(Originally posted April 12, 2009)

And so we've come to the first holiday since J.J.'s stroke. I expected this to be hard to deal with. But it was a complete non-issue. First of all, it's hard to be sad while watching your children tear around the house hunting eggs. Secondly (and I can't believe I'm saying this already!), J.J. has made so much progress over the last week or so that it's really not that different than holidays we've spent together as a family in the past. Yes, his speech still has issues. Yes, his reading is slower than it used to be. Yes, his spelling is atrocious. But I'm really starting to believe that we're going to make it through this.

I had a discussion with a coworker a few days ago about his belief that "full recovery" after a stroke is a myth. From everything I've read, I share this opinion. J.J. is changed from the person he was eight weeks ago at this time. However, as I was telling J.J. a couple of days ago, I think in a few months he'll be functioning so well that anyone who didn't know him before the stroke won't know that he was impacted. The rest of us may notice differences (like his new willingness to use a list when going shopping, something he always scorned in the past). But already, the stroke is starting to momentarily lose its place as the defining feature of our lives.

Who'd have thought it was possible?

I must get back to doing some work and I need to wake up J.J. so he can go get started on Easter dinner (ham and all the traditional fixings). J.J.'s appointment with the sleep specialist is tomorrow at 9:15 a.m. I'll update after the appointment. Please keep your fingers crossed that this goes well; J.J. is terrified that they'll try to make him use a CPAP. In fact, he's making noises about skipping the appointment and I'm having to bully him into going. So any good thoughts you can spare would be appreciated!