Audacious Hope

We hear the cynics. We travel a treacherous road. We foresee tough days, but emerge heads high, countering fears with strength, resolve and optimism.

We're talking, of course, about Hope's weight. She has finally, officially, surpassed the 10 lbs. barrier, weighing in at the doctor the other day at 10 lbs. 4 oz. For those keeping track at home, that's 15 oz in about five weeks, a nice spurt for someone who took four months to gain 1 lb over the summer.

After much experimentation, heated coconut oil and carefully calibrated concoctions, we've switched from formula to Pediasure, which has about 6 calories more an ounce. Plus it tastes awesome, like a warm malted milkshake, rather than the diluted puke water that was her staple.

And like Mom's old saying about watched kettles, we've given up religiously weighing Hope every week, holding our breath as the numbers moved, and then exhaling in frustration in disappointment. We still fret about her weight, and are meeting soon with a pediatric endocrinologist to determine whether hormone therapy would help.


But today, we're happy and hopeful. That other thing that happened yesterday was pretty cool, too.