October 1st

The first communication tool the technology people attempted Friday was a three button buzzer with which Ashley could choose a desired activity. Her choices were 1) Magazine, 2) Internet, 3) Music. The magazine option was winning out each time so it does not appear that Ashley is ready for that device yet. They will go at it again this week.

We still need to work on consistency, but often times Ashley will respond to yes/no answers by raising an arm. The important thing for the questioner is to remember to pause after asking the question. Even restating the question can cause confusion as each input Ashley receives has to be processed and then Ashley has turn that request into an action. When Ashley is relaxed and the questions come at a consistent pace she does respond accurately.

We have been blessed with warm and sunny weather in Chicago. Ashley can get outside and with the lake just at the end of the block and a small city park a block away she can get a wide variety of views. On Sunday morning Ashley awoke in time to watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan. It was beautiful and Ashley was bright-eyed and smiling. It was an awesome view.

Ashley had several visitors this weekend and certainly enjoyed it.

We look forward to Ashley having more success in each therapy sessions this week. On Saturday she was able to sit up and maintain her balance without assistance for more than 30 seconds. That was a first. She is swallowing consistently now (she has to be thinking, come on folks enough with the cold spoon, bring on the frozen yogurt!).

The hardest part of Ashley’s recovery is when she seems in pain and it is not apparent what is causing it. We don’t know if it is a muscle cramp, a feeling of sadness, or just a neurological issue. Thankfully most of the episodes are short. When she has a bout just before therapy, or during a session it has a negative impact as you can imagine. Please pray that Ashley is pain free and in her best spirits for each therapy session this week.