Wednesday Morning

I was on shift last night and this morning. That meant that Mom and Dad were both at home together. Both of them have expressed how it is somewhat strange to be at home while Shannon is here in the hospital. I know that they gain a lot of support from all those who read the blog and make comments and send emails. They appreciate all that you do and they draw the strength they need from it. It is amazing to see all the cards on Shannon's wall, and the poster from the primary children. I am humbled by all those who are extending their faith to Shannon and our family.

Shannon had a quiet night last night where she slept good from about 8pm to 8am. Her body needs to the sleep to help her recover. She still sleeps a good portion of the day as well. The focus for the next few days with therapy is to get Shannon to use her voice more. When she does speak it is usually a whisper. This is due to her vocal chords not being very strong. The therapists are working on getting her to be louder and really use her voice. They had her sing "old mcdonald had a farm." I couldn't hear most of it even though I was only 5-10 feet away. Toward the end of the song, I was slightly hearing Shannon sing. It is still faint but getting better.

Getting her to speak louder is key to her swallow muscles. She had some chocolate pudding today during speech therapy. She thought it was good, but still has a way to go before she is able to have the family feed her, or to have liquids. They want to take caution as they introduce food to her to make sure that she won't aspirate (have food go down the airway) as it would be a big setback for her recovery. We know that with the Lord, Shannon will still continue to go forward.

She also brushed her teeth today. The tech started to brush her teeth as she was laying down. As she turned to rinse out the toothbrush, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and reached for the toothbrush. The tech gave it to her and she brushed her own teeth. Such a small thing, but a big step from where she was. It was a miracle in action. It has been sweet to see the tender mercies of the Lord. He truly knows us and gives us little things to make life more enjoyable.
Nathan