Cousin love

My sister and her daughter arrived on Sunday for a four-day love fest. We are delighted for our Ava and her Avianna to spend some quality time together. And sweet Svea has already been a tremendous blessing to us. Matt leaves tomorrow for a conference and Svea leaves Thursday...our house has a bit of a revolving door right now!

Ava has been mostly stable since starting steroids. She's awake more, and is having a bit better eye control, but in the past three days her breathing has begun to be odd again, so we're getting things in order to bump up her steroids to the next level. She'll likely have more side effects, (including being at greater risk from germs) but we want her to get the maximum benefit to her brain and mental status, so at this point, it's worthwhile to press ahead.

We are also awaiting the results of her most recent genetic testing. We know the testing is complete, but the results haven't been certified yet, so they could arrive to our doctor anytime between tomorrow and next week. Ultimately, while we are eager to have more understanding of what is going on in her brain, we know that God can heal her of a degenerative brain disorder as easily as he can stop her seizures and heal her epilepsy. So we are praying for the ability to view any information we receive through the eyes of faith. And, we're praying for the strength to stay upright! We are both exhausted to the core, and in great need of grace for each day.

Praise God for caffeine and new mercies every morning!