60- 103- 40- 73- 18- 14- 0

OK, for those of you who follow this, I am going to throw you off with these numbers. They don't all represent the seconds Josie has been standing at therapy..hehe!! I haven't updated in so long, so try to follow this twisted post.

60
Yes, 60 does represent the seconds she stood a week ago Thursday. It was our last day of therapy before our final week off before heading into our final 4 weeks here. Josie was having a good session and all Przemek and I wanted before we left was her to hit the 60 second/1 minute mark. It was 3:29 PM and we had to leave on time at 3:30 to catch our flight. We didn't have even one extra minute to stay that day. We begged Josie to just bear down one more time and get there...she did. We, including Josie, were SO excited. It was the milestone that we set out to achieve the day we came this summer. She did it and it was glorious. It may have been the 11th hour but it happened. Off we ran to the airport satisfied that she conquered one of her biggest challenges.

60 also happened to be the temperature it was when we left Detroit. Nice for this time of year.

103
103 was the temperature it was when we arrived to Palm Desert. Big temperature swing, but glad to be in the nice hot California sun. We spent the week with the family and Grams and Gramps at my parents desert house. It was blissful mayhem with Josie, the two 3 year old boy cousins (Matt and Luke) and the 2 baby boys (Trent and Carson). It was never quiet and it was never dull, just like we like it. We had a ball being together and just swimming, playing and laughing a lot. Blessed are we to have such a great family that loves to be together.

Cousins playing. They loved all being in this silly box.

Josie insisted on taking the alligator raft out to the pool herself. It was 3 times bigger than her and she pulled it while walking with her canes. Notice in the lower picture the nice right foot and cane placement. Przemek - you should be very pleased and that she is walking across carpet that was very soft.


Feeding Carson banana baby food for the first time. These pictures are reversed. In the upper one he just tried it and loved it and below is his first taste.


Relaxing

Night swimming



40
My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last Sunday, 10-10-10. Magical date and magical marriage. They are truly examples of best friends. We were lucky to spend this time with them. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. We all love you so much.



73
73 is the seconds she stood for today!! We have been gone 10 days and out of practice with standing. We did some in the desert, but focused more on the walking. Today she was solid as a rock every time she practiced her standing. She was hitting constant numbers in the 40s. She did one 50 and was so proud she laughed and knocked herself down. She was standing without even wobbles which means that the brain has certainly retrained itself and has over come the injury that has affected her balance since the day of separation. Everyone said it was possible, but Przemek was the only one 100% convinced that he could do it...Congrats Przemek you worked your magic once again and won another HUGE battle in Josie's recovery. Liz and Sylwia, we do owe you A LOT of credit in this department as well.

18
Only 18 more therapy days left for this 5 month run in Michigan. It is scary and exciting as we round the corner to another big finish line. I watch in amazement daily how a sweet, kind hearted soul at 9 years old can be tougher than most humans on this planet. Unless you have spent even a day here, you can't even begin to know what she, and all the kids who come here, experience. Ask Lory Eger, she will tell you. Melissa is here with Sylwia again right now. These little girls have so much grit and willpower. Melissa stood for 12 minutes today. Her best time was yesterday with 5 1/2. Miracles happen but only because these miracle children and therapists work their tails off. We are 18 days away from returning to what was once our "normal" life, what ever that is. Scary to leave because we launch back into "normal" life and we have to remember to take the importance of what we have learned here and apply it into a life that doesn't slow down to do that well. Keep Josie is your prayers during this final push. We thank you for checking in on us. It is nice to have the support.

14
14 is the age of our dear friend, Janie Livingston's, nephew, DJ. He complained last week of a pulled shoulder, but was quite the athlete and didn't think much of it. It got bad enough that he went to the doctor and was unexpectadly diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Janie and Reggie went to be with the family last weekend and they got better news then they originally received and that it was treatable. This sweet 14 year old is starting the fight of his life. We know first hand the power of prayer and even though we have never met him, please send up a quick prayer for DJ and his family.

0
I have zero things left to add tonight (unusual for me I know!). Will be back again tomorrow night. Love and peace, Jenny and my prize fighter, Josie