Visiting with Isabella

So this morning and afternoon my sisters and I drove to Columbus to see Isabella. I will do my best to justify how I perceived her situation. It is very hard to describe because in some ways she is 8. In other ways, it seems like there is much to be relearned. Physical healing has a much more defined timeline and is easy to see. We are learning every day about Isabella's kind of healing...
When she saw us, she called us "the aunts." We got there in time to see her finishing up speech therapy. She was doing a puzzle with her therapist of animals and their habitats. There were actually four separate puzzles, each of about 12 pieces. The center piece was the habitat (forest, ocean, farm, and home). She had to draw a piece, name the animal and then place it in the right habitat. The therapist would ask where the animal lived and she would say, "right there." She got the habitats mixed up a few times, was hesitant to answer a few times, needed a first letter-sound prompt a few times, but other than that, got them all right. We then went to occupational therapy where she had to pull words out of a Boggle game. She could spell some words and not others, but always got them when prompted. She found the word "ho" and said, "Santa says that" and also "me." She had to write them together and realized as they were beside each other that they spelled "home." She also had to finish a sentence starting with the word my. She said, "My aunts came to see me." I have the paper with her handwriting and will post that as soon as I am reunited with my scanner. I have lots of material ready....
At the moment, she can read and pronounce many words, but whether she retains subject matter is still questionable. She is doing things, but still in a juvenile way. She answers many questions in a high-pitched "uh-huh." We feel like we can see the real Isabella when her voice fluctuates back to normal pitch every now and then.
Also, last night she started asking questions to Matthew about her situation, why she was in the hospital. He explained the car accident, but this morning when Jenny asked her about it, she didn't seem to remember the details outside of the fact that she hit her head. We think, however, that it is a good sign to ask questions. We want her to realize that where she is and what she is going through has not always been. She is very present-minded and it is hard to know if she realizes anything else is normal.
Jenny was able to crawl in her bed this afternoon and cuddle with Isabella. They watched a few movies, and we all know this is the best medicine for Jenny. From my point of view (someone who last saw her in ICU 4 days after the accident), I see huge bridges crossed. I can also now tangibly see that there are still mountains to climb. We are praising God for every hill and bump behind us.... Thank you for reading. Please continue to bathe in prayer my sister and her emotional healing and peace. As far as physical things go, she goes back to the surgeon who did her face on Tuesday. She is hoping he will be able to tell her more about the bone sticking out in her mouth (she is saying that she can feel it more now and that it is more pronounced, longer, and painful than before). You can pray for Isabella also that she will continue to progress. Pray for her brain to reconnect in all the ways it needs to, exceedingly above the bright, intelligent child we all know she is...