Music to my ears

Mom is doing so, so, so great. I could just do a happy dance (and in fact have ... several times!). In the past 24 hours, she's had breathing tests off the respirator for up to two hours at a time. During those periods, she's able to talk a little. My heart did a cartwheel when Dad called me at work yesterday and put Mom on the phone. "Hello, my baby girl!" she said, before asking me whether I needed another quilting project to work on. (Mom knows that I've been sewing the binding on my latest project while keeping her company in her MICU room. She has some projects that are at that same stage and wanted to let me know that if I was wanting something else to sew on I could use her quilts.) That's Mom. Always thinking about others. (She has also already talked about needing to write thank you notes to people who have cooked food for the family, mowed the lawn at my parents' home and done other thoughtful things. Pretty sweet for a woman who's been in intensive care for 15 straight days.)

She's also been able to have a variety of food and drink, including coffee (a favorite of hers) and graham crackers. She had a snack size of Swiss Miss vanilla pudding last night that she said "tastes like the best food in the world." Tonight she enjoyed a bit of buttered roll, mashed potatoes and gravy, milk and soft serve ice cream.

What I've loved most recently is seeing the content look on her face. "I'm a survivor," she says. Indeed. Her face is a rosy pink, her beautiful blue eyes are sparkling. She's my miracle Mom, and she's demonstrating that she's loving getting stronger and experiencing life every day. Her birthday is Wednesday, and I asked her what she wanted. I could have predicted her answer: "To go home!"

She's exhibiting her wonderful sense of humor, cracking jokes through a combination of sign language, writing, mouthing words and speaking. This evening, she told me that she's been watching a lot of the TLC show "What Not to Wear," waiting for inspiration to strike regarding a mother-of-the-bride outfit she could wear to Amanda's Aug. 9th wedding. She also said that she can't wait to shop in downtown Newton and check out a new plant store on South Rock (she saw a commercial about it on TV today). I love hearing her talk about what she wants to do when this is all behind her.

This morning, she was able to get the sutures holding her trach in place removed. She's hoping that tomorrow she gets her feeding tube (which has remained in her mouth, even when she's eating and talking) removed. They're also planning to cap her trach in the morning and let her breath on her own for as long as she's able.

My family & I believe Mom's recovery is a testament to the power of prayer. Thank you, everyone, for your continued prayers.