our sunshine

Moriah is back!

Moriah woke up yesterday morning all smiles, back to her usual self. She's continued to be less fussy yesterday and today, and smiles so easily again. We can only thank you for your prayers, as the doctors warned that the month would be increasingly miserable for her, and yet here she is, with these days of reprieve.

Also, the ACTH does seem to be working. Her seizures are nearly gone; for the last two days, I've noticed only 1 instance of Moriah looking startled, and this only with her eyes--her body stayed perfectly still. If it was a seizure, it was slight, and short.

The real test of whether the ACTH has cured Moriah will be when we begin weaning her from it. The wean begins in a week. Keep praying!

And the days this week have gotten progressively better and better. Monday I stayed in my PJ's all day and did some things here at the house (mostly, rescheduling appointments we missed last week). Orilus and Jackson's teachers continue to be a HUGE help, tutoring the boys after school each day so that more of their homework is done by the time I go and get them. And I've learned to ask for help again, even from people I barely know--so grateful for our new church and the people there, as one family graciously included us in their youth group carpool last night, saving us the trip to church and back, and giving me some time yesterday evening to make some freezer-meals so that the evenings ahead are not crammed quite so full.

Monday I also had the presence of mind to call my new friend, Helen. I met her through the Brockton EI Down syndrome support group and we have begun good friends already. She came over with her son yesterday and we spent much of the day together, even walking over two miles with our babies and enjoying yesterday's sunshine and warmer air. It was a day I really needed, as it helped me to feel so much more settled, and more confident that I'm going to be okay here in West Bridgewater.

And...we are on track to close on our new house next week! It's been a longer road than we anticipated (we've been living with my in-laws now for two months, and are so grateful for our time here). It will feel so good, though, to get settled, recover our belongings from storage (I ran out of my three-week supply of shampoo a long time ago, and Moriah has grown a few sizes since we've been here, and Jackson's grown out of ALL his pants...). It's unbelievable still to me that we moved, but last week served to show us exactly why we did. I'm not sure what we would have done without the support of family nearby.

Mostly, I'm grateful this morning for all the spiritual support and encouragement that has come our way. For emails. For prayers. For our pastor, who called last night and offered to gather the church leadership to pray for Moriah this Sunday. For cards in the mail, and gifts of prayer books and readings on suffering. Thank you, friends. We have had many needs in these last months, and you are God's hands, reaching out to meet them as evidence of His love.