the short answer? great.

the long answer? well... here we go. london has begun making red blood cells on her own. this is a huge component of what was concerning us. this is very promising, and as one might expect, a huge relief. this means that (at this point) we will not be doing a bone marrow biopsy, which we were all dreading. the hematologist has said that we are not completely out of the woods yet, but that she is showing very encouraging signs that this was, in fact, a condition called T.E.C. (Transient Erythroblastopenia of Childhood). however, the stoppage in her growth (height specifically) remains unexplained. so, we still have some tests to undergo, but fortunately... it is nothing invasive at this point.

london has gained 9 oz. since my last update, and she has finally grown out of the 3-6 month shoes that she has been wearing for over a year. this may not seem like a huge deal, but the first two years of a human being's life is the period where the most rapid growth and development occurs. london has not grown for almost half her life. this has been terrifying for us. also, we are coming up on 7 weeks of continual diarrhea, which is also quite concerning.

on the positive end, her doctors are universally impressed by her rate of development which continues to make me feel bad for other children... since she is seriously the smartest baby on planet earth. and probably all the other planets too. this has remained the greatest comfort to us, since the growth of her head and her development are sort of the "last men standing."

in other news, i am pleased to announce that since my last update i have both refrained from using any illicit street drugs, and have held fast to my faith that God's hand really is a faithful one, inside which my little baby bird is snugly perched. thanks to all who encouraged me, supported me, and who told me to "just say no." and i even thank those who judged me silently, rather than out loud. i appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

the truth is that almost from the moment of conception, london has had a rough go at survival. i had multiple complications during my pregnancy and she even had a close call with being burgled at one point. so, when we had to take her in for a blood transfusion...

i couldn't help but think that this time we wouldn't get to keep her.

when you have four healthy, happy, beautiful kids... it all starts to feel a little too idyllic. like it's going so well, it must be really fragile, and i start feeling like it's all about to fall apart when i least expect it. so, thank you to all who encouraged me and listened when i was in the dark place, and for those who had to listen more than once. or twice. thanks for thoughts, kind words, and more than anything... for diligent prayers.

i bought myself one of those teeny tiny little computers for your lap. i believe they are called netbooks, or notebooks, or netpads or something. (i call it a tippy-tappy.) but the point is that now that i have my own tippy-tappy, i plan to be more consistent with blogging, especially when it comes to updates on london. additionally, we are continuing our capuano tour de usa this summer, focusing on the great northeast. so, that will ensure blog after blog of high quality entertainment for all. until then...