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Tuesday Update: 11/1/05 – NOVEMBER???? Holy buckets!!!!

Blessings for the day:
I had my first scheduled day back to work! I came here at 7 to greet Matt and help him get ready for the day with his occupational therapist, and then headed over to work around 8:30 when they came to get him for physical therapy. It was harder than I thought it would be, leaving him. We had talked a lot about me coming back in the mornings and Matt was ok with it. Then, yesterday, he told me that he needed me here. I told him I would still be here…a lot…just not all day long anymore. This morning the nurses came in to get him up and asked him if I was going to work today and he said yes…though he didn’t look very happy about it. He realizes the good in me working half days and I think his confidence/comfort level here is increasing all the time. It was just so nice that all the therapists and nurses KNEW I was going back to work today. Communication…what a concept! It’s so great to have the right hand talking to the left hand. That was something that was really disconnected at the nursing facility.

This morning when I asked Matt if he had a good night’s sleep…he said YES!! (This is the first time in several weeks that he’s said that!) I was SO happy about it! He had a good night, was rested, and was ready to get going this morning. He did a bang up job getting dressed and ready today! I can’t wait to hear how the rest of his therapies went! I just got back here from work and he was sleeping peacefully in bed! His schedule had him booked from 7-11:30! A busy morning! The afternoon is a little more spread out, so he’ll have a couple nice breaks. It should work out good for me to work in the mornings and come back here around noon! It was so good for me to get back to work, see my co-workers, and start digging in to some work activities. I am so very thankful for such a great job, with such thoughtful and caring co-workers. I am so blessed by them.

Matt and I met with another speech therapist yesterday that is certified to do electric stimulation on his face. She went over the therapy with us and we were both excited to get started with that. The movements on Matt’s right side of his face are better than they were, but still not as good as the left side. This e-stim (as they call it) should help to wake up the muscles in the face and get them working properly again. I’m also anxious to hear how that went. (I’ll post more when I can…just fitting in this dialog while he’s snoozing.)

Matt has demonstrated a good swallow, as I’ve mentioned before, and yesterday he got to work on that swallow more with some COKE! He was so excited! The therapist gave him a little squirt way in the back of his mouth and he’d swallow that right up. He loved having a sip of something so yummy! He did so well with that, they are very reassuring that he is on his way to eating/talking again soon! YAHOO!

My Mom came back up from Texas last week and will most likely be staying with me until Thanksgiving, when my Dad comes up. It was so wonderful for her to come back to help me out with things around the house. She went to the grocery store for me (can you believe I haven’t been there since I posted it a few weeks ago!!??) and last night I came home to beef and noodles, mashed potatoes, and apple pie. How much better can it get? I am going to be spoiled by her! Moms are great that way…and mine is better than I could have ever imagined. My parents are so good. I am blessed with wonderful family. Last Friday my Aunt Carolyn and Aunt Barb took me out to lunch! They had been to the Paul McCartney concert the night before (and were still giddy with excitement and groupie-fever) and stopped by to take me out. It was so great to see them too, and have a nice lunch out with them.

Things are just going so great here. I am confident that they will continue that way…thanks to Matt’s determination, your loving thoughts, and the many prayers you’ve sent his way. We are continually humbled by the love and support we’ve received…I will never be able to thank you all enough.

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