Catching Up

I know I've been remiss in posting, but it seems like either I'm running around like a chicken with her head cut off, or it doesn't seem like I have anything new to say.... however, I've been feeling inspired so I'm probably going to blab aimlessly.

I'll take you back to the day after Thanksgiving. Max, Leslie and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Phipps Conservatory for a few hours in the afternoon (Sam needed a nap because of all the Thanksgiving excitement - or it could just be the meds.) And we had a great time taking numerous photos:

Sam has been working on trying different foods with some successes and some problems.

Since Thanksgiving he has tried and been able to eat a few spoonfuls of - French toast; sweet potato bread pudding with ice cream; wedding soup; pasta with a little sauce; avocado; pumpkin pie; and sweet potato/parsnip soup; chocolate milk; chocolate brownie.

The problems have been sushi rice (it didn't want to go down); ice cream was too sweet; and last Thursday, he got brave and tried to swallow a small Senecot-S tablet and it got stuck in his throat which was not fun for him. He irritated his throat so much trying to cough it up that he didn't try anything the next day. He did get back on track and is trying.
Some foods just don’t taste quite right to him, and the thought of choking isn’t very appealing… so he does approach food with a level of caution.

This Thursday Sam has a follow-up appointment with his E/N/T doctor who will determine if he wants to biopsy Sam's tongue. I'm not sure how Sam or I feel about this appointment... on the one hand the thought of Sam having to undergo this procedure is not appealing; but on the other hand it would potentially give us a clearer picture of Sam's diagnosis. But, we have found that it is much more beneficial to live the day you have and not focus too much on what might be ahead. For us, there is peace in that philosophy.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a head game and it is not easy. For us, it is a day-by-day process of trusting God for the outcome and taking things as they come. When we find that we are not in that place - that's when things seem upside down. That's why prayer is so important. Like my dear friend Thelma said once, "Prayer is like the oars of your boat. They take you closer to shore - the shore won't come to you."