Susan and I have been here with Dad since about 7:00 and Ryan just got here. More on that later.
Dad is much more alert than I've seen him yet. When someone walks in, he looks right at them. His right eye is still a little sluggish and wants to stay closed, but if you open it, he can keep it open.
The biggest highlight of the night so far is that Dad had his first real dinner. He is still on a soft food diet, so it was pureed food shaped into solid food shapes -- chicken puree in the shape of a chicken breast, pureed corn in the shape of a cob of corn, etc. He had quite the appetite and ate about half of his chicken, potatoes, and corn. He is also able to (finally) drink from a straw instead of sucking on a sponge, so also drank almost a full apple juice. He seemed to really enjoy the dinner and we were thrilled that he did so well!
After dinner, he was trying to talk to us. This is a frustrating process, mostly for him, I'm sure. He does pretty well with yes or no questions, but if he is trying to tell us something, it is almost impossible to understand. I think as he is becoming more alert, this seems to frustrate him more, as he seems to be aware of the fact that he can't communicate like he wants to. We are just trying our best to keep him comfortable and figure out what he wants and needs. Most of the time, I think we've evenutally been successful. I'm sure as his ability improves and our interpretation skills improve, this process will become much easier.
When Ryan came in, Dad perked right up. He was obviously excited to see Ryan. We all got a good laugh because he motioned for Ryan's Sonic drink full of Dr. Pepper. Susan asked if that's what he wanted and he said, "Okay." LOL Luckily, we mentioned this to the nurse and she said that she could bring a substance that would thicken it and that he could actually drink the DP! I didn't think this was even possible, but think it will be a great treat for him.
Ryan is talking to him now and Dad is very responsive to him. They have been talking BYU and are now watching basketball together. Dad's spirtis seem to be high and he is enjoying Ryan's company. I'm so glad Ryan is here.
The fact that Dad has eaten solid food is a huge accomplishment. It was looking like a feeding tube was inevitable, but we hoped to avoid it. A special thanks to those who have prayed specifically that Dad would be able to eat. We know many have been praying for this and those prayers have been answered. Thank you! Thank you!
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