- Well, that tops the thankful list - Maia is home. Matthew is home from Nana and Papa's. Our family is all sleeping under the same roof tonight for the first time in over six weeks. What a wonderful feeling that is!!
- The people who are blessing us with wonderful meals. I can not even begin to tell you how humbled Mark and I are to have friends providing for us in this way. It not only feeds us physically, but nourishes our souls as well. Tears flow freely when I think about how others have reached out to us. This is going to be an even bigger blessing when I go back to work next week.
- My sweet son. I often comment about how Matthew is "ALL boy." Sometimes, I think his nickname should be "Crash" as that is often how he travels through his days. Every now and then, he shows me the caring side of his personality. This afternoon when he got home from Nana and Papa's, Matthew came into the house. Maia was sitting on the floor in the living room. Matthew walked up and gave her a soft, gentle kiss on the head. Oh my heart! What a precious, precious moment that was!!
- I am thankful that I have been able to be off work during this time. There are no "extra" staff in our department. My colleagues have been required to cover my workload while I have been away. My supervisor has never made me feel like I need to be back at work instead of with Maia. I recognize that not everyone is fortunate enough to be in this situation and I do not take this lightly.
- My root canal is done. The dentist was exceptionally kind and professional. I went in feeling a little anxious, but he set me at ease immediately. He was responsive to any discomfort I had and did a wonderful job. It's good that I didn't cancel, the nerves were very inflamed (some of the worst the dentist had seen). I needed to get the issue taken care of. Mouth and tooth are a little tender, but not too bad. Will go back in a couple of weeks for the crown.
I do have a couple of specific prayer requests.
- Tomorrow, Matthew has outpatient surgery. Although he is looking forward to being able to go to the bathroom like other boys, he does have some anxiety when going to the doctor. Please pray for peace and calm for him (and mom).
- Maia was started on a new medication today which should help to move food through her gut better. She had a small emesis tonight again, so praying that this will be effective.
- From a physical standpoint, Maia is doing well. We are walking her from room to room based on where we need to be and she is getting stronger. But Maia really need your prayers for her cognitive status. We're still unsure how much she understands of what we say to her. She is not making any attempts to communicate with us, although daddy and Matthew can definitely make her laugh. Mom... not so much - lol!!
Thank you as always for your ongoing prayers for us. Would love to hear what you are thankful for today!!
Well, I'm thankful to read your encouraging news! Everyone together beneath one roof, tooth troubles dealt with, Maia growing visibly stronger...all good.And what a relief to have such a compassionate supervisor and such helpful co-workers - those are real blessings.
ReplyDeleteI hope Matthew's surgery goes easily for him tomorrow and that he'll bounce right back - poor little boy, he's been through a lot, too. What a sweetie, to kiss his sister so gently and lovingly! If I were a doctor, I'd prescribe lots of weekend "spoiling" (of the good kind) for him.
As for Maia's communication skills, how does she respond to simple picture books? Might she say "meow" when asked what a pictured kitty-cat says, for example? Or fill in the last word of a familiar nursery rhyme ("Jack and Jill went up the ...." - pause and see if Maia will attempt the word. Does she respond to familiar songs? Music is a right-brain activity; speaking is left-brain...since she suffered damage to both hemispheres, I'm not sure if you can make positive use of this info, but am offering it just in case it is helpful. Her OT and ST can advise...
Thanks for sharing your encouraging news...hope tomorrow goes smoothly.
Susan in Ky
Cousin to 2 from EE
Oh, beautiful friends...our prayers here are with you...for those requests and for endurance and patience and healing. So glad to get the update each night, but please make sure you are getting rest and sleep. Especially next week!
ReplyDeleteAlso prayers of gratitude for your coworkers and supervisors...what blessed people they are to have covered for you and to have given you that support. Rare indeed!
Will be praying for Matthew tomorrow. Much love to each of you....XOXO Jane
It is wonderful that your family is reunited. It is something that is so taken for granted on a day to day basis and yet is really what it is all about. Sounds like Matthew realizes how special it is to have Maia home again. It is good for Maia to have him around, and there is nothing like a little boy hug for Mama and Daddy.
ReplyDeleteIt is a terrific step and an answered prayer that Maia is physically showing improvement and improved strength. Praying fervently that you start seeing signs of cognitive improvement soon. (FYI we saw large motor skills and improved balance, then improving fine motor skills before real cognitive change. Very disturbing to me was the flat affect, which made trying to see awareness difficult.) I am so glad there are some giggles, which implies that Maia is aware of some things around her. I pray that Maia starts acknowledging your presence and awareness of her surroundings as she feels safe at home.
I am praying that you find strength to approach each day like a new slate. I am praying that you are able to rest well to keep up your stamina. I am praying that you can find joy in small improvements. I am praying for your spirits. This road you are on is long, hard, and full of potholes. Stay the course and we will pray you on.
So glad that you are all home and that Matthew will soon have his surgery behind him. Our Meya is nonverbal due to her cerebral palsy, but I have always expected that everyone assume she understands everything and to talk to her accordingly, so my thoughts would be to just immerse your Maia in her world and her brain will heal in its time and she will be absorbing all along. Brains are amazing, so I pray for healing for Maia. Our Meya has great cognitive ability, so I am glad that I went with my gut back when we were immersing her in her world when she first became our kiddo. I also do a lot of Meya's stuff sung to silly kids songs with me adding my words of what we are doing etc... I also loved the Your Baby Can Read DVDs just for the fact that the vocabulary is amazing in them and Meya loved them too! Many prayers for continued healing.
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