Happy New Year!  We have returned home from our two week vacation/Duke follow-up.  We started our vacation with a wonderful visit to Martin’s mom and dad’s place in NC.  Grandma and Papa were very happy to see us.  We then traveled to Florida to visit with my dad and stepmother.  We got to stay on the East coast beach.  It was very relaxing and a very nice visit.  We only walked the beach one day.  The ocean was COLD! 

After our visit in FL, we traveled back to NC for a visit with Martin’s brother and his family.  The cousins had fun playing.  On our way to Duke we stopped to see the Smiths.  They are a fellow transplant family whose little girl, Rachel, is a beautiful angel watching over us.  We continue to pray for them and coping with their loss. It was so good to see them.

The boys had excellent check-ups with Dr. Paul.  All the tests from Tuesday, Jan. 5 were normal!  Praise GOD!  Even Trevin’s Hemoglobin was normal and he has not had IVIG (immunoglobulin replacement) since October.  They even told us to stop his steroid.  This is wonderful news.  He has gained quite a few pounds since last Christmas and we are hoping that his weight will come down with the ceasing of the steroid.  Too much weight can be harmful to his heart.  We are praying, though, that his Hemoglobin remains stable.  All other labs on both boys were fabulous.  I was just noticing today that it seems that Brayden has grown a couple inches in the past month!  We know that our boys are walking testimonies of God’s healing power!  We are so thankful for every day that we see their smiling faces.  Kiss your children and let them know they are loved, and cherish them everyday.

God Bless,

Gina