Start noticing the improvements

2/19/11  My little sister Jeweliana, who my mom writes about in this blog, got a beautiful american girl doll for her birthday.
Though Jeweliana and her Kanani just met yesterday, Jeweliana loves her. Usually the first thing she talks about (and the last thing before bed) is about her service dog Grace, today, it is about her 'dolly'.

It makes my heart so happy to see Jeweliana be so fully aware of what her arms are doing, what each finger is doing when she holds her american girl doll. She is so loving and careful. As soon as her fingers start to wrap around Kanani's hair, jeweliana says to me quietly 'sorry'. She is so aware of what her fingers are doing, even if the muscles to unclench her fist is not as strong as we want them to be.

The biggest thing in my life is realizing there is always hope. With Jeweliana the little things are truly big things. She is so verbal about what she wants to do, how she wants Kanani to sit, or what clothes for her to wear-that is such a blessing, such an improvement that we can understand her. Jeweliana is so in touch with her body when we play with her American girl doll, because she is being careful-that is a great improvement. For jewel to control her body, she must know where her body stops and starts and what it feels like. She is achieving that.
In just a couple of weeks since Chrystal (her O/T) asked jewel to take a breath, and keep on sitting in her stroller/wheelchair Jeweliana has mastered it. For as long as we have had this chair she has arched out of it as soon as the straps are undone. Now she sits calmly and relaxed. She has such control of her body.

We can only live with joy once we start to notice the improvements. I was filled with so much hope tonight, and excitement, that i had to do a blog post. Especially once I realized Mom originally intended for us to take turns doing blog posts. :)


Post written by Makena, Jewel's eldest sister.