My First Entry

This is from the Caringbridge site I am in the process of closing:

Life in Anthony-land is still going great! He had labs drawn yesterday and everything looked fine. His blood counts have finally stabilized, and Anthony is able to come off of the iron supplement he's been on since August. One less med to worry about! We did switch his vitamins (Poly-vi-Sol) to the one with iron in it, just as a little booster.

With the Iron gone, Anthony is only on two meds related to his transplant. He will take his anti-rejection medicine, Prograf, for life (unless Omaha makes the decision to see if they can wean him from that). He is also on Acyclovir (an anti-viral). The Acyclovir is for the cold sore virus Anthony was unsuccessfully fighting over the winter months. The cold sores finally disappeared with the addition of the Acyclovir, and we've been on a three-month dose of that (ending this April 18th). So once April 18th rolls around, Anthony will only be on his Prograf! Sigh. Mommy's so happy!

With all of that said, I'm working on a new website for Anthony. I feel like he is healthy enough to not warrant a Caringbridge page any more. You'll be able to check for Anthony updates there, and I'll be able to put up pictures, there will be a place to add a comment to my post (so it will be like signing a guestbook). I'll let everyone know when it's up and running. Until then, I'll keep using Caringbridge.

Our sitter is sick with the flu this week, so Anthony has been enjoying time at Spa Nana. He is appropriately spoiled and pampered and loved. It's nice to have such a wonderful support group of family in town that can help us take care of Anthony. That said, Mark and I are thinking of putting Anthony in day care so he will have more exposure to kids his age, and will get experience in SHARING (a small problem right now) and hopefully will meet some play mates.

I've inflated the pool I bought last summer for Anthony. It needs to be cleaned, but I'm sure we'll start spending time in it very soon! If bath time is any indicator, Anthony should love being in the pool this year. Maybe it's time to look into Mommy and Me swimming lessons!

Please keep one of Mark's classmates in your prayers. He has cancer and received a bone marrow transplant from his sister around Thanksgiving. He relapsed in his bone marrow at almost 100 days post-transplant, and got pneumonia. He is now on in the CCU at MD Anderson, and is on a respirator. The next 72 hours are a critical time for him; his BMT doctor has told the family that miracles do happen and that the family should not give up hope. Mark's classmate and his wife have twins (boy/girl) who are about two-years old. Please keep this wonderful family in your thoughts and prayers.

As always, thanks for checking in on us. Please sign the guestbook so we know you were here!

Much love, Laurie, Mark and Anthony

Coming up in Anthony-land:
Wednesday & Thursday: nothing!
Friday: Mama AND Daddy have the afternoon off, but Anthony has to go to the pediatrician for his next round of immunizations! :(
Saturday and beyond: stay tuned!