monday evening

gen got a new attachment for her wheelchair today. it allows her to change the mode of the chair (from forward to reverse or to tilt) by moving her head. there are still some kinks that we are working out. but when it works right, it will give her more independence for as long as she is still using a chair. in speech she worked on multi-syllable words. the therapist was only using two-syllables, but as soon as she left, gen turned to me and said she wanted to watch the law and order marathon, saying the word "marathon" as clear as a bell. three syllables with no effort. in pt we worked with the chair most of the time, but amy also did some new stretches for gen's back that will help her flexibility for standing and walking later. in ot we used the electrodes again and gen applied lip gloss and fed herself. the big news, though, is that gen can do chipmunk cheeks, pursing her lips and filling her cheeks with air. this is a big step forward. it means that the muscles in her mouth are stronger and her breathing is good enough to get a mouthful of air. we are blessed indeed. thank you for your prayers and comments. God has been very good to us.

susan