On this day two years ago, we checked into Houston Methodist Hospital to begin Hunter's transplant. Right before we left Abilene, we got family pictures made. We never spoke the words out loud to each other, but we both wondered if it would be the last. We spent hours upon hours staring at those pictures over the course of Hunter's transplant and AIDP battle. To say I'm grateful God touched Hunter's life and healed him would be a huge understatement. One of the first things that I wanted to do when we got home was to update our family pictures. I could not be more happy with how they turned out. One of my very best friends and very talented photographer, Ashley Phillips, is behind the camera. Thanks so much for these precious memories of our family reunited!
The only thing I'm upset with....I asked Ashley for pictures of my six year old not senior!
Somehow even our kids understood the significance of these photos. Never before (or probably never again) have they been so cooperative. Yes, we went through an entire bag of sweetarts, but look at those smiles! Usually Hunter would be dragging his feet too. But when you've been apart from your family in this kind of battle, you no longer take them for granted. If you've hopping over to our blog from the newspaper article or Hunter's story on the KTXS website, welcome. We are grateful to have the opportunity to share how God has intervened in the life of our family. Hunter and I have been witness to a miracle that could only be ordained by heaven. We hope you'll join us at the Kirk Goodwin Run so we can thank you in person for your support. A wise friend told us recently that we should be sure we are ready to share our God story at any time. Hunter is working on a post in his own words. Be sure and check back to hear from him!
If you've been wondering where I've been, the last three weeks can be summed up by one word....sickness. First the twins both got strep, then Hunter got a good old fashioned cold, then Benton a random fever. Because Hunter still loses so much air out his {very slow} healing hole in his neck, he had a hard time coughing out his "junk." He's finally feeling better now, but he spent a lot of the last two weeks trying to catch his breath. Eating, therapy, and sitting up were all a lot of work. It was a pretty good reminder that his body has been through a lot of trauma over the last 7 months. His bloodwork all looked great all during the time he didn't feel well. Hunter just has to build up some antibodies in his almost two year old immune system. Blogging (and cooking and cleaning) all have to take a backseat when my people don't feel well, and thankfully our parents helped us out a lot with the boys.
A few pictures from the last few weeks:
Giving it all he's got in therapy, oxygen monitor close by
Hunter has been working hard at pulling to a standing position. Last week they added in taking steps with one leg. This is so exciting! He still can't really feel where his feet are, so that complicates walking. Jodi explained that his body doesn't really know if he upright in correct position or leaned over too far forward. For you or me this process is automatic, but Hunter has to relearn all this muscle memory in addition to building back up his strength. Pray that those nerves in his legs heal so he can get to walking again! This video was his last of about 10 stands, and he was totally exhausted afterwards.
the "helpers" at Friday therapy
Our family of five got to all be back at church for the first time since September! Jarrod caught Hunter walking in and asked if he would like to say a few words to the church. What a great morning! Now we just need Chase, Macey, Hudson, and Sadie back on our row. June 1st will be another celebration!
Better Hunter than me with a microphone! I was too busy wiping away happy tears:)
Benton drew a conservation poster that won an award at his school, so we had a fun night celebrating him! He gets his artistic talent from his Daddy!
Kindergarten does a field trip to the park for an egg hunt. Mark took Hunter to the doctor and Ashley watched my twins so I could go. It feels so good to be a part of normal mommy things!
I'm not sure how this game works, but it looks fun:)
Proud Caleb as "Bug of the Week" at school
We egg hunted Saturday at Nana and G-Daddy's....
And then again after church on Sunday at Honey and Poppa's house.
This is Benton picking up, then throwing out the applesauce. The Easter Bunny was so nice to bring snacks for lunches as well as eggs:)
So much to rejoice about this year!
We were just missing Harper who was sick:(
Michelle and I are usually too busy chasing kids with our camera to stop and take one of us. I'm so thankful for all the behind the scenes ways that Michelle blesses us! She has spent many many afternoons with six kids aged three to seven at her house.
Our family has been loving the spring weather in between the sniffles, fevers, and crazy temperature changes! Hunter was giving out golf lessons this lovely evening:)
These are the kids' favorite days....staying home in their pajamas.
Unfortunately, we've also done quite a bit of this....monitoring Hunter's oxygen level and heart rate. Thankfully, it's back up in the 98-100% now.
We are trying to think of ways we can accelerate Hunter's recovery but not put too much stress on his body. At Zale Lipshy he spent quite a bit of time riding a bike to build up his endurance. There's just too much to accomplish at in our hour long sessions here. Does anyone local have an exercise bike with a seat back that's just collecting dust that we could borrow for our house for a few months? I thought it's worth a shot before we bought one that's a clothes hanger a year from now:)
In other exciting news, Hunter and I got to spend time with sweet Sadie this weekend. She's grown and filling out this 3-6 month outfit!
I think Hunter would have sat there all night:) Sadie made herself comfortable in Uncle Hunter's lap then promptly went off to sleep. It was awesome to get to spent some time with Chase and Macey too while our boys were with Nana!
Whew! It feels good to be a little closer to caught up on the blog. We are hoping to keep everyone feeling well so we can figure out our new normal and settle into more of a routine. It is so wonderful to hear "I"m not to worried if Hunter gets strep" and "he can fight this off on his own." This is new to us!
I'm so proud of our boys and how well they've adjusted to us being back home all together. They have to be a lot more patient and wait their turn without complaint. Every night they have the sweetest prayers of "thank you that Mommy and Daddy are home for good" and "please help Daddy's legs to get stronger so he can walk." Hunter would also ask for prayers that his pain will subside in his legs, that his nerves in his feet would heal, and that his trach hole would close up so he could breathe easier. Our life at home is busy, but we are so thankful to be with our boys again. They bring so much joy to our world! We are also so grateful for all of you who pray for us, bring us meals, bake us cookies, and encourage us along this journey! We honestly couldn't do this without you Team Hanner!
I am married to my best friend and high school sweetheart. We decided after five years of wedded bliss to add to our family! Benton is our beautiful big brother. Twins Caleb and Clayton complete our family. We are blessed.
Somehow even our kids understood the significance of these photos. Never before (or probably never again) have they been so cooperative. Yes, we went through an entire bag of sweetarts, but look at those smiles! Usually Hunter would be dragging his feet too. But when you've been apart from your family in this kind of battle, you no longer take them for granted. If you've hopping over to our blog from the newspaper article or Hunter's story on the KTXS website, welcome. We are grateful to have the opportunity to share how God has intervened in the life of our family. Hunter and I have been witness to a miracle that could only be ordained by heaven. We hope you'll join us at the Kirk Goodwin Run so we can thank you in person for your support. A wise friend told us recently that we should be sure we are ready to share our God story at any time. Hunter is working on a post in his own words. Be sure and check back to hear from him!
