Friday morning, April 11 - approx. 9:00 AM

Subject: Hello!

YAWN!! I was too sleepy last night to get out an update ... sorry!

It was another good day. He is more alert and focused every day. He was downsided to a '4' trach and if all goes well this weekend, it comes out completely on Monday!!!! HOORAY!!!! His lungs are staying perfectly clear. They did another chest xray yesterday to check on the fluid around the lungs. Will pass on the results when I know them.

He is following directions well. He swallowed 9 out of 14 times on command yesterday. He is so much less adgitated and the 'mitt' stays off more than on. Every now and then when he is frustrated or had enough of something (speech class for one) he'll grab hair or wrists or something. Last evening the BA used a yes/no paper for him to mark if he wanted to go outside or not. Once they came inside, MOM did it .... he communicated WELL with me on the yes no. For instance I was reading scripture to him and asked him if he'd like something else read and he opened and stopped at Psalms 107. After reading it I asked if there was anything else ... he was looking at the words and was first closing his left eye and then the right. I asked if he could see out of each eye and he pointed yes. (Hallelujah!) I suspect that perhaps there is double vision in the right eye as when he and I went outside I noticed him closing first one and then the other eye. I also asked if his should was in pain and he pointed yes. I wrote a 1-2-3 and told him one was it hurt only a little, two was it hurt so-so and three it hurts a lot ... what level does it hurt and he pointed to the two. He would not point at either when I asked him if he wanted the nurse to give him some tylenol. The NEAT NEAT thing is that I went out on a limb and gave him a pen and asked him if he'd write his name ..................... HE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (He is right handed and this was with his left hand!) It was AWESOME to watch him write Dwight and then Witherington sort of was jumbled but he is like his father in that when they sign their name you can read about the first five letters of the last name and have to guess at the rest!!! I met his speech therapist on the way outside and she actually teared up when I told her he wrote his name and she is MOST anxious for this mornings speech session. He is coming around more and more every day. He is beginning to sleep through the night on a regular basis which is direct answer to prayer. Every day is a new adventure and we look for great things FROM GOD!!! I am holding off on moving into the family apartments as right now all that is available for what I need is in the OLD building and, well .... let's say I looked at it and the LESS time I have to live in this OLD, smelley place the better!!! SO right now we will remain here at the Barkers. Right now they are due to close on the townhouse the 25th of this month. By then perhaps there will be something available in the new building. IF not ... THEN and only then will I 'make do'......

Thanx again for praying!! May God find us faithful!!!! joan for us 4 1 Cor 2:5 "....so that "our" faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the POWER OF GOD"!!!!