Friday, April 23rd

I can hardly believe Payton has been home from the hospital a week from today. It has gone by fast and yet it has been a long hard week as well. Payton started showing some signs of improvement yesterday. He is still getting up a few times at night but after taking his medicine will go straight back to bed. He is walking around more although I really think that most of his comfort comes from being in an upright position. He is starting to eat better which we are so grateful for since he was really looking thin. Payton asked me yesterday, “Mom, Can I have a hug?” I replied of course you can buddy; do you need a hug today? And he said “Yes, I do Mom, because I had to go through a really hard surgery.” Out of all the things, Payton hates taking his medicine more than anything. We have started rotating the Lortab with some Ibuprofen and that seems to be working pretty well. Payton is starting to laugh a little and having more of a desire to play with his puzzles and toys. He still keeps asking me “What did Dr. Miller tell me that I could play with?” He wants to make sure that he doesn’t do anything that would cause him any discomfort.

Dr. Miller called on Wednesday and said that the Pathologist report was finalized. He said that it was indeed a benign growth and that it looks as if it was scar tissue with a little bit of iron that was probably left over from his chemo. He asked how Payton was doing and I told him that Chad and I didn’t realize what a rough surgery this would be. We thought that he would bounce back a little quicker like he did with his previous surgery. He said that it doesn’t surprise him since he had to stretch through his rib cage to cut out the piece of his liver. He said to Payton it probably feels like he has some broken ribs. Payton does walk around like he is in some discomfort.

This has been a good week with some peace of mind knowing that once we get Payton through this post-surgery that Payton will be able to return back to being a normal little boy. This is such a reminder to me that every day that we get to live is such a gift. Life is precious and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I am so grateful for Payton in my life. He has helped me to become a better person and I cannot imagine life without him. He is truly an angel to me and I cannot wait to see what kind of person that he becomes and what he will accomplish in his life. Does it take something like this in our life to make us realize what we have? I think so many of us run through life each day and forget who we are, why we are here and what matters very most. This has made me want to be a kinder person and to be more helpful to people in need. We have been so lucky to have some wonderful friends that have forever left a great impression on me. I am a believer that the Lord puts certain people in your life at different times to help you get through whatever challenges you might face. I have a few amazing people in my life that have totally touched me and forever changed my life. I have had people call at the right moment of offering just exactly what we needed. I am so amazed at how these special people stay so close to the spirit. I am going to strive really hard to be one of these people. I know that the people that have helped us will be truly blessed. I love Payton more that I can express and I thank Heavenly Father every day for helping us get through our challenges that sometimes have seemed too difficult to face. We are so blessed.