Good luck on tests & junk like that!

Mom continues to be more alert and look more like herself. I visited her Monday evening, and, before a peaceful nap, she was making faces that communicated her pain, that she thought things we were saying were funny and that she was curious about what was going on around her. I also read her some of her many, many cards that she's received, and I could tell that did her good, too. (At left is just a portion of what her friends and family have mailed her.) She seemed especially surprised that some relatives have sent her as many as 15 cards (you crack me up, Eric & Marty!) and that she's hearing from extended relatives and friends at Prairie Quilt Guild.

She became frustrated that her hands were too weak to do American Sign Language (Mom & I know the alphabet, which has come in handy in this occasion and others). She also was unable to write. But I talked with Dad briefly this morning, and he said that she was writing a little bit this morning and telling him that she doesn't like what they're feeding her through her feeding tube. That's our Mom! Another sign that she's on the mend. I told her that I hope a chicken fried steak dinner is not too far away. (My sisters & I tease Mom endlessly about her bizarre affection for chicken fried steak. If we go to a restaurant, Mom will study the menu for quite awhile. "What have you decided?" we'll ask. "Hmmm ... I think I'll go with the chicken fried steak," she'll reply. She really seemed to have no idea of this ordering routine until we pointed it out to her. Hee hee!) Need more proof that she's getting stronger? Mom watched the TV in her MICU room for a bit, too. She was pleased that she had control over the remote.

Mid-morning today Mom will try a new breathing test to help the doctors assess the strength of her lungs. She remains on the respirator but has been initiating breaths for most of the day. Her physical therapist, who first visited her on Sunday, also will come by to continue to teach us stretches we need to do hourly on Mom's legs and exercises that she can do on her own (lifting her arms, stretching her fingers, etc.) When I see her this afternoon, I'll make sure she's doing her homework!