Day #72

I have posted some new pictures of my precious little nephews. As you can see by Kacyn's picture, he is no longer having any problems whatsoever taking his bottles! I can't wait to kiss those chubby little cheeks! Thank you, Grammy, for sharing the pics!

Jennifer is doing well in rehab. The therapists are impressed with how well she's progressing. She's still unable to really talk & is still being fed through a feeding tube, but is improving in other areas.

She smiles, laughs, giggles, & cries.

She comprehends everything that's said to her.

She can shake her head "no", but has difficulty with nodding "yes".

She can follow things with her eyes from side to side, but has difficulty following things moving up & down.

She has said the words "hi", "bye", & "hey" when prompted by the speech therapist, but cannot do so every time.

The speech therapist worked with her this morning. She told Jennifer she was going to ask her some questions & told Jennifer to squeeze her hand if the answer to the question was "yes". She asked her questions such as "Are you wearing red pajamas?" Jennifer was wearing red pajamas so she squeezed the therapist's hand. She asked Jennifer many questions. Jennifer got the answers right except when it came to the question of what month it is. Jennifer thought it was January 2009. She knows Christmas just passed so I guess that's why she was confused, but who wouldn't be confused after being in the hospital as long as she has!! The dr then asked Jennifer if her birthday was May 28. She got no response from Jennifer. She asked the same question several times, wording it a little differently each time, but always with the same date, May 28. Jennifer never responded. Finally mom told the therapist "Jennifer's birthday is May 29". The therapist then asked Jennifer if her birthday was May 29 & Jennifer squeezed her hand!

They've begun giving her a little food by mouth. She had some chocolate pudding yesterday & some applesauce today. After she ate her applesauce, the therapist asked her if she wanted more & said if she did to raise her hand. Jennifer raised her hand so she got more applesauce. The therapist also told Jennifer to chew the applesauce even though she didn't need to. I guess this is to help teach her to chew again. She did well with this task also. They also gave her a popsicle today.

Jennifer is being healed & things are looking up, but she still has a ways to go. Mom is concerned about one of Jennifer's hands. It's curled up & Jennifer can't use it. Please pray for this hand to begin working as well as the continued healing of her brain, broken bones, & the return of all her motor skills. And don't forget about little Kacyn! He still needs prayers for his head & brain.

Jennifer's miracle continues!! What a story she will have to tell!

Love,
Lynn

Day #71

The kids & I didn't make it to St. Louis this weekend as originally planned. My niece who stayed the night at our house Thu night & my daughter spent several days in a row with came down with strep throat on Sat. Because of our long term exposure to her, I was worried about carrying the germ to St. Louis & making them sick. Kacyn & Jennifer definitely don't need strep nor does anyone else! So far none of us have it, but I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Our plan now is go up this next weekend.

Jennifer had her first real bath on Sat! For the last 10 weeks, it's been nothing but sponge baths for her! Sat morning, they put her in a big jacuzzi tub & gave her a real bath! I know that had to feel good to her!

There's not really a lot to report on. Things are still going well with the rehab hospital. Jennifer seems to be doing ok there.

Please don't forget Jennifer & Kacyn in your prayers! They are getting better, but are still a long ways from being completely healed! Please pray for strength & comfort for David as well as the rest of the family.

Love,
Lynn

Day #69

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! Ours was good, but also difficult at the same time without Jennifer & her family here to celebrate Christmas with us. It broke my heart to think about her missing out on Kacyn's first Christmas & the first Christmas Josiah would really enjoy opening the presents. He's got opening presents all figured out now! He doesn't need any help!

Even though it was a difficult Christmas for us, I think we did ok overall. Mom only broke down once. My sister-in-law made a collage picture frame with pictures of mom & dad, her & my brother, me & my husband, the grandkids, & one of Jennifer & David. When mom saw the picture of Jennifer & David, she said "There's my baby" & started crying. What helped get me through was thinking about how Jennifer is getting better & this is only one of many, many more Christmas's to come. There will be lots more Christmas's for us to celebrate with Jennifer & many more for her to enjoy with her kids.

Thank you to everyone who helped David this Christmas. Lots of gifts were given to Kacyn & Josiah. David said people kept bringing gifts by & it took almost 3 hours to open all of them! He's gathering old toys to donate to the Salvation Army so there'll be room for the new toys!

I'm taking the kids to St Louis tomorrow to see their Aunt Fer. We have more gifts for Kacyn & Josiah!

Jennifer is doing well in rehab. My daughter, Kennedy, was a little confused about why Aunt Fer was going to rehab. She thought rehab was only for people with drug problems. We had to explain to her there are different kinds of rehab. David's sister, Chrissie, told Jennifer about Kennedy's confusion & she said it got a big smile out of Jennifer!

Well, I don't have a lot to report on. I mainly wanted to say thank you to everyone for helping us all get through this difficult time. Your prayers, support, & love have helped us more than you will ever know. Thank you!

Love,
Lynn

Day #65

Jennifer was moved back to the rehab hospital this evening. David said her blood pressure, heart rate, & breathing all seemed to be doing well.

They took Josiah & Kacyn to see Jennifer today. Josiah had some cars & a truck with him. He was showing them to his mommy. She just watched him. They laid Kacyn on her chest & she started crying. It was heartbreaking, but she knows what's going on & is showing the appropriate emotions.

Yesterday David's sister, Chrissie, got a big belly laugh from Jennifer. She's given several little giggles, but this is the first real laugh.

I'm not quite sure how to explain what's going on with Kacyn's head. It's growing, but he doesn't have a soft spot so it's growing upward instead of out. They are trying to make an appointment for him with a neurologist at the Children's Hospital who is supposed to be the best.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. There will definitely be a void this Christmas because Jennifer should be with us, but we are thankful that she will no longer be in the hospital.

I'm going to take a break from posting over the holiday unless there is something that needs to be posted.

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas! Please remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Love,
Lynn

Day #64

My brother, his wife, & their 3 children went to St. Louis to see Jennifer. Jennifer loves her nieces & nephews dearly. They said her eyes lit up when she saw her niece & 2 nephews. Her eyes lit up like they do when she sees David. My brother & his family got to witness several big smiles & even a few giggles. They also saw her cry when my brother told her his 9 year old son had written on his Christmas list that he wanted to have Aunt Jennifer well for Christmas. This is on the wish list of all of us this Christmas.

They are still trying to get Jennifer into a step down room. And we are still hoping to get her in rehab soon.

Mom is coming home tonight & will be here until after Christmas. David is staying with Jennifer at the hospital until she's moved to rehab again.

Things are looking up! Please keep praying!

Love,
Lynn

David's Second Comment

Do you ever get to that point in your life where you cant go on any longer with the way things are in your life. Where everything seems to weight on you, the simplest things make you upset. You feel like Satan is attacking your every move. It seems like you cant go one more step with out Gods help! That's where I am. As crazy as this may sound, that is the best point to be in your life. When you finally reach that place, that is when God can finally step in and do his work. I have always thought I had a real relationship with God but sometimes to get to the place where totally rely on God you have to be put in a place where he is the only one to fall back on. I have been ask for God to give me a desire to serve him the way he would want me to serve him. I never prayed not to have to go through a trial to get to that point. I'm not blaming God for all of this but he does allow us to go through trials in our lives so we will grow and learn how to totally rely on him. I have never in my life been as close to God as I am now. That's the way it is supposed to work, grow closer everyday. To grow closer to him everyday you have to have a relationship with him and talk to him everyday. God has shown me today that this is what it would be like with out him in my life. As close as i am to Jennifer and as much as I miss her I need to have even more of those type feelings toward God. He is the true bridegroom, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be married to her. Some of you may not understand this but we have love God even more than our spouses. He is the ultimate reason we are on this earth, not for our spouses or even to be with our spouses. Some may say that i dont have any place to talk about a marrage because we have only been married for 3 1/2 years but I promise you marrages like ours are in the minority. We have such a wonderful marage because we have put God first and we also know what happens when you dont put God before your spouses. Maybe we are going through all of this for me to learn all of what I'm learning or maybe so I would type this for other people to read and be ministered to I dont know. What I do know is that I pray everyday that we are learning every thing we are supposed to learn in all of this because if not, what is the point in us going through trials? I love Jennifer more that anyone or thing on the face of this planet but I love God more. She has always told me from the very beggining that she loved God more than me and that I would have to get to that point if I were to be with her. I have always thought I did love God more than her but it wasnt till this accident when I saw what it was like for her not to be here with me. It has taken me 64 days to relize what it would be like with out God. I know he never leaves or forsakes us but i think at times we take him for granted because he is always there for us and sometimes you have to go through something to see how great he really is and to know how something would have turned out if he wasnt there taking care of you. Now I know what it means to love God more than her and Now i truly do love God more than Jennifer. Im sorry if this seems as if I am jumping around for those of you that know me I am new to stating somthing wise and profound. I am also just typing everthing as God brings it to my attention.

I was at church this morning and while I was watching the Christmas cantata I started crying because Jennifer should be experiencing all of the christmas stuff with her family. Not laying in a hospital. I though now who do I have to blame...... Immediatly satan came to mind. Every bit of this is satan attacking my family, from the brain damage to the breathing problems all the way to Josiah dumping bucketfuls of water on the floor out of the bath tub. Its all satan attacking us trying to see how far he can push us to see if we are going to crack. I have to say he had me pretty close tonight. This is my way of getting back at satan. IM ANGRY ITS TIME HE TAKES HIS HANDS OFF OF MY FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!! I go to that hospital everyday expecting to see Jennifer sitting up in bed and have the biggest smile on her face as soon as I walk through that door and every day I go in and see her kind of starring off into the corner and i say praise God we have made it another day! Its time NOW and tonight that he let go and let God do his work and we have her home by christmas. I dont just mean home I mean Healthy, Whole, Well and Home we arent going to accept a partial healing, satan came to steal my families lives and he has lost and the word says God will restore what satan has tryed to steal 30 60 and 100 fold. To me that means we will be stronger physicaly spritualy emotionaly and in every area of our lives. And I claim that tonight I am using evryone that reads this to be my wittness and to hold me accountable for everything I say and that we will stand up as family against satan and his kingdom and knock it down as much as we can before we die or the Lord returns.

Well this is what God has layed on my heart. I feel much better, somtimes when you get angry you have to yell to feel better and I feel like telling everyone all of this is God's way of using me to start tearing down Satan's kingdom. To Lynn I'm sorry I didnt tell you I was posting this and that I used your password but it was to late to call you and if I didnt do it right then satan would find a way to distract me and it wouldnt get done. Thank you to every one who reads this blog. We wouldnt be able to get through this with out your prayers and support.

There isnt enough words to say other than THANK YOU to everyone who has helped and prayed and visited and read this blog. We love everyone of you and pray that God blesses you in return for you faithfulness.

There may be someone reading this and might see that they are right where I am at and may wonder how to get to a place to be able to make it through each step. Well first it starts with accepting Christ as your Lord and Saviour and this wouldnt be complete if I didnt give you the opportunity to pray a salvation prayer. So if you belive in your heart that Jesus is lord and pray this prayer and mean it with all your heart you to can be saved and know excatly what i am talking about: Pray This "God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen.

"If you decided to repent of your sins and receive Christ today, welcome to God's family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us to follow up on our commitment.Tell someone about your commitmenat spend time with god every day and get pluged in to a local church.

Well so long for now!
We love all of you!

Love David

Day #63

As I'm sure you could tell from yesterday's post, I was having a "down" day. There have been many of those days in the last 9 weeks. It's the love, prayer, & support of so many people that helps us make it through the bad days. I thank God everyday for all of you! But I know there will be be fewer & fewer of those down days going forward!

Jennifer is doing much better. Her breathing is back to normal as it was before things went awry at rehab. We aren't quite sure what happened exactly, but she seems to be ok.

She is still in ICU, but would have been moved to a step down room today if they'd had an open one. David says she may be going back to rehab on Tuesday.

I asked David how he & the boys are doing. He said everyone's ok. He said he's tired. I wouldn't know why!! He said Jo is wanting his mommy to come home. I know she will be home with them soon! What a wonderful, joyous day that will be!!!!!

Praise the Lord everything is ok and Jennifer will be back in the rehab hospital soon! Jennifer's miracle continues!

Thank you everyone for EVERYTHING!! I can't even put into words what it has meant to us & how it has helped us all get through this very difficult time.

Prayers are still needed so please remember Jennifer and the rest of the family in your prayers.

Love,
Lynn

Day #62

Jennifer started having problems with her breathing last night due to swelling where the trach was. A dr at the rehab hospital tried to put a trach back in, but couldn't get it in because of the swelling. The rehab hospital isn't equipped to handle these situations so they had to call 911. The ambulance took Jennifer back to the hospital. She spent 5+ hours in the emergency room before finally being admitted back into the ICU.

As of this morning, her breathing is better, but she still has swelling.

It's very difficult not to wonder why Jennifer is having to go through this & suffer the way she has. Why does she keep taking steps backwards? I know we can't & shouldn't worry about the "why" but sometimes it's hard not to. She's been through so much. It's so difficult to see her go through this. She deserves to be home, enjoying her beautiful babies. They deserve to have their mommy. I know this will happen one day, but I'm a little impatient. I want her home with her babies today! I know God's timing is different than mine though so I shouldn't be impatient. She's in the same hospital as before, but in a different ICU with different doctors. Maybe the purpose of this is to have different doctors look at her & work with her. Maybe there's something the other doctors didn't find or think of doing & this is God's way of getting them to take another look at everything.

Please pray for Jennifer's breathing to get better & for the drs to find what's causing the problems. Please pray for her broken bones & brain to heal. Pray for the blood clots to clear & for the strength to continue to fight. I know she's a fighter! I grew up with her! Please keep David & the rest of family in your prayers also.

Love,
Lynn

Day #61

Jennifer was moved to the rehab hospital today!

I found out today Jennifer said "hello" to the speech therapist yesterday! Today, she mouthed the word "four" when asked by the speech therapist what 2 + 2 equaled. No sound came out, but the speech therapist said she made the motions with her mouth to say the word. She also stuck out her tongue when asked to. She had not done this when asked to do so previously.

The pastor from Jennifer & David's church in Sullivan & his wife went to see Jennifer today. When they were leaving, the pastor waved & said "bye". Jennifer lifted her arm slightly & said "bye". The pastor & his wife were impressed with Jennifer's progress. It's a slow progress, but she is getting better! The prayers are working! Jennifer will have a great testimony to tell!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love,
Lynn

2 Month Anniversary

Today is the 2 month anniversary of the accident. It happened on Oct 18. All of the events of the last 2 months still seem so unreal. On Oct 18, we were thankful that Josiah wasn't injured at all & Jennifer & David had only a few broken bones. At that time, Kacyn was the biggest worry. Little did we know how drastically things would change. We went from being thankful that everyone was ok & Kacyn being our only worry to almost losing my beautiful baby sister. But we are getting closer & closer to having her back with each passing day.

They didn't move Jennifer to the rehab hospital today. This could happen tomorrow. They spent today trying to make sure they have all her medications right. She needs blood pressure & heart medication, but the drs think eventually she may not need these. Right now she does. They also found blood clots in her left leg today. They have put her back on blood thinners. Thank God for the ivc filter they put in her previously. This greatly reduces the chance of a blood clot making its way to her heart/lungs. The purpose of an ivc filter is to filter out any blood clots & prevent them from making their way to the heart.

Jennifer smiled several times today. Mom said Bob, David's dad, was talking about Josiah & Jennifer smiled a big smile & even did what mom said sounded like a giggle! Jennifer loves her little "Jo-Jo"! I know if anything can make her smile, it'll be Jo-Jo!

It's been a long 2 months, but I know the most difficult times are almost over. I want to thank everyone for helping us make it through them. Jennifer is getting better each day. I believe once she gets into the rehab hospital & they are working daily with her for hours, we will begin to see great improvements. We'll have her back soon! I miss her! I know I'm not the only one! Please keep praying for her & her little family

Love,
Lynn

Day #60

They removed Jennifer's trach today. She is now completely breathing on her own at all times! But she's still not talking. We were hoping that once this was removed she would begin talking.

Instead of doing her physical therapy bedside today. They took her to the physical therapy gym. David said this went well.

She could possibly be going to a rehab center as early as tomorrow! This is a rehab center that will work on both her mental & physical development. She will be getting specialized treatment daily for much longer periods of time.

Don't forget Jennifer, Kacyn, & David in your prayers! Anything is possible through faith & prayer so I know this little family will be whole again soon!

Love,
Lynn

Day #59

After my posting for yesterday, I got a text message from David. It said the physical therapist & the occupational therapist were both happy with how Jennifer did yesterday when they were working with her. She lifted her arm, turned her head, & helped them sit her up when asked to. These are all good signs!

Day #58

It was 8 weeks ago this past Sat since the accident that turned our world upside down & changed our lives forever. It's difficult to believe it's only been 8 weeks! It seems like it's been so much longer!

I was in St. Louis this weekend. I could see the improvements in Jennifer. It is now obvious when she is looking at you. Before you couldn't really tell if she was looking at you or not. Her eyes were kind of glazed over & it was more like she was staring into space. Now her eyes are more clear & she moves her eyes deliberately. She was looking at me & I was telling her how I love her beautiful brown eyes & hair. I was also talking about how growing up she used to always want blue eyes & blonde hair like me. When I mentioned my blonde hair, her eyes moved from my eyes to my hair & followed the length of my hair & then back to my eyes.

She is doing very well with the capping of her trach. They are increasing each day how long they are leaving it capped because she is doing so well with it. Hopefully they'll be able to remove the trach soon.

She has begun being vocal. She isn't talking. It's more like a yell or a scream. It's good that she's making these sounds because it's her way of showing emotion. Unfortunately, it's a little upsetting to us because we don't know what she wants. We're not sure if she's in pain, frustrated, upset, agitated, or just wants us to leave her alone!

She is feeling pain now. It's difficult to see her in pain, but it's good that she's able to feel it. Up until a few days ago, she wasn't feeling pain. The drs would pinch her fingertips with plier-like things, trying to get a response. They were squeezing her fingers so tight with this that she had bruises under every fingernail. She wouldn't even flinch when they did this. She also wouldn't react at all when they would prick her finger or give her an injection. Friday she began flinching & making a face when her finger is pricked or when getting a shot.

She's showing more emotion all the time which is a good thing, but as I said earlier it's sometimes difficult to see when we know she's not happy. The dr had told mom to try to startle Jennifer occasionally to get a reaction from her. Mom slammed the window shades yesterday really loud. Jennifer was about asleep when mom did this. Jennifer jumped then started crying & making the sound along with it. It made both mom & I sad, but at the same time we were glad to get a reaction. Mom came home with me yesterday. She's staying home for a few days. When mom told her yesterday that we were leaving, Jennifer got upset & started crying out. It broke our hearts. David is staying at the hospital with Jennifer until mom gets back.

They are talking about sending Jennifer to a rehab center, possibly within the next few weeks. This is good because previously they had been talking about sending her to a nursing home because she wasn't mentally or physically ready for a rehab center. It is very encouraging now to hear them talking about rehab instead.

On the way home yesterday, mom & I stopped by Jennifer & David's house to see Josiah & Kacyn. Josiah is cuter than ever! I fed Kacyn his bottle! He did great with it! He drank virtually all of it. He left only enough to cover the bottom of the bottle. He now weighs 8 lbs 11 oz. He's such a precious little baby!

Prayers are needed for Kacyn's head. It's not growing. It measures the same circumference it did when he was born. They are unsure why at this time.

David's mom is staying at Jennifer & David's house, helping taking care of Josiah & Kacyn. Thank you, Grammy, for taking such good care of those precious little boys! David's dad is driving him back & forth to the hospital which is about an hour away from their house.

Please pray for Jennifer's progress to continue. Prayers are needed for her brain, lungs, broken bones, motor skills, entire body as well as strength for her to continue to fight & get through this. Please pray that she'll be able to talk when the trach is taken out. Pray for Kacyn's head/brain. Prayers for strength & comfort for David. Pray that this little family is reunited soon. What a wonderful day that will be!

Thank you for all the prayers & everything else that has been done for our family.

Love,
Lynn

Day #55

I've been asked what it means when I talk about Jennifer's trach being capped off. The way I understand it is the trach is essentially turned off. There is no oxygen or anything going through it. They do this to prevent removing a trach & then having to put it back. Capping the trach is kind of a test. If the patient passes this test, they know they can remove the trach. This may not be exact, but this is my understanding of it.

They had to uncap Jennifer's trach about 9:00 last night. She had continued to panic throughout the day. They decided to uncap it so she could rest better. She had a pretty good night & rested well, mom said.

They capped her trach off again this morning. She panicked at first, but when I talked to mom this morning, she was calm & relaxed. I spoke to mom again about 20 minutes ago. Jennifer's trach was still capped. She's done really well with it today.

The speech therapist worked with Jennifer more today. When she first came into the room, she was able to get Jennifer to shake her hand! She worked with Jennifer today on trying to talk & say certain words. She also worked with Jennifer on swallowing again today & got Jennifer to drink some juice. She told mom that we can give Jennifer up to 4 teaspoons of water a day. Before the therapist left, she worked with Jennifer on saying "bye". Mom said Jennifer made a sound that sounded like she said "bye"!

Jennifer was resting when I last talked to mom. She said Jennifer's had a big day & was tired. She had both the speech therapist & the physical therapist work with her today. Mom said Jennifer gets sad when David has to leave. When he starts talking to her about having to leave, mom said her face wrinkles up, & she gets a really sad look on her face. She doesn't want him to leave. But I know even though she doesn't want him to leave, she understands he needs to go home & take care of their babies.

I'm going back to St. Louis tomorrow. My 9 year old son has his first basketball game of the season tomorrow morning. I can't miss that! So I'm not leaving for St. Louis until after his game.

Please keep the prayers going!

Have a great weekend!
Love,
Lynn

Day #54

They "capped off" Jennifer's trach again about 8:00 this morning. Once again, Jennifer panicked, but when I talked to mom again about 3:00 it was still "capped". Jennifer's been panicking off & on all day with it. At times, she was "screaming" & could be heard outside the room, butwhen I last talked to mom she was calm & resting. Hopefully, she will be able to remain calm once she wakes up. Being able to remove the trach will be a big step for us.

Please pray for Jennifer to remain calm & do well with the trach "capped". Also please pray for head to toe healing...her brain, lungs, infection, broken bones...everything!

Love,
Lynn

Day #53

Yesterday, they "capped" Jennifer's trach. This was a test to see if they can remove it. It didn't work. Jennifer panicked & started to go into distress. They had to uncap it. They will try again later this week. The respiratory therapist told mom it's not unusual to have to try this more than once. The patient feels like they can't breathe because the trach is still in their throat. Hopefully, they will be able to remove the trach soon. Once they do this, Jennifer should be able to talk! I can't wait to hear her voice again!

I really don't have anything else to report on.

Prayers are still desperately needed for Jennifer. Please continue to pray for her.

Love,
Lynn

Day #51

Dad got to see Jennifer's beautiful smile when he was in St. Louis this past weekend! This made him happy!

They put a smaller trach in Jennifer yesterday. Mom asked the dr how long he thought it'd be before they take the trach out completely. The dr told her that normally it's about a week or so after they switch the patient to the smaller trach. So hopefully soon she will no longer need this!

They removed Jennifer's external fixator a few days ago. This should help relieve some of her pain & make her more comfortable. They still aren't planning to do surgery on her hip/pelvic bone at this time. They said it appears to be healing ok on its own.

Mom said Jennifer got mad at her today! Jennifer was resting & mom was rubbing her arm. Jennifer looked at mom & jerked her arm away! I've been waiting for Jennifer to get tired of everyone always touching & rubbing her! I always tell Jennifer I can't wait until she can tell us to leave her alone! I guess this was her way of telling mom that today! She also lifted her arm up for the nurse when she came in to take Jennifer's blood pressure! This was a first also! Normally they have to lift her arm to put the cuff around it.

Mom told me about some visitors Jennifer had this weekend. They are parents of a boy whose life Jennifer impacted. Their son was heading down the wrong road, making bad decisions until he met Jennifer. Jennifer turned his life around. He is a different person now because of Jennifer's influence. Hearing these stories make us more & more proud of Jennifer all the time!

I know I've talked about the outpouring of support, kindness, & generosity we've seen, but I wanted to thank everyone again. There have been monetary contributions to both Jennifer & David & to mom to help with her expenses. There have been gifts for the kids. There have been cards, letters, e-mails. There have been offers to help in any way needed. A lady who has been a friend of my mom's since high school gave her a goody bag that contained books, snacks, personal items such as lotions, & other nice things for mom to use while staying at the hospital with Jennifer. It also contained a Veggie Tales book for Josiah! The wife of a man my dad works with, made 2 beautiful blankets for Kacyn. One of them has his name & birthdate embroidered on it! There have been too many instances of generosity to mention all of them, but I want to say "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" to everyone! We can't thank you enough.

In addition to all the things I mentioned above, there have been thousands (if not, millions) of prayers for Jennifer, Kacyn, David, Josiah & the entire family. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! Please keep them going! Jennifer's taking baby steps, but we are celebrating & thanking the Lord for each one of them. We see each & every one of them as getting us closer & closer to having our sister, daughter, friend, niece, cousin, wife, mommy back!

Love,
Lynn

Day #48

Kacyn went home today and without a heart monitor! Initially we were told he would need a heart monitor, but he's doing well enough that they decided he didn't need one! He's home now! I only wish his mommy was going home too, but I know she will be home with him, Josiah, & David one day & their beautiful little family will be whole again.

Have a great weekend! Thank you all for being a part of Jennifer's miracle. Please continue to pray for her & her precious little family.

Love,
Lynn

Day #47

Good news today! Jennifer smiled 2 BIG smiles today! David was showing the nurses in Jennifer's room the picture of Josiah in a kilt from a friend's wedding this past summer & telling them the story about his mother making the kilt. The kilt was to be held closed with velcro. When David's mom would try the kilt on Josiah, he'd grab ahold of it, yank it open, & pull the kilt off! They were afraid Josiah might do this in the wedding, so they ended up holding it closed with a safety pin. While David was showing the picture & telling the nurses this story, the nurses started laughing & a big smile came over Jennifer's face! The other smile came when mom was talking about my daughter, Kennedy. Jennifer loves her nieces & nephews dearly. And they love their Aunt Fer - that's what they call her.

Jennifer also cried today. Mom told Jennifer how I said Jennifer has always had a beautiful smile. She said Jennifer starting crying when she told her that. Even though it's heartbreaking to see her cry, I think it has to be a good sign that she is now showing some emotion.

Kacyn is anemic. They are giving him vitamins with iron. David said may get to go home tomorrow depending on his blood test in the morning.

That's really all I have for today. Please keep praying!

Day #46

I haven't talked to either mom or David today so I'm assuming that things are essentially the same as yesterday. Because of this I don't really have anything to post concerning Jennifer's, Kacyn's, or David's condition. So I want to tell a story David told me when I was in St. Louis this past weekend. It may not be exact, but this is how I remember it.

For those who don't know, Jennifer & David had just moved back to Sullivan, MO, from OH 2 weeks before the accident. In OH, Jennifer was the youth minister at a church. Just before Jennifer & David left OH, a teen girl in their youth group at church came to them concerning a friend of hers. Her friend had been in a motorcycle accident & wasn't doing well. Jennifer & David had never met this friend of hers or her family, but they felt a need to reach out to them. They went to the hospital & met this girl's mother & prayed with & for her & her daughter. They also had gathered all their quarters & dollar bills & gave them to her for vending machine money at the hospital. Unfortunately, this lady's daughter passed away. David had no idea how much they had touched this lady's life until last week. David received a very touching card from her, telling them how much she appreciated them being there for her, what a wonderful person Jennifer is, how she's praying for her, etc. She also sent rolls of quarters totally about $21 if I remember correctly for the vending machines. I wanted to share this story as this is just one example of how Jennifer & David live their lives & how they help others. I am very proud of my baby sister. I'm not sure I've ever told her this before, but I told her several times while I was visiting her this past weekend & will continue to tell her so until I know for a fact that she understands what I'm saying.

I thought this past weekend about when Jennifer was a baby. I was so proud of my baby sister, I took her around the neighborhood in her stroller showing her off to all the neighbors! I'm still the proud big sister!

David called while I was typing the last paragraph. He said he got what he considers a half smile from Jennifer today! Jennifer always makes this spiced cider that her nieces & nephews love. David always gives her a hard time about it because it's kind of expensive to make. He was teasing her today, telling her she can make all of it she wants from now on & he won't ever complain again about how much it costs. He said the sides of her mouth turned up slightly at that.

He also told me that they began the medication to help stimulate Jennifer's brain. He couldn't remember the name of it & if he could he doesn't think he could pronounce it. He said the dr's compared it to Ridalin (sp?). When given to someone with an over-active brain, it slows their brain down, but when given to someone with normal brain functions or slower than normal brain function, it stimulates & increases brain function. Hopefully with this, we'll begin to see progress at a faster rate than we have been. We are praying for this.

Thank you for all the prayers! Please keep them going! They are working & Jennifer's miracle continues!

Love,
Lynn

Day #45

Jennifer was pretty tired yesterday after the physical therapist worked with her yesterday. She slept a lot today.

Mom had been praying about finding ways to stimulate Jennifer's brain. A speech therapist came in to see Jennifer today. She gave mom some ideas on what to do to help stimulate Jennifer's brain! She suggested using smells such as the peppermint lotion I used when I gave Jen a pedicure on Sat. She put an alcohol wipe under Jennifer's nose. She didn't get an instant response, but did get one after a few seconds. She then began working on teaching Jennifer to swallow again. She used a small drop of grape juice. They use darker liquids so they can trace where it goes to make sure it's going to the right place instead of to her lungs. David didn't think she'd swallow the grape juice because he said she doesn't like grape juice, but she did! She swallowed it after the therapist worked with her a little, rubbing her throat. While rubbing Jennifer's throat, she felt Jennifer swallow it. The dr told David they could do this using Pepsi since that's what Jennifer likes to drink. David said Jennifer's probably dying for a Pepsi by now! The speech therapist also said to always make sure Jennifer's looking at us when we're talking to her, even it means having to physically turn Jennifer's head for her. She also said to speak loudly when talking to her. She said looking at someone when they're talking is something Jennifer will need to learn again.

After the speech therapist left, another dr came in later. He got a reaction from Jennifer on one of her feet & a reaction when he did something to the inside of her elbow. He then told mom he was going to check into what medications Jennifer was on & would see about prescribing something to help stimulate her brain!

It seems mom's prayers for help in stimulating Jennifer's brain were answered today!

I have posted some new pictures of Kacyn. He's getting so big!

Jennifer is slowly progressing. Please pray for this to continue as well as head to toe healing including the infection. Prayers are still needed for Kacyn's continued improvement. His bottle feeding is getting better & he may be going home later this week! David is physically doing well, please pray for this to continue as well as emotional & spiritual strength for him, my mom, & the rest of the family.

Love,
Lynn

Day #44

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Jennifer continues to progress slowly. She will react on command sometimes, but not always. She has turned her head toward a voice several times now. Mom has been getting her to blink her eyes. She was moved out of ICU into the step down unit today. The exact quote from David on this was "Praise God we are out of the ICU and now in a step down unit. This is more progress. Even small water drops eventually will fll a bucket." I replied "And we will be thankful for each of those little drops!"

Jennifer does have an infection called "VRE infection". I'm not quite sure what it is, but they are treating her for this & all visitors to her room now have to wear a gown & gloves while in her room.

When I was in St. Louis this past weekend, Kacyn weighed 7 lbs 14 oz! He really has chubby cheeks & a double chin now! He has outgrown the preemie clothes that once swallowed him! I took new pictures of him & will post them soon. I asked David if I could keep Kacyn & he said "no". That's the same answer he & Jennifer used to give me when I wanted to steal Josiah too! I knew the answer would be the same, but thought I'd try! Jennifer's always called me a "baby hog" because I love babies & will just sit & hold them for hours, letting no one else hold them!

Even though we had a good Thanksgiving, we felt the emptiness of not having Jennifer there with us. We have a lot to be thankful for and we WILL have her back!

Prayers are needed for the continued healing of Jennifer's brain, broken bones, kidneys (they're close to 100% function, but not quite there), basically head to toe...as well as for the healing of the infection. Please pray for her to show more reaction on command. The dr's are looking for this & she doesn't seem to show any when they are there! Prayers are needed for Kacyn to continue to heal. He needs to show improvement in his bottle feeding still. He can't be released from the hospital until he can take all of his feedings with a bottle. Right now, he takes all but 1-2. He gets too tired on 1-2 & has to finish the feeding through the feeding tube.

Love,
Lynn