Seton – seven weeks ago, you inhaled your first breath in this world.  In this short time, you’ve blessed, challenged, and changed countless hearts.  We look at your strength to find what we sometimes lack.  You are inspirational, and I know without doubt your impact will echo in fathoms.  We love you.

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Well, I jinxed it.  Not even twelve hours after posting last week, Seton’s tube clogged once again.  We took the all too familiar stroll down the road to our favorite hospital and had his life-supporting plastic appendage reinserted past his pylorus and into his small bowel where it should reside.  Home again, home again.  It was our quickest visit yet, and the tube has now been in for a week again.

We visited Dr. Habersang’s office on Monday.  It took our little boy six weeks to return to his birth weight, but within the previous ten days between doctor visits, he managed to pack on an additional 9 ounces.  Heh…amazing what happens when the feeding tube stays in long enough to…feed.  Seton was given a glowing report overall from his doctor.  He did increase Seton’s baclofen to compensate for his growth, and it has seemed to help.  His oxygen levels are doing quite well.  Our hope is by the next visit we might be able to take him off the oxygen machine.  Instead of weekly visits, our next appointment is a month out.  He has had a fair amount of congestion and secretion from his nose this week, but that from his mouth has become very infrequent.  Shawna and I continue to take all of these pieces as progressive movement and rejoice.

I’ve learned that dads make mistakes.  What was my mistake this week?  I watched my son’s circumcision – a vision I can’t erase.  I literally tasted blood as I sympathized with his screams.  Now I understand why it’s done as an infant.  Someone would have to put me in a straight jacket to perform that procedure on me today.

Beyond that, I don’t have much to write this week for the sake of not becoming a broken record.  We are still thankful for each day and each blessing.  We are still extremely tired.  We are still praying and believing for healing and wholeness in Seton’s body and life.

Zane

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”  Psalm 31:24