Sherrie has continued to make solid progress over the last few days.  She is getting stronger, is increasingly alert and is finding new and exciting ways to communicate with us.  She is getting more consistent with her head nods to signal yes and no, can pull off a pretty good wave and is very good at squeezing your hand.  She's been doing a thumbs-up to signal that she's comfortable and even tugs on her blanket when her room feels chilly.  At times she might even hold a phone in her hand for a few moments while a grandchild chatters away on the other end.  Brittney taught her the sign for "I love you" and she has gotten very good at signing that to us when it's time to leave (she's probably a lot less inclined to do it when we're yelling at her to lift her foot or raise her arm or kick the ball).  She still puts on her best performances for Dad and we wouldn't have it any other way.  


The nurses also gave Sherrie a call button with a giant yellow sticker on it that she could press if she needed anything.  Her occupational therapist diligently taught her how to use it and she followed suit right away.  After that, she pressed it non-stop for the rest of the day until the nurses decided she was doing it for entertainment.  I think she's just showing us she still has her sense of humor.    


This week will hopefully bring more good news - she meets with Dr. Batjer, her vascular neurologist, on Tuesday to determine exactly when she will go back to Northwestern to have the plate inserted at the site of her craniotomy.  She will also meet with the orthopedic surgeons to determine progress on her left hip.  If they remove the load-bearing restrictions on her left side, it opens the door for her therapists to do more exercises to help strengthen her legs as a precursor to her eventually standing.  Sherrie's respiratory function is also continuing to improve, so much so that we're on the brink of being able to take out her trache.  This should allow her to be able to expand what she's able to do with her voice - hopefully we'll hear a lot more NO's in the coming weeks.   

There continue to be ups and downs along our journey.  At times it can feel very disheartening when we don't see progress every single day but we have to consistently remind ourselves that we are measuring progress on a week to week, month to month basis.  I think about where we started, just over two months ago, and where she is today and it makes me very excited and hopeful for the journey ahead.  What a different a mere two months can make.  We know that the Lord's divine hand is at work, helping push Sherrie along, and the progress we've seen is nothing short of miraculous.


We are so grateful for your continued support and love.  It truly buoys us up on the hardest days and will certainly be a source of strength for Sherrie as well in the days ahead.


Much love,
Wendy