update on James

Greetings! I have felt guilty for not blogging about James and mamahood, but I think family and friends have been enjoying our Tumblr account and I have been keeping a journal for the little nugget as well. As I've contemplated my return to blogging from time to time, I've felt some ridiculous pressure to return with a splash via a really cool or profound post. Last week, I thought about just posting a favorite recipe to take the edge off and simply dip my toe back into the water.

Well, yesterday we found out it's likely James has a tumor in his gums. So...splash!

As someone who likes to document, I thought this would be a good way for us to remember this story and share with some close friends.

On May 29, driving home from Asheville, NC, Jim noticed James had a tooth protruding from his upper gum...but the tooth was quite high - not where you would envision its permanent home should be. We called our doctor, and apparently this happens from time to time. So we thought perhaps James would have a funky baby tooth. Okay, we can handle that.

Gradually from that point, his part of his upper gum began to swell. Again, we called our doctor, and apparently gum swelling is common with teething. Alright, game on. We stocked up on teethers and homeopathic teething pellets.

Then the area started to look dark in one spot. Same drill...called our doctor, and apparently James has a more severe case of teething than most babies but we could use Orajel to help with any discomfort. But James was completely happy even without the teething pellets.

Last Thursday, I took a few things to a gal I know that does framing. She noticed James's swelling and of all things, she used to be a pediatric dental assistant and was concerned. She told me in 6 years of practice, she never saw teething appear in such a way and made me an appointment with a pediatric dentist.

Since Thursday, we've seen our pediatrician, a pediatric dentist, and yesterday met with an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon thinks it's a tumor specific to infancy. (He gave us the exact name, but to try and protect myself from lots of unhelpful Googling, I'm working on forgetting it for now.) So we scheduled a CT scan for Friday afternoon, which will give him a better picture as to how the area is growing and needs to be addressed in surgery. He said we likely would not receive the radiology reports back until Monday or Tuesday and would go from there. Gulp...cue the waterworks and prayers.
But God is good and this afternoon I was informed our surgeon was scheduled at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for two other cases on Wednesday, and we could schedule ours that morning - first! And while typing this post, the CT scan was moved up to tomorrow morning instead of afternoon. This may not seem like good news, but as Tom Petty says, the waiting is the hardest part. So right now I'm feeling quite thankful for this progress.

We would covet your prayers during this time - especially that God would be with James tomorrow and during his surgery and recovery...and the tumor would be benign.

Thanks, friends.

xo,
Lauren