Evening update and my own reflections

Erin called me and said she was having trouble getting online from the hospital, so she asked me to post today's update.

Two more small victories occurred today. For the first time in weeks, Aidan smiled. The Occupational Therapist was touching his eyes, ears, etc. then making Aidan touch those same places. Erin said she saw it in his eyes first, but then actually saw his mouth turn up in a little smile. The therapists also informed Erin that it will not be necessary to get a hospital bed for Aidan to sleep in at home; a simple foam wedge will work fine for elevating Aidan. This is a big deal, since Aidan and Evan will still be sharing a room when Aidan comes home. When you consider the size of a hospital bed and the fact that the bedrooms are not very big, knowing that this is not a necessity is a pretty big deal.

The serial casts will finally come off tomorrow morning, followed most likely by a long stint in the stander. The Physical Therapist said the back half of the cast will be retained to serve as a brace until the ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) braces can be ordered. The order has been placed, so hopefully the person responsible for fitting Aidan for them will be in by the end of the week.

Surfer the Sheltie came to visit again today and will be back on Thursday. Just like last time, Surfer laid his head across Aidan's belly. Erin helped Aidan pet his muzzle and even had him touch his nose. Aidan stayed relaxed through the whole thing, which is good ... especially when you consider we have Bear, Paco, and Max here at home. A new dog (Erin believed its name was "Abby") is coming tomorrow. I hope it's a chocolate lab; Aidan loved playing with Bear.

I got back in touch with the lady who made the connection with Aidan previously, mainly to deal with the nightmare that is filling out the North Carolina and South Carolina state tax returns (believe me, Oklahoma's tax return is a cake walk compared to those things!). Erin asked that I have her make another connection with Aidan now that he is at Levine. She said she would do her best and email us as soon as she made the connection.

On a personal note, I watched the YouTube video Erin made again and realized that I am still very much in the grieving process. As I watched the pictures from before the accident, I saw the "smiling eyes" that would greet me even on my most down days and instantly cheer me up. My son -- the one who is most the mirror image of me -- is now in the hospital and I don't know how he is going to turn out, even though I have faith that God is going to do what is best. What made me the most emotional, though, was not the before pictures. It was looking at the post-accident photos and still seeing the same smile in those eyes (when they were open) that, as far as I know, can't even make out who I am. When I see that, I can still hear him saying "Hey!". Right now, that sound is both the most wonderful and the most painful thing I hear in my mind.

I oh so miss my little man. Yes, I have my other little man in Evan who is loving and playful and so full of life and energy and I love with all of my being and will move heaven and earth to make sure nothing bad happens to him; however, I would put myself in PaPaw's pond in an instant if I knew it would bring Aidan back to normal ... all so I could hear him say "Hey!" one more time.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I know many of you follow this regularly and even cross-post to message boards, etc. that you belong to. All of that is greatly appreciated. Continue praying for progress and success.

Thank you,
Russell