Day 12

She's getting better...and feistier!

She's waking up more and more...and scratching some mysterious itch on her belly...and I guarantee that if she didn't have a breathing tube down her throat, she'd be screaming her head off. That sounds bad but it's a really great sign that mentally she's returning to normal...not that it's normal for Tessa to be screaming her head off...let's just say she's decisive and isn't afraid to let you know how she feels.

She reacts to voices, will follow you with her eyes and responds to certain commands...all really good indications that she's neurologically healthy.

Yesterday's night nurse said she had a great night...no major setbacks apart from battling the ongoing secondary infection which they're honing in on.

Lungs are looking and working better and the rest of her system is following. One of the fellows on the renal team said that when a child gets as sick as Tessa, everything gets bad systemically but conversely, when things turn around for the better, everything seems to return to normal...gradually. We're still in for some tough times ahead no doubt but it's so encouraging to know that all those hormones and enzymes and red blood cells etc, (all the things behind the scenes) are returning to normalcy.

A HUGE thank you to everybody for continuing to send good thoughts and prayers Tessa's way. It's amazing to Katie and I just how many good people we know and are surrounded by and how many good people those people know. Prayers are coming from all over the country and as far away as Finland, France, Spain and Canada....

We truly feel lucky. Thank you!