Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Gwyneth and I dropped Tricia off at the ER this morning around 10:30...after a few hours of x-rays and tests, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and was admitted as a patient into the hospital. We're not sure of the details yet, and it certainly seems to us that it's not a serious case (although, it is always "serious" when dealing with a TX patient). Hopefully we'll hear some more info tomorrow, including how long she may have to stay at Duke. She is in good spirits (her current room is immediately next door to the room she was in for a few months last year), has been facebooking, IMing and twittering like a maniac, and is currently neighbor to a good friend of ours (Remember Lori?!? She's been at Duke this time for nearly a month, but is doing well and going home on Thursday!). If nothing else, at least we know why Tricia has been feeling poorly recently, for which we are very thankful.

Gwyneth had a great day, however! While Tricia was hanging in the ER and being admitted, Gwyneth and I were walking around the campus (laughing) and then onto her first of two big appointments this week. All of the news from her special infant care clinic is great. They are happy with her growth and her developmental progress, and we'll be making some immediate, positive changes to her diet and meds. She has several appointments tomorrow, including her one-year hearing test, the CF sweat test (yes, all other tests have been negative, but because her mother has CF, we're going all in with this one last test) and a visit with her pulmonologist (who will, hopefully, nix a few meds that she's been on since birth). We're praying for more great reports.

And, to add to her great day, Gwyneth was just about the most happiest baby ever! Other parents will probably know what I'm talking about here...you know when an infant has a light bulb moment...when they wake up one day and decide they're going to grow a bit in their behavior and interaction with the rest of the world? Gwyneth had one of those days today...she literally would not stop laughing! She laughed at everything...her toys, her nurses, her doctor...the hospital lights, the blue gloves, the paper that lays on top of the examination table...her juice bottle, her mother's games, our friends' puppy. It certainly made my day much more enjoyable, although I'm sure I would have seen some strange looks from people had I stopped the fun long enough to look up. We'll see if this behavior continues tomorrow...

And, of course, Stellan seems to have had just about the best day that anyone of us could have expected under such circumstances!

All in all, with the right perspective, today was a very good day. And, (although I probably shouldn't tell the whole world yet), our week might be getting so much better very, very soon...stay tuned!

I hope you had some laughter in your life today!

Nate

BTW, if you've been wondering what's been going on with us since my last update, you can always follow me on Twitter and Facebook!