And on we march...steady as you go!

Today has been such a sweet day. We are all still so filled with elation and gratitude from yesterday. Shannon has done very well today but has slept a lot, much quieter. Her feeds (feeding tube) have been increased for more nutrition and by tomorrow should be up to normal for her weight. Her ventilator has been turned down again and she is breathing more and more on her own. Her pneunomia is slowly clearing up and she hasn't been coughing as much but they haven't been suctioning her as much either. She has had a slight tempature and they continue to give her tylenol for that.

Shannon has squeezed my hand numerous times including on demand today. She frequently raises her hands as far as the restraints will let her go. I saw her once bring her hands together and started scratching at the sat probe (measures her oxygen levels). I quickly pulled her hand away and explained what it was. She seemed to relax after that. Most all of her movements are meaningful. She raises her eyebrows in the attempt to open her eyes but they still are swollen inside enough that it is going to be a while.

The next good news is that tomorrow they are going to take her down for an MRI. The MRI will give them more detail of the injury and also will look at her neck to be sure there is no injury there. MRIs are better at looking at soft tissues like ligaments. Supposedly if that comes back without injury, they will take off the cervical collar which is most annoying to her! Along with that good news, if everything comes back good from the MRI and her breathing stays as it has been, they will take out the ventilator tube!!! We will be so excited but not nearly as excited as I am sure she will be. If we get the cervical collar off and the ventilator out, we will really be able to see more of her sweet face.

So we have taken several more steps forward without any backward steps. It is so great! We seem to bask in the warmth of the faith, love and Spirit that we are feeling. The comments on the blog and emails are amazing. Thank you all. We continue to hear of people's personal experiences and miracles in their lives because of this whole ordeal. I believe that God is involved in the details of our lives. And I believe that there is purpose in all that happens in life. We would never ask for this trial and we would never want Shanny to go through what she is going through. But if we learn all that we can learn from this experience, her suffering will not be in vain.

Bless her heart, the last time they suctioned her, I saw a tear roll down her cheek. It made me cry. It isn't fair....life isn't fair, there are twists of fate that are uncontrollable, hard, tough, no fun, etc. But we make it through because of those who love us and mostly because of the love of the Lord. We can't say it enough...thank you for your faith, love, prayer, support and all you do.
Pheobe