June 6, 2014

Greetings One and All,

Trying my best to connect with many of you that have been waiting for updates on Jake this week since the holiday weekend of Memorial Day. We had the pleasure of our two older sons Ryan and Darin joining us along with Krissy (Ryan's wife) and their baby, Madelyn Ann (8 months) for two days this past weekend. Jake enjoyed their two-day visit and gave them a thumbs up for the new baseball cap the kids purchased for him, and a slight smile was given as he actively watched baby Madelyn begin/progress her crawling stages over the two days. 

Jake has made more progress over this past week since Memorial Day with his voice. He has greeted me with a very clear "Good Morning" on this past Saturday, and many short sentences to voice his dismay, gratitude, and bathroom or pain needs. He has thanked the nurses on many occasions for their care as a simple "Thank You" but if a nurse is too slow, he has stated a "Hurry Up" as well to let them know to go a tad faster with his care. Jake has been speaking with us and acknowledging us as parents - that we are there with him and very clearly knows who his mom and dad are. His voice has been very evident for two weeks and continues to improve daily. He recognizes his brothers, Krissy, and baby Maddy, but all others at this time are a blank stare in the distance or through them, with exception of his consistent and kind nursing staff at Bethesda. Jeff and I mention Sergeant Steven Harris and his high school friends of Shane Loken, Jake Erickson, Kevin Beckman, and then he listens very keenly as acknowledging their presence and how they all fit into the bigger picture of his life. Shane, Jake is going to be ready to rock -n- roll again some day with you with your bass guitar and Jake on the drumset- we just know it :-)

Jake is gaining more movement and increasing muscle tone and strength in his entire body. He is also becoming very restless at times. This occurs when a stranger comes in his room or tries to interact with him, or when trying to get settled down in bed to rest or sleep for the evening. He rolls from side to side with trying to lift his leg and arm onto the bed rail. He has been doing this for over a week. The doctors and nurses tell us it is his way of showing us he is getting stronger and wants to move on from this stage he is in. If the restlessness continues, for safety reasons he may be moved to a net bed so he can move without falling out. A netbed provides a secure setting over the bed, with the comfort of the bed but without causing harm to Jacob. 

They made cast impressions of Jake's feet and lower legs today to customize leg and ankle splints to prepare his legs to heal in the correct formation to prepare for walking. Jake still has so many broken bones in his legs and feet and some are beyond surgical repair at this time, so they are going to try to remold his physical features of his feet/ankles to support his legs to eventually walk. In the mean time, Jeff and I take Jake out everyday possible to the Bethesda Park to get some fresh air, feel the sunshine, and grasp the reality around him. On rainy days we visit the baby grand piano in the main entranceway of the hospital and the family room where there is an aviary, aquarium and TV sitting area to provide him a new perspective other than his hospital room. 

Jeff and/or I have been with Jake every single day since his accident on April 5. At times we need to tag team so one of us can travel to Brownsville, MN to take care of our home, mow the lawn and take care of Prince Peach, which is Jake's cat since he has been 9 years old. This is also our busy season for our technology consulting company and we have made the critical decision that Jeff will take a step back from work for now to care for Jake as I continue to provide support by delivering national and international technology keynotes, running summer technology academies with our crew of innovative tech trainers, and contracting services with K-12 school districts nationwide. 

Thanks once again for all of your greeting cards sent to the hospital, comforting packages of goodies to keep Jeff and myself healthy while living out of a suitcase, kind words, and reflections on this Post Hope page. We appreciate your continued support!!!