I know I keep saying the word amazing in just about every post I make but truly this girl of mine amazes me! There are so many facets to traumatic brain injuries. You can lose so much and yet if you are young enough you can regain it all back so fast. Once again she has triumphed! She has regained all five senses- Hearing, Vision, Touch, Smell and Taste!
On Thursday evening I had Jaimee on my lap. I ate a corn chip and noticed she was eye-balling it. I asked her if she wanted a bite and put the chip in front of her, she leaned forward, opened her mouth and took and tiny bite on the end of the chip-she liked it. Although I had initially thought she had her appetite back, I never considered she had lost those senses since it wasn't ever discussed by the doctors before. Friday she ate more and she seemed to be more fussy when I cooked meals for the family. By Saturday she wanted just about anything anyone else was eating.
After having beans and cheese, chips, crackers, blueberries and raspberries, juice, milk, eggs, and a bunch of other things I knew she was finally demonstrating hunger. Sunday night sealed the deal. I popped popcorn and the smell drove her into a frenzy demanding to be a part of the family fun. We bit off the hard parts of the kernels, fed her the soft popped part and watched as she was left all smiles in a buttery bliss of popcorn. Not too shabby for only having been 11 weeks since the accident.
As of last night she ate chunks of chicken, cantaloupe and squash. She seems to be eating faster, larger portions which is forcing her to exercise her jaws more to chew. We can only hope she will be off her feeding tube soon (less than 6 months) so we can get her crawling again.
For those wanting to continue to know what to pray for I would ask you to focus your prayers on Jaimee's ability to chew and to communicate through words and sign. The down side of so much improvement comes much frustration in her lack of ability to communicate with us. Thanks again for all the prayers.
Love,
Mardee
4 comments:
Yay! And yay for her frustration too. How exciting that she has so much to communicate! I have some toddler bibs I am making for Jaimee (should be done this weekend, I hope). Sounds like they are needed!
She's definitely in our prayers. Thank you for giving us specific progress to hope and pray for her.
oops I was signed in under the wrong name- Young is actually me.
Thank you for sharing every step with us. This little girl is teaching many people through her difficult experience.
We continue praying for your family with faith. We are friends with your Jessop family in Simi and are happy to hear of all the updates. What a miracle, you are doing a wonderful job testifying. With love, Marci Sargent (and family)
I will continue to pray for her to re-learn how to communicate
I am so thankful that Jaimee is developing quite quickly along a babys path. Wriggling and shifting in the bed; holding her head up; able to lift her butt off the ground; and beginning to get onto hands and knees to start to try rocking before crawling. My children began crawling around 5-6 months. Jaime had her accident March 24th, therefore she is only 3mths old technically and look at what she has already re-learned.
Remember that talking comes after the crawling and the walking. Momma; Daddy; Up; Hi; Cat; Dog; Yeah; I did it. This is the extent of John's vocabulary at age 15 months. Just remind yourself it took her about a year and a half to learn to talk the first time and don't get too discouraged. She seems to be actually healing and recovering a lot faster and better than expected. Your family are doing a wonderful job at encouraging; challenging; and re-teaching Jaimee all the skills she needs.
Like I said; I will continue to pray for her communication skills and for your family's continued guidence and teachings for Jaimee.
Love you all
Mary Lee
Post a Comment