We are praising the Lord for another good day! Kaitlin had a little bit of a rough morning, but it quickly shifted as the day went on. By about 11AM she was in great spirits and even said, "I'm hungry"-such a victory! John suggested "not hospital food" and Kait said, "YES." True to form, they got home depot hot dogs and Jamba juice (thanks to Sue's bible study ladies for the gift card & mapquest!) and Kaitlin ate it all. I cannot express what a blessing it was to see her ask for & truly enjoy a meal. This is a BIG DEAL! She had her right lung drained today and they took even more fluid out of it than her left lung which is a lot. We are really hoping this will alleviate some of the breathing issues she's been having. The physical therapists were in today and when I came in, Kaitlin was sitting up at 90 (ish) degrees which is phenomenal. We had another visitor from Craig who told Kaitlin what it was going to look like over there. As has been our experience with every person we've interacted with from Craig-she was positive, encouraging and helpful. Kait expressed that she was ready to get out of the hospital and get going...this girl is going to ROCK her rehab. No doubt in any of our minds! We are all ready. At this point, Craig really is our light at the end of the tunnel. Although I LOVE writing an update like this one full of good news...please hear me say that Kaitlin is not out of the woods quite yet. We still covet your prayers! Again, the most specific thing we can ask is that you beg the Lord on Kaitlin's behalf for the gift of breathing. She still has a lot of "gunk" (for lack of a better term) in her chest and it needs to come out before she can really begin to breath comfortably.
The highlight of my day today-Kaitlin smiled her full smile AND crinkled her nose when she did it. For those of you who know her well...you know what a gift this was to see! She is more and more herself every single day and we are inspired daily by her strength. From your e-mails and texts, we know that you are too! I've said it before and I'll say it again-Kaitlin (& John) are world changers.
For our Chicago family-Aunt Carol got here today & got to visit Kait. When she tried to reach up to kiss her, she wasn't tall enough-so she had to kiss her hand & put it on Kait's forehead. The best! Just as Kait radiates joy and charisma, so does my Aunt Carol-we are thankful to have her here representing our extended family & can't wait until the rest of you can come visit too!
John wanted me to communicate that he is unbelievably humbled by all the support and encouragement he has received via email, texts, donations, voicemails etc. Although he wishes he could respond to it all and write personal thank you notes...he is also realistic in realizing that this is not an event like their wedding where this is possible and even accepted. Please know that he appreciates every single one of you and knows that you are fighting for them! If he could...he would. This is not to deter you from reaching out, just to communicate that he loves you, hears you and is grateful for you-even if he can't let you know that right away.
Our family (both Wanberg's and Rice's) had the immense pleasure of touring Craig today-where Kaitlin will be doing her rehab. If you don't know much about Craig...you should. It is absolutely a place where the Lord is moving and shaking. We met an amazing man (Kenny) who answered all of our questions with patience and grace, toured us around the facility, and spoke with passion about a place that he has committed to working at for decades. One of my favorite things about it? Around 600 staff members to 85 patients. We are even more confident that this is going to be a place where Kaitlin can feel at home, heal and really thrive. We are blessed under the circumstances to be entering into the Craig family.
Last story for tonight before I join the family to watch some Monday night football....
Earlier today my Mom and John were spending some time in my Mom's stunning backyard garden. My Mom has this bush that grows lovely purple flowers...but not this time of year. John & my Mom noticed today that the bush doesn't have any flowers on it...but it HAS grown some flowers in an interesting place despite the season. Check out the picture below and try explaining THAT without telling me that our God is sovereign. What a beautiful reminder of the life He gave us by sending His son to die on the cross to pay our debt.
Remember sweet community, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." Today was a day of new hope and a day to celebrate the new creation of the Lord.
We love you!
Carolyn
P.S Announcement from the Wanberg's/Thompson's-we are going to be roommates! Daniel & I are excited to be moving in with John in the next few weeks. :)
Well...here it is two days later and I am STILL thinking about those blooming flowers. Thank you Jesus!
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