Tomorrow, Lydia is on stand by for surgery!  Possibly, she will have a  G tube inserted.  This means that her feeds will go directly to her stomach, rather than through the NG tube she currently has, that goes down her nose, and throat and into her stomach.  A G tube will be more comfortable for her, and enable her to continue to get the nutrition that she needs.  As she learns to swallow and eat again, she will be able to do this in addition to receiving feeds through her G tube.  Nutrition is paramount to her recovery!  We learned last week that the caloric needs of her brain equal those that an athlete who is running a marathon require!   Her brain is working very hard to rewire and heal.  While we wish she could enjoy fresh strawberries, spinach, peas and beans grown from home, we are thankful that she has a safe means of receiving the nutrition she requires.  Perhaps next season she will enjoy them all the more!

Tonight when we were tucking the boys into bed, and we were praying, Ben suggested that we ask God to bring back all of the parts of Lydia that we loved.  (I think Ben was thinking he could do without the part of the older sister with a prerogative for organizing and delegating!)  (read: bossing him around!)  I share his prayer request with you, and ask you to join us in that prayer.  We ask for a full recovery, but know that may not be the gift we are given.  So we ask for all of the parts that we most cherished in Lydia to return: her exuberance, her kindness, her focus and drive, her laughter, and her sweet spirit.  We thank God, that He has already given glimpses of her warm smile back to us.