All The Wrongs Have Been Made Right

I've waited for more than 3 months to post this update as I want to give Theodore's body the adjustment it needs. So far, Theodore has produced normal stools twice already. He still poops numerous times per day but with a decrease  in volume and an improvement in appearance. Stools are no longer as water as before. 

Overall, he maintains a happy disposition. He walked exactly a month after his third and last surgery. He talks - A LOT. He can pronounce simple sentences in the Bisaya dialect. He is his own little person, and he is very expressive of his likes and dislikes. 

The only reminders of everything he has gone through are the two long scars in his tummy. Whenever he meets someone for the first time, he would raise his shirt to show off his battle scars. He has finally gained weight too. Yehey! Two days ago, he weighed in at 10.3kls, which is not bad for an 20-month old baby. 

Looking back, I can confidently say that 90% of the wrongs have been made right. 

It pains me to accept this but we have made a lot of mistakes when he was younger. I allowed myself to be stressed the whole time I was pregnant with him. Although I went to every single check-up, it wasn't enough to compensate for the emotional trauma and physical excursions of working and living in Manila. I knew I should have taken better care of my body when he was still inside. 

We made a mistake in choosing his pediatrician, who I have thanked numerous times in previous posts. She has failed to recognize all of Theodore's symptoms, and have repeatedly brushed off our concerns of his failure to gain weight and frequent illnesses. I remember my husband, Marc, recorded the times Theodore would suddenly develop fever (complete with dates, time and temperature) to show the pedia. But she just said it could be because of the environment. We used to live in a 2nd floor apartment, and in a relatively nice area in Makati. We moved to change the environment, but Theodore was still the same. 

We made a mistake when we allowed the pedia to choose Theodore's other doctors. One doctor said she couldn't find the thymus, and I cried my heart out. It was very scary for me, as a mom, to be told that your child's immuno-compromised because I know that meant a bleak future for him. 

We made a mistake when we waited too long to come home. I was afraid of letting go of my job then because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. I was just getting accepted as a true part of OPAPP-OSEC (although I have been there for more than a year). I have made friends and contacts, and I was finally having fun. If  I had decided to come home earlier, Theodore wouldn't have to suffer too long. 

When we found out that I was pregnant with Theodore, I must admit that I felt disappointed. I've just started a new job and it was not the right time to be pregnant. But I loved him the first time I saw him as a bleep in the monitor of the ultrasound machine. We planned his introduction to his big brother, and we even involved Kuya in all the preparations for Theodore's arrival. 

But you know, all the mistakes we made guided us along this difficult journey. They have made this triumph sweeter. We learn from our mistakes, and we are forever grateful for the people who have supported us, prayed with us, laughed and cried with us, and even stayed up late to wait for Theodore to get out of the operating room. 

It has been a long and stressful journey towards recovery, but Theodore is such a fighter. Today, you cannot even see any sign of his past when you look at him and see him smile. You cannot believe what he went through to continue to live when he talks and plays. 

Thank you for being an instrument of God's grace on Earth!

Theodore 2 weeks after his last surgery. He has forgotten all the pain, and looked completely happy. :)