Week 7: 11-17-2011 Update

This week has been the scariest week since weeks 1 & 2. Ruby has seemed to present with additional seizures throughout the week. The seizures are small and brief; in fact, they're so brief that we are not even certain that they are actual seizures as opposed to harmless daydreaming/staring spells. Nevertheless, no seizure is a good seizure and the doctors have stressed the importance of controlling Ruby's seizures during this critical recovery time. A very straightforward prayer request is that the Lord protect her brain from any and all abnormal electrical activity. If nothing else, this would help all of us put our minds at ease. Ruby is making good progress, but another seizure at this point in time could be devastating.

With all that in mind, Ruby continues to show signs of improvement nearly every day. When she had a day pass to leave the hospital on Sunday, I got the chance to take her to Griffith Park. We watched the train (for little kids) for a few minutes and I watched her watch the people on the train. I kept asking her, "do you want to go for a ride on the train?" At first she consistently shook her head and said, "no" (she's been scared of the train before). Each time she hesitated a little bit more as if she was really giving it some thought. I continued to ask her if she wanted to go for a ride and she finally decided that that would be okay. We ran and bought some tickets and jumped on the train, but Ruby wanted nothing to do with sitting next to me. She had to be on my lap. A few moments into the ride she was smiling at the ponies as we passed and waving to the squirrels. When the ride was over, she didn't want to get off!  :)

Yesterday, Ruby had her first hydrotherapy session. She dragged her right arm through the water, but was kicking both her legs as she sat in a little floaty raft - very much like she had done at Grandma and Papa Weeks' house just the weekend before the seizure.

Today Ruby squeezed mom's hand, actually held and ate a cracker using her right hand. When Melissa called to tell me she did this I almost couldn't believe my ears. She also can lift her right arm over her head as if to put her hands up. Ruby and Melissa had a dance party today. Ruby is a crack up when she tries to dance and we love to see her try!

New words/phrases: "I want that one", "see you", "here", "baby", and "ooh, mama".

Here is a video of Ruby in the therapy pool.

But let's not forget about Molly Sister . . .

Keep praying everyone! It works!