We had a rough day today. Ethan has been abnormally fussy and refusing to eat. We've not been able to pinpoint what the problem could be. We know he's in pain and uncomfortable, but we can't figure out the root of the problem. I asked for Tylenol to be given to help calm him. He was slightly better with the Tylenol, but not for long. We are going to put him on a stronger pain medication to see if that helps him. We had a stomach x-ray done to see if he might be constipated (a side effect of one of the chemo meds), but it came back perfectly normal. Other side effects include jaw pain and nerve pain.... both of which are hard to detect in a baby. He's had such a rough day. Please pray that we can narrow down the cause of his discomfort and that the new pain medication works for him.

Thank you for the prayers for his central line and the bleeding issue. The past few days the blood has stopped and seems to be under control for now. This will always be an area of concern, but as of now things look okay. We've also changed the antibiotic that Ethan gets because we believe it's causing the vomiting that Ethan has experience lately. We are changing to a once a month antibiotic for him, so be in prayer that his body tolerates it much better. The antibiotic is necessary to fight off infection while his immune system is so low... a primary concern would be pneumonia.

I was sent a very fun thought today via email regarding Ethan having 12 preliminary matches for the bone marrow transplant. The person wanted to point out the significance of the number 12 throughout the Bible -12 disciples of Jesus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 baskets of leftover food after Jesus' miracle when feeding the 5,000. 12 is an important number in various areas of God's plan throughout the Bible and what a special number it has become to our family as of late.

I'm sure these 12 individuals have no idea how much our family is hoping and depending on one of them to be the blessing our son needs to save his life. What an awesome thought, that one person can help another person in such a life changing way (literally!). We continue to pray for whoever that special person is.... what a selfless act to willingly allow yourself to go through a slightly painful "surgery" in order to help save the life of someone you've never met. How amazing would it be if someone reading this blog and keeping up with Ethan's situation happened to be one of the 12. With all the people around the world that follow our story, I wouldn't be surprised.

Thank you for all of your prayers, love and support. We are able to function every day and find small spurts of joy because of your caring and thoughtful actions.

1 Corinthians 1:2-4
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.