JUST KEEP SWIMMING

"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim."                                     

                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                              - Dory, Finding Nemo.

A friend posted this quote today, and I realized that's where we are right now with Jacob.

• Pneumonia - just keep swimming. 
• A collapsed lung - just keep swimming. 
• Blood clotting factors trending down - just keep swimming. 
• Not being able to absorb Vitamin K - just keep swimming. 
• Lipase still elevated - just keep swimming. 

The rest of the house:

• Diagnosed with nasty painful shingles once again - just keep swimming. 
• Work, work, work and figuring out new responsibilities at work - just keep swimming. 
• Computer broken - just keep swimming. 
• Flat tire needing repair - just keep swimming. 
• Hubby behind on work - just keep swimming. 
• Two sleep deprived parents with no sleep in sight - just keep swimming. 
• Behind on catching up with friends - just keep swimming.
• Behind on everything around the house - just keep swimming.
• Joakim and Sarah going out of town - just keep swimming.

I am keeping on to the things that keep me going. I get up in the morning to get my exercise in. I enjoy my first (but not last) cup of coffee a little extra. I get on my conference calls and keep up with work all day (and luckily I truly enjoy what I am doing). I do make time to hug Jacob a little extra hard, and keep up with all the extra issues we need to figure out and coordinate with multiple doctors involved. I make time for Sarah. I drink wine with my hubby and get frustrations off my chest and priorities straighten out, so I can keep swimming.

We have been in the big ocean before. We hardly have a chance to catch our breathe before the next big wave. But we do keep swimming. You can call it resilience. You can call it stupidity. You can call it hope. I just know deep down in my heart that right now, our boy needs us more than ever. So, we will keep swimming together.

Jacob made it home from the hospital this afternoon. He is still a very sick boy coming home with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. A lot of responsibility on us, and a lot of extra care for our boy. We just felt Jacob wasn't safe in the hospital. The respiratory season hit very late at Children's this year, but is now in full swing. We felt if we kept him there any longer, he would easily catch another infection. With Jacob being in and out of the hospital so much lately, I do pray for that miracle to turn things around for him, so we can start building a routine at home once again. That's all I am asking for, and until then, we will just keep swimming.

Love, Maria.