Goodbye Blog!

The time has come to say goodbye. This is my last post on lilyswait blog.

I set up this blog to chronicle our wait for Lily.

And, today, in so many ways I am still waiting - for Hannah's bone marrow to come back, yes. But really - just waiting on the Lord. Trusting Him with all my heart. Leaning on Him. Believing that He will continue to direct my paths. Thanking Him for all that He has done in my life & all that He continues to do.

I have so much to be thankful for & God continues to shower my life with His goodness -- it is in His nature to do so!

I will still keep blogging -- so follow the journey of our family, from my perspective, as I wait on the Lord.

Bookmark this -- my new blog: http://www.thebuzzofus.blogspot.com/

Update

I am still having computer issues or I would post some great pictures of Hannah at the Crayola factory. She had an awesome time with Grandma & Grandpa. I stayed home to have some time to myself. Guess what I did? I know you know. S-l-e-e-p. Can't get enough of it! Heaven for me will include at least a 1,000 year nap.

Hannah is doing well. Last night (Monday), we had a bit of a scare with her temperature creeping up a bit. She was just at 100.5 but that was enough to get me packing my bag for the hospital. Hannah really, really, really did not want to go so we stayed put to sleep for the night at my parent's place. Thankfully today her her temperature has been in the 99 range & we have been able to stay in Pennsylvania. Her throat is a bit sore so she is definitely fighting a bit of soemthing ... otherwise she seems to be doing well! We will go back to clinic in Maryland on Friday.

As of right now, Hannah & I will be going back to California on Saturday, 8/29. Less than 2 weeks away & I CAN'T WAIT!!

As for the biggest news of the day: Make-A-Wish just called & Hannah is being granted her wish NEXT WEEK to go on a shopping spree at the American Girl Place in New York City!! What a perfect way to end her difficult summer on the East Coast!!

Dancing Hannah

We have had a great day here at Grandma & Grandpa's place -- Hannah even went to DQ with Grandpa!! Honestly, being here today at my parent's house things just feel so normal & like there is nothing wrong. Part of me feels like, "what the heck are we still doing out here?" but the other part of me knows that tomorrow Hannah could wake up with a raging fever (and if so, I really prefer the care at NIH ... no offense AT ALL to our wonderful nurses or Dr. Horvath at Kaiser!!!). It is so hard to believe that just 2+ weeks ago we were at NIH & Hannah was SO SICK.

My mom & I were talking tonight about how sick she was & how at the time we both didn't feel that Hannah was going to make it. No she wasn't on life support but she had gone down hill so fast that at the time I was thinking -- if we keep going down hill this fast, we don't have very far to go until there isn't any further.

I think for me that week of Hannah's 104 - 107 fevers & illness was the worst time of all in the past 8+ months. It just felt like she wasn't going to make it. I had never cried so much with Jim as I did in the family room across the hall from Hannah's room in the hospital. I just could not believe how bad she looked & how sick she was!

Tonight Hannah danced & had a great dinner with me & her wonderful Grandparents. She helped my mom clean the house & was giggling in the midst of it all. She is a dream come true, this 7 year old of mine. I thank God so much each day for the gift of her. I always did but after these past several months I will always be more grateful & more thankful than I ever was.....for everything. For health. For happy times. For vacations. For family. For life. Thank you, Lord, for what you are teaching me (and all of us) in the midst of such a hard time.

PS -- I have tried almost a million times to upload the video of Hannah dancing but it won't go .. sorry!!

28 Hour Trip To Clinic & Back

We drove down to Maryland on Thursday night & got back Friday night. My mom drove since my arm is still in a sling most of the time. No stops for me to an ER either way ....phew!!!!

Hannah's appointment went well despite issues with her port. Today it was accessed but wouldn't give blood return or flush so the nurse had to remove the needle & start again. Hannah got VERY upset. Poor thing -- this is just the one thing that can put her over the edge in an instant if there is a problem.

Once it all got worked out & we got her blood counts back, she only needed platelets. She has not had a red blood cell transfusion since last Thursday (8/13) & we will not be going back to the clinic until next Friday,8/21....so that is going to be a 15 day period in between transfusions for red blood cells! I don't know if this is a sign that her treatment is working but a 15 day stretch is an improvement. Will it be enough to avoid a Bone Marrow Transplant? No, not yet. But perhaps it is a tiny glimmer of hope that something is working & maybe down the road she will be transfusion-independent (avoid the BMT). I don't know. It is so hard to get hopeful but, of course, it is so hard not to be hopeful. There is still time for her treatment to work but the "window of opportunity" is closing. Of course, for God, I don't think there is anything like a "window of opportunity" ... this is all His plan, His timing ... His everything.

Our sleep schedules are totally upside down -- I tell you, after living in a hospital for such long periods of time it is hard to be on a normal schedule. Hannah went to bed at 2:45am tonight & I am now pushing 5am. Maybe this week we can work on being more normally scheduled girls. My mom is planning a trip this week with Hannah to the Crayola factory .. fun, fun ... but can't be up 1/2 the night & expect to be awake to see the crayons :-)!

I promise to post pictures soon ... as well, I am working on a new blog .. so get ready for a change coming soon ... my blog has been needing a make-over for a long time! :-)

PS -- We stopped & ate "breakfast" dinner at Cracker Barrel on the back to PA .. Rosemary B., I was thinking of you!!! :-)!

Happy faces of Lily

Please "T" jump....please "T" mo jump.....

Lily loves to bounce on the trampoline with Katie "T".

The big chuckle laugh is sooooooooooooooo cute!!!!

Let's see how Elmo looks through these....

We love and miss you!!!!

The Slazas Gang

All is Well

Just a quick post: all is well (except for Hannah's Aplastic Anemia & my dislocated shoulder .. ha, ha!). Hannah is doing really good here at Grandma's & Grandpa's place. She has been having A LOT of fun laughing, watching TV, reading & doing art. It is so refreshing to see her having such a great time -- and my parent's are loving having her here!!

Hannah slept a lot today & seems to be getting low on energy -- it will be interesting to see what her numbers are on Friday when we go to the clinic.

I am officially tired -- Hannah is all set up watching Food Network & my mom is going to give her her medication tonight so I can go to bed. Thanks, Mom!! You do everything for me ... and I am so grateful!!!!! And, Dad, thanks for teaching Hannah about "sea food" at dinner tonight. Yuk! :-)

One Year Ago Today

Hard to believe that it was one year ago today that we drove with Hannah to the adoption agency to pick up these priceless pictures of our much anticipated referral for Lily!! You can see the tape on these pictures -- tape from some bureaucrat in China that had no idea their hand was being moved by the hand of God to place this precious girl into our family forever. She was planned before the beginning of time to be an Eriksen-girl ... and we wouldn't have it any other way!!

Lily - seeing your face was a priceless moment. Your smile literally took my breath away & I could NOT BELIEVE YOU WERE OUR DAUGHTER!!!!

Last year at this time I envisioned us celebrating this most memorable day with you today. Although we aren't together, I know when Hannah is healed, this time apart will be a blurr. A blurr of time when, thank the Lord, all you experience is love, love, love! I thank God each day for Aunt Kim, Uncle Kevin & cousins who are loving on you 24/7 & telling you how much we love you! Tonight at dinner, I heard the song "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas .. of course, I thought of you.

You are a dream come true.

I love you always & can't wait to see you soon when Hannah's "owa" is doing better!