New pictures of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows progress of recovery. (credit Facebook/Gabrielle Giffords)

Giffords had been in rehab in Houston, Texas since late January after surviving an assassination attempt by shooter Jared Lee Loughner. Loughner's attack resulted in the killing of six and injuried 13 including Giffords.

Although she had suffered critical injuries to her head, doctors treating her were optimistic about her recovery. Sunday's photos presented a smiling Giffords who, according to her spokesperson, is making great strides in her communication. 

"Her words are back more and more now, but she's still using facial expressions as a way to express. Pointing. Gesturing," spokesperson Pia Carusone told the Arizona Republic newspaper. 

Those close to Giffords are still concerned, however, her quality of life may not return to what it was. 

From The Christian Science Monitor: 

While Giffords is making "tremendously good recovery,” Carusone said, “All that we can hope for is that she won't plateau today and that she'll keep going and that when she does plateau, it will be at a place far away from here."

It’s much too soon to know if Giffords will be able to run for reelection to Congress next year. May 2012 is the deadline for filing reelection papers.

From Huffington Post: 

She said doctors and family are considering "many factors" while making the critical next-step decision to release Giffords from TIRR Memorial Hermann, the hospital where she has been undergoing intensive daily rehabilitation since late January.

"We're looking at before the end of the month. We're looking at early July," Carusone said. "We don't have a date."

Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled shooter Loughner--who pleaded not guilty in court--was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial due to paranoid schizophrenia May 25, 2011.