Trading places

Tonight I'm lying next to my Allison in a hotel bed in Dallas. My son is across the room from us already fast asleep. My sweet Ashley is fighting sleep in a hospital bed three hours west with her daddy sitting in the recliner next to her. After much discussion and an internal tug of war we decided it best to trade places. And although I'm glad to have some time with my older kiddos my heart is aching over my youngest. This is the hardest part of our life. The times that we r pulled apart from each other while our baby battles against her broken body. How I long for last week or two weeks before that or last month when hospital life was just a memory to her.

We saw progress today. Her kidneys are adjusting to the high toxicity and making urine. The catheter was removed and she passed the test. Two hours after it's removal she had a wet diaper. And another one tonight. That is a huge praise. Less than 48 hours ago the surgical team was very concerned about long term damage being done to her kidneys this week. Things get scary very quickly in theses tiny transplanted bodies. The kidneys were what prompted her move to the picu and tonight she is peeing freely all on her own.

Her swelling is going down and we r starting to recognize her once again. She even held a book today and started signing with her free hand. She won't sit up and isn't able to stand but she is making requests and losing her patience with us. This is all very positive.

Feeds were started at 10ccs an hour and she is tolerating them. Tomorrow we will advance them periodically throughout the day. We have no answers about how or why this all started. Pathology from the biopsy won't be in until Tuesday. The surgeon felt good about what could be seen but the cells will tell the true story. We r all hopeful that good news is coming back to us.

Watching the ups and downs of transplant life isn't always pretty. Neither is living it. BUT it is life and the alternative scares me more than words can describe. Ash loves living and fights harder than anyone I know to keep doing it. I'm so proud of her.

She does all the hard work. We are only cheering her on and honored to be chosen to do so. I love her so very much and look forward to seeing her smile, hearing her giggle, and watching her grow for the rest of her life. Thank u for all your prayers and encouragement.