We just finished a therpay visit and I am still amazed with Jenny’s progress. It seems like every movement is buidling upon the next and they are getting more defined and controlled. At the suggestion of some friends, I began working the ASL alphabet into Jenny’s range of motion. Her fingers have become more flexible and just today, she demonstrated huge movements in both hands and sets of fingers for the first time. I will be proficient at the ASL alphabet, but unfortunately, only if I am able to use someone else’s hand to sign with. Jenny was given the assignment to do 100 toe lifts each day. The next morning she did 200 right off the bat. I see her moving and practicing all the time. The only real area where there is no advancement has been in speech. It almost seems as she has digressed even though her swallowing, tongue/mouth movements, and breathing have improved.

Jenny went to another church service yesterday and it was much easier on her. The primary children sang for Father’s Day and Jenny handled it much better than I thought. Jenny looks better and asks to get out of bed more often. She does report constant pain or discomfort with various parts of her body, so I want to be clear that this is still a very difficult process- even though she has made great strides in the use of her body.

Yet another mile stone has been met as Jenny attended her first day back at church. I did not realize how difficult it would be to get Jenny ready for church compared to any other day. First of all, there is this skirt and panty hose issue. I almost put a pair of Jessica’s tights on Jenny that were somehow placed in Jenny’s dresser by mistake. The real stockings did not seem much bigger, but I was aware of the “dance” and stretching that is involved with putting these things on. Despite my deficits, Jenny still looked beautiful by the time we were done. She and I only attended the first of the three hours of meetings. I knew it would be overwhelming to be back to a place she has found such support and strength by means of friends and gospel message. I appoligize to those who hoped to speak with her since we left early. Jenny was emotional the whole time and struggled to compose herself. I helped her take the sacrament, which is something she looked forward to doing despite having it brought to her in the hospital on occassion. She also loved to hear the choir, despite her tears and emotions. She looks forward to returning next week.

Jenny has demonstrated more movement in her body. I noticed that her toes were moving in a rythmic, fluid motion as if she was tapping to a beat. When asked to stop, she stopped, and would continue when asked to do so. Her right hand has also began to move all its fingers and bend at the wrist when Jenny is asked to move it. She has not been able to repeat these movements that all appeared last evening, but I assume it is normal to have the ability to come and go. I can get movement in her left hand too, with a new therapy that I invented called, “booger therapy”. It is simple and plays on Jenny’s dislike of other people’s snot. I simply hold her hand out and slowly move my nose close to her hand and she either bends the threatened finger out of the way or the whole hand. I guess this could be a reflexive movement, but at no time do I touch her fingers (even though I tease her that I will put her finger in my nose). She usually laughs and enjoys seeing movement as much as I do. Jenny also is able to make movements, upon request, better when she laughs. I’m not sure how that works, but I tell Jenny that she will take her first steps at a comedy club if this is the case.