Friday, still in Room 8W34B

We didn't make it home today. Yesterday, when Elizabeth seemed stable, (and having learned from our recent experience of going home, only to be readmitted) we asked the GI team to give her a "practice run" at her home regimen to determine if she'd be able to keep her fluid balance up while receiving all her calories and fluids via her g-tube before sending her home. So we tried it: We stopped her IV fluids, and fed her only pediasure via her g-tube. 16 diapers and two fevers later it was apparent by this morning that she was again dehydrated, as well as "acidodic" (her diarrhea was throwing off her sodium & fluid balance) and she wasn't absorbing her nutrition. Her poor little body simply isn't able to stay ahead. Her GI tract is clearly in bad shape and she's not ready for home yet. Ironically, this is actually an answer to prayer....at least the revelation of her need to stay for a few more days is an answer to prayer. After going through this a few times now, Matt and I have begun to pray: "God, we want her home, don't let her stay in the hospital one more day than necessary, but if there is anything harmful to her lurking under the surface that has yet to be discovered or addressed, then don't let her come home too soon." It's better that we discover this while we still have IV access, than to take her home and bring her back yet again.

Today she was back on IV fluids and tomorrow we'll introduce a formula that might be easier to digest. If that works, then we'll try again to discontinue the IV fluids and maybe be home by next week...though we've stopped "counting chickens" altogether these days. We're just taking it one day at a time. Matt's sleeping over tonight and Mom and I get to sleep at home. We did decide to delay my mom's flight home in the hopes that she could help us with the transition from the hospital...now we're just grateful for the extra set of hands for a few more days.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We're not falling off the cliff into the depths of despair, so they must be working. Goodnight.

Here are a few pictures:

Spending some time "Aah-shide" (outside) with Granna, on the "whee". We have access to a beautiful rooftop garden here that offers a nice place to take a short walk and relax a bit.


Baths in bed were much easier when Elizabeth didn't have any hair! Here she's protesting a scalp massage that would cost lots of mulah at a fancy salon. At least I didn't make her sit under the dryer!

Oct 3rd

We're still in the hospital. Elizabeth is doing better with the help of some IV fluids. All of her labs and tests have come back negative, which means so far we don't think there's an underlying reason for her "mal-absorption", continued diarrhea and dehydration. Basically, her gut just hasn't been able to recover and after 2 bugs in two weeks, her body simply doesn't have the reserve to fight. Soooo...it's a wait and see game. Continue with the IV fluids, suspend the diuretics, slowly introduce nutrition in the form of lactose free Pediasure, and hope that her body begins to get well and "normalize". We're thankful that there doesn't seem to be an underlying cause like Cystic Fibrosis, but that also reduces our treatment options. Granna's set to leave on Friday I think we're all in denial about that. We're just thinking about today.

We'd appreciate your prayers for:
*Elizabeth's speedy recovery and complete healing!
*Grace, encouragement and strength for Matt as he juggles work and tries to compartmentalize studying for Board Exams (Nov. 6), working, thoughts & concerns about his dad's recovery from surgery (going well overall) and caring for his wife and daughter.
*The same for Granna and I as we trade shifts at the hospital, and wisdom about whether my mom should extend her trip a few days.
*Wisdom about whether we should even consider taking Elizabeth to California next weekend for the Memorial Family Reunion for my Grandpa.
*Hope & Faith for all of us.

We're so thankful for you! Here are a few pics from yesterday.

Elizabeth loves her new Elmo Remote Control...is there ANYTHING that red monster doesn't sell??


Trying out her stethoscope. The good news is, Elizabeth is beginning to be more comfortable with her vital checks (every 4 hours while she's in the hospital). Previously, the contextual clues of a nurse checking her weight, blood pressure, heart rate and temperature sent her into hysterics, because it usually preceded an IV, blood draw or hospitalization. As she's getting older, & we've incorporated songs and done some play therapy with the medical tools, she being able to remember that there are some procedures that don't hurt. That's a relief for all of us.


I'm sure she's in violation of the National Academy of Pediatrics standards for appropriate distance for TV viewing...oh wait, she isn't even supposed to be watching TV at her age!! Well, one more thing she'll need therapy for someday....at least for now, she's in Signing Times Heaven. ;)

Back in the Hospital

I think she heard that Granna was going home this week. Maybe she was acting in solidarity with her Grandpa Harms, in the hospital after having a cancerous tumor removed. Maybe she just missed watching her silly songs videos all day...At any rate, Elizabeth is back in the hospital. We were admitted yesterday after 3 days of weight loss and severe dehydration. She fell apart as we were at the pediatrician's office and if I had any question about whether we were over-reacting, it was erased when my normally cheerful little girl was inconsolable for 2 straight hours. With a few boluses of IV fluids, she's doing better today, but we'll be in the hospital for a while as they try to figure out the cause of her continuing diarrhea and vomiting. We'd appreciate your prayers and will keep you posted.

Elizabeth's progress

Now that we're home, Elizabeth is gradually improving, though not fast enough for our comfort. She's lost a lot of weight and continues to have severe GI trouble. It breaks our hearts not to be able to make her comfortable. Thankfully Granna Peterson is here and has taken the night shift (as well as day shift!) so Matt and I have caught up on some sleep, and gotten a date. This week we have two appointments (GI & Pediatrician) to follow up on her hospitalization and are hoping that we will see her get better over the next few days.

Elizabeth LOVES snuggling with Granna

 

In a happy moment

 

Baby Girl 2 is definitely growing. Now that my previa is gone, I'm breathing a sigh of relief. I'm 30 weeks now and counting down to her Dec 2nd-ish due date.

 

The Haynes visit to Saint Louis

In the stir surrounding Elizabeth's Hospitalization, we didn't post pics of Matt & Abby's visit to see us. We had a great time in the few days we had together before Matt flew back to California, Abby got Elizabeth's bug and started throwing up, and Elizabeth got admitted to St. Louis Children's Hospital. We loved meeting little Evan for the first time, and were so thankful to have our dear friends here, even though it was a less than ideal weekend vacation.

We're home!

We have good news to report. Elizabeth is home and happy. This afternoon we were discharged from the hospital, and though we're all exhausted, we're so thankful not to spend another night away from home. After a yummy meal from a friend, we're heading to bed to hopefully start getting some rest. Thanks so much for your prayers for us this week and always. We are so grateful. Here are a few pics of our happy girl.

Every 4 hours while in the hospital, Elizabeth has to get her vitals checked. This is not her favorite time of day. However, we've made some progress in helping her to make friends with the stethoscope and now when someone listens to her heart, she says, "Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum"...so cute.

 

So many toys so little time.

 

Saying goodbye!

 

Eliza-bug update

Hi Everyone,
Tonight's update will be quick. I'm home to sleep since my mom arrived this afternoon and I'm wiped out. Elizabeth is clearly improving...less swelling, better lab results showing that the blood transfusion was successful at combating her anemia. She still has "lower GI symptoms" (use your imagination) but was well enough to ask for her Silly Songs video 26 times today and get a little cranky when I wasn't on the ball in keeping her entertained. They're watching her to see if she bleeds again and also to see how she does transitioning to food by mouth (actually by G-tube) and off of her IV fluids. Still no clear answers to all the "whys", but lots of people are still thinking about it so we'll see. We're hopeful that we may be home before the weekend.

Matt's dad's surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on his kidney is scheduled for tomorrow morning and with their support, Matt has cancelled decided that he needs to stay in Saint Louis with Elizabeth and me. His parents are gracious and understanding and we're trusting God to carry them through this, and knowing they'll get lots of love and support from our family that is able to visit and friends nearby.

A few good things to report as we head to bed:
*Elizabeth is improving
*Despite only knowing me for a month, we have experienced overwhelming practical and emotional support from my small group. They have stepped in where our friends in the Bay Area left off and we are humbled by the incredible care they are showing us.
*Granna has arrived and is sleeping with Elizabeth tonight so I can get some rest at home.
*Abby, who extended her trip over the weekend to help me out, ended up with Elizabeth's bug, spent Tuesday vomiting, and but is now on the mend. (please pray that her 10wk old son, Evan, doesn't catch this nasty thing!)
*While one of my small group friends sat with Elizabeth, Matt was able to come with me to my OB apt. and ultrasound, where I learned today that my Placentia Previa is completely resolved. It is out of the way of the cervix, and THAT is a huge answer to prayer. At the very minimum, this means I'm not at risk for early labor, early bleeding or bed rest, ALL of which would have further complicated our already "jam-packed" life.
*Matt's getting great support at work and has been available for a great deal of Elizabeth's hospitalization.

We're exhausted but hanging in there...thanks for your prayers, kind words and thoughts, and your steadfast support through the next leg of the roller coaster we're riding.

Here are a few pics of the Bug.
Love,
Sara (for all of us)

 

 

 

 

Please Pray for Elizabeth

It's already late here in St. Louis, but we wanted to quickly get the word out that Elizabeth has been admitted yet again. Yesterday, she began having severe diarrhea, high fevers and vomitting. Sara took her to the pediatrician's office and was sent from there to the ER for additional testing and intravenous fluids. These showed that she probably has just a viral thing, but her labs showed that she was severely anemic and that her stool contained blood. They are very afraid that her gastric and esophageal varices are bleeding. We have no idea what this might mean for her future, especially since the GI doctor recently told us that the options are very limited at her size and age.

We are grateful that God has allowed this "viral thing" to shed light on the more serious issue of her anemia! But we're getting weary of this routine, especially now that we live 6 miles from the hospital, have no family in town and have to share a room with a Power-Ranger loving kid.

Pray specifically for:

1. Elizabeth's spirit as she goes through more painful procedures and feels lousy overall.
2. Sara as she and our next child try to get rest in a noisy shared room in a noisy new hospital.
3. Me, as I try to decide where to spend the next week. I had been scheduled to fly to California to be with my parents as my dad has urgent surgery. Obviously everyone is as conflicted as I am over where I should be.

Thank you for banding with us yet again.

Matt

Results of Elizabeth's CT

We finally heard from Elizabeth's GI. Basically, he hasn't had a chance to sit down with the radiologist, but his initial review of the report leads him to agree with UCSF's assessment and plan. Since nothing's changed, the bottom line is: she's still too small to shunt (connecting a healthy portion of the portal vein below the clot to a healthy portion -if there is one- above the clot), and at this point in time, since she's not bleeding or having any symptoms that would force our hand, the risks of liver transplant far outweigh any benefits.

So it's still a wait and see game. That is unless something comes up in his conversation with the Radiologist. Praise God for no imminent surgeries and for a stable clot. We're also thankful to hear she has developed some collaterals to decrease the pressure on her verices. How strong these collaterals are, and how long they will last...only God knows, and time will tell. We're certainly happy to take "transplant surgery" off our list of to-do items for before BGH2's arrival this fall.

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. Last week was a big challenge, as Elizabeth got the Roto Virus for the 2nd time, and was miserable, with high fevers and serious GI issues. We are SO grateful for the antibiotics she was put on after her last bout that landed her in the hospital in January. Those antibiotics prevented her from getting a UTI and complicating things this time around. I was able to care for her entirely at home and that, honestly, was therapeutic for me. Too often I've had to hand over the care of my daughter to other people, so to be able to comfort her all by myself was just precious to me.

She's completely well now, and we just said goodbye to my good friend Jillana who flew in over the weekend to offer me some help and respite, and our VERY FIRST date night (read: TWO HOURS ALONE) since arriving in Saint Louis in July. Elizabeth got to practice being a "big sister" to Jillana's daughter and when we dropped them off at the airport this afternoon, we had meals in our freezer, cookies on our counter, organized bins of baby clothes in our basement and hearts full of gratitude.

Here are a few pictures of our week:

Elizabeth playing with her very first tea set...thanks Sophia!

 

Just a sweet smile

 

Matt practicing for TWO! (for reference: Eleni is SIX months old, weighs only 3 lbs less than Elizabeth, and can eat her under the table...though our Peanut can SCHOOL her on her ABC's.) :)

 

Elizabeth and Sara with our sweet friends, Jillana and Eleni

 

Elizabeth's CT Angiogram

Thanks so much for your prayers today. God's grace was evident and we are so thankful to be sending this email from home and not a hospital room right now! Elizabeth hated every minute of the experience, but was a champ. Although she spiked a fever just before the procedure, she handled the anesthesia really well. The timing worked out perfectly and allowed Matt to step away from clinic at ALL the critical times. As a result, I didn't have to handle everything on my own, which was a huge blessing. We're again seeing the benefits of Elizabeth's hospital being integrated with Daddy's workplace.

We don't expect to hear from the GI until the middle of next week, but Matt was able to do a little "investigation" (read: pulling up of her chart). The bottom line is this- nothing has changed since her last CT scan one year ago. The portal vein is still completely closed off, but her spleen hasn't enlarged any more and there is no ascites. We're not sure what this means for any potential surgeries, but we'll keep you informed.

Thank you again for your prayers and concern! Here's a kiss from Elizabeth to say THANKS & "Ni-night"!

Elizabeth's August Update...in September :)

In the weeks since our last update, Elizabeth has been doing well! Matt's parents came to visit over a long weekend and the extra attention (that only Grandmas can sustain for 4 days straight!) enabled Elizabeth to make huge progress in her language and gross motor development. Okay that's the "medical-ease" way of saying, she's learning all sorts of new words and phrases ("ByeBye Daddy" and "Hi Daddy" being among her favorite) signing her colors and ABCs and taking her first steps! Of course we're so proud and at the same time, SO thankful to see her doing things that we at one time didn't let ourselves dream about.

Her feeding is improved as well, though in the last week it's taken a downturn, and she's gagging on almost everything I give her. Ugh! It's the roller coaster that I never become fully accustomed to. SUSTAINED forward progress is what I want, but 2 steps forward...1 and sometimes 3 steps back, is what we get, and I still struggle not to feel defeated every time I see that backward slide.

Two weeks ago I had a phone consultation with the "Feeding Guru" in the Bay Area. We'd sent her video of Elizabeth eating and she was able to give me some VERY specific feedback, as well as helpful suggestions. (For the mommys on this list who have kids with feeding disorders, let me know if you want the details, I'm happy to email them out. All of her suggestions have been really successful in their application) The conversation was a total answer to prayer. I feel encouraged about what I've been doing and now have some more tools in my belt. For the time being we're going to work on implementing her suggestions, and if we reach a point where we need her help teaching Elizabeth to chew (nothing comes naturally to these kiddos...it's all a process of teaching her how to use her muscles..."waking them up" so to speak) we can schedule an intensive 5 day intervention on a visit to the Bay Area.

Finally, and the issue most immediately in need of prayer, Elizabeth's GI is eager to "deal" with the clot in her liver. Though she's still not a perfect candidate, he wants to investigate the options of a shunt to bypass the clot or a liver transplant. To that end, we'll be undergoing a CT Angiogram & Liver Biopsy at St. Louis Children's Hospital on Thursday (8/6). This will be our first time overnight at a new hospital and I'll admit, I'm a little anxious about a totally new group of people. I'll miss our VIP treatment from the folks at UCSF Children's Hospital (Michael, could you call and suggest they test her for Roto Virus so we can get a private room??) and will DEFINITELY miss the support of friends and family. We'd really appreciate your prayers for a complication-free procedure. Additionally, we don't know what is best for Elizabeth at this point. We need God to give wisdom to her Dr.s so they can make the wisest decisions in caring for her.

I'll send out an email to let you know how things go. Meanwhile, here are a few pics from our last few weeks.

Elizabeth loves to help me unload the dishwasher. Can you imagine why?? Eventually these utensils made it into the drawer.

 

This is the easiest way to call her grandparents these days. It's just the right size for little hands!

 

An Elizabeth Sandwich.

 

Our new Missouri license plate, and evidence that BGH Deux is growing.

 

Are the Cardinals looking for a new catcher??

The Colors of the Rainbow

What a smart little button we have! She's learned her colors from her signing times video and the funny thing is, the lyrics to the song put purple ahead of blue, so our daughter will be the only girl in her class that says, "red, orange, yellow, green, purple & blue!" Guess that's another reason to homeschool her...then ALL our kiddos can be "out of order." enjoy!

Drum Roll Please!

We have a walker on our hands! Elizabeth took her first tenative steps today...right into the arms of her daddy. We captured the delightful event on camera and are thrilled to be able to share it. She's not ready for the Boston Marathon yet, but this has reawakened our hopes that she'll be more independantly mobile by the time her little sister arrives in a few short months.

This Little Light of Mine

If you're looking for something to make you smile...look no further.

Na Na Na Nah...Hey Hey Hey...Goodbye!

  I forgot to post this earlier...two days ago we said goodbye to Elizabeth's feeding pump. This is the guy who came to pick it up. We're giving her all of her boluses with syringes now, and she hasn't needed any food overnight for months now, so we're hopeful that this will be goodbye to her pump forever, AND the first of many steps toward her eventual g-tube wean!

Thank God for Basil!

It's been a while since we updated you on the happenings here, and I wish I could say that after the last update things turned around completely. Unfortunately our circumstances haven't changed much, but little by little, we're learning to press on despite our circumstances and "just trust God" with so many of the details that are simply not working. As trite and simple as that sounds, in doing so, have found some measure of peace and grace.

Elizabeth's feeding: We're moving forward with the "feeding guru" we've heard about in the Bay Area, and will have a phone conference with her next week to discuss the video we sent her of Elizabeth eating a meal. We're praying that she has some insight and wise counsel. In the interim, we've made some progress which has helped my attitude quite a bit...she's taking 3-5 meltable gerber stars before each meal...and actually learning to chew them with her molars as they dissolve (BIG step towards age appropriate eating). We've been able to get her to close her mouth around the spoon...so I no longer "pour" her puree into her mouth one spoonful at a time...she actually takes a bite now! And, she's allowing us to put a vibrating wand into her mouth and explore around her cheeks and tongue, which in the long run will help desensitize her to textures. All of these are actually very big steps and we're so proud of her progress. She still vomits daily, and we're convinced she is "volume restricted" for some unknown reason. We've met with her new Gastroenterologist and are pleased with him so far. As I told Matt, "He's old enough to have some experience and wisdom, but young enough to really engage in getting to the bottom of some of Elizabeth's chronic issues". We're praying that God will give him unique wisdom for treating our daughter!

Additionally, we've now got Elizabeth's Physical and Occupational/Feeding Therapies set up and we like how things are going so far. Elizabeth loves the therapists, and they've got some good ideas! As an added bonus, the sessions are in our home...which is LOVELY. The fewer car trips the better! These are two recent pics that melt my heart. The first is her playing with a cart we borrowed from our OT. She loves toddling behind it dispite the sour expression. :) The second is of Elizabeth pretending to give herself her meds. She's pretty good at it after watching me do it for the last 22 months!


My pregnancy: We had our first appointment with my new Perinatologist (an OB for high risk pregnancies) and were told that my previa is pretty severe and unlikely to resolve. While that's disappointing, we're choosing to focus all our prayer energy on asking God to keep me from bleeding. Bleeding is a high risk in the case of Placenta Previa, and has all sorts of possible outcomes (including premature delivery). The difficulty is, if it starts, I have to be admitted to the hospital. Obviously a hospitalization doesn't fit so well into our life right now, so we're asking God that he would protect us from that AND help us to meet some really nice folks really soon, so we'll have potential babysitters lined up if the need arises!

Finally, Matt's job remains a disappointment. There's not much to say except we're desperate for God to give us His perspective on a seemingly hopeless situation. The good news is, we are certain that we came here with God's guidance and blessing. The challenge is, WHY??? We're guessing this is a bit of how the Children of Israel felt when they got to the edge of the Promise Land and discovered they would have to battle the giants of the land in order to inhabit it. We are determined to walk by faith and not by sight and of course need heaps of grace in order to do so!

A few nights ago, Matt and I were reflecting on our life here and the fact that the new herb garden he planted when we arrived is 1 for 3. So far, it has only yielded basil. So as we were falling asleep, Matt said, "Let's name our basil." And so we did...Thank God for the things that have gone right so far: Air Conditioning in the midst of record breaking SL heat, cars that are working, Elizabeth's delightful spirit and obedient heart, a great co-fellow for Matt, a great lead on a home church for us, only blocks from our home ( www.journeyon.net), a basement, a healthy baby inside of me, a washer and dryer inside our house, a refrigerator with one of those door dispensers for ice and water...lovely, a BBQ grill which is making dinners so much easier and fun!, the support from afar of family and friends & God's faithfulness through it all.

We'll keep thanking God for all the basil until the other herbs arrive...

Elizabeth (and the rest of us) Update - July

As we're settling in to our new home and finally making some headway with all those boxes, we wanted to ask for your prayers for a few things...

Elizabeth's feeding: I'm particularly vaulnerable to dispair in this area. While we've seen some MAJOR progress in the last 6 months, we've hit a bit of a snag. Since the move we have been unable to recapture some of the enjoyment of eating that we saw glimpses of back in SF. I'm hopeful that with a whole new team of Dr.s and therapists, we'll be able to get some good input and make further progress, but at this time, she's taking about 50% of her food by mouth, vomiting 1 or 2 meals a day and the only thing she expresses enjoyment of is purreed mac'n'cheese. While that's something...I can't feed her a 1000 calorie diet in 80cal doses of mac & cheese. Add to that the awareness that kids in her position often latch on to one thing and if we're not careful, she can max out on it, suddenly stop liking it, and then we're back to square one.

I've got a lead on a fantastic intensive feeding therapy program with great success rates (ironically, back in the Bay Area and JUST approved by our previous insurance....oh the timing) but the therapy itself costs close to $17,000 and isn't covered by our current insurance. She's willing to give me a consultation and some input for 170$/hour....and that's beginning to look REALLY appealing. So we need wisdom and grace. I'm looking ahead at the arrival of Baby Girl Deux and can't begin to imagine tube feeding and breast feeding and juggling both all alone. That said, I couldn't have imagined "doing" our life as it is now, and yet somehow God has provided the grace and strength for the past 2 years. Now we need Him to fill our resevoir once again.

My Pregnancy: Also a bit of a challenge. I'm taking things slowly, and by the grace of God have avoided symptoms that would require bedrest, but we're asking the Lord to heal me completely and let us proceed with a "normal" pregnancy. This coming October, our family will fly to the Bay Area for a Memorial/Family Reunion weekend in honor of my Grandpa's passing. I really want to be there, but need an uneventful pregnancy in order to get travel clearance. Would you join us in praying for God to bring His resolultion to these details, and for us to walk in trust and peace while we wait?

Matt's Job: has turned out a bit differently than he anticipated. He specifically needs favor with his boss, so that he can discuss how to make things work moving forward. In the mean time, he's exhausted, frustrated and sees no end in sight. Would you pray for grace and encouragement for him? He especially wants & needs the Holy Spirit to guard his tongue so he doesn't make matters worse with his words.

Finally, our move has been somewhat of a challenge as well...lots of sickness, MANY extra expenditures that simply didn't need to occur. And all in all, where things could go wrong...they have, and where things just shouldn't go wrong...they have. So we're weary! We need grace, stamina and overcoming faith to maintain our joy these days. We'd really appreciate your prayers for us to that end.

Here are some recent photos of Elizabeth:


Tasting a pickle - she actually liked it! Salt, vinegar...what's not to love? Do you think I could count this as a vegetable??


Walking with Daddy


Just hanging out with Daddy



Playing in her spilt milk. I was measuring her food, turned around and she was splashing away. The funny part is, I didn't for an instant think about the $5.50 I'd just paid for a 1/2 gallon of organinc, hormone free milk (250ccs of which were now mositurizing our tile floor)...instead, my first thought was, "oooh, this is good therapy...'Splash Elizabeth! Enjoy the wetness! Get it all over!'" :)


I love this photo. This just feels like "normal kid eating" to me. It's probably because I have a photo of me at a similar age...face covered in spaghetti. In this shot, she's signing "signing times"...trying to get me to move out of the way of her video...silly kid!

Fun, Fun and more Fun...

  So Elizabeth LOVES the Hokey Pokey. It helps that she has an Elmo doll that sings and does the dance, so she's learned how to put her "right foot in" and "shake it all about"...it's the cutest thing. Here, she's doing it with daddy.

  Today at Costco we tried a sample of chicken nuggets...she LOVED it! So I bought them (of course) and here she is trying them at home. By trying, I mean, she chewed off a piece, sucked all the salt and flavor out, and then spit it into my hand. Hey, in the world of feeding therapy, that's HUGE progress.

  Elizabeth LOVES the swing. She says "whee!" over and over to tell you she wants to go on the swing. We finally hung one from our back porch (now that we have one) and she's in pure heaven.

 

I can't say that I blame her. Now if we could only find a way for us to recreate this indoors...where the air conditioning is!

Thanks Daddy!

Settling in St. Louis

We've arrived! Elizabeth did beautifully on the plane. (for those of you who prayed for us specifically...we had an open row on the first leg which was delightful. The 2nd leg was jam packed, but Elizabeth was a perfect angel and I couldn't have been more proud.)


Our arrival was not without its bittersweetness...On July 11th, My grandpa (who has been living with Alzheimer's) passed away on his 88th birthday. We are overjoyed that He followed Jesus and is now whole in body, mind and spirit, but sad over the loss of someone we love so much. My sister wrote a beautiful tribute to him on her blog: www.worthtenthousandwords.blogspot.com. We will miss him.


Since arriving, Elizabeth has certainly flourished in her gross motor activity. She's crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything and exploring her new world. After only 3 days her daddy thought it was high time for her to tackle the stairs...check out these videos of our super-climber! http://picasaweb.google.com/saraharms/ElizabethClimbsStairs

We're now in the process of setting her up with her new medical team and getting her scheduled for early intervention and her Physical, Occupational, Speech & Feeding Therapies. While she's flourishing in her gross motor development, as is to be expected, Elizabeth regressed quite a bit with her feeding during our 3+ weeks of upheaval. I hear this is normal for toddlers, but when the stakes are so high, it can seem even more dire. I've been trying to restrain my anxiety and slow the pace of progress a bit and thank God, we're beginning to recover some lost ground. If you're interested, the following is a short video about feeding disorders that may help you understand what our life has been like and what the future would be if she wasn't learning to eat. http://www.kennedykrieger.org/video/cnn_feeding.wmv

Matt is enjoying his job more and more as he gets acclimated and most of all we're loving our new life of evening walks, grilling on the back porch & chatting with our SUPER friendly neighbors (everyone out here talks to you!) I'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that I can actually pack away all those sweaters, jeans and coats we used year round in SF, because we won't be needing them for a good 3 or more months! The humidity hasn't killed us yet though, and we're eager to explore free zoo, the science center and the huge park a few blocks away. Bring on (sub)urban life!