Greetings riders of the BOH,

As I look in the mirror each morning, I take stock of a woman who is freshly 46: my eyes are blue, but they are nestled in a riverbed of wrinkles. I think I’ve got my first age spot, on the left temple. I have my mother’s reddish hair mixed with my father’s silver fox grey. And on the left corner of my mouth, it looks as though I have a wrinkle that resembles cracked pavement. Rather than fear it, I smear it with foundation and get on with the day. (Smiling also fills out the crack on my face, so yes I smile a lot.)

On weekday mornings, I wrap up the make-up stage, load up the car, and whisk Rachel off to school, where she continues to progress, impress, and work hard. At her recent conference, with representatives from Special Ed, speech, OT, and her family gathered around the tiny table, her teacher noted an increase in fuller phrases from Rachel. We all determined that the anti-seizure medication seems to be paving the way to more progress for her. In fact, her ability to concentrate in loud, classroom settings has also increased.

When I brought up my fears of academics, and how far behind she is, the consensus returned: let her rest at home, for she works so hard here. Furthermore, she can catch up in the road ahead.

Small scene: Rachel and her morning para, Barb, were looking for new library books. Rachel grabbed one and accidently bopped her para in the nose. Immediately, Rachel said, “Sorry!” She has always had an empathetic bone, but now she’s able to express an apology.

Speaking of expression, singing is a form of it, and Rachel appeared with her third grade class and sang in the concert at the end of February. This is a big deal on many levels. First, to be able to handle the pressure of simply being in front of a large crowd of people without cracking into a meltdown is astounding. Furthermore, she was actually singing some of these songs. I helped her with one – “Down by the Riverside” – during tubby time.

“Down by the…” I’d sing.

“Riverside!” she’d sing back.

“Good!” I would say, noting that she’s gaining ground. I have a chapter in my book where the speech therapist back at Gillette was trying to get her to sing the alphabet song. She couldn’t do it then in 2011. Look how far she’s come.

But when at the concert, I saw so much more from her. She was singing phrases from many songs, not just one. I wish my father could have heard the class sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” She knew most of those words, too! She was smiling and cheering her way through the entire concert, actually. AND, to top it all off, she took a bow, prominently leaning forward in her wheelchair, just like her classmates did on cue from Mrs. Bray, the music teacher. I could see her smiling from the back of the gym, where I sat as I wiped away joyous tears.

When the Bus Drivers went to the concert last year, we hoped that she could just sit through the concert on stage. In one short year, the improvements are noticeable.

Recently, I took Rachel to see her rehab doctor and her hip surgeon, all on one Thursday morning. Both people gave me good news.

Dr. Walker wanted an X-ray, and upon review, he could see the continuous, fluid movement of healing in her hips. He also wanted an X-ray of her spine. At first, I protested, asking why it was necessary. The reason? Any patient with neurological impairments may experience scoliosis. The subsequent picture revealed no curvature of the spine, so that was a relief.

Dr. Gormley, our rehab doctor, gave us a green light to return to therapy this summer. I have scheduled all of her evaluations for March and April; these appointments will provide a snapshot of her progress. We’ll also set goals and therapy schedules based on what the therapists see.

Dr. Gormley also noticed her tone is better. This is very good news. We will go back for another round of phenol and Botox shots on May 6. (Maybe I can get a shot of Botox on the corner of my mouth, thereby smoothing out the cracked pavement? Ha!) We are also advocating for a new gait trainer. The one we have is… too small!

Rachel’s awareness of her world and her response to it continues to grow and gain speed. One evening, I was looking at the television, wondering what I was watching. I said aloud, “What is this?”

Rachel replied, “It’s a commercial.” (Her tone had that “duh Mom” quality to it.

Another night, she and I were figuring out what to eat for dinner. She loves salad, but I didn’t feel like making one, so I grabbed the dish I use to microwave Costco veggies, only to have her protest by saying, “Salad.”

When I held up the deodorant the other morning, asking her what it was, she replied quickly, “Arm pit juice!” That’s my girl, funny and fierce in her response.

On Wednesday nights, I teach an evening class at MCTC. At the beginning of the semester, Rachel would bawl when I left for work. Now, she simply scrunches up her lips for a kiss, knowing I’ll be there in the morning. Jim and Rachel have pizza night together on those evenings when I teach. (Pizza is a danger to this diabetic!)

Not only can she hold that piece of pizza with her left hand, she can also use her Dad’s Ipad or our Iphones to flick through to watch her favorite YouTube videos.

The right hand IS getting better, but one of the goals for this summer ought to be getting Miss Rightie to straighten so that she can grip a walker.

In other news, Jim continues to work two jobs. At the age of 57, he does the best he can to bring in dough with sore shoulders and severe fatigue. He doesn’t know if he has arthritis or needs rotator cuff surgery. And frankly, I don’t know if he and I will ever catch up on the lack of sleep from the summer of 2011….

I just got done with Spring Break, in which I had the opportunity to accomplish many things: writing, grading, girls’ night out, two coffee dates with girlfriends, attaining mulch from my stepson, Dylan, for a muddy patch so that it doesn’t roll in with R’s wheelchair, and looking for work this summer as there are no classes available again.

So, no, I haven’t given up on writing the book. I revised eight chapters during my vacation.

No matter what happens – this summer and beyond – we all continue to work hard and press on. Rachel has come so far in this journey. Here’s hoping that the roads for Rachel are free of cracks and potholes going forward. It makes our work as Bus Drivers worthy.

Time to refresh my coffee cup and get a move on the day. Much love from the BOH to you, wherever you are! Big love from Daddy Jim, Mommy Melissa, Grandma Kathy, and, of course, the sassy, smart, singing Rachel Reid