WAAAAHHHHH! Grandpa is gone! Yesterday was rough on Buggy. He simply loves my Dad and the jokes they share. When we dropped Dad at the airport, Alex just started sobbing. Dad is retired and has nothing holding him in NC (he retired there to be by us) so we are trying to convince him to sell his townhouse and move here.
We had a really quiet visit while Dad was here because the weather was cold and rainy. As Alex told us, grandpa has a pattern...r​ain, wind, rain, wind.

In medical news...we ran labs on Thursday. I am still waiting for a few things, but what we got back looked AWESOME! Some of the best labs we have seen in a while. When I look back over the last 18 months, we have added so many medications and interventio​ns to Alex's care not to mention new diagnoses. BUT with his new treatments he is more stable then he has been in a long time and we are so thankful for that!

We leave tomorrow morning for Houston. This is a trip that Alex and I are really looking forward to. We have no tests scheduled, no admission, pretty easy in our book. So we are looking forward to spending time with friends and visiting all Alex's girls! We will be staying with our good friends the Knights. Alex can't wait to see "his wife, Lauren". I was joking with bruce and Alex this week that we must be doing really good! Over the last few weeks I have received emails from several nurses and friends from the hospital "just checking in" because they haven't seen us in so long! I guess they just got used to us...it's only been 2 months! But on a positive note December was the first month since February of 2008 that we have not had to make a trip to Houston!

I will try and update from Houston. We will be seeing Dr. Koenig, GI, immunology, hematology, and a special needs dentist. We should be home Thursday afternoon.

A​li

We rang in the New Year with frigid temperature​s. So we have pretty much been hibernating at home. Alex (and I for that matter) really don't do well with cold temps. I must admit though that after our self imposed isolation since flu season started, Alex is getting a little stir crazy. Luckily we are venturing out to Houston next week. Alex LOVES Houston. Being my child and a total social butterfly (when we allow it) he loves seeing all his "girls" at the hospital and all his little mito friends.

In the meantime, we are having a lot of fun with grandpa. Alex and Grandpa love to give each other a hard time and there is lots of laughter.

Alex went for a haircut two weeks ago, but the girl was HORRIBLE! His hair is so uneven and choppy. How do you mess up a buzz???? Anyway, we are taking him this morning to get his haircut again.

Yeste​rday, We had my Aunt and Uncle over for dinner and to watch football. Alex loves them and was so excited. They also brought him a tent for Christmas. it was a huge hit. He was in and out of that tent the whole time they were here. He decided to "campout" in our room last night. As I write, he is still sound asleep in his tent. The only problem is that the tent is so big it blocks the entrance to our bathroom. You should have seen me trying to get in to brush my teeth last night!

Bruce​y is still on the job search. We are praying for the right job to come through. I am trying to trust my belief that God has a plan and we are in the right place at the right time. In the meantime, I am so thankful for the friends and family members who have helped us as our financial situation becomes scarier and scarier.

Ali

Happy New Year!

We got the new year off to a great start by spending New Year's Eve with Alex's best buddies. Melissa (one of my playgroup Mom's) deci​ded we needed to start a new tradition of having a New Year's Eve party. She graciously invited us all over. So all 19 of us piled in to the Malone household for some fun times. Alex loved every minute as he always does when he is with his friends. Me too! Playgroup is the one time that I am free. It is the only time that Alex is willing to leave the confort of Mommy's side. It is my break and my salvation. The precious "me" time I am so lacking. So girls- Thanks once again for allowing me to relax for a while.

I wanted to take this time to Thank all of you for being such an important part of our lives. For allowing me a place to share our joys and our fears and brag about my little Buggy. For all the times we have been lifted up in prayer. For the countless blessings we have recieved. Whether it is a phone call, an email, a dinner cooked or a gift, they are all precious to me. So many times when I have been sad or scared, I have come online to find a note in the guestbook or an email in my inbox that has lifted my spirits. For each one of you I will be forever grateful. Thank you for taking some time out of your busy lives to share in ours.

I got a gift in the mail on Thursday from a dear friend that I used to teach with. It was an angel (I have collected angels for years). I opened it and had tears in my eyes. I will leave you with the saying....

B​elieve when it is beyond reason to believe!

May you each have a wonderful and blessed New Year.
Ali