9/18 - 11pm update

Sometimes while I'm sitting in the car or waiting room or Mom's room (where computers aren't allowed), I'll think of all these great plans I have for my next blog post. Then I finally get home and sit down with my computer and I'm just too exhausted to think. I have to save my energy for picking out Tekia's church clothes for tomorrow - a job that actually does require a great deal of energy (which I will expend until I'm too tired to argue anymore, and then I'll finally give in and let her wear black shoes with brown pants or a shirt that has a hole in it). So this will be another short and sweet update.

When we went to visit Mom at 8:30 tonight (the last visiting time), she was more awake and alert than we've seen her since surgery. However, this was only because she knew we were coming and she'd been holding off on her pain medicine so she wouldn't be sleeping while we were there . . . now you see why she doesn't need many visitors? ;-) We left relatively early so she could go to sleep. She's running a low grade fever tonight. The nurse didn't seem at all concerned about this and Mom is already on antibiotics, so hopefully we have nothing to worry about there.

Prayer requests for tonight . ..

• Major praise and thanksgiving for a successful surgery!!!
• That Mom will stay free of infection and other complications that could potentially follow this procedure. 
• That the lymph nodes Dr. B removed with the tumor yesterday will test negative for cancer.
• That Mom's pain will continue to decrease and that she will rest well tonight. 
• That Mom is and will forever remain cancer-free! 

Thanks to our wonderful friends and strangers for praying and loving us through these last few days. I don't know what we would do without you. We are so blessed. :-)