1st Day of School

So I know I wrote earlier about the 1st day of school, but now that we are at the end of the day I have more to tell.

All went pretty well dropping all the kids off this morning. I was able to go to the gym and get some work done. YEAH! At 1:00 I went to get Joey. I could hear him crying in his class room. He was screaming. He screamed in the car the whole way home and screamed in the house. It took me 30 minutes to calm him done. The teacher said he wasn't very happy all day and he didn't want to eat. WHAT? Joey always wants to eat. That's his favorite thing to do. So I think I figured it out. He had snack around 10 and then lunch was at 11:30, so he might not have been so hungry, also it was 102 degrees today. His class room was also very loud and crazy with the new kids and the staff getting organized. When I got him home he drank over 8oz of water. He usually doesn't drink this much in a 30 minute period. So he was a bit thirsty. Then I fed him the rest of his lunch. He couldn't eat fast enough. So I think I am going to stay at school most of the day to help get them familiar with Joey.

OK so my stress level only built from this point on. I had to cancel his HBOT today because I had to go into work last minute (one of my employees called in). Well I didn't have a babysitter today so my daughter had to deal with the fussy boy. Then of course I had to come home and make dinner, lunches and clean up the house and help with first day homework. Boy do I HATE homework! So because I missed his HBOT today it means I have to continue next week. I was really wanting to be done this week. It is very exhausting. On top of this all, my handicap van is in the shop and I had to take apart his wheelchair each time I put him in and out of the car. Uhgggggggggg!

Now all kids are sleeping and I'm about to turn the lights off. Good Night everyone.

WOW! Where did the summer go.

I survived another summer.

Originally this summer was suppose to be very relaxing and none stressful. Well that's not how it ended up working out. We went on several trips this year, some with Joey and some without. We visited family in Idaho, went to Lake Havasu, then off to Arizona for therapy while the kids were at sleep away camp, and took a Las Vegas trip. In August the kids started football and cheer leading, while I was off taking Joey to HBOT. This is actually our last week of HBOT. We will have completed 30 dives which brings us to a total of 239 dives.

Jack and Joey sleeping in the car.

Joey's First Day of Kindergarten

Today is a great day. The kids started school. Jessica is an 8th grader, Jack is in 5th grade and Joey has started kindergarten. I walked Joey into school (ok wheeled him in). Gave all the instructions to the teacher and his aid. Then I went searching the school for his gait trainer and stander that should have been in by now. Back in June the school ordered him the gait trainer and walker and I also order him a gait trainer for home. Well when I went searching the school I found the gait trainer for home. The gait trainer for school is still in the school warehouse (go figure right!) and we are still waiting on the stander. So in the meantime he is using the one from home. His preschool teacher was in his class also this morning filling in the teacher and aid about Joey. I just loved his preschool teacher, wish she could be his teacher in kindergarten also. I then gave my big boy a big kiss and off to the gym I went.

FREEDOM!

My new license plate

Busy Summer!

Every year I say to myself, "I can't wait for SUMMMMMMEEEEERRRRR". I love summer, however I think I forget that summer is just as busy as the rest for the year, but with no break from the kids.

Our summer started out with a 20 hr drive to Idaho for a week with me, the boys and my mother-in-law. Then home for a week and then off to Lake Havasu with the family and great friends. Joey stayed home for this trip. We came home from Lake Havasu to clean clothes and then off we go again. The kids went to sleep away camp for 2 and 3 weeks and I took Joey to Arizona for a week of ABM therapy. Arizona was a great trip. I was there with 2 other wonderful families. The therapy is also an amazing therapy. As for Joey though I have mix feelings. ABM reprograms the central nervous system, muscular and skeletal system. So it makes Joey irritable. Joey's ATNR becomes worse, he stops eating and his sleep changes. It took about 2 weeks for his brain to relax and for him to get back on a normal schedule with everything. It was miserable for about 1 week of this transition. I did notice though that the ABM made him more cognitively aware and his eyes seem to focus more. So I am conflicted as to whether we do this again or not.

We returned on a Thursday from Arizona to start his 40 sessions of HBOT. We drive 45 minutes away 6 days a week until we complete 40 session. Some of the days we then also have to head an hour and a half in the opposite direction after his HBOT to do physical therapy, and then back to HBOT. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. HBOT is not a relaxing therapy as one might think it to be. Joey moves and squirms the whole time. He fusses and cries and just wants to be done. Thank god my babysitter Ashley takes him once a week or so to HBOT.

Now the other children are home from camp and chaos has begun again. Football practices and cheer practices, therapy, registration for Kindergarten and doctors appointments. Work meetings, dog trainers, lost bunnies, amusement parks, LAS VEGAS BABY! and bat mitzvah planning. Dress shopping, school shopping, decisions on school for me, wow, it just goes on and on and on.

So to sum things up, amongst our busy summer schedules, Joey is still making progress. His eyes are coming around even more and he is cognitively more aware. He laughs and talks all day long.