Last Day of School a thank you to the staff

So, my first grader is having her last day of school today.  Fortunately, her oldest sister was able to go with her to help out.  They had some bouncy houses and she cannot do those with Chiari.

I am so thankful for all the staff at her school, but especially nurse Paula and her First Grade Teacher Mrs. Y--k.  In fact, Abri wants to be a first grade teacher when she grows up!  She told us short people make great teachers.  She is excited about her yearbook and I think she is going to greatly enjoy seeing all the familiar faces from school of other kids and staff.

I want to apologize to the teacher she gets next year.  This is because we are currently and will probably continue to spoil her rotten all summer!  :)

Abri has lost her first upper big tooth.  The other one is going to be gone soon too.  My toothless sweetie is getting so big.

I look at her and think about all the good days she has without headaches and neck pain and swallowing issues and leg weakness.  Then she has breakthrough moments that are severe for her and I know we are doing the right thing.

Here is what Abri's Chiari looks like right now:

Here is a picture from the chiari institutes site:

Abri does not have the syringomyelia (unlike her 4yr old sister Olivia), and that is another reason to do the surgery.  We never want her to get it either.

It is hard to tell that Abri has Chiari because she seems fine so often.  Here is what happens when her neck is flexed and extended:

Do you see how that "Chiari" which is really the "tonsils" of the cerebellum get pinched in there?  See how her brainstem gets "knocked around"?  That's what causes all her weird symptoms all over her body!  I cannot imagine how crappy that would make me feel all the time every time I moved my neck around!  I think Abri's beautiful smile is what keeps us from remembering that herniation is restricting her CSF flow.

As this month of May ends, we look toward a surgery that is getting closer.  I am writing a lot about this now, so that in the future when my kids or others ask me how I did it, I'll be able to remember!  Some days seem to run together.  Keeping ourselves totally occupied with business is the only way to avoid obsession about this situation.

Today, Olivia was dragging her feet on the carpet.  Her legs were hurting again and last night Abri was crying over the inside of her head feeling too full she will say.  She says it is like a balloon.  I worry some about Abri and Olivia's head pressure, but I know that God has it all in his hands.  Somehow, hearing these complaints helps me to know that we are doing the right thing, and I think that is how God comforts us in a strange way.

We cannot wait to get past this surgery and DEFEAT THE DEVIL AND CHIARI ALL AT THE SAME TIME!  What a testimony we are going to have!!

Thank you for all the people praying for us.  We love you all.