A much better day!

She fed herself breakfast using her fat-handled fork! She sat up on the side of her bed! She stood and sat in a wheelchair for nearly an hour! I washed and cut her hair (we broke the rules; they said we couldn't rinse but she leaned over a basin and it worked). How would you like to wait over a month before your hair was really washed? The only thing they had done was put foam in her hair and scrub it out with a wet washcloth. PT and OT (physical therapy and occupational therapy) came in and gave her some exercises. I was so proud of the way she pushed through the pain in her left arm and kept trying with determination. When it seemed like she was tempted to give up and get back to bed, she went ahead and stood up and used a walker to walk all the way out to the hallway and back, then she sat on a portable potty before returning to the bed. This is great because she looks forward to saying "goodbye bedpan!" She sat up again to eat her lunch and remained seated rather than reclining much of the afternoon. I am so proud of her. It is great to have her not lying flat on her back so much. What is really amazing is that she felt pretty good about all of this. I know we expect her to feel some fatigue later on, but these are major milestones! Linda even mentioned that she can envision herself being at home soon, as soon as she is finally able to get up and down by herself. She is so excited about this progress! She has come a long way since October 8.