December 29

Sorry it has been a little while since the last update. I've been busy trying to keep up with church work and laundry! Suffice it to say things are still going amazingly well. It blows me away how, after so many days of struggle, she suddenly is making such great progress. As of this writing, they once again have Barbara sitting up in a special chair that lays flat so they can drag her onto it, then changes into a chair so she can sit up.

While her movements may seem small to some, they are very significant to us. Each day she has been able to move better and better. Yesterday she did 10 kicks with her left leg for the physical therapy people. Her kidneys and lungs are doing great. The area of greatest focus now is getting her stomach and digestive system working again. She is able to take small "pleasure bites", and ate a good amount of her favorite yogurt yesterday (again, small amounts by most standards, but big amounts for her!).

Today is our anniversary! Yesterday, Rachel and Kevin and Nicole brought us the most beautiful bouquet of flowers to help us celebrate. That was so nice! It has also been good to visit with a number of you. A big thanks to the area pastors who've stopped by and really made my day.

Well, I sit her with a lap full of work to do, so let me conclude with some prayer ideas:

Pray that her digestive system begins functioning well,

That her body grows stronger,

That she will be able to be off the respirator soon,

That she will stay upbeat emotionally.

Thanks, too for your prayers for Jackie, me and the family. Jackie and Peter will be heading back to Wilmore tomorrow. A sad day, but life must move on! Keep them in your prayers for the road trip. It has been SO GOOD to have them here! Jackie is such a beautiful, loving young lady, and Peter is such a loving, caring man. They are also striving to be godly people in all they do, and a parent couldn't ask for more!

December 27

Here we are a couple of days away from our anniversary, and Barbara just seems to improve everyday. She is moving more and more (she managed to kick her left leg 10 times for physical therapy this morning). Her disposition has been good, and she seems mostly upbeat. She occasionally moves her arms and legs on her own, too. We were a tad bit concerned that in a regular room, she might not get the level of care that she needs at her present level of disability. However, she is next to the nurses station, and they seem to respond quickly to things like her vent tube popping off (I had no idea this could happen - but I guess its fairly common - it sure has happened to Barbara a lot).

Now, with all of that stuff in mind, I think we all need to pray for Jackie today. Just look what she's done while whiling away the hours here: click here.

Yes, that is Jackie's face.

Seriously, please continue to pray that Barbara can stave off all threat of new infections, and that her body and mind grows stronger every day.

Peace on earth.

A New Reality

We are now in the "regular" room! One interesting revelation, though... we've discovered that as clear as Barbara's mind seems to be, she has no idea what year it is, or how old she is. Not really all that surprising, though, all things considered.

We are right by the nurses' station, which is also good. You are welcome to stop by and say hi if you want... Methodist Hospital in Merrillville... short visits are best... and it would be good not to visit if you have a cold or anything like that.

A New Room!

Just a quick note to share with everyone...As we speak, I believe the hospital staff is preparing a new room for Mom to get her out of the neuro-ICU. She's spent nearly a month and two weeks in this room and I am sure she's ready for some new scenery. I think we all are. They're talking about moving her out of here TODAY! I can tell from the look on her face that she is quite pleased. While she is still very sick and by no means back to complete health, this move will be a definite step in the right direction. The transition out of the neuro-ICU will be an encouragement to us all. I am loving these leaps and bounds!! Thanks for your prayers. That's how we are all getting through this.

As an aside, I just asked Mom if she needed anything. She looked at me, gave me a big grin, and mouthed very clearly, "Chocolate pudding." The nurse is ordering her some. :)