Each night around 8 or 9 pm, Craig gets quite active and we have a really good interaction with him. He is able to respond to us more completely, perform motor exercises, and focus on what is happening around him. During these times we feel that we are able to communicate our love for him and that he understands what is going on. He was able to eat quite a bit more today, and with the exception of the pureed scrambled eggs for breakfast, did not object too much to anything. I failed to mention a fun interaction that he had yesterday with one of the therapy dogs. Craig was able to pet and play with the dog, tossing a stuffed toy that he would bring back. He seemed to really enjoy the experience.

Craig did much better with his walking today, both legs are starting to work together. He is also able to push himself up from a prone position on the mat. He had his first tray of food tonight, pork, green beans, and mashed potatoes, all pureed. We are not sure what thought about it, but it was a good start. He has stayed up all afternoon today, instead of sleeping, and is interacting a little more.

We took a quick video shot of Craig working on the stepper yesterday and posted it to the link above. If you click on the Play Video link, it should open into a Quicktime or Windows Media screen and play a 15-second video. May or may not work for you, good luck. This is a manual machine, so all of the movement you see is being initiated by Craig.

 

With better control of his right leg, Craig was able to walk today with the assistance of two PT helpers (one under each arm). His footing is still wobbly, but he was doing it. Later on in the room he was in a chair, and when we stood him up he took off walking, which was rather exciting and somewhat challenging since we were not expecting it, and the room is not very large.

As if things were going a little too well, we had a setback this afternoon when the PT person accidently pulled out Craig's feeding tube during his workout. The radiologist was available, and they were able to insert a new tube in about a 20-minute procedure. Craig slept through the whole procedure and seems fine tonight. The plan is to begin regular meals (pureed food) tomorrow and reduce the tube feedings during the day.

Craig woke up a bit more today. He is smiling, showing more facial expressions, responding to questions with nodding, and making choices about where to sit, what to eat, etc. He is also moving his right leg more. He did 11 minutes in the exercise machine, and is throwing a ball to those sitting on the bed with him. It has been a really exciting day, and everyone involved with his treatment is very encouraged. He was also mouthing some words with the speech therapist. This evening he practically climbed out of bed, and we had to put him a chair for a while. He took a big step today and we are hopeful it will continue.