Saturday 11am

So, here's the latest. Friday afternoon Katie woke up as she had a number of family members come and visit her, mostly from the Clarkson side. It was funny to see her uncles (she has 4) all trying to claim favorite uncle status. Her uncle Randy probably had the best interaction with her as she was really awake and looking around. At one point he asked me to step outside the room for a little discussion, and Katie looked at her mom and said, "secrets, secrets, they are telling secrets". Again, another example of her observing a situation, processing it, and then making a correct comment. I was able to get her a cup of ice and she ate all of it and drank the water with a straw. "That's good", was her response.

In case you didn't know, I've been having friends of hers come down and spend the night with her as I do not want the family to be here all day and then all night. The last thing we need is wiped out family members on top of a wiped out Katie. Most nights she sleeps peacefully, but I guess last night she was talking quite a bit. Michelle (the friend who stayed) said they had some really good interactions.

This interaction continued on into the morning. Sue showed up around 8am and Katie told her she was late. Then Dr. Carlstrom came in and he and Katie had a little discussion. He pulled up a chair and they talked for a few minutes. He had her follow with her eyes his finger as he moved it around. Another Dr. told us later that Dr. Carlstrom is very pleased with the progress and is also very optimistic. Again, not that our confidence is dependant on what the Dr's say, but it is fun to hear an expert comment on what God is doing, even if not intentionally. Katie even took time this morning to talk to Chad on the phone. After that a few of Katie's family from her mom's side (Kramer) were in and had a wonderful time with her. One of the cool things is that she recognized them all. Jane (an aunt) showed Katie a picture of Aubree with swim goggles on from a week before her surgery and Katie laughed until her stomach hurt (I'll see if I can post the picture as it is really cute).

Speaking of her stomach, the feeding tube is working nicely and they actually had to turn it down a little. Her blood pressure and fever are also doing much better which are both a result of the meds that are in pill form and fed through the tube. They were worried about infection, because of the fever, but they could not find anything (and believe me they looked, even brought in a specialist). So they concluded that the fever was a result of the trauma to the brain. The fact that these are both going away are also signs that the brain is taking back some of it's normal function.

I really don't know how to let all of you know just how much all the support means to us. I have received so much that there is no way for me to let all of you know how much it means. The fact that we don't have to worry about cooking a meal until sometime in late December is unbelievable. This is so great as it allows us all time to focus on the Tay, Aubs and Sawyer. Speaking of which, please pray for them as this morning I had to peal Aubs off of me sobbing as I left for the hospital.

We continue to stand confident in the Lord and in His love, knowing that He is faithful.