Omaha Update - August 25, 2007

Quick little update, mostly as a chance to send out some quick thanks out to some folks. We had another good day today, as Leah has decided to completely stop taking the Percocet and transition over to taking ibuprofen. This is a positive step, as that means Leah's overall pain level has dropped, and she has decided that she is tired of the side effects of the Percocet. She seemed very upbeat today, and slept very well last night.

We had a big night Friday night, as Britanie got back into town, so we had Grandma and Grandpa Kunc, my aunts Marsha and Karen, and Britanie over for dinner. We had a good dinner provided by Grandma, and lots of good conversations between everyone. We were all thrilled to see Britanie, and she was very happy to see us. It was a good chance for her to unpressurize a bit, and start thinking about going to Harvard. Karen brought a really good Bundt cake for dessert and it was enjoyed by all. Marsha brought us some fresh sweet corn from Columbus, and some more home grown potatoes. Jay and Lori and their boys stopped by later in the evening to deliver some fresh drawings that Thomas and JJ had drawn for Leah. The drawings helped her feel even better, as did watching the boys tear about the yard. Thanks to all of them!

We did load Karen up with some stuff to take out to Mom and Dad in Denver, as she was heading out that way for a workshop. She planned on stopping by to visit with Mom late today, and promised to give them all a hug or a squeeze for us. I did get a call from Dad this evening saying Karen had safely made it to Denver, and she and Mom were happily chatting away. He even sent us a picture to prove it!

Karen and Rachel chatting away...

Here in Omaha, we had a very busy day with lots of visitors from my work EDM. Jayne stopped by early in the afternoon to give us a few more meals for us, which we sampled gladly at dinner this evening, and I am sure we will enjoy the coffee cake tomorrow morning. She also spoiled us by baking some of her famous cookies, which prompted Leah to remark that "Jayne sure did know how to bake!" after sampling one of the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Just as Jayne was taking off, Barb stopped by to visit, and she was carrying a wonderful ice cream cake for us. We had a very nice talk with her, and are very glad she could stop by. We are looking forward to that Ice cream cake tomorrow as well. I figure I might gain some of the weight back that I lost while not eating at the hospital! So once again, thanks to those two wonderful ladies for taking care of us, and bringing a bit of cheer into our day.

Right after Barb left, Mary stopped by with her massage table. We managed to get Leah up on the table and relaxing comfortably while Mary prepared to give Leah a nice relaxing massage. Nearly an hour and 15 minutes later, Leah was having to be helped up off the table, a relaxed look on her face, and a big smile lighting up the room. She said that this was the best she had felt since before the accident, and her shoulder was completely pain free! It really is amazing what some gentle touch in the right spots can do for eliminating discomfort. Right after Leah was finished, Mary told a semi-trepidatious Britanie to jump up on the table, and worked some of the tension and knots that come from sleeping in a hospital room right out. Brit got up with a pretty happy look on her face, and said that she was going to have to look into this massage stuff more often! Mary receives a big thanks from all of us, especially from the girls for helping relax them!

I promised pictures of the famous "bearometer" so I am following thru :

The whole Bearometer...

The grumpiest Teddy bear I have ever seen...

This guy doesn't get used much!

I hope this bear get used a lot more!!

Thanks again to everyone for the continued emails, calls and cards. We can't thank all of you enough. Please continue to keep Zack and his family in your thoughts and prayers, and keep praying that the girls will be able to continue to improve. Thanks again for your generosity, your love, and your support. To use the words from a card that was sent to us by Bill and Judith's good friend Jan that pretty much sums up the way we feel, "We have a circle of friends surrounding us, constantly lifting us back up, never letting us fall. Their support is a pillar of strength that keeps us strong, even when we are feeling weak." This phrase pretty much sums up what Leah and I feel about the love that we are constantly receiving. Your help and love allows us to have our weak moments; the moments where we need to cry, to be overwhelmed, to question, and to mourn, so we can heal our spirits. your love and support has provided us a safety net that will not let us fall.

Jay