Lifted UP

"I tell you, the tax collector went home accepted by God. But not the Pharisee. Everyone who lifts himself up will be brought down. And anyone who is brought down will be lifted up" Luke 18:14

This morning Shae decided she was going to read to me what she learned in Kid's Town this past week. She said "Michelle (one of her teacher's she admires) read this and I want to read it today. This verse seemed to consilidate how I was feeling this morning.

Yesterday was once again a long day at Children's Hospital. Kourtney looked absolutely gorgeous in her skinny jeans and all her new colorful clothoes. The dermatologist was thrilled to see her and was encouraged by her growth and development. She was also very encouraged that the MRSA had changed sensitivities and has been cleared.

We then saw the OT and Kourtney had another cast change. Her right wrist has dramaticatically gone from a flexor contracture of 45 degrees to a hyperextended wrist of 15 degrees. (once out of the cast it will render to a neutral position). A month of "serial casting" has saved a surgery that would have involved skin grafting.

Then Todd, Kourtney and myself met for a 1 1/2 hours with the pshychologist who gave us new techniques to" slay the bath dragon." The pshychologist asked Todd and I had if we had any phobias, mine was claustophobia (from being locked in our outhouse at the farm) and Todd's was broken glass (from getting the glass in his foot ). Kourtney has devoloped a bath phobia from all the pain she has endured over the years.Kourtney's brain has been conditioned to be phobic of her bath, therefore we have to recondition her to decrease her phobia. (she actually has no problem going in our hotub-go figure). So now we have come up with a very structured bath plan to help get Kourtney through her bath. This plan needs to be followed strictly by everyone so that the reconditioning process can happen.

We then saw the hematologist,who was also thrilled with the way Kourtney looked.

8 hour later....we were home (there was a "little" shoppingtrip thrown in also).

We were all feeling a sense of calm.....then we picked up Shae at Grandma Bev's and Papa Dave's house. From the time she entered the van she started to vent. She told us that Children's Hospital should be called Children's Horrible because she hates it when we go there. Nothing we said would calm her down, the more we talked the worse it got, she even had a screaming fit....which is not like her except when she is very tired.Kourtney and I had plans to watch American Idol when we got home but instead, I watched a movie with Shae and Todd and Kourtney got to watch it. Shae settled down very quickly and became my warm loveable child again. She needed to vent and get it out......and did she ever. I have learned that these bursts of anger are healthy, as long as they can be redirected. She needs to say what is bothering her instead of harbouring her feelings. Let me tell you her feelings went sailing last night.

So between fighting the bath dragon and setting to sail feelings, we have a lot of homework to do. The pshychologist explained to us that all of us are recovering from post traumatic stress disorder and it will take time to work on all of these things.Just like the verse Shaelyn read this we have been brought down but are being lifted up daily!