These past 3 months have to rank at the number 1 top of the SHIT list here. I still can't believe how awful they were.

Erika remained very adamant about not wanting to be here and was very negative in looking for work. She finally decided to go back to Ventura to the boyfriend and try to get work and a place to live there. We told her we would keep Arianna for 30 days and prayed that she would get it together in that time. We didn't hear from her too often and when we spoke on the phone it usually wound up in a terrible fight. She seemed to be spending most of her time having fun and playing....not concentrating on making a good life for her and Arianna. She was dropping weight like crazy too.

The stress level was huge for me during this time. I also learned what it is like to have this disease and have small children. I can only thank GOD that I was not on treatment.  My liver was killing me daily and I don't know HOW these people with little children do treatment and get through the days.  My respect for them has grown tenfold. We put Arianna into a daycare, and she went everyday but it still wore me out taking care of her. She adapted to living with us very easily but missed her mommy alot. I never knew what to tell her when she would ask for mommy so I just told her mommy was gone. That seemed to be ok with her and we would leave it at that and change the subject.

At the end of March I took Arianna back to Erika. She still had no job or place to live, but after a lot of thought we decided the only way Erika would wake up was to have that baby looking at her every day.  After 3 weeks it seemed to work. That and the fact that the boyfriend situation was falling apart. Erika and Arianna lived in a hotel for 3 weeks before she finally asked me, crying, to come get her. It broke my heart to hear her say it, but I was thrilled. Neither Larry nor I had slept well since Arianna left and I knew Erika was ready to get it together.

These past 3 months were so hard on us. I didn't know how to deal with it all and couldn't just turn my back on my only daughter. I wondered if she would ever come out of it. We know it will be a hard time for her, climbing out of the hole she got herself into, but she seems to have the right attitude now about it all. We did a lot of praying for her and so did our friends, online as well as here around us. I'm pretty certain the next few months will be much less stressful!

My visit to USC went real well this time too. Dr. Lindsay said I was doing real well, although when she did the "touchy~feely" test on my liver it was very tender. I'm sure it is still inflammed, as it always is anymore, but my hair is NOT falling out anymore, I'm becoming a rolly-polly and am actually sleeping better than I have in MONTHS!!

Onward and upward!!