I'm back!

I got back home from Sullivan last night about 9:30. I enjoyed my time with Jennifer, David, & the boys. I found out fairly quickly that I'm too old for a 2 year old & a 5 month old! There is definitely a reason you should have kids when you're younger than I am! :)

Jennifer continues to show slight improvements over time. She can pick up things with her right hand now that she's able to open & close it better. Her coordination isn't the best so she sometimes has to try several times before being able to pick something up. She can feed herself finger foods, but it takes her several tries to find her mouth & not bite her fingers right now. But all of this is a sign of improvement. David said before he lets her feed herself with a fork, she'll need goggles so she doesn't poke herself in the eye with the fork! Her wrist movement isn't great. This causes part of her difficulty with manipulating her hand the direction she needs it to go to put things in her mouth.

It was difficult just like always to leave her. She didn't want me to leave & I always hate leaving her. Once again I felt torn between needing & wanting to be with her & needing & wanting to be home with my family. I cried in the car on the way home...again like always!

I have an even greater appreciation for David & how he is taking care of my sister. Seeing it firsthand really makes me realize even more how much he does for her & how she's totally dependant on him right now. God truly blessed Jennifer when he gave her David. He does whatever she needs or wants & I never heard him complain once. Well, except for when she wouldn't let him watch what he wanted to on tv. She told him to "call the wah-mbulance".

I also have a greater appreciation for Grammy, taking care of those babies. It's not an easy job. Josiah goes non-stop! He's always doing something or into something! And he usually picks the time when you are busy feeding or changing Kacyn to really get into something he shouldn't! He's definitely a normal 2 year old! Those big brown eyes & cute little smile keep you from getting too upset with him though. He also has the cutest little laugh & voice. Just listening to him talk or laugh always made me smile. A child's laughter is the sweetest sound in the world!

Little Kacyn is such a sweet baby & he's such a good baby. I enjoyed holding him, feeding him, kissing him. He smiled & cooed at me a lot especially in the mornings. The 1st 2 nights with him were a little rough. I only got a few hours sleep, but once we got to know each other & had each other figured out, he slept through the rest of the nights. He'd go to bed between 9:30 & 10:30pm & sleep until 7:30-8:00am. Jen told me I was spoiling him because I held him so much. I told her I wasn't spoiling him! But even if I did spoil him...that's an aunt's job! :) I seem to remember an aunt spoiling my kids when they were little, but I won't mention any names!

Kacyn got new splints for his feet while I was there. He was able to slide his foot out of the other ones he had, but he can't with his new splints! He's supposed to wear the splints for 4 hours at a time during the day with 2 hour breaks in between. Then he's supposed to wear them all night. He also has hand splints for his thumbs. Stretching exercises for his muscles are a big part of his routine too. His muscles are stiff kind of like Jen's so the stretching exercises help give him better movement.

Jennifer told David she wants to come to AR for Easter so Jo can hunt eggs with his cousins. David's going to see if they can make it work. It will be great to have Jen home even if it'll only be for a few days. Our grandmother who lives in TX along with our aunt & uncle may be here Easter weekend also. I know Jen will be happy to see them & they will be to see her. This ordeal has been very rough on grandma just like it has the rest of us. Jen is the baby of the family, the youngest of grandma's 17 grandchildren. If Jen & everyone else is able to make it for Easter, it will be an emotional time. Our grandmother's had medical issues over the last few years so I know it will mean a lot to Jennifer to see her. I know Jen will be excited to show off her beautiful babies too!

Jen's been having quite a few migraines. She had migraines even before the accident, but with her brain injury it makes the migraines even more worrisome. Please pray for her headaches as well as her complete healing. Please pray for strength for David to keep up the wonderful, but hard work he's doing taking care of Jen. Also pray for strength for Grammy to also keep up with the difficult task of taking care of the boys. And we can't forget little Jo & Kacyn! Kacyn still needs prayers for continued healing & Jo just needs prayers to keep him safe & healthy!

Thank you for all the prayers that have already been sent out on the behalf of David, Jen, & the rest of the family. They are truly appreciated as well as all the other support & love that has been shown to all of us during this time. Just saying "thank you" doesn't seem to be enough, but we are truly thankful for all of you.