I SHOULD PROB. MENTION THAT WE CONQUERED SOMETHING HUGE, THAT 2 YEARS AGO WAS ?ED. YESTERDAY, MARK WENT 2 CA, 2 TAKE THE KIDS 2 MY SISTER & BIL (BROTHER-IN-LAW) HOUSE. I STAYED HERE. IT WAS SHORT-MARK IS BACK, & I’M ALIVE. MY CARETAKER, BROTHER, & SIL (SISTER-IN-LAW) HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE

FIA IS A GREAT CHEERLEADER. HER JOB 4 THERAPY IS 2 HOLD A RECORDER (SHE HAS ONLY DONE IT 3X), & I TRY 2 BLOW. IF I MAKE NOISE, SHE CHEERS! SHE LOVES 2 FEED ME & SIT ON MY LAP, WHETHER RIDING/MOVING OR NOT. HER LATEST THING IS 2 OPEN MY CAR DOOR & ACTUALLY TRY 2 LIFT ME OUT OF R CAR! WHEN I STROKED, SHE WAS BARELY 2 YRS. OLD. I OFTEN WONDER ABOUT R BOND, & IF SHE REMEMBERS HER MOM BEFORE HER STROKE. IN MY EDUCATION, I LEARNED HOW VITAL THE 1^ST 5 YRS. OF LIFE R. I WORKED HARD 4 MY OLDER 2, SO IS THAT WHERE FIA HAS DEVELOPED A LOVE 4 READING (FROM HER SIBLINGS)? BUT JESS IS NOT A READER’OH! SHE ‘READS’ 2 ME 2!

WE PLANNED 2 GO 2 SAN ANTONIO WED. (ZOO) & THURS. (THURS. MORNING BREAKFAST W/SHAMU 4 MY FAM., MIKE, & MIKE’S GIRL) & HAVE A HOTEL. NOW MIKE’S TEMPLE ENDOWMENTS R TUES., & MARK HAS LENGTHENED R HOTEL STAY & WE DRIVE DOWN TUES. (TODAY). I WILL BE THERE, THOUGH IT IS HARD. MY FRIEND, EMILY, WENT W/ME LAST TIME, SO I TALKED 2 HER, & SHE LEFT IT IN MY HANDS BUT SAID THINGS THAT RE-ASSURED ME. I GUESS THE SESSION IS AT 6. I’M MIKE’S GIRLFRIEND, LEORA, WILL WATCH MY KIDS’ AT CHUCK-E-CHEESE.

TODAY IS ZACH’S B-DAY. IN 2004 I BLINK SPELLED “HAPPY BIRTHDAY.” IN 2005, I SIGNED IT. MY GOAL WAS 2 SAY IT THIS YEAR. I CAN’T. I CAN SAY A FEW THINGS SLURRED & UNRECOGNIZABLE WHEN I SIGN. I HAVE BETTER CONTROL 2 ATTEMPT 2 SAY STUFF WHEN I WANT, BUT APHASIA USUALLY WINS & I HAVE 2 WAIT 4 “THE RT. BREATH” WHICH STINKS SINCE NOT ANY BREATH WILL DO & I ALREADY HAVE 2 WAIT 4 A BREATH, SINCE I CAN’T SPONTANEOUSLY SPEAK & HAVE NO CONTROL OVER WHEN THAT BREATH WILL COME. THERE’S PROGRESS, ESP. MUCH THAT’S UNNOTICED WHERE BREATHING’S CONCERNED, JUST NOT 2 THE DEGREE I’D HOPED.