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.

Leaving Tomorrow

I leave tomorrow afternoon to stay with Jennifer & David & help take care of the boys for a week. I am excited about it & David said Jennifer's been very excited. He said she's been asking just about every day when I'm coming then this morning she told him "Lynn's coming tomorrow. I'm excited."

They finally got a new car. David's been using his mom's van since the accident. It's not brand new, but is new to them. It's a 1997 Suburban. This was really the only thing big enough for all them & Jen's wheelchair. David wanted to get something that he wouldn't have to make payments on.

Jennifer's able to make a fist with her right hand now. Hopefully, she'll be able to hold a spoon/fork & be able to feed herself soon. David said her hand-eye coordination isn't that great & she'd probably poke herself in the eye with the fork right now.

I'm looking forward to my week with them. My husband & kids will be coming up later in the week & staying one night.

Please keep the prayers flowing!! They're working, but are still needed!

Happy Birthday, Kacyn!

Kacyn is 5 months old today! Mom calls him our little miracle baby. And he is truly a miracle! According to some of the drs & their interpretation of his original MRI, we shouldn't still have him with us. He's surprised the drs from day 1 & continues to surprise them! Mom said he was so precious when she saw him this weekend. She said he just smiled & cooed at her. We love you, little Kacyn!

Since this is Kacyn's 5 month birthday, this is also the 5 month anniversary of the accident. In some ways it seems like it has been much longer than 5 months! It all still seems so unreal, like a dream - a nightmare to be exact. It's been a rough 5 months, but is getting a little easier each day. I'm not sure we could have made it through this time without the support, prayers, & love of all of you. Thank you!

Those prayers are still needed. Please continue to pray for Jennifer's full recovery from head to toe as well as Kacyn's. And don't forget to pray for David. None of us can even begin to imagine what he is going through even now with having to care for Jennifer the way he does. Most people wouldn't be able to do what he's doing. This shows what a great man he is. We can't forget little Jo in those prayers either! We need to keep him healthy & safe! Grammy needs prayers to help her continue to care for those little boys whom I love so dearly.

Thank you again! God bless!

Another Milestone

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! If it was like mine...it was too short!

I talked to David yesterday morning. He said Jennifer had wanted him to call & tell me about her latest milestone. She drank from a cup by herself! Not sure if you've seen them or not but there are cups where the handle is actually the straw. David bought a couple of those to see if Jen could use them. He filled the cup, put Jen's hand through the handle, & she was able to lift the cup up to her mouth & drink from the straw! Jen was very excited about this & wanted to share the news with me. At the time I talked to David, Jen had drank 2 cups of chocolate milk.

Mom was in Sullivan Fri-Sat visiting with Jen, David, & the boys. She said Jen's eyesight still isn't very good. She said she was sitting across from Jen & held up 1 finger, asked Jen how many fingers she was holding up & Jen said "3". Mom then held up 5 fingers & asked how many she was holding up. Jen again said "3". Mom told Jen how many fingers she was holding up & how she thought she was still having trouble seeing...either that or Jen had forgotten how to count. Mom said Jen laughed when Mom said that about forgetting how to count. Mom asked Jen if she could see the picture on the tv screen. Jen replied that she could sometimes see it. Mom bought Jen a tv with a bigger screen while she was there to hopefully make it easier for Jen to watch tv.

My brother & his family went to Sullivan yesterday. It was going to be a quick trip for them. It's a 4 hour drive one way & they were driving there & back all in one day. When I talked to David yesterday morning, Jen was anxious for him to get her in the shower so she could be ready before John, Jenny, & the kids arrived.

I'm looking forward to my trip on the 24th. I'm staying with David, Jen, & the boys for about a week to help out while Kathy goes to OH to take care of a few things at home. David said Jennifer is very excited about me staying with them. So am I! Although I'll miss my husband & kids.

I know there are many people reading this who have never met David or Jennifer so I added a couple of their engagement pictures to the blog. I wanted everyone to know what a beautiful couple they are. (They've been married 4 years.)

Hope everyone has a great week! Please keep the prayers flowing for this little family. And may God bless you all!

Scars

David said Jennifer was talking about how ugly all her scars are. David said they're really not that bad. The scars on her left knee from her femur surgery are only about an inch long & are healing very well. They're hardly noticeable anymore. She has 2 scars on her right leg from being in traction for so long. Those are healing well too. He said his mom covered her trach scar with makeup & you couldn't see it at all. He said he's the only one who will ever see her c-section & pelvic traction scars & they don't bother him & he said she doesn't wear a bikini anyway. His scars from his leg surgery are much bigger than any of Jennifer's. He told her she could have the big scars from his surgery instead of her little ones. He said she responded, "No! Ugly!"

Jennifer hasn't been moved completely to soft mechanical foods, but can eat a combination of pureed & soft mechanical foods now. Her liquids still have to be thickened but not as thick as before. The way the beverages are thickened is through packets of thickener that can be added to any beverage. The thickener has no flavoring, but comes in different thicknesses or consistencies. The thickener Jen needed up until now made beverages the consistency & thickness of honey. She has now been moved to thickener the consistency of nectar which isn't as thick. Previously when Jen would aspirate food or beverage into her airways, she would show no reaction. She didn't cough or show any normal reaction to this. Now she shows a reaction & will cough when this happens.

David realized this weekend how much Jennifer really helps him move her from the bed to the chair, etc. She's able to put quite a bit of weight on her legs & feet in order to help him. This weekend he was moving Jennifer from her chair to the bed & I'm not sure what happened exactly, but he felt like he wasn't going to be able to make it to the bed with her so he tried to move her back to the chair instead. Her feet got tangled & he knew he was going to drop her so he slowly sat her down on the floor. This is when he realized how much she helps because in that position on the floor, she was unable to help at all. He had his mom come help him & they couldn't get her off the floor. He was beginning to think he was going to need to call someone to help them with her. He then got an idea & got a towel & worked it under her rear. They were able to lift her using both ends of the towels to help lift her off the floor along with lifting her under her arms. They finally got her off the floor & back to the bed!

David said Jennifer was talking about how ugly all her scars are. David said they're really not that bad. The scars on her left knee are only about an inch long & are healing very well. They're hardly noticeable anymore. She has 2 scars on her right leg from being in traction for so long. Those are healing well too. He said his mom covered her trach scar with makeup & you couldn't see it at all. The other scars on her stomach from the c-section & the traction that held her pelvic bone are the biggest scars she has & he said he's the only one who will ever see those & they don't bother him. He said she never has worn a bikini. His scars from his leg surgery are much bigger than any of Jennifer's. He told her she could have his scars from his surgery instead of her tiny ones. He said she responded, "No! Ugly!"

Kacyn had another appointment with the facial/cranial dr yesterday. David said his mom spent more time getting Kacyn in & out of the car than they spent with the dr. The dr measured his head & looked his head over & said everything looked good! Praise the Lord!

Jennifer's progress is going very slowly, but she is gradually showing improvement. Please pray for her speech, hands, arms, legs, feet, eyesight, swallowing, and all motor skills. Please pray for Kacyn to continue to do better than the drs expected. And last but not least, please pray for continued strength & encouragement for David.

The Bug is Gone!

The bug or whatever it was that everyone had last week is finally gone! Everyone in the Dierking household seems to be over it now & feeling better! What a rough few days that had to be with everyone getting sick with it at one time or another!

Jennifer missed therapy on Thu last week due to being sick. She'll be getting back on track with it this week. She should've had therapy today.

David took Jennifer shopping on Sat to get new clothes. She got khaki capris & shorts, something a little nicer than the athletic pants she has been wearing all the time. The trip wore her out, but she got new clothes & so did Josiah & Kacyn. Josiah & Kacyn needed spring/summer clothes. All they have right now that fit them is winter clothes. She wore her new clothes to church yesterday & Kathy fixed her hair & makeup. I know that made Jennifer feel good. David said a lot of people told Jennifer how good she looked. I know that, too, made her feel good.

David also took Jennifer & Josiah to the park yesterday. I know Jen probably enjoyed being outside & watching Jo play! I'm looking forward to the day Jen will be able to run & play with Jo & not just have to watch! That will happen one day!

I don't have much else to report on today. Please continue to pray for complete healing of Jennifer & for David & those precious little boys.

Any suggestions?

Terry & Sherry Palmer are reaching out for suggestions/ideas to help the Dierkings. They are the pastors at Word of Life Church in Sullivan, MO. This is the church that the entire Dierking family has been a part of for years & is where Jennifer worked when she met David.

For those who don't know the Dierkings have been through a lot. Some of the things this family has dealt with over the years include:
~Bob, David's dad - blood clots in his legs, heart problems, non-hodgkins lymphoma.
~David - a tumor on his finger
~Kathy, David's mom - cancer & several surgeries on her ankle
~The accident in Oct resulting in Jennifer & David's broken bones & Jennifer's cardiac arrest & brain damage as well as the premature birth of Kacyn

The Dierkings have spent their lives helping others & putting others first.

The house they are living is not big enough to accomodate 6 people (David, Jennifer, Josiah, Kacyn, Bob, Kathy) much less a wheelchair. The pastor & his wife at Word of Life want to help them out with the housing situation. Their thoughts are:

"We need a packet with a letter & a dvd showing the events of their lives & where it has led them. They need a home and we think we can take this packet to some major ministries, tv stations, construction companies, etc, to get help for them. It probably would have to entail using the current property already owned by Bob & Kathy and go from the approach of building this home so the 2 families can live together and possibly give David & Jen an apartment in that house."

The Palmers are asking is if there is anyone who can help in any way especially in the talent of videoing & telling the story. They have already written a 4 page letter putting the events in order over the last decade, but feel it would work better if this were on video instead of a long letter for people to read.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas, please e-mail them to wolwc@fidnet.com, Pastors Terry or Sherry Palmer attention. Please note in the subject that the e-mail is regarding the Dierkings.

It was a rough day & night yesterday for David. Jennifer, Josiah, & Kacyn all had a bug of some sort & were throwing up & had diarrhea. Needless to say David & Kathy were busy, busy, busy. God bless them. I hate being so far away.

I will be going to Sullivan for about a week later this month to help David out when his mom has to go home to OH to take care of some things there. I'm looking forward to spending so much time with Jennifer & being able to spoil those boys (that's the best part of being an aunt!!) :)

Please continue to pray for this dear little family. Also please pray for the Palmer's & what they are attempting to do. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people praying & wanting to help. Each one of you is a gift straight from God & I can't thank you enough.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, GRAMMY!

Yesterday, March 1, was Grammy's birthday. Happy birthday!

Jennifer walked 36 feet today in therapy! Again this was with the help of 3 people, but it's still a wonderful achievement for her!

The speech therapist will begin working with Jennifer on soft mechanical foods on Thursday in therapy. Then they will be doing another swallow study/test on her next week (I think).

My daughter saw Jennifer this past weekend. She said Jennifer's speech seemed better to her. She could understand her better than she could last time she was there which was the weekend prior to Jennifer's release from the rehab hospital.

I have posted some new pics to the blog including one of Jennifer holding Kacyn! Be sure to check out my precious little nephews & my beautiful sister!

Please continue to pray for Jennifer & her family! God is working his magic on this precious little family every day!