4th of July

Jake got the day off from therapy and was thrilled! Little does he know, the games we've been playing today were homework from his therapists. :-) We'll keep that little secret to ourselves, plus I'm sure it's more fun doing these activities with the family. Today is also Todd's birthday...we had some quality family time, a wonderful BBQ dinner (thanks Eric and Ryan!), delicious cupcakes from Grandma and are hoping to catch the fireworks downtown from our 6th floor window. We have a great corner room that has big west and south facing windows so we should be able to see several different firework shows from around the city.

Jake is really making good progress on his left side. He was actually able to hold his drumstick in his left hand today. It wasn't a super tight grip, but it was enough to hold it independently. He couldn't wait to tell Todd when he got here and for the first time said "Dad, I'm going to be able to drum again." It was great to see him so excited as most days he doesn't feel he's making progress, since from his perspective, he still can't walk and his left side isn't working like it used to. He is also getting some great movement in his left hamstring and can pull his leg up towards his stomach in a bent position and straighten it out again. Pretty exciting stuff. 

While this wasn't our traditional way to spend the 4th of July, at the end of the day, we're all together. We got to spend some time with extended family and Jake is truly getting better day by day. We can't ask for much more than that.