Monday, Monday

Brenna began her homebound instruction today and it felt so good to step away from her for an hour and work in another part of the house while she sat at the dining room table. She is wanting more independence and feels frustrated when I try to support her arm or hold her hand when she is walking. She purposely waits until I leave the room and then stands and walks. Today, I went back to my bedroom, only to hear the front door slam. When I went out to the living room to investigate, the wheelchair sat empty and there was no Brenna in sight.

She had decided she wanted to go outside alone. These are the moments where I don't know what to wish for-- I want her to get better as soon as possible, but wish she exercised a little more caution. The irony? She had walked outside alone, wanting to ride in her wheelchair, which was still parked next to the living room sofa. We ended up doing three wheelchair rides today. She is backing off of walking for me and is sitting more than she probably should. I have discovered that if we go on a wheelchair ride and park the chair to walk for a bit, she is far more receptive than if I try to get her to walk a track in our home, like the doctor recommended.

Ms. LeMoine brought us McDonald's today and we had a nice visit with her. She even braved a walk with us. It is so good to see a friend during the day. Stephanie and Faith swung by for an afternoon visit and gave us amazing rolls. We lucked out on our afternoon walk and found another friend outside and visited for a bit. Those little doses of social interaction are so important for Brenna and are keeping me afloat too. It has taken so many people to get us through this. I wish I could say that we just prayed and that God transformed us into emotional rocks, but that hasn't been the case for me. Instead, he has given us friends to hold up our tired arms and help us finish strong. From Tammy bringing Emily over to give her a break and girl time, to Mindy walking the dog and so many ladies delivering amazing meals, we have been cared for by many.

And you know what tomorrow is, right? Yes, Tuesday, October 8th--- and that means we have officially cleared the two week mark and can now shower without a trash bag and gorilla tape. Now I am out of excuses for bad hair days for Brenna.