Yup, it's been a minute since the last update.  There's lots to tell, but I promise I'll do my best to keep it as brief as I can.

The Lyla update:
For the most part, she's been doing really well - a handful of auras per day (maybe 3 or so?).  But along with the good, there is a healthy mix of bad in there too.  The concerning part is the number of focals that remain - roughly 4 per week.  These have been gradually getting longer and more intense.  Pre-surgery, almost every focal seizure was the same - 1-2 minutes and presented as non-responsive, flight response, talking gibberish or random words, awkward hand movements, etc., and never seemed to be in any danger of generalizing.  The focal seizures are starting to incorporate more elements (drooling, odd facial expressions on right side of face, etc.) and are starting to last longer - maybe 3-4 minutes now.  Not only that, the post-ictal period (where she's unable to form words after a seizure) is lasting much longer now too - maybe 5-10 minutes. 

So we're getting it checked out.  She's going in for a CT Scan on Wednesday.  A previous post-surgery scan showed that there was fluid on one side of the brain and pushing on her brain a bit.  Our awesome team of doctors have been attributing the focals that remain to this fluid, and have been expecting the fluid to just dissipate over time.  It'll be interesting to see what the CT Scan will show us.

It almost seems as if any good is accompanied by some bad at the moment.  For example - she had her first ever softball game tonight.  If that wasn't a big enough win on its own (three months after brain surgery!), she came away with 3 hits, an RBI, and a run scored.  Loved seeing every minute of it - at least, until we had to do the tag team parenting thing and split duties.  I took Micah to his game at Ontario while Kayla stayed for the end of Lyla's game in Mansfield.  As the girls wrapped up the win, shook hands, and exited their own their own little huddle, Lyla turned around and went into a 4 minute focal seizure.  It lasted long enough to need the rescue med, and call 911 (although, she ended up coming out of it prior to sending the ambulance).  What started as a metaphorical "Victory lap" of being a kid again and playing on a sports team was tarnished by the black eye of a focal seizure - and a sizable one at that.  I know we can't predict these things, but it felt awful not being there.

And then... in the same night, Micah pitched a masterpiece of a game back in Ontario.  Lyla wanted to come to the game and watch her brother, so as a family, we decided that was a fine move if that would help her relax and take it easy for the night.  He pitched 2.6 innings and earned 7 strikeouts (and a pop fly).  To the best of my recollection, no hits and no walks.   He's got some serious mental toughness and grit.  Couldn't be more proud of the kid.  :)

The House Update:
We're all settled into our new, long-term place and wow... what a blessing!  We'll find rest and respite here for the next year or so.  I can see this being a very fitting retreat for some much needed healing in our family.  Only one problem - we are DANGEROUSLY close to Crumbl.  

Lots going on at the Debby Ln. place too - people are there pretty much every day.  We've met some truly incredible folks along the way (Jim, Catherine, Chelsea, John, Dana, and many more).  One is a fellow follower of Jesus who has been such an encouragement to us and support in prayer.  Another spoke of her own epilepsy and brain surgery as a kid. Seriously... what are the odds??  It's incredible just how many "Coincidences" there have been over the past year.  

Some spiritual takeaways:
So what are we supposed to do with the good and the bad??  I think some would say to focus on just the positives.  I think I'm learning that while there's power in the positivity and joy, there's plenty of power in the sorrow as well.  In the recognition that what we're going through is incredibly difficult and full of many tears, sadness, and anger, I can have some solace in knowing that the joy and hope that I DO find has been much more precious and costly.  So I hold it closer and much higher valued.

Something that stuck out to me recently is a bedtime prayer that Lyla led us in that included this little bit: