Jennifer's Miracle

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T17:07:00.004-06:00

This Thanksgiving was a very special one. We have a lot to be thankful for. Getting to spend Thanksgiving with my sister & her family this year was truly a blessing. Last Thanksgiving we had to celebrate Thanksgiving without them.

Jennifer said the grace before Thanksgiving dinner. It brought tears to everyone's eyes. We couldn't understand every word she said, but we know God did!

Josiah & Kacyn are getting so big! Kacyn is still eating through his feeding tube, but continues to improve in his spoon feedings. He just isn't able to eat enough by mouth to do away with the feeding tube yet. He's also getting better at sitting up by himself.

Jennifer got a new walker. They weren't able to bring it with them on the trip from MO this time because there just wasn't enough room in their car with everything else they have to bring. Hopefully, I'll get to see her use her walker when we see them again at Christmas.

Hope everyone had as blessed a Thanksgiving as we did. The last year has been filled with blessings & miracles & we are thankful for all of them & for all of you who have cried, prayed, & been here with us through this past year. Thank you for everything!

1 Year Ago...

2009-10-29T16:19:00.005-05:00

It was 1 year ago today that I got the most devastating call of my life thus far. It was my mom calling, but she was crying so hard I couldn't undertand what she was trying to tell me. Finally, David's mom, Kathy, got on the phone & I found out my baby sister, Jennifer, had gone into cardiac arrest as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident 11 days earlier & was on complete life support. I can't even begin to describe the feelings & emotions of that day.

It was also my sister's husband's 25th birthday that day. There was nothing happy about his 25th birthday.

Today, a year later, Jennifer is still recovering from the brain damage which was a result of the cardiac arrest, brain damage that was so severe the drs didn't think she'd recover from it. She's come a long way in the last year, but still requires 24 hour assistance with everything. Her husband, David, who is celebrating his 26th birthday today, has taken care of her every need without ever complaining. He's a true hero in my book! He & Jennifer are inspirations to everyone.

Today we are not only celebrating David's birthday & life, but also the gift God gave back to us a year ago, Jennifer.

"Where there is great love, there are always miracles." -- Willa Cather
Jennifer's miracle began a year ago not only because of the great love of her friends & family, but also because of the great love she & David have in our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. It's this great love & faith that helped get all of us through the past year. Thank you for being there with us, helping, supporting, & praying with us. Thank you for being a part of Jennifer's miracle.

Love,
Lynn

Happy 1st Birthday, Kacyn!!

2009-10-20T18:36:00.004-05:00

WOW! It's hard to believe, but Kacyn's a year old now! Sunday, Oct 18, was his 1st birthday!!

We celebrated his birthday all together at mom & dad's house with a Winnie-the-Pooh birthday cake. He didn't get to eat any of his cake, but we let him taste the frosting! He liked it!

We tried to focus on celebrating Kacyn's birth & not the events that led to his early arrival. He's our little miracle! He's getting so big and is the sweetest little baby!

I have added some 1st birthday birthday photos taken by a friend of the Dierkings.

Thank you for all the prayers. Please continue to pray for complete healing for this little family.

Family Picture

2009-10-16T07:49:00.003-05:00

I have posted a family picture taken of the Dierkings by a friend of theirs. They look great! The boys are getting so big! What an amazing family! They truly are a miracle of God!

Jennifer is getting more botox injections in her left hand today to help loosen up the muscles & hopefully help regain movement & use of that hand. The botox injections usually make her sick for a few days.

She continues to slightly improve, but still is unable to walk or really do anything by herself yet. But it's just little subtle improvements that we, the family, can see that tell us she's still getting better such as being able to cross her legs by herself. She wasn't able to do this before, but now she can! Things we all take for granted are big accomplishments for her.

They are coming here to AR today. We will be celebrating Kacyn's first birthday on Sunday, Oct. 18! I can't believe he's a year old! Jennfier wanted to have his 1st birthday party here at mom & dad's. I'll post birthday pictures soon!

All of the prayers, support, love, encouragement over the last year has been appreciated more than I can put into words. Because of you, it helped us make it through this very difficult year. Thank you & God bless!

But don't stop praying yet! There's still lots of healing to be done!

Jennifer's Posting

2009-09-29T06:33:00.003-05:00

Below is a posting directly from Jennifer. It's something she wants me to share with everyone.

A good friend of Jennifer's saw her in Tulsa several weeks ago. This friend was so taken aback & upset at seeing Jennifer like she is now that she couldn't sleep. She got up from bed & was praying for Jennifer when Jennifer's spirit appeared before her & said, "I'm still here, You're to see me as I really am. Tell David I love him. Thank him for not giving up on me and fighting for me. We win the fight, we have won the fight, with our God nothing is impossible."

Jennifer continues to improve with each day. The improvements are very subtle, but they are there. She may not be able to do everything yet, but her personality, sense of humor, smarts, are all there. She is the same Jennifer.

Kacyn got his new chair. He really likes it! It has a base for outdoors that comes off & can stay in the van & has another smaller base for in the house. It has great head support which is already making a big difference in helping to strengthen his neck. It also has a tray like a high chair that is removeable. He likes to play with toys on this tray.

Josiah got a new swing set which he is really enjoying! Our kids had outgrown their swing set so my husband took it apart. He & my brother drove it the 4 hours to Sullivan, MO, & put it up for Josiah. That made that little boy very happy! He was very excited!

I have posted a picture of Kacyn in his new chair & Josiah on his swing.

Please continue to pray for this little family. They've come a long ways, but still have a ways to go so they still need prayers.

Josiah's 3rd Birthday!

2009-09-09T17:19:00.000-05:00

Josiah’s birthday was Aug 25. He turned 3. His birthday party was Sat, Aug 29. His party had an Imagination Movers theme. For those who don’t have small children & don’t know what Imagination Movers is, it’s a show on the Disney Channel that Josiah loves. Grammy made outfits for both Josiah & Kacyn just like the ones worn on the show. They looked so cute!! They had a good turnout for his birthday, about 50 people total (adults & children), & had a cookout. They also had a giant inflatable bounce house/castle that their church raised money to rent for them. The kids loved jumping & playing in it! A paramedic friend brought an ambulance by & let the go through it. Josiah truly deserved a special day to himself & that is what he got. Kacyn enjoyed the party too! He likes being outside. He loves looking around at everything & just coos & talks.

Kacyn continues to do well with his feeding tube. It took quite a few adjustments to his feeding schedule & a little time determining the amount of formula that was right for him, but Grammy’s got it all down now! She also feeds him by mouth daily to work on his swallowing & he’s doing pretty well with that also. Hopefully he won’t need the feeding tube much longer. Also I found out from Grammy today that he just got his 5th tooth! He’s such a sweet little baby.

Jennifer also continues to do well. The changes are very subtle, but I can see improvement each time I see her.

Thank you for all the prayers, support, & love. Please keep praying for complete healing for Jennifer & Kacyn. And don’t forget to pray for David & Grammy as they lovingly care for Jennifer, Josiah, & Kacyn.

Welcome Home, Kacyn!!

2009-08-11T21:46:00.006-05:00

Kacyn was released from the Childrens Hospital yesterday. Josiah's been a little pistol since I've been here! He's so full of energy & into everything! Yesterday when it was just me & him here at home he was germ-free!! He got a small bottle of hand sanitizer & covered his arms, legs, & bed with it! We also have carpet now that won't get sunburned because he put sunscreen on it today!

David's dad had his surgery today. They only had to remove the right side of his thyroid. They said it looked benign. He's doing well. He said it feels like he has a really bad sore throat. He should be released tomorrow. Kathy didn't get to go back to OH for his surgery as originally planned since Kacyn didn't get released from the hospital until late yesterday. David's sister, Chrissie, is there with him though & has kept Kathy & all of his posted today.

Please continue to pray for miracles for Jennifer & Kacyn. Also please remember David. It never ceases to amaze me to see how well he cares for Jennifer, doing absolutely everything for her & dropping whatever's he's doing to do it without ever complaining. He sometimes teases her about it, but he never really complains. They argue over what to watch on tv. Jennifer used to always control the remote. Since she can't use it, David now has control, but he almost always gives in to what she wants to watch. He says it's nice to have control over the remote, but he'll be happy when she is able to take it back. Please continue to pray for strength, encouragement, & comfort for him. He has more stress in his life than the rest of us can even begin to imagine having. Please pray for Grammy as she continues to care for these precious little boys & for David's dad as he continues to recover from his surgery. Thank you & God bless!

In MO

2009-08-09T18:24:00.003-05:00

I arrived at David & Jen's house yesterday afternoon to spend the week helping out. Kacyn is still in the Childrens Hospital. We went to see him after I got here. He is just the cutest & sweetest baby. I held him the whole time I was there.

They are now looking at possibly releasing him tomorrow. They are still working on getting his feedings straightened out. Grammy is still at the hospital with him. Hopefully they will both get to come home tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for Jen's complete healing as well as Kacyn's.

G Tube

2009-08-06T18:03:00.003-05:00

Kacyn made it through his surgery with no problems. He was in quite a bit of pain last night & this morning. If you have children, you know that a pain cry is like no other. It can break your heart. They gave him some morphine this morning & he slept for quite awhile. Then seemed to feel a little better after that.

The plan is currently that he will be released tomorrow. And will have to go back in about a month to have surgery to put a shunt in.

I have posted a couple of new pics. One is of his G tube & the other is this afternoon & shows the modifications Grammy made to his clothing to accomodate the tube.

Please keep the prayers going for this precious little baby & his family!

Surgery

2009-08-05T17:37:00.003-05:00

Kacyn is in surgery getting his G tube put in. He should be getting to go home this week. He'll have to be fed through the G tube & his body temp will have to be monitored closely since it still drops too low especially when he's sleeping.

Please keep the prayers flowing for this little boy & his family.

Still in the hospital

2009-08-03T18:21:00.005-05:00

Kacyn is still in St Louis Childrens Hospital. They are hoping to get his G tube put in place & possibly send him home by the end of the week.

Grammy said he's been more awake today like normal for him with only a few naps here & there. Still having difficulty with swallowing which is the reason for the G tube & with his body temp.

Once his G tube site has healed completely, they will bring him back in about 1-2 weeks to put a shunt in.

Mom is back home now, but will be going back Wed-Thu. Then I'm going up this weekend to help out while Kathy goes back to OH for Bob's surgery.

I have posted another new picture of Kaycn & Josiah that was taken yesterday. Josiah is in Kacyn's hospital bed with him, watching tv. They're sooooo cute!!

Please keep Kacyn & Jen in your prayers. We need healing miracles for them. Please keep Bob in your prayers as he prepares for his surgery. Pray for Kathy, Mom, & myself as we drive back & forth. Pray for strength & comfort for the entire family. And last, but not least please pray for David. He is a remarkable person. The world would definitely be a much, much better place if more people were like him.

More Tests for A Little Boy

2009-07-30T17:40:00.004-05:00

Kacyn was awake all day yesterday & several times during the night! A lot of the time when he was awake he was smiling & coo’ing at Grammy!

They’ve put an iv back in him. This is so they can get anti-seizure meds in him quickly, if needed, since they cut his phenabarbitol anti-seizure meds in ½. The iv will also be used to sedate him for his MRI tomorrow.

He is undergoing a multitude of tests again today. They took blood for more blood tests this morning. Poor little guy may need a transfusion if they keep taking blood from him! Grammy says he looks like a pin cushion!

I have added a link to a video that David's mom, Kathy/Grammy, created. It shows how the lives of so many people (especially David's, Jennifer's, Josiah's, & Kacyn's lives) were changed forever in just an instant.

Thank you for all the prayers & support! Unfortunately, prayers are still needed & I have to ask that they please continue! Please continue to pray for my sweet baby nephew!

Jen still needs prayers too! She is fighting pneumonia & was running a fever yesterday. Her lungs are still very weak so pneumonia is a very scary thing for her to have. Please pray for her lungs as well as her brain. She is still trying to recover from her brain damage & learn to walk & get her other motor skills back.

The Latest

2009-07-29T17:41:00.005-05:00

Grammy told me Kacyn was awake more today than he has been the last few days put together. She said he would smile & coo at her! I can't wait to see that beautiful little smile & hold him again!

Please continue to pray for little Kacyn & Jennifer & that whole little family!

What a little trooper!

2009-07-29T10:46:00.003-05:00

I have posted a pic of Kacyn that was taken this morning. He was wide awake which is a good thing! You can see his big beautiful blue eyes - yes, he has blue eyes! He gets them from our dad or Pop-Pop as Jo calls him!

In this picture he's in his EEG head wrap, warming blankets & has his iv & feeding tubes, but he very rarely cries. He has a whole new set of tests to endure today.

Please pray, pray and then pray some more for this sweet, sweet little boy & his family. Jen is too tired & weak to make the trip to STL each day. David is tired from making the trip to STL each day and then taking care of Jen and Josiah. Mom arrived in MO yesterday to stay with & help with Jen & Jo so David can go see Kacyn each day. Again please pray. This family & this sweet little baby boy need a supernatural miracle from God. I can't even begin to thank everyone enough for the prayers & support, but I have to ask for the prayers to please continue!

Kacyn

2009-07-27T07:29:00.004-05:00

Kacyn is still being kept at the Childrens Hospital. They have run numerous tests, but are still trying to determine what the real cause of his problems is.

They did a ct scan & determined that there has been no change in the spinal fluid buildup on his brain. It's still not putting any pressure on his brain.

His phena barb (sp?) level was high which would cause the sleepiness.

Since he hadn't eaten (or taken a bottle) since the day before arriving at the hospital, they put him immediately on an iv.

They attempted a lumbar puncture on Fri, but unable to draw any spinal fluid. They tried again on Sat & were successful that time. It'll be 48 hours before they have all the results from that & David didn't know exactly when the 48 hours ends.

The test results they've gotten back so far have indicated no infection. Everything is pointing to all of this being caused by something neurological.

Also keep Jennifer & David in your prayers. They are driving the hour back & forth to St Louis every day. Jennifer's also not feeling well due to her pneumonia & just overall tiredness which is worsened by the driving back & forth & pneumonia. Please pray for Kathy. She's staying at the Childrens Hospital with Kacyn. Bob has been staying home with Josiah, but had to leave to go back to OH. Please pray for a safe trip for him.

Rough Day

2009-07-24T16:56:00.002-05:00

It's been a rough day for the Dierking family. I talked to David about an hour ago & he was making his 2nd trip to St. Louis today to take Kacyn to the Childrens Hospital. They were unable to get Kacyn to wake up today so he hasn't eaten all day, hasn't had a wet diaper since yesterday, & his body temp is at 93 degrees.

Jennifer has the beginning of pneumonia & has been put on antibiotics.

Please keep this little family in your prayers.

Thank you!
Lynn

EEG Results

2009-07-07T16:09:00.002-05:00

Kacyn & Jennifer both had EEG's. Kacyn's didn't show any seizure activity, but it showed that it could happen at any time. David compared it to how you can tell it's getting ready to storm before it does. They put him on some seizure medication & he seems to be a little more alert & have better head control since being put on it. Jennifer's EEG showed no seizure activity which is what the drs really expected, but they wanted to do the EEG just to make sure.

Mom & Dad went to MO last Thu-Fri. Mom said Jennifer was very tired when they were there. They'd had another busy, busy week with 12 trips back & forth to St Louis. I would have been tired too! Mom & Dad brought Josiah home with them. He was going to stay a week here in AR, but Jen & David couldn't take it! They said it was just too quiet at home without him. They came down Monday to get him! They're going back to MO tomorrow morning.

David had an ultrasound to see if it was his gallbladder causing him problems & it showed everything was ok with his gallbladder.

I posted a pic of Kacyn's new chair! This makes him much more mobile & he really seems to like it. It's given a whole new view of the world!

Please continue to keep this little family in your prayers! God is working miracles in them!

Update to Today's Earlier Post

2009-06-26T19:29:00.003-05:00

Just got word from David that they had to postpone Jen's EEG until next Thu because David was too sick to take her yesterday. They think he either has ulcers or an issue with his gallbladder. Either one doesn't sound fun! Please pray everything is ok with him too! He is feeling a little better than he did yesterday which is good news.

Busy Week

2009-06-26T18:53:00.002-05:00

David & Jennifer celebrated their 4 year wedding anniversary last week. Congratulations! Happy Anniversary! I love you guys! I am so proud to have you in our family, David! I almost can't remember you not being a part of our family!

The Dierkings have had a very busy week this week. They had 1+ appointments every day this week in St. Louis (1 hour drive 1 way) between Jennifer & Kacyn.

Kacyn had an appointment with the neurologist. The neurologist thinks his eye fluttering & looking hard to the left may be slight brain seizures or it could be erratic brain activity. The neurologist wanted to go ahead & start him on anti-seizure meds, but David & Jennifer made the decision to hold off on this until Kacyn had his EEG this week. They were afraid the meds would make it incorrectly appear that he wasn't having seizures on the EEG. Please pray that Kacyn's EEG this week was normal.

Kacyn also had an appt to get new splints for his hands & feet.

Kacyn continues to grow! He is now approximately 19.5 pounds. His head has grown another 1/2 inch in the last couple of weeks, but his soft spot still appears to be ok. As long as his soft spot is still there the dr's don't think there is any pressure being put on his brain. His head measured 46 cm. Jen's head measures 48 cm. But David said big heads run in the Dierking family!

David was hoping they could have Jen's feeding tube removed. This is used only to give her her meds because she hasn't been able to swallow pills. The dr doesn't want to remove this yet because Jen still has difficulty drinking water unless it's thickened. Until she is able to drink water that's not thickened, the dr doesn't want to remove the feeding tube. They are looking at possibly after summer being able to remove this.

Jen had therapy this week along with appts with some of her drs & for an EEG also. She had her EEG yesterday. They are trying to determine if the times she passed out in therapy were seizures or due to lack of oxygen because her lungs are still weak. Her primary care physician thinks it's just her lungs, but they need to make sure there isn't any seizure activity going on in her brain. Please pray that her EEG is normal.

David has taken Jennifer to a friend's house to swim in their pool a couple of days this week. Jen really enjoyed this. She is also doing pool therapy as part of her physical therapy.

Please pray for David's dad. He is having surgery in Aug. Suspicious cells have been found in his thyroid so they are removing it. There's a 30% chance it could be cancer. With his history of cancer, they aren't taking any chances. He will need to take radiation pills if it's not cancer & chemo if it is. (Or at least that's how I understood what David told me...) Please pray for Bob.

I apologize for not posting more frequently, but there's really not a lot to report on on a daily basis anymore. I will probably only be posting once a week going forward unless there is a need to do an additional post.

Please continue to pray for this little family. They are getting better, but things are progressing very slowly & they still have quite a ways to go. Also remember to pray for Bob & Kathy as Bob faces surgery soon & Kathy continues to care for those precious little gifts from God for Jen & David.

8 Month Anniversary

2009-06-18T16:57:00.003-05:00

Today is the 8 month anniversary of the accident that changed a young little family forever as well as the lives of many other people. Through the love and support of many friends and because of their faith in a loving & good God, that young little family is still with us & doing better each & every day.

Jennifer got another round of Botox injections in her left hand. Hopefully, this will enable her to begin using it. The last round of Botox helped her left hand some, but not enough for her to be able to use it.

I don't have a lot to report on. Things are progressing very slowly, but Jen & Kacyn do continue to improve. Kacyn continues to grow & gain weight! I can't believe exactly how much when I see pictures of him! As Kacyn gains weight...Jen's losing it! She's excited about that!

Please continue to pray for Jen, Kacyn, & this little family. They still have a long ways to go to being completely healed.

Prayers for Kacyn

2009-06-03T07:27:00.003-05:00

I enjoyed my visit with Jennifer, David, & the boys (& you too, Grammy!). Jen is looking so good! She is beginning to look like the old Jennifer! I held Kacyn as much as possible - which was a lot! And I stole hugs & kisses from Jo whenever I could catch him! I got to see Jen walk. Of course, she can't walk on her own yet. This was with David standing in front of her, holding her up, & walking backward in front of her. But it's such an improvement for Jen. It was bittersweet seeing that because I was happy for her, but at the same time it was heartbreaking. As always, it was very difficult for me say "bye" & leave. I held my tears though until I was in the car so Jen wouldn't see. I love you, Jen!

They had a scare with Kacyn Monday. He had a seizure. Kathy called his pediatrician. The pediatrician told her to call the neurologist. The neurologist seemed to expect that seizures were something that were probably going to happen at some point. Kacyn has an appt with the neurologist on June 26 for them to determine what needs to be done. I know that seems like a long ways off, but they have been instructed to take Kacyn to the emergency room if they feel they need to.

Prayers are needed for my sweet little baby nephew. He's had a rough little life so far, but we know through prayer & God's love he will be well & whole one day. Jen says Kacyn will be a "genius" & she kept saying yesterday when I was on the phone with Kathy that "he's going to be ok." I know she truly believes with all of her heart this is true & was saying that for my benefit.

Jennifer continues to get a little better everyday, but still is unable to walk & unable to use her left hand & arm at all. She is getting pretty good with her right hand, but it's still not quite there yet. Her speech is also getting better, but we still have to play Hangman sometimes for me to figure out what she's trying to say. Please continue your prayers for her. It's amazing to think what she's been through in the last 7 months. She has a wondrous story to tell!

Don't forget David & Kathy in your prayers. They are doing a wonderful job taking care of Jen & those babies! I can't ever thank them enough.

Happy 29th Birthday, Jennifer!!

2009-05-29T06:30:00.007-05:00

Today is a wonderful day! It's Jennifer's 29th birthday! Other than the day she was born in 1980, no other birthday has had more meaning for our family. I have learned to never take birthdays for granted. Each every one of them we are given is a blessing & should be celebrated.

Some friends bought Jennifer a wireless keyboard & mouse for her birthday. David can now hook his laptop up to their tv so Jennifer can play games on it & do other things on the internet. He said she can use the mouse a little with her right hand, but of course can't type yet. He said they played a game of trivial pursuit the other night. Out of about 20 questions, he & Jen got 13 right. Out of that 13, Jen was the one who answered 12 correctly. David also said several times she read the question faster than he could! Her mind is definitely ok. It's just her motor skills that are still lacking, but they are slowly coming around. Of course, it's not fast enough for the rest of us!

They had a little bit of a scare in physical therapy the other day. Jen passed out. She was only out for a few seconds, but because of her condition & history, they called 911. Her blood pressure & everything was ok. They could find nothing wrong. They think she may have just overheated because they were pushing her a little harder than they have before.

I'm going to see Jennifer today! I want to see that big "bubba smile"!

Happy birthday, Jennifer! I am so very proud of you & love you very much!

Our Turning Point Video

2009-05-27T15:37:00.004-05:00

Lynn doesn't know I am doing this but I went ahead and placed this video on the blog. This is a video that my mom ( Kathy ) made to show where we have come from and how much progress we have made. Thank You to everyone who has followed this blog and everyone who has prayed for us. We love and appreciate everyone of you!

Jennifer & the Boys

2009-05-25T13:24:00.002-05:00

I have posted a new picture of Jennifer & the boys. The boys are soooo cute & Jennifer looks beautiful. She is beginning to look more & more like the Jen we all know & love.

Our brother went to visit her this past weekend. She was very happy to see him. Kathy calls the smile in the picture I just posted Jen's "Bubba smile". Jen has always called our brother Bubba & this is how she smiled when she saw him the other day, hence the name "Bubba smile".

Kacyn has a new device that helps him hold his head up. This should help strengthen those muscles so that hopefully before long he won't need help holding his head up anymore.

Kathy had a biopsy on her eye. It was determined that it was inflammation of the blood vessels. She told me the medical name/term for this, but I can't remember what it was. Even if I did remember, I don't think I could spell it. It was a fairly long name. Please remember Kathy in your prayers.

David's dad, Bob, had a biopsy & they found suspicious cells in his thyroid. They are planning surgery on the 10th. Please remember him in your prayers.

Jennifer had a dr appt on Thu. The dr told David that she thinks he needs to see a therapist. She thinks he's in denial about the possibility of Jennifer's condition being long-term. She just doesn't understand David's strong faith in the Lord & his strong love for Jennifer.

Whatever Jennifer needs David does without ever complaining. He takes wonderful care for her & while he's doing it, you can see the love in his eyes. He is truly a blessing from above. Please continue to pray for strength for him. Even though he always has a wonderful attitude about everything, I know it's not easy.

And last but not least, please remember to pray for the continued healing of Kacyn & Jennifer.

New Pictures!

2009-05-11T18:23:00.003-05:00

I have posted new pictures of Josiah & Kacyn. These were taken in OH. They are the cutest little things! I love & miss them soooo much!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T12:23:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day especially the moms in my life (my mom, my sister, David's mom). This Mother's Day is extra special for our family. Jennifer has a new baby & my mom still has her youngest daughter & a new grandson. 6 months ago we weren't sure we'd still have either of them. God has truly blessed our family. Not only do we still have them, but they are getting better each & every day. Our mom & David's mom, Kathy, have been wonderful examples of a mother's love & the extent to which a mother will go for her children. Our mom spent months in the hospital at Jen's bedside without even a car to leave the hospital. David's mom has put her life on hold to help Jennifer & David by taking care of their precious little boys for them. These are just 2 examples of the wonderful things these 2 mothers have done in the last 6 months. There is no way I could list everything they've done.

Jennifer & David have both been sick. Kathy took them to the dr earlier this week & it was determined they both have strep throat. The good news is the dr told them that children age 2 & under don't normally get strep throat so there really was no worry with the kids getting it. They are both on medication & are getting better.

Kacyn had his dr's appt today to check the fluid buildup on his brain & to find out if a shunt was needed. The dr said a shunt isn't needed right now! Praise the Lord! My understanding is it's more about the pressure the excess fluid is putting on the brain rather than the fluid itself. The fluid hasn't necessarily decreased. The fluid still isn't putting any pressure on his brain. Because there still isn't any pressure on the brain, a shunt isn't needed at this time. The dr wants to see him again in 3 months to look at it again. Please continue to pray for this darling little boy.

Thank you for all the prayers! I know it's because of your prayers that we are able to have this extra special Mother's Day. I hope all of the moms reading this have a wonderful Mother's Day! Being a mother is truly a gift from God & every moment should be cherished. I've known this since becoming a mother 13 years ago, but the events of the last 6 months have made me realize it even more. Being a mom is the best job in the world!

Happy Mother's Day!

Back from OH

2009-05-06T18:24:00.003-05:00

The Dierking gang is back home in MO from their visit to OH. David said they had a good time & enjoyed their time there. He said they got lots of prayers from people while they were there. The road trip there & back was long. It took them considerably longer than normal to make the trip. Each stop for gas & bathroom breaks took about an hour. They would all use the restroom (David has to help Jennifer) & then there were diapers to change & Kacyn to feed. Needless to say they made 2 days of it each way.

Jennifer was wanting to climb the stairs going into church on Sunday. She gave it her best effort, but she was extremely tired & only made it up the first step. David said she just couldn't get up enough strength to lift her left foot high enough to make the second step. He didn't want to push it because he didn't want to get stuck halfway up the stairs with no easy way back to her wheelchair. But even the 1 step is a big achievement for Jennifer. I don't think she could have even done that a month ago!

Jennifer is back to her normal physical, speech, & occupational therapy schedule again beginning tomorrow.

With your prayers she will one day be able to climb all of those stairs! Please continue to pray for her & Kacyn's healing as well as strength & support for David & Kathy.

Update & Another Correction!

2009-04-28T17:22:00.003-05:00

Another correction to how much Kacyn's head has grown since Jan. I was correct in the first posting regarding it. His head has grown 4" since Jan, not 4 centimeters. I'm blaming this one on David! He's the one who corrected it to 4 centimeters then he e-mailed yesterday telling me it was 4". Just wanted everyone to know that even though I'm almost 40 (ALMOST 40, Jennifer!), I'm really not losing it!

Jennifer walked 100 feet in therapy on Monday! About 1/2 of this was with a walker! It was a special walker that was a little taller so she could rest her forearms on it. There were 2 people assisting her with this, but it's still a big accomplishment for her.

She's also walking to the bathroom in their house now with David's help instead of using the bedside toilet. That, too, is a huge accomplishment!

Jennifer was wanting to go to OH to visit all their friends & church members there. So David took her. They left yesterday & arrived today.

Please continue to pray for this little family. They are getting a little better each day, but still have a long ways to go & still need all the prayers they can get!

Love,
Lynn

Kacyn

2009-04-23T17:33:00.003-05:00

After a long day of waiting at the hospital, Jennifer & David finally received the diagnosis & action plan from the neurologist.

They are releasing Kacyn from the hospital, but are going to observe the fluid buildup. If it gets worse, a shunt will be put in to drain it. The neurologist also told them that Kacyn has severe brain damage from the accident. His brain cortex (the top of his brain) is minimal & he is missing a lot of brain tissue. He does not expect Kacyn to develop much past where he is right now. He said any development will be good. He also said it would be a year before they know what the long term outlook is for Kacyn.

This was very disappointing & upsetting to hear. But we know Kacyn has surprised the drs from the very beginning. They have been wrong many times. The first neurologist that looked at Kacyn's MRI results was surprised he's still alive, didn't think he'd be able to breathe on his own or suck a pacifier, etc. Kacyn's developed way past those things. The drs can only report on what they can read on the test results. They don't know what God's plan is. We know & believe that God's plan for this precious baby is bigger than this. God is healing him just as he's healing Jennifer.

Please keep Kacyn in your prayers as well as the rest of the family. This news was very upsetting today. Even though we know God has a better plan for Kacyn, it was still very difficult to hear these things.

Update on Kacyn from 9:30pm Last Night

2009-04-23T06:47:00.005-05:00

Talked to David again about 9:30pm last night. They were still at the hospital. The hospital was going to keep Kacyn overnight. They did not want him to take the 1 hour drive home last night then back again this morning due to possible jostling. David taking Jennifer home for the night & they are going back to the hospital this morning.

A resident neurologist looked at Kacyn & his CAT scan. He told them Kacyn's cortex (top of the brain) isn't as developed as it should be. This is a result of the trauma from the accident. His body is producing excess spinal fluid to fill the void. Since Kacyn still has a soft spot, he doesn't think there's a lot of pressure on Kacyn's brain. If there was a lot of pressure, he wouldn't have a soft spot anymore. They were still having to wait on the neurologist to see Kacyn today before they know what action, if any, they will be taking to reduce this fluid.

Even though I've learned more medical stuff in the last 6 months than I would've ever cared to, I'm still not a dr or a nurse & everything is still my interpretation/understanding. I'm trying to explain it the best I can!

Please keep Kacyn & this whole little family in your prayers. I will post any updates on Kacyn when I get them.

Correction & Update on Kacyn

2009-04-22T21:04:00.005-05:00

I have a correction to my posting from earlier. Kacyn's head has grown by 4 centimeters since Jan, not 4 inches. OOPS!

I just got off the phone with David (approximately 9:00pm) & the CAT scan does show some fluid build up. At this time we don't know how much fluid there is or how much pressure it may be putting on his brain. A specialist will be looking at the test results in the morning. The dr thinks any jostling or even long car rides may give Kacyn a headache. Even the drive from their house to the hospital, about an hour, is too much. Because of this, they may be keeping Kacyn overnight instead of David driving him back in the morning. If they do keep him overnight, Kathy (Grammy) will be staying with him at the hospital. David will drive Jennifer home so she can get a good night's sleep before they go back to the hospital in the morning.

Prayers are needed! Please remember this precious little baby in your prayers!

New Pictures!

2009-04-22T18:49:00.002-05:00

I have finally posted some of the pictures from Easter. Josiah found 28 eggs with the help of big cousin, Kennedy. There were 100+ eggs total for the kids to find at grandma's house. Josiah enjoyed finding the eggs so much that his older cousins re-hid eggs for him several times so he could hunt them again! We really had a great time that day. I can't even put into words what it meant to us to have Jennifer home. I only wish Kacyn could have been there too! But he will be next year!

I talked to David earlier this evening. Kacyn had a dr's appt today. His head has grown 4" since Jan. The dr is concerned about this much growth so quickly & possible fluid buildup on the brain. The way Kacyn moves his tongue in & out of his mouth could also be a sign of fluid buildup. When I spoke to David, they were taking Kacyn to the emergency room at the dr's request to have it checked out. Going to the emergency room would be quicker than trying to make an appointment with a neurologist (they've been trying to get him in to a neurologist for months). Please pray that everything is ok & he just has a large head! David is convinced that's all it is. Josiah always had a big head for his size...so it runs in the family!

Have a great evening! If you could remember this precious little family in your prayers, it would be appreciated more than you will ever know!

Love,
Lynn

Jennifer's Miracle Continues!

2009-04-20T18:25:00.004-05:00

On Sat, it was exactly 6 months (1/2 year) since the accident. At times it still seems so unbelievable that this all has actually happened. It still seems like it was all a bad dream. I wish it were! Who would've ever guessed how much our lives would be turned upside down & how many lives would be impacted, changed, or touched forever. We've come a long way since I first started posting to this blog. Jennifer was on life support, Kacyn was still in NICU, & David was still in the hospital recovering from his surgery. Now Kacyn is 6 months old & a little chunk, David is completely healed, & Jennifer is home & getting better each & every day. Both Jen & Kacyn are doing better than the dr's initially thought they would. God had a different plan for them!

I missed a call from Kathy (Grammy) this morning. She left me a message telling me that a couple of exciting things happened this morning. First, Kacyn woke up with his first tooth (actually 2 of them!) & Jennifer brushed her own teeth this morning! This is a BIG accomplishment for her! Hopefully she'll be able to feed herself soon!

David has begun reading the blog & all the comments to Jennifer. Last time I talked to him about it, they had made it to Day 20.

I can't thank you enough for the love, support, & prayers over the last 6 months. It has truly helped all of us make it through all the ups & downs. It was truly a roller coaster ride for awhile & I was ready for it to stop! I have never liked roller coasters!

Please continue to remember Jen, Kacyn, David, & the entire family in your prayers.

Thank you for being a part of Jennifer's miracle!
Love,
Lynn

The Best Easter Ever!

2009-04-13T17:33:00.004-05:00

Jennifer, David, & Josiah went back to MO yesterday. It was wonderful having Jennifer at home with all of us. We celebrated Easter on Saturday. Celebrating a holiday with Jennifer was a joyous occasion. We'd celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year's without her. It was great having the family together again. The only thing missing was our little Kacyn.

Josiah really enjoyed the egg hunt! He was soooo cute to watch! My 13 year old daughter, Kennedy, helped him find the eggs. Jennifer wasn't able to help Josiah hunt eggs, but I know she'll be able to help Kacyn next Easter! She sat on the porch in her wheelchair, watching, & smiling.

Josiah also enjoyed running around & playing with all of his cousins! He thinks he's as big as they are!

Our aunt & uncle from Tulsa came over to see Jennifer on Saturday as did our uncle from Rogers, AR. It was the first time any of them had seen Jennifer since she woke up. It was a very emotional time for everyone.

Kathy, David's mom, made a video that I'm going to attempt to add to the blog. It takes you through pictures documenting the events since the accident. Hopefully, I'll be able to get this posted soon for everyone to watch. We watched it on Sat & there was not a dry eye in the place!

Jennifer was a great softball player when she was younger. My daughter plays softball & is a very good player too. Jen says Kennedy gets it from her. Kennedy had a scrimmage game on Sat afternoon. Jen wanted to go watch so she did! She was yelling (as best she could), cheering Kennedy on. She got very tired & had to leave before the game was over, but she enjoyed watching Kennedy play. Kennedy plays 1st base which is one of the positions Jennifer used to play.

I cannot put into words how much it meant to all of us to have Jennifer home again. It was very difficult saying "bye" to Jennifer yesterday. She started crying so, as usual when Jen cries, everyone cries! I miss them already!

They are going to begin focusing more on Jen's walking in therapy this week. The dr says that once she starts walking, her speech will begin improving considerably. It's still very difficult to understand her sometimes.

Hope everyone had a great Easter holiday also! I know it's because of your prayers that we were able to celebrate the holiday with Jennifer again! She continues to slowly improve. The progress is very, very slow & not as noticeable now as it was before, but she continues to improve. She still has a long way to go! She still needs to regain use of her left hand & arm. She is able to completely open & close her right hand & is able to pick some things up, but it sometimes takes several tries. She hasn't regained complete use of it yet because of her hand-eye coordination & also due to not having much movement in her wrist. Please pray for the use of her hands, wrists, arms, & her hand-eye coordination as well as her speech, legs, feet, walking, eyes, eating, & swallowing. (She is still limited on what she can eat & her beverages still have to be thickened.) She still needs prayers for head-to-toe healing! Please continue to pray for David. He's doing a wonderful job taking care of her, but I know this is not an easy task. She is totally dependant on him for everything which has to be stressful & difficult for him. Kacyn still needs prayers too! He still has to wear splints on his hands & feet. And we can't forget little Jo! Please pray for angels to watch over him & keep him safe! One last prayer request...for Grammy. She's doing a wonderful job taking care of Kacyn & Jo while David spends the majority of his time taking care of Jennifer & running her to dr appts & therapy. She may have the fun job, but I know it's not an easy one!

Love,
Lynn

Happy Easter!

2009-04-09T17:28:00.002-05:00

Jennifer, David, & Josiah made it into town on Tuesday. She is very happy to be home & we are all very happy to have her here!

We are having our family Easter egg hunt for the kids on Sat since they are going back home Sunday. I know Josiah will have fun hunting eggs with his cousins! And I know Jennifer will enjoy watching them!

Just wanted to let everyone know that they made into town safe & sound & also wanted to wish everyone a "Happy Easter!"

Love,
Lynn

Home for Easter

2009-04-06T18:04:00.002-05:00

Jen will be coming home to AR tomorrow for the Easter holiday! She has therapy in the morning then David is bringing her to AR! Josiah will be with them, but Kacyn will be staying in MO with Grammy. David wasn't sure how Kacyn would do on the long drive or how he'd do sleeping in a strange place. Also being a preemie, we still need to be cautious with taking him places.

We are so looking forward to spending time with them. Mom is ecstatic about having Jennifer home again. All of Josiah's cousins are looking forward to seeing him & hunting eggs with him. I know Josiah will have a good time too! He loves playing with his big cousins!

Hope everyone has a very happy Easter! I know we will! Please remember Jen & her family in your prayers!

I'm back!

2009-03-31T17:54:00.003-05:00

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

2009-03-23T17:44:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-03-18T17:20:00.004-05:00

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

2009-03-16T07:12:00.005-05:00

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

2009-03-11T17:55:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-03-09T18:57:00.004-05:00

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?

2009-03-04T18:47:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-03-02T17:44:00.006-06:00

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!

This week

2009-02-26T18:30:00.002-06:00

We got great news about Kacyn! His blood work from a few weeks ago came back normal! (Remember, it had shown possible Organic Acid Disorder previously.)

Kacyn also had a dr appt yesterday. David said the dr was impressed by how well he's doing. He coo'd & goo'd at her & responded the way the dr expected him to. (He's 4 months old now, but he was 8 weeks early so his adjusted age is only 2 months.) He now weighs 14 lbs & 6 oz! David said they'll be changing his formula soon & the dr said his weight gain should slow down with the new formula.

Jennifer walked 24 feet today! It was with the help of 3 people, but it's a big deal that she was able to keep weight on her feet for that long & also to take that many steps!

David said her hands are showing slight improvement, but still have a long ways to go. The same goes for her speech.

He said he's requested another swallow test for Jennifer next week so hopefully she'll be able to move to the next step for food, soft mechanical.

My mom & daughter are going to Sullivan tomorrow. I know Jennifer will be as happy to see them as they will be to see her!

Please keep Jennifer in your prayers: speech, swallowing, hands, walking, muscle tone/strength, spirits (David said she was a little down today), everything. Please keep David, the boys, & all the family in your prayers also. This is still a difficult time for everyone.

Have a great weekend!

Therapy

2009-02-23T17:50:00.002-06:00

Jennifer will be doing therapy 2 days a week for 6 hours each day. They decided last week to try this instead of the original plan of 3 days a week for 5 hours a day.

My brother & his family went to Sullivan to see Jennifer this past weekend. He said she's doing well & is very happy at home, but also said she seems really frustrated at the same time. He said she still doesn't like therapy & doesn't want to do it. He always tries to encourage her to do her best at rehab & to get her to understand it'll help her get better faster. He thinks if she were able to use her hands she could probably be able to walk with a walker right now.

Please pray for encouragement for Jennifer to not get discouraged with therapy. Please pray for the use of her hands. Please pray for her complete healing to continue as well as Kacyn's.

A Special Thank You

2009-02-19T18:15:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to say thank you to Kathy (aka David’s mom, Grammy), Bob (aka David’s dad, Grampy), & David.

Kathy has done a wonderful job caring for Josiah & Kacyn. Thank you, Kathy! I know it hasn’t been an easy task. Josiah is a normal 2 year old, rambunctious boy, not only trying to adjust to a new baby in the home but also having to deal with so many other changes in his life that I’m sure he doesn’t understand. I’m not sure what we would’ve done without her love & ability to care for the boys. She spent hours in the hospital with Kacyn, trying to learn how to feed him. His head & the bottle had to be held in just a certain way. A special technique had to be used to make sure he didn’t choke or the formula didn’t just run out of his mouth since sometimes his suck & swallow reflexes didn’t quite work together at the same time. She has spent many sleepless nights up with him. David said Kacyn’s “fussy time” is about 9:00pm- midnight! When David was released from the hospital, but unable to drive, she & Bob drove him back & forth to St Louis to see Jennifer & Kacyn. Sometimes Kathy would stay at home with Jo & Bob would take David to the hospital. When Josiah would come to the hospital, it would take all of us to keep him corralled & entertained! Once Kacyn was home from the hospital, the task of driving David back & forth to St Louis fell upon Bob alone. Kacyn needed to stay inside to prevent him from picking up any bugs, viruses, etc. Bob’s had some medical issues of his own over the past few years & the trip back & forth was very tiring for him. But he did it every day for David. Thank you, Bob!

And David…I can’t even imagine what it’s felt like to be in his shoes for the last 4 months. I can’t thank him enough. He was not only dealing with his own injuries & healing, but also dealing with almost losing his wife & baby. He spent his time at the hospital between Jennifer’s room & Kacyn’s. Jennifer needed him, but so did Kacyn. Kacyn needed the human interaction. Part of this time David was still in a wheelchair himself. Jennifer’s ICU room was so small, they had to leave the doors open so he could get in there. It never failed as soon as he got situated in her room, the nurses or drs would need in there & he’d have to get out of the way. When he was at home, he would call the hospital at all times of day & night, checking on Jennifer & Kacyn. I, personally, know of him calling Jen’s ICU at 2:00am when he should have been sleeping, but I’m sure he was unable to. I know he wanted to be with Jennifer more than he was able to, but was torn between home & the hospital. He needed to be both places at once which just wasn’t possible. He was also having to deal with getting their home ready for Kacyn, insurance, attorneys, etc…all without Jennifer’s input, as well as making all the decisions on Jennifer & Kacyn’s care. When Mom had to return to work & could no longer stay at Jennifer’s side all night, David took over that task. He then began spending the nights with Jennifer & driving home to the boys during the day when Jennifer was in therapy. He was still being torn between the 2 places, trying to take care of responsibilities at both places…he was also doing online schooling & has kept his grades up. At 25, David’s had to deal with more than most people ever will in their lifetimes. He’s handled everything better than most people would. Many times when the rest of us were breaking down, David was the strong one. They are all at home now. No one is in the hospital anymore. Praise the Lord! David is taking care of Jennifer, essentially doing everything for her as well as driving her to St Louis for therapy…and helping Grammy with the boys…and still doing school...and dealing with insurance, attorneys…and making the medical decisions for Jennifer & Kacyn. He is a true hero & a great man. I am very thankful that God sent him to my sister. God gave her a wonderful gift in David. I am very proud to say he’s my brother-in-law. I know he’ll probably read this & think he didn’t do anything special & that anyone would do what he did, but unfortunately not everyone would have done what he’s done or handled it as well as he has. My mom’s had several people ask her if Jennifer’s husband was still with her or if he’d left her. She said some of them have seemed surprised to hear her answer “no, he hasn't left her!”. What a crazy world we live in where people think this way. I know it’s David’s strong faith that has helped him be so strong & gives him the ability to take on these tasks & never complain…his faith as well as his strong love for Jennifer & their boys. He & Jennifer have faith stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. It’s also through the love, prayers, & support of all of you that he’s been able to make it through all of this. Thank you!

Thank you, Grammy!
Thank you, Grampy!
Thank you, David!

God bless you all!

David still has a long road ahead of him. The end still isn’t quite in sight yet, but it’s definitely closer than ever now. He’ll still need prayers to help him continue to be strong & make it through to the end. Please continue to pray for him. Please continue to pray for Jennifer’s complete healing as well as her morale. She needs to keep her spirits up & not get discouraged. Please pray for Kacyn & Josiah. Grammy needs prayers to stay strong & be able to love & take care of those boys. Grampy needs prayers as he not only travels back & forth between OH & MO, but also as he deals with his own medical issues right now. And we can’t forget my mom & dad & brother. Please continue to pray for strength & comfort for them & safe travels as they go back & forth to MO on their days off work.

Reflecting on the Last 4 Months

2009-02-18T20:36:00.003-06:00

It’s been 4 months today since the accident that touched all of our lives. Even now it all still seems so unreal. It makes you realize how your life can change in an instant. All of our lives have been changed forever. Reflecting back on the last 4 months, some of the things I will never forget are:

~ Getting the call about the accident a little after noon on Saturday, Oct 18.
~ Rushing to St Louis, unsure how serious the injuries were. The relief we felt when we found out David & Jennifer had only a few broken bones, nothing too serious. Kacyn; however, was serious & our biggest concern at that time…or so we thought. My brother, being a paramedic, knew Jennifer’s injuries were more serious than the rest of us thought. He told me that first day in St Louis what the worst case scenario would be…blood clots are common with Jennifer’s type of bone break & most people don’t survive if the blood clot makes it to the lungs. The several days leading up to Jennifer’s cardiac arrest, she was having breathing problems. My brother would take one look at her stats on the machine & you could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t like what he saw. Even Jennifer noticed this & had commented to Mom about it.
~ Getting the phone call on Oct 29, David’s 25th birthday, telling us we needed to make our way back to St Louis…Jennifer might not make it.
~ The long, almost silent trip to St Louis that day…it took FOREVER to get there!
~ Arriving that evening to see Jennifer so lifeless with all those iv’s & machines attached to her, her body all swollen already from the fluids…it didn’t even look like her. I can’t even describe how it felt to see her that way.
~ The cd that played non-stop in Jennifer’s room. It was a cd of healing scriptures & songs from Victory Bible in Tulsa. Jennifer had asked for this cd. Our aunt in Tulsa purchased it & sent it to my house to take with me on my next trip to St Louis. Little did we know that the next trip would be the day after I received the cd.
~ Spending hours in her room, crying, talking to her. They said she could hear so I tried to talk constantly about everything from the weather to the kids (Josiah, her nieces & nephews) to how Kacyn was doing to stories about when she was little, anything I could think of. I even joked with her about how she wouldn’t believe it, but I was walking around the hospital with no makeup! I never go anywhere without my makeup! I was worried about her being scared because she could hear, but couldn’t open or eyes or do anything. I wondered about what she was thinking. I could picture her awake on the inside, crying, wanting to talk, wanting to ask what was going on. I wanted to tell her funny stories, hoping maybe this would calm any fears for at least a short time. The ventilator would “HONK!” really loud if Jennifer coughed or tried to breathe over it. One night while sitting in her room at 2am, the thing HONKED & I nearly came out of my chair! I told Jennifer if I didn’t know better, I’d think she did that on purpose & asked if she was laughing inside because I jumped so high!
~ Knowing I shouldn’t, but wondering & asking “why?” “Why did this happen to Jennifer?” “Why is she having to go through this?” Lots of whys... But then I would hear in the back of my mind the first few lines of the song My Savior My God: “I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed, what God has planned.”
~ Feeling anger toward the person who caused the accident, wondering if they knew what they had done to our family. Knowing I shouldn’t feel so much anger toward him because it was just an accident.
~ Breaking down the first time I went to the NICU to hold Kacyn & being told only parents & grandparents were allowed to hold him & that I would need a note from the mother giving me permission to hold him. I just started crying right there in front of the nurses & thinking “I wish Jennifer could write me a note” and “I know she would if she could. She’d let me hold him.” David knew Jennifer would want me to hold Kacyn so he went to the NICU in his wheelchair with me & let them know it was ok. After a couple of trips with him, they let me see & hold Kacyn anytime I wanted. Many times I just sat there either looking at him in his bed or holding him & crying. I always told him how much his mommy loved him. I always made sure to tell him that.
~ Seeing our brother break down & cry every time he walked into Jennifer’s room. Listening to him talk to her. Watching him look at all the monitors, iv’s, & seeing the look on his face, knowing that he was worried about what he saw.
~ Going to the hospital chapel with my brother & praying…praying…praying…
~Seeing our dad who’s a pretty big guy & who always tries to act pretty tough, sitting beside Jennifer’s bed, holding her hand, & crying…not even able to say a word. He always just sat there beside her bed, holding her hand, & cried. He couldn’t talk to her. I remember one time Mom telling him to say something to her & he said he didn’t know what to say. Mom told him to say “Hi”. He said “Hi”. Mom said “Tell her you love her”. Dad said “I love you”. This conversation was going on in Jennifer’s room so she could hear it all!
~ Mom spending the most of 2-3 months at the hospital without even a car most of the time. I worried constantly about her also. Seeing her sitting in Jennifer’s room crying, praying, rubbing Jennifer’s arms & legs, holding Jennifer’s hand, talking to Jennifer, reading the Bible, holding the cd player closer to Jennifer’s bed to make sure she could hear it (the ventilator was kind of loud). ~ Thinking that once they took her off sedation, she would wake up & be the way she was before. Being confused when that didn’t happen. Not understanding why she wasn’t waking up, why she wasn’t showing any response. Being confused & not understanding what one dr meant when he said “she may stay like that forever”. Refusing to believe that was going to be the case. ~ Watching for any sign of her waking or any response, even the slighted movement of a hand or foot. Not caring if it was only a reflex…taking it as a sign that she was getting better.
~ Breaking down after seeing her for the first time on each of my return trips, expecting to see improvement over the last time. Being extremely disappointed when I couldn’t really see any changes.

Now I see considerable improvements in her condition each time I visit! I can see her fun-loving personality coming out! I can see the sister I know & love again! My baby sister…the one I pushed in a stroller around to the neighbor’s houses to show her off…the one who slept with me almost every night until she was about 10 even though she had her own room…the one I helped raise & spoil rotten :)…the one who people thought was my daughter when I’d take her places with me…the one who would wake you up by hitting you on the head with her baby bottle…the one who tried to stand on a glass fish bowl & had to get stitches in her ankle…the one I love with all my heart & have since the day she was born. We’ve almost lost her twice. The first time was when Mom was giving birth to her. (We almost lost both of them.) God has given her back to us again! Jennifer’s Miracle is an amazing one & one that is only possible through our God. I know Jennifer has brought many people closer to God with her story, myself being one.

I would’ve loved to have been there to walk into church with her Sunday. Below is an account of Jennifer’s day at church from Candace, a friend of Jennifer's from church (taken from her comments on the blog):

Oh my goodness, when that whole family walked in the doors of church I think everyone got goosebumps and tears in their eyes. It was the most amazing thing alot of people witnessed in a very long time. It was so awesome to see her there. She was just singing away with all the songs (She knew every word!) and then at the end she came up for prayer. She cried and almost everyone was crying with her and praying for her. What an amazing miracle we experienced Sunday! Jennifer is being healed and her being there Sunday was truly a miracle!

If anyone else who was at church that day would like to share what they witnessed this very special Sunday, I would love to hear about it! Please post a comment to the blog.

In ways it seems like it’s been a lot longer than 4 months. It’s through the love, support, & prayer of all of you that have helped us make it through. Thank you! David & Jennifer still need your prayers. Jennifer needs them for continued healing, strength, & encouragement. David needs them for strength & encouragement. He has a lot on his plate! And we can’t forget those little boys! Please continue to pray for them!

First Outing

2009-02-16T17:45:00.005-06:00

Jennifer had her first outing (other than her trip home) yesterday.

She woke David up early yesterday morning, wanting to go to church. He said it took them about 2 hours to get ready, but they all went to church. For those of you who know Jennifer well, you know how much her church means to her. I'm sure it was very emotional for her for many reasons. This was not only her first trip back to church since the accident, but it was Kacyn's first time at church ever.

David had his wife & both of his sons at church all together for the 1st time ever!

I know it had to do wonders for Jennifer's spirits to be back in church, worshipping & praising the Lord.

I think she makes her first trip back to St Louis tomorrow for therapy. Please pray for a safe trip for her & David and as always please continue to pray for her complete healing.

Welcome Home, Jennifer!!!!!!!

2009-02-13T18:24:00.002-06:00

Jennifer was released from the hospital today! She is back at home with David & the boys where she belongs! They had balloons & a sign in front of the house that said "Welcome Home Mommy!" David said Jennifer was very happy to be home & that Josiah was very happy & excited for her to be home. He missed his mommy.

Even though Jennifer is now home, she still has a lot of healing to do. Please keep the prayers going for complete healing - muscles, speech, brain, hands, arms, legs, swallowing, legs - everything! Please continue to pray for David as he will now be doing or helping Jennifer with everything. Grammy is still there helping take care of the boys. Please remember them in your prayers too as well as the rest of the family.

What a wonderful day our wonderful Lord has given us today!

Day #116

2009-02-12T17:34:00.004-06:00

Jennifer goes home tomorrow!! She is so excited that when they were trying to arrange her discharge tomorrow & the nurse asked her what time she wanted to go home tomorrow, Jennifer responded "Midnight"! At midnight tonight, it will be tomorrow! I don't think she'll get her wish to leave at midnight!

We still don't have the results from Kacyn's blood test for the organic acid disorder. David told me today when I asked about it that they also did a urine test. They said it would take less than a week to get the results of the urine test. They said this disorder would show up in the urine test also. If it did, they wouldn't wait on the blood test, they'd call & begin the meds needed to fight the disorder. They have not received a call about the urine test & it's been 2 weeks so we are guessing this means the urine test was ok!

The ramp on their front porch has been built & is ready & waiting for Jennifer!

Jennifer got a new physical therapist today. Her other one moved to Ireland. Before this therapist would sign off on Jennifer going home, David had to show the therapist he could transfer/move Jennifer by himself. He passed the test! He'd actually gotten training last week on how to do this.

The day Jennifer goes home is a day we have all looked forward to & prayed for for a long time now. That day is finally here! She may not be able to walk out of the hospital on her own like we would like, but she is finally well enough to go home! As we have all along, we will take & be thankful for every blessing & miracle God sends our way, even the tiniest ones. Jennifer going home is a BIG, GIANT miracle! God is good!

Day #115

2009-02-11T17:53:00.003-06:00

I have a correction to yesterday regarding "the lady in the waiting room". She isn't the sister of an ICU nurse as I stated yesterday. Her name is Michelle & she heard about Jennifer & David from her her sister, Jen, who is a friend of one of the ICU nurses. And the nurse is Stephanie...the Stephanie I talked about before. They are all following our dear little Dierking family & praying for them. Thank you, Michelle, Jen, & Stephanie for all the prayers, concern, & for being part of Jennifer's Miracle! And Stephanie, thank you again for taking such good care of my sister while she was in ICU!

I don't really have much to say except I want to thank everyone again for everything...the support, love, & prayers. I can't even express how much it all means to us. I don't care what you hear on the news or read in the paper, there is still LOTS of good in the world!

Day #114

2009-02-10T17:10:00.006-06:00

David called this morning. He & Jennifer were back at the big St John's hospital. This is the hospital they were air evac'd to after the accident & where Jennifer was until being moved to the rehab hospital. They both had dr appts there this morning. They were sitting in the little waiting area by the front doors waiting on the wheelchair bus to come pick them up & take them back to the rehab hospital. A lady sitting nearby helped David figure out what Jennifer was trying to say to him once. A little while later, David said something to Jennifer about going home on Friday. The lady asked "Are you David & Jennifer?" Surprised, David replied "Yes." She then asked "Do you have a sister named Lynn?" Even more surprised, David replied "She does". The lady was a sister of one of the ICU nurses who had taken care of Jennifer at that hospital! She said she'd heard about Jennifer from her sister & had been following the blog since day 1! She said she reads the blog nearly every day. Once again this proves Jennifer & David's story is touching more lives than we know or even imagine! We'd probably be amazed at how many people are following this story!

Their dr appts went well. The xrays on David's leg showed everything is healed well. He won't need to have any more follow up visits. He also completed his last therapy session last week. YAY! The dr said everything looked ok with Jennifer & she just needs to get her muscle tone & strength back. This is what they are working on in physical therapy! Speaking of therapy...

Normally, Jennifer doesn't like to sit for very long in a chair. She will sit for only a short period of time before she starts complaining about her hip hurting & wanting to go to bed. Part of her therapy is to sit for several hours a day. Well, today she'd been sitting in a chair at the hospital waiting for the wheelchair bus for about 3 hours & hadn't complained once. David asked her why it normally bothers her to sit for only a few minutes & today sitting for 3 hours seemed to be ok. She replied "no therapy" & laughed. She didn't mind sitting there because it was getting her out of having to go to therapy!

Also I want to explain more as to why Jennifer will still have the feeding tube in her stomach when she goes home. This will be used for administering her meds. Since she failed her last swallow test, she can't take pills by mouth. They tried crushing them up & giving them to her in applesauce, but that didn't work. It tasted too bad. The pills are dissolved in water & given to her through the feeding tube. Until she is able to take the pills by mouth, she will continue to get her meds via feeding tube.

Well, I don't really have much else to report on tonight. Please keep the prayers going! They are working & I can't thank you enough for them!

Love,
Lynn

Day #113

2009-02-09T17:24:00.006-06:00

My husband, kids, & I spent the weekend in St Louis with Jennifer. She continues to do well & is very excited about being released from the hospital on Friday! She will be going home with her feeding tube & in a wheelchair, but hopefully she won't need either of those things for very long!

My daughter, Kennedy, & I stayed at the hospital with Jennifer Saturday night. Kennedy enjoyed helping her Aunt Fer & I know Aunt Fer enjoyed having her there. She fed Jennifer her breakfast Sunday morning.

David went home Saturday night since Kennedy & I were staying with Jennifer. He said Kacyn had a good night Friday night & was hoping he would have one Saturday night also so he could sleep! Well, Kacyn kept him & Grammy up until after 2:00am!

We laughed a lot with Jennifer. It just warms your heart to hear her laugh & to see her smile. Her hands appear to be getting better. The fingers on her right hand were always straight & she couldn't bend them before. Now she can squeeze your hand with her thumb on her right hand & while I was there she started bending all 4 fingers around my hand. She can't quite bend them all the way, but she can bend them halfway or better. She wasn't able to do this a week ago. On her left hand the fingers have always been curled. She hasn't been able to straighten them, but now she can straighten one of them out. She can lift her left arm slightly now. She hasn't ever been able to move her left arm until now. The muscles in her hands have always been super tight & really hard to the touch. They seem to be quite a bit softer now.

She kept getting itches when I was there Sat night & I'd have to scratch for her. First it was her belly, then it was her eye, then it was her other eye, then it was her belly again, then it was her eye again, then it was her left hand, then her other eye again, then her forehead, then her left hand again. I would scratch wherever she told me to, but I told her not to ask me to scratch her butt because that's where I draw the line! She laughed.

David has a funny picture of Jennifer. They were watching a movie the other night & she said "Tape". He said "What?" She repeated "Tape". He asked what she needed with tape. She said "Tape glasses." She has problems with her glasses sliding down on her nose. I guess she was tired of them doing this while she was trying to watch the movie so she wanted him to tape her glasses to her forehead so they couldn't slide down. So he has a picture of her glasses taped to her nose & forehead while they watched a movie!

We stopped by to see Josiah & Kacyn on our way home. Kacyn is getting soooo big! He's a chubby little thing! He even has fat wrinkles on the back of his head! He also has the biggest blue eyes! I just love holding, hugging, & kissing him! Josiah was too busy with his cousins for me to hug or kiss. I had to steal them from him! Grammy shared a cute story about something that happened the other day. She was feeding Kacyn in the living room. She'd left the baby monitor on by Kacyn's crib. All of a sudden all the musical things in & on Kacyn's crib starting playing music! She went in there & Josiah was in Kacyn's crib with Kacyn's pacifier in his mouth, pretending to be asleep, & making a quiet "meemeemee" sound - kind of like how they snore on cartoons! Those boys definitely keep her hopping!

Thank you for all the prayers. Please keep them going! Jennifer still has a long ways to go! Please continue to pray for her, Kacyn, David, & Josiah. And don't forget about both sets of grandparents. They could use the prayers too!

Love,
Lynn

Day #108

2009-02-04T17:45:00.002-06:00

Jennifer had another swallow test last week to see if she could move up to "soft mechanical" foods such as french fries - soft foods that don't require too much chewing. Unfortunately, she did not pass this test. She is still on pureed foods & thickened beverages only. When you swallow, muscles close up the trachea to prevent food from going down into it instead of the esophagus. These muscles are not working properly with Jennifer consistently. They work correctly sometimes. They are close the trachea off too slowly at times. Eating heavier foods or drinking thinner beverages could move down her throat faster than the muscles can close off the trachea & cause her to choke. This is something that should heal as her brain & other muscles heal.

As stated previously, Jennifer can say just about whatever she wants to now. It's still very difficult to understand what she's saying. The dr's believe this is no longer due to her vocal cords being separated, but is brain-related. Her speech should continue to improve as her brain heals.

David says Jennifer's attitude has changed considerably over the last few days. He said it seemed to change after my brother visited her. He's not sure what John said to her, but David says it helped change her attitude. She's now more positive about everything including therapy. David said before she would come back from therapy & say "I hate Jill. She's mean." Today during therapy she told Jill she loved her.

David thinks Jennifer could be released as early as a week from Friday This is due to insurance reasons. The drs would like her to stay a little longer. Of course, Jennifer wants to be released a week from Friday & is very excited about it. She will be in a wheelchair. She is still unable to walk or use her arms or hands. David will be helping her do everything. She'll be going back & forth to St Louis for therapy. David's worried about getting her in & out of the car. I joked & told him he needed to get her a helmet until he gets it figured out! Because none of the doors in their house are large enough to accomodate a wheelchair, David is moving their bedroom into the living room.

Jennifer, David, & Kacyn all had therapy today. Kacyn was scheduled to have occupational, physical, & speech therapy! I'm not sure how that works with someone as young as he is!

David said Kacyn is starting to coo & smile a little now. I can't wait to see him this coming weekend! My husband, kids, & I are all going to St Louis this weekend.

We are definitely seeing signs of Jennifer's personality as it was before the accident. She laughs, jokes, & is very ornery sometimes! She's getting back to the old Jennifer we know & love. All of this is truly a miracle from God! It's unreal to think of how far she's come. It's exactly 15 weeks to the day Jennifer was on complete life support with both us & the drs unsure if she was going to make it. She still has a long way to go, but it's so heartwarming to see her personality coming through! It's through the prayers of all of you that we are getting her back! Thank you!

Please remember to pray for her complete healing from her brain to her swallowing to her talking to her arms, hands, legs, eyes. Please remember little Kacyn also as well as David & Josiah too. Also please pray for Grammy as she continues to care for these darling little boys. Mom is in St Louis today, coming home tomorrow. Dad is driving up Friday, coming home Saturday. Please pray for them as they travel.

Thank you for being a part of Jennifer's miracle & helping make it happen!

Love,
Lynn

Day #106

2009-02-02T19:41:00.003-06:00

Jennifer continues to do well. Normally, David can't go to physical therapy with Jennifer, but today the therapist came to get him. They wanted him to see how well Jennifer was doing with standing. David said she was standing up as straight as he's seen her for a long time.

I asked David if the Botox injections seemed to be working yet. He said she can bend 3 fingers on her right hand now, but that this is probably due to the other medication (can't remember what it's called) that they've been giving her. He said it'd probably be about a week before we see any results from the Botox.

Prayers are still needed for Jennifer's complete healing, mentally & physically, & for Kacyn's blood test to be normal.

Day #103

2009-01-30T17:31:00.004-06:00

Jennifer took 2 steps today! This is great news!

She also got her botox injections finally today. Hopefully, we'll see significant improvement in her hands soon.

When I talked to David about 1:00 today, he was on his way back home to Sullivan. He'd already been home & back to St Louis once. He had to go back to Sullivan because the dr called him asking him to bring Kacyn back in. His blood test showed abnormal organic acid disorder. She wanted him to bring Kacyn in for another blood test. The dr said they will sometimes get a false positive on this test when there's another deficiency such as a vitamin B12 deficiency. The dr said Kacyn doesn't really have any of the symptoms for this, but they wanted to test again because this can be a serious disorder. Please pray that this was a false positive & everything is ok with little Kacyn.

Jennifer's eyesight seems to be getting better. David said last night they were watching a DVD & for some reason the Spanish subtitles were turned on. He said while they were watching the movie, Jennifer started trying to tell him something. He couldn't figure out what she was saying so after awhile Jennifer said "Never mind" - I heard that several times when I was there! :) David went back to watching the movie then it dawned on him what she was saying. He asked her if she was talking about the Spanish subtitles & she said "yes". He finally figured out she was asking why the Spanish subtitles were on. He said he didn't know. This is a sign of significant improvement in her eyesight. She could not only see the writing on the screen, but could also see it well enough to know it was Spanish!

Mom is back in St. Louis for the weekend. I know she was happy to see Jennifer!

Have a great weekend! Please remember David & Jennifer & their little family in your prayers this weekend!

Love,
Lynn

Day #102

2009-01-29T17:50:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in the last couple of days. I had no internet yesterday. I'm assuming it had something to do with the inch of ice we got Monday-Tuesday. Schools let out early on Monday & have been out every since & will be out tomorrow also. Even the U of A has been closed! You know it's pretty bad when the U of A shuts down!

Jennifer still hasn't had her botox injections. She was not feeling well again Tue morning & threw up. The dr didn't think the botox would add to her stomach problems, but was afraid to risk it so he didn't give it to her. It's just been crazy around there the last couple of days David said with being short stafffed because of the weather so he thinks that's why the dr didn't make it by to give her the injections yesterday or today. He's hoping he'll make it tomorrow. David said they will be giving her about 10 injections in each hand so they have reduced her blood thinners to prevent excessive bleeding with the injections.

She has used the toilet 2-3 times today instead of a bed pan. David said Jennifer was mad at him about it because it was his idea for them to put her on the toilet. She told him "I - am - mad - at - you." But he said she got over it pretty quickly.

David said she is able to bend her left leg about 50% now with little or no pain. She still can't use or move her left arm, left hand, or right hand. Hopefully, we will see a change in her hands soon with the botox injections.

David also said that Jennifer did not want to go to therapy today. This is something; however, that she has no say in! She MUST go to therapy! David put the phone up to her ear & I told her how I know it's hard work for her, how she's doing a great job, how I'm proud I am of her, & to keep up the great work.

Please continue to pray for Jennifer's head-to-toe healing as well as strength & encouragement. I know how hard the therapy must be for her, but she can't get discouraged. She needs to keep fighting & trying her best. David continues to stay with Jennifer at night then go home for a few hours during the day. Please pray for his safe travels as well as strength & encouragement for him so he doesn't wear himself down. I know he's young, but this is a lot for anyone even a young pup like him! Please pray for Grammy as she continues to love & care for those precious little boys until their mommy is able to care for them herself. And don't forget my mom & dad. It's very difficult for them being so far away from their "Baby Girl". They are both traveling back & forth on their days off as is my brother.

God bless you all!

Love,
Lynn

Day #99

2009-01-26T17:21:00.004-06:00

Jennifer didn't get her botox injections today after all. Since the dr was sick on Friday he had to try to catch up on all his patients & didn't make it to Jennifer today. Jennifer also has been sick today. She threw up after lunch. They aren't sure if she has a bug or if it is medication related. Her hip was bothering her yesterday afternoon & last night so they gave her Percoset (sp?) for pain. She had told David she felt dizzy not long before she threw up. Hopefully it was the medication. As for her hip hurting her again, they did x-rays on it again & said everything looked ok. They think it may be more like muscle soreness in her hip/bottom area from Friday's physical therapy. They had her ride a bicycle for 15 minutes.

I enjoyed my weekend with Jennifer. Once again, it was very difficult to leave. I worked my way up to actually saying bye by mentioning every so often something about me having to leave soon such as "I need to start getting my stuff packed up so I don't forget anything" and "Bad weather is coming. I'll have to leave pretty soon to try to miss it." She still got a little upset & cried a little when I finally had to leave & actually said "bye", but nothing like the goodbyes of the last time I was there. I; however, cried off & on all the way home in my car! Not only because of having to leave her, but also because of thinking about everything she's been through & how far she's come & how far she still has to go.

She doesn't remember much of anything that has happened since the accident. David showed her a picture of their car & asked if she remembered seeing that picture before & she said "no". She also doesn't remember being in the other hospital. She thought the rehab hospital is the only one she'd been in. I'm glad she doesn't remember any of the bad stuff. God has taken those memories from her.

I told her about some of our family members who have traveled to see her. I told her our cousin, Missy, who lives in KY has visited her twice. Her eyes got real big & she said "Really?" I told her that Aunt Sissy & Uncle Mike from Tulsa had actually spent the night at the hospital with her one night. Again, her eyes got big & she asked "Really?" I let her know that they are planning on coming back to visit sometime soon along with our Uncle Pat from AR. I then told her Uncle Mike & Aunt Lula from TX had visited her also. I got the same response. She seemed pleased & surprised at the same time.

I told her again about all the love & support she has from all over the country & the world. I told her there are prayers being sent out for her from all over & how many lives she is touching, more lives than she could have ever imagined.

She still has some bruises under her fingernails from when they used to pinch them to see if she would respond. When I was painting her nails for her, I asked her if she knew how she got the bruises under her nails. She said "no". I told her how they used to pinch her fingertips so hard they'd leave bruises & how she'd didn't feel it. She looked surprised. I said "But you'd feel it now, wouldn't you?" She said "yes".

She can pucker up & give kisses. This is something she couldn't do the last time I was there. I kept trying to get her to do this last time, but she couldn't. She gave me several kisses this time. Mom said when Jennifer found out I was coming, she started practicing saying my name by saying "I love Lynn". She told me many, many times "I love you". She heard it just as many times, if not more, from me also.

She smiled & laughed a lot while I was there. She loved telling all the nurses I was "40" when I'm not! She thought it was really funny! It made my heart smile to see that. She's always had a beautiful smile, but I think it's even more beautiful now! I am truly blessed to have her as a sister.

When she told the nurses "no" the other day about wanting to get in her wheelchair, she also told them she wanted to "stay in bed". The nurses told her when she goes home David won't let her stay in bed all the time. She said "yes". They asked her "who's going to take care of those babies". She smiled & said "David". They asked her "who's going to cook?" She smiled again & said "David". They asked her "who's going to clean?" Same response. They said "well, who's going to work?" Same response. By now, we're all laughing & Jennifer said "David do it all!". I told David about it (he wasn't there at that time) & he said "I don't think so!"

Please continue to pray for her recovery, strength, & encouragement. She is well on her way to being the Jennifer we all know & love again, but still has a ways to go! She's getting closer...she was pretty ornery a few times while I was there. She picked on both me & David quite a bit. Please continue to pray for strength & encouragement for David as he continues to juggle time with Jennifer, time with the boys, & school. And don't forget those precious little boys! They need prayers too!

Love,
Lynn

Day #97

2009-01-24T10:10:00.005-06:00

I'm here in St. Louis with Jennifer. I drove up yesterday afternoon & stayed here at the hospital with her last night. I am amazed at the improvements in her speech since I was last here. It's still difficult to understand what she's saying, but she can say anything that she wants to! After several tries of trying to figure out what she wanted last night & asking many questions trying to figure it out, I asked her to spell it. Well, I couldn't understand some of the letters she was spelling so I started going through the alphabet. I told her I felt like I was playing Hangman & was about to get hanged! She laughed! She finally told me "Never mind". Then later she was trying to tell me something else. This time I figured it out fairly quickly. I joked "We didn't have to play Hangman or 20 Questions that time!" She laughed again.

One of the nurses asked who I was & I told her I'm Jennifer's older sister. I told Jennifer to tell the nurse how old I am because she thinks it's funny that I'm almost 40. She told the nurse "40". The nurse then asked how old she is. Jennifer said "25". I told her "You're not 25! You're 28!" She laughed! She had no trouble telling the nurse I was 40, but tried to lie about how old she is!

I can't even begin to put into words how it makes me feel to see her smiling & to hear her laugh. At one point, we would've given anything to see even the slightest grin. Now she laughs & smiles all the time. She's actually had the giggles this morning & had me laughing so hard I was crying! Even the nurses commented on how giggly she was today.

They asked her earlier if she wanted to get in her wheelchair & she said "no". Then the therapist asked her if she was ready to go to therapy & she said "no". I told them they were always going to get "no" for an answer so they shouldn't bother asking. Jennifer, once again, laughed about that.

She has regained some movement of her left leg. She can bend it some & moves it around in the bed. This is the leg that she had surgery on & it causes her a little pain to bend it. Her hands still cause her considerable pain. She should be getting the Botox injections Monday. There has been a slight delay in those because they were shipped to David & Jennifer's house instead of the hospital by mistake! I joked with Jennifer that Grammy might decide to try some! This made Jennifer laugh too! David brought the Botox here to the hospital yesterday, but the dr who was supposed to give them to her was sick yesterday. So that's why we are now looking at Monday for the injections.

David asked her yesterday if she wanted him to give her a pedicure & she said "No. Lynn." So when she gets back from therapy today I'm going to give her a pedicure. She's already told me she wants red polish.

Like I said I stayed at the hospital last night & will also be staying here tonight. I told David that would give him a break. He said he didn't really need a break, but that his mom probably did! Kacyn hasn't been sleeping the last few nights so she hasn't gotten much sleep. He was awake & crying until 5am one night! David has a couple of essays due tomorrow so he's doing those this morning before he comes up to the hospital. He said he might bring Jo up today! I hope so! I would love to see him as would Jennifer!

David is doing his physical therapy several times a week. Even though he's been walking on his leg for several weeks, he said it still hurts because they are stretching out those muscles. So you can just imagine how Jennifer's physical therapy hurts. She hasn't used any of her muscles in weeks!

Jennifer still isn't eating 50% of her food so she's still getting feeding through her feeding tube. She tries, but just can't get 50% of it down. It's a combination of her not really liking the food & her not feeling hungry.

David told me last night that Jennifer could be going home in as little as 30 days. She'll probably have to go home with a wheelchair so they are having a ramp built on to their house sometime in the next couple of weeks. It will be a joyous occasion for all of us when Jennifer finally gets to go home! Our God is good! We will have our Jennifer home & whole before too long!

David told her yesterday about the events of the last 14 weeks that have led her to here. She wants him to read the blog to her so I think he's going to start reading it to her this afternoon or maybe tomorrow. We've told her about the outpouring of love. When David reads the comments on the blog, it will be proof of it! I know I have thanked you before, but I can't thank you enough for the support, love, & prayers for our dear sister, wife, mother, daughter, friend. We are truly blessed to have such dear & caring friends. Thank you for being part of Jennifer's Miracle. I know you just like I do look forward to hearing Jennifer's testimony & the story of her miracle in her own words.

Please continue to pray for her. She still has a long road ahead of her, but she is getting closer to the end of it with each passing day.

We love you!
Lynn

Day #95

2009-01-22T17:35:00.003-06:00

Jennifer continues to improve slightly each day. She should be getting the Botox injections in her wrists/hands sometime in the next couple of days. She's doing well with her eating, but gets full quickly. Mom tricked her into eating a little more when she was feeding her by telling her "5 more bites" then miscounting the bites! She said Jennifer caught on though!

My brother was in St. Louis Tue-Wed. Mom was there Wed-Thu. I will be there Sat-Sun. It's been 3 weeks since I've seen my sister due to my son's birthday & having a cold that I didn't want to share with anyone in St. Louis. I'm looking forward to seeing her. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is leaving her again. That is always difficult especially now that she gets upset & cries when you leave.

Because I will be in St. Louis all weekend, I won't be posting anything to the blog.

Please continue to pray for Jennifer, Kacyn, David, & Josiah as well as the rest of the family as we travel back & forth.

Love,
Lynn

Great news!

2009-01-20T18:07:00.005-06:00

I have some great news to share tonight!

Kacyn's CAT scan & appt with the facial/cranial dr went very well today. They found nothing wrong! They determined according to David that Kacyn just has a funny shaped head! I told David he must get that from his side of the family! :) :) :)

It feels so good to have some great news to share!

Thank you for all the prayers! Please keep praying!

Love,
Lynn

Day #93

2009-01-20T07:19:00.005-06:00

Good morning!

I apologize for not posting something yesterday or over the weekend. Things are improving, but it's pretty slow so there's not a lot to report on every day & I don't always have something to say. (I know for those of you who know me, it's hard to believe that I'd have nothing to say!) Because of this, do not get worried if there are days when nothing is posted. It'll be a case of no news is good news!

Jennifer will begin taking her meals by mouth today. Everything will be puree'd & must be a certain thickness including her beverages. (Someone has to feed it to her. She still can't really move her hands or arms yet.) She must be able to eat 50% of each meal by mouth or they will begin feeding her through the feeding tube again. This actually started with dinner last night. She had puree'd roast beef. She didn't like the green stuff or what they thought were mashed potatoes. David nor Jen could figure out what the green stuff or the white stuff were. She ate a few bites & wanted to be done. David told her she needed to try to eat 50%. So she ate about 10 more bites of pudding then asked David "Is - that - 50%?" For those who haven't seen or talked to her, her voice is very deep & her speech is very slow. David laughed & told her "no" & if that was all she could do, then that was ok. David asked her if she wanted something to drink & she said "yes". He asked her if she wanted water. She said "no". He asked her if she wanted tea. She said "no". He asked her if she wanted milk. She said "no". He asked her if she wanted juice. She said "no". He finally asked her what she wanted. She said "soda". She hasn't had a soda in months! She likes Pepsi, but the hospital only carries Coke products. The nurse found a small can of Diet Pepsi in the refrigerator. The nurse said she didn't know whose it was, but that it was Jennifer's now! It had to be thickened, but Jennifer got to drink it. David tasted it & said the thickening makes it pretty gross, but Jennifer drank it!

Kacyn has a CAT scan this morning then an appointment with the facial & cranial dr this afternoon. As soon as we know something from these, I will post it.

Jennifer continues to slowly get better. Please continue to pray for her hands, arms, legs, speech, vocal cords, brain - entire body. Please pray that all is well with Kacyn's appts & that his head/brain is ok.

And don't forget David! He needs prayers too. He has a lot on his plate! He's handling things a lot better than most people would. I know this is due to his strong faith & the support of all of you. Thank you!

Love,
Lynn

Day #89

2009-01-16T17:52:00.002-06:00

Jennifer continues to say additional words. David says she's said probably 20-30 new words. She also can spell things. She was in speech therapy today & was trying to tell the dr what she wanted. The dr couldn't understand what it was so she asked Jennifer if she could spell it for her. Jennifer slowly spelled out "g-l-a-s-s-e-s". She wanted her glasses.

Mom is back in St Louis. She got there this morning. She couldn't sleep so she left about 3:00am to go up there.

They are planning to give Jennifer botox injections in her hands to help with movement. The botox will relax the muscles.

When asked if she remembers the accident, Jennifer said "yes". When asked if she remembered what color their car was, she said "blue". She even remembered & said that it was a "Saturn" car.

Josiah used the potty for the first time today. When David told Jennifer about it, he asked her if she could spell that. She spelled "p-o-t-t-y". After he used the potty, he was standing in the bathroom naked while Grammy was getting him some clothes. Before she got back to the bathroom with the clothes, he peed in the floor! Grammy was making him clean it up & he peed some more in the floor! Mom said Jennifer laughed when told this story!

Jennifer continues to show significant improvement every day, but still has a long ways to go. Please remember her in your prayers.

Have a great weekend.

Love,
Lynn

Day #87

2009-01-14T17:27:00.002-06:00

David sent me a text message today saying:
"Jennifer stood in a standing frame for 15 minutes today."

That is great!

Please keep the prayers going!

Day #86

2009-01-13T17:47:00.003-06:00

The x-rays today showed Jennifer's hip is healing well. She got the ok to begin weight bearing physical therapy. When the dr asked her how much pain she had in her hip & legs, she said "none". Her hands & left arm are the only things causing pain. They are making custom splints for her hands to straighten them out (her right hand is curled up now like the left). Her right foot points dowward, so a custom splint is also being made for it. Her foot pointing downward is probably due to the muscle drawing up & can be fixed. There is a very, very slight chance that it could be from nerve damage in the pelvic area, but thd dr doesn't really think so. They are also making a custom splint for her left arm to slowly begin straightening out her elbow.

She started her weight bearing physical therapy today. They put weight on her feet in her bed today. She did well with that, but when they tried to stand her up in the gym, she got scared & panicked. They said this is normal & would just take time for her to get over being scared & panicking. I guess maybe she's afraid it's either going to hurt or they're going to let her fall.

She told David today that she wanted the "light off". She also said "cover" to let him know she wanted to be covered up then said "blanket" to tell him she wanted his blanket & not the sheet.

Everyday Jennifer continues to improve, but she still has a long way to go. So please don't stop praying for her! When I named this blog Jennifers Miracle, I had no idea how big a miracle it was going to be! We are all witnessing a great miracle. Thank you for being a part of it!

Love,
Lynn

Update to Day #85

2009-01-13T07:10:00.002-06:00

After my posting last night, I heard from David. He has decided to stay with Jennifer at night & go home during the day when she's in therapy. This will keep her from being alone all night & give us all a little less to worry about.

Just wanted to let everyone know!

Day #85

2009-01-12T17:15:00.002-06:00

Mom had to come back home today to return to work. This was very difficult for her as Jennifer is still unable to push the Call button if she needs the nurse & Jennifer still wakes in the night & calls out "Mom". When I spoke to Mom earlier today she was on her way home & was crying. She was heartbroken because of how upset Jennifer got when Mom told her she had to come home. Mom will be going back to St. Louis on her days off. Mom is very worried not only about Jennifer being alone at night & not being able to call the nurse but also because she's still not able to see very well & can't move her left arm & leg. She also has developed a bladder infection.

David is staying with Jennifer tonight because Jennifer has a dr appt at 8:00 in the morning for a CAT scan to see how her hip is healing & to determine if she is ready to begin weight bearing physical therapy. Please pray that the CAT scan goes well. The drs say once they are able to begin weight bearing physical therapy, her motor skills should start to improve more quickly.

Please continue to pray for Jennifer's head-to-toe healing as well as for her to cope well without someone there at all times with her.

Love,
Lynn

Day #82

2009-01-09T18:06:00.004-06:00

Jennifer said more new words today, unprompted. They continue to give her a little food by mouth.

David took his laptop to the hospital with him today. It has a built in webcam. He dialed into his mom's webcam at home & they let Jennifer see the boys through the webcam. As soon as Josiah came onto the screen, Jennifer said "Hi Jo".

Grammy & David found out last night (actually early this morning) that Kacyn doesn't like the dark! He'd cry when they put him in bed, but stop when Grammy would get him & take him back to the living room. They'd put him back in his bed & he'd cry again. They finally decided the only thing left to do was to let him cry for awhile. That didn't work. Grammy then realized he stops crying when you turn the light on, but starts again when you turn the light off. They ended up leaving him in his bed with the light on & he didn't cry anymore!

We're going to have a pretty busy weekend so I'm probably not going to post anything (unless something happens that I need to post about). My son has a basketball game at 9:00 in the morning, then he has his 10th birthday party at 2:00 at a laser tag place, then his cousins are staying the night with him tomorrow night. I can't believe my baby is 10! BOY! Do I feel old!!! That was something else that made Jennifer laugh last weekend...me being almost 40! She thought that was pretty funny!

Have a great weekend! Please remember Jennifer, David, Kacyn, Josiah, & the rest of the family in your prayers!

Day #81

2009-01-08T19:26:00.006-06:00

I spoke to David a few minutes ago. Jennifer got to see the boys again today. This wasn't really a planned trip. Kacyn had to go to the dr because the splint on his right foot was hurting him & had to be adjusted so they stopped by to see Jennifer. When they walked in to Jennifer's room, Josiah said "Hi Mommy!" Jennifer responded "Hi Jo". David said she said it very clearly. She didn't really want to hold Kacyn today so Kathy sat beside her, holding Kacyn. While Kathy was sitting beside her & feeding Kacyn, Jennifer would put her hand on Kacyn's hand or leg. When they were leaving, Josiah gave Jennifer kisses on her leg, foot, hand, arm, shoulder, head, ears, eyes, all over. David was making it a game like the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes". David said Jennifer smiled & laughed the whole time Josiah was doing this.

David also said Jennifer should be "weight bearing" Tuesday. This means they are going to begin allowing her to put weight on her legs. They are supposed to begin weight bearing physical therapy Tuesday.

The case worker at the rehab hospital for Jennifer told David Jennifer is doing very well cognitively. The speech therapy is working well for her. We all know she understands everything that's said, but the speech therapist has confirmed it for us. He/she reads books to Jennifer & then will ask her questions about them. Jennifer gets about 80-85% of the questions right. Hopefully, her motor skills will begin improve significantly with the new physical therapy routine next week.

The pastor from Jennifer & David's church in OH came by to see her today. He talked to her for quite some time. David couldn't remember exactly what Jennifer said to Pastor Myer, but Jennifer talked quite a bit to Pastor Myer & said words she hadn't said before.

David began his online schooling again this week. He was working on homework that's due tonight at midnight. He's doing this on top of taking care of the boys & driving 2 hours (both ways) to see Jennifer every day. Whew! I don't know how he does it! I'm very proud to have him as my brother-in-law.

Kacyn is supposed to see a facial & cranial dr to determine if the plates on his head are separated or fused together. Depending on what they discover, he may need to have surgery, but it may still be awhile before any surgery happens. His brain isn't pushing against his skull or having pressure put on it. I'm praying that he won't need surgery.

Prayers are needed for Jennifer's brain, motor skills, speech, eyes, hip, depression, the left side of her body -- head-to-toe healing.

Prayers are needed for Kacyn's head/brain. Pray for angels to watch over him & Josiah to protect them & keep them safe.

Mom's still staying at the rehab hospital, sleeping in a chair in Jennifer's room. Please pray for strength & comfort for her. She gets really down.

David has more to deal with than anyone should ever have to, especially at age 25. Please remember to pray for strength, comfort, encouragement for him.

Love,
Lynn

Day #80

2009-01-07T17:24:00.004-06:00

I have a correction for yesterday's posting. I somehow misunderstood & wrongfully stated that David didn't get to see Jennifer Monday or yesterday. That is not accurate. He got a rental car & was able to go see her yesterday. The van broke downon his way to see Jennifer on Monday, but he got a rental car & was able to go see her yesterday. Thank you, Kathy, for the correction! I apologize for the confusion. For those who know me well, you know that it's not too difficult to confuse me! :)

I don't really have much to say today. I just wanted to correct the mistake in yesterday's posting. I also wanted to make sure everyone sees the comment David's mom posted about taking the boys to see Jennifer on Sunday. I know Jennifer enjoyed seeing them even if it made her a little sad at the same time. She loves those boys so very much! I have copied Kathy's comments & pasted them below:

Kathy Dierking said...
I just wanted to give a update: We took the boys to see thier mommy on Sunday and they had a wonderful visit. Jennifer laughed when I told her of some of the 2yr old things that Josiah has been doing. Josiah likes to put lotion on so I asked Jennifer if she wanted Josiah to rub lotion on her feet and she raised her hand to indicate yes. He sat between her legs on the bed and rubbed her feet. She tried to play with Josiah by squeezing him with her feet. We laid Kacyn in her arms a couple of times. She put arm around him as best she could and she started crying. I think it made her sad. David was not able to go see her on Monday due to the fact that the tranmission went out on my van but we were able to get a rental car the same day and David was able to spend the day yesterday(Tuesday)with her and is with her again today. We do appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts. Kathy

Kathy is taking very good care of Josiah & Kacyn while Jennifer is recovering & David is going back & forth to see her. I know it can't be easy! There's no doubt sometimes that Josiah has reached the terrible 2's!! Grammy is documenting for Jennifer with pictures some of the things Josiah's done. I'm sure Jennifer will laugh when she sees the pics & hears the stories even though it may not have been too funny to Grammy at the time! I know he keeps Grammy jumping! When I was leaving Sun I told Jennifer I was going to stop by & spoil those boys & joked with her that Josiah might have Grammy locked in the closet! Jennifer laughed! Thank you, Grammy, for everything you are doing! I wish I were closer so I could help out more.

Please keep the prayers going! They are working, but are still needed!

Love,
Lynn

Day #79

2009-01-06T17:10:00.006-06:00

Mom contacted her workplace & told them she would not be back at work this week after all. She just can't leave Jennifer. She said Jennifer wakes up in the night calling "momma". Since the rest of the family was just there this past weekend, mom was worried about Jennifer being alone most of the weekend. She just can't bear the thought of Jennifer being alone for long periods of time. Not only because Jennifer can't push the call button if she needs a nurse or needs something, but also because of the depression. I'm sure the depression is a normal part of the healing process, but it really worries my mom. Jennifer's eyesight also isn't good enough for her to watch tv or anything so she'd be just lying in bed completely alone with nothing to do.

While I was there this past weekend, she was covered with the sheet signed by the people at her church in Ohio. I asked her if she wanted me to read what was written on it. She raised her hand to indicate "yes". I began reading some of the things that were written. When I'd read the names, I'd ask her if she knew who that person was & she'd raise her hand "yes". She giggled at me a couple of times because I mispronounced some of the names. I read a lot of the writings to her, but when I got to the one from Pastor Neil & Anne, she started crying. I asked her if she wanted me to stop reading them to her & she raised her hand. I meant for it to be something encouraging or inspiring for her, but instead I think it made her sad.

Please continue praying. She needs strength, encouragement, comfort, ability to continue to fight as well prayers for complete healing. She's come too far to give up now!

Love,
Lynn

Day #78

2009-01-05T16:54:00.008-06:00

I took the kids to see Jennifer this past weekend. It was very uplifting to see the changes in Jennifer since I last saw her 3 weeks ago. 3 weeks ago she was essentially non-responsive. This time I saw her smile, giggle, laugh, talk, & communicate in other ways. It made my heart so happy!

Besides saying "hi" & "bye" she now says several other words. The dr was in her room one day last week & asked Jennifer who was sitting in the chair beside her bed. Jennifer said "mom".

Our brother asked her to say "bubba" which is what she called him growing up. She said it! She called me "sissy" growing up, but I thought that might be too difficult for her so I asked her if she could say "Lynn" & she did! She struggles a little & it takes some time to get the words out, but she can do it! The dr said her vocal cords are still separated from the ventilator being put in, but said they should grow back together. When they do, it will become much easier for her to talk.

Jennifer understands everything that is said to her & will respond accordingly with a smile, a giggle, a big laugh, frown, tears, etc. She answers "yes" or "no" questions by lifting her right hand if the answer is "yes". Or if you're holding her hand, she'll squeeze your hand if the answer is "yes". This makes it much easier to know what she needs or wants or if there's something wrong. You can ask her questions such as "Are you cold?", "Are you hot?", "Are you in pain?", "Does your stomach hurt?", "Does your hip hurt?", etc...just keep asking questions until she says "yes". Previously not knowing what she wanted or needed was very upsetting for us. We could tell she was upset or needed something, but we had no idea what. Now she can tell us!

The kids had been wanting to see their "Aunt Fer", but I wasn't sure about taking them before because I was afraid it might be too upsetting. Jennifer was very happy to see them though. They drew & colored her lots of pictures to go with the ones they & their cousins had already made for her. She now has lots of beautiful artwork decorating her room. There's no doubt to anyone who walks in her room that she has lots of people who love her! She still has problems with her eyes & seeing. She stares off to the right a lot so the kids put a lot of artwork on the wall to the right of her bed. The drs said her poor eyesight & eye movement are due the muscles behind her eyes being weak & also as a result of the brain damage, but should continue to heal with her brain. She gets very upset when someone mentions her eyesight or eye movement. Something else that upsets her is when someone mentions "physical therapy". She gets upset & starts crying if someone says she has to go to physical therapy. It hurts her because of her hip & I'm sure it's not fun either. That would be like someone making me get out of bed & go to the gym & workout! I would cry too!!! During the week she has speech therapy & physical/occupational therapy twice a day.

My brother & his wife were in St. Louis this weekend also. We were all in Jennifer's room & my brother was talking on the phone with our dad. Dad was getting a new yellow lab puppy (his yellow lab had passed away the day before). Dad was trying to think of a name for this new dog. We were all discussing names for this dog. Obviously Jennifer was listening because she said "Maaar - leeeey" as in the movie/book, Marley & Me, about a yellow lab. Jennifer read this book a couple of years ago & it's one of her favorite books. I asked her "Do you want Dad to name the puppy Marley?" And Jennifer lifted her hand for "yes". John told Dad Jennifer said to name the dog Marley so that's what dad named it! For those of you who don't know what Marley & Me is about, it's a true story about a man & his yellow lab named Marley who he calls the worst dog in the world. This dog never grew out of the puppy stage, always causing problems & getting into things. I told Jennifer "Hopefully, this Marley won't be like the one in the book!" Jennifer laughed.

I saw Jennifer smile, giggle, & laugh big belly laughs several times this weekend. It made me so happy inside. Another thing that made her laugh was talking about when she was born. Dad took my brother & I to the hospital to see the new baby. We were looking at the babies in the nursery & Dad pointed out which one was ours. Our brother who was 8 at the time pointed to another baby, a red-headed boy, & said he wanted that one instead! He thought you could just pick out which baby you wanted! He didn't want ANOTHER sister! Jennifer laughed hard at this story.

Jennifer said David's name for the first time this weekend. He walked out of the room & she started calling "Daaa-vid".

It was great to hear her saying words unprompted such as "Marley" & "David". She also tried to say "I love you" to the kids. They were telling her they love her & she said "I love" several times, but couldn't ever get the "you" out, but I told her we knew what she was trying to say & the kids know she loves them.

It's heartbreaking to see her cry. Our brother had to leave on Sat to come back home. He's a firefighter & a paramedic & had to work Sun. When he & his wife told her they were leaving, she got very upset & started crying, not just tears, but a heartbreaking cry with sound & tears. Everyone in the room was crying. Because I knew she would get upset when the kids & I had to leave on Sunday, I dreaded having to tell her so I put it off as long as I could. I was crying just thinking about it. And as expected she got very upset. I tried explaining to her that the kids had to go to school today. I know she understands, but she still gets upset. Once again, Jennifer was crying so the rest of us, including the kids were crying. When Jennifer smiles, everyone else smiles; when Jennifer laughs, everyone else laughs; when Jennifer cries, everyone else cries!

She loves having visitors & mom has to return to work on Friday so she will no longer have someone with her all the time. She'll return to visit Jennifer on her days off. Mom has been sleeping in a chair in Jennifer's room because anytime she mentions going to a hotel, Jennifer gets upset & starts crying. My daughter was crying Sat night because she's worried about what Jennifer's going to do when Mom has to leave. Since Jennifer loves to have visitors, anyone who wants to go visit her is welcome to!

They continue to work on feeding Jennifer. She's gotten chocolate pudding & applesauce. They gave her pureed tuna noodle casserole & thickened soup for dinner the other night. She gets choked on something as thin as water, so it has to be thickened for her. Hopefully soon she will be able to eat all 3 meals by mouth & no longer need a feeding tube.

My son was saying his prayers last night & as always he asked God to keep healing Aunt Fer, but he also asked God to take care of all the people in the hospital. He's 9 (he'll be 10 tomorrow!) & told me while we were at the hospital that it made him sad to see so many people sick. So he's been praying for everyone at the hospital, not just Aunt Fer.

We saw Josiah & Kacyn yesterday. They are even cuter than their pictures! Josiah'd been ornery before we got there dumping out a basket of laundry that Grammy had just folded! Grammy took lots of pictures of my kids with Jo & Kacyn. David gave me some beautiful pictures of the boys. One of Josiah & Kacyn together & one of each of the boys by themselves. These are the Christmas pictures that were taken for Jennifer. I have the pictures on my fireplace mantle.

Jennifer's left hand & fingers are curled up & she is unable to move her left arm, hand, leg. They've put a splint on her hand to try to straighten her hand out. That hand & arm hurt when someone tries to move them for her.

Please pray for Jennifer's brain, eyes, left hand, left arm, left leg, eating, vocal cords, complete healing. The prayers are working! It was so amazing & uplifting to see the progress that has occurred over the last few weeks. Also please pray for strength, comfort, & encouragement for her. She's fighting a little bit of depression & is being given medication to help with it. Also please continue to pray for Kacyn's brain/head as well as strength, comfort, & encouragement for David & the rest of the family. I'm not sure how we would have coped without all your prayers, support, & love. It has helped more than you will ever know & we will never be able to thank you enough.

Love,
Lynn

Day #72

2008-12-30T11:34:00.008-06:00

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

2008-12-29T09:33:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-27T08:53:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-23T19:55:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-22T17:25:00.005-06:00

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

2008-12-21T21:49:00.005-06:00

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

2008-12-21T18:14:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-20T11:34:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-19T17:31:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-18T17:47:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-17T17:18:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-16T17:45:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-15T18:55:00.007-06:00

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

2008-12-12T17:37:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-11T16:59:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-10T18:07:00.006-06:00

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

2008-12-08T17:40:00.006-06:00

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

2008-12-05T17:37:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-04T17:41:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-03T17:41:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-02T18:15:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-01T17:33:00.003-06:00

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

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T15:24:00.003-06:00

They removed the traction off Jennifer's leg today. This will help make her a little more comfortable. For those who don't know what traction is, it's essentially pins put in each side of her leg then lifted to a bar above the bed, keeping the leg elevated & immobile.

Kacyn should be released to go home Monday!

Mom came home yesterday for Thanksgiving. She decided to have Thanksgiving as we normally do because she knows Jennifer would want us to celebrate Thanksgiving. It won't be the same without Jennifer, but we know she'll be there in our hearts. Even though it's been a rough end to 2008, we really have a lot to be thankful for. Mom will be going back to St. Louis on Friday. David is staying with Jennifer at the hospital, spending his Thanksgiving close to his beloved wife. Josiah will be spending Thanksgiving with David's mom & dad at David's aunt's house in Sullivan.

I think I'll take Sherry Palmer's suggestion & take a break from posting to the blog over the Thanksgiving holiday. I won't be posting anything unless something changes drastically. Otherwise, I will just be posting a catch-up message on Monday. I wanted to let everyone know this so no one will get worried if something's not posted for a couple of days.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I want to thank you again for helping us get through this difficult time & also being a part of Jennifer's miracle. We are thankful for all of you! Please continue to pray for us, especially Jennifer.

Love,
Lynn

Day #38

2008-11-24T19:31:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Jennifer had a friend come visit her. Mom couldn't remember her name - she's not very good with names. This must be hereditary because I'm not either! :) Anyway this friend was just talking away to Jennifer & praying over her. While she was doing this, Jennifer's heart rate went up & she started moving around. This continued & the nurse came in & told mom & Jennifer's friend they needed to leave because they were getting Jennifer too worked up. Jennifer's friend felt bad about this because it wasn't her intention. After Jen's friend left, Mom went back in Jennifer's room & her heart rate was still high & she was still moving around in her bed, but she also had her eyes open & was moving her mouth. Mom was worried & scared so she got the nurse & the nurse gave Jennifer something to try to relax her. It didn't work. Jennifer's heart rate was still high & she was still doing the same things. Soon a dr came in & asked mom if she knew what was going on with Jennifer. Mom said "no", but that she wished someone would tell her because it was really scaring her. The dr said Jennifer's brain is healing! She said the movements were being caused by little "sparks" in Jennifer's brain as it heals itself & re-programs itself. (mom's interpretation) Mom also had 2 nurses tell her they've seen this happen before & it is a sign that the brain is healing!!

Jennifer's kidneys have been producing urine, but not filtering out toxins. This is why they've been continuing with the dialysis. Sometime overnight, her kidneys began functioning as they should & are now filtering out the toxins as well as producing urine!

Jennifer slept most of the day today. David thinks she may have her days & nights confused! When she wasn't sleeping today, she was moving her mouth & tongue like she was trying to talk to mom. She did the same when her friend, Allison (a resident in OB-GYN), came by to visit her. She tried talking to Allison. Of course with the trach in, she can't talk.

Jennifer had a BIG night last night & a BIG day today! Things are getting better. She's still got a long way to go. But she's getting there in baby steps. We'll take the baby steps & thank the Lord for each one of them! God is working in Jennifer. He is healing my beautiful baby sister!

Mom told me she's praying for God to smooth out the road ahead of us or at least help us miss the pot holes, because it seems we've hit every pot hole in the road to get to where we are today! I thought that was an interesting way to look at it!

The power of prayer cannot be disputed. It is working! We are all witnesses to the power of prayer & the miracles that the Lord can do! Please pray, pray, pray!

Love,
Lynn

Jennifer had a BIG night last night! But she still has a long ways to go!

Day #37

2008-11-23T16:09:00.006-06:00

Some days it's extemely difficult for me to log on to this blog & post something. Sometimes seeing the pictures, escpecially the one of Jennifer lying in her bed looking at Kacyn in his bed, really get me down. It breaks my heart to think of the time Jennifer is missing with her precious new baby. But I know there are many people depending on these posts. And it at least makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile to help Jennifer. I think about Jennifer one day being able to read this, learn about her journey, & see all the love, generosity, prayers, etc. that have been poured out to her through this from all around the country & world. I want her to see the lives she has touched. I am doing this for her.

There has been no real change in Jennifer's condition. She is still very critical & is not very alert or showing much response. They think she may have some kind of infection because she's been running a fever & her blood count is high (I think it's high that indicates infection, but maybe it's low that means infection. I don't know. I get confused.) They are administering antibiotics again.

David had the IT dept at the hospital set up the webcam again. When Jennifer wakes up completely, he wants her to be able to see Kacyn. He doesn't want her to even begin to worry that Kacyn may not be ok. He wants her to be able to see he is. The webcam was on when she went to sleep & he wants it on when she comes out of this.

Please pray for the miracles God is working in Jennifer & Kacyn to continue. Jennifer still needs head to toe healing as well as strength, comfort, peace, & encouragement. David's leg is healing well. Please pray for this healing to continue. Both families, including David, need prayers for strength, comfort, encouragement, peace, & help coping. We all have days when we are very down. I know I've had days where I don't even want to get out of bed. I cry all day & start to think "I can't do this anymore". I'm not the only one. Other family members have said the same. We are all physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted. Please continue to pray for all of us.

Love,
Lynn

Day #36

2008-11-22T19:19:00.002-06:00

Not much to report on today. Jennifer is still about the same as far as her responses & reactions. She does appear to be responding or reacting. It just isn't very frequent or as frequent as we'd like. But Mom says Jennifer kissed her today! Mom was very excited about this!

They did dialysis on Jennifer again today. This should help get more of those toxins out of her body!

I've talked about the great nurses Jennifer's had taking care of her. One of them told David we have really touched him because he's never seen a family like ours. We are always there with Jennifer & are always thanking the nurses & drs for everything. We do thank them for everything. Anytime they come into Jennifer's room to do anything we thank them whether they are re-positioning her in the bed, checking a beeping iv, bathing her, or even poking her with another needle. We always thank them for taking care of her. We want them to know it is appreciated. And if it makes them want to pay extra attention to Jennifer, that's just an added bonus!

I really don't have much to report on. There's not much change. But I know things are changing! I believe she is getting better. Even the dr who told mom & David a week ago that Jennifer may just stay the way she is forever now says he thinks she's getting better.

Please continue to pray for Jennifer, Kacyn, David & the entire family.

Day #35

2008-11-21T17:07:00.002-06:00

WOW! How do I follow up a posting like that one?! What a touching story!

After Jennifer's struggles yesterday following the feeding tube surgery, she is back to breathing on her own & back to the way she was before they sedated her again yesterday. She is reacting to at least the same level she was yesterday if not a little more. The dr said again today she is getting better. She is doing well with her new feeding tube. If she continues to do well, they will be moving her to the step down ICU.

Mom said some friends of Jennifer's were visiting today & they read from a prayer book to Jennifer. She said while they were doing so, Jennifer's feet & she lifted her arms up slightly. Her eyes were closed, but mom said they were moving behind her eyelids. She was reacting to & feeling that prayer!

I have mentioned at least once the dreams some have had about Jennifer. I have one more that I would like to share. The father-in-law of a friend of Jennifer's had a dream or a vision of Jennifer. He's never seen or met Jennifer before, but he's been praying for her. He told his daughter-in-law that he saw Jennifer's internal organs & brain & they were healing! There have been so many instances of people having dreams or visions of Jennifer that we have to believe God is showing us he's healing her & all is going to be well with her.

David got a phone call from the NICU staff today. Each year, the NICU sponsors a family at Christmas & helps them with gifts, etc. They contacted David because they've chosen to help David & Jennifer's precious little family this Christmas! When David told me this, it brought tears to my eyes as I had already been thinking about how Christmas would be & how we had to make it a good Christmas for Josiah. This takes care of that worry! David hadn't mentioned Christmas, but I'm sure it had crossed his mind too as to what he was going to do. Prayers answered once again!

Kacyn continues to do very well. He weighs 7 lbs 2 oz now. He may get to go home later next week! He'll still have a heart monitor on so they can monitor his heart rate. He still has problems with acid reflux which is normal for preemies, but when he has reflux his heart rate drops so they want to monitor it.

God is working miracles! Keep praying!