Polyp...hopefully not for long.

Elena's latest regular CF doctor visit showed that her lungs were rockstar awesome! However, Dr. McKean discovered a polyp in Elena's nose. This is pretty common for folks with CF. She is using two different nasal sprays to try and reduce the size of the polyp. She is fortunate that it is not bothering her breathing or causing any other problems at this time. We are hopeful that the meds will reduce the polyp and no further actions will need to be taken at this time. We should have answers in a couple weeks following her next visit to McKean. Meanwhile, the kid is 8!!!! When did THAT happen? As her birthday came and went this year I had such feelings of joy. I looked back at her baby book and smiled at the story of our first miracle; Elena. For those of you who are around me a lot, you know that March 3rd is usually surrounded by a few tears. This was the first year it was all smiles. I even watched her birth video without a tear! Time heals, God heals, and the joy of my family is infectious!

Girl Scout Cookies!

Guess who's selling Girl Scout Cookies? ELENA! Let me know if you are interested in buying any from Elena. Elena is starting to take orders. She informed me tonight that she wants to sell 1,000 boxes so she can win an iPod Touch...then said she was ok if she sold ONLY 400 for the iPod shuffle. SOOOOOO, any box sold to get her toward her goals is MUCH needed and VERY MUCH appreciated. :)

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree...

(taken at my parents for our BFG Pretend Christmas...thanks to Will for this name B (Bostelman) F (Freeland) G (Goodrow)...taken PRE-flu outbreak)

Ethan, Emily, and Everett were diagnosed with Influenza Type A on Tuesday of last week. The moment their diagnosis was confirmed, we sent Elena out of the house. She has been living with her Grandparents for a week now and is symptom free! It is a good thing we sent her right away (at the Doctors insistence) b/c since that day we have been cleaning throw up, doing every song and dance to get the medicine down the kids (I even sang "A Spoon Full of Sugar" while whirling and twirling through the Candy Cane Forest...two movie references here), doing 4...no make that 7 loads of laundry a day, and praying Elena would stay healthy. Oh, did I mention that Daddy had been out of town all that week? I should be exhausted and cranky. However, I've got friends nearby that have made food drop offs, medicine drop offs (thanks girls) and a ton of family offers to help out. So instead of tired, I'm very grateful!
After a trip to the doctor and the hospital on Saturday we learned that:
Ethan has the flu, pneumonia, and an ear infection
Emily has the flu, severe bronchitis, and an ear infection
Everett has the flu and an ear infection
and a Partridge in a Pear tree!

Elena has NOTHING! Thank you Dr. Miller for your quick action to remove her, thank you Dr. McKean for the quick meds to protect her, and thank you grandparents for keeping her for so long! She thinks she is on vacation even though Nana continues to do homeschool with her.

Today the kids are doing better. The fevers are gone, the smiles are back, and the sibling bickering is right back where it was two weeks ago. Of course, there is a few hugs and sweet gestures here and there to keep a mother's heart happy.

It has been surprisingly nice to be stuck at home. Our home is decorated all festive, the fireplace stays lit and warm, and the advent wreath is lit every meal (the kids are WAY excited about the fourth candle being lit yesterday...I have to admit that I was, too!) The flu forced a slow down and I think it came at just the right time.

I hope you all have a chance to slow down and really enjoy the joy that the birth of Jesus brings! Merry Christmas!!!!

Thankful

We are so thankful for Elena's good health. SO many people have helped Elena to be at the great spot where she is. Thank you to ALL of you for your hard work and efforts to keep Elena healthy, growing, and strong. Ethan, Emily, and Everett especially thank you...they are so happy to have their big sister Elena.

Lung Function Improving!

Why is it that everytime I go to type "lung" I type "lunch" instead? Must be hungry or the thought of getting food in Elena never leaves my mind. Could easily be either!

Elena's visit to Dr. McKean for her Cystic Fibrosis wellness follow-up went better than expected! Elena has had a runny nose this week and the end of last week. She has been totally herself thru it all, but we have learned that even when she is acting normal, her insides can be going haywire. SO, we were surprised to have Dr. McKean tell us that her lunch...I mean LUNG function is the best it has ever been and that it improves with each visit. WAAAA-HOOOOOOOOO! Joel and I feel that her weight gain has been helping her overall health. She is actually a little chubby in areas! This makes us so happy. I have never been more happy to have to say, "Sorry, Elena...no seconds tonight." We N E V E R thought we would have that problem. We prayed for this day and God brought it!

The cold Elena has could be an infection. We will have results from her culture on Friday.

Thankful

This month as we write down and reflect on the things which we are most thankful, one thing continues to return to the forefront.

Last night while we watched Elena do her breathing treatments with Everett in her lap, our hearts filled with thanksgiving for God's gift of our CF free baby, Everett, this year. Everett sat in Elena's lap and pulled at her nebulizer with his giant baby cheeks jiggling from the vest treatment. We are so thankful that he will never have to experience the rigorous treatments that go with having Cystic Fibrosis. We are thankful that Elena is doing so great. We are thankful for our two adopted sweethearts, Ethan and Emily, that fill our home and our hearts with joy every day. Each of our children has been such a special gift. God is so good...ALL the time!

Our entire family has a cold. One by one we have developed runny noses. Elena continues to fight it off like a champ. Please continue to pray that she fights off the cold and nothing settles in her chest. She will have her next CF appointment this month. We are hoping for a boring visit. Those are our favorite kind!

Test was negative!

So, after being off the medicine to get rid of the Aspergillus, waiting to get tested after being off the Aspergillus, being tested to see if she still had Aspergillus, and then waiting for the test results...she no longer has Aspergillus! Praise God! So the good health for Elena continues forward. Prayers for Elena have always been so amazingly strong!