Shelby is home! She is very happy to be home and doing very well. I am ecstatic to have her back and Hazel doesn't know what to do with herself now that mom is home. She does know that there are a lot of soft things to steal and chew on with Shelby back though. Shelby is still going through serial casting so she has to return to the hospital a few more times to try and finish with that. She will begin home therapy sessions this next week and that will happen for a couple of weeks. After that she will start outpatient rehab at a facility here in town. She continues to work on producing sound and she has made some wonderful strides. She can make faint sound and with effort can hold notes as well as change pitch. We have also seen more movement in her legs since she came back home. I truly hope that her return home will help make her happy enough to keep her working hard. Pray for her continued progress and pray that things run smoothly here at home for all our family. Thank you again to everyone that has lent a hand, made a meal, given rides, dogsat, and helped us any other way I have not mentioned.

       We love you very much.   Corby and Brenda

Sorry for how late this update has been. I have been without internet for a while as we moved apartments. As many of you could glean from some of the comments Shelby's trach has been removed. Her throat is healing nicely and much faster than I would have expected. She continues to push herself in PT and OT. She responded so well to the first botox that the doctors performed it again on her hands and wrists. it has not been long enough to see a really marked improvement, but we should see some soon. Speech continues to work on mouthing words and coordinating sound with mouth movements. Shelby has made two trips outside the hospital recently. You all know we took her to see Transformers 2. She had a lot of fun and really liked it, but said the first was better. The other day she went and had a pedicure and a massage that she loved. In OT she is making a door mat to take home when she is discharged. Speaking of discharge she will be released on the 15th of July and that date is solid. It is unlikely that she will be extended as much of what she is doing she can perform in outpatient therapy. There is still a possibility that we may take her to a subacute facility for a while before bringing her home, but once I know for certain I will update everyone. I would prefer to not do this, but if it is better for her recovery there is not much of a choice to be made. For now pray for the botox to work well and that we are able to bring her home rather than to another facility.

Also we have moved to a first floor apartment for Shelby's access. Please send any cards or care packages to our new address.

2715 Windwood Dr. #56
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Today Shelby began 48 hours with her trach plugged. If she makes it to Thursday morning at 9 without trouble, suction, or removing the plug the trach is coming out. Shelby also was extended today until the 9th of July. I am both happy and sad about this. While I am glad that she will be staying longer and that she is making progress I was hoping she would be home by our anniversary if only so she could spend that day in her own house with her family. The botox has been successful enough that they will be doing both hands and wrists soon. Hopefully this will yield some of the same results as the last round. Tomorrow she is making an excursion to the movies again. We will be seeing Transformers 2. I hope she has as much fun this time as she did at the last field trip. I will keep everyone up to date once we find out about the trach and botox. Until then keep praying for her progress and for her emotions. She has been frustrated and upset recently. She goes through bouts of this occassionally and there is very little I can do to help. Just pray for her comfort and happiness.

As you can see from the videos Shelby worked very hard on transfers today. She was extended for two weeks today which puts her release date at the 25th of June. The doctors said if she continues making progress like she has recently in the next two weeks she will likely be extended again as well. Shelby is managing her secretions so well and needs suction so little that they are changing her trach in the next two days to one that she can use to speak. On top of that her SLP would like to cork her trach sometime next week and if she can breathe just fine for 48 straight hours she will lose the trach completely. Remember how I told you the swallow study will be sometime in the future? Yeah, well the next two weeks are technically the future right. Her SLP feels that she could have a swallow study done sometime next week and wants to push for that, whether the trach is there or not. Another great day for Shelby and only good news as well. Keep praying for progress with her trach and for the casts to help her left arm as well.