Day Six: Steps

I thought I would share this video today of Laila taking her steps from the door heading toward her chair at the beginning of the day.  She can normally do this without two people but this is what I caught on video.  Hopefully by the end of our four weeks I'll be able to take another video to compare. 

She was also very excited to be able to show off what she has learned to Papa Tom and Grandma Mary today.  They are on vacation this week so they drove up to spend the day pampering me and letting me get some adult time!



We visited a 9/11 memorial at the Cannonsburg Ski Area.  The had 3200 flags with names and biographies of the victims on them.  It was very overwhelming.  The flags were available for purchase and they purchased one that was in memory of a man who chose to stay in the building to help his quadriplegic friend co-worker  get out.



We also visited a local winery and did some sampling. I actually found a red wine that I liked so we got it. My friend Chanda will be so proud of me :)

So today was a nice day out visiting and it was a good day for Laila as well.  They said that today they were able to let her sit on the potty and leave her there without crying (or minimal crying) by herself which is kind of unbelievable to me.  I may have to stop by and peek in at potty time tomorrow to see for myself ;)  They said her stepping is getting so much better and I was able to see at the beginning of the day how good her sitting really is at the table as well.  She is now holding on to the bar with one hand and playing with blocks or some other toy with the other hand.  It's so amazing to see her brain figuring out that if she is leaning to far one way she can pull the other arm harder to correct her sitting.  I am so amazed at her eating.  The past two days she had not had to be on her g-tube at all during the day.  She is drinking at least 1.5 cans of pediasure by mouth each day and a whole jar of baby food or pudding.  The really amazing part is that her stomach is handling it.  She will drink around 100ml at a time in about a 10-20 minute period.  When she was on her g-tube she was only able to handled 160ml at the absolute most but ran over a one hour period.  She is still on her tube at night time to make up the rest of the calories and fluid she needs but it has been amazing to see how well she is doing with the rest.  I spent many days worrying about how we were going to deal with her g-tube during the day because I did not want her on it at school because I knew it would just slow her down.  Problem solved :)  more than I could ask or imagine.........

I got everything switched around at home to make arrangements for our extra week here.  Both girls had an appt at the eye doctor at Riley that week and it's usually hard to get an appointment less than three months our but they were able to change it to the very next week!  We were also picking up Laila's power chair that day and they had an opening for us to switch as well.  It's all coming together which I'm thankful for because it helps me to know we're making the right decision to stay.  Now if someone could just explain that to my precious little six year old who misses his mommy.  He was crying about it last night when Jack told him.  I think that is the hardest part of all of this.  Not just this camp but of life.  Choosing what is the most important, trying to decide what sacrifices are worth it and which are not.  I couldn't ask for a better brother and sister for Laila, they are always so understanding.  They are the ones that get put on hold a lot of the time and they do so well with it.  Since I'm gone, Emma reads me over the phone our special bedtime devotion that she and I do every night.  Last night before she even started reading to me she said, "oh mom, I think this one is going to be good for you to relate to Laila."  I love her.  I love that she has a heart for God and a heart for her sister and the discernment to relate His word to our lives.  How amazing to have an almost nine year old teaching me. 

I just want to say again how much I appreciate those of you that have been faithful to pray for us and are reading this blog.  As I watch the number of readers, check out the different places that you are logging on from and get a few comments  it really does help me to keep going.  I even said to Jack over the weekend while I was having a little pity party and wanting to go home, "I wish I didn't start keeping track on that stupid blog because now I definitely can't quit because everyone will know!"  So I feel better about it now and you reading is helping me to keep going.  Thank you!