The Valiant Knight

Friday Ryker turned 18 months old! Wow, time flies. Our hero had another good week. He is still staying inside and trying not to fall or bump into things. He was thrilled to see lots of family this week. First, he got a surprise call from Great Aunt Judy inviting us to dinner at Cousin Marcy's house. Though he didn't do much eating, he had an awesome time playing with everyone, including little Shnooky the dog. Later that week, he got to see Uncle Tyler, Aunt Genessa, Cadence, and Brannen. They, along with Marcy, met us for dinner at Abuelos. Rykerman spent a good portion of the evening flirting with all the girls in his line of vision...and none of them minded one bit. It was great to see everyone!
This past weekend was low key. Ryker played quite a bit with Daddy. He is enjoying pretending and mimicking what we do. Jevon hurt his shoulder playing with Ryker and rolled around grimacing and moaning for a few seconds. Ryker, not missing a beat, did his best impression and has since gone back to the same spot to moan and groan and roll around a couple of times. He is really into shoes right now, too. He picks them up and carries them around. He tried on Dad's shoes and walked through the house this week. Too cute! He is becoming pretty vocal about what he wants and what he doesn't want. He is learning more words, like "veggies", "fruit", and "cheerios" so that he can tell us what he is in the mood to snack on. He is such a fantastic kid! We just sit back in awe of how quickly he learns new things, and we can't help but laugh when he dances and sings. We are so grateful to be called his parents.
Ryker continues to fight the ITP. He hasn't had any more bruises, which is a huge praise! He has really been a trooper at the blood tests. Today was our most recent. His levels had dropped slightly (out of the "normal" range and back into the "low" category) to 135k. The doctor assured us it was nothing to be alarmed about. This was the week that the medicine would start to wear off and his own body would begin working on its own to stop making the antibodies that are eating its own platelets. The tests do need to continue weekly and he still can't play normally or be in the nursery at church. Like a brave and courageous knight, he will continue to battle until he has defeated his foe. God has blessed us in so many ways; though he is still facing this challenge, He has provided lots of family and friends to support us, plenty of activities indoors to keep Ryker busy, and lots of energy and patience for Mommy and Daddy to get through each day. Please continue to pray that his levels rise with next Tuesday's blood test and that he would get through the blood draw without too much pain. They take quite a bit out of him (as you can see below). He really has been amazing, handling multiple sticks the last two weeks in order to get a suitable sample from his veins. My precious little knight is so strong! Have a great week!