Wes is walking...

Wes walking... I haven't been able to get much video of him walking, cause as soon as I pull a camera out, he crawls over and wants to grab the camera! He normally does better than this, but its a start!

Sleep... who needs it!!

Obviously little Wes is not sleeping that great right now, as I am posting at 4 am! The only sleep he has really wanted tonight was right after he nursed for 30 minutes every hour (Leah is very tired and sore!). I finally was able to get him out for a while, by setting him on my chest, singing Twinkle Twinkle and Swing Low Sweet Chariot. I did try to put him down into the crib, but that only started a round of non stop full volume screams, so we have settled on a compromise of a sleeping Wes my chest while I check my email etc!

Wes did get to take his first expedition today, as we headed over to our family doctor to get him checked out. He looks to be really healthy, but does have a little touch of jaundice. The blood work came back, and the doc felt we wouldn't have to be very concerned about it if Wes continues to nurse and get good stuff from Leah. Hopefully this will be the case, as he is definitely eating a lot. Wes seems to like car rides, but isn't quite sure about this whole 5 point harness strapping him down!
Had a nice visit with Grandpa and Grandma Voelker Sunday night, and dinner for all was provided by Grandpa and Grandma Hall. Wes enjoyed laying in his Moses basket napping and entertaining the Grandpa's while we all enjoyed the Tamale Pie and Peach Crisp!

Just a few more quick pics for all of you!


PS... No one ever told us that a new born could produce such amazing odors! Not only do you get all the fun baby shampoos and milk smells, but occasionally you get these powerfully strong little toots that make Mommy and Daddy's eyes just water! Huh.. you learn something every day!

Baby pictures and visitors!

We wanted to share a few more pics with everyone. Jay Westermann had his first visit with Grandma and Grandpa Hall and Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Kunc last night. The little guy immediately stole the show by opening his big blue eyes and giving little dimpled smiles. Yes it probably was gas, but they sure look like smiles, and as parents we have the right to brag about our little one!He has had quite the day today, had to get circumsized, 24hr blood gas samples taken, and his official hospital pictures taken! Of course all this happened in about a 2 hour period, so the little guy was understandably stressed out and unhappy, but I deployed my secret weapon of singing "Twinke Twinkle Little Star" to him, which immediately calmed him enough for us to get him all comfy for a long nap. He is currently happily nursing away and ready to steal more hearts away!

Leah is doing well, understandably a little tired and sore, but in very good spirits. Amazing how our little Jay Westermann can bring out the twinkle in her eyes!

We are probably going to be sent home tommorow before noon, but for now are in room 2109 at Lakeside. Thanks for all the emails and comments, Leah and I are really enjoying them!

Now for what people really want to see!

Welcome Jay Westermann Hall

Welcome to our world Jay Westermann Hall!

Jay and Leah are the proud new parents of an eight pound, 11 ounce bouncing baby boy.

Born today just after noon, little Jay is about 21 inches long and has a full head of hair, 10 toes, 10 fingers and a winning personality.

Leah had a long 2.5 days of labor and a seemingly never ending night last night. But, the results have her higher than a kite now. Both parents are ecstatic and beaming despite being awake for over 30 hours. Little Jay responds to sounds and calms when you talk to him. He also winces when photographed with flash, as he was in the picture taken with DAD!

Grandma Rachel can’t get over how beautiful this little guy looks. She is hyper-excited and bubbling over to everyone. There is definitely no chance to get a word in edge-wise now!

Jay, Renee, Britanie, Zach and Leah’s Dad and Jay Westermann Hall’s Grandpa

One Year.

One second.

One minute.

One day.

One year.

I have always found it interesting to find how such finite units of measurement can seem so relatively flexible to us. As children, these units of time can seem to last forever, be it waiting for the next time we would get to go out and play, our next birthday, the time till Mom lets us out of time out, or the countdown until we can open those mysterious Christmas packages. We make statements about how we can't wait for the next summer vacation, to finally graduate, grow up and set off on our own.

I have noticed that as we get older, time seems to slip away ever more quickly, the sand of the hour glass inexorably slipping away, the time zooming past, yet there are certain times where time seems to stand still, the seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours, and days drag on like years. The world continues zooming by, but we are stopped, trapped like an insect in amber. August 4, 2007 is one of those moments where those finite unit of time suddenly blurred, and had no meaning.

August 4th, 2007 was a hot steamy day, one that I had been waiting for with child like enthusiasm, counting the days, thinking it would never come. My family was going to go on a vacation to the mountains, a vacation like we used to take when we were children. Sadly, August 4th turned out to be a day were time stopped. My sister Renee, wife Leah and mother Rachel were in the car behind us, and were involved in a tragic accident. Leah and Rachel were seriously injured, and Renee was killed instantly. Even now, one year to the day, I can clearly remember that day like it was yesterday, yet it still feels like it was a hundred years ago.

For some of us, we had doctor's appointments, physical therapy, and a fight to get back healthy. We all had tears, sorrow and the pain of loss. Time once again resumed its normal pace, the sand eroding away, the wounds healing, the shadow of sorrow fading, and joy beginning to brighten the day. We all had to face this journey to recovery our own distinct ways, each of our efforts to recover different, but yet together. We find ourselves still facing challenges, but each day is a little easier, even though some days are harder then others, I believe we are all going to find joy returning to our lives. All of us will never be able to express the gratitude for all the help, support and love that we have been given from strangers, friends and family. We are fortunate to have been exposed to so many wonderful people, who continue to help us on our way.

Renee was a wonderful sister, daughter, wife and friend to all of us. She brought us joy and laughter, and reminded us to cherish life, to make the most of all those fleeting seconds, and to approach life with a smile and a laugh. She approached life the right way, taking precious seconds to smile at a stranger, make music with a student, laugh with a friend, tease her brother and sister, make a mother and father proud, and help her husband be the wonderful man he is today. We were fortunate for her time with us, and those of us she took the time to touch are better for it. I know she is up there in heaven, spreading joy and music.

I approach August 4th, not as a time to remember pain, suffering, loss and tragedy, but as a day to remember all the good things about life, to laugh, to smile, and most importantly, to cherish the opportunities I have to tell those people I love how much I love them. August 4th is a reminder to take the time, all those finite grain of the hourglass, and to make the most of the opportunities we have to spread the joy, laughter and love to one another.

One year.

Three hundred sixty six days.

Five hundred twenty seven thousand forty minutes.

Thirty one million six hundred twenty two thousand four hundred chances to love in one year.

Amazing how flexible time really can be...

Please take some time and view this slide show of Renee, living life how she wanted to live it, with laughter, joy and music. Please be patient, it takes a little time to load...

Renee Kristin Hall Ramsey

Reflected Glow and baby updates!

Reflected Glow
Chalco, NE

Well the dog days of summer seem to finally have arrived in Omaha, hot and humid weather with the occasional thunderstorm to cool the nights down. The wonderfully wet, mild spring has left eastern Nebraska with a lush carpet of vegetation, and those trees that have managed to survive the wild storms are looking wonderful. The humid air and the tattered remains of afternoon thunderstorms are making for some beautiful sunsets, and having some of the cooler night air makes it a good time to go take a stroll around the neighborhood.

Walking around the neighborhood you tend to notice details you never see while driving by. Leah and I have taken to walking through the neighborhood in the late evening, looking at the sunset, enjoying the early night breeze and watching the fireflies twinkle in the grass. The warm glow of the sunset washes over everything, bathing objects in a beautiful golden glow. While walking I noticed this maple tree had a reflected glow from the sun hitting a window, so I stopped and managed to get this shot.

In other news, Leah continues to do well, the baby has been quite active, kicking, wiggling and stretching as much as it can. Leah sometimes wonders if the baby is trying to escape! We are both looking forward to getting to meet our little one, but at the same time want the time to go a bit more slowly so we can try to get some tasks accomplished before our attention is turned to a newborn.

We are also excited to get to see Britanie, as she is back in Nebraska for a week long visit. We expect she will be excited to get to see the baby bump has grown quite a bit since our visit to Boston earlier this spring. Looking forward to hearing about her summer job as a legal aide at Harvard law is going, and hearing more about her explorations of Boston. Also looking forward to getting to demonstrate the smoker, and giving her some good ole fashioned midwest BBQ!

Omaha Update - Leah and Rachel's Status - 2-28-08

I wanted to post a quick little update on Leah and Rachel's continuing recovery. Both of them are continuing to make great strides towards a complete recovery, and are in very good spirits. Their hard work and stubborn will to get back to normal is shown in the latest results!

At the end of January, Leah met with the orthopedic doc, and was told that she no longer requires formal physical therapy, as her shoulder has made almost a complete recovery. Her clavicle had formed bone and was meshing completely, which means that the clavicle should heal without requiring surgery. Leah has returned to work full time, and no longer has to go into physical therapy 2 times a week.

Rachel continues to improve, with her skin grafts looking very healthy, and continued gains in flexibility in her right ankle, right hand and right shoulder. She had surgery on her right shoulder in January to clean out scar tissue and resolve a "frozen" shoulder. Prior to the surgery she was unable to move the shoulder more then a few degrees, and no further gains were being made in physical therapy. After the successful surgery, Rachel started PT on the shoulder the very next day, and very quickly saw gains in her range of motion. Just last weekend she demonstrated her ability to now get her arm above her head by "wall walking" her arm up. Walk walking is where you face the wall, place your hand against the wall, and pull your arm up the wall by "walking" your fingers upwards, while taking steps forward towards the wall. This moves the arm upwards, and stretches out the joint, and also helps to develop arm strength. A good side effect of this is that it helps strengthen her fingers as well!

Rachel did have another delay in her recovery however, as she kept noticing that her knee was very sore. She was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in her right knee, which requires surgery to repair. She also continues to have issues with flexibility in her large finger joints (the ones closest to the palm) which prevents her from gaining much more dexterity in the fingers. After consultations with the orthopedics it was decided that it would be good to have a combined surgery, and repair the knee and clean out the scar tissue in the hand at the same time. Rachel will be going in for surgery on the afternoon of 2-29, and will begin PT very quickly after.

We would like to thank all the folks who continue to pray for us, and keep us in their thoughts. Your encouragement and prayers help all of us to continue to improve.

"The Renee Hall Ramsey Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund"

Dear Friends and Family,

The holiday season has finally ended, and life is moving back to this quasi norm that we have become familiar with in the last five months. Leah is going strong again. In fact, the good news is that she will shortly be ending her physical therapy sessions. Her strength has returned, her right arm has nearly a full range of motion, and she is back working full time for St. James.

Rachel is gaining strength daily as well. She still goes to PT/OT weekly, and is becoming a familiar face to the whole staff. In fact, she drove herself to therapy the other day, and let one of her physical therapist know that on her way in to see her ankle orthopedist. By the time she made it back to Physical Therapy the word had spread throughout the facility that she was driving. They all cheer for her daily.

On Thursday, Rachel goes in for out-patient surgery on her right shoulder. She has what the physicians colloquially call a “frozen shoulder”. They will do arthroscopic surgery and make four incisions then remove and scar tissue or impediments to her moving the humorous head in the socket. Then Friday, she goes back to PT and starts working hard at keeping that arm and shoulder working. And, so our life goes on!

Many of you have asked about a memorial for Renee, and I have been remiss in passing along the information on her memorial in the most conducive method possible; ie.. this blog site. Zack’s mother, Jane, and Renee’s friend Paige put a lot of work into getting a memorial scholarship set up with Oklahoma State University. The fund will be called "The Renee Hall Ramsey Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund". The goal is to give an out-of-state violinist scholarship assistance to attend OSU. Renee attended OSU for her bachelor’s degree completely on scholarships. She then finished her Master Degree in violin pedagogy at Texas Tech University, again almost completely on scholarships. The fund is intended to provide the same assistance to violinists on a self perpetuating basis long after all of us are off celebrating with Renee in another life.

If you wish to participate, you may send a check to The OSU Foundation, 400 South Monroe, Stillwater, OK 74074. Make the check out to The OSU Foundation, and in the memo line "The Renee Hall Ramsey Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund" Equity Number 2289600. The OSU Foundation will mail you a Tax Receipt and a Thank you note. They will also let Zach know who has made contributions. For those of you whom have already contributed, and those whom plan to contribute in the future, my entire family can not say “Thank you” enough.

Jay, Renee, Britanie, Leah and Zach’s Dad

Update 10-15-07

Today was a long day, back to work after a busy weekend. As many of you know, Leah returned to work at St. James United Methodist in Bellevue last week, and we took one more step on the road to recovery. Leah was very pleased to get back to work, not only to once again use her brain, but also to start to give back to the folks at St. James who have been so wonderful to us. Going back to work was a bit of a challenge for Leah, as we had to work on getting her back behind the wheel, getting up early, and finding the stamina to stay at work and be active all day. She came home many nights last week, looking tired, but she seemed very pleased to be back.

Returning to work was also a bittersweet event for Leah as well. As many of you know, Leah and Renee spent many hours emailing and chatting with each other in between the various documents and phone calls, and many times would come home and call each other up on the phone to laugh and talk some more. The two of them spent so much time talking and laughing that Zack and I really never had much to talk about, as the girls had filled us in on the goings on so much that we had nothing new to share with each other. The time that the girls spent chatting with each other helped pass those days when the bulletin was done, newsletters printed and the phone was quiet. So as Leah returned to work, she was returning to a place where she and Renee had had many happy moments, but where now the little chat window would stay blank, and the email box empty...

Leah continues to attend PT sessions, and continues to show marked improvement towards a full recovery. She increased all her range of motion measurements by another 15-20 degrees, and has added some strengthening exercises to her 3 times daily routine. We now have different colored thera-bands (giant rubber bands of varying levels of resistance) hanging from the banister and door knobs, a hammer, and an assortment of various contractions such as pulleys and peg boards for her to use. She has almost completely recovered full range of motion in her wrist, and only has about 5 more degrees of rotation before she would have full range. She is slowly gaining strength in the hand, and each day is more capable of doing more.

Rachel is also continuing to make great strides down the road to recovery. Her skin grafts continue to heal, and are beginning to look a little less red, and more pink. The swelling continues to go down in the hand thanks to vigorous Occupational Therapy and lots of interesting little contraptions like her "bionic hand" which is a computer controlled machine that randomly flexes her fingers and hand to start to force the edema out of the hand and down into the arm. One of the areas of concern for the doctors is that there may be some vein damage under the area where the skin graft is on the wrist, and that may be preventing some of the fluids from being removed as quickly by the body. Her PT and little devices have really helped however, and the swelling has begun to go down, in fact enough that her fingers are beginning to look normal. Her foot continues to heal, and she was cleared to discontinue use of the walking boot. She is able to walk fairly well, in fact she and Dad resumed walking at the lake every day, although the walk is much shorter. Her more active movements helped to reduce the small clot in the leg, and at her screening last week, it was found that the clot had completely been absorbed. She was able to be removed from the blood thinners she was on.

She did receive a little bit of discouraging news last week, as it was found her ribs are not healing nearly as fast as they would like. Some of this is due to the other damage her body is having to repair, but some of it is also a result of her inability to use her right arm a great deal. As the muscles in the torso get used, they tend to move the rib bones back into position allowing them to heal. Her relative lack in motion in that arm is not allowing the muscles to pull the bones into place as effectively, therefore not allowing the ribs to calcify.

I would like to take a moment to pass on our condolences to the Duethman family who lost Terry earlier this month, and let them know that all of us in the Hall family are praying for you and are here for you should you need anything at all.

I would like to give a quick shout out to our dear friends Paige and Marc, who were married this past weekend in Oklahoma City. Congratulations you guys, I hope that you will have a happy, loving and joyous marriage, and Leah and I look forward to seeing you guys soon!

I would like to end tonight with a quick little thought about Renee. Tonight we had dinner with my parents and my aunt Kathy who is visiting from Florida, and while we were sitting around the table sharing stories, laughing and enjoying the wonderful meal my father prepared for us, I remembered how we always used to sit around the table with Renee and Zack when they would come and visit, laughing and talking long after the meal was over. That simple act of companionship and love personified and defined Renee. She was always one to share a smile and a laugh, lend a helping hand, or just be there for you. She celebrated life, and helped all of us live just a little bit more.

Thanks to all of you out there who help us, support us and pray for us. You keep us strong and with your help we will get better. We can never express our gratitude enough for the overwhelming support and generosity our family, friends and complete strangers have extended to us.

J

Omaha Update - 9-25-07

First off I would like to apologize for the lack of updates with the blog. We have reached a point on the recovery road where the milestones are few and far between, as the physical therapy section of this road is long and tedious and improvements are very small.

Leah continues to make good improvements on her recovery of her right arm. She is attending PT 2-3 times a week, and is continuing to work on her PT at home multiple times a day. She has made great strides on her wrist, with her range of motion measurements doubling in little over a week. She has nearly 60-70 percent of the motion back in her wrist, and the fingers seem to be wiggling nicely, which should be a great source of joy for Dr. Joe and the folks at St. James, as this means Leah will be back typing away before you know it!

Her shoulder work is quite a bit slower, as she is basically recovering from the equivalent of multiple major shoulder surgeries. She continues to make progress however, and we can see great improvements in her active range of motion exercises from the first day that we started. She is beginning to be able to lift her arm with its own strength, but as there was a lot trauma and damage of the joint, we really have to concentrate on recovering the range of motion before we can start many strengthening exercises for her arm. Leah is however very determined to get full use of the arm back, and is faithfully doing the active range of motion work which will help build some strength back into that arm. We do go and see the orthopedist early next week, and depending on her prognosis, we maybe able to start some light strength training soon.

Rachel continues to make good progress as well. Leah and I had dinner with my parents and my relatives Janet and Tom on Saturday, and the visit was a nice time, as we chatted about the hospital experiences, our recovery, and reminisced a bit about Renee. Thanks for stopping by Jan and Tom!

Rachel continues to look better each time we see her, and we can see some small improvements each day. Her skin grafts look healthy, and are now under the care of an excellent staff of wound specialists. She started PT at the same place that Leah is taking PT, and from what the PT specialists tell us, is on her way to recovery. I will let my Dad give the full update, but this was a quick little update on her status.

Leah and I had the pleasure of attending St. James United Methodist Church of Bellevue's 50th anniversary celebration on Sunday. Leah has worked as their secretary for the last year and a half, and has really come to enjoy the people of this wonderful church. We would like to extend a very large thank you to the members and staff of the parish who not only continue to send prayers and encouragement our way, but also who have taken up a collection to help us out with some of our medical expenses. The members and staff of St. James have been absolutely wonderful, and their generosity and warmth have overwhelmed us. Leah and I can not thank you folks enough, and we can see why you are known as the church with the warm heart! Thank you for letting us be a part of your celebration and community, and for your continued efforts to speed Leah's recovery along. Leah did mention that depending on if her arm continues to improve, and we can get her driving again, she is preliminarily planning on returning to work the week of October 8th. She is anxious to get back to work, as you all know she is not one for sitting around all day!


Leah and I would like to thank everyone for their continued support of our family. We don't know how we ever could have made it this far with out all of your love and support, thought and prayers and all around encouragement. We can not express enough our thanks to all of you.

Jay

Homecoming Day 9-11-07

Mom and Dad will be arriving at 1:03 PM at Eppley Airfield today. Leah and I are very excited and are ready for them to be home as soon as possible. We went over to the house last night, and Bill and Judith helped me prepare some areas so Mom can navigate around the house, and sit in the living room (also known as her new bedroom) and be entertained etc...

Leah did get her cast off of her right forearm and wrist, and the orthopedic said that she is making good steady progress towards full recovery. She was fitted with a splint, which is much more comfortable then the cast, as she can actually scratch sometimes! This is also positive, as she can now get that arm wet, so can finally wash that arm really well, and we don't have to put plastic bags all over her arm to prevent the cast getting wet. Her arm looked pretty good for being in a cast for nearly 6 weeks, as she didn't appear to have significant muscle loss or a lot of weakness in the hand. She must have been faithfully doing her finger flexing exercises...

Leah and I would like to extend another thanks out to our friend Mary, who came over and worked both of us over on the massage table. the massage session helps work some of the tension out of the muscles, and really lets us relax. This was especially good for Leah as it helped work some of the new muscle tightness that resulted from her doing her active PT.

Speaking of PT, Leah will now also be starting physical therapy for her wrist and fingers, along with the active PT for her shoulder. She continues to make progress, and is very determined to get full functionality back in her right arm. The active PT is very painful, but she is tough and works thru the pain and continues to make small steps towards recovery.

Thanks again to all of you for continuing to care about us, and thanks for all the prayers and generous support.

Jay

Omaha Update - September 9th, 2007

Sorry about the long delay in between posts, but I haven't really had the inspiration to blog much in the last few days, and each time I have been inspired, I haven't had the time due to dealing with technical issues, or my most important priority, helping Leah. I do however have the time right now, and will give everyone a quick little update.

Leah and I had a good week, her sister Julie, brother in law Robert, and their two children came to visit us late last week. They stayed at the house, and Julie had the opportunity to have a nice chat with Leah, and do some big sisterly duties. The two kids were adorable and very entertaining, and it wasn't long until Uncle Jay was crawling around on the floor with them.

We did take a short trip down to Hiawatha, Kansas, where we spent some time with Leah's family. We had planned on having a quick family reunion before the accident, and as this is the first time that Leah's whole family had been together since our wedding three years ago, Leah and I decided that it would be a good thing to attend. We took the trip in small chunks, stopping regularly to let Leah walk so she didn't become stiff, and before we knew it we were there in Hiawatha. We were staying in some small cabins on a lake down there, and her brother Bill and his family, sister Julie and her family, and Leah's folks were all there. We had the chance to get a bit of a change of scenery which for Leah was very welcome, as basically all she really has been doing was hanging out in our house, which after a while can start to create some cabin fever!
It was also a good opportunity for me to have a lot more people there to help me out with Leah, and to get to talk to some family who I haven't had the chance to really get to know.

The weekend at the cabins also provided a nice escape out into nature, where the quiet Kansas night let me reflect on the happenings of the last few weeks in a very peaceful and spiritually refreshing environment. I have always loved the outdoors, and having the opportunity to think about Renee while looking at the stars was a nice way for me to let some emotions go. I also did have the opportunity to take advantage of the picturesque setting, and exercised my camera skills on a number of different subjects. The weekend flew by faster then Leah and I expected, and we found ourselves having to return home, feeling happier having gotten to see the nephews and the niece, the siblings and the parents. I really have been blessed with a wonderful set of in-laws, and this weekend only reinforced that opinion!

Leah did start active PT this week, which means that she will be doing the majority of the work on her exercises. Previously we had been doing passive PT, where I would support the weight of her arm, and do the range of motion exercises with her with me providing the muscle for movement. Leah now us to do some of these motions on her own, and use some new tools such as a pulley system to lift her own arm. This is a big step, as active PT will make her begin to take big steps in recovery, and will help develop her muscles so that she will be able to do the normal movements that are required in everyday life. This is a big step on the road to recovery, and for her being able to get back to a more normal life, which she is really looking forward to. As all of you know, Leah is not one who is real big on sitting around doing nothing, and as a result is going slightly stir crazy right now!

We have a orthopedic appointment Monday to look at how the healing is progressing, and hopefully to remove the cast that has been on her forearm and wrist for the last few weeks. Leah is really hoping for the cast to be off, so she can scratch some itches, not have quite so heavy an arm for doing her active PT and maybe even take a shower with out having to have a trash bag taped over one arm! Of course, if we do happen to get the cast off, we will probably have to start PT for the wrist, so we maybe learning a lot of new exercises in the next few days.

We are really looking forward to getting Mom and Dad back home. Hearing that they are officially coming home was very exciting news, and both Leah and I are looking forward to being able to hug them, talk with them, and just see them.

Thank you all of you wonderful people who have been sending emails, cards, flowers etc to us and my parents. All of your prayers, love and encouragement have been very instrumental in getting us this far. We cannot express enough our gratitude for all that you have done, and will do in the future. I promise I will do a better job of keeping all of you updated and keep passing out the thanks.

Jay

Update from Omaha - 8-30-07

Just wanted to put up a quick update here as it has been a few days since we last posted. As you probably have read in Dad's post below, Britanie has departed Omaha for Harvard, which lead to quite the emotional day for all of us here in Omaha. We really felt like we had just got Brit back home, and here she was taking off again. We are very excited for her, and are very proud and happy that she decided to take the challenge of heading off to Harvard Law head on. We miss her already, but can't wait to hear all the adventures that Boston and HLS have to offer. She did ask me to put up her address so that people can write to her if they so desire:

Britanie Hall
5107 HLS Holmes Mail Center
Cambridge, MA 02138-5107

Leah had another good PT session, and we managed to get the arm all the way up to 120 degrees. Basically this is making the elbow go above the shoulder! She was also told that for around the house, she should not wear the sling, as she needed to start stretching the shoulder and elbow out, and letting the shoulder take a bit of weight, so it gets stronger as well. This is a pretty painful experience, but Leah is being tough, and manages to keep a brave face on.

We also had a visit with the neurovascular surgeon consultant here in Omaha to review the carotid injury. He felt that she could begin to move of of the coumadin and switch to baby aspirin. This is a good step, as now some of the bruises will begin to heal more quickly, and she can also stop having to go to the doctor a few times a week to get her blood checked. This does however mean that she will no longer be sporting sweet Snoopy or Sesame Street band aids on her fingers...

I did also start doing a little silversmith work again. Many of you are new readers to the blog, but I have been working with my Grandma and Grandpa Kunc to learn how to do some silversmithing from them. This was a way for me to spend some time with them, and also a way for me to express my creative side. Our weekly lessons grew to be something I loved to do, and was a wonderful treat for my grandparents. In an attempt to begin to establish a bit of normalcy, and also a good way to cheer up Grandma, I begin trying to keep my appointments with them, and last week restarted doing some silver work. I wanted to take the time to give a little thanks to Dee out there in Denver, so I decided to make a little project for her, that I hope she will enjoy as a small token of my gratitude for taking care of all of us while we have been out Denver. I made a simple pin of Chinese Turquoise set in sterling silver. I scribed a quick thank you from the Hall family, along with the year that we gave it to her. I will be sending this out to her with Leah's sister and brother in law when we see them tomorrow.

Chinese Turquoise in Sterling Silver Pin

Thanks again Dee, I hope you will enjoy this.

Be sure to check out Dad's update below, lots of good news about Rachel. We would like to once again thank everyone for their continued prayers, thoughts, and generous acts of love towards us and those out in Denver, Boston and Stillwater. All of your support makes it possible for us to be strong, and to continue down the long road to recovery. Thank you very much.

J
halljw@gmail.com

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

Update from a Rainy Omaha - August 23, 2007

Omaha has been rainy the last few days, but despite all the gloomy weather, the mood around the Hall house is pretty sunny. Leah is doing quite well, making good strides in her recovery. We have been busy with lots of PT, keeping Bill and Judith busy, and me making a return to work.

Leah and I went to the orthopedic consultant on Monday, and he took a good look at her forearm and shoulder. We had a bit of a surprise when he told her that they were going to take off her forearm cast so they could take some X rays, but Leah was brave, and managed to get the arm looked at with out even screaming. The doctor also took a look at the shoulder, and thought that everything looked very good, and we were seeing good healing. We did however find that Leah's fractured clavicle had become more displaced, and was now causing a bit of a bump on her shoulder. The doctor said we will be having to make some choices about whether she will go back under the knife to get some more metal put in to repair the clavicle. We do however had a few months to try to let it heal naturally, so this decision doesn't have to be made today.

Leah did also get a new cast for her forearm and wrist, this one only a half length cast, which not only is far more comfortable for her, but also significantly lighter. This helped her shoulder to feel a bit better, as she wasn't lugging around a 5-6 pound cast, but rather only a 3-4 pound cast. She also enjoys this cast more, as she can now scratch her elbow, which is something she has wanted to do since the first cast got put on. Her new cast is also a much more exciting bright Orange (I know, surprise surprise) so she can not only exhibit her bold personality, but also support her alma matter in style!

We also did get Leah a new set of glasses. Her glasses were lost in the accident, and she has been managing to live in a very blurry world. Thankfully her eyes are not horrible like mine, so she was able to function fairly well! We had ordered the glasses last week when we got back, but unfortunately her prescription was complicated, and required a special lens, so the process took longer then usual. She was very excited to be able to see clearly again, and is looking forward to reading some of her library books with more ease.

I did return to work late last week for a little bit, just to start getting my feet wet, but returned mostly full time this week. Leah's folks are here during on the weekdays, and are helping out around the house with Leah, and doing all the little things that probably would have fallen by the wayside had they not been here. We have been very fortunate to have Bill and Judith here, and they help they have provided is absolutely fantastic. I am able to go to work and start getting some sense of normalcy back, which is a positive step in the healing process. I also feel that getting back to work helps, as it gets my mind thinking about other issues, and the outpouring of support from my coworkers is wonderful.

Britanie comes home from Denver tomorrow, and Leah and I are both looking forward to seeing her. We are going to have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Kunc, and hopefully them getting to see each other will be good for both parties.

Well Leah is having a bit of a rough night tonight, so I am going to cut this short and go be with her. Thanks again for everyone's love and support, generous offers, and kind smiles. Please continue to keep sending the love our way, and especially to those out in Denver, who really are going to need a lot of it the next few weeks until we can get them home. Keep sending the swede mail ( http://www.swedishhospital.com room 6135) and let them know you are thinking about them. Please also give a thought to Zack and his family, who need all the love and support they can get as well.

We love all of you, thanks again so much,
J

Update from Omaha - 8-19-07

Its been a fairly quiet weekend here in Omaha when compared to the folks in Denver. Leah and I entertained a few guests, Jerry and two of his kids, Adam and Courtney stopped by to deliver my truck back to me, and to also to stop by and see Leah. We also had my cousin Christina and her new husband Cody stop by after their trip to the Henry Doorley Zoo. They were quickly entertained by my coworker Rod, his wife Lori and their very cute daughter Rori, who quickly became the star of the show!

Lori brought over a wonderful casserole for dinner, and Rod had found a nice loaf of garlic bread to finish it off. Lori was a bit annoyed that Rod didn't get them a loaf too, as the bread smelled quite delicious. A special thanks goes out to Rod and Lori for feeding us this weekend! It was delicious!

Mary (another coworker) stopped by for a bit later in the evening, and brought a little cheer with her. She came "BEAR"-ing gifts for us in the form of a basketful of teddy bears appropriately labeled "Leah's Bearometer." There were four different bears, each with a special tag around it's neck which stated a mood. The bears are for Leah to set out and let us all know how she is doing. There was the "I'm feeling beautiful, Smooch Me" bear, the "I'm feeling grumpy so don't mess with me" bear, the "I need a hug" bear, and finally the "I'm ready for PT" bear. Leah said I can probably hide the "I'm ready for PT" bear, as she isn't sure she ever is ready for PT. The bear's were a real hit, and I will have to get some pictures taken, as the bear really fit their personalities!

Mary also brought a little medicine for me, in the form of a six pack of Empyrian Brewing Co's Dark Vanilla Porter beer. She said I looked like I could use a few. She also said that Leah couldn't be left out of the drink department, but since she is on blood thinners and pain meds, she brought over a package of Key Lime Creme Soda, which Leah had never had, but now loves. Mary also spoiled Leah by giving her a bit of a left shoulder massage, and helping release and relax some of the knots in her upper back. Leah said that she felt like a limp noodle, and as soon as Mary left, she went and took a nice deep nap.

A special thanks goes out to our good friends Lori and Jay for bringing by dinner and a quick visit on Friday night. Once again, delicious food, and bountiful enough quantities that we were able to get two meals out of it. All the wonderful food that people are making for us, means that I don't have to cook, which really is one less task on my plate. I can't thank all of you guys for your help enough.

Leah loves having visitors, as it makes her day go by that much faster. She likes seeing people, and getting to see her and how she is doing can also help pick some people's spirits up a bit. I also think she likes people to come over, as it stops her from having to just stare at me all the time, which I say is probably quite boring.

Tomorrow we head over to an orthopedic surgeon to have Leah's shoulder looked at. Hopefully we will get a good prognosis, and get to start doing more advance PT so we can get her back to a more normal life. Leah is very anxious to be able to get back to doing stuff for herself, as those of you who know her know, she is very independent.

I actually did finally get a good nights sleep last night, had one of those Mary prescribed medications with dinner, and Leah and I sat back and watched a nice movie and just relaxed. I had a pretty good night, and slept fairly soundly thru most of the night. This is a big improvement over the last few nights, where I have pretty much been sleepless either to me dreaming about unpleasant things, or me being awake at the slightest little noise from Leah. I call it my Ninja nurse, as she makes a noise, and I jump up out of bed ready to help with whatever. Leah says that it is a bit freaky, as she even moves the sheets, and I pop up and am like what do you need, how can I help etc... I guess that is good, as I am trying to help out.

Well I have to get her ready for bed, early morning tomorrow, and a very busy rest of the day. I hope to see some more folks stop by and see us. I know we will be home in the evenings, and people are welcome to stop by and say hi. (Leah just read this, and told me to tell you guys that you are welcome to stop by during the day as well, you just might not see me...) Just be sure to give us a call so I can have a chance to powder my nose...

Thanks again for all the generous sharing of love and prayers...
J

Update from Omaha - 8-15-07

Real quick update, as I have to get Leah ready for bed so we can do the doctor circuit early tomorrow. Bill and Judith came up to help out, and will be staying at Mom and Dad's place. We had a fairly quiet day in regards to Leah, mostly a lot of resting and talking. We had visitors trickling in, Kenny and Karen this morning, Dr. Joe, Vinny, and Grandpa and Grandma (who brought dinner!)

Dr. Joe brought over the prayer shawl that St. James made Leah, and she loved it. She put it to good use not to long afterwards, and had herself wrapped up in it. He also had a chance to meet my grandparents, which was nice, as they all got an opportunity to hear the latest from Denver and from here in Omaha.

I was quite busy, had lots of little errands to attend to, dealing with insurance, and working on getting Mom and Dad's mail taken care of. I did stop by work today, and said hi, and plan on using the fact that Bill and Judith are here to sneak in for a bit tomorrow to hopefully take care of some stuff, and start getting my feet wet again. I figure it is going to be hectic the next few weeks, as we will be spending a lot of time working on doctors, PT and various insurance issues. Thankfully Pat and the folks at EDM have been very understanding, and have let me know that they will be flexible with me. This means a lot to Leah and I, as we will be able to continue to get Leah the best care possible.

Since we are in the picture sharing mood, I figure I will share one or two with you folks...

Brit and Dad in their lovely living quarters

Brit and Leah in her room. That is the high tech fan
used to keep Leah cool in Brit's hand.

Mom and Leah in Mom's room.

Please keep Mom in your prayers tomorrow as she will be having some surgery done in the afternoon to clean up some of the large wounds.

We love all of you guys, thanks so much for all of your help, words of encouragement, thoughts and prayers.

J and L.

8/14/07 Update from Omaha

Real quick update as I have an early day tomorrow with various appointments. We had another good day here in Omaha, Leah continues to be in good spirits and is showing signs of improvement on her PT. Some of the exercises continue to be difficult, especially as her back will get tight, and moving some of those muscles can be difficult once she is tensed up. We met with a family doctor and got a blood check to verify her cumidin levels (2.2, which was good), and set up some appointments for the next stage of the recovery. Leaving the hospital was a big accomplishment, but only a small step in a very long road.

We have had a number of visitors stop by and say hi. We really enjoy the visits, as they bring lots of cheer and a new face of someone who cares for us. We thank all fo those who have stopped by, and look forward to more visitors.

I would like to thank all of the people who have sent cards, flowers, and emails to us. All of these help keep our spirits upbeat. We can not express our gratitude enough to all of those who have pitched in and helped, talked to us, or in someway kept us in your thoughts and prayers.

We did have a bit of a down moment, as Leah felt very frustrated at her inability to do much. She realized that she is not going to be able to work much in the next few weeks, and is frustrated that she can't help me more. She felt that she was a bit of a "burden and a broken person." I attempted to allay these concerns, and have kind of expected some of these thoughts to arise, as Leah is a very independent and driven woman, who hates to not be involved in the action. I know that these next few weeks are going to be trying for her, and I hope that we will be able to deal with these concerns as the time comes.

Oh, please note my father's update from Denver below. There is new room information and contact info. Please continue to send Rachel emails, as they very much help keep the spirits upbeat there in Denver.

Thanks once again to all of you out there.

J

Update 8-13-07 1215 AM - Half Way there

Just a quick note to update all of you. Today we managed to get half way to our initial goal of getting the girls safely home. There is still a long road ahead for the other half of this goal, but I fully believe that it is only a matter of time. Leah and I arrived safely into Omaha at 5 PM, just beating a large and powerful thunderstorm that dumped 2-3 inches of rain onto Omaha. This storm probably chased us all the way from Ogallala, NE, as the drive home was filled with lots of torrential downpours which made the rule of letting Leah walk around the car for 10 minutes every hour quite interesting. We managed to stay slightly ahead of the worst of it, and still got Leah the exercise she needed.

Our home is a huge relief as we are surrounded by familiar smells, our own comfortable bed, and our own non hospital white walls. Leah said that just being home made her feel better, and having that kind of attitude will go a long way towards healing all of us. It brightens my day to see her smile, and hear the determination in her voice while she does PT, as her desire to heal and live is very apparent. I know that both of us will have a significant amount of healing yet to accomplish, but being at this point feels like a major accomplishment.

I am sitting here with Leah writing this today, and she wanted me to pass on a few words to all of you.

"Thank you all so very much for all of your thoughts, prayers, and your concern for all of us this week. I can not express to all of you how thankful I am for your generosity and outpouring of love, and it is difficult to even try. I am on the way to recovery, but my heart is still with Rachel in Denver, and I hope that she will be able to join me in this first step to recovery. My heart is still very heavy, as I mourn the loss of my dear sister Renee, who was not only my best friend, but someone who brought joy to my every day life. I struggle with this part of my healing everyday, but know that I have to trust in God's plan for me, and hope that He will help me heal in everyway, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I mourn for the pain that Zack is suffering, and want him to know that I love him, love him very deeply. I wish that I could help him make this pass, and will pray for God to help Zack through this trying time. Mom Dad and Britanie, Jay and I love you very much, and wish we could still be there in Denver to help you heal.

Thank you and I love you all very much. My gratitude can't be expressed enough,
Leah. "

Obviously I typed that for Leah as she dictated that to me. Her typing hand is a little out of commission, and having to try to type, operate the mouse and wipe away some tears is a bit difficult, especially when you are right handed, but the only one that works is your left. I know that many of you will want to stop by and see her, and we would welcome that, but only ask that you call ahead, and check with us to see whats going on, as to much excitement can be a bit hard to handle. We also need to try to figure out some semblance of a routine, so that we can figure out what we may need from all of our friends who keep offering to help us.

We can be contacted at:

402.321.4167 - Jay's cell, always on.
402.598.0612 - Leah's cell, but probably not going to be heard unless it is next to her
402.991.8577 - Home phone.

We did have some visitors today, our friends the Schubert's stopped by, and my Grandpa and Grandma Kunc and Aunt Wendy and Uncle Karl and their kids. It was nice to see all of them, and was good to hear laughter in the house from all the kids. I could tell that Grandma and Grandpa were hurting a lot, but hopefully seeing Leah and her smile will help their hearts to feel a little lighter.

I did talk to Mom today, and she sounded like she was making some improvements. As you probably read in the article by my father, John, she sat up a lot today, talked a lot more, and meet with the doctors to start working on pain. She sounded better, but I know her heart is still very heavy.

I want to thank Bill and Judith for driving us home, and getting us here safely. They did travel back to Missouri earlier tonight to take care of some stuff at home, but will be back soon. Their help over the last week has been instrumental in getting the girls back to where they are. It was amazing to see that they not only cared for the two of us, but also took care of Mom, Dad and Britanie. They also had enough compassion and love to talk to some of the other families, and helped to care for them as well. I don't think I could have asked for any better in laws.

I would also want to thank Julia for coming up to help us. I don't think I have given her enough credit for just jumping on a plane and coming to our rescue. She helped us all by smiling, sitting with us, hugging us, and running little errands. She might have felt like she didn't do much, but her just being there for us helped us more then I can even say.

I would also like to thank my uncle Jerry. He just jumped on a plane, and wished he could have gotten there sooner to be there for us. He was a rock for my dad, Brit and I. He just quietly took care of us, making sure we ate, making us talk about our feelings, and just sitting there with us. He took care of the girls for us, letting us go take care of Zack and Renee. His unquestioning help, quiet calm talks, and strong hugs helped us all to begin to heal.

Thanks again, I must now go dose some meds out to Leah.

We love all of you, and look forward to seeing you.

J and L

Thank you to everyone

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your messages, prayers, thoughts, offers of help, tears, and especially the outpouring of love. Our family has suffered a great tragedy, which only time and encouragement from family and friends will be able to overcome. Renee was super special to us, and we are going to miss her more than menial words can ever describe. Her joyous demeanor, beautiful smile, and optimistic outlook on life meant that she lit up a room upon entry. Her leadership style was totally unassuming. You never could fully explain when she took command of any group, but one day you noticed that she definitely had full control. You always wanted to please someone who worked that hard to please you. Our family has lost a significant cog in our life wheel that will forever make that wheel skip a beat.

As Jay wrote, Leah is on the way home with Jay and her parents, Bill and Judith Voelker. We are extremely happy to have her gone from Swedish Hospital. However, we will certainly miss Jay, his strength and his support. We definitely will also miss Judith and Bill. They provided meaningful support to all of us, not just Leah and Jay. As a pastoral couple they professionally retired three weeks ago, but were counseling and praying with us and many other unfortunate families here at Swedish Hospital.

Rachel is improving by the hour. We started here at Swedish with one word answers, many unintelligible, and have progressed to lengthy conversations. Now for those of you that don’t know Rachel, you must know that Rachel has never experienced a quiet moment in any conversation, since she won’t allow it to happen. So Jay, Britanie and I have been expecting a flood of words once the dam broke. We’re slowly getting to the breaking point of the dam. We see longer conversations, longer attention spans, and more perceptive answers to our queries.

Rachel sat up twice, out of bed, yesterday for about 30 minutes each time, and once today for about 22 minutes. She is definitely also beginning to manage her care. The docs and nurses are about to experience the Rachel we know and love. I wish them luck.

We also have experienced a few minor setbacks. The affects of her concussion are receding and memories of Renee and the accident are surfacing more regularly. Last night Britanie and I took shifts consoling her through her nightmares. Britanie put her on music therapy with Britanie’s Ipod and tried to catch some sleep. Shortly, she was in the throes of another dream and it was my four hours of guard duty from there. As a step forward though, she began questioning her doctors and seems to understand each one’s role in pain control rather than making each responsible for her complete pain control. With 18 broken ribs, pain control is our priority, and every day on the epidural pump is a great day.

Thank you everyone for all your support of my immediate family and your continued prayers and blessings you send our way. We are truly blessed in every way with your love and compassion. I will continue to attempt to keep you informed of our progress in Denver, please continue to pray for us, especially Renee and Zack.

Our sincerest love for all of you,

Jay, Renee, Britanie, Zack and Leah’s Dad