So, I found this old page that I used to use to introduce Jake, our family and OI to others......
http://www.geocities.ws/grysmom/
http://www.geocities.ws/grysmom/
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Well, the proof is in the pudding! I am NO BLOGGER! Has been almost a year, forgot I have a blog. Everyone assures me this is just a 50something brain, I beg to differ and feel dementia is on the horizon. Quick catch up. #1 son engaged to be married 10/19/12 in Fort Myers Florida. 6 people on a beach wedding. He is working for CILA (I think those are the letters) being a case manager for people with disabilities in central Illinois. Son #2 back from Chicago culinary school, working at the hospital doing phlebotomy for the radiology department, no woman on the horizon, but he is looking for a forever woman instead of a wild fun time, which is a step forward! heavy sigh. Son #3 still teaching special ed in an inner city school in Peoria, expecting baby #2 with his wife. Daughter #1 still working at TCRC as a job co-coordinator for people with developmental disabilities (see can't remember her job title). Twins are entering their last year of high school, they will be 21 in November, gotta find them a job cause they are not couch potato material. Jake is Jake. He is at this moment at comic con in Chicago with son#3. Meeting stars, getting photos and autographs. He worked for months making duct tape wallets to fund this adventure.
Hubby is beginning his last year of teaching. Retirement looms in our future. He is excited, I am leery. What do I do with him all day. He has been told he has to pack a lunch and leave at 8am, return after 3pm 5 days a week. He has a choice, he can get a job, a hobby, volunteer or sit on the curb those hours, but he will not become couch potato material! LOL
In February we came very close to adopting a newborn with OI that we were told about. We felt she deserved younger parents, so stayed in the background. We really wanted her, but gave them a chance to find young parents. God found her the perfect parents and I was blessed to meet her and her mommy in July.
We have had 3 foster babies since February. One little angel we got at 10 days old. She had PKU and a brain anomaly. I did blood work on her 3 times a week. We were to keep her until they found an adoptive family. I thought it would be a while, but they found a WONDERFUL family for her in just 3 months. We were thrilled for her, she will have a wonderful life with them. Then we had a little 4 month visitor who stayed until she could move in with her sister in another foster home that will have them forever if they don't go home. Now we have a tiny preemie who we will keep until she is well enough to go to a regular foster home with her sister. She is on several meds and of course an apnea monitor. A little challange because we were out of practice, but we have settled in because Steve really is a very active part of this little one! She had gained a pound in 2 weeks! She is doing great, doubt if we have her over 6 months if she keeps this up!
In July I took Jake to the OI conference in Washington DC. He got to see lots of old friends and meet some new ones. Everyone there either had OI or was a family member of someone with OI. It is the one place where Jake feels like everyone else, (me too!) Jake and I spent one day sightseeing, I carried him to the top of a double decker bus and he saw everything. He loved it. It was the first time I flew alone with Jake and the monster power chair. Very challenging! The day we left on the plane they called Steve to pick up our Preemie. He flew solo for 4 days with a monitor beeping and struggling to get 2 oz in a teeny beanie every every 3 hours around the clock. He did SUPER and earned his father of the year award!
Other than that just everyday grysland stuff. I have lost a total of 185lbs. I had a bout of kidney stones in early July, then 3 weeks later, and had to spend a day in the hospital, learned my lesson about recognizing danger with this new body, live and learn! Abby fainted last week while I was taking a splinter out of her finger. Zach is dealing with Kidney stones right now. Bekah is doing well following her 2 life threatening surgeries in the last few years. She takes pain pills for the back often, but blood pressures are great and she is very active. Jake has something broken all of the time, but that is pretty much his normal at this point.
So life at Grysland rocks! Later.....
Hubby is beginning his last year of teaching. Retirement looms in our future. He is excited, I am leery. What do I do with him all day. He has been told he has to pack a lunch and leave at 8am, return after 3pm 5 days a week. He has a choice, he can get a job, a hobby, volunteer or sit on the curb those hours, but he will not become couch potato material! LOL
In February we came very close to adopting a newborn with OI that we were told about. We felt she deserved younger parents, so stayed in the background. We really wanted her, but gave them a chance to find young parents. God found her the perfect parents and I was blessed to meet her and her mommy in July.
We have had 3 foster babies since February. One little angel we got at 10 days old. She had PKU and a brain anomaly. I did blood work on her 3 times a week. We were to keep her until they found an adoptive family. I thought it would be a while, but they found a WONDERFUL family for her in just 3 months. We were thrilled for her, she will have a wonderful life with them. Then we had a little 4 month visitor who stayed until she could move in with her sister in another foster home that will have them forever if they don't go home. Now we have a tiny preemie who we will keep until she is well enough to go to a regular foster home with her sister. She is on several meds and of course an apnea monitor. A little challange because we were out of practice, but we have settled in because Steve really is a very active part of this little one! She had gained a pound in 2 weeks! She is doing great, doubt if we have her over 6 months if she keeps this up!
In July I took Jake to the OI conference in Washington DC. He got to see lots of old friends and meet some new ones. Everyone there either had OI or was a family member of someone with OI. It is the one place where Jake feels like everyone else, (me too!) Jake and I spent one day sightseeing, I carried him to the top of a double decker bus and he saw everything. He loved it. It was the first time I flew alone with Jake and the monster power chair. Very challenging! The day we left on the plane they called Steve to pick up our Preemie. He flew solo for 4 days with a monitor beeping and struggling to get 2 oz in a teeny beanie every every 3 hours around the clock. He did SUPER and earned his father of the year award!
Other than that just everyday grysland stuff. I have lost a total of 185lbs. I had a bout of kidney stones in early July, then 3 weeks later, and had to spend a day in the hospital, learned my lesson about recognizing danger with this new body, live and learn! Abby fainted last week while I was taking a splinter out of her finger. Zach is dealing with Kidney stones right now. Bekah is doing well following her 2 life threatening surgeries in the last few years. She takes pain pills for the back often, but blood pressures are great and she is very active. Jake has something broken all of the time, but that is pretty much his normal at this point.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Welcome back!
So, I really stink at this blogging thing! Had a lot of stuff going on and didn't write about it. Trying to decide if I should do one long post or several itemized posts to catch up. Going with the one long post.
On Oct. 24th Rachel and I drove to Joplin Mo. to help EMHE build 7 houses in 7 days. We stayed the first night in Rolla Mo. We stopped at a winery and a few souvineir shops. Got to Joplin Sunday, checked into the LaQuinta, met up with a few designers and handed out lots of ice water because it was so hot. Beyond amazing to see hundreds of volunteers in blue shirts all working towards the same goal. To bring safety and security to 7 families who were left homeless by a tornado 5 mo. ago. The devastation that remains in this town is beyond comprehension. Rachel and I are aghast at what this town endured. We sipped a bottle of wine with Kathie before turning in for bed. The next day we worked in 'bin city' 
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The extreme experience
I was just cleaning out my document folder and found this memory that I wrote right after we appeared on the Extreme Makeover Home Edition television show....
Our story began over 8 years ago when we brought a new foster baby home from the hospital. This was nothing new for us, in the past 25 years we had fostered hundreds of sick babies. But this little guy was a little more special. He was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta and he was never going back to his biological parents.
We brought Jake home at 10 days old. We dealt with some of the more common issues with OI babies. Hernias were repaired, pneumonias were fought off, we used oxygen for a while, had a nissen procedure done and a g-tube placed. Once we had him physically stable, it was time to start the therapies.
We started off by going to Easter Seals. Though the years, we had several children with special needs and we knew that Easter Seals had all the services that we would need in one location. Jake did Physical Therapy, Occupational therapy, speech therapy, feeding therapy, developmental therapy, play therapy and water therapy.
At one visit, Jake’s occupational therapist said that she did not know what else to do to help Jake be more independent because of the limitations of our house. She jokingly said all I can do is build you a new house. Then she asked how we felt about applying for Extreme makeover Home Edition. We refused. After all, we had a home and the people on that show did not have homes that were inhabitable. She kept asking and pushing me to let her nominate our family. Finally after over a year of this, she came to our home for a therapy session. She went though every room and showed us what could be done if money were no object. It was shocking to us. With the correct adaptations our son could be totally independent!
All of this time, we thought we would just take care of him forever. We stressed that we wanted him independent, but in reality we took total care of him. We decided that it was a disservice to him to keep him dependent on us, so we allowed Angie to nominate us. There were forms to fill out, and videos to do. Every 6 months she would send more photos and letters. Once a year she sent a fresh application and video. After 2 years they made contact. But that was not the end. They were in contact, asking for more information, more photos, more newspaper articles, faxes, texts, photos…..on and on for over a year. We were interviewed, a background check was done and references were contacted to make sure our story was true. We don’t actually know what all was done and how it was done because the show is very good about keeping things secret. That is part of the fun of the show, the surprise. And surprise is not even close to describing what happens. This is my humorous take on the whole shocking adventure.
We were told that we were one of 5 families in Illinois that were finalists for October. We were told the date that, either Ty would come to our door or we would get a phone call. What a tortuous few weeks it was. Afraid to leave the house in case ‘they’ called, Afraid to talk to anyone for fear of saying the wrong thing, Afraid of getting disqualified because someone in the family got a speeding ticket. Then the day arrived. Our family was in the back of the house, eating donuts and laughing, playing a game to pass the time waiting for the phone call. There were people from our town outside our house and we felt bad for them saying how disappointed they would be when no one came. We all planned on working on the chosen family’s house. Then we heard the famous bullhorn, “Good morning Grys Family!” All of the kids took off running, I stood there stunned, picked up Jake and slowly stumbled out the front door. (This is when I entered my coma) There were cameras and people everywhere. I remember asking “Is this real?”
There were hundreds of people all busy doing things. It looked like a hive of bees, very busy bees. There were interviews, photos, more interviews and we all had a ‘deer in the headlights’ look on our faces. We asked for it, prayed for it, hoped for it, but when it actually happened we all were in shock. Soon we were tossed into a limo with the clothing we had rapidly packed (one suitcase was full of splints, acewraps, fiberglass casting material, scissors, and any other medical equipment I could grab.) I stuck advil, hydorocodone and valium in my purse and we were off. At this point they took our cell phones and computers and we were not allowed to watch tv. Isolated from the world (kidnapped by ABC!) In the limo I looked at my husband and panic set in. We only had $60 cash between us! No worries, ABC provided all of our food and lodging for the trip, but it was a helpless feeling being so far away from home and no cash on hand. Next we were put on a plane to Disney World and a wonderful man named Matthew met us in the airport in Orlando. Mathew was a blessing. He stayed with us until he put us on the airplane to return home. He made sure the kids got to see and ride whatever they wanted and made reservations so we never stood in a line to eat. A dream vacation. (Too bad I can’t remember much because of my coma.) After 4 days it was time to board another airplane to go home, where ever that was! What a weird feeling to not be able to picture your home, where you will be sleeping tonight!
We realized early on that strangers were going to go into our home and pack up every single thing we owned. Strangers were going to touch ALL of our stuff. Strangers were going to see the dust bunnies, (or full grown rabbits) behind our refrigerator. This caused a panic attack thinking of how dirty it was under the beds! Oh well, let it go and move on. It was over and done with.
We arrived at the set. (it is a real TV show with cameras, directors, actors, designers and people watching the filming) We had just adjusted to the new life at Disney, being led around by the hand by our hero, Matthew. Now we were in a new world. When that bus moved, our lives would be forever altered. When we climbed out of the limo, thousands of people were screaming our name. Everyone we knew and everyone else in the world it seemed, Just a sea of smiling faces, yelling our names. So surreal! Then they started chanting “move that bus”. When they finally did move the bus, we were stunned. The house was beautiful. How did they know what colors and styles we liked? But wait, there is more.
We entered the house and it was beautiful. It looked like a big clean beach condo! The consensus was AWSOME!!! Everyone got to run and look at their bedrooms, but what we all wanted to see was Jake’s room. We couldn’t wait, THIS was what it was all about. And we have to say that ABC and the designers hit a home run! Jake’s room was big enough for all of his ‘stuff’. His bed is a tempurpedic mattress that is sunken even with the floor. No way can he fall out of bed. But they thought of everything. There was also a twin bed that can have rails put on for when he is broken and needs to be cared for, that way we don’t have to lift and lower him to the floor. There is a swing mounted in the ceiling for his favorite activity, swinging. The floors are all cork, softer than wood or tile. Great to scoot on or push a wheelchair! The bathroom is amazing! There is a stool sunk into the floor so he can get on and off himself. It has an automatic flush and even a bidet to wash and dry him! He also has a regular toilet for when he is broken. Along with this is a wonderful commode/shower chair that is on wheels to use when he is casted. We put him in it, roll over the potty, take care of business, roll to the shower and then to the bedroom. Better than that, there is a large stainless steel sink that is at waist height. There is a padded countertop attached to it so again, when he is broken, we can bathe him, dress him, cast him at our height, so much better on the back! They also had a custom sink made that sits on the floor. It is one of a kind, with motion detector water supply and a huge mirror so he can brush his teeth and eventually shave there. There is a roll in shower, but it is functional at two heights. One regular height with an additional hand held and another shower head about 2 feet off of the floor with another hand held near the floor. There is a electrical on off, temperature switch that may even be voice activated (some day we will be able to read all of our instruction manuals!) His bathroom floor is a soft tile, and is heated so his little bum will stay warm as he scoots around.
Then there is the indoor therapy pool. It is 9ft x 9ft and about 5 ft deep. There are steps on one side and a bench on the other that is just the right height for him to walk on. The temp is supposed to be around 94, but he likes it a little warmer. This too is surrounded by the soft tile flooring.
A wonderful tour of our new home, though we still felt like we were on vacation, just moved to a different place. Then came the shocker. All of the volunteers that stood and watched us come home started carrying in boxes. Then more boxes and more boxes until the basement and garage were full of boxes of our old ‘stuff’. We contemplated just sending it all to an auction house, but we needed to find things like our underwear, birth certificates, photos, family movies, high school diplomas….just little things like that. So we started the horror of going through 25 years of ‘stuff’, Gathered by 9 people. Multiply that and you can only imagine!
We worked for weeks trying to get things straightened out and finding somewhere to put what we still needed to keep, And finding somewhere to donate the rest of it. I am talking trailers full of stuff, goodwill will never be the same!!! During this time, we received phone calls and letters from around the country. Some people were just well wishers, others were people with OI that wanted to talk to someone else with OI. What a gift to be able to be a contact person for all of these people! We were able to put some young adults in touch with other young adults that we knew and friendships were formed.
As soon as we were getting our feet on the ground, it was time to decorate for the holidays. So we drug out all of our decorations and tried to find someplace to put them so they looked like they fit there. This took at least a week! Before we knew it it was time to take down the decorations and pack them away, which took another week. All during this time, we had to keep the house perfect because there were certain people we had to give tours to. We never knew who was going to call next!
Finally, things started to settle down. I stopped acting like I was the keeper of the museum and started ‘nesting’ in our home. I moved some things and changed a few things. Not much, little decorator touches. We are just getting our feet on the ground. I tell friends I have just come out of my coma and have very few vivid memories. The last few months are like watching a movie in fast forward. I have flashes of things that I can remember and other things are just gone. LOL. I run into someone and start talking to them and they tell me that they were there the day we left, or the day we got home and we talked then. They probably think I need psychiatric help because that moment in time was a blank. Sorry friends, if you called or wrote and I did not get back to you, I was trying to function in a haze. I am now back to normal so if there is anyone that I did not get back to, you might want to try again. I guess I should not use the word ‘normal’ as I have never been that, but I am back to my old self.
What a gift and joy this experience has been. What a change in our lives. We went from giving total care to Jake to him being totally independent. He can wash his hands, get a drink, fix a sandwich, answer the phone (bad news!) and open the door to go outside. We are implementing new rules, things that other kids learn at 2 or 3 or 4 Jake is learning now. You have to ask to use the phone, you don’t need 4 showers a day, you can’t go outside without asking…..and on and on.
Our life has changed, but what a wonderful change
Our story began over 8 years ago when we brought a new foster baby home from the hospital. This was nothing new for us, in the past 25 years we had fostered hundreds of sick babies. But this little guy was a little more special. He was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta and he was never going back to his biological parents.
We brought Jake home at 10 days old. We dealt with some of the more common issues with OI babies. Hernias were repaired, pneumonias were fought off, we used oxygen for a while, had a nissen procedure done and a g-tube placed. Once we had him physically stable, it was time to start the therapies.
We started off by going to Easter Seals. Though the years, we had several children with special needs and we knew that Easter Seals had all the services that we would need in one location. Jake did Physical Therapy, Occupational therapy, speech therapy, feeding therapy, developmental therapy, play therapy and water therapy.
At one visit, Jake’s occupational therapist said that she did not know what else to do to help Jake be more independent because of the limitations of our house. She jokingly said all I can do is build you a new house. Then she asked how we felt about applying for Extreme makeover Home Edition. We refused. After all, we had a home and the people on that show did not have homes that were inhabitable. She kept asking and pushing me to let her nominate our family. Finally after over a year of this, she came to our home for a therapy session. She went though every room and showed us what could be done if money were no object. It was shocking to us. With the correct adaptations our son could be totally independent!
All of this time, we thought we would just take care of him forever. We stressed that we wanted him independent, but in reality we took total care of him. We decided that it was a disservice to him to keep him dependent on us, so we allowed Angie to nominate us. There were forms to fill out, and videos to do. Every 6 months she would send more photos and letters. Once a year she sent a fresh application and video. After 2 years they made contact. But that was not the end. They were in contact, asking for more information, more photos, more newspaper articles, faxes, texts, photos…..on and on for over a year. We were interviewed, a background check was done and references were contacted to make sure our story was true. We don’t actually know what all was done and how it was done because the show is very good about keeping things secret. That is part of the fun of the show, the surprise. And surprise is not even close to describing what happens. This is my humorous take on the whole shocking adventure.
We were told that we were one of 5 families in Illinois that were finalists for October. We were told the date that, either Ty would come to our door or we would get a phone call. What a tortuous few weeks it was. Afraid to leave the house in case ‘they’ called, Afraid to talk to anyone for fear of saying the wrong thing, Afraid of getting disqualified because someone in the family got a speeding ticket. Then the day arrived. Our family was in the back of the house, eating donuts and laughing, playing a game to pass the time waiting for the phone call. There were people from our town outside our house and we felt bad for them saying how disappointed they would be when no one came. We all planned on working on the chosen family’s house. Then we heard the famous bullhorn, “Good morning Grys Family!” All of the kids took off running, I stood there stunned, picked up Jake and slowly stumbled out the front door. (This is when I entered my coma) There were cameras and people everywhere. I remember asking “Is this real?”
There were hundreds of people all busy doing things. It looked like a hive of bees, very busy bees. There were interviews, photos, more interviews and we all had a ‘deer in the headlights’ look on our faces. We asked for it, prayed for it, hoped for it, but when it actually happened we all were in shock. Soon we were tossed into a limo with the clothing we had rapidly packed (one suitcase was full of splints, acewraps, fiberglass casting material, scissors, and any other medical equipment I could grab.) I stuck advil, hydorocodone and valium in my purse and we were off. At this point they took our cell phones and computers and we were not allowed to watch tv. Isolated from the world (kidnapped by ABC!) In the limo I looked at my husband and panic set in. We only had $60 cash between us! No worries, ABC provided all of our food and lodging for the trip, but it was a helpless feeling being so far away from home and no cash on hand. Next we were put on a plane to Disney World and a wonderful man named Matthew met us in the airport in Orlando. Mathew was a blessing. He stayed with us until he put us on the airplane to return home. He made sure the kids got to see and ride whatever they wanted and made reservations so we never stood in a line to eat. A dream vacation. (Too bad I can’t remember much because of my coma.) After 4 days it was time to board another airplane to go home, where ever that was! What a weird feeling to not be able to picture your home, where you will be sleeping tonight!
We realized early on that strangers were going to go into our home and pack up every single thing we owned. Strangers were going to touch ALL of our stuff. Strangers were going to see the dust bunnies, (or full grown rabbits) behind our refrigerator. This caused a panic attack thinking of how dirty it was under the beds! Oh well, let it go and move on. It was over and done with.
We arrived at the set. (it is a real TV show with cameras, directors, actors, designers and people watching the filming) We had just adjusted to the new life at Disney, being led around by the hand by our hero, Matthew. Now we were in a new world. When that bus moved, our lives would be forever altered. When we climbed out of the limo, thousands of people were screaming our name. Everyone we knew and everyone else in the world it seemed, Just a sea of smiling faces, yelling our names. So surreal! Then they started chanting “move that bus”. When they finally did move the bus, we were stunned. The house was beautiful. How did they know what colors and styles we liked? But wait, there is more.
We entered the house and it was beautiful. It looked like a big clean beach condo! The consensus was AWSOME!!! Everyone got to run and look at their bedrooms, but what we all wanted to see was Jake’s room. We couldn’t wait, THIS was what it was all about. And we have to say that ABC and the designers hit a home run! Jake’s room was big enough for all of his ‘stuff’. His bed is a tempurpedic mattress that is sunken even with the floor. No way can he fall out of bed. But they thought of everything. There was also a twin bed that can have rails put on for when he is broken and needs to be cared for, that way we don’t have to lift and lower him to the floor. There is a swing mounted in the ceiling for his favorite activity, swinging. The floors are all cork, softer than wood or tile. Great to scoot on or push a wheelchair! The bathroom is amazing! There is a stool sunk into the floor so he can get on and off himself. It has an automatic flush and even a bidet to wash and dry him! He also has a regular toilet for when he is broken. Along with this is a wonderful commode/shower chair that is on wheels to use when he is casted. We put him in it, roll over the potty, take care of business, roll to the shower and then to the bedroom. Better than that, there is a large stainless steel sink that is at waist height. There is a padded countertop attached to it so again, when he is broken, we can bathe him, dress him, cast him at our height, so much better on the back! They also had a custom sink made that sits on the floor. It is one of a kind, with motion detector water supply and a huge mirror so he can brush his teeth and eventually shave there. There is a roll in shower, but it is functional at two heights. One regular height with an additional hand held and another shower head about 2 feet off of the floor with another hand held near the floor. There is a electrical on off, temperature switch that may even be voice activated (some day we will be able to read all of our instruction manuals!) His bathroom floor is a soft tile, and is heated so his little bum will stay warm as he scoots around.
Then there is the indoor therapy pool. It is 9ft x 9ft and about 5 ft deep. There are steps on one side and a bench on the other that is just the right height for him to walk on. The temp is supposed to be around 94, but he likes it a little warmer. This too is surrounded by the soft tile flooring.
A wonderful tour of our new home, though we still felt like we were on vacation, just moved to a different place. Then came the shocker. All of the volunteers that stood and watched us come home started carrying in boxes. Then more boxes and more boxes until the basement and garage were full of boxes of our old ‘stuff’. We contemplated just sending it all to an auction house, but we needed to find things like our underwear, birth certificates, photos, family movies, high school diplomas….just little things like that. So we started the horror of going through 25 years of ‘stuff’, Gathered by 9 people. Multiply that and you can only imagine!
We worked for weeks trying to get things straightened out and finding somewhere to put what we still needed to keep, And finding somewhere to donate the rest of it. I am talking trailers full of stuff, goodwill will never be the same!!! During this time, we received phone calls and letters from around the country. Some people were just well wishers, others were people with OI that wanted to talk to someone else with OI. What a gift to be able to be a contact person for all of these people! We were able to put some young adults in touch with other young adults that we knew and friendships were formed.
As soon as we were getting our feet on the ground, it was time to decorate for the holidays. So we drug out all of our decorations and tried to find someplace to put them so they looked like they fit there. This took at least a week! Before we knew it it was time to take down the decorations and pack them away, which took another week. All during this time, we had to keep the house perfect because there were certain people we had to give tours to. We never knew who was going to call next!
Finally, things started to settle down. I stopped acting like I was the keeper of the museum and started ‘nesting’ in our home. I moved some things and changed a few things. Not much, little decorator touches. We are just getting our feet on the ground. I tell friends I have just come out of my coma and have very few vivid memories. The last few months are like watching a movie in fast forward. I have flashes of things that I can remember and other things are just gone. LOL. I run into someone and start talking to them and they tell me that they were there the day we left, or the day we got home and we talked then. They probably think I need psychiatric help because that moment in time was a blank. Sorry friends, if you called or wrote and I did not get back to you, I was trying to function in a haze. I am now back to normal so if there is anyone that I did not get back to, you might want to try again. I guess I should not use the word ‘normal’ as I have never been that, but I am back to my old self.
What a gift and joy this experience has been. What a change in our lives. We went from giving total care to Jake to him being totally independent. He can wash his hands, get a drink, fix a sandwich, answer the phone (bad news!) and open the door to go outside. We are implementing new rules, things that other kids learn at 2 or 3 or 4 Jake is learning now. You have to ask to use the phone, you don’t need 4 showers a day, you can’t go outside without asking…..and on and on.
Our life has changed, but what a wonderful change
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Livin the dream
So, a busy week, dong mundane, invisible things. The finch have decided to multiply, right now I have 5 babies. arghhh, I really don't need another living thing to take care of right now! Finally sorted through and put away 4 boxes of books that got drug out during the search for garage sale items. This included sorting through tons of cookbooks and giving some to Rachel. Been dealing with daily headaches for Abby and Jake's continuing struggle with his right tibia. Called today about Jake's wheelchair, they have had it over a week and this old one is falling apart. I told them we either need the good one back, like now, or they are going to have to make a house call and tune up this old one, the footplate is almost dragging on the ground and it is stuck in a foreward position. Jake asked me last night to enter him in some contests to win a trip to Disney, so I spent several hours online doing that. Straightened up the house, ran the dust mop under the couches in the living room. Bleached some cloth diapers that we picked up at a garage sale, preparing for Steve and Lindsey's baby. He is due in 3 weeks, but they are thinking anytime now. Trying to find something to get Lilly for her birthday. The good news is I got the bills paid and have cooked dinner.... Such an exciting life! LOL Suzy homemaker I am not. Although I do have to say that Sunday, Rachel and I gave it a shot. I baked bread, roasted a chiken and some veggies and Rach and I attempted strawberry jam. The jam itself ended up more like a syrup, but the canning thing went OK, all jars sealed. We have more confidence for the next adventure which I am sure will have something to do with apples since we are taking a trip to Tanners Orchard Sunday. Zach is wanting to drag out all of the halloween decorations. Geeze, I don't know if I am up to that disasterous mess! I mean between what we have and Zach's stuff (it IS his favorite holiday) I think we have over 10 tubs of crap. ARGHHHH
Friday, September 9, 2011
does anyone really do this daily?
Who thought up 'journaling'? Does anyone really remember to do it daily? If so, I am a total failure, cause I can barely remember to get dressed and fix dinner every night. I have been trying to have a garage sale for 2 weeks, last week it was over 100 degrees so moved it to this week. Today it is raining....really? I will have this stuff in my livingroom yet another week. If I don't get it out and sold next week, it will be donated and I will move on to my next project.
Zach got a call from LeCordon Bleu asking him to return and finish the next semester. Don't know if he will after what they did to him with the financial aide, but they are having a meeting Monday to consider it.
I think I will start the other kids bios so people who don't know us, will get an idea of the craziness of grysland if I ever open this up to be read.
Zach got a call from LeCordon Bleu asking him to return and finish the next semester. Don't know if he will after what they did to him with the financial aide, but they are having a meeting Monday to consider it.
I think I will start the other kids bios so people who don't know us, will get an idea of the craziness of grysland if I ever open this up to be read.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
crazy days
I am getting nothing done that I thought I would when Lilly started to school. I think we found Zach a car yesterday so Steve can finally get his back. Working on the begining 'bus issues' with Jake. New driver, new wheelchair tie downs, driver does not know how to work the lift.....arghhh. Then I had to deal with Abby's work seminar class. Teacher is still on maternity leave, the plan that she and I had in place was misunderstood, so an aide/job coach made a new plan but failed to tell anyone but Abby about it. Arghhhh. Maybe homeschooling wouldn't be that bad. Got a few doctor's checkups out of the way for me, one to go. Got Jake's school physical and 2 shots....oh, the drama....from a child that lives with broken bones every day! Speaking of which, we got an xray of the tibia Monday and it just looks like it is not healing well from the surgery, though there is a big new ball of bone there, or he fractured it through the healing osteotomy, either way, he has a new toe to knee splint on. Also, the pharmacy sent out a new bottle of hydrocodone, but I did not look at the label (other than to see if it was hcd.) The doctor changed the strength of it from 2.5 to 7.5 so his dose went from 1-1 1/2 tsp. to 3.5cc. Of course, I did not bother to read the label so I have been giving him 5cc for weeks......at least the tylenol was not over the weight limit for Jake so I did not damage his liver. Arghhhh I think I need more estrogen cause my thinking process is not what it used to be. I always used to double check everything. Jake evidently needed the extra narcs cause he has been in real pain the last 2 weeks.
Eventually I need to finish up my kiddos bios, but I am still not up to the daily blogging thing. Heading towards it but struggling to remember.
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