School Days

Abby started 5K at Carver and loves her teacher. She, however, does not like the whole concept of school........getting up early and staying all day. Every day she wakes up and tells me she is not going to school today. :) I tell her about all the exciting things she will do there and all the friends she'll get to see. She doesn't really buy into that kind of talk. I asked her to help me get something out of the car one morning and she looked at me as serious as could be and said, "I'm not falling for that, Mommy." I had to choke back a laugh! :) She cried everyday for 7 days straight but finally seemed to turn the curve on day 8. Thank goodness!

Joseph is receiving home bound instruction from his 3rd grade teacher. We are so excited that she offered to do it! He is getting to know her and she is telling him about their class and who is in there. He is real excited and anxious to go back. He is filling his days in creative ways (putting puzzles together, building with Legos, and writing a "mystery novel"). He wants an old fashioned typewriter so he can write more books. *Nurse Joy, Joseph and my mom finished the pirate ship you gave him! Thank you so much, they had tons of fun doing that! I'll try to post a picture soon so you can see it! He has already made his Halloween costume! He wants to be a ghost. He is taking a New Christian class and has enjoyed that also.

I am working full time for the first time since Joseph was born. I am really enjoying being back in the classroom teaching 4th grade! I am getting to know my students and enjoy the independence and enthusiasm of the 4th graders. They are a fun bunch to work with! My school is very supportive and the staff is very positive. I am thankful for these things! While I work, the grandparents have pitched in and are taking turns staying home with Joseph. He has loved spending time with them, so it has been a win-win situation! They help him with his school lessons and do the fun puzzles and things with him. This week his "Grandma Greenwood" wants to start teaching him to play the piano. Grandmama Cribb is in charge of making costumes. He knows she likes to sew. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

All in all, I think we are making the most of the situation. We will be so happy when he is back to himself and able to enjoy the outside world again! He is getting cabin fever! I can't blame him! Thank you for all your prayers and don't forget to continue to pray for our donor family. I'll try to post again soon when we get lab results from Friday's blood work.

Until next time,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Great News!

Joseph did great today at MUSC! He had labs drawn first and was very brave. Then he went to the Peds Cardiology Clinic and somehow got a Nestle Crunch Bar out of the deal?!? Nurse Caroline says he's going to be a lawyer someday. :) He can talk you into almost anything! The good news is his chest sounded wonderful.......no gallop sound like they heard before. The best news was that his echo showed great improvement. His numbers were better than they were last April! Dr. Forbus actually used the words "fantastic" and "awesome"! Music to our ears!! He will not be able to start school quite yet. His blood counts are heading in the right direction, but they're not quite where they need to be. We'll reevaluate in about 2 weeks. Thanks for checking in! Keep praying that his blood counts will continue to head in the right direction so he can start school and we can schedule his baptism.
Heart hugs,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Check Up This Friday

Well, not much to report this week. Joseph is doing well. His sweet little face is swollen from the prednisone and he's eating us out of house and home! We got a call from Transplant saying that his Prograf levels (anti-rejection medicine) had dropped from Sat. to Mon. We are trying to figure out this mystery. The yo yo in the numbers can be confusing and concerning. We will be at MUSC this Friday for labs and a Cardiology Clinic Appt. We are hoping and praying his heart function and pressures all look good or better. We will be making decisions about when Joseph can start school and when he can be baptised. He is going to be very upset if he can't start on time. He told me tonight that "you just can't miss the first day of school!". We shall see. We'll just look up for all these answers. Pray for our sweet little guy that things will start to get back to "normal" for him real soon! Our hearts break for him when he hits these bumps in the road. He's a strong boy, though, so if anybody can do it, he can!

Here's a fitting verse: Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Mathew 19:26

Love to All,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

The Plan

The plan for now is to have labs drawn at 8:30 in the morning right here in Florence. Then we will wait and see the results. If all is well, we will head to Charleston on Friday for a peds cardiology clinic appt. where they will do an echocardiogram, EKG, and draw more labs. Joseph's not going to be real happy with all the pokes he'll be getting this week. Say a special prayer for him that he won't get too scared or frustrated with the situation.

I just found this Bible verse and couldn't help but share it with you tonight. It made me think of sweet Joseph who is waiting to be baptised...it was scheduled before all this happened. He told our pastor that he asked Jesus into his heart and he wants everyone to know. God willing, nothing will stop him now, and everyone will know that he is a child of God. What a happy day that will be! How perfect this verse is for him!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

Love to all!
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Home Sweet Home

We made it home this evening around 5:30 pm! We had a special friend bring over dinner and now we are heading to sleep in our own beds! I can post more about "the plan" after I've had a good night's sleep. Good night!
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

Pesky T-Cells

So.......Joseph's T-Cells went up overnight and were around 80. Dr. Ringewald said that was very possible and he might expect it to do that. They want it to be below 25. Joseph will start another round of Thymoglobulin later today so we know we'll be here for at least one more night. That's fine by us considering we thought we'd be here for at least another week! They will test his counts in the morning and make a plan from there. We just can't believe how far we've come in such a short time. What a roller coaster ride. It was very reminiscent of two years ago, but this time I think we were more comfortable with the whole process. Joseph was alert and commuinicating this time which made things more bearable as well. We are hopeful that we can keep Joseph infection free during the next few months. Frequent handwashing, staying away from anyone with illness, and staying away from crowded places are once again Dr.'s orders. We are old pros at that anyway so it won't be too difficult. Thank you for checking in! We hope to see you all back in Florence really soon!

Heart hugs,
Angela, Stephen, Joseph, and Abigail

This is Incredible!

So..........Dr. Ringewald came by at the end of the day. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute to get news of how your child is! :) Anyway, it's incredible.....on a scale from 0 - 4 with zero being no rejection and 4 being total rejection, Joseph's level is 0!!!!!!! Can you believe it?? I couldn't believe my ears. They are so pleased and surprised! The Thymoglobulin seemed to be very a stubborn process but it did the job! We are unbelievably grateful for the way this rejection episode has turned around. It's beyond belief to us! Dr. Ringewald stated he would have been "happy as a clam" with a level of 2! I thought Abby was all about the drama but apparently Joseph likes to take things up a notch, he's just sneakier about it! :) We love him so much and are so happy to share this great news with you. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your kind words. Praise God for the great news!!

Here's a verse that helped us through the worry....
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)