November 24 11:30 PM

Hello friends,
I'm sorry I've gotten behind on my blogging.  I had a big distraction over the weekend in the form of a surprise visit from a friend!  I was a very good weekend.  Since the last blog Micah has only had one restless evening which makes a big difference in how he responds to everything.  That "tiny member" the tongue is still giving him trouble, but he is doing a little better with it.  The speech therapist tries to get him to swallow something every time she meets with him.  Usually he will only swallow a few bites out of several given to him.  With the problem of differentiating between muscle groups this starts with first getting the mouth open, then getting it closed, next moving the tongue around to get the food where it needs to be then finally swallowing.  We do this all without a second thought, but Micah, at times, will break out in a sweat (sometimes sweating through his shirt) trying to do this.  Today, Micah was given 6 bites of yogurt and he swallowed all 6 of them!!  I really wish that I could accurately describe to you how much effort he puts into everything he does, it's astounding to me at times.  Also, the patience with which the Therapists will wait on him!  I am quite sure that therapists are a totally different species than I've ever met before.  So many times I want to rush and help Micah or do for him and they just wait and see every little move he makes, they see the struggle he is putting forth when I don't even think he is moving.  They are also very good at being cheerleaders for every little thing he does, these people are truly a blessing to watch. 
Last night I went to the hospital to make sure that Micah got to bed peacefully and on time as the night before had been the restless one.  When I was praying with him God just broke my heart over his voice, we have no consistent way to know what he wants or what is hurting etc...  Today, after therapy was over I was talking to Micah about his voice.  He has been making more sound and I was trying to encourage him to try to use it more.  I had him watching my mouth and showing him how "hi" was such an easy word as it doesn't involve much movement etc...  I told him that even if he couldn't say it properly that he could try making the noise when people come and they would understand that he was greeting them.   Around 7:30 this evening I went to the hospital with the older 3 kids and had completely forgotten about our talk.  He was very relaxed when we walked into the room where his brothers were already sitting and then got very (what I thought was) agitated to the point of breaking out in a sweat!  All the sudden he makes this loud noise and then was completely relaxed again.  It was just a noise, but both of the boys knew that he had just greeted them!  He tried again when his sister walked in, but was getting so worked up that we told him it was okay and that he didn't have to do it again.  
He has also been using his left arm as a defense.  He will push your arm away when you're holding his head up or (like tonight) push the nurse away when she is trying to give him his medicine!   I had a hard time not laughing!   
Sadly, we will most likely not have him at the house for Thanksgiving Day, but it may be better for him.  We are going to have quite a few kids running around the house and I think that it may be a bit overwhelming for him.  Too much of people or noise or movement is hard for him to handle right now.  We can all go to see him in shifts that day and maybe sneak in some pumpkin pie (or whipped cream)!
We are doing well, Thomas is here from today til Sunday so we are all very happy about that.  Keep praying for that tongue as it still causes problems, also the muscle tightness.  He is getting some better at relaxing, but not as much as he should be by now.  Oh, I almost forgot, he bit the inside of his mouth yesterday and it got infected!   This morning when I got there he looked like someone had socked him in the jaw.  He is on an antibiotic for that and it was down some this evening.  
Thank you all for all of your prayers, we covet them (I think it's okay to covet in this case : ).  Just in case tomorrow is crazy, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your time together with your loved ones.  Each of you has something to be thankful for so don't forget to thank the one that created you and gave you life!
Much love & blessings,
Tina