Every Day's a Labor Day in Rehab.

(Christian's Dad writing...)  Friday was the first full day in the Rehabilitation Clinic.  You might think they start light and then taper up to a full schedule.  You'd be wrong about that.  It's high gear from the start.  Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy; "welcome" visits from Social Worker, Nurse Manager, Neuro Psychologist, plus the attending physician, Dr. Ryser, and a couple other medical professionals that I can't remember what they do right now.  Lots of Action.

An aide arrived with a wheel chair set up for a tall guy who needs support for the neck and head.  Space is tight so we parked it in the shower.  Transfer from bed to wheel chair promises to be exciting.  Stand by for more on that later.

A fun moment during the occupational therapist's assessment:  Christian gripped the grip meter up to 1/2 lb. (That means the needle just wavered off of zero but it's a positive sign and we're savoring all of those.)

The speech therapist brought and installed a speaking valve on the end of his traech tube.  After a few moments of figuring out how to re-route his air around the tube he was talking out loud.  His voice has a bit of a raspy sound, bit it's music to our ears.  Those were his first audible words since the night of the accident; a big step towards "normal" for Chris and family.  About 40 minutes of talking brought him to exhaustion.  The goal is to build up to all day long in a few days.  Go Chris!

A tender moment with Sheila in the wee hours of Saturday; Sheila was by the bed holding Christian's right hand as he slept, all of a sudden a squeeze from Chris, Sheila looked at him in surprise to see that infectious smile of his.  What a great prank!  That's the first we've felt a squeeze from the right hand.

Thanks, again, for your prayers and kind thoughts.  We feel your love.  We acknowledge the Lord's hand in our lives.