i can do hard things

I think recent events have warrented a new blog post.

We will start with some good news first!

On January 26, Anderson Duben Wilde was born. 8 lbs 13 oz. 19 1/2 inches long. A wonderful day, since he shares his birthday with my wonderful grandma. He's just perfect. He's been such a wonderful addition to our family. Ainsley especially thinks he's great. she's been a great helper and is proud of her little brother. It has been nice to another beautiful baby around us to keep us smiling.

Just a few weeks ago, Duben finished his last chemotherapy treatment. We were so overwhelmed and grateful to finally have that behind us. It has definitely been a long road getting here. We couldn't have done it without the love and support of so many amazing people.
Just a week after Duben's last treatment he wasn't feeling well, so he went to his oncologist and they found out he had pneumonia. He went in for two sets of IV antibiotics and they told him to get some rest and he should be okay. A week later he still wasn't feeling well and we were set to leave for Houston the next morning, so he went back in and had another X-ray and then had to get two shots. They said the pneumonia didnt look any worse so the antibiotics should do the trick. The next morning we packed up the car and made a quick stop at the oncology clinic so he could have one more round of antibiotics, then we were on our way. We drove five hours to Dallas and then the next morning made our way to Houston.
We plan on being here in Houston for about six weeks, so we've rented a little two bedroom house close to the hospital. We were pleasantly surprised how cute it is, and that its in a great neighborhood. Ainsley loves it, and calls it the bungalow.
We arrived in Houston Sunday afternoon and Monday morning I dropped Duben off at MD Anderson so he could meet with his radiation oncologist and then have a CT scan done. He still wasn't feeling well and by the time he went to get his CT he was having problems breathing and was in a lot of pain. He ended up throwing up and then they told him he needed to go to the ER.
Once there they discovered he had a blood clot in his lung and also an infection in his lungs. The blood clot has a pretty straightforward treatment plan, which right now is two shots twice a day. Due to the hefty price tag off the shot, he'll be switching to a pill, which will requre weekly doctor visits for about six months. Which isnt bad, if we stayed with the shots Duben would have to administer them himself, and he hates needles.

As for the infection, the doctors are unsure of what it is, and that is their main concern. This morning they performed a bronchoscopy to look at his lungs and take a sample from the infection. The procedure went well, and it will probably be about two days before we get the results back. In the mean time, Duben is comfortable, and slowly feeling better. He still struggles breathing and coughing, but we are comforted knowing he is at the best place for him. The doctors and nurses here are amazing, and since I can't stay with him all day, its nice knowing he is well taken care of.

Overall, we are doing okay. Its been hard emotionally having so much thrown at us all at once. Moving to a new city with a newborn and a two year old was hard, but adding all this immediately after arriving really caught us offguard. We are blessed my mom was able to fly in so I can spend time at the hospital with Duben and she can be with Ainsley. Ainsley is adjusting well, but still misses Daddy. A good friend of ours gave us a picture that says, I can do hard things. There have been many nights we've looked at that and had to remind ourselves that we can do this. We can get through this.

We are so grateful for all the prayers and well wishes. It means so much to us to have such an amazing support system. I know we couldn't have made it through all these trials without the love and support of so many wonderful people. I just can't say enough how much we appreciate all of you. Thank you all!