Sweet talkin'

Lilly's got a "new 'do" - big sister has started pulling Lilly's hair to the side and clipping a bow around it. She calls it the "cocked to the side firework." Ha!

Lilly is finally starting to talk again some. Several times today she has talked very sweetly and softly. My son commented "she's not loud Lilly anymore." The mom of Emily, a 5 year old girl with Trisomy 18, told me that her daughter, like Lilly, seems to "forget" how to do some things whenever she is hospitalized. Things that seem to take a few weeks for them to start doing again.

We were hoping - and still hoping and praying! - that Lilly will be off the oxygen at night for good once she had her heart repaired. However, the pulse ox has shown us that if that time is coming - it is not yet. While awake Lilly's numbers are now in the upper 90s and 100. (Before they averaged the mid 90s.) However she's dropping into the upper 80s and low 90s while sleeping. Of course some of that is probably still healing up and being sore and not breathing as deep when she sleeps. So she'll have to stay on her half liter of oxygen at night for now. We'll test her again with the pulse ox in a couple weeks and see how she does.

Lilly started back with physical therapy today. Very very gentle exercises. She seemed to enjoy it but was tired by the end. Lilly's therapist used to work with recovering cardiac patients (children) so she knew what to do.

I made my first herbal infusion today with an herb called mullein. Mullein sounds perfect for Lilly - it is high in iron, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur. It's the choice herb for respiratory problems and pulmonary diseases. It calms coughing, loosens mucus and expels it. Lilly is still having coughing and choking on mucus on and off and I am excited to see if this concotion will help her. Plus she needs extra iron and potassium. (I buy herbs online from The Bulk Herb Store: http://www.bulkherbstore.com/ .) They also have a weekly email that I have learned a lot from.)

Yesterday we had a "Lilly blessing" from the middle school spirit squad at the Christian school my husband works at. A sweet card and a yummy meal. Thank you! :)

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." - Acts 20:35b