What a difference 10 months makes!

This picture was taken January 1 this year, a little over a week after Sara's surgery in Boston. Some may think it odd that I took a photo like this or that I am doing a blog post on it. But when something is on my mind, I want to document it. When my kids are grown, they will be able to look back and have lots of childhood memories...and many instances of God sightings in our family.

This picture is still hard for me to look at. 26.5 pounds, down 2 pounds since leaving home. 4 robotic incision points beginning to heal. An extremely distended belly from surgery and the cause of much of her pain at the time. She would go from perfectly fine one second to screaming in pain the next and there wasn't much we could do to help other than tell her to breathe deep and give it time for her body to wake back up. Typical after 11 hours of surgery. A stepping stone added to my collection of things that have changed me forever.

This picture was taken October 22, just a few weeks ago. Her scars look wonderful. The vitamin E that we have been putting on them all summer has really helped. Sara is up to 31 pounds--a sign of health! We had a routine full blood work up and visit with the pediatric nephrologist. All levels look great, the best they have been for 1 1/2 years. We don't have to see him for 6 months. In the 3 months prior to her surgery, Sara did not grow at all. But since her surgery, she has grown 2 1/2 inches! It was neat to see the nephrologist so excited.

Stable. Healthy. Renal Reflux that isn't correcting. 1/2" kidney stones that remain but aren't multiplying. Another surgery to correct the reflux and remove the stones on one side, going back to the first picture for a while? Or enjoy the second photo until the surgery is urgent? It's when, not if.

Healthy. Stable. That will be the focus of my attention for now. In the moment. Thanks, God.