Monday

I was excited, to say the least, to see Jen. We have not been apart from each other this long since we were married over 10 years ago. It was amazing to see her and Ella and Linds (or Dindy as her nieces and nephew call her). They flew in and we went straight to the hospital.

We don’t recommend bringing a four-month-old into a hospital, especially a trauma-care hospital. We typically avoid any medical facility when our kids are below a year old anyway.

But this was different.

Pop has teared up every time we have talked about Erik’s kids and my kids. He and Mom have been blessed with 8 grand-kids. Wow – when we all get together, it is a blast. Mom and Dad moved to Orlando about 21 months ago now, and they have become a daily part of my family’s life. Mom and Jen have become more than in-laws, and Mom means more to Jen than just the sweet “Ammaw” that helps with her grandkids. They have become friends. Jen misses her so. And the kids run to the door when Pop shows up, too.

That’s why this was different. We wanted Pop to see his little Ella. We wanted him to bask in the sunshine of her budding personality. And he did.

She loves his voice. Who doesn’t? His voice is soothing, inspiring, firm, and tender all at the same time. And when he speaks, Ella is captivated. Pop’s heart welled up to see Ella. He teared up when Jen leaned over to give an I-don’t-want-to-hurt-you hug. It meant a lot.

They don’t let babies in the ICU, or we would have taken her in to see Mom. Jen and Lindsey got to see her, though.

It is not easy seeing her right now. It wasn’t easy for them. You can tell it’s Mom. However, with the swelling and the tracheotomy and the shaved head and her beautiful, brown eyes closed, it makes you miss her even more.

She did open her eyes again while they were in there. Only for a brief moment, but she opened them.

I spoke with her doctor last night. He assured me that her opening her eyes for us yesterday, as well as the one time Mom opened her eyes for him earlier yesterday, was a very, very positive sign. What will determine how significant it was (whether it was a small response or just a reflex) will be if she continues to do it.

She did.

This morning, Jen and I were at her bedside, and she opened her left eye again. We had been talking to her, and she coughed up some stuff into the tube of her tracheotomy. We asked the nurse to suction the tube. When she did, Mom opened her left eye from the commotion. We hope it wasn’t just a reflex. We hope that she was taking a peak at who it was disturbing her, poking a tube down her throat and suctioning gunk out. We hope she was responding, even if it was, “Who am I gonna knock out for making my throat hurt after I wake up from this mess?” Any response – we’ll take it. She opened that left eye and peaked out.

We told her we love her so much. Jen has been watering Mom’s tomato plant back home. She updated Mom that there were some buds developing, and that the plant is now touching the roof of their back porch. Mom has a green thumb when it comes to tomato plants. I can’t wait to see her eating one of her tomatoes.

We told her Jimmy Dukes loves her so much. He was resting this morning. He was pretty tuckered out from a tough night’s sleep. Pop got a little disoriented last night and took his neck collar off and tried to get out of bed. Thankfully, he didn’t hurt himself. The nurses reminded him where he was.

He was embarrassed, so don’t tell him I told you. Seriously, pray for him as those fractured bones and his big-time road-rashed skin on his arm and leg continue to heal. He really looks forward to the day he can take off that #&@$% neck collar and can start putting weight on his legs (he doesn’t like the neck collar very much if you can’t tell).

Please keep praying for Mom. The doctors discovered an infection yesterday, which they are treating her for with a specific medicine. They don’t think it will be a big deal. Also, please pray for her skin to be protected. There is always great risk of skin breaking down when you are in a bed for that long. The nurses are working hard to prevent that. And, pray for her to wake up and be interactive. We are hopeful for the day.

While we know there is a real possibility she will deal with some long-term disabilities from the accident, we simply long to see her eyes and hear her voice again. She is an extremely beautiful and confident and compassionate woman. We have seen her beauty, we have been strengthened by her confidence, and we have been inspired by her compassion all of our lives. We are hopeful to witness her being herself again soon.

As for Pop – our time together has been rich. While I am not thankful for the reason I am here, I am more than thankful for being here with my Dad. He is one of my best friends. I listen to his voice and his wisdom. I am thankful that Ella is captivated by his voice, too. I am thankful he got to see her. I can’t wait for Mom and him to see all their grandkids.

Love yall. I will try to update tomorrow evening. Tomorrow is a big day logistically. I have meetings in the morning and afternoon about Mom and Dad’s benefits, the accident, insurance, and where they will be transferred next. Thanks for your prayers on that stuff, too.

-jason