Day 1165 - Aug 8, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 1139 - Jul 13, 2011

What a day. I spent 5 hours on the phone - I received 48 phone calls alone this afternoon. This is what most days are like. I added it up last week from just my cell phone minutes and I am on the phone an average of 3 hours per day. Some days it's only 1 and some days it's like 8. And some phone calls are with folks you like talking to, and some are not. Sadly, I have to admit - most are not.

So anyway, Kevin had his appointments with the docs and therapists today. We sure love these folks! Kevin just has so much fun with everyone at the office.

While there each time, he gets these 3D photos taken and Kev pulled out his cell phone and snapped a pic of the screen. These pics are so cool:



And Kevin showed amazing business acumen tonight. We went to a Chinese place that is literally right behind the family house for dinner (and they remembered us from last time!). While we were eating Kevin couldn't believe that no one else was in the restaurant (although to be fair it was close to 9pm). He was so upset that he went outside and took a photo of the place and then asked me to post it on the blog so that we could advertise for them. ALL OF THIS WAS HIS IDEA!!! So, here is the pic Kevin took with his phone. If anyone's ever in Oakland - stop in. This place is on Semple St., just off of Forbes Ave.



Kevin isn't usually all that sympathetic to other people's needs so it amazed me that he thought about this. Good job, Kevin!

Day 1138 - July 12, 2011

We made it. It's been a long and exhausting day, but we are finally here. I hate the fact that there are no direct flights between SA and Pittsburgh anymore because it just takes so much longer and it takes so much more work to get Kevin from one end of an airport to another to catch a connecting flight. Really, it's just so hard to do.

We also had an incident on the final flight. While getting off the plane, Kevin actually fell backward. I was behind him so I stopped the total fall (with the help of the stewardess who grabbed him from the front and pulled him back upright). He still fell most of the way though because he weighs considerably more than I do and he's much taller. He is ok though - no worries there.

He never really used to fall much, but lately it's been happening all the time. I don't know if he's got something going on or if the Bioness is making his leg act differently or what. I will have to call a doctor when we get home and see what they think. Breezy pointed out that it really could be the new brace and she could be right. It sends an electric jolt with each step (when he wears it or when he's in 'training' mode) so it could be 'awakening' his brain enough to make his leg act wonky occasionally. I just don't know.

And I want to send a huge THANK YOU to our wonderful FRC, Mary! She left a voicemail stating that we have been approved for 46 hours a week of help in the home. They are also working on the care-giving thing, but I do know that (for the most part) that is a DC thing, not a local thing.

One step at a time though, right?

Still though...I may actually get some sleep soon!!! Or maybe I can get my haircut? I have been cutting my own bangs for so long, but really need a true haircut...

Day 1137 - Jul 11, 2011

Kevin flew through his Botox like nothing! He only had pain with one poke of the needle (out of eight, I think) and that was the one at the base of the thumb. Both the doc and I were so excited because now we can finally get on a schedule do this every three months.

How far he's come, once again, huh? A year ago he would have never done the Botox without anesthesia. Obviously it was due to his cognitive issues and not pain though. I just wonder if that means his arm/hand will never really function being that he has absolutely no feeling in it.

Honestly, I just don't think it ever will gain anything. The thing I hope for now is just for it to be able to hang straight down and I would love to see his hand opened instead of always being curled into a tight fist.

Other than this, I spent a lot of time on the phone getting things taken care of. I am serious about requiring more home health and I spent hours on the phone today with various people discussing the caregiver's bill. What I learned is that it doesn't matter how much home health you have - it goes solely on the injuries and more importantly - the VA is ignoring those that have cognitive issues as opposed to physical issues. I can't imagine this is what Congress had in mind so if you feel up to it - send letters!

And now I am heading to bed. Everything is all packed and we are ready to go in the morning.

Day 1136 - Jul 10, 2011

Today was a slow day. I made bread dough to make elephant ears for dinner and that's pretty much it. Kevin and Johnnie played quite a while on the Kinect and I made a phone call to my friend Valerie and then scrapped for a little bit.

Tomorrow Kevin is having a Botox treatment done and it will be the first time that he won't be put to sleep for it. They tell me it's quite painful, but we decided to give it a shot and see how Kevin handles it. Since he has less feeling in his right side, it may not bother him too much. I sure hope not anyway.

Other than that, I got everything complete for our trip to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. All car and hotel reservations, I called the TSA and made arrangement for some help with Kevin and I started putting together a schedule of who we can see and when. This trip is kinda short and we definitely won't be able to see everyone this time around. We will be at Riverfest over the weekend though so we hope to see the locals.

Hallie - are you going to be there?
Lorraine - what about you?

So anyway, wish us luck tomorrow. I so want this to work out because I don't want to have to give Kevin anesthesia every 3 months to have Botox...

Day 1135 - Jul 9, 2011

I think I am just going to take the night off. It's already almost 5am and I want to try to get some sleep. I do have some photos of our little guy and one of Kevin's new ring though. His Army ring never made it back from Afghanistan along with all his movies and Xbox games so he bought himself a new one.

Day 1134 - Jul 8, 2011

I quit today. I found out that the caregiver folks were going to give me 25 hours a week pay originally, but changed their minds and dropped it down to 20 hours.

That's it. I'm done.

I called the doctor tonight and told her that that is the equivalent of paying me for 2.8 hours a day and the VA now needs to pay someone else to come into our home for the other 21.2 hours to supervise Kevin.

Frankly, I love my son and would put in the 153 hours I do (the full week minus the 15 hours that Johnnie's here) for the full 40 hours pay, but I don't feel it's right for the VA to take advantage of people that are doing their job like I am - and for next to nothing!

I know full well how much a facility costs and let me tell you - the full time pay is WAY less than putting Kevin in a facility.

I just don't know what else to do. I am just so fed up of being broke, of being tired, of being sick and of being disrespected.

Understand too that I don't expect to get rich taking care of my son, but I sure shouldn't have to worry about having money to get glasses that are so desperately needed and having the cash to go to the dentist which is also so desperately needed and to be able to get a break and go away once in a while - with or without Kevin. Let's not forget about food and shampoo and haircuts and all those other little goodies.

I am just done. I talked to Kevin about this tonight because he saw me crying the whole way home from the hospital and he was upset. I explained what's going on and he knows that I will not be his full time caregiver any longer.

Mary - can you make sure that someone is at our home on Wed the 20th (the day after we get back from Pittsburgh) at 7am to begin caring for Kevin? I would really appreciate it. We will be at BAMC on Monday for Kevin to have another Botox treatment so I will stop in and talk to you about this then.

Day 1133 - Jul 7, 2011

I am going to skip tonight and just head to bed. It's been a tiring day.

Day 1132 - Jul 6, 2011

Today was Kevin's birthday and we kept the day free of any appointments and lounged around (sorta anyway - we decided to cancel 2 events). We did go out to dinner at a nice Italian place called Zio's - Kevin's choice. The food was really good and we had a good time. Johnnie, Breezy and Christian went with us so it was fun.

Before I forget, someone asked me to see the photo of the family that was at the end of the video I had made of Kevin's journey. Here it is (and 2 others):







My mom took this while she was here for the Butler Eagle (hometown newspaper) that ran an article on Kevin's Alive Day. I didn't really mention it because you have to pay to read on their site. It was nice though.

That's it for today so I am going to sign off and head to bed.

Day 1131 - Jul 5, 2011

Something happened at speech therapy today and it gives me cause for concern. I don't know if you all remember me saying that I was upset with the speech therapist that spent time with Kevin while he was in patient at the VA a few months back when Moe came to visit. She was one of those that just can't see outside the box and she mentioned that Kevin really won't get much better than what he is now because he's already 3 years post injury. It made me mad then, but I am looking past it because she's who's been assigned to Kevin and we have to give it a try.

Well, they don't want me to be in the room while he has therapy so I ran some errands today and when I got back Kevin was livid. It was like revisiting the past - a year or more ago - when he wouldn't talk or do anything when he was angry. I haven't seen this side of him in a VERY long time, but today he was demanding that I cancel ALL his therapy appointments and his Botox treatment and everything else - even the trip to Pittsburgh!

By this time he was in OT and he wouldn't even speak to that therapist and he didn't even really want her touching him. I excused myself and went and called the Speech therapist to find out what had happened. She didn't really say much other than he was good for the first 20 mins and when he couldn't figure out what they wanted from him he got upset. He told me they wouldn't let it go and move on, but she said she tried and he just wouldn't try anything else. Frankly, I believe Kevin. He just doesn't get upset unless there's a real reason and I am guessing she was forcing something he just couldn't handle.

When I kinda called her on it she told me that sometimes he is just going to have to accept things and try over and over and over again to do things he can't do. I don't think I agree. I understand completely trying to teach something repeatedly, but if someone is getting agitated - move on! Change tactics for goodness sakes! After 3 years of living this life - if there is something that upsets him - find something that makes him feel good. You don't need to hammer it home that he can't do it. Why honestly would you need to do that?

Ack! I don't think this is going to work, but when Kevin and I went for a walk tonight we discussed how he has to go back on Thursday and I talked him into going. I didn't let on that my heart is heavy with dread - I just spewed all kind of crap about her learning how to work with him, blah blah blah.

Honestly though - I didn't like her attitude back then and I am still not liking it now. I am trying though. Real hard...

Day 1130 - Jul 4, 2011

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We didn't do anything. There are no fireworks here due to the drought so there was nowhere to go and nothing to do. It was ok with both of us though because our schedule has gotten pretty rough lately.

We did have a couple of nice dinners over the weekend, but I miss having a grill. What I wouldn't do to be able to grill out as opposed to roasting. Oh well...

So Kevin got one of those Xbox Kinects for Christmas and he refused to even play with it until yesterday. We finally got Kevin to agree to let Johnnie hook it up and 6 months later - Kevin played. Now he's hooked! We are having so much fun with it and it is GREAT therapy for Kevin. Between this and playing the Wii at the VA - who knows how far he'll go.

I have some videos to show of him doing these things, but I'll have to upload them tomorrow. Right now, I'm going to bed. We have another busy week ahead of us and then we head back to Pittsburgh next week. I still haven't made all of our arrangements yet either...

Day 1127 - Jul 1, 2011

I am going to take the weekend off. We don't really have plans, but tomorrow is Breezy's birthday, Wednesday is Kevin's and we are just going to relax and celebrate. I'll be back on Monday night.

Have a great 4th of July everyone!!

Day 1126 - Jun 30, 2011

Kev and I had a very long day today. We started with another Bioness appt and we think that it's programmed correctly this time. We have to start out slowly because with each step it sends an electric shock to Kevin's muscles and it's quite exhausting for him, but we did do about 15 full minutes of walking today.

After this we grabbed a 20 min lunch in the cafeteria and then headed to speech therapy. That lasted another hour plus and then I walked Kevin down to PT. Unfortunately, the physical therapist didn't show up for her appt, but we did end up talking with a hand therapist instead. While there they decided to order a Bioness brace for his arm/hand as well. It's the only hope we really have of ever getting it to work.

And to end our time at the VA, we popped in to see the podiatrist as well. I am guessing he didn't get all of the ingrown nail because he is now seeping blood around it. We waited in his office for a while to see if an actual doctor could look at it, but nobody was able to. They are going to call tomorrow and see when they can get us in.

After all of our appts, we went home and I made a few phone calls and then Johnny and Ness came and we all went to go to see The Transformers. The first theater we went to was pretty much sold out so we opted to go to a larger theater and take our chances there. We were able to get tickets, but boy was it packed! And let me just say - hilarious movie! The whole theater was laughing hysterically.

That pretty much sums up our day so I guess I'll try to get some sleep.

Day 1125 - Jun 29, 2011

Today we had the home inspection. I had been told that 4 people were coming (?!!), but only 2 showed up. The two that did come were really great people and the visit went very well. It lasted about 2 hours with them going back over everything we learned in the manual that I had to read and then they just asked both Kevin and myself a ton of questions. I was happy to hear her say that she didn't need to go over the house with a fine tooth comb because she could see it was clean and taken care of. Phew! My hard work paid off, lol.

I was also very happy to hear the clinical health lady say that she is planning to talk to the doctor because she can't believe I am in the part-time tier. Yay! Let's just hope it makes a difference! It will save me a whole lot of work in appeals.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Day 1125 - Jun 28, 2011

Today Kevin and I had to run down to Ft Sam and discuss his CRSC (combat pay or something like that). It turns out he wasn't really in the Army long enough to be able to qualify. Well, that's not quite true - he would qualify, but it won't make a difference so we decided to just shelve the issue for now.

After that we went to the PX store so Kevin could look at the new movie releases as it is Tuesday and then we hightailed it home.

Tomorrow is my home inspection for the caregiver's bill so I've been cleaning and organizing all night. Honestly, I think I'm going to just go watch some tv. I need some down time and some salt - popcorn is in order, lol.

Day 1124 - Jun 27, 2011

This morning I dealt with a pile of phone calls and then we ran some errands this afternoon. Kevin and I were planning to go to the Humor for Heroes comedy show tonight, but I was just too tired and had too much paperwork to do to skip out for that length of time. I called Breezy and asked her to take her brother to the show and I decided to watch Christian (thinking he might sleep for a bit and I could get things done), but it didn't work out as planned.

That poor little boy is just miserable and won't sit or lay down hardly at all. Breezy took him back to the docs today and neither one of us were fond of his remark that she's just worrying because she's a new mom. Christian can barely breathe so I think she is planning to find another pediatrician.

So the kids did have a great time at the show. Kevin had more fun this time than he did the last time he went, which I believe was last November. I was glad he got to go out with his sister too - they rarely do that anymore.

And that's about it for today so I'll just sign off now...

Day 1123 - Jun 26, 2011

Today we went to dinner for my birthday. Breezy, Chris and Christian came as did Kendra, Anthony and Kendra's brother, Troy. We had a good time and we are hoping to do it more often. Here are a couple of photos:




Kevin also had another visitor today. Her name is Ann and she was just assigned to the 173rd. She drove down for the reunion today and had to head back to Houston to report for duty. Here's a pic of her and Kev:



So going backward, Thursday was crazy busy as well. We had an appt with the Bioness rep to get Kevin fixed up with his new leg brace. We were with her about an hour and she wasn't able to get it to work the way the last person could. When Kevin was in the gait lab a while back he was able to walk almost like nothing had ever happened. This time he was hyper-extending and when we came home and he went to wear it the first day he said it was too painful and has refused to wear it again. I will be calling the doc about it tomorrow.

We followed that with a speech therapy evaluation. I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I was with this. Kevin knew pretty much everything he was asked. He couldn't come up with the word "flag" when pointing to items in a picture and having to name them, but he rocked the whole session otherwise. Matter of fact, amazingly enough - Kevin even SAID his address (although he didn't have all of the house numbers right the first time)! I was shocked. I had not taught him this. I can only assume he has heard me say this so many times on the phone when having nurses, therapists, etc come to our home.

Next on our agenda was OT. Not much was really said there, but the therapist is thinking about changing Kevin's arm and hand braces. Unfortunately, due to her schedule and ours, we can't fit in any therapy for about a month.

After we were all done at the hospital, we hightailed it downtown to the Hilton to meet up with Butch and other members of the 173rd. We had a really great time and it was wonderful to see how Kevin reacted to everyone.

While we were there though, Breezy called and the baby was running a fever. She wanted us to go with her to the hospital so we left the reunion and ran to the hospital. Christian still feels a bit sick and Breezy may end up taking him back to the docs tomorrow.

We finally got home and by then I was so tired I went to bed by like 2am - very early for me. Breezy brought Christian over at 7:30ish the next morning and I ended up having to hold him all day long - like 8 hours. As I mentioned the other day, when Breezy got home from work I hurried and took a shower and then Kevin and I went back downtown for the BBQ at the reunion. Kendra, Anthony and Troy met us there and we all sat and ate together. It was another great evening and I am so glad that Butch let us know about it.

And to wrap this up, here are a couple of photos from the BBQ. I forgot my camera card for my camera so I had to use my phone so they aren't the best quality:




Notice the bookbag on the back of Kevin's wheelchair? How nice it is not to have major poundage hanging on my arm!

Day 1121 - Jun 24, 2011

I hate to do this again but I'm skipping tonight. Christian got here at about 7:30/8:00 this morning and he was so sick that he wanted held upright the whole day (meaning when I sat down he screamed). So I stood mostly until 4pm and then hurried to get a shower and take Kevin to the 173rd reunion.

I am so tired. Honestly, I think I will just come back on Sunday night. We have another busy day planned again tomorrow...

Day 1120 - Jun 23, 2011

I can't honestly believe how hectic the last couple of days have been. Yesterday morning we first went to BAMC to see the doctor about getting another Botox treatment done in Kevin's arm. After that, we went to visit everyone on 4E and then we had to leave that hospital, grab lunch and head across town to a low vision clinic near the VA hospital.

The clinic that we were sent to was the one that is going to try to help Kevin get some of his vision back. I really liked this doctor because she is realistic, while still understanding that anything is possible. She did tell us that it has never been done that someone gets their vision back after the optic nerves have been damaged like Kevin's were. BUT - she did say that that doesn't mean it never WILL happen.

She has decided to set Kevin up in some therapies to see if we can at least get a small amount of his lost vision field back and she said we would know within a few weeks if it was going to help or not. I liked hearing that because I don't want to waste time on something that is not going to make a change.

Really - this doctor was quite awesome.

After that, we stopped at the grocery store because Breezy and Christian were coming for dinner and I needed a few fixings. We made it home, I threw dinner in the oven and they showed up with a totally awesome birthday gift in tow. I am not much of a purse/shoe person, but I saw this handbag at a store outside the PX store and fell in love with it. Being the cheap person that I am, I didn't really understand what Coach was all about. I sure didn't understand their pricing structure, lol. Obviously, when I looked at the price I ran right outta there and that was that.

My two loving children went back though and got that bag for me for my birthday. Here is a pic of it. My first (and probably last) designer handbag, lol:



Truly - is that thing not gorgeous? And I already told Kevin he had to start carrying his own stuff because I am not ripping the handles off of this one due to the weight (something that happens all the time because my purse is so heavy!)

So then Breezy left kinda late and I got a phone call from the wife of a veteran that I met recently. Her husband has severe PTSD and he woke up the other day with no memory of her or their children. She is rightfully upset because the VA doc told him to just quit taking his sleep medication and sent him home. She is just beside herself with worry and I don't blame her. He still doesn't remember anything and she has to wait a couple more weeks until his normal appt at the VA. It's just so sad.

And to begin wrapping this post up, here are a couple of pics of the family:




Now today was even busier! I will talk about the appts we had tomorrow night, but I did want to say that Kev and I went to the 173rd reunion for a short while. Here are some pics:




The bottom one is Butch! He's been reading the blog for a long time and he is also the person that let me know about the reunion. Great people - he and his wife! As are everyone else we met, really. Kevin was treated like royalty and he hammed it up for everyone, lol!

Unfortunately though, we ended the night with a trip to the ER for Christian. He was running a temp of almost 104 and it turns out he has an ear infection. The poor guy is just so sick and cranky. Breezy can't get off work tomorrow so he will be coming in just a few short hours for me to watch all day so I better try to get to bed. She is leaving work early though because we are going to the 173rd BBQ. Can't wait - and neither can Kevin! He's already packed his challenge coins to show everyone...

Day 1119 - Jun 22, 2011

We had such a hectic day today. Truthfully, I would love to tell you about it, but I just don't have the energy. I think I am just going to skip tonight and will fill you in tomorrow night.

Day 1118 - Jun 21, 2011

Unfortunately, the rock wall climbing didn't go as we had hoped it would. I have to give Kevin an A for effort, but the adaptive part of it was set up for wheelchair bound veterans with both arms. Kevin only has one arm and only one really good leg, so he just couldn't make it up the wall. He tried his darndest to do it though. The people that own the company are planning to come up with some adaptive devices for people like Kevin and did promise to call us when it happened.

In the meantime though, here are some pics of Kevin trying. He did make it up about 3 feet (with a few of us holding/pushing him, truth be told) and that really is something in his situation.








I have to give credit to Kevin also for not getting mad or disgusted or any other negative emotion when he realized he wasn't going to be able to do it. He just accepted it and we left for the long drive home. (this place was in Ft Hood). He says he's not sure he'll go back, but I will try to get him to if they come up with a way for him to propel up the wall.

And can you believe it's raining here? YAAAAAAYYYYYY!!! We are under stage 3 water restrictions - not fun!

Day 1116 - Jun 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day!

I am going to skip tonight as we are trying to organize and pack for our rock wall climbing excursion tomorrow (that's assuming we have a wheelchair to be able to go). We are staying in a hotel tomorrow night as it's close to 3 hours away and then Kev will be climbing the next day so I think I am just going to skip tomorrow night too. I will catch y'all on Tuesday night - hopefully with some awesome photos!

Day 1115 - Jun 18, 2011

Today Kevin and I decided to go to a small festival in a neighboring town. We don't have Kevin's scooter so we took the wheelchair and set off. It was pretty hot here (105 degrees), but we still went and we managed to find a parking spot relatively close. When we got to the area of the festival, we found out it was on dirt and not concrete. Kev's wheelchair really doesn't go well on the dirt and we struggled pretty badly. At one point he wheeled away from me while I was standing in line for lemonade and when I went to find him I caught sight of a man trying to push him because Kevin was stuck. Kev was starting to get frustrated so we decided to take a walk down the street and scope out the town.

Unfortunately, while we were walking the front wheel of Kevin's chair busted in half. Just like that. This meant that his chair wouldn't go any further and we were quite a distance from the car. I had no choice but to leave Kevin at the side of the road while I ran and got it. He was so mad by the time I got back that he demanded we go right home.

I tried real hard to make him laugh about it, but he wasn't having it. I guess I don't blame him. It gets real tiring having to deal with issue after issue. He's seeing a lot more now of what is going on all the time because he's so much better than he was a while back and I suppose he's frustrated too. I haven't even told him that we still don't have a hotel room for the rock wall climbing event on Monday. Their computers crashed and for the last two days they have told me to call back on Monday. When I tell them we will be arriving Monday, they just tell me 'I'm sorry'. He's going to be real disappointed if we can't go.

Ack. Oh well. I'm not going to worry about it until Monday morning (yeah right).

That's pretty much it for today. I do need to ask a personal request from Tim - please email me your phone number. We have been getting numerous and repeated phone calls for you for the last few months. I would like to send them your way so that they stop calling our house.

Day 1114 - Jun 17, 2011

We had a good day today. We first had an appointment with the podiatrist at the VA hospital at 8:30 this morning. That meant that I haven't went to sleep yet. But anyway, Kevin had two ingrown toenails - one of them pretty bad. The doctor cut quite a bit of his toenail off on his big toe and just a corner of a middle toe and he thinks that should take care of the infection. Kevin's big toe is usually twice the size it should be and has been on and off for a year or so. I have been using peroxide to help it heal, but this was a necessary treatment.

We are hoping this is a one time thing, but due to the hemi-paresis it could keep happening.

After that, Kevin and I did some errands at the VA hospital and then he stayed there at rec therapy for a full 5 hours! They shoot air rifles every Friday and the therapist couldn't believe that Kevin was able to hit the bulls eye with a pistol on the first shot and all subsequent shots were in the same vicinity. With loss of half his vision, no less!

He wasn't able to do as well with the rifle, but that makes sense as he only has one arm.

I guess after that he and the therapist went to lunch in the cafeteria and shopping at the store at the hospital and then they played on the Wii.

I think it was Lisa D in Cali that mentioned the Tony Hawk Shred Game a while back? Well, I told the VA about it and they got it for him the other day. He had a blast with it! At this point, he holds onto the therapist for balance, but he was able to jump often at the correct times to ride the rails (or whatever the term is). He honestly had so much fun with it! Thanks so much, Lisa!

After that, we babysat Christian as Breezy had a work event this evening. We waited until dark and then we loaded the baby into one of those little umbrella strollers and the three of us went for a long walk around the development. Kevin pushed the stroller and he did very well. Christian adores being outside and it was the only time he wasn't fussing as he is teething right now.

Oh, and I dropped the scooter off too. There is a known battery issue with it so hopefully it gets fixed soon.

Day 1113 - Jun 16, 2011

I spent the bulk of the day on the phone and dealing with emails today. The doctor did come back and say the vitamins could be the problem with the nausea so I decided to cut them out of his daily medications.

We also did have the home health nurse come today. She comes once a month and I am happy to say Kevin's blood pressure was normal. Last month it was a little high and it had been the previous time as well. It wasn't high enough to worry about, but it was still a little niggle in the back of my mind. All's well this month though.

And tomorrow we have multiple appointments at the VA hospital so I am going to take the scooter with us and see about getting it fixed. I hope it can happen quickly because I had hoped to go to a neighboring town's festival this weekend. We won't be able to go without it so keep your fingers crossed!

Day 1112 - Jun 15, 2011

Kevin was supposed to go bowling this morning, but he was not getting up for nothing, lol. Truthfully, he has been really nauseous lately (which is just tiring him out) and I am wondering if it's from the vitamins the doctor put him on recently. I popped her an email a while ago so we'll see what she has to say.

And today I went to another Vet Center appointment. I really do like this woman and she was even able to get me in again in less than 2 weeks. I still haven't had time to contact anyone at Give An Hour - I really need to do that.

I did have to take Kevin with me and he just sat in the waiting room and played Angry Birds. He did really well - didn't call me once. I think part of the reason that I haven't contacted Give An Hour is that there is no way I am going to get Kevin to sit in a waiting room on a regular basis. There's really nothing else I can do with him so it may have to wait until I can figure something out.

And after that we hung out with Breezy for a bit and then we came home and retreated to our separate spaces. I got all of my caregiver classes completed and am emailing the test tonight. Not sure if I mentioned that we had to read a huge book and take a test to be eligible to be a VA approved caregiver. What a HUGE waste of taxpayers' money. I can safely say that I think we all know that we need to wash our hands, take breaks (there was no real reference as to HOW we are supposed to take breaks without any real help) and watch less tv so that we can stay healthy. Thank you, VA - for wasting my time.

And let me jump in here and say that I think it's great that the VA realizes that folks like me can't continue to do this for free forever. I do appreciate the caregiver's bill - I really do. BUT...

Now I have to wait and have a home visit. I guess since there's a few hundred bucks a month on the table, the VA now has to monitor us caregivers and make sure we are taking care of the veteran. I think that's funny because nobody has cared over the last three years if I was doing a good job, but I guess now that there's money involved - someone will come to our home every 90 days. I guess they also felt the need to hire hundreds more people to monitor something some folks have been doing for up to 10 years already.

Well, bring it on, I say. There's no doubt the kid is taken care of, which will be part of my appeal process. The VA feels I am only a part-time caregiver. I was told yesterday that I will get paid for 10-25 hours a week and that's it. Apparently it doesn't matter that Kevin needs 24 hour supervision - according to their doctor!

The way I look at it the VA can't have it both ways. They can't tell me that I have to stay home with Kevin 24 hours a day because he needs supervised and then tell me that they are only paying for part time help. Don't get me wrong - I don't expect to be paid for every hour of the day, but I do expect to be paid the 40 hours that is being paid to the folks that all have nurses at least 9 hours every single day. After all - it really isn't my responsibility to watch him - it's theirs. And sure, they can put him in a home or in some adult day care, but believe me, that will cost a heckuva lot more than paying me 40 hours a week. I know what ResCare cost and it is 16 TIMES what they intend to pay me on a monthly basis.

I just don't think they are looking at it correctly. It's about time. It's about the time that must be spent watching or caring for the veteran. The time that someone like me can't leave her house without the veteran to get a job or run errands. It doesn't matter if Kevin can shower and mostly dress himself. He still can't be left alone. He still can't cook. He still can't call someone for help. He still can't set up his appointments. He still can't drive himself to his numerous therapies. He still can't order his medications. He still can't figure out that there is more to cleaning his house than putting the dishes in the sink. He still can't tie his shoes. He still can't do his laundry. And he definitely can't speak enough to fight the battles that I fight every single day for him.

Frankly, I could go on and on about the things he can't do, but what's the sense, right? They are choosing not to see the negatives when it suits them, but believe me when I say they have no problem shoving the negatives down my throat on a daily basis. Arrgh!! This just irritates the heck out of me!

I am just so tired of having to fight every single thing...but don't you worry - I WILL! Kevin deserves it!!

Day 1111 - Jun 14, 2011

Our little guy went home tonight. Breezy is feeling much better and even made it to work today. Christian, Kevin and I had a good time, but I definitely intend to sleep tonight. He's just not on Kevin's schedule, lol.

I didn't really do much today (other than babysit). Kevin, Johnny and Ness went running around and then came back for dinner.

Kevin and I did watch the movie Gnomeo & Juliet tonight. That was cute and hilarious really if you are my age. The double-entendres (sp) kept me howling. Most were said too fast for Kevin to catch, so I did have to keep pausing it and repeating what was said.

That's pretty much it so I think I'll sign off and get to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow.

Day 1110 - Jun 13, 2011

Kevin and I are babysitting Christian all night tonight. Breezy and Chris are both very sick and although Breezy handled it throughout most of the day, she just couldn't go any more. So we ran over and picked him up and are keeping him overnight for the first time. Yikes!

And sadly for me, the baby is 5 months old today and I have never had to change a poopy diaper until tonight. Yuck! Breezy always told me that I was the grandma and I should and my response is that I'm the grandma and I shouldn't - that's the momma's job, lol. Grandmas are all about the fun, right? But alas, it all came to an end tonight.

Kevin laughed, but I told him he had to do it the next time. I think I'll make him, lol.

And Kevin himself was actually pretty sick all morning. He was to have his first OT and Speech therapy appts today and I had to cancel them because he was vomiting too. Luckily he felt better later in the afternoon and he's doing just fine now.

That about sums up our day so I am going to try to get some sleep before the baby wakes up.

Day 1109 - Jun 12, 2011

I am going to skip tonight as I'm pretty tired. It's been a long weekend...

Day 1108 - Jun 11, 2011

Today was a pretty rough day. It started out ok as we were going to go to the Texas Folklife Festival. We had plans - Breezy, Chris and Christian were going and I invited Kendra and Anthony too (from Kevin's unit).

Well, we were really looking forward to it and when we went to load the scooter into the car - it wouldn't work. It was fully charged, but it just wouldn't go. I researched online how to fix it; I tore it apart a couple of times, reset the master switch, played with levers and buttons - all to no avail.

Unfortunately - this all just ticked Kevin off big time.

After this - he flat out refused to go and that was that. I told him it was no big deal and that I would push him in his wheelchair (although that would have been hard in that environment, but I was willing to do it), but he would not budge from his room.

So we didn't go. Once again - we sat home while others still went and enjoyed themselves. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad they all went and had a good time, but damnit! I am getting real tired of MY life passing me by.

Honestly, I would be real patient with this if I thought it was the brain injury - but I don't. I think it's just Kevin being a spoiled little brat. When he doesn't get his way, he sometimes acts like he's four years old and frankly, I am getting very frustrated with it. Haven't I already done this once?!!

Well, I guess it is what it is and I just need to find a solution somehow. Maybe I should watch that Super Nanny show, but somehow I can't see 5 foot Leslie forcing 6 foot Kevin into a naughty chair. And I sure can't send him to his room cause he's love that!

Ideas anyone?

Day 1107 - Jun 10, 2011

I spent pretty much the whole day on the phone today dealing with multiple issues (close to 8 hours total). Kevin did really well allowing me to, but he knew what all I was dealing with and just kept sending me away after I did whatever he called me for. Such a difference from a year ago when he would never have allowed me on the phone like that.

He did tell me he wanted club sandwiches for dinner tonight and he jokingly told me we needed to fly to Pittsburgh and go to Dingbats restaurant. I told him that would be a pretty expensive meal and he informed me that the Army would pay for it. I burst out laughing - as he did too. Where he comes up with this stuff I'll never know.

Other than that we didn't do much today. We did watch a movie tonight - we have actually been watching one a night for the last week or so. At least he's been coming out of his room to do it.

And before I sign off - Wife of a Wounded Soldier - no, I will not be attending the writing conference next weekend. It appears that the WWP forgot about me and when I contacted them the other day to ask for the details they mentioned that all 40 slots were quickly filled. She could clearly hear the disappointment in my voice and told me she would try to fit me in, but I told her not to bother. She did mention a mother's retreat in the fall, but I don't think I'll hold my breath...

Day 1106 - Jun 9, 2011

We had a pretty easy day today so I am going to skip again. We just haven't done anything worth mentioning for the last couple of days.

Day 1105 - Jun 8, 2011

I am going to skip tonight. I am very tired - for some reason I haven't been sleeping at all the last couple of weeks. It's like 10am when I finally drift off for an hour or so and it's catching up to me. Gonna try to get to sleep somehow tonight.

Day 1104 - Jun 7, 2011

We had a really good day today. First, Kevin did end up having fun at the VA hospital. When I went back to pick him up he was bowling on the Wii with a couple of guys and he really was enjoying himself. I had been told they played tennis on the Wii too and I am so happy.

I am also happy to report that Kevin is going to go 'real' bowling next Wednesday with the group. AND we are going on an overnight trip up north to go rock wall climbing later this month. Awesome, eh?

So far. So good.

After we came back from the VA, we got a couple of visitors that served with Kevin in his unit. It was great to hear stories about Kevin while he was in Germany and I can tell you Kevin was just so happy to have friends over. Matter of fact - here is a pic. Look at the sparkle in his eyes:



I can honestly say that both Kendra and Anthony are welcome anytime. They were both such wonderful people and I sure hope we see a lot more of them!

And while they were here, Breezy and Christian also came over for dinner tonight. It was a full table, I tell ya'! Sadly though, our poor little guy is sick. Breezy took him to the docs this afternoon as he was running a temp and he is just so congested. The doc didn't really have anything to say so I am assuming it's what I had a while back and Chris had it a couple weeks after me too.

But, I did grab just a couple of pics of him playing in his new bouncy seat. Kevin LOVES the baby aisle at Walmart and yesterday he got the baby this and some other little toys:




I sure hope he feels better soon. And I sure hope Kevin continues to be open minded about trying new things.

Day 1103 - Jun 6, 2011

Today Kevin had his appt with the rec therapist, but it didn't go as well as I had hoped. Kevin gave off the impression that he didn't want to be there and didn't want to do anything. Frankly, it made me mad.

I told him that if he were 82 I would let it go that all he wants to do is stay in his room and watch movies, but at 22 - it's ridiculous. He should want to be up and running around, but he just doesn't want to try new things and keep busy. I typically have to manipulate him into doing things and it's getting tiresome. But if I leave him just lie in bed all the time he could become suicidal again and I hope to never revisit that time in our lives (and I know I never brought that part of our lives to the blog - it was just too painful at the time to throw out to the public).

So we had a long talk on the way home and I am hoping it helps. He is going back tomorrow and I am going to just drop him off at the hospital and we'll see what happens. Jose (the therapist) thinks he may be able to get through to Kevin and I can only hope. There is talk of a rock wall climbing excursion later this month and I am hoping Kevin will play along for that one.

Wish us luck!

Day 1102 - Jun 5, 2011

Today was a pretty good day. Johnnie and Nessa took Kevin and the three of them went to a Roller Derby match here in SA. It's always hard to find things that Kevin would be interested in, but I thought he might like this. He didn't though, at least not enough to stay for the whole thing. I guess a very large man sat in front of him though and he couldn't see. Partner that with the fact that if you sat in the seats you couldn't drink or eat and he wasn't happy (Kev pretty much is always drinking something and I'm told it's due to the burns).

I scrapped all evening - which is always a good time for me. I rarely get to listen to the radio so I was nice to tune it and jam out while playing with paper and glue.

So I just went down to see if Kev wanted to watch a movie (and he does) and found him with the furniture moved in his room. He apparently wanted to scrub under the bed? Don't ask me - he thinks up the weirdest stuff at the weirdest times. Let him scrub though, if that's what he wants to do, lol.

But anyway, off to watch the movie...

Day 1101 - Jun 4, 2011

Today Kevin and I babysat our little guy Christian. It was a pretty nice evening so we took a blanket outside and Christian just played and played - for about 3 hours! Kevin sat out there with us for a long time, but he eventually got too warm and went back inside.

Anyway, nothing else much happened, but I took a few photos and here they are:





Notice big guy in big green stripes and little guy in little green stripes, lol.

Day 1100 - Jun 3, 2011

Today Mary (our wonderful FRC) egged on the recreational therapist at the VA to set up an appt with us to help get Kevin reintegrated into life. WOW - am I excited about this! I talked to the gentleman for a while on the phone today and we set up an appt for Monday afternoon. At this appointment, he will get to know Kevin and his interests.

He did tell me that there are a couple of guys that have the same hemiparesis as Kevin and that he would try to see if they will come into the hospital on Monday as well. He also said these guys get together and go bowling, biking, skiing and they take part in all kinds of other events. He even mentioned a surfing excursion in San Diego in Sept and after talking about it with Kevin, he is willing to give surfing a try. YAY! This is the kind of stuff I want Kevin doing - just living life like he would have if he hadn't been injured.

And I want to thank Heather for the horseback riding options. I looked them both over today and already mentioned it to the rec therapist. We are going to discuss it more on Monday as well.

That's pretty much it for today so I'll catch ya tomorrow.