Mended Wings

Day 1334 - Jan 22, 2012

2012-01-22T23:53:00.002-06:00

My poor brother came to town today. He left his home in East Brady at about 5am this morning and didn't get to our house until shortly after 11pm! It took him 18 hours!!! (he coulda almost drove!)

Unfortunately the flight he was on took off and then got a crack in the windshield. They had to turn the plane around and go back to Pittsburgh, where they sat on the plane for 2 hours before finally disembarking and then reloading onto a new plane.

Obviously by then he missed his connecting flight in Denver so they rerouted him through Albuquerque, New Mexico and then to Dallas and finally to SA!

Of course you had to know that his luggage didn't keep up with him!

You can just see it in his eyes how tired he is and thankfully he has already went to bed.

We, on the other hand, had a really easy week as nothing was scheduled because we were supposed to be in Pittsburgh.

We did have a little get-together with another wounded soldier and his mom last weekend. That was a nice evening full of shared stories. Kevin really enjoyed having someone new to tell his stories to too, lol.

That's pretty much it so I guess I'll catch ya next week!

Day 1327 - Jan 15, 2011

2012-01-16T00:00:00.007-06:00

Can you believe that Christian is already one year old? No joke!!! He turned one on Friday! We didn't really have a party, but we will in a few weeks. In the interim, we did have some cake and here are some pictures to prove it. You are gonna love these!

What a mess, eh? LOL!

And to catch up on some photos, here is one from the dinner after Louise's funeral. It is all the cousins together:

And lastly, here are some photos of Kevin and one of him and Johnny. Kevin's lookin' good, I think:

Day 1320 - Jan 8, 2011

2012-01-08T23:06:00.002-06:00

We are actually in Pennsylvania attending Louise's funeral. Sadly, she passed away on Thursday after almost 2 weeks in the hospital. I am just so glad that Kevin and I both talked to her just a few days before she was admitted. We had sent her flowers for Christmas and we chatted for a couple of hours the night they were delivered - with Kevin talking a good 20 minutes with her.

The service was this afternoon and it was very touching. Kevin was a pall-bearer and he was just so proud to be included with the other grandsons. He did such a fantastic job and it was just so heartwarming for me to see him with his cousins as a group. It was a sad situation, but he and Breezy both were made welcome.

So as soon as I was told about the funeral I got on the phone and rearranged Kev's appt with the surgeon that was scheduled here in Pittsburgh for next week. We can get in and see him this Tuesday, saving us another trip back so quickly. Not that we mind being here by any means, but it's really cold here, lol.

Other than that, we had a relatively mild beginning of the week. I think I'm gonna sign off early though and go to bed. It has been an exhausting weekend and Kevin is already sound asleep. Christian and Breezy are too so it's time for me to hit the hay as well.

Day 1312 - Jan 1, 2012

2012-01-02T03:22:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!!!!

We had a good week. We didn't really do much, but we got all the Christmas stuff down and put away. We still have to take the outside lights down though and I'm hoping to get that done tomorrow.

So we did absolutely nothing for New Years Eve. We were able to see the fireworks from Six Flags from our back porch and all of our neighbors were setting off nearly professional shows, lol. That's it though - we are pretty lame.

Chris did come up today and he and Kevin went to the movies. That was nice for Kev. Breezy and I went and did a little shopping.

That's pretty much it for the week. I have been really working on getting my office in order. There are just so many unopened letters and papers that need to be shredded that I have to force myself to get it all organized. We went last night and purchased a filing cabinet and it's on my list of things to get done this week. Sure hope I can do it!

So I guess I'll sign off. Have a great week everyone!

Day 1305 - Dec 25, 2011

2011-12-25T21:58:00.005-06:00

Bunches of pictures tonight. Before I do that though - I would like to ask that everyone keep Kevin's and Breezy's grandma Louise in your thoughts for a bit. She is VERY ill and is in critical condition in the hospital. She made it through today though so I feel confident she'll be ok!

We did have a very nice Christmas other than worrying about Louise. I cooked a massive meal and Breezy, Chris and Christian came and so did Chris's brother and his girlfriend. They came down from Houston for the day.

We really just had a hectic week trying to get everything done for Christmas. Kevin and I did go to a Christmas Eve party at our neighbors' Bill and Melissa's and we had a great time. It's nice getting out and getting to know some of our other neighbors even better. Here's a pic I took of Kev on the way out the door and one he took of me:

Kevin's antlers had little flashing lights on them, lol.

And here are some of our Christmas photos:

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Day 1299 - Dec 19, 2011

2011-12-19T21:25:00.003-06:00

Yikes! I so forgot to write last night! Yesterday was one of those super-productive days where you get so much done and I just plum forgot to finish the day with a blog posting.

I think, in all honestly, I am just going to start writing once a week. We just don't 'do' enough to justify boring you all twice in one week, lol. I guess the lucky day will be Monday mornings. I will try to always write on Sunday nights, but don't panic if I just forget.

So we had an appt at the gait lab again at the VA on Friday. Kevin is hyper-extending again and we are trying to fix it. We had the Bioness rep there to help us figure out if it will help if we use the stimulator while walking or if we should just return it. We did decide to keep it and see if it makes the difference, but now we need to get his body accustomed to the electronic stimulation again. It never made sense to me that we got the things (one for his arm and one for his leg) and then both new therapists told us not to use it. I'm glad we got the go-ahead because I do think these machines might just make all the difference in the world.

We also finally had an ENT appt last week to check out Kevin's ears because they still hurt really bad. She found no reason and thinks it could be allergies. So she thinks that, the dentist thinks it's TMJ and the oral surgeon thinks it's his wisdom teeth. I guess we'll see in the long run, but he's not getting his wisdom teeth out now til February and I think we are supposed to see someone about the TMJ too. We are waiting on some nose spray to see if that makes any kind of difference too.

We also finally have our dates for our trip back to Pittsburgh in Jan to see the surgeon. This will be the final leg of the study. Bummer. It was so nice being able to go home so often.

Anyway, the dates are Jan 16-19. As of this moment, we will not be renting a car so everyone will have to come see us down in Oakland. It's gonna be a rough couple of days, for sure.

And that's about it so I will catch y'all next week. In the interim:

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!!!

Oh - and here's a quick photo of our little guy:

Day 1295 - Dec 15, 2011

2011-12-15T21:34:00.002-06:00

We have had a pretty busy couple of days. We were having a cookie exchange in our neighborhood and I have been working on that and Kevin and Efren went out last night - giving me a chance to get it all finished without bother.

So while they were out, I guess the boys picked up a couple of chics! Kevin called and kept telling me "HOT". I had no idea what he meant so I had Efren get on the phone and he told me that they were clubbing with a couple of really hot girls! Kev sounded pretty darn happy on the phone, lol. So did Efren, hehe.

I am just so happy Kevin gets to do these things more often. He really needs to be going out like a normal 23 year old!

And in other news, I wish there was a way you guys could see how well Kevin is talking now. He surprises me every day with new words that he comes up with on his own. Last night Efren started speaking in Spanish to Kevin and Kev jokingly said "America. En-guh-lish." I cracked up and when I asked him where he learned either of those words he said "I don't know". He really just says stuff all the time now and it's coming naturally. Do I think he will ever really fluently talk - probably not - but considering I was told he would never be able to speak a word because the whole language center of his brain is gone - we will take it!

That's pretty much it though. My dad is home from the hospital and doing well. They took him off the chemo for a bit to see if that helps. He's been on it for over 3 years now and it's just rough on a person's body.

So I think I'll go scrap a bit. Catch ya' in a few days!

Day 1291 - Dec 11, 2011

2011-12-12T00:40:00.002-06:00

Kevin and I thought we'd be brave and go shopping today. Hehe. We went to Penneys and pretty much turned around and left as soon as we got in the door. It was nuts in there.

Other than that we didn't do too much of anything this weekend. My friend Rene' was back in town for a conference and her and I got together for dinner on Friday night and we had such a wonderful time! Kevin was going to go to the movies with Efren, but I mistakenly took his car keys and we didn't figure it out until I was downtown (about 25 miles) - too far for me to just run them back. He was mad at first, but it didn't last long and I grabbed him a couple of Big Macs on my way back so all was well.

We also babysat Christian last night as Chris's brother is in town so the kids all went out.

I did talk to my parents too. My dad is in the hospital and has been for a couple of days now. We aren't sure what the problem is yet - hopefully tomorrow. They are assuming it's an infection of some type, but we'll see.

And that's pretty much it for today. I am getting a head cold and want to go to bed way early tonight. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow! Catch ya Friday!

Day 1288 - Dec 8, 2011

2011-12-09T01:17:00.003-06:00

Well my parents went back to Florida yesterday. We had a truly great visit and it was sad to see them go.

We were pretty busy all week - I can't tell you how much food was made; hard tack, doughnuts, fudge, not to mention some awesome dinners - the kind you just don't cook often. Kevin had a blast - it's always so much more fun playing cards with more than just the two of us. And we even took Christian and Kevin to a Christmas parade up in the little town of Boerne, where we live. Christian was just enthralled with all the floats and lights. He also really loved the marching bands. Kevin enjoyed himself at the parade too.

And last night Breezy and I took Christian to a photographer's to have his photo taken with Santa. It was a Groupon thing where you paid for 5 minutes of time and all the photos that can be taken with Santa you get a copy of. We got 52 images and man...some of them were so darn cute! Here are the best:

The photographer asked Breezy to sign a model release form while we were there to use some of the pics as advertising. Can't blame them - they sure turned out nice! (besides - he really is too cute - not that I'm biased or anything, lol)

So Kevin is completely addicted to "That 70's Show"! He found it on Netflix and is watching all 200+ episodes in a row. He is somewhere in the 150s range and I'll bet he's devastated when he sees them all, lol. They are funny though. He calls me in quite often to watch parts of an episode.

That's pretty much it for today so I'll catch y'all in a few days!

Day 1284 - Dec 4, 2011

2011-12-05T02:46:00.002-06:00

I am going to skip tonight. It's been an exhausting couple of days with all the running around we have been doing, but we are having a great time with my parents being here.

Day 1280 - Dec 1, 2011

2011-12-01T22:51:00.002-06:00

Kevin had another dentist appt this week and the dentist seems to think that his ear pain may be TMJ. I know Mary (W-FRC) has mentioned this more than once in the past, but nobody ever diagnosed it. This guy really thinks it might be it and it makes sense. Honestly, I just hope they figure it out soon. He is struggling with the pain something fierce at times. He is to have his wisdom teeth removed, but that's not until the end of the month.

I also had a VA inspection this week. A woman came to the house and made sure Kevin was being taken care of correctly and that all is well. She was very nice, but I still have trouble trusting the VA. I think our relationship has gotten better, but I still think that when anybody (or any entity) has total control over your life and yet they don't know you at all - there are always going to be problems and trust issues. Probably on both sides. but it's always the veteran that suffers - never the VA.

Oh well - enough of that. My folks are here and we are enjoying their company. We also got some Christmas lights put up on the house - yahoo! No tree yet, but hopefully soon!

Alrighty then - I think I'll sign off and get some work done. Goodnight all!

Day 1276 - Nov 27, 2011

2011-11-28T00:53:00.004-06:00

There's not a whole lot to say today. We didn't really do anything all weekend. It's been kinda cold here so we just stayed in.

I do have a few pics to show you of Christian though. Breezy and Chris took him to get his hair cut today and the lady buzzed it all off. Breezy was near tears she was so upset. Yes, it was a shock to see, but he's still cute no matter what! Take a look (these were taken with Breezy's phone):

Honestly, he looks so grown up now, doesn't he?

Here are a couple from the other day. Notice his top tooth! It took forever for him to get them, but he got both bottoms and one top all in one day, lol.

You have to laugh at this one. He will NOT allow anyone to touch his teeth so Breezy had to make him laugh while I snapped the pic. It's how we figured out he got teeth in the first place, lol.

So this week my parents are coming for a visit. They arrive on Wednesday and will be here for a full week! We have some exciting things planned to do some of the days, but it's supposed to be kinda cold all week so we'll see.

And that's pretty much it. I'll be back on Friday!

Day 1273 - Nov 24, 2011

2011-11-25T04:52:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I meant to come on here earlier today and post that, but I just never got to it. I trust everyone had a fantastic day? We did! It was just the 4 of us, but that was ok. Dinner turned out great and we all just kinda vegged out.

Johnny is here and he is spending time with Kev because Breezy and I went shopping. I am going to sign off early because we just got home from round 1 and are heading back out later today for round 2. I am hoping to get some sleep pretty quick so my feet can stop burning and I can do it all over again.

Crazy, huh? Especially as I don't really have much to buy - Breezy's gift is already purchased and Kevin's gift is something a bit different.

Anyway, gonna sign off and hit the hay. Catch y'all on Monday!

Day 1269 - Nov 20, 2011

2011-11-21T01:03:00.002-06:00

We didn't really do much of anything this weekend. Yesterday we did make a run to Target and we did pop in to check on our little guy. Breezy ended up taking him to the hospital because he was running a temp of 105 the night before last. He had another ear infection so they gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent him on his way. Luckily the meds worked as he is feeling better today. I sure wish he would get past all these ear infections.

Today I scrapped most of the day and Kevin watched tv. He actually purchased the WWE PPV and I can't tell you how excited he was to watch it. He called me into his room so often to show me this part and that part, lol. I just wish he had friends to watch it with. It's so sad that he doesn't.

Oh - I almost forgot...the meeting with the oral surgeon went well, but he really can't get Kevin in until 2 days before Christmas. We took the appt, but Kevin is saying 'no' now because he won't be able to eat Christmas dinner. I guess I'll have to call back tomorrow and change it. I don't blame Kevin one bit - holiday dinners are the best!

That's pretty much it. We really had a boring weekend. We don't do much on Saturdays and Sundays because it's always so busy out there...

Day 1266 - Nov 17, 2011

2011-11-18T00:01:00.002-06:00

Not a whole lot happened this week. Kevin had a dentist appointment yesterday to get some more work done. The new dentist is really a great guy as well. I mentioned to him that the oral surgeon never called, but sent a note to have an evaluation done at the end of December. I told him that I was concerned about Kevin being in pain that length of time and he apparently called the oral surgeon and asked him to move up our appointment. The surgeon called today and we now have an appointment tomorrow morning at 8 AM. Yay! But yikes!

We are also waiting on orthotics to call because Kevin's knee is hyper-extending again. He just came out to the kitchen to get his nightly jug of water and could barely make it back to his room. He had already taken his brace off and it's even worse when it's off, but he's once again doing it with his brace on too. I sure hope they call soon! We are thinking that orthotics might just need to adjust his brace and it will at least help while it's on.

I'm also hoping the guy comes soon with the remotes for his light and fan in his room. Also a soap dispenser for his shower. I try to always take care of turning his lights on/off when his brace is off his foot because I worry about him falling, but sometimes I am just busy or sleeping and he does it himself. I started this process for the remotes guy months ago - I honestly just don't know why this stuff takes so long.

It's the same with his shower chair. His cracked a long time ago and we are still waiting on a replacement. Kevin has been standing in the shower now and that scares the crap outta me. He has no brace on and he's standing on a slippery tiled floor. It's a recipe for disaster, if you ask me.

Please VA - please hurry with this stuff!

And in other news, Kevin bought himself the new Call Of Duty game for his XBox. He is actually able to play it and is having a blast. LuAnne - Kev mentioned that Mig must have it? When I asked if any of his friends did have it he clearly said "MIG". He is talking up a storm now and coming up with so many words on his own. It's just awesome!

And our little man is pretty sick again. He is just sick all the time, isn't he? Breezy took him to the docs today because he's been running a high temp ever since he got his flu shot. It's to be expected for a couple days, but it's been nearly a week and he is throwing up and just restless as all get out. I think his fever got up to nearly 104 today too. I feel so bad for him and I know it's exhausting for Breezy too. They actually ended up staying here last night because she started feeling sick too and I helped with taking care of him.

Anyway, the doc sent him for bloodwork and a urine test. So far everything's clear, but it will be days before all the results are in. Keep him in your thoughts, please.

And I guess this book is long enough for tonight, lol. I really started off with nothing to say...

Day 1262 - Nov 13, 2011

2011-11-13T03:08:00.005-06:00

Kevin and Efren went out on Friday night as it was Efren's birthday and rather than take the night off, he asked Kevin to celebrate with him! They first went out to dinner and then one of Efren's friends is in a band so they went to the concert. It was right up Kevin's alley as it was screamo music and I am gathering they had a great time!

On Saturday we didn't do too much. We did hit Home Depot so that I could get my Christmas present for Breezy and Chris early.

And that's pretty much it for the weekend. Today we did absolutely nothing. Kevin watched movies and I scrapped. We're pretty boring, eh?

Day 1259 - Nov 10, 2011

2011-11-11T00:07:00.002-06:00

Kevin, Breezy and Efren went to the Humor for Heroes comedy show last night while I babysat. I'm not so sure if Kevin will go again because Breezy told me he played games on his phone after a while. I know Kevin struggles sometimes when there's a lot of talking and when it's fast talk like comedians he starts zoning out. It's strange though because he has no trouble following if it's on a DVD or a CD, but I am guessing it's because there are too many other noises and things to overwhelm him when it's live.

So today Kevin wasn't feeling well and we had to cancel his OT appt. He was also to see the psychologist. It never dawned on me until now that it was probably because they went last night. Duh!

Other than this, we didn't really do anything this week so I guess I'll just sign off.

Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to all for your service!

Day 1255 - Nov 6, 2011

2011-11-07T00:35:00.000-06:00

We had a really great weekend! Yesterday our community had its annual "Fall Festival" which was basically a huge block party right in front of the house. They had a live band and tons of games for the kids. They also had a bouncy house and a local pizza company came with an old fire truck that had a brick oven on the back of it and they baked small pizzas for anybody that wanted some. I had a great time - Kevin so so. There really isn't anyone here that's his age - I guess it would be uncool to be somewhere like this if you're 23 so he was pretty much on his own. He did talk to quite a few of the neighbors, but they are mostly in their 30's here. It did at least got him out for a bit and that's a good thing.

Tonight made up for it though! Tonight Kevin and I went to see STOMP! and Mary went with us too! Kevin loved it - again! We saw it when Kevin was just a young'un - many years ago in Pittsburgh. He loved it then and when he saw it was coming to SA, he asked to go. We really had a wonderful time! AND Kevin learned the longest sentence yet in honor of the occasion. He can now say "I saw STOMP! a long time ago in Pittsburgh"!!!! Honestly, he usually drops the IN, but he gets the rest. This momma is so proud!

That's pretty much it for the weekend so I guess I'll sign off. Catch y'all on Friday!

Day 1252 - Nov 3, 2011

2011-11-04T00:05:00.004-05:00

Halloween was a really nice night - both because of the weather and we sat over at Jen's (neighbor) with a couple of other families and handed out candy over there. Even Kevin did! I tried to get Kev to dress up but he just didn't want to this year. Our little guy did though:

He was one of the toys in the Toy Story movie!

Tuesday Kevin had two appointments. The first was with a psychologist. He is going to see this doctor on a sorta regular basis for a while. After him we met with our Polytrauma doc and just had a normal check-up of sorts. All is mostly well. We are still waiting on ENT to set up an appt and see if there is a problem with Kevin's ear or if it's his teeth or what. He has some pretty bad pain now and we are medicating every night pretty much. I hope they hurry.

We are also having OT appts both this week and next to coincide with the Botox treatment we had a couple of weeks ago. Kev is doing really well with it this time around.

And today while leaving the VA we saw Daniel (the guy in the attack with Kevin). I snapped a pic of the two of them:

And to end here are just a few more photos of both my boys:

Aren't they both just so cute? LOL!

Day 1248 - Oct 30, 2011

2011-10-31T02:27:00.004-05:00

We had such a great time on Friday night. We attended a banquet sponsored by MOAA at Knibbe Ranch and it was so fun! I was worried about how cold it was and it being held outdoors, but it turned out that there was a building there and there was heat inside. There was still a BBQ though and let me tell you - the food was EXCELLENT!!!

They also had a band and they were quite good. I am not much into Country, but they still were really good.

So here are a bunch of pics. Mary (our wonderful FRC) went too and Rene' was giving back to Kevin as good as she was getting that night! Loved it!!

On Saturday Breezy ended up breaking her finger while unpacking. She broke it clean in half, but luckily the bone stayed in place. She has it splinted for the next six weeks and today she told Kevin she has a new-found respect for him. She is struggling without the use of one tiny finger and here he has no right arm/hand. He, of course, rubbed it in that yes, he has major wounds and she just broke a finger, lol.

That pretty much sums up our weekend so I guess I'll catch y'all on Friday. Happy Halloween!!

Day 1245 - Oct 27, 2011

2011-10-28T00:48:00.004-05:00

My goodness is it cold here! It is currently 54 degrees - YIKES! It figures too - we have an outdoor event to attend tomorrow night and it's supposed to be in the 40s. Not sure if any of us can handle it - especially Christian. I think we are taking separate cars now in case they need to leave early.

And we got some company last night! My friend, Rene, is in town! I picked her up at the airport yesterday afternoon and we came back to the house and made stromboli. We had a great visit! Here are some pics:

Somehow we missed taking one of her with Kevin, at least with my camera. Kevin actually took the pics of Rene and I so I don't know how we missed it. It's ok though - we have more photo ops over the weekend.

And this past week we really spent time getting all our pictures on the walls. I put Kevin to work too:

I did all the measuring, but had him do all the hammering. He had fun with it as we were both singing "Hammer Time (U Can't Touch This)", lol. There are still 2 more to put up but they weight about 50 lbs each and it's too hard for Kevin to hold one up with one hand so they will have to wait.

Tomorrow we have a pretty busy day. I don't think I mentioned that the store I was working at closed down? I went to pick up my paycheck one day and it was locked up by the landlord. Tomorrow the rental company is finally letting me in to get my personal things - my layouts most especially. I think my pay is a wash, but if I can just get the layouts I have in there I will feel better. Bummer, huh?

So I guess I'll sign off and head to bed. Kevin and I just finished watching Captain America and movies/tv always make me sleepy, lol.

Day 1241 - Oct 23, 2011

2011-10-21T17:09:00.006-05:00

Kevin went to the dentist on Friday and it turns out he needs his wisdom teeth cut out. We are thinking that might be why his left ear still aches because there is no ear infection present at all. The dentist mentioned that they are going to try to get it done before the year ends and I sure hope so! That's too long to be in pain. I hope to hear from the oral surgeon this week - wish us luck on this!

We got Boo'ed on Friday too! An anonymous someone left a plastic pumpkin at the door filled with all kinds of candy and goodies! I guess you are supposed to do the same to two other homes in the community and eventually the whole neighborhood gets Boo'ed. Such fun, huh?

We babysat our little guy all weekend. Breezy and Chris were moving into a new apartment as they were only in a 1BR and now with Christian getting older they need a 2 bedroom. So they packed all day yesterday and moved today and are now ensconced in our guest room. The moving company moved all their big stuff today and when they got there the place had not been cleaned from the previous tenants. It was utterly FILTHY! After us being there maybe a half hour today, the baby was getting sick and I know my face/head felt full of dust and we agreed to just have them sleep up here until the apartment complex makes it right. I don't know how many years it's been since that place was cleaned well, but it was truly disgusting. Let's hope the complex gets it cleaned tomorrow.

And to end here are some pics. The first few are from back when we were in FL. It's the family:

The rest are Christian:

Day 1238 - Oct 20, 2011

2011-10-18T23:24:00.003-05:00

Tuesday Kevin had another Botox treatment done at BAMC. It was a little bit rougher this time as Kev kept having spasms in his arm. The doc and I talked about whether it's because Kevin is no longer in occupational therapy and he says there's no way to know at this point, but that it could be it. We are going to see if it's any better or worse the next time and go from there.

So after we got home from the hospital Kevin and I were snipping at each other which is a sure sign that we need time apart. I decided to leave him with Johnnie and I went out with Breezy for dinner. We headed to a restaurant that should have only taken about 10 minutes to get to from where we met, but there was an accident and one of the major freeways in town was closed down completely. It was rush hour no less.

It ended up taking us an hour to get there and we then waited for our table, got seated, finally our drinks were put in front of us and I looked at Christian and he had blood all over the side of his face. It was coming out of his left ear at a pretty good drip. We hightailed it out of there and had to get across the city completely to her hospital and it took quite a while because all the traffic was still backed up. We even went on all these roads we had never even been on.

Anyway, when I looked in his ear at the restaurant I didn't see the tube he had just had put in (luckily), but I saw this blob of something that looked like fatty tissue. The doc at the ER said the same thing, but she didn't know what it was so she referred him to an ENT doc the next day and sent us home.

Breeze did take him to the ENT doc yesterday and he's not real sure either. They put him on an antibiotic thinking it might just be an infection and told her to wait a week and see if it stops bleeding when she puts the medicated drops in. I guess we'll know more in a few days.

In the meantime, here are some photos of my boys eating cupcakes:

Pretty messy, aren't they? LOL!

Day 1235 - Oct 17, 2011

2011-10-18T01:26:00.003-05:00

We stayed home all day today. Johnnie and I worked on getting more of the garage organized so that we could pull the car in. It was so full of stuff that the car still wouldn't fit. Last night though, three cars in our neighborhood were broken into so it was imperative that we be able to pull the car in before they busted out one of our windows. I can be honest and say we don't keep anything valuable in the car, but still...you never know what they want.

Other than that, it was a boring day. Mostly they all are now, so I have decided to go down to 2 days a week in writing the blog. From here on out I will write on Sunday night (viewable Mon morning) and on Thursday night (viewable Friday morning). I know that many of you read daily, but there just isn't much to say anymore. Kevin is stable now and although things can still happen, it's not the norm anymore.

Understand that this was a hard decision to make. I have been rolling it around in my head for months now, but I didn't want to let any of you down and I wasn't sure if I could really 'let go' of writing daily. But if you have noticed, I have been skipping a lot lately - there just isn't much to say because life is settling down.

So, I am thinking my posts might be more substantial if it's not me sitting here trying to think of things to say. I am sorry if it hurts anyone's heart (like it's hurting mine right now and I keep thinking "no - don't do this!), but it really is a struggle to come up with things to say every day when we don't do anything exciting.

Anyway, to make it easier to follow, I created a 'follow by email' button that's on the top right of the blog. If you can remember to come and read on Mon and Fri - great! But if you would prefer to get an email when I post - go for it.

And last, I want to thank everyone once again for all the continued support and guidance. I have said it a million times that I couldn't have taken this journey without all of you and I really mean it. You guys all kept me going - especially during those really horrendous times. I have also made some FANTASTIC friends along the way via the blog and I really do thank (and appreciate) all of you!

So I guess I'll see y'all Friday morning!

Day 1234 - Oct 16, 2011

2011-10-17T03:45:00.003-05:00

Today we had a "MAN" day. Kevin and I busted our butts doing all the 'man' stuff around the house - fixing squeaky doors, hanging curtains, organizing the garage and tons of other stuff.

I am so proud to say that I had Kev go to the garage and build the shelves that we bought a few weeks ago and he did it all by himself. (I was inside drilling holes in the wall to hang curtains.) Mind you - they were those plastic shelves that just kinda snap together, but he honestly put together both of them without any guidance whatsoever, then he moved the freezer over a bit and placed them where he wanted them. I then had him take all his fishing gear and all of our tools and organize them on the shelves. He done good! This mama is so proud!

So after working all day we got showered and took in a late movie. We went to see Footloose and I looked over at Kev at the end of the movie and he was grinning like a loon! He really loved the movie, but he did point out the differences and was very upset about the tractor/bus part (I won't say anymore as y'all might not have seen it yet).

It was really a good day. We just got so much done (I even finished another audit!) and so much organized. I even got all the mail opened and dealt with.

I will admit that it was a little rough on my rib to be drilling though, but I am seriously feeling much better and only had a few twinges of pain when putting my body into it.

Alrighty...I think I'll head to bed...

Day 1233 - Oct 15, 2011

2011-10-16T01:44:00.000-05:00

I think I'm going to just skip tonight.

Day 1232 - Oct 14, 2011

2011-10-15T02:51:00.002-05:00

Kevin called me in the wee hours of the morning and it turns out that somehow he dropped his iPad and it shattered! He was devastated! I drove around from place to place today trying to find a repair shop that didn't send it off for weeks and finally found one that would do it within 24 hours. We go back tomorrow to pick it up and both Kevin and I are so relieved!

Kevin also went out again tonight with Efren. They just went to one of Efren's friends' house to hang out. We just got back a little bit ago from me picking him up and I was very happy to see a cop nearly pull in our driveway because 'someone' was messing around our house at that hour. I am assuming that he realized it was ok when our garage door went up because that's when he went up the hill after all. I am just happy to see it because we live kinda out in the country - about 5 miles from the highway - and there's a lot of open space out here.

And now I'm off to bed. I am trying to sleep a little better and some nights I can - others Kevin just can't seem to get settled and calls quite often. It's ok though - that's what I'm here for...

Day 1231 - Oct 13, 2011

2011-10-13T23:40:00.002-05:00

I went with Breezy today to take Christian for his check-up and to get his flu shot. He did great! Kevin stayed home with Johnnie and they played cards and watched movies.

I am able to breathe quite a bit better today and I believe I'm on the mend. I think I might have just bruised it - at least I hope so. It doesn't really matter as there's nothing they really do for broken/fractured ribs anyway. I will pay attention though for pneumonia, Kathy. It does still hurt to cough or sneeze, but I really am breathing better today as a whole. Thanks for telling me to watch for this.

And now I am off to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow.

Day 1230 - Oct 12, 2011

2011-10-13T01:01:00.002-05:00

I am not going to really write much tonight either. Kevin and I were changing his sheets last night and to make it more fun we engaged in a pillow fight. It got a little out of hand and I was joking that he was killing me and I lie down on the floor in a fetal position and Kev decided to sit on me. Well, I don't know if he fractured a rib or what, but man am I hurting! It was pretty immediate when he hit my chest and I'm guessing that his 205 pounds did some damage.

So it hurts pretty bad - I can't drive too well and I can't pick anything up with my left arm, but I'm sure it will be better in a couple of days. If it's not, I'll go to the docs. Well, no, I probably won't, but it sounded good, right? LOL.

So I guess I'll sign off now.

Day 1229 - Oct 11, 2011

2011-10-12T03:51:00.002-05:00

I am going to skip tonight.

Day 1228 - Oct 10, 2011

2011-10-11T00:55:00.004-05:00

We had a nice rainy weekend! It just poured all night long on Saturday and we even had a visitor that took refuge on our porch - a huge raccoon. He was awful quiet, but it was storming so badly that Kevin kept having me come into his room. The one time I looked out his door and there it was just walking past. Scared the crap outta me! Here's a pic:

This was the best shot of the bunch. Our glass door is so dusty because they are building the roads and clearing the land for the next phase of this development and all the dust just comes at the back of the house like a wall.

That's pretty much it. Breezy and family came over for dinner last night and were here most of the evening.

Oh, but I forgot to mention on Saturday that Kevin had a great time out with Efren and Ben. I did pick him up and we very nearly hit a horse on the way home! Apparently someone's horses got out of their gate and they were standing pretty much on the road at the side. It's so dark out here and the horses were dark so you really couldn't see them til you were right next to them. Yikes! Now that woulda done some damage!

Day 1226 - Oct 8, 2011

2011-10-09T02:18:00.002-05:00

Yay! Kevin went over to Colin's and watched movies with him and another neighbor, Bill, while I went up the street to 'ladies night'. I know I had a great time and I am guessing Kevin did too because he stayed over there almost an additional two hours after I came home.

It's been raining here nearly all day and hard the last 3 hours or so. The electric has been flickering so I think I am going to cut this short.

I am also going to skip tomorrow night as we have no plans to do anything tomorrow.

Day 1225 - Oct 7, 2011

2011-10-08T00:51:00.003-05:00

Kevin went out with Efren and his friend, Ben, tonight and I have to leave in a few minutes to go pick him up. The three of them were having a great time here at the house and when Efren's shift ended they all decided to head to a club. I really didn't feel like having to go out at 1:30 in the morning to pick him up, but I had to set my feelings aside so that Kevin could go and be normal. I am totally going in my pajamas though, lol.

We didn't really do too much today otherwise. We did run to Sam's Club and that's about it. The neighbor, Jen, came over for a visit too.

Well, I guess I better get going. The club is about a half hour away and I have to drop some orders off at the Post Office on the way.

Here's hoping Kev goes and hangs out with Colin tomorrow night. I am really looking forward to 'ladies night out'...

Day 1224 - Oct 6, 2011

2011-10-07T03:51:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note tonight as I'm tired and want to head to bed. I called the van modification company today and the rep said that since it started the day we moved in here it must be that someone else right around us is using the same radio frequency as the van does. She told me I just need to take it to a Dodge dealership and have the remote reprogrammed. I'm not sure if it's something you need an appointment for, but I'll check it out tomorrow.

We didn't really do much today otherwise - I got quite a bit of my scrap area unpacked and organized. I have a woman coming tomorrow evening to scrapbook so I had to get it at least clean enough to walk around in.

Kevin and Johnnie went for a nice walk this afternoon too. It's finally getting cooler here (around 90ish anyway) and there's been a cool breeze blowing which makes it really nice to be outside.

That's about it so it's off to bed for me.

Day 1223 - Oct 5, 2011

2011-10-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

Today we had a meeting at the VA hospital to discuss Kevin's goals and treatments. Kevin has decided lately that he doesn't want to go to therapy anymore. I see his point completely, but my concern was how it would affect him long term. So I called the meeting with the docs, social workers (including our wonderful FRC) and therapists and we all discussed what is the best course of action.

Kevin did reiterate in the meeting that he doesn't want to do any of them anymore and the therapists agreed that when he comes and doesn't want to be there, he doesn't apply himself and it's a waste of time for everybody.

So Kevin has agreed to work more at home for a couple of months and we'll see how it goes. The one thing we can't have is him regressing. We have worked too hard and come too far to go backward now.

Honestly though, we work at home pretty much constantly anyway, so it won't be too much different. Just a whole lot less running.

So, after this meeting we met with a new psychologist and he talked to Kevin for about an hour and a half. I liked his demeanor and thought he was very intuitive into Kevin's way of thinking. We aren't sure if he and Kevin should meet regularly or not, I guess I need to think about whether it could make a difference or not. I think Kevin has truly adjusted to what has happened to him and for the most part I think he is still happy go lucky. He does have moments where he's sad about all of his losses, but who wouldn't? If you ask me, that's pretty normal.

So I just need to let it swirl around in my brain for a week or two and probably discuss it with Mary first and then we'll decide what's best. I'm always open to thoughts from you guys so send them along.

And Lorraine - tell Rick "Thanks". When we got up this morning the back door of the van was wide open. I am hoping to make some calls tomorrow and I now at least have a starting point.

Day 1222 - Oct 4, 2011

2011-10-05T03:46:00.002-05:00

Today we ran some more errands and then we came home and grilled a late dinner. We were all sitting on the patio eating when the doorbell rang and it was our neighbors from across the street. They came over to tell us the van was running. This is the third or fourth time since we moved here that the thing has just turned itself on or we have come out or home to find the side door open and the ramp down. Not sure what's going on, I am guessing something electronic could be wrong with it? I'm not sure if I need to call Dodge or if it's the modification people. Anybody know anything about this kind of stuff?

Anyway, Jen and Colin (neighbors) were here for roughly 3 hours and it was a great visit! They are such nice people! And it doesn't hurt that he is a PA in the ER at surrounding hospitals, lol. He told us we could call anytime, but I sure hope we never have to.

Honestly, this neighborhood is so great. Jen and another neighbor walked around our house every day while we were gone and everyone kept an eye on the place. They also have monthly events - this Saturday is ladies night out and Colin offered to have Kevin come and hang out at his place while I visit with the other women. I am hoping Kevin will do it so that I can get to know some of the others. We shall see...

Day 1221 - Oct 3, 2011

2011-10-03T22:51:00.002-05:00

We were pretty busy today. I am starting to really feel better so I took advantage of it and really got some errands run.

We also had a gentleman come today to give us an estimate on getting some modifications done to Kevin's bathroom. I want to put a permanent seat in his shower because his shower chair has a crack in it and keeps cutting into his thigh. We did get a new one from the VA, but it fell apart after just a couple of uses - thank goodness I hadn't thrown the old one out yet. We also need a shelf or something that sits at a certain height to have Kevin be able to lay his right elbow on so that he can put deodorant under that arm. Without one, he can't do it himself and obviously our goal is to get him to be able to be as independent as he possibly can.

That's pretty much it for tonight. I am watching Dancing with the Stars while I am writing this and for those of you that watch it - how about that dance by JR Martinez? What a tribute to all of our military members! And what an amazing dance by an inspirational person! He just reminds me so much of Kevin each week...

Day 1220 - Oct 2, 2011

2011-10-03T01:35:00.009-05:00

Today we went to the South Texas Maize in Hondo. It's a cornfield maze and pumpkin patch and we all had a really good time. I have to thank the owners there as I called yesterday and asked if you could get through it on a scooter and I then explained our situation. Well when we arrived today they treated Kevin like royalty! Honestly, these folks were just awesome to the whole group of us!

I also have to thank the VA because without that scooter - we could never do things like this!

Anyway, as you can all guess - I took a ton of photos. I am going to just upload a whole bunch of them and sign off early. They have all been edited for print so I can scrap them this week.

Hehe. Christian just wasn't sure at first about the swings. He screamed bloody murder until I got down on his level and started saying "weeee". After that he loved it!

This next picture blows me away because that is the same look my mom gets on her face. I have never seen my mom in Christian before!

I'd say we plum tuckered this little guy out, eh? LOL!

This was just such a nice place and we can't wait to go back next year!

Day 1219 - Oct 1, 2011

2011-10-02T01:48:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty lazy day today. I still haven't felt up to par, but I did manage to get some scrapping done this afternoon.

I am going to cut it short tonight as there isn't really anything to say. We have fun plans tomorrow if I feel up to it. Wish us luck!

Day 1217 - Sep 29, 2011

2011-09-30T01:35:00.002-05:00

Still not feeling so well so I am going to skip both tonight and I might as well tomorrow night too since the garage sale is the next day. Truthfully, I'll be amazed if I can get this all done by then as all I am doing is sleeping.

Day 1216 - Sep 28, 2011

2011-09-29T01:00:00.001-05:00

I am going to skip tonight as I still just don't feel well.

Day 1215 - Sep 27, 2011

2011-09-27T23:15:00.002-05:00

Out little guy came through his surgery with flying colors! Breezy called me at about 8:30 this morning and said they were already on their way home. He did fantastic! YAY!

Kev is doing well. He downloaded some new game on his iPad yesterday and he's quite addicted. He played ALL NIGHT LONG last night and I had to force him to put it away for dinner tonight.

And now I am heading to bed. I started getting congested last night and I am just all stuffed up tonight. I want to just get some sleep and see if it works itself out of my system overnight. Man, I hope so! I have too much to get done this week...

Day 1214 - Sept 26, 2011

2011-09-26T23:10:00.002-05:00

Today I just spent the day organizing and unpacking. We had a few folks come today too to set things up (the ramp guy, the lights/fan remote guy, the lawn care guy, etc). The community we now live in is having a town garage sale this Saturday and I am working my butt off trying to get the whole house unpacked by then so that I can sell the things we just don't need. I'm really not sure I can get it all done by the weekend, but I am determined to give it my best shot.

And our little guy Christian has his surgery tomorrow morning. I sure hope the tubes in his ears work and makes him all better. It's hard though for me not to be at the hospital with Breezy tomorrow because I know how scary it is, but it would just be too difficult to get Kevin moving that early. I think they have to be at the hospital by 6:30. It's those kind of days that Kevin gets overstimulated and it's painful to see him like that, so we are staying home by the phone.

Anyway, please keep our baby in your thoughts tomorrow. Thanks!

Day 1213 - Sep 25, 2011

2011-09-26T01:21:00.002-05:00

We had a pretty good day today. Kevin and I went to Walmart as I hadn't made it there yet to get all the necessities after being gone so long (milk, bread, etc).

After that we came home and Breezy and family came over. Chris made a huge pot of chili and I made some loaded baked potatoes and we all ate out on the patio for dinner. It was really tasty.

That's pretty much it tonight. I'm kinda tired so I think I'll go to bed early. Kev's sitting here next to me though wide awake so I doubt he'll let me sleep, lol. He's sure laughing at me cause I keep nodding off while writing this...

Day 1212 - Sep 24, 2011

2011-09-25T02:02:00.002-05:00

We pretty much hung around the house today. I continued to unpack and Kevin just watched movies all day. Breezy, Chris and the baby came over for most of the day too and while unpacking Breezy found a bunch of home movies on video tape. We took a nice, long break and watched a few. Aunt Mona - I wish there was a way to show you the videos. The one reminded me of how we always thought Elizabeth and Breezy shared a brain, lol.

Such fun seeing the kids when they were real little. I think Kevin was maybe 2 and Breezy was maybe 6.

Anyway, that's all for today so I will sign off now.

Day 1211 - Sep 23, 2011

2011-09-24T02:46:00.002-05:00

So obviously we made it home yesterday. Our flight was delayed for quite a lengthy amount of time, but Kevin handled it really well. We just snacked and shopped at the little store at the airport.

When we got home, Johnnie was already here and had the bulk of the truck unloaded. He had called some of his family to get the job done and I can't tell you how much I appreciated that!

We worked hard for hours trying to get some of the furniture in place and we got a bunch of the boxes unpacked as well. We still have a LONG way to go, but we'll do it.

Since we don't really have any food here, we then all went to a little pizza place down the road where you sit outside and there is live music. It was a really fun time, with some new friends.

And then we came home and I worked for hours at my business until I crawled into bed. Kevin slept exceedingly well last night - he even commented on it this morning. I think he missed his own bed (And I don't blame him. His mattress is the most comfortable I have ever felt!).

Today we didn't really do much except continue to unpack. I obviously was on the phone a good bit after not being on it much for the last week or so, which was kinda a drag. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to not hear my phone ring one time for a whole 6 days! (I never turned it on).

But we are getting things scheduled that needed to be so it's a necessary evil. LOL.

And now it's off to an early night for me. It was REALLY late last night and I am whooped.

Day 1210 - Sep 22, 2011

2011-09-23T05:01:00.003-05:00

I was already in bed and heard my email ding notification and it reminded me that I hadn't written the blog yet! At this point, I am just going to skip and get back to bed. I'll catch y'all up tomorrow!

Day 1209 - Sep 21, 2011

2011-09-22T00:36:00.003-05:00

Kevin and I went and visited JT (a wounded marine) and his mom, Chris, today. It was so great seeing them again and JT is just doing so well!

After visiting with them, we came back and the whole family went out to dinner tonight. I took some pics, but stupidly I packed the camera before snagging them so it will have to wait a couple of days.

And our poor baby is really sick again. He is supposed to go have tubes put in his ears on Tuesday, but he's been running a fever for days and they won't do it if he still is by then. Please send all the vibes you can his way so we can get him feeling well enough to go through with the procedure. He has just had a constant ear infection (or two) for months now.

That's pretty much it for today, so I guess I'll call it quits for the night.

Day 1208 - Sep 20, 2011

2011-09-20T22:08:00.007-05:00

Well...we had a great vacation! Honestly, the food was horrible, there was way too much seaweed and the service wasn't up to par either, but we still had a great time! Oh and I forgot to mention that after we paid for the hotel, neither mine nor Moe's credit cards would work down there. It's kinda funny now (because we saved so much money, lol), but it was a little worrisome trying to come home with just the cash we had on hand.

But still...like I said...it was super wonderful just sleeping on the beach. Heck, I probably slept more the past week that I did all last year, lol. Honestly, the first night I was snoring by 8:30 and slept for 13 hours! Heaven!

So here are a bunch of pics:

We went snorkeling and then we went swimming with the sharks!

And after we ate our meal and had our drinks is when we were informed our credit cards wouldn't work. Yikes! We had to scrounge money in our purses to pay for our meals, lol.

It really was a good time! I don't think I'll ever go back there, but it was still fun!

And from what I gathered - Kevin won $150 playing poker at the casino this week (so he splurged and bought himself a cigar - which promptly made him sick) and other than that he didn't really do too much. The kids went running around though and I'm glad.

And today we loaded up a huge truck with all our things and Johnnie and Ness will be driving it back to TX. They are leaving in the morning and Kevin and I will be going home on Thursday.

It's been a good vacation - for all of us. I'm glad to see the family, but it will be nice to go home too and finally get everything unpacked and maybe start to live like normal folks...

PS - I read on FB that Joel came through his surgery (I believe it was a 20 hour surgery), but that the next 72 hours were the most critical. They took him off the vent though and he is squeezing hands so I feel confident he will do great! Love you, Joel!

Day 1201 - Sep 13, 2011

2011-09-14T00:48:00.003-05:00

It turns out that my mom has a UTI and she is already feeling just a little bit better. Once she gets another day or so of meds in her she should feel close to being well.

We did get some company today; Janet and her daughter, Cammie, came for a visit. We met Janet at BAMC way back in the beginning as her son, Matt, was wounded shortly after Kevin was. They are from this area and we have yet to get together every time we come here to visit. Here is a pic of all of us:

Janet - it was wonderful to see you today and dang! were those cookies great!!

After that Kev and I ran to the airport and picked up Moe who made it in safe and sound today. Tomorrow morning, unbelievably, her and I are going away for 6 whole days to the Dominican Republic! We got a fantastic deal on an all-inclusive and decided to really splurge and get away. (and yes, I am having just a few panic attacks now that it's time to go)

So, Kevin will be staying here in FL with my folks and Johnnie and his girlfriend, Ness are coming on Thursday to 'take care' of Kevin as well. Love him that I do, Kevin is still quite a bit of work and I worried that my parents couldn't handle it all. I'm glad that I have J & N coming now that my mom is sick, for sure.

And...I have decided to not write the blog while I am away. From what I am gathering, the internet connections are spotty at best so I think I will just take this time, be completely unplugged, and lie on the beach and drink pina coladas. I sure hope there's some hot guy waiting on me hand and foot...

I'll be back next Tuesday night!!

Not sure...

2011-09-12T23:52:00.002-05:00

I am sitting here at the hospital with my mom as she is pretty sick. We are hoping it's just kidney stones and nothing major.

I am going to skip tonight and I will be back tomorrow night. Moe Is coming in tomorrow afternoon and then her and I are going on a real vacation Wednesday for 6 whole days!!! I will fill y'all in tomorrow night!

Day 1199 - Sep 11, 2011

2011-09-12T00:45:00.000-05:00

On the 10th anniversary of the attacks on Sept 11, I would like to thank all those in the past and present military. I salute you!

We didn't really do much again today although Christian did get his haircut! I don't have much to say so I am just going to share some photos.

Day 1198 - Sep 10, 2011

2011-09-11T00:28:00.002-05:00

We had some wonderful visitors today; Maritza, Jose and Joel all came over to visit for a couple of hours! I didn't take one photo, but boy was it great to see them!!

They all look fantastic and I honestly couldn't believe how fabulous Joel looks! He is heading to Bethesda next week for a 20 hour surgery so please keep them all in your thoughts too!

Other than this, we pretty much just lay around the house today. We swam and we ate and we swam some more, lol.

A good day, all in all.

Day 1197 - Sep 9, 2011

2011-09-10T01:25:00.002-05:00

We kinda had a lazy day today. We got up and Christian and I went swimming. That boy is a natural - you should see him try to swim, lol! He LOVES it!

After that we all putzed around and then we loaded up and went to Walmart. Kevin just had to buy the new X-Men movie that was released today and mentioned it as soon as he woke up this morning.

We also played some cards tonight. My family is real big on playing cards every night, lol. We are all pretty competitive too so it gets a bit rowdy here sometimes.

That's pretty much it for today, but I did want to answer a question that came through - someone asked if Kevin remembered Jeremy and sadly, no, he did not. It's strange really, as he mostly remembers things like that.

And to end, here is a video of Christian eating his first piece of pizza. My did he love it! LOL! (and excuse all of us talking in the background)

Day 1196 - Sep 8, 2011

2011-09-08T23:35:00.005-05:00

First I want to send a great big shout out to Southwest Airlines for taking such great care of Kevin! They had everyone stay in their seats until Kevin got off first and had the whole plane cheering for Kev - thank you Southwest! It was so much easier getting Kevin and Breezy and the baby off without being jostled around and pushed and bumped.

So obviously we made it to Florida! It was a great trip and even Christian was an excellent flier (sp). He slept in my arms the whole way up and the whole way down, only waking up and eating somewhere over the gulf.

So back to last weekend. On Saturday night we got company! Jeremy (Major Reigel) and his wonderful wife Dana came to visit - Jeremy was with Kevin in Afghanistan and he hasn't seen him since Kevin was still in a coma! What a difference, eh? We really had a fantastic night with them! We went to a BBQ place called Rudy's that's pretty close to the house and then we came back and played Kinect for a bit and just hung out together. We honestly had a great time and I hope they come back soon!! Here are a few photos:

(notice I am now a redhead, lol)

And then on Sunday we saw Anne (another member of the Herd) that came down for lunch from Houston. We met her and her friend Theo who is also in the Army and will be stationed here at Ft Sam. We had so much fun with these two as well!! I think we all played off each other very well and lunch was quite hilarious! Here is a photo of the kids:

It was a really great weekend all in all - until Kev's ears started hurting again. He has done really well today though and had no issues flying. Thankfully!

Day 1195 - Sep 7, 2011

2011-09-08T02:24:00.002-05:00

I have no choice but to bail on you guys again. The internet is not working barely at all. We had a large wildfire in the area earlier today and it's caused intermittent service issues. Actually, I'm not even sure if it's been put out as I haven't had time to watch tv all evening.

So I guess I will share the pics tomorrow! We are heading to Florida in the morning so it will be late (like always, lol).

Day 1194 - Sep 6, 2011

2011-09-07T00:07:00.002-05:00

It's been a very long day. Kevin had extreme pain again last night in his ear and his head. When he woke up this morning he had crazy shivers and was very nauseous. I called the neurosurgeon and we ran over to BAMC and ended up being there all day.

Kev got blood work done and a CT Scan with Contrast. The doc told us that everything looks good, but just in case they gave us another antibiotic.

I was so so worried!

So I keep falling asleep while writing this so I am going to sign off and continue tomorrow night. We had some company this week and I want to share pics with you guys.

Day 1190 - Sep 2, 2011

2011-09-03T01:55:00.002-05:00

Kevin is feeling much better each and every day. I feel confident that this will all just go away.

I have decided to take the weekend off from the blog. I have to work tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday so I will be pretty busy with that.

I will be back on Tuesday night.

Happy Labor Day everyone!!

Day 1189 - Sep 1, 2011

2011-09-02T02:42:00.002-05:00

I did talk to the neurosurgeon today and an ear infection could be a potential problem if left go long enough. Because Kevin doesn't feel pain or typically show any signs of an infection early on, who can really say how long it's been. The doc is on call this weekend so we are just going to wait and see.

One good thing is that Kevin's pain level is already decreasing so I am thinking it's getting better. Man, I hope so. The thought of having to remove that plate scares the heck outta me!

Day 1188 - Aug 31, 2011

2011-09-01T01:48:00.002-05:00

Kevin's ear started hurting last night and I wondered if he might have an ear infection. I called his primary doc this morning to get an appointment and it turns out there aren't any appts available until October. I then called the polytrauma doc that we usually see and she couldn't get him in until Friday. That left either the ER or a walk-in clinic. We opted for the clinic.

It turns out his ear is infected and it's been (and still is) a real struggle to maintain pain control. He is really hurting.

One impressive thing that did happen though is that his primary doc from the VA satellite office called late tonight to see if we were able to get an appointment somewhere else. She expressed concern about it being the ear next to his plate that's in his head and got me all worried. I intend to call the neurosurgeon in the morning and see what he has to say. Maybe it's something I don't have to give another thought to but just having any sort of infection is alarming to me. The last thing we need is to have to have that plate removed!

And speaking of surgeries, our little man Christian is going to be getting tubes in his ears at the end of September. He has just had constant ear infections and they can't figure out what's been going on. They did run all kinds of tests thinking it might be something serious (cystic fibrosis, etc) and they just don't know so the ENT doc wants to put the tubes in as a 'maybe it will work' plan. Poor baby.

And now I am off to bed. It was a long night with Kevin last night and I'm kinda tired.

Day 1187 - Aug 30, 2011

2011-08-31T03:33:00.004-05:00

The inspection went really well considering everything was done in halves today - I had half my makeup on, half the kitchen was swept and I was still in half my pajamas (shorts), lol. Luckily they were cool with it and were very understanding that we were just moving in too.

I spent the last 2 days with repairmen of all kinds. Obviously I am having water problems here too so the plumber was here working on that yesterday. We also had an electrician here, the garage door openers were installed, and my internet was down again so the cable guy was here for almost 4 hours trying to get it fixed.

And Kevin and I went and bought a grill over the weekend and it was delivered today and we had a nice cookout for dinner tonight. Johnny and Ness were here as was Breezy and Christian. Our little man got his first taste of asparagus tonight and LOVED IT! To end, here are some photos of him chowing down, as well as a bunch of other ones from the last couple of days.

Day 1186 - Aug 29, 2011

2011-08-30T00:59:00.002-05:00

I am going to skip tonight. I have an inspection tomorrow by the VA to make sure Kevin's being taken care of (one of those every 90 days things) and really this house is not as clean as I'd like it to be. It's just hard with me still unpacking and working as much as it's turning out that I am.

So I will check back in tomorrow night.

Day 1185 - Aug 28, 2011

2011-08-29T00:41:00.002-05:00

We had a good day today. I was determined to stay home all day and we did it! I stuffed a chicken and Breezy, Chris and little man come over for dinner. I tell ya' - that baby is just all over the place. He crawls everywhere and won't stop climbing up any wall or object he comes to. This baby is another Kevin in a nutshell! Kev was crawling out of his crib at 9 months and since Christian is already standing and trying to get out of his, I think it's safe to say that he probably will too. That boy is just so darn cute!!

Other than that we didn't do much today. I scrapped a good part of the day as it's necessary for both my job and my business. Can't beat that, huh?

And Chris and I also got my bed put together. I've been sleeping on the floor and if I'd known it was that simple I would have done it myself this past week.

And now I'm heading to bed. I didn't sleep well at all last night and it's caught up to me. It's way early, but I think I can sleep...

Day 1184 - Aug 27, 2011

2011-08-28T02:00:00.002-05:00

So Kevin and Efren went out last night while I went to work. One of Efren's friends is in a band and he called some of his friends and they all went to see them play. Kevin had a really great time! It is so great to have Kevin doing things that he would normally do, kwim?

Today Kev and I went shopping. His whole one wall in his bedroom is nothing but windows and we need curtains. He wants black ones though and they are just sold out everywhere! I have to do something soon though because his room is very bright and he just doesn't like that.

So anyway, I am scrapping tonight and going to sign off early. Please - anyone being affected by hurricane Irene - please stay safe! Bernice, Rene, Chalkie...and everyone else! You are all in my thoughts!!

Day 1182 - Aug 25, 2011

2011-08-26T02:22:00.002-05:00

Today was a rather hectic day and I'm glad it's over with. We did hand in the keys and are now completely moved. Still have some unpacking to do, but I am determined to get it done because we will be moving everything from Florida in a few weeks.

I did have a meeting at work today and had to take Kevin as it was after the store closed and he did really well. He had all the girls laughing hysterically. He is just so darn funny - especially now as he's talking more.

So about the moving...I hired a moving company and they said they would come on Sunday evening. They were way late and when they finally arrived they had me sign the contract and they started putting things in the truck. From what I gather they thought they were done for the day when the previous job ended and were then dispatched to our home. So they were putting stuff on the truck and must have had a little chat because next thing I know they came in and said they weren't doing it. I told them yes they were because I already signed the contract. The problem? You don't get a copy of the contract until they put the 'end' time on it so I didn't have it. They proceeded to unload everything they packed and just kept arguing with us and lying and then Kevin got involved and then we called the cops and as soon as that happened they hurried up and got in the truck and tried to leave (turns out this company does no background checks and hires some not so upstanding people).

Well Kevin was so mad at what was going on that he was standing in the middle of the driveway so they couldn't get past him and both Chris and I had to physically move Kevin and let me tell you - it was not easy! I didn't trust these jerks and was worried they would try to run him down. It was such a mess!

Anyway, we had no choice but to sleep at the new house that night because the cable company was coming first thing in the morning so Chris and I loaded a mattress on top of the van and Kevin slept on it and I slept on the floor. No fridge, no furniture, nothing. Boy was I mad.

We did call another company the next day and they came and took care of it straight away with no problems though. Wish I'd called them first...

Tomorrow will be another very busy day. The garage door opener folks are coming in a few hours and then I have a few other appts and errands before working from 5pm to about 1am. I am going to skip writing because it will be pretty late by the time I get home and I'm sure I'll be beat.

Talk to y'all on Saturday night!

Day 1181 - Aug 24, 2011

2011-08-25T02:20:00.002-05:00

Yay! We finally have internet!

So we are all moved in. Tomorrow I hand in the keys to the old house and I am meeting the water filtration guy there so he can transfer our filter to the new house. That will be it!

Kevin's loving his new bedroom and I am loving having a nice big scraproom! I was in the hallway before and it was difficult. With my new business I need the space so this is perfect!

I will have to tell you guys the story about the moving company we hired tomorrow night. It's kinda lengthy and I am just too tired tonight.

That being said, I now it's been a week since I really posted, but this moving is rough on this old body. I am still unpacking and organizing and I am just beat. This, of course, is in between all the normal stuff that we have to do too.

So hopefully I'm not so tired tomorrow and can at least get that story in! Nothing like leaving ya hangin', huh? LOL!

Still not fixed!

2011-08-24T02:19:00.001-05:00

I am dying without my Internet! Hopefully they come tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath! Will write more when it's fixed.

No Internet

2011-08-23T02:07:00.000-05:00

I am hoping it can be fixed in the morning!

Day 1176 - Aug 19, 2011

2011-08-20T04:05:00.002-05:00

I am going to take the weekend off and get us moved. We made quite a dent in it today, and we plan to have ALL of the little stuff moved by tomorrow night. Sunday is furniture day and then we will be all in.

Thank goodness too. I have been smelling sewage coming up from the shower drain the last few days or so.

Anyway, I will be back Monday night as we won't have cable on Sunday.

Day 1175 - Aug 18, 2011

2011-08-19T00:35:00.002-05:00

We are moving this weekend. After months and months of going back and forth - Kevin decided he wanted to live here in SA permanently. I agreed with him wanting to from the getgo, but there are factors that held me back from just letting him make that decision.

But a couple of months ago while out for a Sunday drive, we found the perfect house for sale outside of San Antonio (kinda out in the country) in a small town called Boerne (sounds like Bernie). I admit that I didn't take any of the things the doctor said a couple of years ago into consideration this time. This house is much smaller - only 3 bedrooms and I didn't worry about ramps and things like that. I did see the docs point back then as Kevin was nowhere near able to handle things like he can now, but he really is doing well at this time so we are just going to go for it and change things if we ever have to.

So the house is on the market in Florida and today we closed on the new house here. I think this is a good move for us as we are both getting settled. Kevin has Jonnie and Efren and I have a job now and we are making new friends. We even just got invited to a Labor Day BBQ!

One super great thing is that the people in this neighborhood are all very 'close'. Tonight all the neighbors got together and met at a cafe for dinner. Kevin and I went and got to meet a bunch of people. I think we are going to fit in well here as everyone was so accepting of Kevin. He was even invited fishing by the man next door (whose wife is a speech therapist too)!

So yet another chapter in our lives has begun. I am feeling good about things lately and I think Kevin is starting to feel more positive as well. We will be going to FL in a few weeks and moving the rest of our things to TX too. It sure will be nice having ALL of our belongings in one state - something that hasn't happened since this all started!

Day 1174 - Aug 17, 2011

2011-08-18T05:27:00.002-05:00

I just looked at the clock and realized I hadn't written anything yet. Yikes! Honestly, I don't have anything to say so I am going to just skip tonight. Catch ya tomorrow!

Day 1173 - Aug 16, 2011

2011-08-17T01:45:00.002-05:00

Kevin had just one therapy today - PT - and Johnnie took him because I had to go to work. I guess the kids all went to the movies afterward and saw The Smurfs. Kevin's been waiting a while to see that one.

There isn't really anything else to say tonight so I think I'll just go to bed. Goodnight all!

Day 1172 - Aug 15, 2011

2011-08-16T02:05:00.003-05:00

So on Saturday, Efren came and picked Kevin up and took him to a party! It was the first Kevin really went "out" for the night since we have been here in TX! He was so excited all day to go and I guess he had a great time. I went and picked him up at about 1am and he said he had fun. YAY!

We really didn't do much for the rest of the weekend. Breezy came for dinner on Sunday and that's about it. The baby is sick again, but his first tooth is just about here so hopefully he feels better once it pops through. Poor thing.

And today I started my job. It was fun and I got to meet a few people. I have to work again tomorrow and again on Friday. It's way more hours than I can handle truthfully, but I think it's just because they need to get me trained. I really can only do about 10 a week though as there is still so much to do with Kevin. I am struggling with not knowing the things I need to know from the therapists too. I might have to set up weekly calls or something. Kev still requires a lot of work at home and if they aren't telling me what they are doing it's not being reinforced, kwim?

Honestly, I am almost feeling like I am neglecting him because I'm not there for everything (doesn't this sound like the new mother? LOL)! It's just hard though. It would be different if he was 100% cognitively better, but he still does have just a few issues and when he can't come home and tell me what goes on, I struggle.

I guess I'll just have to figure it out though. I need some 'me' time and there has to be some sort of balance, right?

PS - Jessica, can you pop me an email, please?

Day 1169 - Aug 12, 2011

2011-08-13T02:05:00.002-05:00

Today I got a job! Yep - I did. It's just very part time, but it's at a scrapbook store so I can play in paper all day.

Honestly, it's kind of funny, because I applied months ago and when I never heard anything I decided to start my own scrapbook business. For about a month or so I have been working on a website and finally got it up and running. I owned a kit club many, many years ago and it's pretty much based off of that - the same premise anyway.

So now I will really be playing with scrap goodies all day long. And so will Kevin, lol. He tells me he'll help if I pay him!

But, I am still taking the job because I need to get out and meet people. I think it will do me some good and probably Kevin too.

And sadly, Karen and Jared went home today. We really had such a wonderful week and it was very hard to let them go home. I sure hope they come back soon!

And today was our most wonderful FRC Mary's birthday so we all went out to dinner to celebrate. It was a great time - we haven't seen her in soooo long! Breezy and Christian met us there and Kevin's new aide Efren went too.

All in all a really good day. I think I'm going to take the weekend off though. We have absolutely no plans so I will just come back on Monday night.

Day 1168 - Aug 11, 2011

2011-08-12T02:03:00.002-05:00

Today Johnnie and Jared took Kevin to therapy and then they came home, ate dinner and played on the Kinect. Karen and I went to the outlet mall, but we didn't really buy anything. We did stop in the little town of Gruene and had dinner though and it was just such a quaint little place. I want to go back another day and explore some more.

That's pretty much it so I'm going to cut this one short.

Day 1167 - Aug 10, 2011

2011-08-11T02:16:00.002-05:00

Today I had a therapist's appt and Kevin stayed home with Jared and Efren. After Karen and I got back we all piled in the car and went to Dave & Buster's. We have never went on a Wed before (it's always half price) and I clearly see why...man was that place busy! We didn't stay nearly as long as we always have and I'm not sure if we'll ever go back on a Wed - although once school starts again it might be ok.

Jessica - you asked what the mysterious docs appt was from Monday and I'm still not sure, lol. The doc told me it was made in error, but then the physical therapist called and left a voicemail wondering where we were? Not sure if we should have been there or not, but we weren't. He got his therapy though, right? Jumping off a tower and even better, climbing all those stairs, was most definitely therapy.

Oh - and it wasn't a tough climb for him at all. He made it up those stairs faster than I made it to where I stood. I was actually shocked he went up so effortlessly. Apparently he was pretty excited, lol.

Day 1166 - Aug 9, 2011

2011-08-10T02:50:00.002-05:00

I barely saw Kevin all day today! Johnny took him to therapy by himself for the first time and Karen and I putzed around all day. After the guys left the hospital they went first to an early dinner and then Ness joined them and the four of them went to a movie. It was like so awesome! For both of us, I'm sure!

That being said - I don't really have much to say so I'm going to sign off early.

Before I do though - can you all keep our good friend Chalkie in your thoughts? He has been VERY ill for some time now. He was in the hospital, but has since returned home and is just taking it easy. Love you Chalkie!! And Carol too!

Day 1165 - Aug 8, 2011

2011-08-09T02:52:00.005-05:00

Today we did something so out of the ordinary. Kevin, Karen, Jared and Johnnie all went zip-lining. Karen's family had went last weekend and they decided to go back and when we mentioned it to Kevin he was excited to go too. (there ya go Moe - Kevin will go with you!)

So we all piled into the van and took off. When we got there everyone got geared up and I took off to the other end with my trusty camera. You can be rest assured that I would not be brave enough to take that step off. Nope. Nosiree.

Anyway, here are all the photos. I already got them ready for print so some of them are different colors, are textured, etc.

You can just tell what a blast he's having, huh? I have to admit to having severe heart palpitations when he was getting ready to jump though. It's so hard letting him do things that I think you have to be crazy to do. But he needs to be as much of the person as he was before the attack and this is who he was - one crazy kid with no fear whatsoever!

Day 1164 - Aug 7, 2011

2011-08-08T01:46:00.002-05:00

We didn't do too much today either. Karen and I went to Ross's and the boys went to Game Stop and bought a couple of Kinect games. Kevin is really working out playing on that thing and I am quite sure it will make such a difference to his therapies as it really is quite a workout. He is always soaked with sweat while playing.

Breezy and Christian then came over for dinner as we decided to make homemade Stromboli. Breezy's friend Morgan went back to PA yesterday - bummer! The girls had a great time though.

I got a phone call yesterday that Kevin has an appointment at the VA hospital tomorrow, but I don't have anything in my calendar. I have no clue where we are supposed to be and can only assume it's one of those appointments that is made without talking to anyone first. I emailed the doc and hopefully she emails me back and tells me where to take him. Strange, huh?

And that's pretty much it for today. We always try to relax on the weekends because the weekdays are just so hectic.

Day 1163 - Aug 6, 2011

2011-08-07T03:55:00.002-05:00

We didn't do a whole lot today. Kevin, Mark and Jared went to Outdoor World and just ran around for a while. Karen and I went to Target for some groceries. Yipee, lol.

We had planned to go to Sea World today, but ended up not. It's just too dang hot here (about 107) and none of us wanted to deal with that kind of heat all day. Kevin most definitely couldn't have handled it and the sun doesn't help matters any.

Breezy and Chris came over tonight and we all just ordered pizza and BS'd. A good day all in all!

Day 1162 - Aug 5, 2011

2011-08-06T01:37:00.002-05:00

Today my friend Karen came to visit from PA, along with her husband, Mark, and their son, Jared. We picked them up at the airport this morning and then we kinda all went our separate ways come mid-afternoon.

Kevin and Efren went to the movies to see Captain America and I stayed home and worked. Efren wasn't here early enough (or long enough) for me to go out with Karen, but I didn't mind. I got a lot done today that I needed to do.

Karen and family went to Natural Bridge Caverns and then on to the Riverwalk. They are must sees, but Kevin just can't do it.

Right now Kevin and Jared are in there playing Wipe Out on the Kinect and they are having a blast. What a fun game!

We also have Christian here spending the night as Breezy's friend is leaving tomorrow and they all wanted to go out to a club tonight. He is just learning so much. He now opens his arms for you when he wants picked up and he plays with his bottle more than drinks it. He also is sitting so well, but he isn't 'really' crawling yet. He does get around though!

And now this girl is heading to bed. It is so early but my eyes are so tired.

Day 1161 - Aug 4, 2011

2011-08-05T05:03:00.002-05:00

We went to both speech and OT today. I am really thinking that we may have to change speech therapists and go outside the VA.

I was told that there was a meeting about Kevin yesterday and the speech therapist told the physical therapist that Kevin doesn't understand very much and that the PT needs to find a way around it. The PT told her that she didn't agree and the ST I guess was adamant that he doesn't know as much as we all think he does so the PT just gave up assuming that the ST knew more (even though he always understands everything the PT asks him to do).

Honestly, it just can't be this way and I just don't see this working out. She is now setting limits in his other therapies. I have tried for weeks to be cool with her 'inside the box, analytical type of thinking' and it's not how we need to be to help Kevin. Especially as he most certainly doesn't fit into any box that I know of.

So I just sent an email to his doctor and we'll go from there.

OT was good. We got a Bioness splint for his arm/hand (we jokingly call him Iron Man now as he has all these electronics hooked up to his body, lol). To my way of thinking this is our last ditch effort to get any use out of his upper limb. They are already worried that bone has grown and may need to be surgically removed from his fingers, wrist and elbow as he's been contracted for so long. It is just so hard to open his fist so I agree it's possible.

After that he and Johnnie just hung out for a while and then we putzed around the house. He ordered some movies from his wish list at Amazon.com and is into watching them. He is so addicted to that site (and the iTunes store), lol.

That's pretty much it for today so I guess I'll sign off.

Day 1160 - Aug 3, 2011

2011-08-04T02:16:00.002-05:00

Kevin had physical therapy today and it was a little frustrating. The other day I had to talk to the therapist because she was just being too nice and Kevin was taking advantage. She was always 'asking' if he wanted to do something and he was always saying 'no'. So I pulled her aside and told her to just tell him what she needed him to do and he had a rough time with the change today.

I think he's just tired of therapy and I can totally understand that - it has been over three years already. But if he doesn't get some therapy on a regular basis he will start crippling up and we just can't have that.

So hopefully he does better next week when he goes back to PT.

And tonight the new aide "Efren" came and he and Kevin got along really well. He's a super kid and he even talked about taking Kev to meet his friends. It would be so great if Kev could get to meet more people his own age!

We also babysat Christian tonight. Breezy's friend came down from Pennsylvania for a few days so the two of them went to Sea World. I picked the baby up from day care in the late afternoon and he was here until about 10pm or so. What a joy - for both Kevin and myself!

Day 1159 - Aug 2, 2011

2011-08-03T03:57:00.004-05:00

We had a good day today. Kevin had physical therapy and Johnnie went with us so that he can learn the ropes in taking Kevin to his various therapies. Truthfully I hope it works out, but I'm not so sure. It's just the norm that I am scheduling more appts each day and discussing all the many facets of Kevin's therapy with so many people. I am sure determined to try though - it would be such a nice break to be able to stay home every now and again.

Tomorrow we have a new aide coming as Johnnie can't work the full 41 hours a week for us. Kevin and I are both anxious to meet him as it would mean someone new in Kev's life. I don't really know anything about him yet, but we'll find it all out tomorrow.

And the kids all went to a movie tonight - I think they saw Cowboys and Aliens or something like that. I don't think Kevin loved it as much as Johnnie and Ness, but he said it was good.

Day 1158 - Aug 1, 2011

2011-08-01T21:15:00.002-05:00

We had an incredibly laid back weekend and it was wonderful. I got so much done around the house and with a project I'm working on and Kevin got well rested for the upcoming week.

I wish I had more to tell you, but nothing really happened worth talking about. Today Breezy and Christian came over and had dinner with me, Kev, Johnnie and Ness and that's about it.

I guess I'll check back tomorrow night...

Day 1155 - Jul 29, 2011

2011-07-30T01:05:00.002-05:00

Kevin wasn't feeling well today. He said it was because he had to walk so much last night and it could have been. It was quite far from where they parked to the restaurant (which is one reason we have never went to the Riverwalk). I'm sure it was also loud there and when he has a real active night he doesn't usually feel up to par the next day.

So we canceled Kevin's appointments for today and hung around the house. He's feeling much better tonight and we just sat down to watch a movie.

We have no plans for the next few days so I am going to skip writing. I'll be back on Monday night. Have a great weekend!

Day 1154 - Jul 28, 2011

2011-07-29T00:21:00.003-05:00

Today we first went to speech (which went well) and then we went to PT to see what might be going on with all of the falling. Nobody can figure it out, but I guess Kevin took a HARD fall to the ground tonight while with Johnnie. He's ok, but still...

So Kevin's fellow comrades, Kendra and Anthony, texted me this morning with the news that a SGT that Kevin deployed with was in town and they wanted to all get together. I had planned to go, but then decided to just let Johnnie take him so that the 'young'uns' could hang out. I love all these kids, but it's no fun being the mom that's in the way all the time. So for the first time, Kevin wen to the Riverwalk. I haven't ever taken him because it's such a hassle really and it's just so darn expensive too. But they all met at Dick's Last Resort and it appears Kevin had a blast:

I blurred the text the waiter wrote on the hat as it is very inappropriate for the blog. And I think the laughter on his face says it all. It just makes my heart sing to see him having so much fun and it's just so darn wonderful that I didn't have to be there, lol. I am so past the point in my life where I am going to pay people to treat me like crap. I know Dick's caters to that crowd, but it's just not for me.

And now I am totally heading to bed. I haven't slept yet since yesterday morning and my eyeballs can feel it.

Day 1153 - Jul 27, 2011

2011-07-28T03:39:00.003-05:00

We had our last low vision appt today. The doctors both said there there is no possible way for Kevin to regain his vision as his optic nerve was destroyed either by the loss of brain or by the swelling upon impact.

We had a long discussion and they explained to me that although neurons can find another path after a trauma such as Kevin's, the optical nerve can't. There is just no way it can be repaired as it is the equivalent of a spinal cord injury - it's nerve damage, not brain damage.

So, we opted to discontinue therapy because Kevin already compensates extremely well for his visual field loss. Everyone has always been amazed that Kevin doesn't walk into things and he can play computer games with no problem seeing the full screen on is iPad.

We do know things have had to change (ie sitting at the top right of a theater), but we can handle it all with no problems.

I did ask too, if this would keep Kevin from driving if he is ever able to in the future and the doctor said that it would not. If he could ever pass the written exam, he would probably only be able to drive on back roads and never at night, but really...that's a long way down the road to worry about at this point. I just wanted to make sure though.

After his appt, we picked up Christian at daycare and Kevin had a blast helping him 'figure out' how to walk in the walker. I'm not really sure who enjoyed it more, lol.

And to end, here's a video of our little guy from a few days ago:

Day 1152 - Jul 26, 2011

2011-07-27T02:59:00.002-05:00

Last night I told Kevin that I would be happy if I never had to watch Harry Potter again. Way too much in one week! But today we went to the final movie and Aggie - you were right - it was AWESOME!! I am so glad I watched all 20+ hours this week because I really had forgotten most of it.

So anyway, let's see...I honestly can't believe that I didn't write the other night. I pretty much fall asleep all the time while watching movies so that part wasn't surprising. But I usually wake up and then can't get back to sleep. Not that night though, obviously.

And I can't even remember what we did on Sunday to inform y'all, but yesterday Kevin had a couple of appointments. The one was with the doctor and she did check his ears. She said he did have a bit of fluid behind the one drum, but it wasn't infected. We don't think that's Kevin's problem, but we are going to try some decongestant and see if it makes a difference.

We also set up an appt with the physical therapist and we will see what we come up with on that about his stumbling and falling.

Kevin had speech yesterday too and it happened to be the therapist we had issues with. I asked Kevin to give it a shot anyway and I talked to her first and explained how things work with Kevin. She must have heard at least some of it because their appt went well. As long as they both remain open minded it should work.

And that's pretty much it for tonight. We only have one appointment tomorrow and then we are going to pick up our little man at daycare. Kevin and I bought him a walker today and we can't wait to see what he does with it! (and Kevin put it together pretty much all by himself!)

No idea, lol.

2011-07-26T03:56:00.002-05:00

We have no Internet tonight so I am going to have to skip writing. Sorry - especially after last night when I totally just didn't write! I can't believe that I did that! I so fell asleep!

Day 1150 - July 24th 2011

2011-07-25T06:58:00.003-05:00

This is Breezy. I just wanted to let everyone know that everything is okay. I woke up this morning to find the blog not written and called Mom immediately. She fell asleep watching Harry Potter and didn't realize she hadn't written. Dang you HP for giving me and I'm sure others a scare.

Day 1149 - Jul 23, 2011

2011-07-24T02:33:00.002-05:00

Today we babysat Christian as it was Chris's birthday. Kevin and I also watched not one, but TWO, of the HP movies. I am so determined to do this for him, lol.

That's pretty much it for today. Mostly we played with the baby so I think I'll just sign off early tonight.

Day 1148 - Jul 22, 2011

2011-07-23T02:07:00.002-05:00

I am so glad we have a doctor's appt on Monday to discuss Kevin's tendency to fall lately. Today while heading to speech therapy at the VA, Kevin nearly fell hard. I caught him from behind and a guy passing grabbed him from the front and that's the only reason he didn't land.

Truthfully, I don't even know what caused it. I wasn't looking at his feet at first, but it seemed to me like he wasn't able to lift his right leg enough and he kinda tripped over his toes. He just kept stumbling and that enabled us to help him.

I did talk to Kevin about it today though and we decided he shouldn't go anywhere by himself - no walks around the neighborhood or anything. I worry about being upstairs in my room because I probably wouldn't hear if he fell, but there's nothing I can do about it at this point. Hopefully nothing happens.

So he did well at speech. We haven't had the lady that we had problems with and he gets along well with the one he has had. He did say he wants me to stay if we ever have the other lady and I'm cool with that.

After that, we went to OT and a therapist actually designed and built a new splint for his hand while we were there. It took over two hours for our OT appointment, but it was cool watching the splint be made. They also ordered a different elbow splint and I'm hoping it helps. We will be having Botox consistently now so it should make a difference.

After being at the hospital most of the day we came home and had soup and sandwiches for dinner and then we watched Harry Potter 2. We are hoping to be able to get them all in by Monday night so we can go to see it on Tuesday (the cheap night). Kevin wouldn't have a problem, but it's hard for me to sit that long and watch so much TV - especially that many nights in a row. I'll do it though. Kevin's been very patient in waiting for me to be able to go see the final chapter of HP with him. I sure can't let him down!

Day 1147 - Jul 21, 2011

2011-07-22T02:22:00.002-05:00

We had an appointment today with the low vision clinic. I really like this place. I left Kevin go in on his own and I think he did well. The therapist did come out after with some assumptions of Kevin's vision problems, but I jumped in to tell her that he doesn't really have these issues. The main one being that it's normal for someone like Kevin to bump into things on their blind side. Kevin doesn't do that at all. Matter of fact, when he drives the electric cart at Target he actually drives and parks like a pro - even driving in reverse.

She did say that she has witnessed Kevin turning too far to the right to be able to see that way that he is actually not seeing everything to the left. That I agree has happened, but I would have never noticed it on my own.

So she wants to use some sort of prism to help him see and I admit to not understanding this process at all. We go back next week so we'll see then.

And we did watch HP 1 tonight. We had chicken ranch pizzas tonight too and Luann - Kevin once again told me that my pizzas don't compare to yours at Allstars, lol. Maybe you'll just have to come to TX and make them here, lol.

That's pretty much it for tonight. Catch ya tomorrow!

Day 1146 - Jul 20, 2011

2011-07-21T02:17:00.002-05:00

Today was a little bit of a slow day. We had to stick around the house most of the afternoon for a repairman. The seal came off of Kevin's shower door and water was running everywhere. We seem to have real water issues in this house :-(

After that, I had a therapy appt and Kevin had to go again and sit in the waiting room. It will be so nice when Johnnie's hours kick in next week and Kev can stay home instead of having to sit there bored for an hour.

We came home after that and Johnnie and Ness came first and then Breezy and Christian came. We all had dinner together and hung out. We were hoping to start the Harry Potter marathon, but didn't start it tonight as planned. Tomorrow night though, for sure. We want to watch them all and then go see the final film next week or so.

Day 1145 - Jul 19, 2011

2011-07-20T01:39:00.002-05:00

We made it home! It was a very long day though (with a longer than normal layover) and the last flight was so very loud that Kevin actually became overstimulated. It was raining here in SA when we arrived so I left Kevin at the curb with the bags and went to get the car figuring it was easier than dragging all the suitcases and pushing Kevin a good half mile to the garage. The problem was that it was absolutely crazy at the airport today and there were so many cars and the noise was unbearable for me - let alone Kevin. That didn't help matters.

But, I did get him in the car and we turned everything off (he did allow the a/c on low tho) and there was no talking the whole way home. He took a bunch of Tylenol and retreated to his room, where he has pretty much stayed. Poor kid.

We only have a couple of things on the agenda tomorrow, and hopefully he feels well enough to manage them.

Day 1144 - Jul 18, 2011

2011-07-19T01:26:00.003-05:00

I am going to skip tonight and get everything all packed up. We head home tomorrow and I want the bags ready so I don't have to do it in the morning.

Day 1143 - Jul 17, 2011

2011-07-18T00:24:00.005-05:00

We had a really great weekend! We went to Riverfest again last night and then out to Allstars. I enjoyed sitting at one end of the bar drinking my Pepsi and watching Kevin at the other end with his friends. He was talking up a storm and from where I sat he looked so normal. So so normal.

We also got to see the fireworks! I was happy to see them and so was Kev. He video taped them on his phone and I think he already uploaded them to Facebook. We were lucky because we got to watch them with Ronnie's parents and little brother (love that family!!). Sadly, we aren't going to see Ronnie this trip because he has drill though.

Today we pretty much rested. One of my friends came and spent time with us, but we barely moved from our hotel rooms. Kevin always takes it easy after a busy day, which is completely fine with me, lol.

And tomorrow's our last day here, then it's back to Texas. I sure like the heat index here a lot better and it's most wonderful seeing all our friends and family!

Day 1141 - Jul 15, 2011

2011-07-16T02:02:00.003-05:00

Thank you everyone for all the excitement about the stipend. I am relieved - both about it and the in home help!

I wish I had the energy to write more, but I am just not as young as Kevin and this staying out til 3am is rough on my body, lol.

He, on the other hand, had a blast and was right up front with the band dancing like a lunatic. And he really enjoyed seeing everyone - it's so good to see him smile like he does when we are home.

Anyway, I am going to sign off early and I am going to skip tomorrow night as we will be out late again. I will be back on Sunday night.

Day 1140 - Jul 14, 2011

2011-07-14T23:53:00.002-05:00

Everybody should probably sit down for this one:

THE VA APPROVED 40 HOURS A WEEK OF PAY FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Totally doing the Happy Dance!!

Unbelievably, they reworked Kevin's issues and found that I do indeed qualify for the 40 hours a week stipend. AND - I will still get the 46 hours a week of in-home care!

Our most wonderful FRC, Mary, sat down with a whole room full of people and they all had a long talk about our needs - both mine and Kevin's. I think Mary got it across that I am just flat out exhausted and wrung out - both emotionally and physically.

Truly, I could never repay this woman enough for all she has done for us. She should have a tiara and a very tall pedestal. I think she already has a magic wand, lol.

Aflippinmazing though, huh?

And we had a great day in other ways today too. We had lunch and dinner with some friends - we are just making the circuit, ya know? Getting around, trying to fit everyone in. I finally talked to Moe tonight, the first time since we got here. We will be in Brady tomorrow to see the parade (in front of the ambulance garage or in that general area hopefully) and I sure hope that we get to see a bunch of other folks! After that we are going to hit Riverfest and then the Allstars and the Cloud.

We will be leaving the Family House tomorrow morning and moving to a hotel in Kittanning (all those hotel points are still coming in handy). Our doctor's visits are finished as of today so we are free to have a little fun before heading back to TX on Tuesday. I know that someone out there keeps asking how long we will be here to plan something and it really is just a short trip this time. Not to mention that I was just too unorganized and busy to put something together.

And that's about it for tonight. I need to go finish the laundry as somehow we forgot to pack Kevin's jeans? Don't ask me - they were in the pile, but they aren't in the suitcase. He has shorts and one pair of jeans, so I washed everything before heading to the other hotel. Now I have to finish the laundry and pack everything up.

40 hours a week!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!