Woo hoo!

My dad just called and said that this morning my mom was suddenly conversational again. She told him where the Christmas tree ornaments are, and which grocery store has the chicken nuggets that the twins like.

Keep the faith!

Strange parallels

Recently my mom was in a one-car accident, which caused what was essentially a stroke. When she first woke up, she seemed very alert and able to converse. Since then she has talked less and less, and now comes out with occasional clear sentences every day.

As I talk to my dad, who is there with her, I keep being struck by the similarities with my first years that I knew the twins had autism. They would say something, and then not talk for weeks at a time. It was a kind of torture.

I don't really know if it's true, but I told my dad that I believe my mom still has it all inside her. Right now her body is working on another part of her recovery-- she's getting a lot of physical and occupational therapy. Maybe that's taking all of her brain power right now.

One thing I've found, even though the twins still don't talk much, is that it's ALL still in there. They still know what they used to know, and much, much more. And I'm pretty sure that my mom does, too. It's another situation that calls for more patience than I ever thought I had. Hopefully we'll go back to making progress soon, but meanwhile don't look too far ahead, and find joy in every little good thing that happens.