So sorry I checked out there for the last three days my friends. We have had a house guest here at Chez Lenaburg which is a pretty rare occasion so I felt I needed to step away so i could spend as much time with the spectacularly wonderful and fiercely brave Colleen Connell Mitchell, who is visiting from Costa Rica. She and her husband left the US almost three years ago and founded the St. Bryce Foundation to serve the church in the mission fields of Costa Rica, building chapels, feeding the homeless and evangelizing the Gospel to the Cabecar People, in the mountains of Costa Rica. You can read more about their mission here.
I have known Colleen on-line but this is the first time I have ever had the privilege of meeting her live and in-person. Jerry shook his head last night and just laughed. He said we must have been separated at birth the similarities were a little scary. LOL! She has ministered to us more than we have to her this weekend...she's just that kind of houseguest. It has been such a gift to have her with us.
Miss Courtney has had a very difficult time handling her latest med change. We have completed step one and will begin the second increase tomorrow. It's hard for this Mama to watch her struggle to stay awake and fight the effects of the higher dose. She has stopped rolling. I know that once the med change is complete and stabilized in another three weeks, she may come back to baseline but for now, she struggles.
It's hard not to get discouraged at this point. Her seizures have come roaring back and they are hard nasty ones. Lips turn purple, she struggles to breathe and they go on for 7-10 minutes. We worked so hard to get her to this point and now it feels like we are going backwards. We have backed off therapy for this week until I can get her more awake. It's kind of a waste to show up for therapy and all she does is sleep through it. Then there is the battle to keep weight on her. She had a little skin reaction to something in her formula so we had to strip the recipe back down to see what the problem was. Still adding things back in slowly. The answer will come in time. It always does.
I finished painting her room this week. I gotta tell you I have got some mad room painting moves. There was bending and stretching and the discovery of muscle group s that I never knew I had. Holy moley...who knew how hard it would be. So this weeks plan os to get the curtains done and then next week we will paint the two dressers. Then hang everything and we will be DONE!!
So far I love it. So bright and so happy. What do you think??
Today I am grateful for:
#1597 - #1620
** time with my missionary friend Colleen
** powdered donut holes
** a fully stocked grocery store
** homemade authentic New Orleans gumbo
** heavy cream + cheese + bacon = heaven
** NFL Football
** espresso at 8 a.m.
** praying over my daughter as she fights her way through yet another seizure
** celebrating my BFF"s Birthday
** teal walls and white trim
** quiet prayer time EARLY in the morning
** listening to the rain fall
** praying for my jr/sr girls in youth ministry
** celebrating my brother Joe's promotion to Captain in the Fire Dept.
** clean white fluffy towels
** baby pictures from long ago
** Jerry back to work
** the return of Courtney's appetite
** new glasses that make things very clear
** second chances and forgiveness among friends
** a powerful homily by the deacon
** apple spice cake
** understanding therapists who are willing to adjust schedules to meet Miss Courtney's needs
** my family
Go take a photo and join us won't you? Head on over to FineLinenandPurple and link up. Then you can head over here to Watch What I'm Wearing, celebrating modesty and fashion. I'm also over at Sunday Style @ Plane Pretty , Tucker Up and The Pleated Poppy. It's a party!
Labels: #1000 Gifts, 31 Days of Gratitude, caregivers, catholic family life, Courtney's Room Makeover, Courtney's World, friendship, missionary life, special need parenting, special needs children, What I Wore
