Percussion Performance

First I want to wish all my fellow moms a very Happy Mother's Day. For me, being a mom is the most important, rewarding (and at times challenging) thing I do. There is no doubt that this past year has been the toughest I've had so far in their short life. I've discovered a strength I didn't know I had, shed A LOT of tears, and experienced a lot of joy. I feel blessed everyday that Jake and Luke are in my life and call me mom. 

Enough about me,  a lot of good stuff happened for Jake this week! We found out that he gets to go on the field before the Rockies game and his name will be displayed on the jumbo tron. He is so excited! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and share them next weekend.

Jake also had his percussion performance on Tuesday. I think I've mentioned before that he was in the percussion group at school last year and it was something he really wanted to do again this year. He's been meeting after school one day a week with the group since the first of the year. It brought so much joy to my heart to see him happy and up there with everyone else. Knowing how important this is to him and how hard he's had to work to get here makes it that much more special. Is he at the same place he was last year before his stroke? No. But he gave it 110% and did amazing. He even got a little solo which of course made me cry (it's at about 1:15 in the video). So, so proud of him. Here is a clip from the performance. In the first part of the video, Jake is the red group, last one on the right. http://youtu.be/aUPqHyKkboY

Another big development is Jake is starting to realize when his body isn't working quite like it needs to and is making choices that can help him. He's had a bit of a head cold this past week which caused his left side to be tighter and his walk got a little worse. We've been told it's very normal for stroke patients to regress when they are sick. His body just doesn't have enough resources for normal functioning, brain healing and fighting off a cold. Something has to give and unfortunately, it's the physical side for him. He  decided it would be a good idea to use the walker again at school so he didn't get too tired. For his percussion performance, he asked to use the wrist brace that was made for him in the hospital and have his stick wrapped to his left hand since his grip wasn't as strong. This awareness and him deciding what will help him is huge progress.