Whoa! It's been a couple of weeks! 

Turner and I have been busy with therapies (Turner) and school work (Mom). We are only a week from discharge, so there have been some meetings and training for me too. We have had two formal meetings with the whole team: physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, nurse, social worker, occupational therapist, physical therapist, recreational therapist, psychologist, AND our therapists from back home! I am SO grateful for people that are working together so closely for my son. It may just be the teacher in me, but I love having everyone together to hear about the things he is doing and giving input. I have to say, Gillette Children's has been all I hoped it would be and more. I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. They are truly invested in Turner's journey and care about his progress. I feel so comfortable here and have really grown to care for the nursing staff. Even our custodian cares for Turner! She checks on him and hides his Pikachu every day. I couldn't imagine going through everything we've been through back at home, by ourselves. The support is so crucial. There have been times that I've needed to take a break from Turner. The nursing staff jumps right in and backs me up ("You're not allowed to talk to Mommy like that here. We love her and respect her, remember?" 😎). 

Today I went with T to OT and we worked on how we're going to get to and from the bathtub. Last week he mastered dressing himself and brushing his own teeth. He's also really close to going to the bathroom by himself! He still needs a bit of help getting out of the wheelchair and pulling up his pants. But I am amazed at how much more stable he has gotten in the past week. His knees are no longer buckling and are able to withstand the majority of his body weight. He is also walking with a walker. He moves very slowly and fatigues easily, but I am thankful he is up moving around. He is most motivated when he gets to walk with one of the therapy dogs. He also really loves pool therapy and is looking forward to continuing that when he goes home! 

Turner's anxiety problems have become even more apparent throughout our visit. I am so incredibly thankful for the psychologist here. She knows T and has been very insightful. The most frustrating part of this journey has been his anxiety. Y'all, there is no reasoning with him when he's got worry on his mind. And he's constantly worrying. So much of the time he has been grouchy because there are so many unknowns that are just wreaking havoc on his mind. Please pray for some patience for me. I am struggling to deal with this. But his psychologist Erin has so many great tips and I can tell T really enjoys her company. She has strongly recommended we get Turner to a counselor when we get back home. She was also suggested a neuro-pysch evaluation for even more insight into how Turner operates. We had so many issues with focus and work completion at school this past year... I'm thinking this may be the culprit. Please pray for specialists and strategies that will help him cope better.

I am so thankful for the family and friends that have called or texted to check in. We love you and we couldn't do this without you. 

I have taken quite a few pictures these past few weeks. I have created an album for you to look at here. Look at all the fun things we've done!