Thursday, May 28

Hello to all! This is a late post as I did not leave the hospital until about 9:00pm. Uncle Jace and Aunt Dana wanted to be on night watch with Clay tonight. They arrived this afternoon from Omaha, NE. Clay had a busy and great day. He had an early bath and just had some Tylenol for pain. He says that he doesn't hurt, but they give it just in case. Clay had his feed tube, as well as the bridle in his nose, removed this morning. He gagged when the tube came out and almost jumped out of bed when the bridle was removed. He ate so much today and is drinking his supplement liquid (Kid Essentials) in a cup. He had some chicken on his tray for supper (he no longer has to have the pureed diet) and he said, "This....chicken.....is.....good." He was hungry for strawberries, so we brought him some. What a delicious treat! The ENT Dr. from Children's Hospital arrived about lunchtime to replace Clay's trach (pediatric tracheostomy tube) with a smaller one. Clay is able to force air over his vocal chords with this one and so he has talked to us all afternoon. It is wonderful to hear his voice.
Clay walked further today than he has walked since we have been here. He walked from his room to the Burn (in/out patient) Clinic to get fitted for pressure garments. We helped him pull some shorts & a T-shirt on & off we went. The Physical therapist told us that the distance was approx. 340 ft. We had some family and friends arrive during this time, so we all walked with him to the clinic. We were all so happy for him. We also had another friend come this morning and he brought a State Trooper with him. He brought Clay a special bag filled with neat things and helpful info.
We are thankful for you all and are thankful that we can carry all our worries and fears to God. We are so thankful that He is guiding and giving "daily" strength. Good Night.