Abby update - November 2

Not too much more agitation today, but there were some other highlights. Abby ate three full (pureed) meals today. At each meal she shows a lot more control with her tongue and mouth, so I'm hoping she can pass the swallow test for thin liquids next week and we can see an end to the feeding tube sometime soon! All in all, I'd have to say that meals are her favorite part of the day, as today she surprised both Gordon and the speech therapist by actually laughing at one point during the meal. Abby's speech therapist is a former basketball player, so I think she and Gordon were laughing about coaching young kids in basketball when Abby decided to join in!

However, Abby doesn't do much laughing in her other therapy sessions. It's obvious that they are hard work. The x-ray results showed that there are not any fractures in her hips (Thank God!), so perhaps her discomfort in leg work is based on some lingering muscular injuries. The doctors and therapists are hoping that by using some anti-inflammatories they can ease her through the therapy sessions a little more.

As I mentioned yesterday (and I think Gordon originally coined the phrase), these days are both hard and rich. As we feed Abby meals, dress her, encourage her to communicate, etc., it's like a flashback to when our kids were infants. Then we knew that reaching the next developmental milestone was a slow process and we tried to savor each day for what it was. Sometimes I think that these moments of caring for Abby deeply and completely are a gift that lets us re-experience that most intimate period of loving a totally dependent child. As you can imagine, however, my earnest prayer is that, once again, this child will grow and develop into all her beautiful potential. Please pray that with us...

We love you all...
-the Linams