Gratitude Filled Update

Sometimes you just need to take a step back and remember all the beautiful things there are to be thankful for.

I am grateful for:

*little plastic tubes that hang out in my little baby's tummy to suck all the gunk up so he doesn't have to choke as often, or as violently.

*IVs to nourish his little body while he can't eat on his own

*oxygen that revives him when the choking has gotten the best of his body

*people who care enough to go to insane amounts of schooling, endure residency, fellowship, and much more in order to fix our little Malachi

*4 hour surgeries that can make the difference between life and death

*family and friends who do exactly what we need without being asked (oftentimes without us even knowing we need it)

*many people that made our big 4 year old Addie's birthday yesterday a very special day

*sweet smiles from my 4 children

*branch fasts

*conversations that remind me that physical presence is far less important than we tend to believe

*a little boy with a giant spirit

*a husband that does so much I can't even write it all down but I'll try; gets up with me for every pumping so he can wash the pump parts, store and label Malachi's milk, get me water, and rub my back (okay, he usually falls asleep after about 10 seconds - but it's a great 10 seconds) / helps me get all comfortably wedged into bed and tucks me in because I still can't move around that well / thinks about going shopping, goes shopping, and returns home with all we need without even being asked / has a shoulder big enough for all my tears / pulls off a birthday dinner while I sit on the couch (with big help from a super creative friend that just had a few too many hours on her hands and made Addie the best princess cake you ever did see) / helps keep the house clean and straightened how I like it even though he can easily ignore it / remembers scriptures and family prayer amidst the chaos / and oh so much more - love you deeply Sam

*thoughts and prayers from around the globe that are felt so tangibly it is unreal and truly keeps us lifted up

*unheard of hotel rates due to the kindness and generosity of a person that barely knows us

*an immediate and most generous offer of money from my sweetest of siblings upon receiving our text that we live too close to the hospital (3 miles within the northern border!) to use the Rondald McDonald house

*my swelling going down enough that I can use my right hand again, my wedding ring is once again in it's rightful place on my finger, I can bend my right leg without being stopped by a gigantically swollen knee and thigh - I still can't find my ankles or feet all the way, but they are beginning to show signs of returning and leaving their sausage like counterparts in the past, oh I can't wait!!! The children will be disappointed not to play the 'who can make the biggest finger indent in mommy's foot' game anymore - can't say that I'll miss it at all!

*three wonderful pseudomoms that have been with Malachi these past days while I am trying to recover enough to be able to stay with him myself. sharing him has been a blessing unlike I could imagine - thank you for your time, your love, and your willingness to love my little boy from close while I am far.

*birthday cards, singing Elmo balloons, sister missionaries, and pepperoni pizza that put a smile larger than life on my big 4 year old

*much more that I don't have time to put down right now - much, much more

*oh, one more thing - the Green Bay Packers! Yep we are not that far out of the loop. Sam doesn't watch football on Sundays so we had a fun family morning watching the recorded game on Monday. Luckily my sweet sisters congratulatory text reached my eyes only and I was able to keep it under-wraps so my hubby was none the wiser. It was kind of fun knowing ahead of time how excited he would be. It sure did make watching the game far less nail biting as well :) GO PACKERS GO!

And now for the update:

Malachi continues to do well. Despite all his little body is going through he is sweet and calm, rarely cries, and is comforted fairly quickly when someone is there to snuggle him through it. He is enduring his bowel irrigations okay, but they are not as productive as the doctors would like, they are every 4 hours and he does not appreciate them at all. The risk of infection grows higher and higher as all that bacteria filled miconium and stool stays stuck and blocks all of his digestive functions. His surgery this Thursday is 4 hours long, not including the portion where they put him out. He will go back at 7:30 a.m. and we will notify a few predetermined people upon completion so we can spend as much time with him as possible. We will update the blog as soon as we can, but our priority will be Malachi. Recovery time is uncertain. The major milestone he needs to reach is being able to put food in his mouth and get it out his adorable little baby bottom without any medical intervention. Also making sure that the choking and gagging is resolved due to proper downward flow of all things in his stomach.

My wonderful sister in law will be here today to stay with the children and take care of the homefront for us through Monday of next week. It is such a huge relief to know that our children will be comfortable in their beds and having a great time playing with their cousins and super duper Aunt Debbie. Having someone we trust come and take care of things is such a blessing right now. Thanks Weisenberger family for uprooting yourselves for us, we really appreciate it!