Hi Everyone,
I broke the cardinal rule of motherhood…I was sick this weekend! I don’t know what freight train hit me Saturday morning, but I was leveled. Thank goodness the agency owed us nursing hours and scheduled them for Saturday night. I slept 30+ hours over two days. I’m so grateful to our weekend nurse, Melissa and three of my girlfriends popping in to take care of me. If circumstances were different, Corey would have been taking care of me. (let’s not even go there…)
When I did venture downstairs, Corey was busy singing, working on her Language skills, bowling (on her Ipad), playing fruit ninja, auditioning for Glee (Xbox Karaoke) exercising and increased her standing frame time by one minute; she hit a record 21 minutes this weekend. I think I’ve been replaced by Melissa!
Today Corey continued with additional records. She’s ready to eat! We are looking forward to her swallow study Wednesday morning. I’ve mentioned that she’s eating vanilla ice cream and vanilla pudding. This weekend I introduced Campbell’s Soup. Corey loved it! We’ve tried Chicken and Stars (pureed to thicken) and tonight’s entrée was Cream of Chicken with Mushrooms (the condensed thickness is the perfect consistency for her to swallow). In fact Corey enjoyed it so much she ate two tablespoons of the Cream of Chicken w/Mushrooms; that’s the most she’s eaten to date. I think Campbell’s needs a new spokesperson! Check out the photo gallery.
Corey continues to make gains in PT. Today’s record; she lifted her left foot off the matte four separate times ranging between 4 and 8” high. We’ve been using an ace bandage to tie around Corey’s foot and calf. It helps to stretch her calf muscles as well as lift her toe. Gillian has added a knee immobilizer. With Corey’s left knee forced to stay stiff and straight, it is helping to build her left hip and left thigh muscles. Once they are further developed, it’s our hope that Corey will have the strength to lift her left knee and carry the step forward her self. Today, using her walker and newest accessories, she walked from the matte to the foyer straight down the hall to the kitchen without breaking for a rest. That’s over twenty feet!
This news is wonderful but we also have to put all this success into perspective; Corey took a 90 minute nap after PT and was wiped out for the balance of the afternoon. It’s amazing to watch the effort that is required to process, think, swallow, concentrate, move, lift, turn and step. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve deliberately taken a moment to think about a motion I make that comes effortlessly, mindlessly and yet the same motion drains Corey as she tries to regain and master the simplest tasks. I’m so proud of her and incredibly grateful for each achievement that continues to empower her to strive for more.
Tonight I’m going to close by sharing a gift. Not for me or you, but for JohnPaul. Today was his 24th birthday. Corey called her brother tonight and sang “Happy Birthday”, clearly and in tune. JohnPaul told her it was the best birthday gift he ever received! xoxo