Seeing the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Phew. I'm a little whipped. We just got home for our last (and hopefully final) hospitalization. We're pretty optimistic this time. Laura Kate looks great, she's eating well, and only complains of a little tummyache...nothing that requires intervention. No new rash, no swelling, no severe abdominal pain, no nausea. She's been like this since last week, really. Things started to improve Thursday, and just kept getting better. While she was in the hospital, they had her on an ng tube to boost her nutrition. She was fed through the tube day and night for a couple of days, then nights only for the remainder of our stay. Again, she looks great. The cheeks we know and love are back :)

This whole experience has been humbling. The Lord made us very aware of our deficiencies, and provided us with the strength to get through it all. We've received praise for our bravery and strength, but I can tell you that we have not gotten through this due to anything good in us, excepting Christ. He has used all of our friends and family to comfort and encourage us, as well as people we don't even know. We've had stories of people from all over, who don't know us except through mutual friends, who have prayed for and inquired after us. It's amazing. It's a prime example of God's people coming together.

We also came to realize just how many sick children there are. Laura Kate's plight was nothing in contrast to so many others. It made my stomach hurt and heart ache to see them or hear them crying out. Though she was in pain, it was short lived and not life threatening. So many children are not that fortunate. I feel like the Lord has used this to strike a chord in my heart. What will come of it, I don't know. I feel like we will all benefit from this experience. I know God has a plan for my girls, and I know this experience is a vital piece of that...to whatever end.

And Laura Kate has made some new friends. Felipe, one of her nurses, quickly became one of her favorites. From the very beginning, she asked "Where is my man?" She would inform me that "my man gave me medicine to help my tummy feel better." Or "my man is my friend." If she saw him in the hall or at the nurse's station, she would exclaim "There's my man!" She had so many other great nurses, like Lindsey, who Justin said came in and sat down for a visit one day. She also poked her head in even if she wasn't Laura Kate's nurse that day. We were so blessed by the doctors, nurses, and CNAs at Scott & White. They took excellent care of our little one. They made a big impression on her, as well. Who knows, perhaps she will become a doctor or nurse because of this experience. She already knows some of the lingo, and can point out the location of the heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines on a model of the human body. Pretty impressive, no?

Well, I can't think of anything else worth saying, except THANK YOU to everyone who is reading this right now :) And, as always, God is good.