E-i-ee-i-oooh

Annie's into music and farm animal sounds. Probably because in this house, she's surrounded by both. Now, you know that I've been trying to figure out a way to motivate her to use her right hand, and I think through your prayers, I've found it.

A little background: since January of '07, Annie hasn't been into books, except her Disney Princess book--which she devours. Literally. Any other book has held little interest for her. Of course, this has been just another reason for me to be sad, because she used to love to get up on the couch and snuggle up next to me while I read to her. But since her brain injury, she hasn't been interested in looking at pictures, or listening to stories. I occasionally would try to read something to her, but for the most part, I could tell she was just enduring it until I would close the last page and give her something she really wanted--a toy with music or animal sounds.

However, earlier this year her Rehab without Walls Speech therapist, BJ, left a book with us, called "Sounds on the Farm." On each page of this book, there's a picture of a barn with a door. When you lift up the door, you see a farm animal; on the first page there's a cow, the next one has a dog, then a goat, a duck, a horse, a rooster, a pig and a sheep. And on the bottom of the book there's a row of buttons that go with each animal, so when you lift up the barn door, you can also push a button and hear the animal sound. So for the last few evenings, Annie has sat on my lap so her left arm is toward me, and her right arm is by the buttons. I put my hand over her right fingers and help her push the buttons to hear each animal as we read each page. And as of this week, she LOVES this book--looking at the pictures, listening to the sounds, laughing, looking at me, and then looking at the pictures again. AND she lets me help her push the buttons with her right-hand fingers. She tries to mimic all the noises too, and although she's not as good as her brothers, she's working on it.

I am so happy.

Jean

It is the habit of faith, when she is praying, to use pleas. Mere prayer sayers, who do not pray at all, forget to argue with God; but those who prevail bring forth their reasons and their strong arguments. Charles H. Spurgeon