Catching up

****Disregard the date...I started this blog weeks ago and never posted until now 7-15-08****

This is the part where I usually start stammering out apologies for not blogging for a few weeks...but this time no apology. Since I last took the time to write and post some pics Emily and Himaya took a vacation. They went to Wyoming and Utah to visit both our families, and they had a fantastic time. Though I wish I could have gone, it actually worked out really well for me. When they left, I was about a week away from taking my finals for the summer term. Them not being here allowed me to study guilt-free. I didn't have to balance family time with studying, and I didn't have to feel bad for wanting to study (well... not wanting so much as needing). I feel like I did ok on my tests, and Em was able to see a lot of family and have a lot of fun.
Coming up to the end of the semester, we had the opportunity to take the socket from our prosthesis we had made for one of our patient's (see picture from last post), and use it to build a myoelectric prosthesis. To explain how it works (in case you are interested), there are electrodes in the socket that pick up action potential as it moves through the patient's muscles. Remember, they are below elbow amputees, so the muscle they are using no longer connects to their wrist or hand. The signal is picked up, and opens/closes the prosthetic hand. I was really happy with my end result, since it worked really well with my patient. So this is a short video of my patient opening and closing the hand as I ask her to. Sorry, but it was shot on my cell phone and it's not a great camera.
Finishing up upper extremity prosthetics, we had the opportunity to go to a facility in Fort Worth for 2 days to learn from upper extremity specialists. They were really knowledgeable, and gave me a lot to think about when it comes to deciding just what I want to do in the long run.
In the 2 1/2 weeks that Himaya was away, she changed a lot.... more than I would have thought possible. First off, she is bigger. We had an appointment Monday where we found out she is 13 lbs 3 oz. Second off, she now seems to want to play a lot. She used to hate laying on her stomach, but now she likes it. She will hold her self up with one hand and reach for/play with toys while on her tummy. She is REALLY vocal, and doesn't seem to cry as much as she did before. And another good thing is she stopped sticking her tongue out all the time. Yesterday she started to make this cute face (we call is her monkey-face) where she sucks in her bottom lip and opens her eyes really wide. I can't help but laugh every time she does it. It is really great having her and Emily home...I missed them a lot. Tomorrow we are going to the zoo, so hopefully we will have some good pics to post in a few days. Thanks for stopping by to see how things are with us.

Branch

Growing

Well today I have a mix of things to write about. It has been another fun week watching our little girl grow and learn. This week, she discovered her feet and she likes to grab and play with them. The first time we saw her doing it, her face said "woah... what the heck are these things?" She has also recently learned she has a tongue. She likes to stick it out and try to lick her chin -super cute. The other thing she is trying to get down, is laughing. She kinda shrieks and smiles, but she will get it. Our other family news is Emily and Himaya's trip to Wyoming/Utah this week. I will be studying for and taking my finals while they are gone, so I will be able to study very effectively. Speaking of school, last Monday we fitted our patient's with prostheses, and mine fit so well, I thought I would take a picture and post it. Note: the pink cord would normally be steel cable, but since we are still practicing, we get cheap cord instead. I will leave you with a video from an hour ago, of us playing with Himaya.

Branch Emily and Himaya

Rockin' & Rollin'

I have been wanting to write this blog for the last few days, but have been waiting for an appropriate video to post with it. Here's the story: for the last week or so, every time we put Himaya on her tummy she has been pushing with her arms and legs, and it looks like she's about to turn over. So for over a week now, we have been turning on the video camera every time we put her on her tummy. Saturday night, I was cooking dinner and Emily put Himaya on her tummy and was heading into the other room. As Em was turning the corner to leave the room she looked back just as Himaya rolled over onto her back. Emily was very excited, but of course this happened THE ONLY FREAKIN' TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CAMERA ON!!! So we spent the rest of the evening, a lot of Sunday and some of Monday with the camera on her while she was on her tummy...just waiting for her to repeat her roll. She finally did it again today, and we got it on camera. So without further ado, I give you Himaya - the roller.

Red White & Cute

Once again I feel compelled to begin a blog with an apology. I constantly promise to write once a week, but I consistently put it off. School continues to be fun and interesting, though I have no stories to share about class this time.

Emily is doing great, and just had another birthday (making her 26 now). Little side note... Emily and I have now known each other for about half our lives, crazy. We had some fun last weekend, and went with some friends to see WALL·E at a drive-in theater south of Dallas. We also stayed for the second movie, the new Narnia. It was a lot of fun.

Today, we all went to a 4^th of July get together with friends from church. After eating breakfast, we walked a few blocks and watched a parade. We all had a good time, and Himaya was pretty calm. I was worried that the fire trucks would scare her; but since she was in the process of getting her diaper changed, she was already crying. We are excited to take Maya to see fireworks for the first time… hope that goes well.

All in all, it’s been a great 10 days since I last posted, and I don’t have too much more to share. Thanks again for stopping by to read about our little family.

Branch, Emily and Himaya