And More Miracles!!!

Today was such a wonderful day! I'm so happy I feel like skipping around the halls (but I won't...yet...) ;)

After the glorious events of this morning, Ryan's mom and I went out to lunch together. We have been struggling with feeling that the level of care Ryan is receiving here is just not up to par, but we expressed our concerns and everyone is really stepping up to make a difference, which we appreciate immensely!

When I got back from lunch, I tried to get Ryan to blow me more kisses, but he was too out of it. I spent the afternoon next to him while he rested, and his mom rested at the hotel. I was grateful for the quiet time to reflect, pray, and study scriptures.

There is a problem with the heating/cooling system in Ryan's room, so it's been extra warm in here, which has Ryan sweating a whole bunch. Thankfully, it's being fixed and beginning to cool down now -- it was almost 77 degrees for most of the day, but I know others have it worse so I shouldn't complain!

After Ryan began to open his eyes again in the evening, we watched some more family videos. Hearing the laughter of his family in the videos tends to bring a smile to his face. :)  Then I turned to him and told him I loved him, and, plain as day, he mouthed the words "I love you" and blew me a kiss!!! Tears sprung to my eyes as I realized what I had just witnessed! With all of the brain damage he has sustained, the doctor didn't really have any hope for his memory or his ability to recover. And even the team of therapists here had not scheduled any time with speech therapy yet because Ryan hasn't shown any ability to respond to verbal cues.

After I got over the shock, I told Ryan how much that meant to me, that he was working so hard to tell me that he loved me. I explained to him how the tracheostomy would prevent him from speaking right now, but how they would work with him to eventually get a speaking valve placed on it, and then remove it all-together as he improved. Once again, I told him that I loved him, and once again he mouthed the words back to me "I love you." 💖💖💖💜💜💜💚💚💚💙💙💙

I felt like I was flying!!! I sent a text to his family members to share this God-given miracle with them. A short while later his mom came back to the hospital, and almost immediately after she began to talk with Ryan, he mouthed those precious words to her, too: "I love you." 💞

We had a decent amount of time with Ryan this evening where he seemed more aware of what was going on. We listened to some of his favorite music, and at one point he appeared to be attempting to mouth some of the words of a song.

This is such a huge step for Ryan, and I am so grateful!!! God is holding us in His hands, and lifting us with His love. Please take time, as we are doing, to thank God for His goodness. 🙏💟 Take time to notice His hands in your life, and express gratitude to Him for that as well. Gratitude makes a world of difference!!!