Day Twenty Three: Daddy comes home today!! YIPPEE!!!

Daddy (Mark) comes home today from Texas! His plane was scheduled to leave at 9:00'ish this morning and should arrive at LAX around 11:30. Since UCLA is so close to the airport, I will run and pick him up when he calls and then bring him back here to the hospital until Katie is done for the day. He has reported to me that he has gotten plenty of rest and recovery and that he is SO READY to come home. It's a good thing... I am SO READY to have him home.

Katie had another good night... and despite a few here-and-there blow-ups/banging things , she had a good evening. She even elected to help Bea made dinner and clean up afterwards... (Who is this child??)

The contrast between her good and bad times is more and more apparent now that her emotions have stabilized more. Her good moments are the norm... very pleasant and fun to be with... and her angry moments are extremely sudden... extremely high... but over within minutes (not hours). Her ability to get herself back in control is largely due to this new medication. As much as we HATE having to give her pills such as this... it is restoring her peace and preserving her self-esteem. Perhaps we can ween her off of these medications once she is older and in better self control. Who knows? But for now, this is the right choice... for ALL of us.

I can feel my shoulders beginning to relax and settle down into place... my emotions are less on "constant guard" now, and I so badly want to sigh a big breath of relief... but... years of disappointment still have me pensive... and a few good days doesn't mean that everything is "okay" quite yet. Nevertheless... I am extremely hopeful... and thankful beyond words for the few days of peace and stability we have experienced with our girl.

I am very aware of your prayers and how they are carrying us through this bumpy journey. Today was the first day in a LOOOOONG time that I not only slept ALL THE WAY through the night... but I woke up and had to push myself HARD to get going... and here I sit at the computer BONE TIRED... so tired I want to cry... and every sofa, chair and open piece of carpet beckons me to come and lie down on it. I think I've hit my wall... and it's not going to let me pass this time. Mark has agreed to take Katie to the clinic tomorrow and let me have a day off. I was going to go to my favorite thrift shop and get some much needed clothes for Katie.... but I don't know... it will depend on how I feel when I wake up in the morning... or should I say, "IF" I wake up. LOL.

I drove and picked up Mark around 11:30 this afternoon. It was SO GOOD to hold him in my arms and have him close again. We sat in the Family Room at UCLA until the end of day when we got Katie. Another great report... she had a good day. Things are looking up.

We drove to the foot clinic in Reseda where they made a cast of Katie's feet in order to make inserts for her shoes. Our insurance company agreed to pay for them... so that's $300 we can keep in our pockets... and though we have no promise of course, perhaps the end of all the leg and foot pains Katie has experienced over her life. We will need to get new ones made every year as she grows.

Once that was done we headed home... ate dinner and enjoyed the evening doing much of nothing... but we did it together.... all under the same roof. Katie is absolutely charming... with very few emotional blow ups... and then, even when she does, she recovers herself much faster than she use to. Mark was simply amazed to experience her like this. So much has changed in the week.

Well... it's off to bed. Nightie night.

Susan