2/11/07 11:02 p.m.

Josh had an okay day today.  Some frustrating moments and quiet times of reflection.  God is moving in him in an awesome way even though it is very difficult to watch.  He gets very quiet and sort of caught up inside his head and it's hard to get him out.  He never acts really sad or upset, just quiet.  For those of you who know Josh, you know quiet is not a word that would describe Josh. I have a tendency to try and pull him out of it but find that just reading scripture or praying together is what he needs the most. 

I went to church tonight, a bit apprehensively, but I'm so glad I went. I arrived about 1/2 way through the service and caught most of the message. It was tied to Josh's accident but a real encouragement to me as his wife to see what an impact this situation is making on the body of Christ. We get so wrapped up in the hospital setting, going from therapy to therapy, and forget there is still life going on outside MFB.  

The kids came up today.  They both came in Josh's room screaming "Happy Valentine's Day!!!" at the top of their lungs. It put a huge smile on Josh's face. They had both made Valentine's for him and were proud to see them hung on his bulletin board. They only stayed for about 10-15 minutes but that's about all Josh could handle tonight. 

I am amazed at the community of people that have gathered around us in this time of trial. So many people praying, sending cards and food, taking care of our kids, cleaning our house and every other detail known to man. God has put you all in our life for a reason and although I cannot thank each of you personally, know you ARE making a difference in our lives. 

As we continue down this road, we are still waiting for Josh's energy level to get a bit stronger before we start inviting people in to see him. We know it's frustrating for some of you, but we would appreciate a little more time. Josh is not quite up to seeing many people yet. He has seen a few people but it has been very limited. You all mean so much to us and we want you to know how grateful we are for your support but we just ask for a littlle more time before we open up the schedule. Josh has a tendency to feel he has to entertain or talk to everyone who comes up and he is not up to this yet. We are just trying to protect him a little longer. Thanks for your understanding. 

Prayer Requests:

-TOTAL HEALING

-Josh's fingers- for movement to be regained

-Josh's emotional stability 

2/10/07 9:45 p.m.   Today was a busy day of family and close friends coming for visits. Josh ate a Taco Bell taquito for supper and enjoyed it thoroughly. We now just put a call in to Josh's parents who are here and asked them to bring Josh some strawberry ice cream.  His appetite is returning slowly but surely. That is a big praise because Josh needs nourishment to help his energy level and get it back where it needs to be.   Right now he is laying in bed with a baby oil wrap over both feet. We then put hot towels and wraps around his feet and tape plastic around it all.  This is to help get rid of some of the dry skin he is shedding like a snake. :-) He is not very happy about all this pampering, but I was a bit jealous. Sounded great to me- guess he disagrees.   We got a call last night from some friends from church. They wanted to know one specific thing the church could place in the bulletin and pray specifically for over the next week.  After a little thought, Josh and I decided to pray for his fingers. He gets so frustrated with them (he was actually talking to them yesterday ordering them to work!) and wants so badly to get some movement going.  So, over the next week- remember Josh's fingers. Pray for strengthening and healing even if it seems ridiculous. It is not to Josh.   Josh slept pretty well again last night. He kicked everyone out about 11 when he felt able to go to sleep. I stayed home with the kids last night and put them to bed. It was nice to have a nighttime routine with them and enjoy our cuddles and prayers. Noah has been praying for daddy every night and wants daddy to know. It is adorable. The kids were very well behaved today and they stayed a little longer than usual. Daddy gave the kids wheelchair rides and all was well with the world. Please keep us in your prayers. We are just starting down this path even though to some it may be starting to seem like old news. We continue to pray for God's continued presence in this journey and wisdom and understanding in whatever he decides is our future. We know we do not understand but God knows what is best. Ever trusting, ever learning...

2/9/07 12:30 p.m.

Josh just finished a pretty decent sized lunch of chicken alfredo.  It went down quite easily which allows Josh to expend less energy. He now has a break for about an hour before he heads back to the gym.

This morning he was thoroughly electrocuted by his PT, Kristy. She hooked up leads to his forearms and stimulates the muscles in his arms that are working but weak.  This strengthens the muscles while bypassing his spinal cord and brain. He then begins to work with it and trying to do exercises while the shock is happening. It's not a pretty picture but it works.  We did a lot of teasing about how he'd better be nice to us or we'd turn it up higher and shock him more. Although the shocking doesn't feel good, he made the best of it.  This exercise is giving him some more wrist extension which will make his arms more useful for doing different tasks. 

That's all the news for now. Josh's parents are coming up for the weekend so that will be nice. Weekends around here are a little quieter but not much.  One, last thing- Josh had another good night's sleep last night. A true answer to prayer!

Prayer Requests:

-Total healing

-Energy to do all that is expected of him

-A good visit with the kids tonight 

2/8/07 10:30 p.m.

Another day with more energy and Josh is very encouraged. Tonight for supper, he had pizza and it went down easily. He said it made him feel half-way human.  In occupational therapy he has been using something called arm splints which are like gigantic blow-up swimmies that go from wrist to armpit. They stabilize his arms and he does exercises such as lifting his arm up or crossing them over his chest.  Last week they were giving him maximum support on his right arm and moderate on his left.  This week he is getting moderate support with his right arm and minimum on his left. He was psyched by this news. The therapists were very encouraging in regards to this. 

We are looking more into our housing situation.  It seems a bit obvious that we can't just wait, hoping that Extreme Makeover will come through (although we are hoping, desperately).  We are praying for wisdom and guidance in what God has for our family. The baby is set to arrive very shortly after Josh's release from MFB so this is also another factor we are considering.  People from the hospital are coming over to look at the house and see if there is any possibility of making it barrier-free and handicapped accessible. We are pretty sure what the answer will be but we figured we have nothing to lose!

That's all. I can barely keep my eyes open, so nighty-night.

Prayer Requests:

-Total healing

-Wisdom in our housing situation

-Total healing (Oh, did I say that already?) :-)

Sorry about not posting yesterday.  Wireless up at Mary Free Bed has been finicky to say the least.  Thought I'd take a minute and update you on how our day went yesterday.  

Josh slept well again.  He had the most energy that he has had since arriving at MFB. He was very encouraged by this.  He worked hard in all his exercises and is continuing to strengthen the muscles he has use of.  He does have some small sensations in some random parts of his body and we are encouraged by this.  We are not sure if they will turn out to be anything, but any increased sensation at his point is positive!!!

My uncle and aunt came up last night and were surprised at how much Josh is moving his arms.  This made both Josh and me excited.  They had not seen us since before the accident and were encouraged by how much he was moving.  We are seeing the day by day improvements and they are much harder to see.  Their perspective was a huge encouragement to us.

Josh and I were reading some scripture that my mom and Holly have been reading and holding on to for Josh. It is so appropriate, calming, and reassuring (so much so that on the second time through reading Josh fell asleep!).

 2 Corinthians 1:8-11: ...We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger.  And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us. He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers for our safety have been answered.

Thank you for praying for us and interceding for us when we are discouraged. God has already done so much more than we could have ever imagined.  

-Total healing- GOD CAN DO THIS- WE BELIEVE

-Strength for the day and night ahead

-Wisdom and peace in this entire circumstance