October 15th

What a difference a week has made in the weather. Last weekend Ashley’s view of Lake Michigan was full of yachts, motor and sail boats. This weekend only a few die hard boaters were out. That did not keep Ashley cooped up. We took an extensive walk on Saturday (her longest yet) with Austin guiding Ashley. Ashley did not tire, or show any agitation. She would have like to stay out longer. On Sunday we braved the cool temperatures and a bit of drizzle. Again Ashley was pleased to be out. She knows it is only going to get colder (what a blessing for the extended warm weather we experienced to this point) and she wants to get out and about while she can.

We (both therapist along with Mary and me) are still working on developing a consistent yes/no communication with Ashley. We have known since Ashley first laughed back in July while we were still in Virginia that she can process the sights she sees and the voices she hears. To this point however her recovery has not permitted her to react, or initiate a communication with the reliability necessary to let us know what she wants to express.

Each weekend I read Ashley the comments she has received from her blog site. Ashley’s eyes light up and her smile expands with the reading of each person’s words of encouragement to her. It appears she is impressed that her dad figured out how to create a Blog. I’m sure she felt that was quite an accomplishment for a guy that spent about an hour just trying to figure out how to open the web browser on her Apple Mac notebook.

She continues to progress with her swallowing. While it is in minute quantities she has even tasted and swallowed pudding. We joke with Ashley that her favorite therapist is her speech therapist since she brings tasty foods (thickened cranberry and orange and now pudding). They have started Ashley out on thickened verses straight liquids to make sure she does not aspirate anything she swallows. We are confident that she is doing fine in that regard because we rarely have to suction her mouth so she is swallowing her saliva without a problem. To make sure there is a plan to actually to an X-ray film of Ashley’s throat while she is swallowing liquid. That will show if anything is getting into her trachea. To date, following countless chest X-rays, Ashley has never had an X-ray that showed fluid in her lungs.

We brought Ashley a white board and several dry erase markers. Ashley’s left arm is currently her most active (she is right handed, but that arm is not as mobile at this stage) so she we are giving her markers and letting her go at it. It is another method of stimulation for her. Before leaving Gregg Markley, upon hearing I was taking dry erases pens to Ashley, gave me his lucky green dry marker. This was the marker he used to script basketball plays during his tenure as the 7th grade coach at St. Vincent’s. Perhaps that pen was the reason for all those CYO championships. When I told Ashley that she posed for a quick photo, green pen in hand, that I messaged back to Gregg.

Please focus you prayers for Ashley to have a breakthrough in communication. Our present goal is for Ashley to have the ability to convey what she is thinking and feeling so we can start doing what Ashley wants rather than just guessing.