t get to talk to her until halftime.  We were both pretty shaken up.

Damage report was minimal.  She was shaken up a bit, and MORTIFIED which caused more tears than the accident.  She did have some cuts and scrapes and a pretty bruise on her left hand.  Not sure if that was from being stepped on by the player or from the water bottle caddy landing on her hand when she fell.  She was sore afterwards, and she said she now had “mad respect” for her football brothers who do that day in and day out for fun. Her little brother Jake remarked how she handled it well, because she didn’t “have on pads or ANYTHING!”  He played football a couple seasons ago, and he said he knew that had to hurt.  Pioneers came out with the win, so despite the craziness, it was a good night.

Saturday was a calm day – the girls were out in Logan County doing their thing, so I am not sure what either of them accomplished that day.  Sunday, we had all agreed to go to the same church service at Life Church, and then Lara planned on coming home so she could finish homework and do laundry.  Our Sunday ended up being a little busier than that.  One of the girls’ really good friends had been sick most of the week and kept getting sicker, so on Saturday night she had been admitted to the hospital at OU Children’s for some intestinal issues.  So, after church on Sunday the three of us took an impromptu road trip.  We got some flowers and a balloon for our patient, and some things Mom needed, and headed out.  We spent about an hour visiting with her, then headed back to take Emma home and get back to Stillwater for the evening.  Even though it wasn’t the most positive of circumstances, it sure was nice to have a little girl time!  They both did homework in the car on the way down to the city, but they chatted and played music and kept me awake for the drive home.  Much needed trip, just the 3 of us!

Here's to another week! Lara has JV football in Moore tonight, and then we have Friday Night Lights here at home this week, too.  The weather was cooler this weekend, but we’re getting back up into the 90’s by the end of the week.  Not a bad start to the “Fall.”

Finn - GHT 6 month update

Hard to believe we have been doing nightly "flu shots" (growth hormone injections) with our little guy for 6 months!  WOW!  But, the calendar says we have, and it was time for a check-in with our endocrinologist at OU Children's Hospital.  While we were looking forward to the visit and any news about our progress, we also knew we were in for updated tests and test results.  And that process did not go very well last time, so we were a bit anxious about the process this time.  Plus, it's really not ever FUN to take a kid to the hospital.  Even when it is an excellent facility specifically geared towards tiny humans.  It's stressful, and overwhelming, and exhausting. 

Since Finn's appointment was scheduled for late morning, we took the whole day off work.  The nice part about that is that we got to take all the other big kids to school before we left town.  Such a  special treat for all of us!  So, by mid-morning we were OFF to Oklahoma City!

Finn watching a video in his sunglasses

He loves Rudolph

Half way there car selfie!

We got to the hospital right on time, and after a quick restroom break, we signed in an waited our turn too see Dr. George.  Finn was so great when the intake nurse weighed him, measured him (3 times, of course!), and took his blood pressure!  He really is becoming an old pro at all this doctor stuff!  When Dr. George came in, and went over all the numbers with us, and did an exam of Finn.  I love how he always takes him time with us, talks to us in a way we can understand, and really interacts with Finn the whole time.  We never leave with any unanswered questions, and always feel well taken care of.

So here is what we learned this time!  The GREAT news is, Finn responds VERY well to Growth Hormone Treatment.  Since we last saw Dr. George in late August, Finn has grown 1.5 inches!  He is now standing at 40.5" tall!  We are so excited about this growth!  Over the last 15 months as we have worked towards a diagnosis and started treatment, he has grown a total of 5.5 inches!  He started in the 8th percentile, and now is in the 46th percentile.  This is GREAT news and we are so happy for Finn!

But of course, where Finn is concerned, it's not always going to be smooth sailing.  Unfortunately, since his last visit in August, Finn has only gained a few ounces in weight.  From 30.1 lbs to 30.3 lbs.  He is definitely not keeping up in this department.  In August, he was in the 15th percentile for weight.  This visit?  He had dropped off to the 5th percentile.  *sigh*  We attribute some of it to the cold he's been fighting for a couple of weeks.  We know at home he has weighed more, but even when Dr. George plugged in our "home" numbers he was not happy with the results.  We have been seeing a pediatric GI doctor as well, and we see him again the first part of February.  He has been pretty passive in the past, just giving us strategies and diet suggestions to get Finn to eat, but holding back on further testing and such.  If Finn doesn't gain a bunch of weight by this next appointment, we may be looking at further GI testing.

Finn being cute in the exam room

So, our instructions as we left the office were to keep the GI follow up in February, schedule with Dr. George for a 3 month recheck, head to the lab for blood work (YUCK), get Finn's weight up, and (the doozy in my opinion) reduce his growth hormone dose by almost half.  UGH.  I totally get why.  He's WAY too thin and we're not doing him any favors by not allowing his body to catch up a bit.  But it still hurts to turn back on something that's been working so well.  We're also going to keep a home weight log to be able to account for the ebbs and flows a little better between visits.  Next stop, THE (dreaded) LAB!

As we headed out, the nurse put Lidocaine (numbing cream) and Tegaderm tape (clear Band-Aid) on both of Finn's arms.  Again, he was such a trooper during all of this.  The sweet nurse said it was lotion and the tape would hold it in place.  Then she had his squish it so he could feel what it was like.  He loved this!  But, he also thought it rendered him unable to bend his arms!

"Look at my lotion!"

Seriously, we all thought it was so funny to watch him walk down the hall towards the elevator.  I just had to capture this moment with a video.  Here he is walking to the next destination - the lab!



Once we got to the lab, we were again extremely impressed with the way things are done at OU Children's!  It is all so efficient, and family friendly!  Finn was AMAZING!  Once we were in the  phlebotomists room, I told him he was going to sit up on the big chair.  And he did.  The nurse tied the tourniquet on his arm - which he didn't like, but stayed true and strong.  He let her peel the band aids off, no issues!  Now, when she got out the butterfly needle and he saw it, that was the first *flinch* we had seen.  But, he got over it!  The nurse got a good vein in one stick, gathered her 3 vials (!!!) of blood, and just like that, WE WERE DONE!  Finn did such a great job.  She let him pick which wrap he wanted for the stick site.  He chose green dinosaurs!

While we wait for the blood test results (not expecting anything out of the ordinary), we are trying to feed him, and we will keep the home weight log.  We see Dr. Altaf (the GI) in February and go back to Dr. George in May.  Keep praying for positive growth, and for weight gain and fewer eating complications.  We are so excited about how much the growth hormones have improved Finn's quality of life (less illness, less lethargy, more personality, more interactions, HEIGHT), but also want to make sure he is WHOLLY healthy so the eating issues have to be contained.  While for the first time in his 4 years of life he actually feels hunger and asks for food, he is "full" within  just a few bites, and is very hesitant to eat anything that's not Goldfish crackers, Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, or Pedia Sure.  We can get some peanut butter, Nutella, and the occasional ice cream treat in there, too, but his diet is very limited!

Thanks for all the prayers and concerns.  Finn is a fighter!  And has a great suoport system.  Including all of you!

Come a Long Way

Last week was a typical roller coaster in the Finn world.  We are enjoying the ride, though.  I have always loved learning, and this is a season of much growth in that area!  We had appointments with 3 of his specialists last week: the audiologist at Hearts for Hearing, the newest addition to his care team – the Pediatric Gastroenterologist at OU Children’s Physicians and the Pediatric Endocrinologist at OU Children’s Physicians.  We were lucky to get the last 2 scheduled back to back, since they were in the same building!

I have to take a moment to remark on OU Children’s.  You know us, we bleed orange!  When Finn was in the Hospital side of OU Children’s a couple of years ago for 8 days with RSV, we made sure to wear a spot of orange every day!  I remember my dad had a rough time coming to the campus to see his grandbaby because of all the crimson and the signage.  But, I have to brag on them.  REMARKABLE.  Best hospital and clinic experiences I have ever had.  I remember feeling that way during that stay, but our new encounters have reinforced this.  We are completely blown away by the level of care, the compassion and the service at this hospital!  Every time we have seen our Endo and this time with the GI each physician has spent 30+ minutes with our family addressing all of our concerns.  It’s so comforting.

On Tuesday, we made our way to Oklahoma City to see Miss Sara at Hearts for Hearing.  She has been seeing Finn since he was 6 months old.  In that time, he has never completely passed all the parts of the hearing test.  He has had lots of Sooner Start interventions, visits with the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor including 2 sets of ear tubes, and still feel “behind” at the audiologist.  Last visit (4 months ago) was the best visit we had ever had, but he still fell short, and they wanted to hear more words from him.  Last week?  He blew them away!  He was in an excellent mood, did all their tests without any threenager drama, and PASSED THEM ALL with flying colors!  We were so impressed with how well he was doing, but we don’t know what they are looking for.  As we got close to the end of the testing we could tell the audiologist and the speech therapist were exchanging “knowing looks” but we were still surprised when they said we don’t need to come back unless we have problems!  He has graduated from their care!  So very exciting!  We will miss them, but sure are proud of our Miracle for passing this hurdle!

 

 

Then, on Wednesday, we headed down to the main campus of OU Children’s Hospital near downtown Oklahoma City.  We have been seeing our Endocrinologist at his satellite clinic at Mercy Hospital, so this was our first trip to the Physician’s building.  Again, so impressed!  Our first stop was on the 9^th floor with the Gastroenterologist.  He spent plenty of time with us learning about Finn and our family and out history.  He asked a ton of questions, and carefully listened to our answers.  He decided we are in a “wait and see” phase of Finn’s life.  He definitely needs to increase his weight, but he did not seem as concerned about it as we were a few weeks ago.  Finn had gained some weight since that last visit with the Endocrinologist, but he is still very underweight, and not staying on his growth curve.  So, after determining there is nothing medical presenting itself at this time, the plan is to fatten him up.  We got to meet with his nutritionist and she gave us some tips and pointers to get him gaining.  And a list of foods for him to eat.  Basically, anything high calorie and fattening.  All the things Britt and I have been fighting hard to avoid! LOL!  She encouraged us to slather everything Finn eats in butter or oil.  Dip everything in sauces.  And to supplement with calorie dense milk replacements. Our trip to the grocery store this weekend was interesting!  But, is adjusting to the change pretty well.  As a family, we have some bad habits to break (letting him graze is a no no!), but we will work on that after school gets out.  He is definitely eating more, and he loves his new fatty diet! LOL!  Another chore: keeping the 3 bigs out of “Finn’s Snacks!”

After our visit to the 9^th floor, we headed down to the 4^th floor to the Endocrinology clinic.  Today, we weren’t actually seeing the doctor, but his RN who would teach us how to inject the daily growth hormones with Finn.  We were escorted  a conference room where we were educated.  We learned about the drugs, about the process, and what to expect.  Finn had a bit of a meltdown while we were going through all of this, but it was very to him and he had already been a long morning!  We came to the clinic with a backpack full of supplies.  We had a large black backpack, a big blue cooler pack, a box with a special container for the pen, a box of alcohol swabs, a box of  tiny needles, a sharps container, and a box with the pre-filled pen full of hormones.  This came in two shipments late last week.  One box was bigger than Finn!  And we had no idea what to do with any of it!  But, we got excellent training!  She taught us about all the pieces, and we got to practice administering the shots on this special sponge.  Finn loved helping us and counting to seven as we held the pen while the medicine was administered.  The, we went across the hall to all wash our hands, and it was Finn’s turn!  He was having NOTHING of it! LOL!  But, we made it through that first short.    Not going to lie, that next night at home as we did it on our own, we were a bit nervous.  We talked each other through it, and made it work! One down!  We did it!  WHEW

 

Here we are several nights later.  While he doesn’t like it, he is doing OK.  We made ourselves an injection site chart so we can keep rotating the place where we inject him.  We have a system for storage of all our goodies.  And we have a set time and location to do this.  Last night was definitely the worst night.  I don’t know why it seemed to hurt more, but it did.  Overall, we are very proud of him.  He likes to help us get everything prepared, and even through the tears he counts to seven with us!  And after it’s all over, he gets to push the easy button.  We have the first few nights down – and about 4,000 more to go!  If the therapy works, he will have to continue it through puberty.  Seems daunting, but I know it will be worth it.

I also have to mention how GREAT his siblings are being about this!  Every night, it has been a family affair.  We all wash our hands, we all sit together and each person has a role in preparing and administering the shots.  Britt has the hard job – holding the Finnster still! The big kids help get the supplies together, throw away the trash, and put the needle (it has a cover!) in the sharps container and bring over the Easy Button for Finn to push.  They help us encourage Finn and help comfort him, too.  This is a HUGE change for all of us, but we are in it together!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  Our insurance has denied the coverage for the injections, but there are several appeals steps to go through.  In the meantime, we will continue the injections, and if the insurance choses to never support this therapy, there are foundations that will help cover the cost.  For now, we are living on faith that they will see how beneficial this therapy is for Finn and acknowledge his diagnosis of SGA and Short Stature.  We ask for prayers of provision for that process, then of course for our family as we continue this journey.

Stretching and Growing

Where have the last 4 months gone?  This family of six has been moving along at break neck speed – as usual.  And while some days it is all a bit of a blur, we wouldn’t have it any other way!  We love it! We are blessed to have the life we live, and each of our children is a gift.  We love being able to do things for them and with them.  We are all learning and growing every day!  The main point of today’s entry is to update Finn’s health status.  But I would be remiss if I didn’t recap the big events in the last few months…

JAKE:  Jake turned 8 at the end of January.  In the chaos, we weren’t able to have his birthday party until a few weeks after the actual day, but he had a GREAT time with his buddies at Stillwater SpaceWalk – an indoor inflatables facility.  He played basketball with Upward (Go Commodores!) in the early part of the year, then we transitioned in spring to SASA baseball (I Ride With the Stampede!).  His baseball team just won the silver bracket of their first tournament of the year last weekend – what a trip!  We head out to another tournament this coming weekend, and have league games every week. He is loving second grade and is an excellent student!  He recently became a patient with our favorite orthodontist! We’ve got a bad habit to break… He can finally ride his 2 wheeled bike! At 8 years old, he stands 5 feet tall and weighs 100 pounds – definitely the biggest of all his friends.  He is our gentle giant.

Lara: Since that last ER visit, we have worked very hard to manage her asthma and allergies.  Her braces have really started to move her teeth and change the look of her face.  We are excited for the next year for her!  She has dance classes 2 nights a week, and truly loves it.  Her studio is awesome, she has great teachers, and wonderful dance friends.  Recital is coming up in a couple of weeks, so she is working extra hard to polish her dances!  We had pictures a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to see it all up on stage soon!  Lara also spread her wings and tried out for junior high cheerleader.  Even though she didn’t make the team, we are so proud of her for stretching outside her comfort zone!  She is a very good student and she is sad to see middle school coming to an end.  You can find her either dancing through life or reading a book.

Emma: Emma is our studious student.  She has maintained straight A’s all year, and hates to miss school for any reason.  She also tried out for the track team this spring, but missed it by just a bit.  Even while she was sick, she jumped almost 11 feet in the long jump!  She also spent some time with the orthodontist, but we aren’t putting her braces on just yet.  Her newest hobby is rodeo.  Yes, we’ve got a cowgirl on our hands!  She has joined a Junior Ranch Rodeo Association team and is competing in their circuit this year.  She has had 2 events so far and is learning so much each time – even how to fall gracefully.  She loves her horses and everything cowgirl.

Twisters: They will be teenagers in 11 days. Both girls are adapting to their father living in town near us.  They definitely get to see him more, but sometimes it is a challenge to meet everyone’s expectations.  It’s definitely an adjustment!  After struggling with mono in February and March, both girls were in their middle school production of High School Musical Jr 2 in March.  They had a great time, and it was a WONDERFUL show.  It is an experience they won’t ever forget!  Just this past Friday night, we celebrated their 13^th birthday (early since this is such a busy time of year) with a formal dinner and charm school event at their Aunt Paula’s house.  It was an EXCELLENT event and while they learned some etiquette, they made amazing memories.  Be looking for more on that soon… I can't believe they are off to the junior high school soon!

Britt & Betsey: Busy as ever!  Britt recently got a new “office” and new responsibilities at his day job with student health services.  He still does all his original tasks, but now has some new ones, too.  And he no longer has to sit at the front window.  Betsey is still working ¾ time with dining services, doing all things digital.  Getting home at 2:30 in the afternoons sure is good for the soul when meeting all the kids as the come home!  But the best part of both our days is ********!  Not only have the products helped us lose over 130 pounds between us, given us more energy, and helped us feel GREAT, but working the business side has afforded us more financial freedom.  Orthodontists are expensive!  But the best part of our job is helping others!  We are so lucky that we get to help other people get healthy, and improve their finances, too.  Lives are being changed.  Ours, but most importantly our friend’s and family’s lives.  Since January we have earned the Silver leadership level, been invited to attend and were trained at the first ever Leadership U class, and attended Leadership School for the up and coming leaders in the company.  We are looking forward to Success School in August – and earning another pin level before we go!  There are so many people out there still looking for what we have.  We want to share it with them!

And sweet Finn.  He is so cute.  We hear it all the time.  But he is also stubborn, strong willed, defiant, a bit on the aggressive side, and needs anger management lessons.  He is the epitome of a “threenager.”  And while almost all of his “Preemie Problems” have been dealt with, we’re now dealing with a genetic issue – more on that in a bit.  So, over the last 4 months, we’ve seen his pediatrician several times, his lung doctor 3x, his eye doctor, the dentist (still not a fan, but we did better this time and she got to observe his severe under bite), his ENT, and his endocrinologist.  Next week we see the audiologist, his new specialist the gastroenterology doctor, and the endo doctor again.  WHEW!  Over all, he is very healthy.  We are still monitoring the ear tubes he got last year, and due to his ear issues he has still not completely passed the hearing panel yet.  Hopefully this week!  He is talking up a storm and has a huge vocabulary, so we’re not really worried about his hearing but want to keep his ears healthy! 

But his issues lie in his height and weight.  He is still way too tiny for his age, and especially his genetics.  Remember the 5 foot tall 8 year old I mentioned earlier?  His doctor thinks this is not preemie related.  So, after a year of observation from the endocrinologist, he has recommended growth hormones for Finn.  Based on his diagnosis of “Small for Gestational Age” (SGA) at birth – meaning even for a 26 week gestation micro preemie – he was smaller than average, his slow progress over the last 12 months, and his current location on the growth and weight charts, it is time for intervention.  This revelation has been a hard pill to swallow.  While there is no “medical” ramifications of small stature, the social and emotional consequences can take a toll.  And if we can help him avoid some of that, we feel we should.  But, that also brings us to another specialist.  While he grew 2 inches in 6 months, he lost 2 pounds.  The hormone therapy will help his bones and muscles grow, but he needs body fat.  So, the GI will run tests to make sure he is absorbing nutrients properly, and we will meet with a nutritionist as well.  He is a very picky eater, and he is a grazer. He eats small amounts of food – all day long! 

All that to say, we have lots to learn.  And my stubborn boy has lots of obstacles to overcome.  We go to the pediatric gastrointestinal doctor first thing Wednesday morning at OU Children’s Hospital.  This is our first visit with him, and we hope to get some answers and a plan of action from him.  Immediately following that appointment, we go back to his pediatric endocrinologist at OU Children’s to learn how to inject the growth hormone.  Fed Ex delivered it Friday.  So, here we go….. It’s all happening so fast…

Please pray for us.  For Finn – I have to hold him down to inject the meds; it takes 6 seconds to deliver the medication.  That’s a long time for a 3 year old getting a shot.  For Britt and I – it’s never easy to make the decisions, let alone carry out the treatments to get desired results.  For his siblings.  It seems there have been so many time over the last 4 years where the focus was so much on Finn.  I don’t want them to get lost in all this.  And for our business.  This treatment is not cheap.  God gave us this vehicle so we could care for our children.  It is now our job to steward it, and grow it, so we can keep our babies healthy and provided for.  And as always, for discernment.  God’s will be done.

Giving It Up For Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday.  It would be my brother’s 42^nd birthday if Heaven hadn’t needed him more.  And most relevant to me today is that it is DISCHARGE DAY!  For Lent this year, I am giving up room 8114 at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center!  That’s right; the Six Dream Weavers will soon all be together under ONE roof again!  We have been on this adventure for 12 LONG days.  We are so thankful for the care we have received here, and so happy that Finn has recovered fully!  This has been QUITE a ride, but one we are sure happy to be getting off of.

Last I wrote it was Sunday morning, and we seem to have been in a holding pattern of sorts since then.  We had been told more than once that it was all up to Finn, and we know better than anyone that he is on his OWN (unpredictable) time table.  We had been told on Friday that we would possibly go home Sunday.  Well, here is is Wednesday, and we are finally on the way! Here’s what the last few days have looked like:

Sunday, February 10 – Children’s Hospital:  They attempted a room air test not long after Finn woke up.  He failed.  I cried.  Back on .25L of flow for O2 support.  Britt encouraged me to go back to Stillwater to regroup, so I did.  I got to see my parents and my kids – helped shuffle them from one play date to another.  I also went to work for a few hours and got some work done.  It was a break I really needed.  I was back by dinner time, and I sure had missed my boys!  I had thought we might go home Monday, too…

Monday, February 11 – Children’s Hospital: Today, Britt got up very early and headed back to Stillwater for a day of work.  I now the big kids (and my mom) were happy to see him and have a bit of normalcy.  That morning we were told one more night.  His chest was sounding better and better – just had to get off that oxygen support!  He was down to .03L (next seeing is off), but he was relying on it.  We were going to have a room air test at 10:00am, but he fell asleep so it was postponed.  But, he needed ADDITIONAL support during the nap, so he would have failed anyway.  But, after lunch, they turned it off, and he did GREAT on room air the rest of the evening until bedtime when they turned it back up to .03L flow.   They also pulled the IV out, so that’s one less nuisance to worry with.  Britt decided to stay in Stillwater and get a work day in on Tuesday as well, so I spent a long lonely night in the hospital.

Tuesday, February 12 – Children’s Hospital: SNOW DAY!  Finn really enjoyed watching the GIANT snowflakes fall outside our window!  But that’s about all he enjoyed!  After a good night of sleep with O2 at .03, he was awake early due to dispensing of meds, and was super fussy while we waited on breakfast (but he was on room air!).  After he ate, he fell back asleep.  And only got about 30 minutes in due to rounds.  Once things settled down again, about 11, he went back to sleep – and O2 support!  UGH!  Woke up at 1:00, mad at the world.  Took FOREVER to get a lunch tray, then he ate a good lunch before puking all over me.  TWICE.  I was tired, frustrated, and weepy.  I called for reinforcements.  Seems that was JUST what Finn needed!  Once Daddy got here, he was in a much better mood, stayed off the O2, and was FUN to be around!  It was a GREAT afternoon – and an EXCELLENT night!  We were both nervous all night watching his O2 saturation number.  We needed it to stay above 90.  Every time I woke up it was 92 or higher!  So exciting, but nervous it might not last.

Wednesday, February 13 – Children’s Hospital.  WE DID IT!  No O2 all night – AWESOME saturation numbers!  He didn’t just accept the task, he EXCELLED at it!  First Doctor was in about 7:30,said we would probably go home today.  2^nd Doctor was in about 7:50 – said we would most likely go home today.  3^rd doctor was in at 8:10.  Said we were GOING HOME!  He said everything was almost ready.   They would round, and then “push the button” to get us out of here!  Probably around lunch time.  WE MADE IT!  YAY Finn for all his hard work!

Wednesday, February 13,- HOME!  They finally discharged us to go home at 2:00pm.  After a stop for cupcakes, we headed back to Stillwater. SO happy to be home.  We are weary, we are tired, but we are HOME!  So thankful for a successful conclusion.  

Thank you SO MUCH for all the prayers!  I hope the next Finn update is NOTHING but GOOD NEWS!