Up and Hanging out on the couch

Right now Elizabeth is hanging out with Mrs. Gomez and her ALL survivor daughter Alyssa out on the living room couch. She totally perked up about 2 hours ago and has been munching on Pick Up Stix House Special Chicken and Junior Mints, apparantly a tasty combo.

Elizabeth is still pulling through even when her dad and I think she may not. With each instance of prolonged heart fluctuations and piggyback heartbeats, there is a very real possibility of heart failure. Yet, she has been recovering every time.

There have been a lot of people praying for Elizabeth--of all different faiths. We are choosing to support Elizabeth in her obvious choice to continue fighting and keep living, and are keeping up all medical care that helps Elizabeth in that respect. She has been having trouble maintaining blood sugar levels and complains of feeling "low" sometimes--and she has been as low as 40 a few times. We will probably start her on IV fluids with sugar in them to help with this issue. If she were truly suffering and not able to maintain consciousness we may struggle with choosing maintenance fluids or not, but at this stage her little self is clearly choosing to fight and we as her parents need to support her. We have already been at the brink of losing her and told her she could let go and that we'd be okay, giving her the permission that some kids need before they will actually die. She doesn't need us to tell her it's okay. What she needs is support in her choice to live, and that is one of the many things she is teaching us daily. And while medicine can't offer us the hope of a cure any more, God can. We are as ready as we can be to let go if that is the way this thing goes, but we aren't going to speed up that result either by letting her blood sugar bottom and sending her into a coma. And we are still keeping up with her thalidomide dosings at night again.

It has been two and a half years full of miracles... why should we ignore that and assume that the miracles are over? It is February and I have never been so happy to greet a new month. On Tuesday I fully plan to enjoy watching the new Disney DVD release Cinderella 3 with Elizabeth. We will send a family member to Target down the road first thing when they open to bring it home right away and then Elizabeth and I will snuggle up together in her bed and watch my second favorite princess (Princess Elizabeth is obviously my very favorite, and Cinderella is a very distant second). Elizabeth says she can't wait for the Little Mermaid 3 to come out March 2008. I'm thinking that just maybe she can.

She still watches the Barbie movie a lot. I am so excited for the rest of the world to have a chance to see it in March. It is a nice story and it just resonates with us so much. Every little girl engaged in a fight for her life should get to lose herself in a beautiful story like that, and take away inspiration like Elizabeth has. Getting that movie early really did give Elizabeth something to look forward to and strengthened her resolve. Thank you Make-A-Wish and Mattel.

Keep praying and believing in miracles. We are claiming Elizabeth's ultimate miracle. Thank you everyone for praying.