Sunday Feb. 27, 2011

Too much going on to write volumes this morning.
This should suffice.

Josh is reading, speaking in sentences, and asking questions!
The switch has been flipped.

You go JoBo!

The Bonjos

Thursday Feb. 24th, 2011

I got Josh's menu squared away last night. Instead of
eggs he is now getting pureed pancakes and waffles for breakfast.
He should move to "chopped" food next week.

Josh is now consistently answering yes and no to direct
questions. I just talked to him on the phone. He answered
several questions, yes / no. Then his nurse got on the phone
and said he wanted to try something more difficult. Josh got
back on and with a little coaching said "I ate lunch today"!
Wow! I told him we need to decide if he is going to get an
I-Phone or a Droid. He said "yes".

Feel free to voice your phone opinion!

The girls on the way back from Montreal. They will get to see him
in the morning.

Go Josh Go!

The Bonjos

Weds. Feb. 23rd, 2011

I watched Josh feed himself dinner last night.
It must be great to eat again after such a long fast!
They tried to feed him eggs this morning and he flat out refused.

They "casted" Josh's ankle yesterday and replaced his arm cast
this morning. I got to talk to him on the phone today again.
Something about the phone makes him more talkative than face to face.

It looks as though he will be at Bryn Mawr at least through March.

Keep those prayers and that good vibe coming!

Love,
The Bonjos

Tuesday Feb. 22nd, 2011

A beautiful day!

The nurse called and Josh talked to me on the phone today.
I asked him several questions to which he very clearly
answered "Yes" each time.

He also fed himself an entire lunch today. As a result, he is
now cleared for 3 square meals per day starting with dinner
tonight!

They put a hard cast on Josh's right arm that will be replaced
every day, in order to slowly regain his range of motion. They
have also increased his therapy time in the special boots that flex
to restore the range of motion in his ankles.

Spread the word!

Love,
The Bonjos

Monday Feb. 21st, 2011

The girls made it to Montreal!

Josh fed treats to a therapy dog yesterday. He carefully positioned
the treat between his thumb and forefinger and held it out.

Josh is steadying himself on the side of the bed while sitting.

Josh turned on the TV this morning and changed the channel!

The Bonjos

Friday Feb. 18th, 2011

More good stuff today!

Josh fed himself a serving of pureed pizza and
a serving of banana pudding for lunch!

Josh gave me a one arm hug last night when I sat on his bed.

He is a little tired this afternoon. He is getting frustrated
sometimes because he wants to do more, now! All good things in
all good time Josh. You will do it.

We received a package in the mail today, addressed to Josh.
When we opened it, we found a toy laser gun Josh had ordered
from Bulgaria(?) several months ago. We brought it in to Bryn Mawr
and Josh was very pleased as he worked the trigger and sound effects.
He seemed to know exactly how it functioned.

Rose leaves for auditions in Montreal this weekend so we will
only be posting in bits and pieces for the next week.

Thanks for following.

Love,
The Bonjos

Thursday Feb. 17th, 2011

You go Josh!

Josh had pet therapy this morning. He
put his hand out and said "uno" to get
"Bruno" the great dane to come to him!

Josh said "hi" to Darling!

Josh's psychologist said that Josh is definitely
saying "yes" "no" and "I don't know" to her in
response to her questions, even if it is a little
hard to understand.

Josh fed himself ice chips with a spoon today!

Josh had an occupational therapy session this morning
where they laid out his toiletries in front of him.
One by one he took the deodorant and put it under his
arm, a washcloth to his face, and a toothbrush to his
mouth. This is another functional gain!!!!!!!!

They moved Josh's first pureed food meal to tomorrow,
so he could do pet therapy today. More on that Friday.

Spread the word!

Love,
The Bonjos

Tuesday Feb. 15th, 2011

Josh had a good weekend. He was very calm, quiet and
contemplative. He is working very hard in therapy.

With only the slightest guidance, Josh got a spoon
of custard to his mouth yesterday. Thursday, they are
going to give him a tray of pureed food and see what
he can do with it.

Josh is also making a little more progress on "yes and no"
that the trained ear of his therapist confirms.

Josh got a new roommate today, only for a day or so.
He is a nice older man who is originally from our area.
Josh also got a visit from a Goldendoodle therapy dog.
She licked Josh's hand several times. What a cutie!

Onward and upward!

Thank you all for following, praying and all your
well wishes.

Love,
The Bonjos

Friday Feb. 11th, 2011

Josh was approved today for another 2 weeks at Bryn Mawr!!!

Josh had his tracheostomy removed today!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Josh is pointing to cards that say "YES" and "NO" today
in response to questions!!!!!!!!!!!

Josh said hi to another of his nurses today.

Josh ate 2 ozs. of pudding today.

It's a good day!

The Bonjos

Wednesday Feb. 9th 2011

Josh pushes onward and upward!

Josh is nodding yes or no many times now in
response to our questions.

We are also seeing a positive shift in his right arm
and hand, slowly but surely.

Josh sat on a mat today, unsupported.

He should have his trach out tomorrow afternoon.

Josh sat with a table protruding out over his lap
today. He sat very tall and alert and crumpled and
folded paper. He seemed very pleased.

Josh's roommate moved out to another room due to
a complication, so he has this room to himself again.

More good stuff later!

Love,
The Bonjos

Tuesday Feb. 8th

Josh is having a great week!
He has had his trach capped for 5 days
now. If the ENT Dr. gives the OK Thursday,
he will have it removed!!!!!!!!

Josh has been working on nodding yes and no this week
in therapy. He is now eating a few spoons of pudding
in therapy.

I saw him lift his pillow and sheet tonight and
move them off the bed and try to drop them, in
order to show me he needed assistance.

He is very peaceful when awake, but he is resting
most of the evening due to the rigors of his many therapy
sessions in the morning.

Last night, he wanted to hold hands and we did all the
possible ways to shake hands together. He transitioned
from one shake to another like it was a ritual. Our
sweet boy.

Love,
The Bonjos

Saturday Feb. 5th, 2011

Josh had a good week in his therapy sessions.
He is following more commands and attempting
to mouth some words.

His blood pressure is back to normal and he
just looks healthy!

He has slept the last 2 nights with his trach
capped off, allowing him to breath only through
his nose and mouth. If he tolerates this 2 more days
without any decrease in his ability to stay oxygenated,
there is a good chance they will remove his tracheostomy
on Monday or Tuesday.

Josh has been able to consistently take a spoon in his
mouth when offered and has been able to swallow some
thickened apple juice. They are concentrating on his
swallowing now. Hopefully he will be supplementing
his tube feeding with some oral nutrition in the next few weeks.

Josh's progress will be reviewed again by the insurance company
on the 11th. We will looking for more progress next week
to ensure he will be "approved" for at least 2 more weeks.

Thanks to Ropeadope.com for featuring Josh's blog on their website
and thanks to the hundreds of people following Josh's progress every
day!

Love,
The Bonjos

Thursday Feb. 3rd

Josh said "hi" to his nurse Brian yesterday when he came in!

He had a great day in therapy and is back on track!

It is a busy day of meetings and therapy sessions
today.

We will update again tonight if it is quiet.

Thanks again to everybody who is praying for Josh and
following the blog.

Love,
The Bonjos

Tuesday February 1st

As of last night, Josh is back at BM Rehab!

The doctors never did find an infection.
We can only assume it was a virus or medication
reaction that caused his fever.

Everyone is happy to see him back on track.

Josh chewed ice chips and even ate a small
amount of thickened apple juice today. The next step
will be apple sauce.

We are very happy to get back here before the big ice storm.
At least we can be comfortable knowing Josh is in good hands
if we can't make it to the rehab tomorrow.

More later.

Love,
The Bonjos