Stop it RIGHT NOW, friend!- Sawyer Update

...so that's sawyer's fave statement at the moment, and he uses it to express any and all displeasure regarding needle sticks, , temp checks, suture checks, and general discombobulation. the good news is, his sass is well in tact! according to the docs, his feistiness is a good sign...they say they'd be more concerned if he were laying there ambivalent to the pain and irritation, soooo, we'll call this one a victory. know that you have all been wanting an update, and i must apologize that we've been remiss in the past few days. our computer has access has been somewhat more limited in the regular children's wing, as there are only 2 for several floors of patients and families. so, there is lots of great news, and some other more sobering news, but we'll start with the good....the dude is really hanging in there, and is showing improvements every day. he's sitting up in bed, talking, and laughing, watching movies, drawing on his doodlepro, and taking rides in the wagon. this has been the most encouraging thing for stephen and i because the medical specifics are so far beyond our grasp and control, and the only thing we can really measure is his "spark". well, folks, his SPARK is on the mend! he's eating like a maniac, which is FANTASTIC news, and means we won't to go the route of a feeding tube, which is just another procedure for him to endure, as well as more sedation. YES! his leg wound is healing nicely according to the surgeons, but just slays us to see...basically the outer leg looks like frankenstein, and the inner leg has 3 large incisions that are stapled together. looks like the staples will have to stay in for a while, and we'll go home with them, but the amazing part of that last sentence is that we'll get to go HOME! sawyer regularly says, " i want to go back." and has said that since the first day in the ER...just yesterday, i asked him, "go back where", and he said, "home, mommy". just kill me now. looks like we'll be back in the OR on monday to have the wound closed more tightly because it's basically been open this whole time with a loose "shoestring" stitch to keep it together. it was basically too swollen to close at the time of surgery, but the swelling is now coming down slowly, which tells the docs that the antibiotics are working! on the antibiotic front, infectious disease draws blood daily (sometimes at 4:30 a.m. by the way...psychos!) and examines it to see where we stand with the infection. he certainly still has the strep infection, but it looks like his platelet count is up (it was dangerously low before), and his white blood cell count is down, meaning the infection is diminishing. this is AMAZING news, which we have been waiting for. in the beginning, they can only guess what the infection is, and use the broadest antibiotics they have to try to kick it, but now we know exactly what he has, and to what degree. they had to put all his junk (blood, mucus, spinal fluid) in a petri dish and watch it grow, which takes time. not sure where we stand on his course of antibiotics heading forward, but waiting to see how much progress is made to know whether or not he can take the meds by mouth (we are hoping for this), or if he'll have to go home with a picc line, which is basically a semi-permanent IV that threads all the way through the arm, and into the body, and which we can load ourselves at home...again, another procedure/sedation we'd like to avoid. physical therapy is daily and makes me want to stab somebody. basically, he still cannot (or maybe will not) stand or walk, so that is, of course, excruciating for us to watch. the therapists basically assist him in walking, standing, stretching, kicking, and he screams, "help me mommy! make is stop! Come hold me!", or "stop it, friend", which, i'm not gonna lie, makes us laugh. at least his manners are in tact. we're hoping he'll be up and walking when we go home, but either way, we're looking at lengthy out-patient PT for a while to come, and we're just not sure how sturdy he's gonna be when we head home. hoping he doesn't mind it when the others boys saddle and ride him later. all that to say, our big boy has been miraculously healed from what could have been a life-ending, limb-threatening infection. honestly, the more i find out about severe blood infections, and spinal meningitis, and how fatal they can be, my stomach turns. we were pulled out of the depths by our GOD, and i will boldly proclaim that to ANYBODY! i have been previously more reserverd about shouting the name of jesus, particulary because many of my friends do not believe, and i haven't wanted to offend them, but that is no longer my chief concern. i feel like i've found the cure for cancer, and i have to tell somebody! HOW COULD I NOT TELL SOMEBODY?! EVERYBODY?! we have been utterly cared for and prayed over in ways that i don't even fully know yet, and i am so completely thankful for all of you who literally got on your face and cried out to God for our baby boy. i'm weeping into the rivets on the keyboard as we speak....i pray that you will all know the comfort, peace, assurance, and joy we have found in these last days, even in the midst of utter turmoil and terror. I know that it can only be found in the name of JESUS!!!! i love you all too much to not tell you that! more info to come as we have it. you've all been amazing. thank you for the meals, matchbox cars, warm socks, hairdryers, sweatpants, magazines, blueberry muffins, and movies. you've all loved us in such specific, unique ways. we adore you*