Little by little

I was holding Annie last night after I had put on her pjs--which is her signal to start burrowing into my armpit--and I noticed that her face has lost most of the puffiness associated with steroid use. She looks so much more like her old self now--without the glazed brain-injury look, and without the puffiness. It's another present from Jesus on this long journey of recovery.

She also is consistently using the "ee-ya" word for Olivia now. Yesterday afternoon when Olivia was opening the door after school--and before Annie saw her--she called out, "Ee-ya!" I even have heard "hello" twice. Little by little those words seem to be coming back.

I guess I really need to put another video up.

Jean

I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints. Psalm 52:9

Song

Do you ever wake up with a song in your head that came from who-knows-where? I remembered this tune, and sorta had some of the words, so I looked it up and found out it's pretty old--written in 1715 by an Englishman named Isaac Watts. If you want to hear the music, just do a Google search and you'll find something.

I Sing the Mighty Power of God

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at his command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.


Jean

Keto Diet Deep-sixed

The big news today came in the form of an e-mail from the dietician giving us the go-ahead to completely go off the ketogenic diet! This means she can start eating whatever, whenever, wherever. It also means that we don't have to measure any more formula. We can also move back to liquid medicine, and don't have to grind up all her meds in a pill-crusher. This is a big thing. Please pray that she make a smooth transition, and that she remain seizure-free. She's almost 3 month's seizure-free.

Annie did catch a sinus bug it seems, so we're giving her stress doses of hydrocortisone to help her fight it. She doesn't seem to be too bothered by it, and did well in school today--really her nose is only runny in the morning. Oh, and when I picked Annie up from school today, nurse Moira said she counted 7 words so far. Okay, I'm even surprised about that. And I think I figured out what her sound "Ey-A" is--it's the last 2 syllables of big sister Olivia. Makes sense.

Anyway--that's the news for today. Thanks again for your prayers for no seizures, and for this cold to make a quick exit--and for those words to keep on coming!

Jean

PS. Could I ask for a couple of other requests?

1. Pray for more movement--that she WANT to move around the floor, either by scooting or crawling or walking.
2. Pray for complete healing of her right hand/arm. She has been reaching more with her left arm/hand, and uses it with quite a lot of dexterity, but her right arm/hand just isn't getting where it needs to be.

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Psalm 46:1-3

Though we lose our health or the health of our loved ones, or though we lose our job, or our house, or if it seems that everything we know as "normal" is thrown up into the air--God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Things have been going well at our house this week, but I know that's not the case for everyone. It's good to remember that no matter what--God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Jean

Back to School

It was back to school for all the kids this week--and I think I've signed more class rules, regulations and expectations papers than should be legal. I want to know why the schools can't just say respect-your-teachers-or-you'll-get-sent-to-the-principal's-office-for-a-spanking like they did when I was a kid. I don't remember my mom ever signing piles of rules and regs. It's ridiculous. Parents just need to say, "Look--be good, do your homework, and obey your teachers--end of discussion." Think of all the trees that would be saved.

Enough ranting. So Annie had a good first week. She has a new school and a new teacher this year, and the same (wonderful) nurse as last year. Annie is so much different than just 8 weeks ago--her nurse was pretty amazed at her progress. In June, she was having dozens of seizures a day and could barely hold her head up. Now she's alert, strong, much more vocal, and hasn't had a seizure since the end of June. I'm reminded when people comment on how well Annie's doing that I need to stop, take a breath, and appreciate what God has done, too.

Like, tonight, I was holding her on my lap while talking to my mother-in-law on the phone, and Annie was getting fidgety, so I asked Bill to pick her up and put her on the floor. Well, you'd think we had taken away her favorite toy or something--the tears just welled up in her eyes, she started sobbing and saying, "la-la-la-la-la," which translated means, "Please put me back on my mom's lap!" How can I explain that her emotional response is a miracle? Or when we put her in bed, and she laughs and giggles then snuggles right down under her blanket, peeking over it with twinkly eyes and a look you haven't seen in 18 months--how can I tuck her in without praying, "Thank You, Lord--thank You, thank You, thank You"?

Her vocabulary is up to at least four words: "Yeah," "No," "Hi," and what her nurse says sounds like "Done." Can you believe that?? The change has been so gradual, and it seems like every day she's added some new sound--now it's just a matter of trying to figure out what she means, because she sure knows what she's saying.

It is good for me to stop, take a breath, and thank God for what He has done.

Jean

“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” Mark 5:19