praising God-

I just realized today that we should just now be coming home from the hospital-that's what we were told to expect in the begining and we've been home four days. Praise God! Praise Him for a strong little girl who is bouncing back from MAJOR surgery so quickly and is an amazing inspiration to so many.

Camilla is up and walking on her own. It took about three days after coming home for her to be able to get that leg under her. The first two days she was SO FRUSTRATED when she couldn't walk on her own and it broke my heart because she looked so defeated sitting on the floor and dragging herself from room to room. However, I refused to carry her or help her walk while we were at home because I knew she would be so determined to walk that it would drive her to get stronger. She is such a fighter! The first day that she was walking on her own she was incredibly wobbly and fell once but thankfully did not hit her head on anything. She is still unsteady and a bit unsure, especially when it comes to stairs or getting in a car, but she is getting better everyday. We will start physical therepy next week because she is locking her left knee as she walks and it is creating a little limp. We will also start speech therepy next week in Tuscaloosa at the UA Speech and Hearing Center and do this twice a week throughout the summer (this place is 3 blocks from the tornado path-I'm very thankful that this wonderful facility wasn't damaged).

We will see Dr. Blount for a 'wound check' next week and will see Dr. Kim on July 11th for our first EEG. Please pray for this day - although we have not seen any seizures since the surgery this test will show if she is still having abnormal activity in the brain. Let's pray that we continue to see NO SEIZURES and that her EEG is NORMAL! Wow - that's such an odd word - normal - and extremely relative. And just FYI - she has to be seizure free for a year before they will consider weaning any medications. Let's pray that we get to this point.

One other specific prayer request is for her behavior - no problems yet - but I know that with this type of surgery behavior problems can become a big issue. Since we have already dealt with SEVERE hyperactivity and some aggression/metldowns in the past I am very aware that I do NOT want to deal with this again. Please pray that these will no longer be issues for Camilla. On a different note, she already seems to be making better eye contact, focusing longer on tasks and just more calm in general. She also seems to be sleeping so soundly - she doesn't move around all night and her breathing is deep and steady - she just seems to be resting well. Also, we believe that we are starting to see some very small cognitive gains. I hope that what Dr. Blount said is true and that without all of the 'white noise' in her head she will be able to sleep, focus, learn, play, listen and do everything with more purpose and intent.

We are looking forward to a busy summer full of fun and learning. We know that we will have to make some decisions regarding meds, school, therepy, etc... but we also realize that we are in a great place right now. We are full of hope for Camilla's future and ours! So we will continue to be positive and hopeful and look forward to each new day with our sweet 'baby angel.'

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE." Jeremiah 29:11