Thursday update

Since it is Thursday, I want to just start out by pausing for a few moments to be thankful. God has not forgotten us in spite of this difficult journey that we have travelled over the past month. He has blessed us with wonderful support from so many sources.

• Our church family has humbled us with their warm, generous spirit and we continue to praise God for leading us to this special group of people. 
• Friends (including all of our blog readers) and family offer support and encouragement which sustain us when moments are tough.
• Prayers for our sweet girl which are coming from all over the world! It means so much to know that she is being held up before our Heavenly Father with petitions for her healing.
• Most importantly, we are thankful that Maia has survived this horrible insult to her body. She is strong physically and such a determined little girl. God has plans for her and His strength will be made perfect in our weaknesses!

Maia had a pretty good night's sleep last night. This morning's therapy sessions went well and she was in a cheerful mood. An abdominal x-ray was obtained to make sure that she does not have a bowel obstruction. Thankfully, this showed lots of stool but nothing concerning. So, we will need to be a little more aggressive with her bowel regimen, but that's manageable.

Still not eating a whole lot, although there was slight improvement from yesterday. She vomited again tonight at dinner, but did not appear to be in any distress at that time. In fact, she giggled right afterwards. Still trying to sort out the cause. Don't think it's because we're forcing too much food because she's eating so much less than she was last week.

This morning, the doctor mentioned the possibility that Maia may have cortical blindness. This is a condition in which the brain is not able to receive or analyze signals from the visual pathways. Although Maia does pay attention to the tv (especially Super Why), she does not consistently track objects, people, etc. The therapists are having difficulty getting her to focus and follow as well. I have not had the chance to learn much about this other than that it is likely due to the trauma to Maia's brain. This would be evaluated by neuro-ophthalmologists. From what little I have learned, treatment options are quite limited.

We're starting to think about what we are going to need to have Maia at home. This is definitely going to be a learning experience for us. She's never needed any adaptive equipment, but we will not be able to care for her without it. Things like a wheelchair, chair or support for the bathtub, chair or support for eating, etc. It's a little overwhelming to consider.

It's getting late and I need to head for bed. One other thing I am thankful for today is spending time with Matthew. He and I spent the afternoon together and we ended the evening having pizza, watching a movie in Maia's room.

Oh... I am also thankful for my hubby. I can't imagine going through this with anyone else!

What are you thankful for today?

One more thing... thanks to my wonderful friend Debbie who blogged about Maia today. You can read her post here.