Pitch Perfect

So britt has been working on his speech lately. The speech therapist is the bomb, and always gets the most out of Britton. Britt is unable to speak, even if he wanted to or tried, nothing would come out, because the cuff in his trach is inflated, and nothing can go past that. So they have been coming in once a day to deflate it and do some exercises. We work on opening and closing the mouth and moving the tongue around. Then we count down from three and give one big breath and say "AHH", he has made so much progress since they first started about a week ago. It is going to take a while for his vocal chords to start woking properly again, and he may even have to relearn words and how to talk. We will know more about that when he is more awake. But here is a little video of what i am talking about, it is pretty funny, he sounds like a baby t-rex dinosaur, getting eaten by a big t-rex, but it's the noise we want to hear!!!

I just cant get over how dang luck we are to have him here, and to have witnessed miracles and blessings each day the way we have. It is so incredible the progress he has made in the last 2 weeks. He is doing so well here, and the staff is unreal!! They work him and love him and care for him so much. He just keeps getting a little bit better a little bit at a time. Somedays reality hits hard, and i have to take a minute to stop feeling bad, upset, angry or confused...because how can I complain about the situation when all we have seen is improvement and progress? Of course, it has not been easy, not for a second, there have been bumps and scares along the way, but that's where we have grown most. I just feel so grateful. Everyday I think to myself how luck I am to still have my sweet brother here with me, when it so easily could've been very different.

I've learned a lot about myself the past 3 months. And I think that is true for everyone who goes through hard things. I've learned a lot about life, perspective, fragility. I have a better understanding of a lot of things that weren't so clear before. You learn the most about yourself when you are faced with difficulty. Never in my life would I have thought I could get through something like this. I was that girl that absolutely feared this more than anything in the world, I couldn't even fathom the thought of it. But like I said in a previous post, you can never be prepared for circumstances like this...but when they happen, you find a way to get through it and you do it as best as you can. I've learned that I am strong. That I can handle a lot more than I ever thought possible. But I have that magnitude of strength because of my Savior. I would've only gotten so far on my own, and eventually I would've ran out of gas. I can't explain, in words, how the power and strength of the Lord has carried me through this. I think I can speak for the rest of my family when I say that too. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that, it's not so much that I've learned a lot about myself, but I've learned a lot about who I am and who I can become if I put my full heart and trust in Him and let Him work through me, beside me, with me.

Out of anyone though, it's my brother who has taught me the most. I've always considered myself the smarter, wiser, older and better looking one;) hahaha just kidding. He has taught me more valuable lessons in 3 months, than I have learned in 20 years. And he hasn't said a thing. He's the smart one, the wise one, the special one. And i feel so honored to be his sister. He has changed the way I think and the way I live my life. He has given me a testimony of things that that I thought I had before, but really, I didn't. At least not to this degree. I've witnessed the Lord work miracles through him. And I've witnessed my brother reach the hearts of millions. He's on a pretty remarkable mission right now, and I don't even think he knows it.