Bravest girl I know

I was challenged to look for photos of Danica today for several reasons, and I cannot believe how she's grown since her first Chiari decompression last November. She was just two years old then and now she seems so much stronger and braver. Last week she only cried when they dug into her little arms looking for a vein for her IV. Since then she has been showing her big bruises off as a badge of courage to everyone she meets. Following her sedated MRI, during the flexion and extension xrays, she was awake, and we were moving her neck around while she laid on this cold metal table. She was as calm as could be and did each and every thing the radiologist asked.

A week from tonight we will have made it through another very long hospital day. Next Tuesday we will meet with both surgeons in Cincinnati to discuss surgery details, and Danica will have a flexion and extension MRI under sedation. The x-rays showed clearly when we move her head backwards her legs start going spastic, so I am praying we can get clear images of her brain in different neck positions wisely, without moving her too far and hurting her. My mom will come with us. We realized once again last week that following a sedation procedure two office visits for a child is just too much to ask. We need to be able to hear each and every thing said and need support in general when going through these grueling days. Delaney will stay with her best friend one night and my grandparents the other night.

Thank you for praying for all of us. It seems like such a lifetime ago since I was holding her in the PICU, and she was riding in the Little Tikes wagon around and around the halls of the hospital with that crazy fireman helmet on. There were minutes and hours we thought we weren't going to make it, but the grace came. We know it will continue to come as steady and sure as His saving love and the courage of our Danica Jean.