I apologize for the delay in posts.  It has been quite busy.  Alli is still in the hospital.  We had hoped it would be just a short stay, but her condition became more complicated the day after she was admitted and she needed to be transferred to the PICU at Scottish Rite.  She has been on and off of bi pap during her stay and we are trying to get her ready to go back to inpatient rehab.  As a result of her illness, she has lost much of the progress that was made during her original stay in rehab.  So, we're hoping to touch down there before we go home so that we can jumpstart her rehab process.  She has had an eeg during her stay. It is still abnormal, but shows no hypsarrhythmia, so she is tolerating the wean off of one of her seizure medications.  That is great!  We will still maintain the other two medications for now, since the abnormal eeg indicates that she is still at risk for seizures.  However, the fact that we aren't seeing seizures means that the medication is doing its job.  Thank God!

I was able to take a quick (24-hour) trip back to Michigan for my sister's wedding.  Jason's parents had made plans to visit us, as well as Jenn, Michael, and Brayden, over that weekend, so I left Jason and Samantha in good hands.  Josh did great on the trip and enjoyed meeting our Michigan family and friends.  I was just happy to be able to be a part of Carrie and Luke's special day.  Samantha got along famously with Brayden and enjoyed being spoiled by her grandparents and aunt and uncle.  Jason's parents have been a tremendous help to us the last few days.  Their timing was perfect.  Although they had hoped to catch Alli while she was at home, they have spent a lot of time bonding with Samantha and Josh while Jason and I alternate shifts at the hospital.  We very much appreciate everything they have done for us since they have been here.

So, now we are in back to school mode.  Samantha will meet her teacher, Ms. Cara, next week.  Then she starts back the following Wednesday.  I am happy to have a routine back in place for her.  Our nanny, Megan, has taken a job as a pre-school assistant at the Morningside Day Out.  We are sure they will love her there just as much as we have loved having her with us!  She will continue to work for us as we need extra hands, as will Nicole.  Nicole started with us earlier this summer to give Megan a chance to look for a new job.  The kids love both of them, which is great!

Our condo is under contract and scheduled to close on Monday, August 5.  Please continue to pray that all goes well as we complete that transition (and transaction).  So many memories there - from our engagement to starting our family.  It was such a great little place.  I wish it had been bigger so we could have lived there longer!  It is the first of many steps in simplifying our life.  Given how unpredictable Alli's care can be, we are trying to simplify things as much as possible.

We hope everyone is enjoying the rest of their summer!  We'll try to send more regular updates.  Please know how much we appreciate your prayers and offers of help.  We will especially need the extra prayers as we head in to respiratory season.  We had hoped to get Alli through the summer without complication and this hospitalization will make for a very challenging fall and winter given the time it has taken away from the healing process her lungs very much need.