Channel 12 news

Saturday, July 2, 2011

I can do it!!!! &&&&& Big additions going on here


I had two very hectic days with the kids. Thursday two people came to the house at 10AM to discuss a PASS program. Basically the state will pay for someone to come to the house for up to 20 hrs a week. I can hire the person and they work on three main goals with Brendan like self help skills, safety skills, and social skills. I have to be around 50% of the time but the other 50% they can do things with him. I think it will be great for him to spend one on one time with someone other than me! I can use the help at home too since he demands most of the attention. Afterwards we trucked it to visit my parents which live 1 1/2 hrs away. We spent a few hours there and headed off for Brendan's PT apt. Then home. I was EXHAUSTED but it was a great day and the kids were perfectly behaved even waiting for his hour PT session to end.

Yesterday I took the kids to a magic show which kicked off the summer reading program. Afterwards we headed to a playground for lunch and then the zoo. The zoo had free admission yesterday so it was mobbed and I could barely find parking. Thankfully I had my handicap pass and we found a spot about one mile from the playground. I sat Makayla on top of Brendan's lap in his wheelchair and off we went. They sat so well together. Brendan didn't bother her and held on! I was a very happy mama. We ate lunch and played for a bit and continued our walk to the zoo.

Why would a zoo have a carasoul and train ride as soon as you enter???? To make money! We had to go back into the gift shop to purchase tickets which was mobbed and really had no room for a wheelchair. Bren did awesome and stayed still in his chair and picked out lollipops for him and his sister. I couldn't believe it. We saw a few animals and then waited ONE HOUR to ride this pathetic train haha. The kids were amazing. I met a nice mom in line and she held my spot so I could bring Bren to the bathroom about 1/2 hr in. I couldn't believe the kids lasted an hour in a line without me ripping my hair out. They really wanted to ride and were find with the wait. We then immediately waited in line for the carasoul ride which went much quicker and some eye in the sky was watching over me and let the white horse be available with an empty giraffe right next to it. Makayla had been talking about wanting to ride the white horse since the hr wait for the train. I could NOT believe my luck. The attendant was awesome and even helped lift Makay on and buckle her so I could help Brendan. We walked around for a while to look at animals and then had to head back to the van which had to be over a mile away and Makay sat on his lap the entire trip. We had to race home to meet with a contractor at 4pm and made it just a few minutes late! I am so proud of my kids and proud of myself that I can handle two extremely chaotic days. It was exhausting but now I know I can handle anything this summer! I am excited. It was so much better than staying at the house all day.

We are adding on! Yup we are making this house perfect for Brendan. It is a great house and we had him in mind when we bought it. It was one of the only houses with a bedroom on the first floor with a large bathroom and a really open floorplan. The doorways are all wide so he can move around the entire first floor with ease. He needed a larger walker not long after we moved in and instantly could not fit through the bathroom door any longer. BUMMER. So we are changing his bedroom into a handicap accessible bathroom and adding on a bedroom and therapy room. I am pysched. It is overwhelming but it is something to keep my mind occupied and I know it will benefit him for the next who knows how many years!!! Why not just add more to my own plate!

5 comments:

Amy said...

Well, I am exhausted! HA HA! I loved hearing about all the fun things you were able to do with the kids. I can't believe they handled a wait like that. That is very impressive. I can hear the relief in you. I know you guys will do great this summer. Loads of fun.

I am very excited about your renovations for the house. I cannot wait to see pictures. We have to do something soon too.

Amy said...

Love the wheelchair tricks at the playground. I would like to get Emma a manual chair like that so she can hopefully learn to move herself around and to the potty, etc, when she needs to or wants to.

What kind of chair does Brendan have?

He pretty dang good at that spinning trick!! Did he know how to use the chair right away or did it take some practice--just the moving of it--not the COOL tricks!

We take it day by day said...

I love his wheelchair! It didn't take him long to learn. He did so much better than I had expected. A few months in he was a pro at getting around the house. He can't wheel for long straight distances but I don't mind. He LOVES being independant in it. He has a Compass XE.

Sheila said...

Whew! I'm exhausted too! You sure did alot and it sounds like great fun! The PASS program sounds perfect and the addition is exciting. Lots of good stuff going on and you deserve it!

April said...

Just reading about your trip to the zoo exhausted me! CP means I can't stand still so I hate waiting in line.