Inspirational Meeting

Yesterday Jared and I met Kathleen for coffee. We were introduced to her through someone Jared works with at Microsoft. Kathleen was in a horrible car accident in 1980 and was paralyzed from the waste down during the accident. At the time she was 20 years old and had an 18 month old baby. She is now walking with braces on her calves. It was so wonderful to meet her and talk to someone who actually understands everything that I am going through right now. I know people can imagine how it must feel, but she really gets it.

Kathleen spent 6 months in the hospital before leaving in a wheelchair. While she was in the hospital the doctors told her family she would never walk again. Around the 3rd month after her injury she was able to move one toe. By the 9th month after her injury the doctors had changed their minds, and that's when she was told that she would walk again one day. It has been a very slow process for her. It was encouraging to hear that she saw gains even last year, almost 30 years after her injury. The doctors told her the same thing they told me - after one year they would not expect to see any more changes. And here she is, continuing to improve 30 years later. It felt so good for me to talk with this lady, to hear about her story and her recovery. It gives me so much hope to know that she walked again after the doctors said she wouldn't.

The doctors won't say either way as far as my prognosis goes. But I know that I will walk again, whether they say I will or not. The hard part is learning to be patient and learning how to do the things I love while I am in this chair still. Today was hard, as I want so badly to work out in my yard, but at this point that's something I'm not able to do. I will be so excited to get back out there one day soon.

Thank you, Kathleen.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well the patio table at the canal has been taken over by baby bouncers - and we love it! We had a great weekend sitting in the sun and relaxing. Roma enjoyed herself too, playing with Ryder, Midas, the neighbor's dog, and chasing a a deer along the water. We played with babies, ate ice cream, and the guys put the boat in the water for the summer. And as you can see, we amused ourselves by having Anthony hold Lucas for awhile....

Rehab Update

Well this week started out badly for me - I was frustrated and discouraged and just sick of doing all of this. As I told Jared, I wished I could just lay in bed and wait for this to all go away. Sometimes it just seems so hard to do anything. But that obviously isn't my typical attitude, I'm certainly stubborn and a fighter and it's not like me to want to give up. Today, towards the end of the week, I'm feeling much better. I feel encouraged and excited - this is certainly changing my life, and hopefully other people's as well. This entire experience is unbelievable - that's the word I think of every time I want to describe it. Unbelievable. I'm 27, went in to the hospital to have a baby, and came out paralyzed (temporarily of course!).

Yesterday I took another strong dose of hypericum, the homeopathic remedy, and am hoping that it continues to speed up the healing process. I have been noticing changes in my hips/butt, like I'm starting to feel when I'm up against something or when I'm in a weird position. Hopefully that means I'll be regaining control of my hips/butt again soon - one more thing to check off the list. Yesterday I discussed my prognosis with my PT, and she said that basically no one knows what to expect because it's an unusual situation, and that they need to just watch and see what happens. I'll be meeting with my spinal cord rehab doctor next week, and am excited to share with her the things that have changed in the last 1.5 months. Last time she saw me I didn't have control of my abs, and I'm hoping she'll have positive feedback. Though I certainly won't hold my breath....;) I can't imagine being a pessimistic person in a situation like this, because I certainly don't hear many positive things from the doctors. I thank God that He has given me a joyful spirit!

Today I am overwhelmed with thanks for all of the wonderful things that I have in my life. Jared and I are just so blessed. Our son is an angel - sleeping well and so happy when he is awake. My husband is dare I say perfect. He is a hard worker so Anthony and I don't have to worry about anything. And Jared has been great at keeping me laughing throughout this process. He still looks at me like he did on our wedding day, making me feel like I'm not even in a wheelchair and showing me his unconditional love. When you say in health and in sickness, you certainly don't imagine something like this will happen 9 months into your marriage! We have wonderful friends and family who support us, bring us meals, take me to PT, visit me when I'm alone during the day, and pray for us constantly. I have everything I could possibly want in life, and for that I am forever grateful to Jesus who has blessed me so.

2 Month Pics

Mariner's Game

We took Anthony to his first M's game on Sunday - he didn't seem to mind the noise at all, and slept for most of the game.

2 Month Visit

We took Anthony in for his 2 month visit with the doctor today - he turned 8 weeks yesterday, and will be 2 months on the 19th. He weighed in at 12 lbs, 13 oz and is in the 75th percentile for weight. He is 23" and in the 50th percentile for length. His head was 42 cm, in the 90th percentile! Still with the large head, just like his dad. Anthony received 3 shots today and screamed his head off. We are so blessed to have a perfectly healthy little boy, and we are so thankful he doesn't cry very often!

Anthony's first visit to Luke's house

Look at how much hair Lucas has! He does not like to have his clothes off - Anthony doesn't seem to notice a difference. We are obviously not underfeeding our son, check out that belly! Kaitlyn and Caleb are loving the new additions and want to hold them all the time. Caleb is quite rambunctious around the two newborns! Lucas is 2 days old, and Anthony is 8 weeks.