Progress every day 

It feels like as good a time as any to put it out there. Things are pretty good these days. I still hold my breath every time she bends over or stares into space, but our little warrior defies the inevitable. And it is most likely going to happen again, so we will try not to get too high on life because I fear the fall will be much worse.

So the update aside from all things good is we have been checking on her body to see if it’s as good inside as it looks outside. Today was a new test for us. She had a stimulant test run to check out her body’s natural response because the steroid our body makes (partially adrenaline) is created when we are excited and stimulated the same as when we are sick or hurt. This will tell us if her immune system is back on track after the long-term steroid use.

Personal note: I always think I can be supermom and handle her by myself. I say how on earth can I be so spoiled to always have someone helping me. It’s just one kid! My sister manages 4 by herself many days!  I have also met all these strong moms with medically-complex children and they do it seemingly with ease. And yet, after 2 hours of trying to wrangle her, sooth her, and meet her needs, I’m ready for a nap and some wine. And that’s what reminded me that I really don’t care about how all the other supermoms do it.

The highlight of the trip was Doodlebug’s first experience with Rover. Check out how calming this thing is for her. She loved the bubbles and the mirror combined. She was hugging it; she couldn’t seem to find how else to express her happy feelings.

This was just further proof that Cook Children’s is a great place for us and we are so grateful we have them. Plus, we saw a familiar face from the Child Life group who has helped us from the beginning and she hardly recognized our girl. But that “family” feeling of knowing people and having them know us is so comforting. It’s my favorite part as the mom who probably needs that reassurance now and again that we are making progress.

And today, despite the stress of worrying about her and the extra prick because the IV blew (of course it did), and having used the one diaper right BEFORE she decided to have an unexpected poop, oh and the fact that I left the urgent grocery run of milk and diapers IN the car where they sat for the two-hour doctor visit, I’d say it feels like we have lots of good days ahead. So that is most definitely the kind of progress we want.