Wednesday Update

Hi there, C here,

It's been a couple of days since our last update...

So here we are again, in the hospital - however this time we are fortunate to be in the best children's hospital in the country & possibly the world.  We are very lucky that we have found ourselves associated with the wonderful folks at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia).  We may have mentioned Kyle and Dylan's fondness for "CHOP Playdates" - that are held periodically by Miss Amy as part of the CHOP International Adoption Program.  They (and we) really enjoy the experiences that they've had with these playdates.

As for Miss Ashley...

After her initial emergency office consultation on Monday, Ashley was admitted as a regular patient yesterday to begin preparations for further evaluation and treatment.  It took about half a day to be able to secure a bed on the floor that she needed but we got it around noon yesterday.  Lisa spent last night at her bedside.  I was here late last night and I have been here since about 7AM this morning.  Things are going well and the focus is on preparing and strengthing her for any surgical procedure that may be required.

The boys are really enjoying their "sleepover" days with Grandmom & Pop - almost as G'Ma & Pop are!!!  They have been busy with activities all day and their behavior has been nothing short of excellent.  They slept 12 hours (!!) last night.  We are very proud of them, especially in light of what Ashley's been going through.  They are very supportive of their Meimei and always want us to say Hi to her and make sure we tell her about what they're doing!

Ashley seems to be in pretty good spirits considering what she's going through.  You can tell by her reactions and demeanor that she is somewhat aware of what's happening and has had some experience with hospitals and their routines.

The next big step is an important diagnostic test tomorrow morning.  The results of this test will determine her plan for the next several days.

So we're sitting by as Ashley sleeps off the effects of the "calming drugs" that she was given earlier today for the insertion of her PICC.  She has grown to be a bit of a favorite already among the nurses and assistants on her floor because she waves bye-bye when they leave and has had lots of bright smiles to go around.  Very encouraging for us...!  The CHOP staff has been very caring and considerate to us and to Ashley - THANKS EVERYONE!

We will likely be be relieved by AR this evening, who's offered to work the overnight shift for us, so Lisa can get a night at home.  AR is in withdrawal since she has been so close with Ashley over the last few weeks, but has not seen her in a few days.

In the meantime, we'll try to post some more photos of the boys from their excellent adventure with AR at Hong Kong Disneyland last week.

More coming soon...

C