Stuck

In the hospital for a few more days. Monday morning Elsie will have a procedure to put in a central line (think super IV). The bummer is she's stuck there over the weekend. She's receiving intravenous antibiotics and you can't stop them once they've started. She will still be on them once she's discharged. Either a nurse will come to the house to give them or they will teach me how to do it. 

So Elsie is now in a new room in a new wing of the hospital...with a new do! We were able to wash this matted hair yesterday. 

The tangles were unbearable and it was time to start evening it out. So I asked for scissors and started chopping. It needs a little help, but she's still so cute!

Thankful

Elsie's infection is being treated with some really strong antibiotics. She could possibly be on them for weeks. Then they will see about whether or not the scabs need to be removed. We're not sure how much longer we need to be in the hospital. 

Several things about this hospital stay are so much better than our previous ones. (And in some ways FL Hospital has this one beat, for sure.) I want to share why I'm thankful.

--We are around the corner from our house. There is a playground here the girls and I have walked to.

--In general, Elsie is healthy and active and playing. She hasn't even had a fever.

--This is the first hospital stay when we haven't been looking for a seizure. In fact, prayerfully Elsie's seizure days are completely over! 

--We have amazing friends in town that have brought us meals and snacks and anything else we've asked for. A teammate even brought me dinner on her birthday! 

--I know that all I have to do is write this blog and send some text messages and we literally have hundreds of people praying for us around the world. 

What a gift and what an amazing opportunity to see the love of the body of Christ. Thank you! 

We should be getting used to this by now.

Hospital stays. We were hoping 2015 would be clear of them, instead, we're starting out with one.

Elsie has had scabs lingering on her head since surgery. Three month old scabs don't look good and they don't smell pleasant. The doctors in Florida told us that as long as there was no redness or secretions or a strong change in odor, we should just let them fall off naturally. Well, Sunday afternoon came a putrid odor. Monday's call to Florida along with pictures we sent presented us with two options: fly to Orlando or take her to the ER to remove the scabs.  While Elsie might appreciate the warmth, flying south wasn't a true option. 

I was hopeful the ER docs could take care of it this morning. They couldn't. I was hopeful they'd say come back tomorrow when she hasn't eaten. They didn't. Instead they said, "we need to admit her." "We need to run intravenous antibiotics before we remove the scabs." And "we need to do an MRI in order to make a plan."  So here we are, spending at least one night, and who knows how many more, in the hospital. The foul odor and discharge indicate infection, which is not good. 

Pray we both get sleep tonight. Pray they can get some good info from her MRI tomorrow morning. Pray they make a wise and speedy plan to Elsie's recovery and discharge. We'll keep you updated. 

E x 2 update

Emma

Is my little eager preschooler! We started official homeschool this day. Which means that I now have a purpose and a plan. (Thank you, hubbardscupboard.org) She really is a model student. She hangs on every word I say. She's learning sight words and the handful of books she can now read will rapidly increase. Fine motor skills are not her strong suit. So she doesn't love to practice writing her letters, but she does like to write in her journal. 

She actually did...or maybe mommy did and she watched! 

She also loves to listen to stories, play hide and seek, play with friends and pretend! She likes to build.

And thanks to the Kuerig, she's our resident barista! 

Elsie

Is really doing well. She's as active as ever. She hasn't had any seizures since her surgeries. We're hoping that means her little brain is free of abnormal activity which is allowing her to make new connections. She's the one with the busy schedule, preschool four days a week and out patient therapies once a week. This week preschool will change to afternoon, which also means no more naps.  I think it'll be fine since they were sporadic anyway. I know I will miss their nap times far more than they will! 

Elsie is in constant motion. So I don't have lots posed pictures like I do of Emma. Here are a few. 

She did not like the snow that day. She lasted for fifteen minutes before she was crying because it was too cold.  She never cries. She really doesn't like the cold. 

She is always in pigtails and something is always in her mouth. It's usually her thumb, but it's actually anything she gets her hands on and wants to explore. It's a miracle she hasn't been more sick this winter.  Elsie loves to climb and run and slide. She loves to be thrown in the air or swung back and forth. She has an adorable laugh when she's tickled. She loves being chased. 

I am frantically trying to keep up with them. Thankfully, by God's grace, He gives me the energy I need for each day. 

2014 reflections

We began the year in Florida still unsure if we would return to East Asia.  We're ending the year happily settling into life in northern Ohio.

We began the year thinking we had Elsie's seizures controlled by medicine.  We're ending the year with three hospitalizations and three brain surguries behind us.  Now we're hoping they've stopped for good.

We began the year continuing our monthly visits with Grandma and Grandpa (Erika's parents), knowing our time in Florida was limited.  We're ending the year thankful for the opportunity to live with them for over two months.  Welcoming us and providing for us during our family's transition and Elsie's surgeries is a gift we always treasure and never forget.  It is hard to live so far from them now, but we are thankful they enjoy traveling. 

We began the year really far from Nana and Papa (Mark's parents). We're ending the year settling into life just a few hours drive from them. Knowing our family get togethers will be much more frequent than they have been in previous years somehow makes our visits more relaxed and enjoyable.  

We began the year missing our friends and family in East Asia.  We're ending the year missing them even more. We've spent most of our married life making a home and ministering on the other side of the ocean.  The relationships we built there were deep and strong.  We know that can and likely will happen again, but right now we can feel lost and alone as we continue to wade through the waters of transition.  

We began the year walking forward in faith.  We're ending the year doing the same.  God's grace has brought us this far; His grace will continue to lead us. We have so much to thank Him for.