Tuesday, January 31st, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints and her right leg cast all night! This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. Liz came by to visit Tracy and to go with Mom to her mammography appointment at National Naval Medical Center. Mom was really glad that Liz went with Mom and that she had some company. They were able to hit the Navy Exchange and do some shopping after her appointment. Linda stretched and ranged Tracy and gave her a facial while Mom was gone. Tracy relaxed and rested on the mat, enjoying her day off from Physical Therapy. This evening, Nichole, Tracy's volunteer and our good friend came over to visit Tracy. Tracy really loves when Nichole comes to visit. She brought Tracy a really beautiful candle which smells like springtime. This afternoon, Linda fed Tracy some strawberry banana yogurt smoothie. Tracy did a good job swallowing and we hope that the active cultures are easier on her tummy. We will continue to practice eating every day and then move up to twice a day. This evening, our good friends Marcia and Mary came over to visit and have dinner with us. Rick and Tiffany joined us and we all had Chinese food and watched the State of the Union Address. It had been several years since we saw Marcia and Mary and it was really good to catch up with them. Tomorrow, Tracy has her serial casting appointment at Children's National Medical Center with Melissa and Katherine. Please say a prayer that her serial casting gets back on track with no skin breakdown. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Regardless Of Outcome : There Are No Wrong Decisions!

Monday, January 30th, 2006: Tracy slept well last night except for several times when she woke up grinding. Dad decided to give her a break from her night splints and right leg cast. She has been so good about wearing them that she deserves a break! This morning, Mom and Linda showered Tracy and got her ready for her appointment at 12:30 with the Rehab Technician from Chesapeake. He was 30 minutes late and did not have all the parts he needed to make the necessary adjustments. He will be back in a week or so with the right pieces and parts. Mom will be very happy to have the wheel chair project resolved so that she can move on to the next project. In Italy they call this "un lavoro en corso!" Mom and Linda zoomed Tracy to Speech Therapy at GWU in record time and were only 4 minutes late! She even managed to send Tracy and Linda ahead so that she could stop for the lattes at Starbuck's. Linda and Mom make quite a team. We are fortunate that they are both fast walkers! It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid to upper 60's. During Speech Therapy, Melissa and Nikki went over the usual exercises using a multi-sensory approach. Tracy seemed more awake today than she was last week. She was answering questions using two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. She did a really good job making sounds too. Both Melissa and Nikki were very pleased with Tracy's vocalizations. She was giving them some deep breaths on command too. Tracy also moved away from the mini massager when Nicki was massaging her face. She shook her head No in response to the facial stimulation and made some faces to show them that she did not like it. We return on Thursday at noon for another session with Nicki. This afternoon, Mom and Linda fed Tracy some strawberry banana yogurt smoothie. Tracy did a good job swallowing and we hope that the active cultures are easier on her tummy. We will continue to practice eating every day and then move up to twice a day. This evening, Duncan couldn't make it to Physical Therapy, but Emil was able to come over and give Tracy a massage. She really seemed to relax and enjoy it. We hope she sleeps better tonight. Her pressure sores from her casts nearly three weeks ago are healing well and she should be able to get casted this Wednesday. Tomorrow, Tracy has no appointments and will be able to rest up for her casting on Wednesday at Children's National Medical Center with Melissa and Katherine. Please say a prayer that her serial casting gets back on track with no skin breakdown. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Power Of Union : Entering Into Partnership!

Sunday, January 29th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another good night's sleep, waking up early with a little teeth grinding. Mom thinks Tracy may be having an upset stomach from the ice cream and will try yogurt instead. Maybe the live cultures will be better for her stomach. She tolerated her right leg cast and resting hand splints for another eight hours last night. This morning, Mom and Janneth bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on 23rd Street. Dad went to Starbuck's for an early latte (and scone) run. Tracy slept a lot throughout Mass. Fr. Loftus blessed Tracy at the end of Mass. It was really amazing, because she seemed to smile after he blessed her. The weather was pretty rainy and balmy, a pretty good day for sleeping. Tracy did not have any therapy today, so she got to rest up for her busy week ahead. This afternoon, Mom went with Tiffany to visit Rick's new place in Alexandria. It is really nice! This evening, Mom, Dad, Tiffany, Rick and Tracy hung out together and watched the usual Sunday evening line-up of Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. Everyone missed Sasha who is home nursing a head cold. We hope she recovers fast and will back in the swing of things this week. Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment at home with the rehab technician from Chesapeake to make the last fine tune adjustments on her wheel chair. Then she has Speech Therapy at GWU Speech and Hearing Clinic with Melissa at 2 PM. We hope she will be rested up from the weekend and ready to work hard this week! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Intertwined Fates : We Are All Connected!

Saturday, January 28th, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She was relaxed and wore her right leg cast and resting hand splints for eight hours last night. This morning, Mom and Dad showered Tracy and got her ready for Physical Therapy with Duncan at 1:15 PM. During PT, Duncan went through Tracy's passive range of motion exercises and then Mom and Duncan got Tracy on her tummy (prone) and propped up on her elbows to weight bear through her shoulders and get a good stretch in her hips and hamstrings. Tracy was uncomfortable at first and then relaxed and settled into the stretch. She tolerated 25 minutes in this position. Mom fed Tracy some white chocolate and coffee ice cream. Tracy did a good job swallowing the ice cream once she acclimated to the cold. She swallowed about three of four teaspoons full. This evening, Tracy rested on the mat. She was pretty tired from her busy week. Tomorrow, Tracy has the day off from therapy. We plan to go to Mass at noon at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Spreading Happiness : Smiling!

Friday, January 27th, 2006: Tracy slept well last night after Mom gave her some Tylenol around 1:30 AM to help her stop grinding her teeth. Despite her short bout with grinding, she wore her resting hand splints all night.This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for Physical Therapy with Jen. During PT, Jen stretched and ranged Tracy and then it was time to sit her on the edge of the mat. Jen and Linda propped Tracy's elbows on the edge of her therapy table so she could weight bear through her shoulders. Tracy tried really hard to hold her head up. Mom held some pictures up for her to look at. They were pictures of Tiffany and her modeling funny Aldo hats that our good friend Betty gave them from Italy. We thought that the pictures might make Tracy laugh a little but she must not of thought that they were very funny. Mom and Linda fed Tracy some mint ice cream while she was seated in her chair. She did a good job moving her mouth and tongue and swallowed several times. She ate several spoonsful and seemed to enjoy it. Linda gave Tracy a facial while she rested on the mat. She spent some time stretching her arms and hands while waiting for the mask to dry. Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Duncan at noon. Sunday she has the day off from therapy. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: The Year Of The Dog : Guidance For Chinese New Year!

Thursday, January 26th, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another restful night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints all night as well. This morning, Mom and Linda showered and shampooed Tracy and bundled her up to brave the 30 degree temperatures and chilly wind. Tracy had an appointment at noon with Melissa at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. Melissa introduced us to Nikki, one of Melissa's colleagues who will be working with Tracy on Thursdays starting next week. Tracy was pretty sleepy again today. She did some answering of questions but struggled to keep her eyes open throughout the session. We will make sure that Tracy gets in bed a little earlier tonight. Hopefully, she will not be as sleepy tomorrow. This afternoon, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen at 1:45 PM. Jen spent some time stretching and ranging Tracy and then she and Linda got Tracy on the peanut ball straddled to practice sitting. She did a good job relaxing her legs around the peanut ball. Jen got another smaller ball which Tracy was able to wrap her arms around. Jen coached Tracy to push on the ball to hold her head up. She was trying really hard to push on the ball to hold her head up. She tolerated 30 minutes sitting in this position. After PT, Tracy relaxed on the mat while Mom and Linda fed her some vanilla ice cream. Tracy looked at us and the expression in her eyes read: "Why haven't you been feeding me stuff like this all along?" Mom and Linda decided to ditch the nectar consistency hydrolyte and will be trying different flavors of ICE CREAM! Tracy did a great job moving her mouth and her tongue, and SWALLOWED! She even let Mom work with the tongue stick on various tongue exercises without using the bite guards and she did not bite the stick. Mom told Tracy it is like using little dumb bells for your tongue! Tracy was very cooperative. Tomorrow, Mom is going to Cold Stone Creamery to get some different flavors of ice cream for Tracy to try. Tomorrow, Tracy has the day off from out patient therapy and will rest at home. She has PT with Jen around 1 PM and then Linda and Mom plan on working with her swallowing. More Ice Cream! Yummy! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Conditioned Response : Reactions To Life Events!

Wednesday, January 25th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She was a little tight, even after her massage with Emil, so we decided to give her a break from her leg cast and splints. This morning, Mom and Linda bathed Tracy and got her ready for her 11:00 AM Physical Therapy appointment at Children's National Medical Center. Liz came over bright and early and accompanied us. Boy is she a good driver! We are so lucky to have her support! She is a regular Mario Andretti! Marisa was all ready to cast Tracy until she saw her pressure sores near her ankle which Tracy sustained during her first week of serial casting. Although they are healing well, Marisa and Katie decided against casting her today. We will return next week for another try at serial casting, once her wounds are completely healed. Erin, Tracy's Occupational Therapist who made her purple neoprene wrist splints, checked out all three pairs of Tracy's splints and the plan is to make some new ones next Wednesday after her casting. When we returned home, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen. She worked on stretching and range of motion exercises with Tracy's extremities, and then Jen and Linda got Tracy prone over the peanut so that she could weight bear through her knees. Tracy did a good job in this position, tolerating 30 minutes. Tracy rested on the mat after Physical Therapy. She was pretty tired from her busy day! Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Melissa at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic at noon. Then she has Physical Therapy with Jen at 1:30 PM. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Freeing Yourself : Knowing When To Let Someone Go!

Tuesday, January 24th, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She wore her resting hand splints and her right leg cast all night. This morning, Mom and Linda showered Tracy and got her ready for her 10:00 AM Speech Therapy appointment at Georgetown Hospital. During Speech Therapy, Tracy's Speech Therapist began by performing facial exercises to warm up Tracy's muscles. She used the mini facial massager and the nuk brush. She is not using Vital Stim any more, since her MBS showed that Tracy's pharyngeal phase appears normal, although it takes several swallows to clear the bolus of liquid. The goal is to strengthen Tracy's oral phase. Tracy's Speech Therapist gave Tracy a teaspoon of nectar consistency hydrolyte (lemon water). It took a little time for Tracy to swallow, but she did swallow several times. Her swallow is delayed, so we will continue to work on this until she swallows more quickly once the bolus is delivered. Practice, practice, practice! After Speech Therapy, Linda gave Tracy a manicure. She was very relaxed on the mat until Liz came by to visit us. A little later on, Gloria and the girls came by to see Tracy. It was good to have so many visitors today. This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. He spent some time as he always does, stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat Tracy on the edge of the mat so she could practice head and trunk control. He leaned her from side to side so that she could weight bear through her elbows. She seemed a little sleepy. She tolerated about 30 minutes of sitting. After PT, Emil came by to give Tracy a massage. She was over due, and relaxed and seemed to enjoy it. Tomorrow, Tracy has an 11:00 AM appointment with Marisa at Children's National Medical Center to see if her ankles are healed enough to resume serial casting. We'll let you know how that goes. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Wave Motion : Hado!

Monday, January 23nd, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She wore her right leg cast and her wrist splints for 6 hours last night. This is the first time she was able to tolerate wearing her leg cast all night in the past year or so. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy bathed and ready for her day. She rested in her bed for several hours this morning while Linda stetched and ranged Tracy. Around noon, Linda fed Tracy some nectar consistency apple juice. She did a good job swallowing and tolerated about an ounce. Mom got the green light to begin feeding Tracy at home, after her Speech Therapist at Georgetown Hospital reviewed Tracy's Modified Barium Swallow test results from Friday. It appeared that although Tracy is still at risk for aspirating, she did not show any signs of aspiration during the study. Whenever Tracy has a bolus of liquid in her mouth (such as nectar consistency juices or lemon water), it is difficult for her to get it to the back of her mouth. Therefore, Tracy's Speech Therapist is planning on working with Tracy's tongue to get it stronger to move the bolus back. Once it is moved back to the middle of her tongue, she is able to swallow it. Sometimes it takes two swallows to clear it, but she is able to clear the bolus without showing signs of aspiration (going down into her lungs instead of or in addition to her esophagus). This is good news. The key is to help Tracy get the bolus by placing the spoon in the middle of her tongue so that she can feel it and swallow it down. Mom and Linda will continue to work on this every day! At 2 PM, Tracy had Speech Therapy with Melissa at George Washingtin University Speech and Hearing Clinic. This was Tracy's first day back since before Christmas! Tracy was pretty sleepy and had a difficult time keeping her eyes open. She did answer several questions by primarily blinking her eyes twice for Yes. She must have been too sleepy to nod her head for Yes. She did have several good head shakes for No. We will return on Thursday at noon, and hopefully she will more awake at that time. This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. He spent some time as he always does, stretching and ranging Tracy and then Mom, Dad and Duncan got Tracy prone on her elbows on the mat so that she could weight bear through her shoulders. Tracy did a good job in this position, and did not grind her teeth. Duncan worked on stretching Tracy's hips and hamstrings while Dad worked on Tracy's shoulders. She tolerated about 20 minutes which was good for this aggressive stretch. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at Georgetown and the plan is for her Speech Therapist to work on oral trials with nectar consistency juices. She is also going to work on strengthening Tracy's tongue and swallow using thermal stimulation. This consists of using a laryngeal mirror which has been chilled in ice water and gently stroking the arches in the back of Tracy's throat to elicit a swallow. We used to utilize this therapeutic approach when Paige worked with Tracy about a year ago. We'll keep you updated on this. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Do Unto Others: The Golden Rule!

Sunday, January 22nd, 2006: Tracy enjoyed another peaceful night's sleep, waking Dad up a couple of times with her coughing. She wore her resting hand splints for almost 6 hours last night. This morning, Janneth and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Crystal City. After Mass, we stopped for lattes at our favorite Starbuck's. When we returned home, everyone got busy with their chores. Dad is working on a project to put all of the family's videos on DVDs. Hopefully, they will be easier to share and to store. This afternoon, Mom put Tracy's right leg cast on while she Tracy rested on the mat. She wore her cast for two hours and her purple neoprene splints for almost three hours! She is much more relaxed these days! This evening, we are celebrating Sasha's birthday with Chinese food and a Cold Stone Cremery ice cream cake. It is a "Finding Nemo" cake which is perfect since Sasha spends most of her life in NOAA Land (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) where she works a lot! Everyone hung out and watched Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy after the football games! Tomorrow, Tracy will resume her Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. We are soooooo excited that Tracy will have Melissa again for her therapy masters student! She worked with Tracy all last semester and also over the break! Tracy will see Melissa on Mondays at 2 PM and Thursdays at 12 noon. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Incredible Coincidences: Synchronicity!

Saturday, January 21st, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Dad and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. She rested until Duncan came to do Physical Therapy with her. At noon, Duncan worked with Tracy on her range of motion and stretching exercises. Then, Duncan, Dad and Mom positioned Tracy on her left side on the mat and worked on stretching her hip. They did about 10 reps, holding her hip in extension for about 30 seconds each time. This is a huge stretch for Tracy and a little uncomfortable at times. She is such a trooper! This afternoon, Tracy rested on the mat. The weather was unseasonally warm with temperatures in the mid to upper 50's. It was cloudy and overcast which made everyone sleepy. Is it Spring yet? No wonder bears hibernate! This evening, Tracy watched television in her chair with Mom and Dad. They watched the Miss America pageant! Next Monday, Tracy will resume her Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. We are soooooo excited that Tracy will have Melissa again for her therapy masters student! She worked with Tracy all last semester and also over the break! Tracy will see Melissa on Mondays at 2 PM and Thursdays at 12 noon. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Incredible Coincidences: Synchronicity!

Friday, January 20th, 2006 ~ Tracy woke up at 3 AM and 5 AM LAUGHING! It was a loud laugh, and she was wide awake, with the biggest smile! ~ Tracy slept well again last night. At around 3 and 5 AM, Tracy started laughing so hard it woke us up both times! Don't get us wrong, it was music to our ears. In fact, it conjured up the same feelings one would remember as a kid, waking up on Christmas morning! She was cracking up so much, Dad got the video camera and captured these episodes on tape. This is about the 8th time she has laughed since her first episode December 1st. Whatever it is she is thinking about, must be hilarious! Hopefully she will be able to tell us all about it soon! This morning, Linda and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for the day. The plan is to let her rest up until her Physical Therapy appointment at 1:30 PM at Georgetown Hospital. During Tracy's PT appointment, the therapist worked on adjusting Tracy's wheel chair. She is getting close to finding the optimal wheel chair components and seating system to minimize Tracy's tone. Next week, Tracy's rehab technician from Chesapeake Rehab Equipment will install her lateral supports and make sure that everything fits. At 2:30, Tracy had her Modified Barium Swallow study in Radiology. This is the fourth MBS Tracy has had since July, 2005. Unfortunately, we were not able to keep Tracy in her wheel chair for the study as we had hoped. Instead, we had to transfer Tracy to the radiology procedure chair for her test. Tracy did a really good job holding her head up with Dad's help. During the study, her Speech Therapist used an oral syringe to give Tracy a large enought bolus of barium mixed with lemon water (nectar consistency) for her to swallow. This allowed for the therapist to get the liquid in the middle of Tracy's tongue to assist with getting it back so that she could swallow. It appeared that Tracy had about 7 or 8 good swallows during the study. The therapists will spend some time reviewing the videotape and get back with us next week with the results. Keep your fingers crossed and those prayers coming! This evening, Jen came by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. She spent some time stretching and ranging Tracy. She noticed that her range of motion in her right hamstring is really improving. Her feet also seemed looser since Tracy received the botox and the alcohol blocks. We hope to return next Wednesday to resume Tracy's serial casting, as long as her pressure sores are healed on her ankles. Jen and Mom got Tracy seated on the peanut ball in a straddled position. Tracy did a really good job sitting with her pelvic stability greatly improved. She is able to put her feet on the floor and was trying hard to hold her head up with Jen behind her for support. She tolerated over 30 minutes. Next Monday, Tracy will resume her Speech Therapy at George Washington University Speech and Hearing Clinic. We are soooooo excited that Tracy will have Melissa again for her therapy masters student! She worked with Tracy all last semester and also over the break! Tracy will see Melissa on Mondays at 2 PM and Thursdays at 12 noon. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: The World In A Bright Light: Grateful!

Thursday, January 19th, 2006: Happy Birthday Sasha! ~ Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. She does not have any appointments today, so she can relax and rest up for her repeat MBS tomorrow. Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment with her Physical Therapist and the rehab technician at Georgetown Hospital to work on wheel chair adjustment. We are still trying to optimize her new wheel chair components and seating system. Her Physical Therapist will ensure that Tracy is in the optimal position to do her best on her Modified Barium Swallow test at 2:30 PM. Please say a prayer that she passes with flying colors! This afternoon, Linda gave Tracy a facial while she relaxed on the mat. Tracy did not have any Physical Therapy today. Tomorrow, she has PT in the evening with Jen. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Wild Wisdom: Animals As Teachers! Ongoing Events: January 17th, Tracy swallowed 12 times during her Vital Stim session. Her Physical Therapist was also present to adjust her head rest in order to make certain that Tracy is in the best position to optimize her swallowing. This will be very important for her Modified Barium Swallow test on Friday at 2:30 PM. January 16th, Dad spent some time reviewing the muscles with Linda as they stretched and ranged Tracy this morning. Mom printed some educational information from an excellent website on motion disorders: We Move . This morning, around 6 AM, Tracy woke up Mom and Dad laughing very loudly! She was wide awake and very alert and it seemed as though she was day dreaming. It was music to their ears! She has a beautiful huge smile, and it was wonderful to see her smiling again! Tracy had her last Vital Stim session on January 17th, resulting in 12 swallows. Her repeat Modified Barium Swallow is scheduled for January 20th at 2:30 PM. Please pray for a successful test. Wednesday, January 11th, 2006: This afternoon, Mom, Linda and Liz took Tracy to her 2:00 PM appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. Tracy's PT and OT at Georgetown and the wheel chair technician from Chesapeake durable medical equipment company spent four hours putting together Tracy's new seating system. With a few minor adjustments to work out the bugs, we are hoping that Tracy will be able to sit up better with her new seating system. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. So far, we are pleased with the modifications. It will take a few weeks for Tracy to get used to all the changes and to work out all of the kinks. Tuesday, January 10th, 2006: Melissa came by at noon to work on Speech Therapy with Tracy. She seemed very alert and eager to work with Melissa, Tracy's aide. Melissa held up short words such as DOG and CAT for Tracy to see. She first held up DOG and asked Tracy if she could see it. Tracy responded with a head nod for YES, which was really good. Then Melissa asked Tracy to read the word and that she was going to ask questions about the word. Tracy looked at the word Melissa was holding up. Then Melissa asked Tracy if Snow (Tracy's dog) was one of these. Tracy again nodded Yes. Melissa then asked Tracy if Polo (Tracy's cat) was one of these and Tracy shook her head No. Mom, Liz and Linda cheered! Melissa then held up the word CAT for Tracy to see. She asked Tracy is Polo was one of these and Tracy nodded her head Yes. She asked Tracy if Snow was one of these and Tracy shook her head No. Tracy did such a good job recognizing the words and answering the questions. She seemed to really enjoy this exercise. Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to look at numbers. Tracy nodded her head Yes. She seemed to recognize the numbers that Melissa held up. One time she seemed to confuse the 9 for the 6 but then she got it correct when Melissa asked her again. There were several times when Tracy got dizzy when she nodded Yes. Melissa asked Tracy if she rather blink her eyes twice instead of nodding but Tracy insisted on nodding. We are all very proud of her effort and perseverance. At one point, Tracy seemed uncomfortable. Melissa asked Tracy if she was uncomfortable. Tracy nodded Yes. After several questions to assess the cause of her discomfort, Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to get out of her wheel chair. Tracy nodded Yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to get on the mat. Tracy shook her head No. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to sit in the massage chair, Tracy nodded Yes. She seemed very comfortable when we moved her to the massage chair. Thursday, January 5th: Tracy had Speech Therapy today with Melissa, her ST Aide. She was very awake and alert and had her best session yet. She did a great job answering Melissa's questions about the various scents she had her smell: cinnamon, peppermint, orange, lavender, etc. Tracy shook her head pretty consistently for No and blinked her eyes twice or nodded her head at times for Yes. She did a good job identifying various colors and shakes too. She even made some sounds on command. Bottom line: she was trying really hard. Her eyes seemed to focus better today too. Melissa asked Tracy to look at her and Tracy looked right at her. When Melissa asked Tracy if she could see her, Tracy blinked twice for yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she was wearing glasses (Melissa), and Tracy blinked twice No, which was correct. Melissa was very pleased with Tracy's participation today. Wednesday, January 4th, 2006: Tracy had an appointment at 10 AM with Katie and Marissa at Children's National Medical Center Department of Physical Therapy Department for her first serial casting. It has a year since Tracy was last casted. A lot has changed since then. She does not have the aggravating and painful wound on her right hip any more which caused her much discomfort last time and her spasticity has improved due to better Baclofen management. She also has a very large dose of Botox and Alcohol Block on board which is helping to minimize Tracy's spasticity. Bottom line: she is in much better shape this time around for a successful serial casting experience. Tracy will return next Wednesday at 11:00 AM for a cast change. Tuesday, January 3rd at 2 PM: Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi, Tracy's physiatrist at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital. Dr. Gisolfi reevaluated Tracy to see if she needed another alcohol block to her obturator nerves which helps to relax her adductors. This is important to optimize the success of Tracy's serial casting which begins tomorrow at Children's National Medical Center. The Botox seems to be having some effect on Tracy's tone in her lower extremities, and with the additional assistance of the alcohol blocks, Tracy should be in optimal form for serial casting. The plan is for Tracy to get serial casted from right above her toes to her mid calf on both feet. The cast is well padded to minimize pressure sores and skin breakdown under the cast. The casts are left on for about 5 or 6 days, and then removed. Tracy is then able to shower and get a massage which will help her skin to rest and get ready for the next set of casts. This is repeated until the desired effect is reached, which is straight feet on which she can stand and bear weight via the tilt table. Please say a prayer that this process is effective and that Tracy does not need surgical intervention. Tuesday, December 13th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment at Georgetown Hospital for Vital Stim. During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed fifteen times. Mom brought a bottle of Starbucks frappacino to let Tracy smell and she started swallowing immediately. This is definitely more in line with her average swallows, which range between 9 and 12 swallows per session. We really think Tracy is averse to the subfreezing temperatures we are experiencing. There is a reason why Tracy chose to go to college in Miami for heaven's sake. She does not do well in cold weather. We will continue to practice swallowing over the holidays and resume her Vital Stim in the New Year! There are lots of good aromas in Mamaw's kitchen and plenty of motivation to SWALLOW! Friday, December 9th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment with Dr. Pagan at Georgetown Hospital. Dr. Pagan injected a total of 600 units of Botox into Tracy's right medial and lateral hamstring, both her right and left anterior and posterior tibialis, soleus, and gastrocnemius muscles. Tracy was so relaxed and tolerated the injections very well. We are hopeful that in two or so weeks, we will see a significant improvement in Tracy's lower body tone. The plan is to begin serial casting once the Botox has taken effect. Tracy has an appointment at Children's National Medical Center on Wednesday, January 4th at 10:00 AM. This will include casting Tracy's feet each week, correcting her positioning incrementally until Tracy is able to put her foot in a plantar position. This will enable us to finally get Tracy into some AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) to hold her feet in a normal position. This is a long-term goal which will take time and patience to attain. If the combination of Botox, serial casting, Baclofen adjustment, and physical therapy (tilt table) does not prove to be successful, the option of surgical intervention is still a possibility. Tuesday, December 6th: Tracy, Tiffany, Mom, Linda and Liz went to tour the White House. The theme for this year's tour: All Things Bright & Beautiful, was chosen to highlight the beauty to be found in nature. The White House Residence staff and floral designers from across the country did a magnificent job incorporating the natural beauty found in the many plants, trees, fruit and flowers created by our Designer In Chief: God! Tracy really seemed to enjoy the outing, especially the areas that are typically off limits to most guests (but on the way to the elevator) such as the kitchen, the President's doctor's office, and the private reception room. She seemed very interested in all the hustle and bustle going on in the kitchen with the many White House chefs preparing for a special party. Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Tiffany graduated from LSU's Manship School of Mass Communications on December 19th. Mom, Dad, Tracy, Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Mike, Aunt Cheryl, Kathryn Jean, Rick, and Tamar were there to cheer her on! She now has a Master's in Mass Communication (MMC) with a concentration in public relations. She started at the Red Cross on January 12th in the Human Relations Department where she will be working on special projects. We are very proud of her.

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Linda and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for Physical Therapy with Jen at 11:00 AM.. During PT with Jen, Tracy seemed very relaxed and her tone was really good. After her stretching session and range of motion exercises, Jen, Mom and Linda got Tracy prone over the peanut ball on her knees. She was very relaxed and tolerated over 30 minutes. She would have tolerated longer but Jen had to go! This afternoon, Linda read Tracy the rest of the story Hope For The Flowers while she rested on the mat. She slept off an on throughout the afternoon. It was one of those days, pretty dreary, cold and rainy. Everyone was sleepy! This evening, Tracy has a massage with Emil. Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy at 10:45 AM with Jen. The plan is to let her rest up so that she is in tip top shape for her repeat MBS on Friday at 2:30 PM. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Intimate Reflections: Soul Seeing!

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006: Three years since Tracy's surgery and cardiac arrest! ~ Tracy enjoyed another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for her last Vital Stim therapy session (out of a series of 12) at 10:00 AM and then her Baclofen pump refill at 11:00 AM, both at Georgetown Hospital. Tracy swallowed 12 times during her Vital Stim session. Her Physical Therapist was also present to adjust her head rest in order to make certain that Tracy is in the best position to optimize her swallowing. This will be very important for her Modified Barium Swallow test on Friday at 2:30 PM. After Vital Stim, Dr. Tornatore refilled Tracy's Baclofen pump at 11:00 AM. He was very pleased with her tone and decided to keep Tracy's dose schedule the same. He noted a significant improvement since the first time he saw Tracy last summer in both her spasticity and cognition. This evening, Nichole, our good friend and Tracy's volunteer came by to see us. She brought us a beautiful family picture in a really nice frame. It was so great to visit with her and catch up. This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. After he performed his scenario of range of motion exercises to all of Tracy's extremities, he positioned Tracy on the edge of the mat. Then Mom and Duncan propped Tracy on her elbows in front of the therapy table so that she could weight bear through her shoulders. Tracy did a good job holding up her head with support. She tolerated 30 minutes in a supported sitting position. Tomorrow, Tracy has a quiet day with only Physical Therapy with Jen in the evening. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Focused Value: Quality vs. Quantity!

Monday, January 16th, 2006: Tracy had anothr good night's sleep last night. She was relaxed and tolerated her hand splints all night. This morning, around 6 AM, Tracy woke up Mom and Dad laughing very loudly! It was music to their ears! She has a beautiful huge smile, and it was wonderful to see her smiling again! This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for the day. It was a quiet and relaxing day, with only Physical Therapy at 5:30 with Duncan. Dad spent some time reviewing the muscles with Linda as they stretched and ranged Tracy this morning. Mom printed some educational information from an excellent website on motion disorders: We Move . Linda gave Tracy a manicure while Tracy relaxed on the mat. Mom gave Tracy a facial while she listened to her Guided Imagery CD. She was very relaxed and made some good vocalizations periodically throughout the day. During PT, Duncan performed his scenario of range of motion exercises to all of Tracy's extremities. Then, Mom, Dad and Duncan positioned Tracy prone on the mat. Duncan stretched Tracy's hips and hamstrings while Mom rubbed her back. Tracy seemed to relax on her tummy and tolerated 30 minutes in this position. Tomorrow, Tracy has her last Vital Stim session at 10:00 and an appointment with Dr. Tornatore at 11:00 to get her Baclofen pump refilled. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Fully Committed To Now : Why We Are Not Shown The Big Picture!

Sunday, January 15th, 2006: Three Years Since Tracy's Accident in Florence! ~ Tracy woke up several times last night. This morning, Mom and Janneth showered Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. It was really cold outside, with temperatures plummeting from the mid 50's yesterday to the low 20's this morning. It was also very windy! Mass was nice, and Tiffany and Rick met us there. After Mass, Tiffany and Rick went to Starbucks to pick up some lattes. We spent the day catching up on family chores while Tracy rested on the mat. This evening, Dad cooked dinner while Tiffany, Rick, Sasha, Mom, and Tracy hung out and watched the premier episode of 24, Desperate Housewives and then Grey's Anatomy! We all had fun! Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Duncan at 5:30. It is Martin Luther King holiday, so everyone is off from work. Have a great weekend and God bless. Lesson of the Day: Liberation In A Moment: Mindfulness Meditation: Wherever You Go, There You Are!

Saturday, January 14th, 2006: Happy Birthday Papaw! ~ Tracy enjoyed a good night's sleep last night. She was relaxed and tolerated her hand splints all night. This morning, Dad and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12:30 Physical Therapy with Duncan. Melissa, Tracy's Speech Therapy Aide was sick and couldn't come. We hope she feels better! During PT, Duncan performed his scenario of range of motion exercises to all of Tracy's extremities. He noticed that both heels (calcaneous) are much more mobile than they were prior to her casting. He is able to get her feet into neutral much easier than before. The casting is definitely working and we will resume casting as soon as her two abrasions (scrapes) on her ankles heal. After stretching, Duncan sat Tracy on the edge of the mat and worked on weight bearing through her elbows and shoulders. This required that he lean Tracy to the left and then to the right. She tolerated 30 minutes in this position. Duncan also worked with Tracy on her vestibular control (balance) by leaning her back and forward. She is doing much better controlling her nystagmus (eye control with motion). This evening, our good friends, Liz and Steve, came over to watch the Red Skins vs. Seattle Sea Hawks. Liz made a delicious spinach turkey lasagna and Tiffany made a big salad! Everyone had a good time, even though the Red Skins lost! We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Unity Of Opposites : Yin-Yang Philosophy!

Friday, January 13th, 2006: Tracy slept well last night. She was relaxed and tolerated her hand splints all night. This morning, Linda and Mom showered Tracy and got her ready for 11 AM Vital Stim session at Georgetown Hospital Sport's Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic. This was her 11th session with one more to go next Tuesday at 11:00 AM. During her session, Tracy's Physical Therapist came in to work on optimal head positioning for swallowing by adjusting her new head rest. Both therapists worked together to get Tracy in the optimal position for swallowing in preparation for her Modified Barium Swallow test scheduled for Friday, January 20th. Tracy swallowed 7 times during today's session. This afternoon, Linda gave Tracy a pedicure which she really enjoyed. Mom gave Tracy a facial. Looks like it was spa day! Tracy's abrasions are healing well on her feet where the casts caused some pressure. We will return to recast as soon as these areas are healed. This evening, Jen came to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. After working on stretching and range of motion exercises, Jen and Mom got Tracy seated at the edge of the mat to practice head and trunk control. Then they positioned Tracy on her elbows over the therapy table so that she could weight bear through her arms and shoulders. Tracy did a good job holding up her head. Mom held up one of Emil's canvases for her to look at and Tracy was checking it out. She is doing better with focusing her eyes as well. This evening, Sasha came over and stayed with Tracy while Mom and Dad went to the gym and to catch a quick bite to eat. She visited with Tracy, however, Tracy seemed tired and snoozed. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at 11:00 AM with Melissa and Physical Therapy with Duncan at 12:30 PM. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Letting Your Feelings Flow : Tears!

Thursday, January 12th, 2006: Tracy had a good night's sleep last night. Everyone, especially Mom, is very happy that Dad is back. Tracy was relaxed and tolerated her hand splints all night. This morning, Linda and Mom bathed Tracy and got her ready for 12 noon Speech Therapy with Melissa. Linda ranged and stretched Tracy while she listened to a Guided Imagery CD in her walkman. She seemed to relax and really enjoy the CD. During Speech Therapy, Melissa worked with Tracy on her Yes and No questions. Tracy demonstrated that she did not want to blink twice anymore for Yes, but was determined to nod her head instead. When she did nod, she seemed to get a little dizzy, however, this did not stop Tracy. Our girl is TOUGH and determined! She would nod for Yes, blink her eyes to overcome her dizziness, and be ready for the next question. You go girl! Tracy did a really good job answering Melissa's questions about shapes, colors, and things that feel soft and hard to the touch. She was very alert and focused. We are so proud of her hard work and it appears to be paying off. This evening, Duncan came by to work with Tracy on Physical Therapy. He spent a lot of time stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her in her chair to see the new seating system. Mom and Duncan discussed some of the areas that may need to be tweaked. They will work on this with Tracy's PT at Georgetown and the rehab technician from Chesapeake. Tomorrow, Tracy has Vital Stim Therapy at 11:00 AM and then Physical Therapy at 3:30 PM with Jen. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Vibrational Imprints : Psychometry!

Wednesday, January 11th, 2006: Tracy slept better last night only waking up a few times. Dad made it home safely from Pensacola after 3 days at a conference. We missed him a lot and are glad that he is back. Tracy was a little tight during the night so we gave her a break from her splints. This morning, Linda and Mom showered and shampooed Tracy and got her ready for her appointments. Mom spoke with Marisa, Tracy's PT at CNMC and explained Tracy's two areas of skin breakdown near her ankles. Marisa recommended that Dad take some digital pictures of the pressure sores and email them to her. Mom was glad that they did not have to make a trip into the city, especially since Tracy has her appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. Tracy enjoyed having the morning off and was able to rest a little before her busy afternoon. Liz came over this morning and she and Linda worked with Tracy for a while on looking at pictures and other cognitive exercises. Mom took advantage of some free time and ran out to do some errands. Liz put Tracy's hair brush in her hand and went through the motion of brushing Tracy's hair. Tracy seemed to enjoy being able to brush her own hair. We all know how independent Tracy is! Does the word ATTITUDE mean anything? This afternoon, Mom, Linda and Liz took Tracy to her 2:00 PM appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. Tracy's PT and OT at Georgetown and the wheel chair technician from Chesapeake durable medical equipment company spent four hours putting together Tracy's new seating system. With a few minor adjustments to work out the bugs, we are hoping that Tracy will be able to sit up better with her new seating system. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. So far, we are pleased with the modifications. It will take a few weeks for Tracy to get used to all the changes and to work out all of the kinks. This evening, Jen came by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. She was very relaxed while Jen stretched and ranged her. Jen sat Tracy on the edge of the mat to practice head and trunk control. She seemed pretty tired and was most likely wiped out from her busy day. She chuckled a few times and when Mom and Jen laid Tracy back down on the mat she let out a few good laughs. Jen was really excited to hear Tracy laugh! Tracy has been a lot more vocal over the past week or so! That's more like the Tracy we all know and love! Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at noon with Melissa and then Physical Therapy at 5:30 PM with Duncan. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at noon with Melissa and then Physical Therapy at 5:30 PM with Duncan. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: The Joy Of Being : Celebrating The In-Between Times!

Tuesday, January 10th, 2006: Tracy woke up several times during the night coughing. Dad is in Pensacola until Wednesday, so Mom and Tiffany are in charge. Tracy was a little tight during the night so we gave her a break from her splints. This morning, Linda and Mom got Tracy bathed and ready for Speech Therapy with Melissa at noon. Liz came over to spend the day with us. She always has great, creative ideas for Tracy's therapy. Linda spent time stretching and ranging Tracy while she was sitting in her chair. Then she fed Tracy a few sips of nectar consistency apple juice, however, she did not seem to like the taste. We will keep trying different flavors of the Thick and Easy juices until we find one Tracy likes. Melissa came by at noon to work on Speech Therapy with Tracy. She seemed very alert and eager to work with Melissa, Tracy's aide. Melissa held up short words such as DOG and CAT for Tracy to see. She first held up DOG and asked Tracy if she could see it. Tracy responded with a head nod for YES, which was really good. Then Melissa asked Tracy to read the word and that she was going to ask questions about the word. Tracy looked at the word Melissa was holding up. Then Melissa asked Tracy if Snow (Tracy's dog) was one of these. Tracy again nodded Yes. Melissa then asked Tracy if Polo (Tracy's cat) was one of these and Tracy shook her head No. Mom, Liz and Linda cheered! Melissa then held up the word CAT for Tracy to see. She asked Tracy is Polo was one of these and Tracy nodded her head Yes. She asked Tracy if Snow was one of these and Tracy shook her head No. Tracy did such a good job recognizing the words and answering the questions. She seemed to really enjoy this exercise. Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to look at numbers. Tracy nodded her head Yes. She seemed to recognize the numbers that Melissa held up. One time she seemed to confuse the 9 for the 6 but then she got it correct when Melissa asked her again. There were several times when Tracy got dizzy when she nodded Yes. Melissa asked Tracy if she rather blink her eyes twice instead of nodding but Tracy insisted on nodding. We are all very proud of her effort and perseverance. At one point, Tracy seemed uncomfortable. Melissa asked Tracy if she was uncomfortable. Tracy nodded Yes. After several questions to assess the cause of her discomfort, Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to get out of her wheel chair. Tracy nodded Yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to get on the mat. Tracy shook her head No. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she wanted to sit in the massage chair, Tracy nodded Yes. She seemed very comfortable when we moved her to the massage chair. This afternoon, Mom, Liz and Linda removed Tracy's casts. Unfortunately, Tracy had two areas near her ankle that were reddened from the cast pressure. Linda soaked Tracy feet in warm water and rubbed lotion on them. Tracy seemed to enjoy this (who wouldn't?) Mom notified Marissa, Tracy's PT from Children's National Medical Center, about the skin breakdown. Tracy has an appointment tomorrow and we will let you know what she decides. This afternoon, Emil came by to give Tracy a massage. Duncan came by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. Both Duncan and Emil worked together with Tracy; Duncan had Tracy seated on the edge of the mat, with her elbows propped up on the therapy table. Duncan worked on Tracy's neck, shoulders and back in this position. It was great to have them work together. Tracy tolerated about 30 minutes in this position. Tomorrow, Tracy has an 11:00 AM appointment at CNMC and then a 2:00 PM at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's Daily Om. It is about paying attention to red flags. Mom had a red flag feeling about Tracy's casts and was anxious to remove them today. Looks like she was right about her feeling. Check it out at the link below: Lesson of the Day: Warning Signs : Paying Attention To Red Flags!

Monday, January 9th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. Dad is in Pensacola until Wednesday, so Mom is "charge nurse". Tracy wore her splints again for eight hours last night. She seems to be tolerating her casts really well. One more night with the casts, and then we will remove them and assess her skin tomorrow afternoon. We know Tracy is anxious to get a shower and a massage and a break from her casts for one night. She has an appointment on Wednesday at 11:00 AM to put on her second set of casts. Baby steps... This morning, Linda and Mom got Tracy bathed and ready for her day. She has a pretty relaxing day, with Physical Therapy this evening with Duncan at 5:30 PM. At 12:30, Layo, Tracy's case manager from the ENDependence Center came by to do a site visit. She was very pleased with Tracy's progress since her last home visit three months ago. This afternoon, Mom and Linda put Tracy in her reclining chair in the family room. Tracy did a good job with head control while Linda stretched her arms, wrists and hands. The chair has a massage component, and Tracy seemed to like the light massage setting. She is able to sit up and interact with her environment a lot more in this chair and it provides an alternate seating system for Tracy besides the mat and her wheel chair. This afternoon, Duncan came by to do Physical Therapy with Tracy. He spent some time stretching and ranging Tracy and then sat her on the edge of the mat so that she could practice head and trunk control. He alternated leaning Tracy from side to side so that she can weight bear through her elbows and shoulders. Tracy tolerated about 30 minutes in this position. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Melissa at noon and then Physical Therapy at 5 PM with Duncan. We are looking forward to seeing Liz tomorrow. Next Wednesday, January 11th at 2 PM, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's Daily Om. It is about going with the flow of the universe. Tracy has taught many of us to go with the flow and trust that God will continue to show us His way! Check it out at the link below: Lesson of the Day: Inspiring The Flow : Carnelian!

Saturday, January 7th and Sunday, January 8th, 2006~ Saturday, January 7th, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. She even wore her splints for 8 hours! She seems to be tolerating her casts really well. No spasms and she is very relaxed. It is hard to know what is brewing under the casts; we are keeping our fingers crossed that there is not any skin breakdown going on. We will be able to assess her skin when we remove the casts on Tuesday. Then we can give Tracy a good shower and massage and let her rest until the next day when the second set of casts are put on. This morning, Dad and Mom got Tracy bathed and ready for her 11 AM Speech Therapy with Melissa, her Speech Therapy Aide. Tracy was very alert and did a great job controlling her head while sitting in her chair. Melissa tried some new things today in addition to the usual aromatherapy and tactile exercises. She held up large bold numbers and asked Tracy if she was holding up a 5 (when it was a 2) and so on. Tracy correctly identified the numbers by head shakes for NO and two eye blinks or even nodding for YES! This was the first time that Tracy had identified numbers since before her Baclofen overdose in March of 2004. Then Melissa held up short words such as Mom, Dad, Yes, and No in bold print. Tracy did a good job identifying the words correctly. We will continue to build on these two exercises, exploring additional skills with Tracy. After Speech Therapy, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan. After thoroughly ranging and stretching Tracy, Duncan, Mom and Dad got Tracy seated straddle on the peanut ball. This was the best any of us has seen Tracy's adductors relax and she was able to get her legs around the peanut ball. She did a good job controlling her head in this position, tolerating 30 minutes with minimal assistance. We are hoping that Tracy will be ready for therapeutic horse back riding in the Spring. This evening, Tiffany and Rick stayed with Tracy while Dad and Mom went out to the Outback for dinner. Uncle Mike and Aunt Cheryl gave them a gift card to have dinner on them. Thank you! It was delicious and a nice treat to go out! Sunday, January 8th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Janneth and Mom got Tracy bathed and ready for 12 noon Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on 23rd Street. It had been almost a month since we had been to Mass at this church, and everyone was so surprised with Tracy's progress. They all thought that Tracy looked so much better, since they last saw her over a month ago. Tracy was holding her head up a lot better in her chair during the Mass, and was looking around more than before. The sermon was about Perseverance! What a perfect topic, especially since it is nearing Tracy's third anniversary of her cardiac arrest on January 17th! This afternoon, we finished taking down our Christmas tree and putting away all of the decorations. We also moved Tracy's recliner into the living room and sat her in it. She did a great job holding her head up and relaxing. This is great, since it will give her another place to sit, other than the mat and her chair. This evening, Dad left for a meeting in Pensacola until Wednesday. Tomorrow, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Jen and the rest of the day free. If the weather is nice we may take her out on the Mt. Vernon Trail. Next Wednesday, January 11th at 2 PM, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's Daily Om. It is about going with the flow of the universe. Tracy has taught many of us to go with the flow and trust that God will continue to show us His way! Check it out at the link below: Lesson of the Day: Let Yourself Be Carried : The Flow Of The Universe!

Friday, January 6th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. She seems to be tolerating her casts really well. No spasms and she is very relaxed. It is hard to know what is brewing under the casts; we are keeping our fingers crossed that there is not any skin breakdown going on. We will be able to assess her skin when we remove the casts on Tuesday. Then we can give Tracy a good shower and massage and let her rest until the next day when the second set of casts are put on. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy bathed and ready for her 10 AM Vital Stim session (she has three more left) at Georgetown Hospital. She swallowed seven times which was a marked improvement from her last session last Monday. Mom thinks she needed to get reacclimated after the Christmas break. Tracy has two more Vital Stim sessions left: January 13th and 17th and then her MBS on January 20th. After Vital Stim, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Jen. She spent some time ranging and stretching Tracy and then Mom, Linda and Jen got Tracy prone on the mat so that they could stretch Tracy's hip and work on massaging and stretching her neck and shoulders. Tracy relaxed and tolerated over 30 minutes in this position. This afternoon, Linda gave Tracy a manicure. She does an awesome job! Then Gloria and the girls came by to pay us a visit. It was great to see them! Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy at 11 AM with Melissa and then Physical Therapy at 12:30 with Duncan. Next Wednesday, January 11th at 2 PM, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Take a look at today's Daily Om. It is about Drumming. Tracy played the Number 2 Base Drum in the marching band in high school and also other percussion instruments such as the cymbals, the bells, and the xylophone. Lesson of the Day: Heartbeats : Drumming! Ongoing Events: Tracy has three more Vital Stim sessions, and then a repeat Modified Barium Swallow scheduled for January 20th at 2:30 PM. Please pray for a successful test. Thursday, January 5th: Tracy had Speech Therapy today with Melissa, her ST Aide. She was very awake and alert and had her best session yet. She did a great job answering Melissa's questions about the various scents she had her smell: cinnamon, peppermint, orange, lavender, etc. Tracy shook her head pretty consistently for No and blinked her eyes twice or nodded her head at times for Yes. She did a good job identifying various colors and shakes too. She even made some sounds on command. Bottom line: she was trying really hard. Her eyes seemed to focus better today too. Melissa asked Tracy to look at her and Tracy looked right at her. When Melissa asked Tracy if she could see her, Tracy blinked twice for yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she was wearing glasses (Melissa), and Tracy blinked twice No, which was correct. Melissa was very pleased with Tracy's participation today. Wednesday, January 4th, 2006: Tracy had an appointment at 10 AM with Katie and Marissa at Children's National Medical Center Department of Physical Therapy Department for her first serial casting. It has a year since Tracy was last casted. A lot has changed since then. She does not have the aggravating and painful wound on her right hip any more which caused her much discomfort last time and her spasticity has improved due to better Baclofen management. She also has a very large dose of Botox and Alcohol Block on board which is helping to minimize Tracy's spasticity. Bottom line: she is in much better shape this time around for a successful serial casting experience. Tracy will return next Wednesday at 11:00 AM for a cast change. Tuesday, January 3rd at 2 PM: Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi, Tracy's physiatrist at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital. Dr. Gisolfi reevaluated Tracy to see if she needed another alcohol block to her obturator nerves which helps to relax her adductors. This is important to optimize the success of Tracy's serial casting which begins tomorrow at Children's National Medical Center. The Botox seems to be having some effect on Tracy's tone in her lower extremities, and with the additional assistance of the alcohol blocks, Tracy should be in optimal form for serial casting. The plan is for Tracy to get serial casted from right above her toes to her midcalf on both feet. The cast is well padded to minimize pressure sores and skin breakdown under the cast. The casts are left on for about 5 or 6 days, and then removed. Tracy is then able to shower and get a massage which will help her skin to rest and get ready for the next set of casts. This is repeated until the desired effect is reached, which is straight feet on which she can stand and bear weight via the tilt table. Please say a prayer that this process is effective and that Tracy does not need surgical intervention. Tuesday, December 13th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment at Georgetown Hospital for Vital Stim. During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed fifteen times. Mom brought a bottle of Starbucks frappacino to let Tracy smell and she started swallowing immediately. This is definitely more in line with her average swallows, which range between 9 and 12 swallows per session. We really think Tracy is averse to the subfreezing temperatures we are experiencing. There is a reason why Tracy chose to go to college in Miami for heaven's sake. She does not do well in cold weather. We will continue to practice swallowing over the holidays and resume her Vital Stim in the New Year! There are lots of good aromas in Mamaw's kitchen and plenty of motivation to SWALLOW! Friday, December 9th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment with Dr. Pagan at Georgetown Hospital. Dr. Pagan injected a total of 600 units of Botox into Tracy's right medial and lateral hamstring, both her right and left anterior and posterior tibialis, soleus, and gastrocnemius muscles. Tracy was so relaxed and tolerated the injections very well. We are hopeful that in two or so weeks, we will see a significant improvement in Tracy's lower body tone. The plan is to begin serial casting once the Botox has taken effect. Tracy has an appointment at Children's National Medical Center on Wednesday, January 4th at 10:00 AM. This will include casting Tracy's feet each week, correcting her positioning incrementally until Tracy is able to put her foot in a plantar position. This will enable us to finally get Tracy into some AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) to hold her feet in a normal position. This is a long-term goal which will take time and patience to attain. If the combination of Botox, serial casting, Baclofen adjustment, and physical therapy (tilt table) does not prove to be successful, the option of surgical intervention is still a possibility. Tuesday, December 6th: Tracy, Tiffany, Mom, Linda and Liz went to tour the White House. The theme for this year's tour: All Things Bright & Beautiful, was chosen to highlight the beauty to be found in nature. The White House Residence staff and floral designers from across the country did a magnificent job incorporating the natural beauty found in the many plants, trees, fruit and flowers created by our Designer In Chief: God! Tracy really seemed to enjoy the outing, especially the areas that are typically off limits to most guests (but on the way to the elevator) such as the kitchen, the President's doctor's office, and the private reception room. She seemed very interested in all the hustle and bustle going on in the kitchen with the many White House chefs preparing for a special party. Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Tiffany graduated from LSU's Manship School of Mass Communications on December 19th. Mom, Dad, Tracy, Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Mike, Aunt Cheryl, Kathryn Jean, Rick, and Tamar were there to cheer her on! She now has a Master's in Mass Communication (MMC) with a concentration in public relations. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury more than one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Thursday, January 5th, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy bathed and ready for her 12 noon Speech Therapy session with Melissa, her Speech Therapy Aide. Tracy was very awake and alert and had her best session yet. She did a great job answering Melissa's questions about the various scents she had her smell: cinnamon, peppermint, orange, lavender, etc. Tracy shook her head pretty consistently for No and blinked her eyes twice or nodded her head at times for Yes. She did a good job identifying various colors and shakes too. She even made some sounds on command. Bottom line: she was trying really hard. Her eyes seemed to focus better today too. Melissa asked Tracy to look at her and Tracy looked right at her. When Melissa asked Tracy if she could see her, Tracy blinked twice for yes. Then Melissa asked Tracy if she was wearing glasses (Melissa), and Tracy blinked twice No, which was correct. Melissa was very pleased with Tracy's participation today. She will have her next Speech Therapy session on Saturday at 11 AM. This afternoon, Linda spent some time stretching and ranging Tracy while Mom ran some errands. This evening, Tracy had Physical Therapy with Duncan, her PT Aide. It was great to have Duncan back after his vacation. Duncan spent some time ranging and stretching Tracy and noticed a significant difference in her adductor tone since Tracy received the alcohol blocks last Monday. He also checked her casts and was pleased with them. Duncan spent some time with Tracy seated on the edge of the mat. He shifted Tracy from side to side and forward and back to work with her vestibular system and balance. Tracy did a great job controlling her eyes and correcting. Then Duncan had Tracy weight bear on her right and then her left forearms, to put some weight through her upper body and shoulders. She did a really good job with head control in this position and tolerated 30 minutes. Tomorrow, Tracy has her 10th Vital Stim session at Georgetown at 10 AM. She will also have PT with Jen around noon. Next Wednesday, January 11th at 2 PM, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Gut Response : In Touch With True Emotions!

Wednesday, January 4th, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy bathed and ready for her 10 AM appointment at Children's National Medical Center for her first serial casting. It has a year since Tracy was last casted. A lot has changed since then. She does not have the aggravating and painful wound on her right hip any more which caused her much discomfort last time and her spasticity has improved due to better Baclofen management. She also has a very large dose of Botox and Alcohol Block on board which is helping to minimize Tracy's spasticity. Bottom line: she is in much better shape this time around for a successful serial casting experience. Tracy will return next Wednesday at 11:00 AM for a cast change. This afternoon, Linda and Mom worked with Tracy on her swallowing. Linda worked with Tracy's mini-massager on her facial exercises and Mom worked with a frozen lemon glycerin swab to get Tracy's tongue moving. Then they gave her very small sips of chilled nectar consistency hydrolyte (lemon flavored water). Tracy worked hard to swallow the hydrolyte and had a few swallows. We will continue to practice every day. Tracy has three more Vital Stim sessions, and then a repeat Modified Barium Swallow scheduled for January 20th at 2:30 PM. Please pray for a successful test. This evening, Sasha is coming over to cook dinner and watch the Rose Bowl with us. Emil and Kathryn may also come over to watch the game with us. Rick and Tiffany will also be joining us. Tomorrow, Tracy has Speech Therapy with Melissa, Tracy's Speech Therapy Aide. She is doing an awesome job with Tracy. Tomorrow evening, Tracy has Physical Therapy with Duncan, Tracy's PT Aide. It will be great to have him back after his vacation. Next Wednesday, January 11th at 2 PM, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Universal Feelings : Everything Is Relative!

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006: Tracy had another good night's sleep last night. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy showered and shampooed and ready for 11:00 AM Vital Stim therapy at Georgetown. It had been since December 12th since her last Vital Stim session, so Tracy had some reorienting to do. It took her a while to warm up and reacclimate to the electrodes, and then she swallowed three times. Although this was not her best performance, it is a start in the right direction. Tracy has three more Vital Stim sessions and then we will repeat her Modified Barium Swallow to see if she has improved. After Vital Stim, Tracy had an appointment with Dr. Gisolfi, Tracy's physiatrist at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital. Dr. Gisolfi reevaluated Tracy to see if she needed another alcohol block to her obturator nerves which helps to relax her adductors. This is important to optimize the success of Tracy's serial casting which begins tomorrow at Children's National Medical Center. The Botox seems to be having some effect on Tracy's tone in her lower extremities, and with the additional assistance of the alcohol blocks, Tracy should be in optimal form for serial casting. The plan is for Tracy to get serial casted from right above her toes to her midcalf on both feet. The cast is well padded to minimize pressure sores and skin breakdown under the cast. The casts are left on for about 5 or 6 days, and then removed. Tracy is then able to shower and get a massage which will help her skin to rest and get ready for the next set of casts. This is repeated until the desired effect is reached, which is straight feet on which she can stand and bear weight via the tilt table. Please say a prayer that this process is effective and that Tracy does not need surgical intervention. After her appointment, Emil came over and gave Tracy a massage. She really relaxed and appeared to enjoy her massage. Mom got a massage by Tania. She really was long overdue! Thank God for Emil and Tania! This evening, Tiffany made dinner for everyone. She cooked her delicious pork chops! They were sooooo goood! (The secret is to sprinkle a little olive oil on them!) Tomorrow, Tracy has an appointment to get her serial casts at 10:00 AM at Children's National Medical Center. Next Wednesday, January 11th at 2 PM, Tracy has an appointment at Georgetown to get her new wheel chair components. We are looking forward to Tracy being able to sit up better with her new wheel chair components. This will allow Tracy to interact more optimally with her environment and participate better during Speech and Vital Stim therapies. We are hopeful that the new seating system will also help to minimize Tracy's spasticity. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Growing Pains : Initiations for Growth! Ongoing Events: Tuesday, December 13th, Tracy had a 1 PM appointment at Georgetown Hospital for Vital Stim. During Vital Stim, Tracy swallowed fifteen times. Mom brought a bottle of Starbucks frappacino to let Tracy smell and she started swallowing immediately. This is definitely more in line with her average swallows, which range between 9 and 12 swallows per session. We really think Tracy is averse to the subfreezing temperatures we are experiencing. There is a reason why Tracy chose to go to college in Miami for heaven's sake. She does not do well in cold weather. We will continue to practice swallowing over the holidays and resume her Vital Stim in the New Year! There are lots of good aromas in Mamaw's kitchen and plenty of motivation to SWALLOW! Friday, December 9th: Tracy had a 1 PM appointment with Dr. Pagan at Georgetown Hospital. Dr. Pagan injected a total of 600 units of Botox into Tracy's right medial and lateral hamstring, both her right and left anterior and posterior tibialis, soleus, and gastrocnemius muscles. Tracy was so relaxed and tolerated the injections very well. We are hopeful that in two or so weeks, we will see a significant improvement in Tracy's lower body tone. The plan is to begin serial casting once the Botox has taken effect. Tracy has an appointment at Children's National Medical Center on Wednesday, January 4th at 10:00 AM. This will include casting Tracy's feet each week, correcting her positioning incrementally until Tracy is able to put her foot in a plantar position. This will enable us to finally get Tracy into some AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) to hold her feet in a normal position. This is a long-term goal which will take time and patience to attain. If the combination of Botox, serial casting, Baclofen adjustment, and physical therapy (tilt table) does not prove to be successful, the option of surgical intervention is still a possibility. Tuesday, December 6th: Tracy, Tiffany, Mom, Linda and Liz went to tour the White House. The theme for this year's tour: All Things Bright & Beautiful, was chosen to highlight the beauty to be found in nature. The White House Residence staff and floral designers from across the country did a magnificent job incorporating the natural beauty found in the many plants, trees, fruit and flowers created by our Designer In Chief: God! Tracy really seemed to enjoy the outing, especially the areas that are typically off limits to most guests (but on the way to the elevator) such as the kitchen, the President's doctor's office, and the private reception room. She seemed very interested in all the hustle and bustle going on in the kitchen with the many White House chefs preparing for a special party. Dad brought a very special gift to Tracy from his hometown parish pastor, Fr. McDuffy: rosaries personally given to him when he had a private audience at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II. These rosaries are very special because they are considered a secondary relic, something that the prospective saint has personally touched. Thank you cousin Frank Arthur for the beautiful St. Theresa medal. She is Tracy's patron saint. Pope Benedict XVI has approved an expedited process for Beatification and ultimate Sanctification of Pope John Paul II. Please pray to Pope John Paul II specifically requesting that he make Tracy one of the two miracles needed for his Sainthood! Here is his prayer: "Prayer for John Paul II's Intercession". We found Tracy's old files and want to share her last AP English Essay and a paper for her Biology Class from Gulf Breeze High School. This will give you some insight into how special she is and why she will come back to us. Here they are: BLESSED and Euthanasia: Filling God's Shoes. Tiffany graduated from LSU's Manship School of Mass Communications on December 19th. Mom, Dad, Tracy, Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Mike, Aunt Cheryl, Kathryn Jean, Rick, and Tamar were there to cheer her on! She now has a Master's in Mass Communication (MMC) with a concentration in public relations. Several months ago we featured Ashley Higgin's web site on this page. Ashley suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury more than one year ago. To catch up on her story go to the link above.

Monday, January 2nd, 2006: Tracy slept well again last night. This morning, Mom and Linda got Tracy bathed and ready for Speech Therapy with Melissa, her Speech Therapy Aide. Today, Melissa continued working with Tracy on several activities: asking questions and prompting Tracy to respond with two eye blinks for Yes and head shakes for No. Tracy did a good job with this. Then Melissa had Tracy looks a different colored construction paper and asked her it they were a certain color. Tracy got most of them correct. After that, Melissa had Tracy smell different scented lotions, M & Ms and scented oils. Tracy did a good job with identifying the various scents. Then it was time to work on Tracy making sounds. First, Melissa asked Tracy to take a deep breath and then to put her lips together and then to make the MMMM sound. Tracy did a good job with all three of these steps individually, but we still need to work on coordinating all three. We will continue to work on this. After Speech Therapy, Linda spent time stretching and ranging Tracy on the mat and used her mini-massager on her face and neck. Tracy really likes the massager and relaxes well when Linda uses it. Mom and Dad went to the Sport and Health Club to work out and get in the sauna. They are starting their New Year's resolution to get in shape. Ashley, our good friend from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, came over to visit us. It is so good to see her. This evening, we are going to watch the Sugar Bowl. It is cold and rainy out so we will stay warm around the Christmas tree! (Yes, we are not ready to take it down yet. It is too pretty!) This evening, Tracy was laughing while sitting in her chair watching Notre Dame play Ohio State. I am not sure if she was laughing at the game or something she was thinking about. She laughed a lot! She is now laughing about every other day! Tomorrow, Tracy has Vital Stim at 11:00 AM and then an appointment with Dr.Gisolfi at Inova Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Universal Timing : Life's Natural Rhythm!

Saturday, December 31st, 2005 and Sunday, January 1st, 2006: were a continuum. Saturday started with everyone getting ready for the New Year's Eve and 26th Anniversary Party in the Crystal Plaza Party Room. Mom and Dad got Tracy ready for PT with Jen at 1030. Tracy was stretched and spent 30 minutes straddling the peanut. She held her head up during the entire time with minimal help. The afternoon was filled with last minute shopping by Tiffany and Rick to get the decorations and final ingredients for all the food. Dad prepared some of his specialties, Jerk Chicken Wings, Shrimp Mosca and got all the mixings together for Margaritas and Pina Coladas. Emil and Kathryn brought a palm tree with a parrot, top hats, Hawaiian leis and several noise makers to add to the party. Everyone arrived by 10 pm and we brought in the New Year with a Champagne toast watching the ball drop in Times Squire. Tracy was right in the middle of the activities and greeted in the New Year with some laughter. We finally got everything cleaned up by 2 am and the lights were finally out at 3 am. We slept in until 1100 and Tracy seemed to enjoy not having to get ready for any therapies. Mom took it easy all day and Tiffany and Rick got two movies for everyone to enjoy. We are all very hopeful that 2006 will bring great improvements and many miracles to Tracy and our family. Many thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tracy's recovery! Please keep those prayers and powerful wishes coming Tracy's way! Lesson of the Day: Universal Timing : Life's Natural Rhythm!