Monday December 17th through Sunday January 6th

Good evening!!!

We survived another holiday season but it certainly had its highs and lows... But there was more joy than sorrow this year and we are looking forward to a positive 2008 for Tori and our family. Tori has done very well over the past three weeks and we have kept her active and busy in all of our family gatherings. She was in the kitchen for our annual family 'cookie bake' get together and she enjoyed watching and helping (by sampling) everyone make Christmas cookies. She also made the trek up to my brother Todd's house for Christmas Eve family activities. In all there were eighteen of us including Grandpa and Grandma Schmanski. The road home was a little scary though as there was massive blizzard hitting the area but we made it safely without any incidents. Here is a nice picture I posted of Tori by a Christmas tree.

Tori continued her partying ways and was also out with Maria, Brendan and I as we celebrated New Year's Eve at our good friends Mark and Julie Depalma's house in Payson. We brought our dog Tinker's to both the Christmas activities and the New Years activities but she enjoyed the latter more because there were four other dogs to celebrate and play with :) Tori certainly liked watching them all scamper and chase each other around the house that evening.

We are certain Tori did alot of snacking during the holidays because when we weighed her at the PCMC this past week she came in at a very solid and healthy 113.2 lbs.!!!! Prior to her injury she was always very strong because of all of the dancing she was involved in. Her upper body remains very muscled but it is due to her spasticity and tone at this time.... She was at the PCMC for her quarterly doses of phenol and botox into her arms, shoulders, chest, neck and back. She was in dire need of the injections once again as she was extremely tight and had zero control of her left arm and hand which she bite several times... We hope and pray she will never gain immunity to botox because that would be really, really bad....

This week we will begin Tori's weekly routine once more with Monday, Wednesday and Friday visits from Jake who is from Timpanogos High School and more PT and ST sessions form Cari and Meredyth respectively on various days of the week. We hope and pray for continued good heath and healing for Tori and may 2008 bring her the miracles she truly deserves!!!

Thank you all as always!!!

The Schmanski Family - Tim, Maria, Tori, Whitney and Brendan