The Smarties Bandit!!!!

Smarties, where have you gone???

Ross and I have decided that there is a Smarties bandit on the loose in Northwest Arkansas. This above mention bandit has apparently hit every Wal-Mart in NWA. Not only can we not find them, but they have been totally stricken from the shelves. Why does this matter? Why make such a fuss? Smarties are the ONLY thing that sweet little miss Abigail can eat, and the ONLY thing keeping my husband sane while he is on formula and beef only. They are not easily found at Wal-Mart or any other stores for that matter, but IF you happen to run across them please call me, email me, hunt me down and find me so that we can get some...or possibly have you pick them up and mail them to us (depending on where you are located). We will refund said purchases.

New Africa Themed T-Shirts

Our friends, The Kennedy's, adopted a sweet baby boy from Ethiopia nearly a year ago, and have created a new T-Shirt. The proceeds for the shirts will go to Esther's House, and new orphanage in Malawi, Africa. Click here to order yours today! Check in frequently for new designs and accessories.

Ross' Results

So, Dr. Kushner called with Ross' preliminary results. He still has mild to moderate eosinophils, but the numbers went down from 245 to 26. That is huge improvement but the disease is still prevalent. He is going to continue his beef trial along with the formula until all of the the doctors (from U.C. and Cincy Children's) meet sometime in July. They will discuss his further treatment options and get back with us. He also still had eos in his small intestines as well as in his esophagus; so this may change his diagnosis a bit, but we will have to wait and see. Please be praying that they will continue letting him trail beef and the eos continue to deplete. I did point out to Dr. K that it took Abigail nine months on formula only to have a clean scope and he is definitely taking that into consideration with Ross.

Abigal's Results

I received a phone call from Dr. Putnum today. He said that Abigail's scope looked great! There were only minimal eosinophils; nothing to prevent food trials. However, because of Abigail's status with this disease and her age, he suggested that we wait another six months to a year to begin trialing foods. This is because most of the children like Abigail fail their food trials, especially at her age. Another big reason we are waiting is because Abigail shows little to no interest in food. She is curious about what certain foods are, but other than asking what it is and if you eat it, she shows no desires to consume it herself. If and when she shows an interest and we cannot put her off any longer, then we begin the trials. Unless of coarse, we reach close to the year mark at which point we will begin them either way. When we do begin, we will start with grapes. She will have to eat them for 3 months and then be re-scoped. Although this was a bit disappointing, I agree that this is in her best interest. I would hate to set her up for failure by beginning too soon. Plus, the Lord has perfect timing! Having a high-risk pregnany and a potentially very sick two year old would not be a good thing. By the time she is ready to begin trials, the baby will have already been born and we will all be in a better position to handle possible mishaps with the foods. Okay, I think I have rambled long enough. I will post Ross' results as soon as we have them.

Home Sweet Home

We are all home together as a "whole" family again. I do not like it when we are apart, but it makes it that much sweeter when we are together. The trip home was good but long. Apparently if you are pregnant and you think you are drinking enough fluids, you should drink more. I am pretty sure that I got slightly dehydrated, making the muscles in my legs hurt when applying pressure or flexing my feet. For two days I hobbled around like Frankenstein...a sight to see I'm sure! Needless to say the trip was pretty uncomfortable. I think I have been drinking my weight in water since we have been home and that seems to be helping some. All-in-all everything went well and we all all happy to be home!

Abigail's Scope and A Birthday

After an hour in recovery without us by her side, the aid of oxygen, and a little girl who did not want to wake up we got a sigh of relief. They gave Abigail a new medication to help with the nausea, and it knocked her out. She was fine, just a little sleeper than normal. Recovery usually takes about 20 minutes before we get to see her, so having to wait an hour was quite nerve-racking. Though, I would gladly wait an hour in order to prevent the vomiting that occurred last time. The medication worked and next time we will be prepared to wait longer before we see her. ;) Dr. Putnum said that her esophagus looked really good, and hopefully we will begin a food trial soon. We should have her pathology report next week. If her scope is clear and she begins a food trial then she will be scoped sometime in September.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSS!!! The girls made daddy birthday cards before we left and he got to read them this morning...it was really sweet having them. They also called this morning to sing him "Happy Birthday". They actually beat me to it! Ross got a new grill, grilling cookbook, and last but not least he ate STEAK (for the first time in 3 1/2 months) for his birthday. It was a crazy birthday, but totally fitting for our family! :)

Ross' Scope

Ross' scope went well. The doc said that he has scarring which may not ever go away, but visually there were some subtle improvements. We are all hoping and praying for clear pathology results. We will not know any real results until those pathology reports come in, but for now he can begin a beef trial. He will continue the formula diet as well until he has a well-rounded diet; this will take some time to develop. If his scope is indeed clean then he can continue the beef trial and add a new food about every 3-4 weeks; tracking his symptoms. He will do this until he has four foods and then will be re-scoped.

Abigail's scope is tomorrow at 12:20. We have to be there at 11 am and she cannot eat past 4:30 am. Please pray for her safety during the scope, that her last feeding at 4 am will sustain her until after the scope, and that her results also come back clear.