Hello and happy Sunday!

It's been about a week since my last update- there's been a lot going on- mainly, I finally felt that Mason was in a stable enough place to go in and have my wisdom teeth removed, so I could be out of commission for a few days and all would be okay. I spent a few days with ice packs on my face and taking my meds on a regular basis. Now I'm back at the hospital so I need to be a little more with it and I've left some of the good meds at home. Fingers crossed that the next few days just get better with my pain...

While I was laid out on the couch, I was also busy orchestrating a surprise visit- my parents' 50th wedding anniversary was yesterday. Since my mom (Grandma Mary) has been living in Georgia all summer, taking care of my household and other kiddos, my dad flew down to surprise her. We sent them away for a one-night getaway close to the Inn at Serenbe so they could celebrate without all the stress that comes from taking care of my family (so Alex and Kylie became my caretakers while I was laid out on the couch- I survived and I think that's all I need to say about that). We also surprised her with a visit from all 3 of her sisters. I am so very thankful that she is willing and able to give her time to be so far away from the beautiful lakes and weather of Minnesota during the summer. It has allowed me to be more present with Mason when I'm at the hospital and also to be focused on the kiddos at home when I need to be.

Unfortunately, while I was down and out and away from the hospital, Mason did contract an infection and his fever spiked. With the high fever comes more nausea. These symptoms are exactly why we stay in the hospital while undergoing the full course of treatment, so the nurses and doctors were on it immediately, covering Mason in all the antibiotics and drawing all the labs to determine the cause of the fevers. We are waiting for firm answers, but the doctors believe it is a strep infection and they are confident that the antibiotics they started right away are fully covering Mason where his own body can't fight back due to his low blood counts.

When I arrived last night at 9 p.m., Mason was just waking up for the first time all day. He ate a decent amount of chicken and green beans, then asked me to turn off the movie he was watching and was back to sleep before midnight. We were up and down almost every hour through the overnight hours dealing with the nausea and fever and having the nurse check vitals.

We spent the morning sleeping to catch up on the sleep we didn't get last night. He just indulged me in watching the movie "Twisters" before taking back the controller and jumping in to Fortnite with friends.

We will continue to take this journey one day at a time, and while we've had a few tough days again, we rest in the fact that we are exactly where we need to be to get the treatment to help Mason face this infection. Specific prayer requests would include for the fever to break and go away, for the infection to clear within the next few days, for the nausea to get back under control, and for Mason to get his appetite back again.

We appreciate your continued support. As Mason fights this latest bump in the road, I know he would love to receive more Smilegrams (link below) and encouragement.

Name: Mason Early; Location: Scottish Rite; Room number: 573.