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We came home late Monday night from CHOP. Isaiah had his first nurse home visit at that time. By the time the nurse was done examining him and setting up his feeding pump, it was late and we were exhausted, but we were home!!!!!!!!!

What Isaiah was diagnosed with this time at CHOP was C-Diff (from being on antibiotics for his ear infections) and Norovirus which is what caused his diarrhea and vomiting. He lost over 2 pounds. He did come home with a feeding tube and a heart monitor. Isaiah gets continuous feeds of fortified formula during the night and is encouraged to eat whatever he wants during the day. Hopefully, as he becomes stronger and eats more, the docs will lessen his feeds and Isaiah could come off the tube permanently. The docs also found that Isaiah's reflux is pretty significant and they would like for him to have surgery in the next couple of months. However, the surgery (called Nissen) is pretty involved and can have A LOT of complications with it. We are not sure this is the route we want to take. But, if Isaiah's intermittent vomiting that he's had over the past 3 months does not resolve, we may not have a choice.

It was a HUGE blessing to come home to a clean and disinfected home. Thank you to the ladies from our amazing church who took the time to make our home safer for Isaiah's return. Thank you also to those who helped us with food, meals, gas cards and other financial needs. We are so blessed to belong to a true Bible-believing church filled with people who demonstrate God's love to us regularly.

We have several requests that need your prayers:
1. For Josiah--the separation this time was very difficult for him and he has been having a hard time assimilating back into family life. It's getting harder and harder leaving Josiah, but often we don't have a choice. Pray that any future separations won't leave a permanent, negative mark on his precious, little heart.

2. For Isaiah to continue eating and gaining weight so he can avoid surgery.

3. For all the appointments in Feb. I need help watching Josiah on Feb. 18th and 24th. If anyone could take care of one or both of those days, I would appreciate it. I am also looking for someone to go down to CHOP with me on Feb. 24th.

4. Chris and I would love a small vacation away somewhere warm, sunny, and with a beach. We could use a break with quiet time to reconnect.

Thank you again for your love and support!