11 months

Someone is 11 months old today... I'll give you one guess who! And thank you for your prayers for his appointment yesterday. Ethan's counts came back showing everything to be where it should be. His electrolytes (aka: sodium & potassium) still hovering around the borderline, but that's okay. They are still in the "safe zone" and that's all that matters. We're taking another new approach with his skin rash, so hopefully this new cream doesn't further irritate his skin. AND we're taking a different approach to get him to eat more solid foods. Right now, he's still fully on formula - however, not from a lack of trying from mommy! We practice "big boy" food every day, several times a day... he's just not interested (which is to say he screams and throws a fit until you give him a bottle). HOWEVER, we're trying to encourage more "self feeding" items which he seems to take to a little bit better, so I was encouraged yesterday with these new tactics. The doctors want him to be steadily growing/gaining weight and at this age formula alone won't cut it. But again, like I said... we try! Hopefully this approach of "independent" feeding will open his willingness (and his mouth!) towards a more variety of things to eat.

There's always more I could say, but I'll save it for Christmas! However, before I go, I'd like to once again thank anyone and everyone who has ever donated blood, platelets or organs. Lives are changed, lives are sustained, and lives are given another chance at living because of people who donate. Some of you may remember when Ethan was extremely dependent on blood transfusions and platelets just to survive another day. It's a daily miracle that's needed every single day by someone in this world. Our little man being one of those people. So thank you. And let me encourage everyone to give of yourself in this way. Donate blood. Every chance you get. Donate platelets. Give your personal stamp to someone else. I assure you that you'd not only be changing the one who receives it, but the lives of their loved ones.... because there's no words to describe how grateful we were that any time Ethan needed a transfusion of blood or platelets, there was always a supply in his blood type. How grateful we were.

How grateful we are.