Day +2

As expected, Jeff's counts are dropping and he is actually receiving a transfusion of red blood as I write this. He generally handles the transfusions without any side effects, so let us all hope that trend continues. I'm guessing that tomorrow he'll need a good dose of platelets, as they are keeping his clotting cells higher this round to prevent any more hemorrhaging incidents in his eyes.

To slow down the engraphment of Mark's cells, Jeff has received a dose of methotrexate (a type of chemotherapy when used in high enough doses), and will receive two more over the next 4 days. This will help to reduce the symptoms of graph vs. host disease in the early days of recovery. Unfortunately, it will probably also increase the severity of the mouth sores that Jeff is beginning to get. If all goes well, Days +3 to +8 will probably be the most uncomfortable for him, so I'm going to try to keep my spirits high so that he doesn't get too depressed. (This is easier said than done, but I'll do my best.)

Oh - I went to my new OB again this week, and everything is looking good. My belly is measuring exactly where it should be, the baby's head is down, and my blood pressure is low. Baby Eckert has very active days, and pretty laid back days...this makes me think he has a good bit of both mine and Jeff's personalities. Let's hope for everybody's sake that he leans towards Jeff's!