October Updates

Well, here we are. It is mid-October, and we are in full swing with school, sports, dance, doctor's appointments and more doctor's appointments. I keep telling Tommy that I need ONE week without any doctor appointments. Between Taylor going to the Eating Recovery Center (ERC) on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Brayden needing weekly blood draws, Taylor going to the ortho a few times a month, Matthew going to the neurologist, Tommy and I having weekly meetings with Taylor's therapist and nutritionist at ERC, Brayden having a monthly appointment with his nephrologist at Seattle Children's Hospital, and the list goes on. And that does not include any soccer, dance, flag football, or Girl Scout activities. It has not been a relaxing fall. 

The first week of October was great, and here's why:

1. Brayden was upgraded from Stage 4 to Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease! We will take the small victories. I will copy and paste a Facebook post I wrote about Brayden last night so that I do not need to write it all over again. He is home from school today (for the 3rd day in a row) due to nausea from his chemo medication, but overall he is doing really well.

2. Taylor stepped down from her Intensive Outpatient Program at the Eating Recovery Center on 10/5. To say I am proud of her and her recovery is an understatement. Tommy was out of town when she "graduated," but the boys and I picked her up from her program that evening with balloons and flowers to celebrate. We also went out for frozen yogurt and Crumbl cookies. Taylor's success is remarkable. I know we are not "out of the woods" and she will struggle with her eating disorder for years to come, but things have almost felt normal lately. I no longer feel tremendous anxiety when it is time for a meal. She eats all of her food. She even comes downstairs without prompting for snacks! Thank you, God, for healing her.

So what's next? Taylor has starting meeting with a new therapist weekly. She meets with her nutritionist bi-weekly. She goes for weigh-in's every few weeks. She saw her pediatrician this past Tuesday, and I am happy to report that her weight was up! Hallelujah! Seriously, praise God. 

This has been an extraordinarily tough season for our family. It's funny because so many friends have reached out about Brayden and are in awe at how well Tommy and I have handled his illness... and I just want to say to them, "And that's only half of it! We have another sick child!" But Taylor's battle is a private one. I have tried to respect that, but man, it has been tough. It feels good to be on the other side of it now.