Update #54 from Danielle

Hey everybody!

Steve had a long, but successful day in rehab today. When I showed up this afternoon he was just arriving to PT. They told him that they were going to have him stand up today, and both of his eyebrows went up. He seemed anxious to try. What they actually did was put him on a leaning table, strapped him in, and tilted the table forward. It was great to see him put some weight on his knees for the first time. He handled it wonderfully. =)

While he was tilted almost in a complete stand-up position, the physical therapist told him to lift up his right hand to his shoulder 10x. While he was doing this, the therapist got a little distracted talking to another. I was in the background watching and saw that he did 9 'pull ups'. The therapist turned to Steve and asked if he did 10. I wasn't sure if Steve was actually counting in his head, but then he game the thumbs down signal and did one more. It cracked me up. He's definitely not cutting any corners!!

He had an additional type of therapy today called Recreational Therapy. These people adapt to the patients' interests and use stimulants such as card games, board games, etc. Today the session consisted of just asking Steve what he liked to do to get a better idea on how to treat him. They had a whole long list of items and he answered all of them with his true personality in mind. He game a thumbs up to things like sports, music, movies, and gave a thumbs down to sewing, hunting, and gardening. We all know how true that is!

Tonight is the first night that he'll have his trach plugged throughout the whole night. He's been having it plugged for days at a time now, but getting rest at night. We monitor his oxygen level from time to time and he consistently keeps it in adequate range. He has also been making more and more noises. He's definitely learning how to move his tongue around and to use his voice again. Rob mentioned that when Steve was in speech earlier, he clearly said 'Nyah' (his dog) when asked what his pet's name was.

We're figuring out more ways how to communicate with Steve, thanks to the ideas friends and family have shared! Aunt Gail drew him a large picture of man's head and called it the 'Itch Chart'. (I think that's what it's called, correct me if I'm wrong!) Anyways, it's another way that Steve can tell us where he may have an itch if he can't reach for himself. Today, he pointed to the picture and told us his head itches. Thanks Aunt Gail!! Beth has helped tremendously too. She set up a program on his computer with large letters and words at the bottom like, water, mom, dad, irritating, and so forth. He now has a laser mouse and was practicing moving it around to the letters today. Even though he's still getting the hang of it, he's great at clicking the mouse himself!

The thing that gave us all a good laugh today was something he did when Beth and Rob were getting ready to leave. They were saying their goodbyes when I asked if he could wave goodbye to them. He didn't do it at first so Beth thought she'd try to make him smile. She held up the 'Vulcan' signal and waved to him. To those who don't know what this is, it's when you put your index and middle finger together and then your ring and pinkie finger together separately. Right after she did it, he quickly lifted up his forearm and did it back to her. It was hilarious. =)

Alright, that's it for now. Thank you all again for your continuing prayers and positive thoughts!! Steve continues to amaze us everyday! I also want to thank Jen, Uncle Don, and the others who have shared their personal stories and experiences with Steve in the comments. Please feel free to do so and continue to share! We'd all love to hear what you've witnessed Steve do for yourselves.

Hope all is well!!



-Danielle