TODAY WE GIVE YOU THANKS!

Alex has been relaxing and chilling this weekend.... EATING anything and everything that is brought to him!  Anytime someone goes to leave... they say..."Alex is there anything I can bring you next time I come?"  His response...."FOOD".  He has had cheeseburgers, fries, shakes, McChicken, chicken nuggets... or as Chad calls them...DLB's... Delicious Little Boots, lol.... ummmm, cotton candy (thank you miss Angie..... he's been on a sugar high...hahahhaha)... HE HAS BEEN EATING HIS WEEKEND AWAY!!

TODAY I WANT TO GIVE YOU THANKS......a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who have been bringing us food for lunches and dinners because there is NO way I could afford to eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner....NO WAY!  Thank you to those who have signed up on the calendar to bring us meals and to those who bring snacks and drinks and plates and cups..... You have been a God Send since this all happened.  I have had so many other things to worry about and focus on that it has been wonderful having all of you come with dinner or lunch and visit.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it and how much money you have saved our family.....THANK YOU!  Most of our friends here at Brooks are from out of town.... Orlando, Tallahassee, Panama City and they do not have the luxury I have of being in my hometown with awesome friends to supply meals, snacks, visits and washing clothes (thank you Kinlin!).  I would love to name all of you on here and give you proper recognition but I have a notebook full of names to thank and it would take me all night just to ORGANIZE it all.  Please know that every little thing.... any of you do ...does NOT go unnoticed and I can't thank you enough for all of the love and support you have continued to show as we go into our 2nd month of this!  Almost 2 months... how crazy is that?  I have lost almost 2 months of my life yet it still seems as though it happened yesterday.

I want to thank the people who constantly think of Alex wherever they are.... especially the ones that send me pictures from places like the monster truck jam to show him:  see below:

You guys know he would have been right there with you if he could have!!  Thank you for thinking of him while you were out!!

A special thanks to our new friend Steve.  He was one of the EMT's that first arrived on the scene and after his last image of Alex.... he didn't think Alex would make it thru the night.  Once he learned of his survival he visited us at Shand's and we are now connected for life as he and his crew helped save Alex's life.  Steve is on vacation now touring Europe and has thought of Alex every step of the way and continues to follow our blog and stay close to home by reading about Alex's progress.  Steve... I thank you for thinking of my precious boy along your journey and caring enough to share them with us!  You and your crew will never know what you mean to me and my family as you all are part of his amazing survival story and we are forever indebted to you!  THANK YOU!

Thank you Steve for thinking of Alex even when you are a million miles away!  

Alex is still performing leaps and bounds progress and I couldn't be happier.  I am really excited for him that he gets to eat real people food.   Only problem is that all he does now is EAT, lol.  I'm excited to see what new tricks he has in store for us this week and I really believe that with your prayers, Alex's determination and God's Will... he will be walking within the next two weeks.  Please continue to pray for Alex... it's worked this far and I know he will continue to bless us!  ME, ALEX AND J.C..... WE GOT THIS!   The biggest thank you... TO MY SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST!  Thank you Lord for everyday that we get closer to Alex's full recovery.  Thank you for providing a place where he can get the rehabilitation that he needs.  Thank you for making it possible for my little sister Randi to be here to help me thru all of this because Lord... you know that Alex is a handful right now to take care of in this stage of his recovery.  I am truly thankful you have made that possible  because I am worn out with her here... I can only imagine if she were not!  I thank you for the constant love and support from our friends and family.... I thought it would die down after 3 weeks and it has to a certain degree... but there are those that have been constant thru this... even certain ones that email me thru the site... constant... encouraging and uplifting... Lord I need that and I thank you for touching their hearts and leading them to write to me.  It's the little things in life.... the little things that mean the most!  A visit from Miss Carol, one of our Shands nurses....awesome.. the little things that mean the most.  I have so much to be thankful for....and I truly am!  So... thank you...thank all of you... for being there when I need you... for your kind and encouraging words.... for your uplifting spirits.... for the constant you provide in our crazy world inside these walls.... for your little visits, cards, giftbags, egg salad, rice krispie treats and brownies on special request by Alex at the drop of a hat.... I LOVE YOU and you will never know how much I appreciate all the little things that you all take the time to do for us.  I can tell you this.... PAY IT FORWARD really works.  I never wanted to collect on it... nor did I ever think I would have to.... but PAY IT FORWARD WORKS along with putting all your FAITH in God.  

Tomorrow is Monday.... most of us dread Mondays after a nice relaxing weekend.  Do me a favor... take the time to SMILE at someone random or wish a complete stranger a happy monday.  You will never know the chain reaction that you will start.  AN AMAZING POSITIVE CHAIN of events will take place.  Maybe if we all give a little bit each day... this crazy violent world we live in today will start to change.  Baby Steps.... just like we take inside this place... BABY STEPS... it's gotta start somewhere.... why not start it with you and who you come in contact with.  Amazing chain of events.... this world can be a better place if we start with ourselves. Make tomorrow a GREAT DAY!  Especially if you wake up with a roof over your head, a job to go to, your children running around crazy arguing with you that they have to get out of bed and get ready for school..... STOP AND THINK.... Think about Alex and where he is today and what he would rather be doing and what he wishes he COULD be doing.... BE THANKFUL as I am for what you have... instead of worrying about what you don't have.  We are all RICH..... it's just how you prioritize things and what you consider to be your riches.  HEALTH, JOB, ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD, BEING ABLE TO WALK, TALK, MOVE EVERY LIMB IN YOUR BODY, HUG YOUR KIDS........THOSE MY FRIENDS ARE RICHES.... and MONEY CAN'T BUY THAT!!!  Think of Alex....HAVE AN AWESOME MONDAY and make it a great week!  Alex will have some great things to share with us this week...NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!  Superman Speed!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

IT'S A DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER DAY PEEPS!!!

They brought him sloppy joes for lunch and he turned his nose up so momma said...." IT'S A DOUBLE CHEESBURGER DAY!"

Hanging out today... low key... will blog tomorrow... just know IT''S A GREAT DAY!!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

"I MOVED MY LEG..... I REALLY MOVED MY LEG"!! Alex realizes he can move his leg!

OMG..... Today was one of the best days ever ...and once again your Miracle Boy is doing leaps and bounds!!!  This afternoon he took steps down  the hallway again and this time... HE MOVED HIS LEFT FOOT!  He did it more than 5 times!  He was able to bring his leg to the front... slightly...but none the less HE DID IT!  The best part of it all is that he looked at me with those BIG BROWN eyes and said... "I moved my leg... I really moved my leg"!!  I was balling my eyes out!  WHAT AN AWESOME THING TO WITNESS and to see the surprise and awe in his eyes that he really could do it was just the best thing in the world to see!  To see him BELIEVE and finally get some hope that he REALLY WILL be able to walk again at some point was AMAZING!  THANK YOU SO MUCH GOD FOR SHOWING HIM THAT HE CAN DO IT!  He is sooo proud of himself and you just can't imagine the light in his eyes when he saw that leg come forward.... it was ...incredible!  His little face lit up like a christmas tree and he has been telling everyone that came to see him tonight that HE MOVED HIS LEG.  Amazing God... amazing!  MIRACLES PERFORMED over and over... I thank you God!

Funny story real quick before I sign off for tonight... Alex asked Ronnie to take him to Lobsterfeast in Orlando tonight... he wanted to "RIDE OUT" as he put it.  Ronnie said, 'I'll take you when your mom says you can go"... Alex said.. "She doesn't have to see me, I will crawl or hop to the bathroom and we can sneak out"!!  How funny is he!  Alex went with Ronnie and family before to Orlando and they ate at Lobsterfeast and Alex ate like 22 Lobsters, lol.... so now the bet is that he has to eat 23 and he is READY to go!

Alex is into talking to God alot lately... he makes us look up to the ceiling and tell him certain things... like ... the whole I love you thing... he has to say he loves us more, then we have to look up at the ceiling and tell God that he won the love war and that we lost!  He told Randi that God was right next to him, turned his head   to the side and acted like he was kissing him..... then he said" he is all around me protecting me".... she asked if he could see him and he said "No, I wish"...... and then he said "he's got my back" and Randi said " Yeah, you and your mom"... he said "yeah, he's got mom's back because her phone still works"!  hahahahaahahahaha  Then he said...."He's got my back and my head because he saved my life".." I can feel God all around me".... "I am a God Child and God's prophecy"(his exact words)  I LOVE YOU ALEX MICHAEL ROSS!  You are sooo stinkin cute!  He told Miss Tina tonight to bring him some Popeye's Fried Chicken .... she said "OK I will"... he said "I'm FOR REAL"..... "you better".  Thank you Miss Tina.... He will be waiting ... trust me!

Nick just called.... you think he loves his brother or what??  I SAY SO!!

Nick he LOVE LOVE LOVES IT and says.... HE LOVES YOU!!  

Nick you are an awesome brother and I love you with all my heart!  YOU DA BEST!

I'm sure I will think of a million things to tell ya'll that I forgot tonight but it has been an amazing day with such HIGH HIGH'S for Alex and I am so glad that he can finally BELIEVE it when we tell him HE WILL WALK OUTTA HERE!  It's one thing to hear it everyday... it's another to witness it!  THANK YOU GOD!  Thank you God for soooo many things.... I give you all the honor, praise and glory...AMEN AMEN!!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

2 STEPS.... THE BEGINNING OF MANY MORE!

FIRST MILESTONE TODAY

Alex had another amazing day here with milestones uncovered!  He never ceases to amaze me even when he gets tired and thinks for just a second he can't go anymore.  We walked on the walker thing again ( my task tomorrow is to give you guys the correct name of this device, lol) ... we started in the pediatric gym out the door and down the hall where you see pictures of him walking down the hall and holding onto the rail.... during our walk... which got faster as we went down the hall .... Jenny, his physical therapist, was working with the feet and helping the left leg while he stepped with the right leg and TWICE.... and I repeat that, TWICE she said the LEFT FOOT CAME FORWARD ON IT'S OWN!!  TEARS MUCH, LOL?  Now.... let's put that into perspective.... we probably took 100 steps, and we got going faster, which freaked him out a little......but as Jenny explained, when tested, the results showed that people recover faster when walking and stepping faster because you don't have time to stop and think about it... you just do it.  So his brain just reacted and that leg came forward TWICE!  THANK YOU JESUS!  I'm telling ya'll now... just watch and see.... ALEX MICHAEL ROSS WILL WALK OUT OF THIS PLACE!

SECOND MILESTONE FOR TODAY


During speech therapy today Nicole tried the "passy-muir" valve that we tried last week with old trach and it wouldn't work because the swelling was too bad.  WELL GUESS WHAT?  IT WORKED and we will be using it everyday during speech therapy and then in a couple of days we will be able to use it ALL DAY!  This allows voice to come thru and you can actually hear voice.... right now we hear whisper.  Alex is sooo excited!  We were crying today in therapy we were so happy to hear his voice and to see that it worked and he looked over and asked us why we were crying, lol!  We explained that it was a happy cry and he just kept saying WHY?  hahahahaha

THIRD MILESTONE TODAY

Alex's diet has been upgraded to a mechanical soft diet.  Our terms... REAL PEOPLE FOOD, lol!  Well ... to a certain degree anyways.  Soft foods... gravy biscuits, french toast, cut up chicken and turkey, french fries, mash potatoes... etc... basically soft stuff.  Again.. real people food!  YAY!!

Alex's mental state right now is awesome and he remembers everything I ask him.... even phone numbers which is crazy to me!  But he also seems to have the mental state of a 4 year old, asking a million questions about everything, tells us certain things we can say and we can't say.... like he has to be the last one to say ok.  He has to be the last one to say I love you by saying I love you more or I love you the most.... He has to be the last one to say to say yeah...like when he is agreeing with you about something.  When its time for bed or a nap and I tell him to close his eyes and rest, he closes his eyes tight for a second and opens them right away and says " I can't keep them closed for long it hurts", hahahaha. He reminds me of my 4 year old niece when I would put her down for a nap, lol.  But then as I sit here typing this.... Randi says she is going to finish up the chicken salad from dinner and Alex looks over at her and calls her a "FAT ASS"!!!  What the french toast??? The things that have been coming out of his mouth trip me out lately!

We have made new friends here and their children are going thru things like brain tumors, paralysis and blindness.  I sit here and think... ya know... it could be always be worse!   I can't imagine waking up and my child telling me they have a headache to find out they have a brain tumor, lose their sight, have a stroke and lose all their movement, speech ... everything.... but then again... I never would have imagined a phone call saying my son has been shot in the head and he has 3 hours to live!  Soooo I guess maybe when you put it in that perspective... we all have our obstacles to overcome.  We all have one thing in common... BABY STEPS.... and we are all surviving for our kids!  Thank you Lord for Alex's health.  Thank you Lord for Alex's sight.  Thank you Lord for Alex's strength.  Thank you Lord for letting Alex be able to eat.  Thank you Lord for Alex's movement throughout his body. Thank you Lord for Alex's spicy sense of humor and sweet disposition. Thank you Lord for giving me back my precious gift from you!  And most of all Lord... thank you for ANOTHER day with my handsome boy!  YOU ARE AN AWESOME GOD!

CHAD, NICK AND BROOKS.... I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!!  Chad, I know it's got to be hard going home to an empty house everyday and I just want to thank you for being so patient and understanding and to know that one day very soon.... we will be a family again!  Alex tells me everyday that he loves all of you.... and yes even you Nicholas, lol!  Ronnie and Angie... thank you a million times over for taking care of Brooks through all this and treating him as if he were your very own!  I can't thank you enough!!!  Ronnie this is for you.... HE LOVES HIS HAT!

Tomorrow is a new day and I can't wait to see what Alex unveils for us next!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

ALEX COMES TO LIFE!

Woweeeewowwow!!  What a day for Alex!  To start our day off great.... he walked with this walker thing in physical therapy... His back hurts, his legs hurt... but he fights thru it....MY LITTLE HERO!

In Speech therapy today Miss Nicole showed us this new device of technology that helps with communication... called the Dynavox.  He LOVES LOVES LOVES this new toy of his!  It has buttons on there that when you push them... it says out loud the word, such as MOM.  It also has other buttons such as, EMERGENCY, FOOD, DAY AND MONTH... well he found the MOM button real quick and kept pushing it over and over like 10 times in a row and when she asked him why he kept pushing that button his response was:  " So I can annoy her like she annoys me!"  hahahahahaha.... LOVE YOU ALEX!  He also kept pushing the EMERGENCY button which says "This is an emergency".  When she asked him what was his emergency he replied " I AM HUNGRY... I NEED FOOD". hahahahahaha... he is a trip!  He can't wait to play with this new device which we will get tomorrow... LORD HELP US ALL!!!

This afternoon we went to have the trach changed out.  Poor thing he was so nervous and shaking when we went in there.  In two seconds flat it was over and he was a trooper!  When she occluded (my big doctor word for the day... basically means covered the hole), she had him count to five and we could here him.  WOW... I wish you could have all seen his face!  His eyes were soooo big and he said, I don't like the way I sound.  He sounds somewhat raspy and kinda like he just sucked on helium balloon. He was soooo excited to be able to hear somewhat of words coming out of his mouth.... he was like a kid in a candy store!  He had a big afternoon...when we got back from changing out the trach Lauren came up and gave him a pedicure!!  He loved it!  In fact he was hamming it up!  check out the soaking of the feet, lol.  That's how we roll up here in Brooks Rehab!!  Thank you LAUREN!

He had some mash potatoes from KFC, some potato wedges and mickey d fries and ate almost all of it!  As he calls it... REAL FOOD!  He had a great day today and everyday he makes us laugh more and more....  today he told us that He is a child of God and that God loves him but that he loves God more but God doesn't argue that fact with him like we do!  hahahahahahaha.... He always tells me and Randi that he loves us more after we tell him we love him but we say there is no way.... it turns out to be an argument every time! :0)

Anywho.... I will try to take better notes tomorrow so I can write alot more... took some melatonin with Alex so I can sleep good tonight and I am fading fast... sorry!

Will fill you all in on some cute stories from today.... TOMORROW!

THANK YOU GOD FOR CONTINUING TO PERFORM MIRACLES IN ALEX'S LIFE SO THAT HE CAN BE HERE WITH ME ANOTHER DAY!

PEACE~ LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!

Lisa

NEW TRACH IN AND GUESS WHAT... YOU CAN HEEEEEAR HIM!!!

The new trach is in and you can hear Alex's words.....THANK YOU GOD!  What a big step for today!  SOOOO WONDERFUL to hear a little of his voice!  It will only get stonger and we will be able to hear his voice get stronger.  GOD YOU ARE AWESOME... I was sooo not expecting to be able to hear him with all the swelling he has going on!  What an amazing day with an amazing kid.... every day is really just one step closer to going home!  YAY!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!!

Lisa

TAKING MEDS BY MOUTH! ONE DAY CLOSER TO LOSING TUBES!

Great Day today for Alex!  We have crossed a couple of milestones... working our way up to losing tubes... YAY!  We are working on and have done so a couple of times.... going in the urinal...(he will kill me for writing that, lol)  but it is a huge deal!  Secondly.... he took his pills by mouth tonight instead of the G-tube!  Once we start taking all meds by mouth, we don't need that feeding tube anymore!  WAY TO GO ALEX!

We had some visitors today.... UNF student nurses... and he was a HAM!  Winking, blowing kisses... working every minute of these ladies..he was working the crowd..... see pics from the visit below!  ALEX is absolutely still in there!

HOW GOOD DOES HE LOOK HERE... AMAZING!

POSER!

THEM BLOWING HIM KISSES!

We also had a major STAND today... he stood and threw bean bags in a bucket during physical therapy this morning...check it out...

LOOK AT ALL THE BEAN BAGS HE MADE IN!!

We also had a visit from First Coast News and will be on tonight at 11pm..... and yes... I cried again...it is just overwhelming and I can still feel what I felt the very first night it all happened.  I am so thankful for all of the love and support that our family has gotten from everyone.  Alex told me tonight that he is happy to be alive and that he is Jesus' prophecy .... and yes he said those words!  HE TRIPS ME OUT!    THANK YOU GOD.... IT'S GOING TO BE AN AMAZING RIDE!!!

I will leave you all with a goodnight.... I'm exhausted physically and mentally tonight and ready to go get some sleep.  Please pray for Alex tomorrow as he is having his trach changed around 2:00pm and last time we changed out his trach it was an ordeal so I ask that you please lift him up in prayer and that everything goes as planned!

PRAYER WARRIORS..... please pray for my dear friend Deniece Moore and her family  as her Granny has been put in hospice.  Father I just ask that you lift this entire family up in your arms and bring peace and comfort to them as they know that she is coming home to you.  An angel on earth is an angel in Heaven!!  Prayer Warriors get busy on this one.... she and her husband are very special to me and are two of MY biggest prayer warriors for Alex.  THANK YOU!

OMG.... I JUST SAW THE NEWS!!

A GREAT GREAT BIG HUGE THANK YOU TO FIRST COAST NEWS...WOW!!!  That is soooo what I wanted as a story for people to see!  Thank you Jennifer for having compassion and showing what Alex is working so hard to achieve.  He just wants to go home!  WHAT AN AMAZING STORY!  I could not have asked it to be any better... I am really happy with the focus on Alex and his progress!  We will be walking outta this place.... watch and see!

Now I can go to sleep and rest.... all is good and tomorrow is a new day with my handsome boy!  

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!

Lisa

TUGGING AT MY HEART

What an awesome day we had with Sir Alex today!  He kept on trucking all day even though all he kept saying was "I just wanna sleep"!  He finally got his wish after his last therapy session today!  He worked so hard today and I am just beaming with pride!  He'll say I can't once or twice when he gets tired...and I'll say... "That's not in our vocabulary" .... he will look up at me with those big brown eyes and say "OK".... and then he says..."HOME".... that's right... he is focused on H O M E and that with the Grace of God is going to get him there!  More and more of his personality is coming around... he is such a ham and full of cracking jokes... well mouthing things... we have become pretty good lip readers these days!  He only signs when we can't understand him.  He is a vanilla pudding crack addict.... I'm surprised he doesn't look like it by now, lol.  He did get to have some brownies that Miss Shelley made especially for him...bite size and all.... HE LOVED THEM...THANK YOU MISS SHELLEY!  Tonight I was cleaning up around his bed....and he taps me on my hand and I turn around and he says... "I'm alive".  OUTTA NOWHERE.... "I'm Alive"!  What the French Toast?!!! I said, "I know you are and you better thank God  because you are not supposed to be here".  He said.. "I'm a Miracle" and I said... YES YOU ARE.  He said he hates being in the bed and I told him how I begged God that night not to take him from me .... that I would take him paralyzed... I just wanted him alive and I would deal with whatever else he threw at me if I could just have my boy come back to me!  Alex looked at me and said..." I would rather be dead than paralyzed".  OK .... HERE COMES THE RAINFALL OF TEARS ON MY FACE....  Alex Michael are you kidding me?  Don't you ever ever say that again.  He said... "it's true".  I said..."So is it fair for me to make the same statement?"  He said.."No".  I said "what if I said something like that to you?  You have come soooo far and I am sooo proud of you and how hard you fight everyday.... and you are NOT paralyzed and you WILL walk outta here... it just takes time.".... as tears are POURING down my face!  He said..."Mom... stop crying, I am sorry... I didn't mean it"... "you are making me sad".... I said "Alex, don't you ever give up on yourself, don't you ever get down on yourself.... you are my hero and there isn't anything that we can't overcome together.... you are my number one, my BFF... "  he said..." What is Brooks?"  I said.. " I guess my 2nd BFF"... he said.."What about Nick"?  I said.."I guess my 3rd BFF"?  .... He said " you can't have that"... there is no such thing... I said .. "well... I guess you are my BFF and they are well... just my kids"... HE GRINNED THE BIGGEST GRIN EVER AND SHOWED ME THAT SWEET LITTLE DIMPLE........ TOO CUTE!  He loved that response,and that was all he needed to make him feel better.... lol.   It's the little things in life huh?..He  Sooo... we had a little heart to heart and I told him that I understand he is frustrated being stuck in the bed as active as he normally is.  I DON'T know what he is going thru... but I DO know he is going thru one of the toughest times of his life and that I was going to stand right by him and we would get thru all of it together.. ME, HIM AND J.C......no matter what!  I told him that I would not let anything happen to him... nor would I let anyone mistreat him... heck I'm mad I can't get the cleaning lady to just HONESTLY clean my room!  Putting a sticker on the toilet that says its clean, running water in the sink and sticking a yellow "floors are wet" sign outside my door...does not justify a clean room, lol!  I said... if I am mad at the cleaning lady ...you think I won't get mad at someone if they aren't taking the right care of you???  He agreed and said he was sorry for saying that and that he loved me "times cofinity" something he used to say as a kid instead of "infinity" lol.  I can only imagine what runs thru his head as he lays in bed and watches me zip around him with the swiffer or typing on the computer....texting on my iphone...I know he is frustrated.  I broke out his cell phone the other day just to see if he wanted to text someone or read his messages... poor thing... he can't really see the small font on his phone.... he can't hold it with both hands.... he just looked at me and waved his hand to put it up.  These are the times when I MYSELF have to focus on the postives and not the reasons of why he is in here or devote ANY attention to the person who put him here.  I REFUSE!  Satan can try and bring us down all he wants but we ain't caving in.... you might as well pack up your bags and go back to those burning pits because we have JESUS in this house ovaaa here!  AND THAT MY FRIENDS IS THE REAL DEAL!  ALL of my ATTENTION will be and IS 100% focused on Alex Michael!  There is no time for foolishness, weakness, drama or negativity in TEAM ALEX!  Chad, Brooks and Nick have graciously had to take a backseat.... but we ALL focus on Alex and what HE needs... not what any of US... me included... not any of what we might want or need.  I got Alex on track talking about how he IS proud of himself and how far he HAS come since the beginning and how he wasn't supposed to live thru that horrific night!  By the end of our conversation... he was smiling so big I could see his dimple which is food for my soul!!  THANK YOU GOD for giving me the words to be uplifting when I wanted to get on my knees and cry when he told me he would rather be dead than laying in a bed that he couldn't get out of.  YOU GOD... you gave me the strength and the positive words to uplift that broken spirit and make it whole again... so THANK YOU!  He has been renewed... he knows it is going to be tough... he knows he will have to fight off the pain.... H O M E is where he wants to go and that is exactly what he is focusing on! HE WILL BE WALKING SOON.... YOU ALL KNOW IT TOO!  Pray for my little guy..... pray for peace of mind... pray for strength.... pray for swelling to continue to go down so that we can schedule that cranioplasty.... just pray for Alex in general.... he is not one to sit still long and I know that inside this is killing him and I just want him to be at ease with his progress because he is making LEAPS AND BOUNDS progress!  He is taking steps, playing putt putt, pulling himself up and standing with little help...AMEN!! .........DAY 47..... THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!

 To lighten the mood a little since I threw all that at ya'll.... here is a happy funny ending to our night before I close......  He is in bed....scratching his head or rather... rubbing his head where the scar and stitches still are and he calls me over to the bed to scratch for him.  Scratching is really rubbing... no fingernails involved..  he feels better about me doing it so he doesn't mess anything up.  I don't need a whole other situation to arise out of nowhere...if you know what I mean! So I go over there and he tells me .... you ready for this... " I think I have Lice".... hahahahahahaha... I was like..."WHAT?.... Alex... you haven't been in contact with anyone for you to get Lice".  "We are in a hospital"..... He said..."YES I HAVE!".  What he doesn't understand is that his scalp is healing and the scabs are drying up and it's itchy.... he automatically assumes he has bugs in his hair...hahahahahaha!!!  I LOVE IT... YOU CRAZY KID!!   Sooooo to ease his mind... I said I would go get his nurse and let Miranda check him which made him feel MUCH better.  So I go out to the nurses station and get Miss Miranda and another nurse to come in... told her to act all professional (not that she isn't) but to really put on a show and make him believe he doesn't have Lice.  She gets out the flashlight... we turn on the light and she looks at his scalp and she tells him that his scalp is just healing and that he doesn't have lice... he turns to her and says..." Yes I Dooooooo"! HAHAHAHAHA... Both nurses finally convince him he DOES NOT so that he can get some sleep and we pinky promised Miss Miranda that he would get in the shower tomorrow night and wash that scalp.  He HATES the shower because he gets too cold... it's hard to hold his head steady and sit up and get washed.... too much to concentrate on doing all at one time for him right now....BRAIN OVERLOAD....and PHYSICAL OVERLOAD lol.  But he pinky promised sooooo.... it's a done deal now!  Scalp washing it is because you insisted you have Lice..... hahahahaha... love it!

He is becoming very affectionate wanting me to lay in bed with him...... taking his right arm and hugging me half way... puckering up for kisses.... not just one but 3 in a row.....THANK YOU GOD!  It's the little things..... and you know what's funny.... here I am running around here cleaning.... he is laying in bed and wants me to stop what I am doing at the drop of a hat and lay in bed with him.... for a split second my automatic response was "one minute".... NO LISA....STOP....DROP....AND GET IN THAT BED WITH THAT PRECIOUS BABY BOY!  See.... it's soooo easy to get back into that routine of where I put him on hold because I am in the middle of something.... NO!  And all of you listen to me good.... STOP... DROP... and DO whatever it is that those young ones want you to do!  I realized tonight I hadn't pulled my bible out in days.... WRONG....get in it...stay in it.... THAT'S WHERE IT'S AT!  It's easy to get caught up in routines people.... that's the devil knocking... don't let him in!  He wants you to forget about the things that are important in your life...... STOP, DROP and DO!  Don't sweat the small stuff....LOVE ONE ANOTHER.... enjoy family and friends....let petty stuff go!  Alex Michael Ross is ALIVE and that my friends is truly A MIRACLE OF GOD and I hope you all learn from this.... LIFE CAN CHANGE IN A SECOND and I am only ONE of many many many in the news to be lucky enough to tell you about it!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!!

Lisa

PS....  My extended list of Thank You's for this weekends festivities and there may be more:

Jacksonville Jaguars, Diane Monahan , Sally Leonard, Brandy Tate, Charles Cannon, Barbara Batt , All Wicked Out/Darlene Strickland, Dee Bomhardt w/Gate Fleet Services, R & J Towing , Joshua Askew/ JMA Investigative Services,Mary and Mike Cowger and Southern Wrecker.  THANK YOU GUYS FOR MAKING THIS WEEKEND POSSIBLE!!!  xoxoxo

PICTURES ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!!

TODAY'S EVENTS

RECREATIONAL THERAPY

PUTT PUTT!  GO ALEX!

It was cold outside so mom had to give up her PINK jacket, lol!

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 

Coming forward by himself.... sitting up by himself and STANDING with little help!

TAAAA DAAAAAAAAA!!

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Taking about 40 steps in hallway.... you can see how far he travelled!

Pictures ARE ....WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS....I figured I would post these asap so you could all see what WONDERFUL AMAZING things my handsome boy is doing and fighting thru the pain!  Everyday he just blows my mind at how determined he is at getting better!  Thank you all again for the awesome turnouts this weekend and for pulling together on Alex's behalf!  HE WON'T LET YOU DOWN!  God is with him every step of the way and this Miracle Boy plans on WALKING outta this place.... stay tuned for more updates!!!  

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

THANK YOU GOD FOR AN AMAZING WEEKEND!

I have so many thank you's to give out for today's events!  Because there were two events... I need to give a good bit of shout outs so I am going to list them below... that doesn't make them any less significant... just easier for me to do:

CASSAT BATT BOWL and ORANGE PARK COUNTRY CLUB.... THE BIGGEST THANK YOU!
Thank you for hosting the two fundraisers on behalf of Alex today... As I could see, the bowling was a huge hit and from what Chad tells me... so was the Golf tournament.  Next I want to thank you to all those that donated gifts to raffle off and such... I don't have the list from Miss Jill just yet to give full recognition so I will do what I can remember today from the bowling alley and fill in the rest with tomorrow's blog.  Let me not forget ALL THE PEOPLE that showed up to participate in both of these events.... we couldn't have done it without your support!

Special Thanks to: The Gainey Family, Jaguars, Kathy's Creations, Trade Secrets, Hooters, Ruth Chris Steak House, Rhonda Wright/Fran's Salon and Boutique,The Garcia Family,Vinnie Le, Jay Davis, Fredie Girgis, Chad Greene, Rachel Trimble, The Loop/OP Wells Road, Firehouse Subs/Normandy Blvd., Terry Roundtree/Treemendous BBQ,Longhorn/OP Blanding Blvd, Amelia National, Amelia River,Queens Harbor Charles Raulerson/OP Country Club.  THANK YOU!

I may be adding to this list tomorrow so if I have missed you please forgive me as it is late and I am trying to get everyone thanked that names were given to me.

I had an awesome time at the bowling alley and when I got back here and told Alex what I bowled he cracked a smile big enough to see his dimple!  I stunk but had a GREAT TIME!   It was great to meet and greet so many people.... alot of old friends that I haven't seen in awhile but need to make sure I do better at staying in touch with in the future.   I was amazed at how every lane was full and enjoyed seeing everyone with their kids... having some good ole FAMILY FUN!  Alex would have LOVED to have been there... he loves to bowl....and would have been the center of attention even before this all happened.  THANK YOU ALL....FOR COMING OUT TODAY AND SUPPORTING... AND HANGING OUT WITH ME!

Chad shared that he was "moved by the turnout of people who were at the golf tournament  just to give or help out in supporting Alex's needs".  He said there were people there not even keeping score... just playing for the cause and the fun of it!  "I was amazed at the people willing to take time out and give on behalf of our little superman".... he said.  He stated that he really enjoyed spending time with his dad and brother Chad Greene.....family time for the others in our life... that is hard to find these days.  He also enjoyed meeting new friends and was really touched by the people that said they were following our story on here and shared how inspired they are and are all pulling for Alex.  Chad and I are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends that were so fired up in doing these fundraisers to help our family out this weekend.  YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND WE THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!  Saturday and Sunday's events have truly touched our hearts because of the outpour of love and support not just from family and friends... but by people we don't even know but have now grown to love!  Jacksonville has now become part of our family... as well as many other cities and states across the country.... and that, we want you to know, is a GREATER WEALTH to us.... and one that will be with us for the rest of our lives!!!  So thank you.... so very very much.... you will never ever know just what you have given to this family .... outside of your donations..... way much more than that!

As far as Alex today... well he is showing more and more personality and emotions today than ever!  VERY VERY SWEET and SPICY today at the same time!!  He insisted on having me IN his bed tonight to lay with him.... then proceeded to put his arm around me to hug me and puckered up those sweet angel lips to kiss me!  And then when I say " I love you" he comes back with "I love you more"!  He told Chad he wanted him to bust him outta here....I said " you gonna leave me here?"  He said " NO, you are coming with us!"  He has become a vanilla pudding junkie and probably eats about 4-5 a day, lol!  He wants no other kind.. we have tried to fool him with banana cream and tapioca and he ain't buying it.... he just wants vanilla, lol!  While we were out today he had physical therapy... yes on the weekends too.... they basically just worked with stretching his lower extremities out.... that left leg was bothering him again today.  This afternoon he had recreational therapy...this is his fun therapy session... he played "Outburst" with his big brother Robert and some other patients here.  Robert said Alex was kicking butt and coming up great words like "clarinet".  Brett, Brandi and Rachel stopped by for a little visit tonight and he rapped some "Lil Boosie" song for them that he had downloaded on my iphone.  They were in awe!  How crazy that he remembers some of the things he remembers when we all think he shouldn't be remembering anything!  He is an amazing little fighter and we just keep telling him how proud we are of him and that he will be going home soon.  He even said he was proud of himself tonight and that he is trying but that therapy is really hard and it sucks...lol.  I will tell you that Alex is speaking nothing but the truth these days... he doesn't hold back what he feels and will tell you exactly how it is.  He tells us to stop talking.... he tells Randi she is annoying... he told Nick to get away from his bed.... he tells us he is the boss, he told Chad that he is his number 1 and mom is number 2 and vice versa to me about Chad......and everyday I ask him...."When are you going home Alex?"  He always responds with... "TOMORROW"!!!

He will never give up.... he gives it 110% everyday .... even when he doesn't want to.  I AM SO VERY PROUD OF YOU.... YOU ARE MY #1... YOU ARE MY HERO...TODAY, TOMORROW AND ALWAYS!

ALEX MICHAEL.... YOU ARE A BEAST!!


PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

PS.... a special little shout out to the Brannan Family for continuing to parent Brooks and be his family away from home!  You guys are the best and we thank you for all that you do every day without expecting anything in return.  WE LOVE YOU, appreciate you and nothing you do goes unnoticed!  THANK YOU!  Chad says you have SUSHI for life, lol.... just let him know when you want it... you now have your own personal Sushi Chef!!  xoxo

SNOW DAY WAS A GREAT DAY! THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!

WOW.... WOW... WOW!  I can tell you all right now...... WE ARE FEELING LOVED!!   AWESOME... AWESOME... AWESOME... AWESOME!  Thank you again to THE ICE MAN, his crew, the friends, the family.... the families that came out there to support... Macedonia Baptist Church, my homies! Sherri Jo.... THANK YOU... thank you for wanting this for my boy.... for your love and support!!  I am truly blessed to have such an awesome community come together for MY son.... Alex Ross OUR HERO!  It was really nice to get out today... get some good ole vitamin D... Lord knows I need it being couped up in the hospital for the past 45 days!  I still am in awe of the turnout today... it just blows me away and I am touched by the many many people who came up and introduced themselves and just encouraged me to continue blogging.  To continue blogging even after Alex gets well... to just write about whatever, lol!  What a great day I had just being in the presence of all of you and hearing all the encouraging words and blessings for Alex that you bestowed upon me.  THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT!  I got blue hair extensions, my face painted, had a hot dog, chips and a coke... went down the slide... HAD A GREAT TIME!  Alex would have been doing back flips down the slide, standing on the boogie boards snow boarding and surely trying to flip at the end!  I couldn't wait to get back and share all of my stories with Alex... of course he can't wait to get home so we can do it again, lol!  Again... thank you all so very very much from the bottom of my heart for what turned out to be a supercalifragilisticexpealadocious day!!!  Oooooorrrr as I like to say when I'm having a great day... it was a "BIG MAC" day!!

Once I got back to the hospital we had two sweet little visitors.... two of his nurses from Shands... Miss Lori and Miss Melissa!  THANK YOU for taking time out of your busy day to come for a visit!  WE SURELY MISS YOU HERE!  I love how Alex was winking and blowing you kisses when you left... what a ladies man!

Alex has been wanting Chad's Chicken Alfredo and we got the ok from Miss Nicole, his speech therapist to go for it.  Chad went home and cooked it all up after the benefit today and brought up two huge pots of it and Alex actually sat in his chair in the rec room and had dinner with our "family" tonight!  And he showed off and FED HIMSELF!!  It was almost like having the old Alex around... just hanging out... laughing... you know he was putting on a show for all of us!  He still has that same old spark and wit that was there before this all happened.  I was trying to get him to tell everyone what he calls his physical therapist.... her name is Jennifer.. she goes by Jenny... but in order to get him to remember each person... I try to relate something to that person that he can remember more easily.  Soooo , I came up with Forest Gump and he could refer to her as Jennnnaaaaaay.... lol.  I thought that's what he was going to tell everyone.... WRONG... .. so let's start over... "Alex, tell them what you call your physical therapist"..... Alex says.... "My Boo" ... hahahahahaha!  He  cracks me up!  Just like the other day... I forgot to share this... this will make you laugh!  We are going to speech therapy down the hall and this other guy, probably 25-28ish, is in a wheel chair... both legs are in a cast....comes out of one of the rooms and takes a look at Alex, who is dressed in Gator PJ pants, Gator Thermal shirt, Gator Socks with his Gator Helmet, and the guy says... "Gators... the Gators suck".... Alex being of sound mind and body... quickly raises his hand and SHOOTS HIM THE BIRD!!  All you Gator fans will appreciate that! hahahahahahaha!

Today was a great day.... It's 12:44am and I could probably type all night because that's the kind of mood I am in right now.... however... my sister has to catch a plane at 6:30am...which means we have to be there by 5:30am...which means... I BETTA GET TO BED!  Kristen...  I LOVE YOU!!  I will miss you dearly little sister..... it won't be the same without you... I have enjoyed having you here and you know the visit was too short so you have to hurry back!  He will be walking and talking next time we see you!!  LEAPS AND BOUNDS!

Thank you all ... a million times over for the great love and support you have all shown me not only today, but every day since this has happened to me and my family!  Alex is my superman... my hero... and he won't let you guys down!  God has great plans for him and I'm excited to see what's in store!!

TOMORROW is another big day for Alex...

BOWLING at CASSAT BATT BOWL on Cassat Ave from 11-2.  Can't wait to see ya'll there... wow.. 2 days OUT in a row... Getting kinda crazy around here!!!  Looking forward to some more bonding time with all of you.... see you soon......

ORANGE PARK GOLF TOURNAMENT... Chad will be attending that... meeeeeee.. not so much, lol!  Until I can learn the sport... I shall stick to bowling :0)  Thank you Jarred and Randy Garcia for putting this event together and loving our family enough to take time out of your day and away from your family time for us!  GOD BLESS YOU!  To all those playing... watch out for Chad... he hasn't picked up his golf clubs in FOREVER so who knows where his balls will be going, hahahahaha!  Sincerely though... thank you to all who are participating in that as well... YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

SNOW DAY IN JACKSONVILLE TODAY.... CAN'T WAIT!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ARE INVOLVED!

I am excited about attending this today!  I was in big hopes that Alex would be able to come with me but he just isn't well enough to be transported without nursing care just yet.  I promise to represent "superman" the best I can!!  Hope to see you there!

I met a new friend last night her name is Sherry.  I have seen her around here with her grandson Kameron Crumpton, 3 years old, who is a patient here.  He is in a wheel chair with a halo and is just the cutest little thing ever.  I wondered what had happened to him and I am compelled to tell you his story and have my prayer warriors get busy and pray for him... his father.... his grandmother and their family.  Please click on the link below to read about their miracle child KAMERON!

http://www.lex18.com/news/childs-condition-remains-critical-after-lincoln-co-crash/

This little boy lost his mother and 4 year old brother in a car accident in Kentucky on December 2, 2009.  He was the only survivor.....ANOTHER MIRACLE OF GOD!  He lived in KY with his mother, brother, her fiancee' and their little baby sister.  His father is from Jacksonville and he was transported here from KY.  His grandmother has had to quit her job so that she can be here with him 24-7 during the week while his dad works and then his dad stays here on the weekends with him.  In ALL that I have been thru... I feel this family has it so much worse than me!  Just when I think it couldn't get any worse..... I then am reminded...IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE.  I am so very thankful for the love and support of my family, friends and community because this family has nothing.  They do not have any of the resources I have nor do they have any outreach of the community as I do and I am TRULY BLESSED at the outpour of the love this community has shown me!  

Please pray for Kameron and if anyone has any ideas on how to help this family out or would like to make a donation.... please let me know and I will get the family's information.

Again... thank you to all who are participating in the Snow Day today!!  WE LOVE YA'LL!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

FRIDAY FUNDAY!

Today was a funny day with Alex with all his little tricks and pranks on his therapists!  Auntie Dar, Madison, Logan, Uncle Mark, Auntie Sherry, Uncle Pete, Brooklyn, Gus and Lou sent us an awesome care package with great fun gifts for Alex!!  In our package was an "Electronic Whoopie Cushion" that we have been having a blast with!  We tested it on our nurses last night and brought them to tears laughing once it was revealed that he was pulling a joke on them!  This afternoon we tried it out on our therapists and it was a hoot!  He has even come up with a "fart" face and lifts his leg.... here is his face...hahahahha

Today was mainly a fun day as Alex got a little dizzy this afternoon after working out so hard in occupational therapy so we had to take a break.  Once our break was over it was off to speech therapy.  Once in speech therapy of course he pulled the ole "fart" trick and she fell for it, hahahaha.  She told him .. "you are in a room full of ladies what do you say?"... he said "excuse me".  Too cute!  He then pressed the button again and she finally caught on.. he had us cracking up because he was lifting his leg up and letting them rip from the machine... hahahahaha.  He was soooo funny!  So Miss Nicole decided to do something fun and they played hang man.  This is where the fun really began! He went first and put the blanks for the word and it was a movie... two blanks... ET....and she got it..... the next was a car... the word was Corolla... how funny... and she did get it.....next it was her turn to put the blanks and let Alex guess.... it was a sport....naturally his first three letters were "b" "a" "l"  so...he guessed the first letter... no go... he guessed another letter, again no go... he called her a liar...lol.  Next letter he guessed it was a no go... he again calls her a liar.. now we are laughing... he guesses again and it was a no go.... he again calls her a liar... we are dying laughing now!  She kept saying every time..." I am not lying" and then she gave him hints like "it is a sport and it is played in the winter"....he guessed an "o" and so he had one letter... after the hints she kept giving he finally guessed HOCKEY.  Well Mr. Alex was so frustrated.... he was going to show her!!  So he wanted her to have to guess his word ... it was a SPORT.... she guessed a letter, no go ... so he marked an x... she guessed another letter... no go.... so he marked an x... she guessed another letter... no go so he marked an x.... fourth time... she guessed a letter... no go... he takes the marker and marks a HUGE X on the board... it was the funniest thing ever! She said "Well you don't have to get all attitude on me", lol!!!  If you have ever played a game against Alex... board game, basketball, cork ball... madden... you know how competitive he is and refuses to LOSE... in fact .. when he plays madden against Nick or Brooks and he is losing... he will roll off the bed or act like he tripped and "accidentally" turn the game system off.... hahahahaaha... typical Alex.  Any who... Alex was going to fix her with a word that she wouldn't guess... lol!  She finally got a letter "E"....  the next guess was a no go... finally he told her "no more guesses".... "I WIN".... hahahahahahaha... we were crying we were laughing so hard.  Anyone want to guess what his sport was? The second to last letter was the "e".  The word has 7 letters :0)

THANK YOU GOD FOR SAVING MY ALEX....he is still in there!! See his big X below... too funny!!!  

This weekend will be relaxed with maybe one therapy tomorrow and one on Sunday.  When we asked Alex what he wanted to do this weekend... his response was "SLEEP"!!!

I will probably only blog once sat night and once sunday night... I plan on making an appearance at the Snow Day tomorrow and I can't wait!  I tried really hard to be able to get Alex to go but I haven't had Trach Care CPR so I am not able to sign him out... sorry guys!  

If something exciting happens or if Alex does anything I deem fantastical.... I will surely get on here and let you all know!

Have a great weekend... if you can get out to the snow day... don't just go for Alex... go for your family!  Spend time with the kiddies... play in the snow... whether they are 2 or 25... take the time...Live for Today... I will be there playing with my other two and they are 13 and 20!!!

love ya'll

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!!

Lisa