Up up and away

More good news: this morning's MRI showed the surgeon got 70% of the tumor out of Sahara's brain yesterday. 70% of ugly tumor has officially been kicked out...and the balance? It's a scared little bit of wee-wee tumor.

Sahara continues to do beautifully. Her labs are all excellent. She's still on the ventilator, which is perfectly normal, considering how traumatic this sort of surgery is to the body.

So far, she's handling everything like a champ. No 3-point shots just yet, but she did have several victories today.

• She blinked on command.
• She responded to questions.
• She wiggled all 10 toes.
• She wiggled all 10 fingers.
• She accepted one dose of morphine, and refused all other pain meds.

After brain surgery, every last one of these is miraculous. And yet, I have no doubt that if Sahara were here, she'd grin and give us all a look like "Well, what did you expect?"

Amy and Shannon are doing well, too. They love the warmth of the hospital staff, and are especially impressed by some of the parent-friendly services, including complimentary Starbucks. And massages. Despite those goodies, I know they miss home, and everyone there. But they know we're all right here, cheering every little step that brings Sahara back to health.