Who Would Have Thought?

****This post was written weeks ago and then took me another week to post...sorry!****

So in April, Emersyn had a "silent" seizure (called an atonic seizure).  Her muscles didn't tighten.  She made no sound.  But her eyes shifted to the left (or right, I can't remember).  We were terrified, the kids were so scared, but acted bravely and lovingly.  But here I am, NOW, reading a book about children with brain damage and I come to the appendix about detoxing from anti-convulsants...

Okay, this next part is HUGE, because God doesn't make mistakes.  He doesn't give us things like diarrhea, coughing and puking by mistake.  These reactions are protecting an organ or bodily function, just like seizures were meant for a purpose.  As horrifying and terrible as seizures are, they actually serve a purpose.  IMAGINE that!!!

"A seizure is an activity of great metabolic activity of the brain, and during its presence cerebra blood flow increases, providing more oxygen and glucose and increasing excitatory amino acids necessary for establishing the neuronol wiring and function."

So what this therapist says who wrote the book, is that doctors have made parents fear seizures and if we work on building her cerebral cortex they will be fewer and fewer, but to NOT use anti seizure meds because they hinder healing!

So since the seizure, Emmy has gone from having barely any trunk control to sitting almost all day by herself on the floor (floor sitting makes her use way more muscles).  Her speech is clearer and more audible.  She can roll over in the crawl position and even crawl about 2 feet.

She is almost back to where she was in August when we left CHKD except she is unable to write and her right leg still wants to be lazy while walking.  Another crazy thing we did was quit therapy, ALL OF THEM.  She cried every session and I felt like screaming because I work her so much harder at home.  So I took this book and am applying the techniques by keeping her on the floor most of the day and making her try to walk the stairs or use the walker, even through it is HARD!

She has had headaches since quitting therapy, but they seem fewer and less sever.  She still has had them (especially on Fridays), but quickly giving her a motrin and quiet time, they seem to go away.  We have had no nausea either!!!  The thing that we can't get over is the lack of sleep she is having.  We don't sleep.  She doesn't sleep.  And we are MISERABLE.  I am learning to just let her cry because I become a beast with no sleep.  She did say I don't love her because I won't sleep with her.  She is a wordsmith and can make you feel terrible, but we refuse to keep drugging her up to sleep. Which leads me to the next issue, medicine.

I was watching a video on a man who gave his son hemp oil.  His son was on 22 meds at 7 years old and had seizures all day long.  The oil stopped them instantly. No, we don't need hemp oil, we have Frankincense, but he did mention benzodiazepines and how difficult they are to wean.  So low and behold, Emmy is on one, Clonazepam.  Needless to say, she is now being weaned, which is probably why she is having a hard time sleeping. These meds are very addictive.  This specific one helps relax the muscles and can be an anti-convulsant.  Well, she hasn't had any more seizures and as far as I know, seizures help the brain more than trying to block them.  So we will slowly wean her and increase the amount of Frankincense we give her.  That stuff is like GOLD!

So as this weekend rolls to an end, I just need to say Thank you Jesus!!  We actually made it 10 days without the help of Ella and Eli!! Those two went and had a mini-vacation with their cousins in Maryland and had a blast!  Eli even won an iPad air from one of those arcade games!  All I know is that I realized how blessed we are to be able to homeschool and spend so much time with our kids.  Emmy and Everett missed those two even more than Randy and I did!!!

I will try to post sooner, but time is limited and this one post took me a week to write!  
Thanks for praying and still lifting Emmy up in prayer.  She has a LLLLLOOOONNNNGGGG road ahead of her!

Quick Update: She opened a door today with a regular doorknob!  She hasn't done this in MONTHS!  This kind of strength and coordination has been very hard to get back, but she did it today over and over and over!!!  PTL

 Emmy with her second favorite Randy, Pastor Randy!!

We spent the majority of our time at VBS with the baby animals...of course!

My Hannah moment

Today I think I felt a hint of what Hannah felt at the temple.  If you don't know about Hannah, here is a recap...

Hannah was in a polygamous marriage (that is not what I relate too!).  The "other" wife was a nagger, bragger and seemed to always get what she wanted.  The most important thing that Hannah wanted, a baby, came very easily to the "other" wife.  And to top things off, the other wife would provoke Hannah to tears about not being able to have children.  

So Hannah went to the temple, where the priest Eli was, and prayed a vow and wept bitterly to the Lord for son, even making promises unto God.  But when Eli saw her praying, 

she was moving her lips and had great emotion on her face, but made no sound...

So as I drove in the car, crying out to God, like I do every time I get the silence of a vehicle all to myself, Hannah's name just came up in my Spirit.  I realized I was sitting there talking to God, pleading with him, waving my hand like a wild woman, and there was a man just staring at me with mouth agape.  He was watching my lips move and hand wave, but had no idea what I was saying. So while I froze and just stared back, I realized exactly what Hannah felt.  She wanted one thing.  One little person.  And while she was patiently waiting for that desire to come to fruition, she was being taunted by her "other" wife.  And while I am not taunted by others bragging to me, I feel forgotten when miracle after miracle is spoken of in church, on Facebook, by friends or other parents with children thriving after almost dying.  

But what I must remind myself as others see my lips moving and great emotion on my face, but can't hear a thing I am saying as I am driving around town by myself, is that God will answer my prayer. He will not forget us.  God will remember and he will deliver Emmy out of this mess.  He proves time and time again that his timing is always perfect and He does have a plan and it is ALWAYS good!

ALWAYS.

O-V-E-R-W-H-E-L-M-E-D

Life is so hard.  But somehow we adapt and start to manage, which makes it look like it isn't as hard as it once was.  But it is still just as hard as it was at the beginning.  Lately, I have been completely overwhelmed.  Not like a fall-to-the-floor in the fetal position, but just overwhelmed with emotion.  I have cried out to God before, but lately, my cries collapse my lungs and leave me struggling to breath.  

Since my last post, two weeks later, almost to the exact same minute, Emersyn got a headache.  We were on our way to therapy and she pointed to her head.  I instantly prayed and tried to ignore it... Somehow I think if I will it away, it will go...  Even complaining of a headache, this chick ROCKED therapy.  She obeyed (which is HUGE, because she still doesn't think she needs therapy) and even crawled a few steps.  But 40 minutes into it, she started crying and looking at me with her helpless eyes.  I picked her up and took her to the car, which she seemed fine once we were out of therapy's view.   Five minutes down the road and she looks at me in the rear view and does the crazy "brain" vomit.  I call it the brain vomit because when the brain causes you to vomit, it comes out like a firehose.  I pulled over, cleaned her up and that started a very long weekend.

As I texted Randy to tell him, I just knew this was just a headache or more like a migraine.  She still wanted to eat, which is a great sign, but every time she would try to eat, it would come back up.  So after chasing throw-up all day Friday, Randy came home and we decided to wait it out...with fear and trembling.  I won't lie.  This mirrored two weeks before and she ended up in a seizure.  So we kept praying, anointing with oil and just tried to keep her comfy. I just need to chime in that the rest of our kids are so awesome.  They instantly kick into quiet gear, stay away from Emmy or just sit by her watching her every move.  So as we went to bed that night, I just couldn't stop crying. If headaches were our initial sign her brain was blowing up with inflammation, why is she having them again with no signs of inflammation?  That is the first overwhelmed... overwhelmed at the unknown. The "whys" and the "when will this be over?".   

The next morning she woke still in pain, so I dressed and took her straight to the ER. I texted our sweet neurologist, only to find out he is out of country, vacationing with his daughter in France. He texted me right back and said she would be fine and to keep him updated.  She had stopped throwing up the night before but still felt nauseous and in pain.  A bad needle poke, a bag of IV fluids, nausea meds, and pain meds, we were out of there in a record 6 hours... The diagnosis was just a headache, but the amazing part was what the resident said after reviewing Emmy's MRI scan from when she had a seizure.

It showed IMPROVEMENT from her last MRI, which just happened to be 2 weeks earlier!

That was the second type of overwhelmed that I have been feeling.  Seeing one thing, but knowing that something better is happening underneath.  Her MRIs haven't really shown any improvement for months!  I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude and praise for God just keeping Emmy in His arms.  Overwhelmed that things could be worse.  Overwhelmed that we have come so far.  

There are days people post old pictures of Emersyn and that overtakes me like mad.  I cannot bear to see her pictures from before this happened.  Before when I KNOW that we could have stopped this if we KNEW what what happening in her brain.  And there are days when I think of July 15th and I get shivers down my spine and my heart stops for a moment, or think of her declining before our eyes because of some stupid neurologist at Portsmouth. I hate that kind of overwhelmed...

But then these past couple of weeks have just put me in a state of awe.  I put her on the swing and she was holding on to the swing by herself.  I found her sitting criss-cross applesauce in the grass, after putting her there so I could push Ev on the swings (this is very hard with a stiff left leg).  She succeeded in pedaling her razor bike a few feet and was able to hold on to the handlebars for a few minutes without letting go.  Then at therapy, with her brothers there to support her, she rode the 3 wheeler like a champ and even crawled farther than before.  And then the biggie I have noticed is that when she is using her walker, she can move her right leg by herself, without me moving it forward for her!  She is sitting taller and straighter and speaking more clearly.  This is the kind of overwhelmed that I love!  Every time I hear "Overwhelmed" by Big Daddy Weave I just know there is so much Hope in God and Emmy is proof of that!

But as I wrote this the other night, Emmy reminded me of how overwhelmed she has become.  Healing is slow, muscles don't obey and she is 100% dependent on us.  She yearns to walk so badly and keeping her spirits high is the most difficult job I have. Convincing her to keep the faith is hard.  So continue to pray, family feel free to come visit and just keep Emmy in your thoughts!  I really am hopeful for the upcoming months because I know this girl is going to be doing things on her own very soon!

The Road Less Travelled

I have to admit it.  This is hard.  So hard, that if we were to be given a choice and do it all over again, I would pick differently.  But we didn't choose this, so I am looking at this really steep mountain we are climbing in a totally different way.  

On Friday, when Emmy was terribly sick with a migraine and throwing up, I was reading blogs posted on The Mighty, which is a web page dedicated to families with disabled children or went through disabilities themselves. I came across a short-story that made me want to click on this family's blog site.  As I was reading, I just felt so bad for this little girl who had a genetic disorder that was "turned on" from a sickness.  She intrigued me so much that I just kept reading through her posts and I came across one titled "The Day We Got Our Daughter's MRI Results".  That hooked me and I read on.  I read and cried because this woman wrote exactly what we felt.  Why was this happening to our daughter?  How could her brain look that bad, even though she was swimming the day before?  How much brain damage was there? Nothing made sense, but this woman's words were the same words that had come out of my mouth 9 months earlier. If you want to read the blog, the link is below.

I can't answer the whys and hows, but all I know is that right now, this very moment, God gave Emersyn to Randy and me to take care of her, to love her and make her feel as comfortable as possible.  We have had our share of very large boulders in the road, but after Saturday's surprise seizure, we are very certain that we were given to Emmy to make a difference in her life. It was so weird as we were waiting for her to return from the MRI, I kept telling Randy how blessed Emersyn is that she was not given dead-beat parents that would ruin her life and not take care of her.  I was just so thankful that God chose us, even though it is so painful watching our baby go through this.  I just know that God has a plan for her life.  I KNOW this because she has been attacked her whole life.  She has almost drowned numerous times, almost run over, combated emotional feelings of rejection and fear (at 3 years old) and even had to put up with a mommy who was an emotional wreck for years, having crazy spells of screaming just because my thyroid wasn't working and Emersyn's free-spirit (most often strong-will) would drive me batty. 

Getting back to Friday... it was a horrible day.  I literally had my hand on the keys to take her to the ER, but I knew that this migraine/ throwing up episode would end up just like the others before.  We would finally decide to head to the ER at 8:30 pm, they would screw up 3 IVs, Emmy would all of a sudden feel better and we would go home at 3am.  And guess what?  At 9:00pm, she did feel better and  chugged a bunch of water and went to bed.  Now, I had already texted our neurologist to let him know what was going on, and he said if her vomiting didn't stop, to take her in, which we would have in a heart beat!  I also told him I would text him in the morning if we decided, after all, to have her checked out.  Emmy slept pretty poorly that night, but she had slept the whole day before, so I figured that was normal.  She was also pretty shaky and very stiff on her dystonic side, which is normal when she doesn't sleep well.  But she did have an awesome day!  We laid in the grass, she hung out with our neighbor's daughter and Emmy just seemed to be doing fine.  Around dinner time, we brought Emmy inside and Ella put her on the couch.  I had Eli go give her some loving, because for some reason, for about 3 days I had been on a "kiss Emmy any free moment you got" kick.  I kept telling her that "today is a holiday, called Kiss Emmy Day"  and she would smile and let me kiss all over her.  Well, after about 5 minutes, I had dinner finished and went to grab Emmy off the couch to eat and I noticed she was drooling.  I instantly looked in her eyes and they were fixed to the left.  Ella called for Randy, Eli took Everett upstairs and then I called 911.  I hate 911.  I hate ambulances.  But I knew something was wrong, because she has never had a seizure, except the first BIG seizure she had when we initially went into the hospital back in July. Can I just say that the ambulance took forever.  But it gave us enough time to pray over her and make sure she was breathing, which she was.  I went in the ambulance with Emersyn and Randy followed behind.  My wonderful neighbor snatched up Everett, covered his eyes so he wouldn't see Emmy on a stretcher and took him to his house.  Then our other lifesaver, Melissa, came to stay with the kids and calmed them down by comforting them with prayer.

Roads are a funny thing.  Some look really well travelled and some look hard, but end up being a very travelled road.  Well, this road seemed like the same old road we keep coming down.  Emmy had a seizure A SEIZURE and we just knew a new lesion formed.  How could this mean anything else?  I was trying to stay focused on God and his promises, but our daughter was unconscious after getting 3 doses of anti-seizure meds to get it to stop and I just couldn't imagine anything good could come out of this.  Our neurologist just happened to be on call that night and came in at 9:00pm to look her over and take a look at the CT scan they performed on her (they wanted to make sure she didn't have any brain bleeds).  While he was reviewing the CT scan and getting us moved to PICU (the awful place we lived for 13 days back in July), Emmy woke up and asked to go pee and get a drink.  Oh, thank God!!! She moved her lips with a little sound and even moved both sides of her body.  I was so afraid that she was going to be paralyzed on one side, but she wasn't!  So our neurologist came back in and we told him Emmy used the bathroom and he smiled so BIG!  He really felt that this was just a seizure and we weren't to worry, but he went ahead and started IV steroids and upped her seizure medication, just in case it was a relapse.  He then said she had to wait until Monday to get an MRI, because he wanted her stable and didn't want her seizing on the MRI table.  We then moved up to the PICU and didn't sleep a wink. Like usual.  

Then next day, Emmy woke and was mad she was in the hospital with an IV and wanted to go home.  Well, we knew that wasn't happening so we patiently waited and were moved to the 8th floor.  Emmy seemed totally fine and the Dr. even tried to talk me out of the MRI because he just didn't feel anything was wrong with her.  But we needed proof, because her little brain just can't take anymore lesions and damage.  So Monday morning, we first had an EEG that showed the right side of her brain is what seized (the same section that seems to have that inflammation spot that won't go away) and it was operating slower, which is normal after a seizure. Then we rolled over to the MRI floor and Randy and I patiently waited and prayed that nothing new would show up.  When she woke, we headed back up to our room and played the waiting game to hear back from the neurologist.  

Nothing new.  NOTHING NEW!!!  That seems sad to people who want to see change and healing and smaller lesions and even lesions that are gone, but nothing new was music to our ears!  That meant that the seizure was just a seizure and it was probably caused from the brain mis-firing while it is healing and moving and changing and rewiring.  I am sure the stress from the day before is what caused it, but as long as it isn't happening because her brain is being attacked again, we really are not worried about it. We are still moving in a positive direction, on this really narrow and steep road, uphill in the snow, but at least it is forward and not backward.

Tonight as I read from Emersyn's Sweet Bible Stories for Little Girls, I read the dedication page and this is what it said.  

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

For the Lord your God is living among you.
     He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
     With HIS love, He will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

I needed this.  We still don't know why, but we do know that is is where we are RIGHT now.  We are here for Emmy because she has a mighty calling on her life.  She has since she was born.  Each one of us is so important in her life and I see it everyday.  Ella calms her and gives her strength.  Eli can take her out of a negative mood in seconds and make her feel so loved.  Everett makes her remember what she is fighting for!  And Randy and I are her protectors, cheerleaders, therapists and prayer warriors!  God knows what is going on and while I don't know why He intervenes so apparently in every aspect of our lives except the miracle healing we all desire, we will remember that Faith is the substance of things HOPED for and the evidence of things NOT seen.  We can't even say that God hasn't intervened on Emmy's behalf, because she could have died.  Twice.  Her brain was beat up bad, but God has kept her and even has given her movement in her limbs where the neurologist still can't understand how.  She is a miracle and so is where she is today. And we will keep on this road and carry her all the way to the top.
  

God is Mighty to Save 

and He truly calms our fears 

monthly, weekly, daily and by the minute.

The blog I completely related to http://www.robandannemarie.com/2015/01/the-day-we-got-our-mri-results/#comment-326 

Everett

This boy.  This boy has probably been more courageous than anyone (besides Emersyn) that I know.  Besides having his best friend go from wild and crazy to sick and immobile, he really lost his mom for quite a few month while I was in the hospital with Em.  But he has done such an amazing job of being understanding and kind, especially on the days when Emmy can't stand him.  And we know why Emmy gets mad..

Everett can talk, and walk, and run and talk-back (oh, not sweet little Everett!) and grab her toys without being able to run after him.  He can open the doors, go outside and do chores (Emmy loves doing chores).  And She can't.  And it breaks my heart that she is so jealous, but she has every right to be.

But it isn't Everett's fault.  And he always forgives Emmy after she refuses to play with him, let him in her room or even be gracious when I want to take him out on a son/mommy date.  He always tells her "Good Morning" and asks her questions, even when he knows he won't understand her answers.  He offers her drinks, food and sweets without being asked to.  He truly has a heart of gold (kind of like our other son).

And he rarely shows any resentment that I spend hardly any one on one time with him, except when he asked if just he and I could run away together....That ripped me apart.  I wish I could, even for a day...

And then I catch him kissing Emmy's cheek the other day asking her "Marry Me, Emmy" I am reminded that no matter what Emmy's condition is, Everett will love her unconditionally forever and ever!

Keeping The Faith

Did we just give up?  I don't know why but I just keep thinking that as we finally live in the "NOW" and address Emmy's immediate needs (and our own) we are not living by faith for her complete healing.

I finally opened up the 45 page document from the State on getting a waiver.  Guess what?  It was just a guide for all of the rules, testing and documents needed to get a waiver.

++What is a waiver? Essentially, if there is a human being over the age of 6 with an intellectual or physical disability, the state will provide a "group home" or "group medical necessities", but you request a waiver that allows you to take care of that person at home with some type of help.

The state is supposed to provide monetary help, or equipment usage or even send a nurse a couple times a week... If you qualify.  The social worker I talked to said Encephalitis isn't even listed.  Really?  Brain injuries are the number one reason why a person would be disabled.  THEN the big kicker was I have to get Emmy IQ tested, but nonverbal since I am the only one who understands her.  I explained over and over her intellect is fine and I don't want an intellectual waiver, but the state REQUIRES it.  But because insurance says it is not necessary, we have to pay out of pocket.  I did go to the local school system and they are hearing my "case" next week to see if they will test her for free, since they are responsible for the educational welfare of every child in their district.  Maybe the Tebow bill opened their eyes to see that even Homeschooled kids (whose parents pay taxes to local school systems) have rights too!!!  But if they will not test her, get this, our neurologist's wife is a licensed psychologist who administers the test!  So one way or another, we will get her IQ tested. ++ never mind about the Tebow bill that passed House and Senate-Governor vetoed it...

The other thing that almost killed me doing, was asking for a prescription for Emmy's own wheelchair and walker.  I don't know why but this felt like defeat.  I had imagined walking so proudly to the wheelchair clinic at CHKD and giving back the big, heavy wheelchair, fit for a child who has no neck, trunk or leg strength and the Crocodile Walker.  Well, that hasn't happened and I realized this wheelchair is just too heavy to take places, which in turn I keep carrying Emmy everywhere which is hard on the arms and back.  I need to add that this in itself is a miracle that I have not experienced very much back pain since this whole thing started last July. God is definitely keeping me well so I can take care of Emmy!

The other thing we did was to finally accept monetary help from friends and family.  Either we were to proud to say so or just waiting for that quick miracle to happen where we didn't need any modified equipment at all.  My friend Melissa set up a donation site after pleading with me to allow the people who keep asking how they can help to be able to give.  Thank God I said yes.  A modified stroller big enough for Emmy and her dystonic leg was over $1,000!  Then, once we find out what kind of wheelchair the insurance will provide, we can purchase a standard stroller that will be easy to take places if we ever can feel comfortable enough to travel.  Oh, the dreams of leaving this house on some kind of adventure other than therapy have almost overtaken my thoughts!

There is some good news to report!  The doctor finally tested her for autoimmune encephalitis and it was negative. There are a few autoimmune encephalitises out there, but I just kept doubting this is ADEM because the inflammation won't stay gone. But I am so happy he was right!  Not seeing the advancement in her health and physical strength the way WE want it to be is so tough and makes us question everything. She seems to be getting weaker every day... Emmy got the flu yesterday and we KNEW it was a virus from the fever, but oh how the thoughts stray when she is crying, puking and covering her eyes because the light hurts her head. But trusting that God is in control and then oiling her up with every anti-viral oil I own kicked it in less than 24 hours!!

But I do ask that you just pray for some kind of answers soon. Emmy seems fine intellectually, but she seems to be regressing physically. She has been choking more when drinking, sometimes her breathing is labored and her right arm is so spastic she tries to suck her fingers almost all day (which the sucking of her fingers seems more neurological to me). She isn't sitting well either, and I am constantly trying to prop her up or help her sit up properly in a chair. I video her quite often and I have her feeding herself just weeks ago and now her right arm just seems way to weak (and really uncoordinated). We will know more on Wednesday after her MRI. Every day I ask God, "When will this end?" 

So if Faith IS the substance and the evidence, then I may be lacking lately.  I cry more often then not and I really try to stay positive, but 8 months is a very long time to watch your child suffer, when this should have been done months ago....Really, it has been longer than 8 months because this started in April after breaking her arm.  Oh, how I still wish I could turn back time and force those pediatricians to test her for more than "food allergies".  But we can't change the past, only the future and my quest has been to make Emmy's life as good as possible and love her more than I ever have before.  

Emmy's cruisin' now!

This week has been draining.  Emotional. Tearful.  I am not sure what sparked it, but I have been a wreck.  Hormones, maybe.  Seeing our child in this condition for over 7 months has worn us down.  We are frustrated, angry, shaking our fists at the One who made us.  Our feeble minds are still just trying to grasp what in the world is going on.  But then we see those small signs of hope that things are getting better.

Emmy had her second swim therapy session the other day and tried getting out after 15 minutes.  The heat of the pool and the amount of calories her body burns because of muscles constantly contracting made her want to quit.  But her therapist kept her going for 40 minutes, then we ate Schlotzsky's, any fast food makes her little steroid filled body happy!  But when her body is so fatigued, she doesn't have the energy to get her voice audible or even sit up on her own.  But her mind is quick as lightening!  She is thinking and analyzing all day long.  Which scares me...

We were in the kitchen and she was in the living room.  I heard her faint sound and went and grabbed her to come into the kitchen with us.  All of a sudden she starts pointing at everyone.  She cries out, "Daddy walks, Eli walks, I want to walk... I want to walk"!!!  This just ripped me apart.  I know she is thinking it all the time when Everett is running through the house or Eli runs to the door when someone knocks.  We just don't mention those things that she can't do, because she cries hard and then I cry and then the whole family is an emotional wreck.  

Then she said, "Bring me my walker"! So she practiced walking for about 15 feet then I bathed her and put her to bed.  And then, once again, I am reminded that "Joy comes in the morning".  When she woke up, her voice was strong, she used her walker first thing down the hallway and her right leg (affectionately called Allen) was moving like it should (her left leg, Boudreaux, was named by Mimi).  

Another day and another blessing comes as an unexpected surprise from our neighbor, Sandra, telling us that her friend is thinking of donating a scooter, since his wife had just passed.  I tell her it would be an absolute blessing for Emmy to have it to go on walks with us or even go from the living room to the kitchen.  Well, he agreed and this morning, upon Randy doing some minor modifications, Emmy is cruisin' and can't stop laughing!  She has already scratched the walls and some furniture, but she is quite the navigator!  We, of course, have told her that this is temporary and will still have to use her walker, but she is so happy!!!  Thank you so much, Allen and Sandra, for thinking of our Emmy.  

PS. I can't wait for the day I can give it back, because that means our little chicken is walking more than sitting!!!

Upcoming dates:  MRI April 1st and if all looks well, another IVIG treatment April 3rd.