We are back

We are back and connected to the outside world. It has been crazy around here. Last night when we tried our goodnight post the spammers had shut down our journal, and today our cell phones are on the fritz. About an hour on the phone with the service folks got me this response. It appears that you are having problems with the network and we are not sure what to do about it. We suggest that you drive away from your current location and see if the phone works somewhere else. That was time well spent. At least the lady I was talking with was from Texas and spoke english as her first language.

We just got back to the room after taking Ash for a walk. Yep, you read correctly we just took her for a walk. Trish would not allow us to go on the elevators. She couldn't figure out how to keep everyone else out of them so Ash wouldn't be exposed to their germs. So we had to stay on this floor and walk on the opposite side of the halls as everyone else. She is a little nervous about learning how to live post transplant life. We went all the way to the other side of the hospital where we found a big window and looked out at the world. We saw trees and grass and clouds and 3 guys pouring concrete. Oh the sights you can see. Taking Ash for a walk is quite a chore. We have a pole with 6 pumps and a bottle of oxygen that travels behind her. There are lots of tubes that connect her to the pole and they are not very long. It is a bit of a challenge trying to drive the stroller and the pole with only a foot of slack. It was all worth it though, she was smiling all the way and at the end when we let Allie drive the stroller she was making car sounds and starting and stopping alot which was making Ashley laugh out loud. It was great to see Ash laughing.

Thank you all for praying for Ashley's friends. Jermiah's family is beggining to gather again and they were having someone come pick up the children so maybe things are progressing for him. We are so thankful that he will be taken to a place where he will no longer feel pain but will be comforted for all eternity. We got some more info about Karnella. Apparently she has a very wonderful mother who really loves her. We were told the nurse that had told us we could adopt her too was way "out of line" and that Nella has a family they just can't come visit her very often. We ask that you pray that she can get out of the hospital and join her family.

I woke up to the smell of fajitas, then at lunch I ate fajitas. Mmmmm..... Everyone around here is loving them. Thanks Again. We really appreciate it.

Ash is having a very "off " day. She has not slept but for about 15 minutes all day long. She is grunting and fussy. They have reduced one of her meds that helps her relax and cope down to once a day in the evening. This is her first day without having the morning dose. We are hoping she is just learning to deal with life without it. Her labs looked great today. Everything is in range at the moment and that has been an answer to prayer. She is still struggling with her feedings a little. They have increased them to 20 today. The ultimate goal is 55. To get there though she must keep it all down and not throw it up. So far we have not a had a full day without throwing up in about 9 days now.

We are so happy to be back and able to communicate with everyone again. Thanks for checking in on the gherkin today. We are so sorry things decided to act up a little . We love you and we promise to post more later. Take care and God Bless.