Hi Friends,

Selah is doing really well! We are now 6 weeks out from her last surgery and 5 weeks home from the hospital. Her back is healing beautifully, and aside from tiring a bit more easily and getting used to forced perfect posture, she is back to normal activity and movement. 

I think the spinal fusion has even improved her balance! She tried out a friend's hoverboard last week (much to my trepidation). And after a few rounds holding on to one of us, she rode that thing around all on her own! I was blown away. Balance has always been tricky for her, so this was a really fun thing to see.

We've had no issues with the antibiotics and her system. Thankfully they are really targeted to specific bacterial infections, so they aren't the broad-spectrum ones that also kill all the good bacteria as well. We learned that the reason they are needed four times a day is because the antibiotics need to stay at a certain level in the body to fight the infection. This particular antibiotic needs to be taken that frequently to stay at those levels. This is where my (Sarah) organization skills come in handy, and I have figured out a good system to remembering and keeping track. I organize to help me manage stress, which works well in situations like this. 

She also only needs to do blood lab-work every month now instead of every week. Hooray! I wish you could all see her walk in like a boss to give blood. She chats up the tech, asks questions, watches the whole thing without even flinching, and handles it all like a champ. She finds it all very fascinating.

As far as school goes, after speaking with her doctor and weighing all the options, we decided to go with full-time homebound school. Basically she is still a student at her school, but she is able to learn and do all of her work digitally from home. We have a teacher who comes to our home once a week to check in with her, tutor her in math, and check in. Selah is very self-motivated and loves to learn and teach herself, so this has been a good option for her. We're about a month into this current semester and I think we've begun to settle into a good routine. Selah loves doing school from home, and it has certainly helped her stress levels. The plan is to continue with homebound school through the end of this school year and then re-evaluate. While it is an adjustment to daily life, it is really nice to have her home and for her to have the freedom to rest and nap as needed, which she does a lot of. It's also a relief as there is so much cold and flu going around, and we can help protect her from that. We're hoping to avoid the yearly spring crud that often lands her in the hospital with pneumonia. 

After much discussion and research, Drew and I have decided to get Selah a dog. I'm still a little shocked about this myself, but have warmed up to the idea and am feeling pretty excited about it now. We are in the process of looking for a dog that is snuggly, somewhat lazy, and wants an 11 year old girl for a best friend. It won't be a true trained therapy dog, but one that can be as such for her. She would be happy having a little furry friend attached to her hip at all times. Our cat is lovely and snuggly, but as cats go, her snuggles are on her own terms. Selah would like a constant companion. We are going to be choosy and wait for the right one, and Selah is absolutely thrilled. A friend told us about The Stink Bug Project, which is a fabulous organization here in Colorado that helps children with serious diagnosed medical conditions adopt well-trained companion dogs. It's an incredible program! We are in the process of connecting with them, while also keeping our eyes open for other options of well-trained rescue dogs in the area. If you want to check out the Stink Bug Project, here is the link: https://rmchildren.org/stink-bug-project/ 

That's all for now! Thank you for tuning in and for your love and care.