Footprints

I have read and re-read a talk by Sister Mary Ellen Smoot the past few days.  She starts her talk with "Some people and events come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same." (https://www.lds.org/ensign/2001/11/steadfast-and-immovable?lang=eng)

This sums up the past three years.  My family is stronger and closer because of this journey with Nicole.  We feel like we have been given a sifter to sift through what we value most.  The things that have no value to us seem to just fall through the sifter, and what remains in the sifter is what we value most.  

We have learned a lot about each other and each one of our children.  We have learned a lot about friends.  As hard as this journey may be we would never change what we have learned. Yes, James and I have changed.  Our children have grown in ways that we could never have taught them.  We cherish those "footprints on our hearts"; they have taught us about our King, Savior and Redeemer!

Look a pretzel!

It's yummy!

Nicole had clinic today (9-16-2014).  It was a fairly quick visit; we were there for only 4.5 hours  :)  Her platelets were at 14 which is the best they have been in weeks.  However, 14 still requires a platelet transfusion.  They are also pleased with how well her GVHD is doing.  They are hoping that getting her GVHD under control will help her platelets to improve on their own.  They are feeling optimistic enough that they are on the right track that they want her to have her next appointment in a week. With that said, they are also being cautious and having a home health nurse come on Friday to draw labs to check her platelet counts.  

We still don't know when they will allow us to go home.  Nicole is 91 days post transplant today.  The one thing I have learned is you can't plan on anything when it comes to going home.  Just one day they will say, "you can go home."