The last few days have been incredibly challenging. Claire had two days of seizures and on the third day a cold that kept her from breathing through her nose, something that is very important. It seems small, yet breathing through her mouth is an incredible challenge. It’s not the motor plan she is used to and having to do it differently is not as smooth as you would hope. With each day, each time she stopped breathing I got more and more tired, my heart sank further into my stomach. However, Jared and I were not alone as we wrestled with these hard days. Over on the side lines, ready to tag in was the amazing Valerie. We met Valerie at Kid Quest the place that Claire goes to for respit from us. Over the years Claire and Valerie have formed something very special and this year Valerie is Claire’s aid at school. Valerie has given us the gift of seeing somebody else love your child as if they were their own. When Claire had seizures Wednesday night while she was at Kid Quest Valerie held her as she rested afterward, wiped the hair from her face and didn’t bother me with it. She knew that Claire would be alright, she knew that I needed a break from it all. Yesterday at school, she gave Claire such respect as she struggled to figure out how to breathe through her mouth. When Claire’s friends came by they were welcomed and Claire got to hold her head high as she left for the day. If it weren’t for the insane levels of exhaustion it is likely that I never would have let somebody love her like this. I don’t always like being in Rettland but the view here is like nothing else that you’d see in this lifetime and today I am soaking that in.