Day 1208 - Sep 20, 2011

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

I am hoping it can be fixed in the morning!

Day 1176 - Aug 19, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.