GOING HOME ON FRIDAY!! BITTERSWEET!

So we had our visit today with Dr. Vitarbo and we won't be transitioning straight to Shands.  After examining Alex's incision, we want what is the best possible scenario for Alex and that would be to let his scalp heal a little longer so that once the fabricated piece is put into place, the skin will allow enough room to pull over it.  What we don't want to happen is to go in too soon and have to have ANOTHER couple of surgeries... I want this to be the LAST and hopefully it will!  I am excited that my family will be put back together and scared at the same time because of all the help I have here that will not be there.  For example... Randi and I do alot here, don't get me wrong... there is no DOWN time here but I also don't have to keep after a 1900 sq ft house, do laundry and cook for 4 people, shower Alex, and if I don't feel like doing something or if he aggravates me... I just ask the nurses to do it!  Not so much at home :0/  And if he doesn't like me that day....well that just makes it a little harder to accomplish the task at hand.  We have alot of things to be done to get ready for Alex to be able to maneuver in the home... and now that we only have a couple of days before going home....well its just not all going to get done...even though Chad has been checking into things and trying to tie up the loose ends.  Ramps, carpet ripped up, bathroom made accessible, bed rail, visual baby monitor, hand held shower head extension, bars in tub, gripper things for tub, pull ups, groceries, christmas tree taken down (yes my tree is still up with all the christmas trimmings to boot, lol).... and I am sure there are things that I am not even thinking of right now that I will need!  Diving right in and hoping I don't sink!  It's a whole new world for us at home... and I'm sure there will be days when I want to give up....but you know what.... I WILL CONTINUOUSLY TAKE MYSELF BACK TO DAY ONE.... and it ALWAYS ALWAYS gives me the strength knowing that God has my back!  Tomorrow is really his last day of therapy here at Brooks.... Friday is just a formality of signing papers and heading out.  I told him that I needed him to make it his best day ever here tomorrow and give it 110%.  I have my weekly meeting with the  doctors and case manager tomorrow so I will know more about the out patient therapy and day program and I will fill you all in on what is yet to come.  I think Randi and I have decided that if he has therapy every day from 9-3 then we will just head to the beach while he is in class, lol!  I think we have deserved some down time ha!  Alex has a cat scan scheduled for April 12th and once Vitarbo see's the results she will schedule his surgery for the end of April sometime.  I told her that we have a Faith Hill/Tim McGraw concert to go to so we need to be up and running for that, lol!  She also gave the ok for Dr. Beck to begin the laser treatment necessary on his scar tissue so that maybe we can start capping and then while in surgery maybe just take all that out together....YES!  Put in favors to see if we can get this G-Tube out of him before we leave here because it is nothing but something else for him to obsess over.  At this stage of his recovery he is a little OCD... just what I need... NOT!  ADHD and OCD..... should make me OOMM... out of my mind or CCFCCP.... coo coo for cocoa puffs! LOL!

We got out tonight to go and see "THE LAST SONG" ... probably not the best movie for me to see in my current state of mind...HOWEVER.... it sooo goes along with what I always tell you.... LIVE FOR TODAY... do not take your blessings for granted.... love,hug and kiss those babies no matter if they are 2 or 20!  If you don't say "I love you" every day... START!  One second, one phone call can change your life forever and we are never promised tomorrow!  Take time each day to thank God for one or more blessings in your life....and if you can't think of anything... thank him for bringing Alex into your lives and for keeping him in mine!  I can't thank all of you enough for your continued support and this community is amazing and I am in awe that we still have this many wonderful people in the world .... Jacksonville ... you are awesome!  Heck... I shouldn't stop there because I receive emails and mail from Washington State, California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Mississippi, Louisiana... Iraq, England, Italy, Spain... Alex Michael has touched people ALL OVER THE WORLD.... how crazy is that?!  He still hasn't quite grasped the concept of all of it... I can't wait till he does!  Please pray for me and my family.... we still have a very long road ahead of us.  Pray for the "tone" in Alex's body to subside so that in continuing his day program he may be able to gain some ground with the walking and use of his left arm/hand.  The movement is there... he just has to fight the tone to accomplish it and right now it's too much to overcome.  His leg is in alot of pain these days... you can barely touch his foot/leg without him complaining and saying "ow".  So just pray.... I feel it is so close to him being able to walk... it's right around the corner... He is determined he will and for some reason he has April 20th in his head so I guess we shall wait and see!  The mind is a funny thing ya know!

RECENT GOOGLES

Adam Walsh Act
Lighting Farts
Bed Sores
Brusha Brusha Brusha song from Grease (slumber party where she is brushing teeth)
Midget fighting

Signing off.... will give you more 411 after I speak with the docs tomorrow.  I have many requests to continue to blog once I get out of here and don't you worry.... I surely will be!  I gotta let all this out somewhere lol!

thanks again for all the continued encouraging emails... I LOVE THEM and need them on a daily basis.

Till tomorrow... THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP~

Lisa

BIRTHDAY BOY!

What an emotional day for me today!  A very thankful happy emotional day!  WOW!  3 hours to making it 83 days later to his 17th birthday!  THANK YOU GOD!!  How awesome is today and every day that he lives and breathes!!  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU GOD!  Today was a supercalifragilisticexpealadocious day!!  Soooo in awe that my boy is still here today and recovering so well from what the doctors said he would not survive!  God you are awesome and I am very very thankful to have you in my life performing miracles daily in my son's life. Tomorrow is a big day for us... please say some prayers for our visit to Vitarbo and hope that she can schedule his surgery tomorrow for thursday or friday!

He had a great birthday today..... surprise lunch visit from some jaguar players.... GREAT GREAT VISIT!  Laughter, smiles, jokes..... those who know Alex... you know what a "ham" he can be and he hammed it up today!!  He was just hanging out with his buddies .... telling jokes.... laughing... amazing to see his little crooked smile and his face light up the way it does!!

THEY ARE FIST PUMPING, LOL!

Our awesome friend Ryan who makes this all possible!

THANK YOU!!

Tonight we were able to check him out and go to his favorite restaurant for the BDAY DINNER... Okinawa at the Roosevelt Mall on 17... Weeeesssssssstsiiiiiiiiiiiiiide, lol!  Tonight was also jokes and smiles again... just like the old days!  

BROOOOOWWWWWNNNNIIIIEEEEESSSS! 

 (Alex's famous brownie face that he came up with, lol)

THE DILLARD GANG

THE SOPKOWIAK GANG

 

Alex calls her... "Carly the Cop.. My Boo"

Today I felt like Alex was back to his old self!  Tomorrow that may change lol.  Today he loved me and Randi and it was a fantastic day!  He ate sushi and then steak and shrimp and said he really enjoyed his birthday today!  He is passed out cold and has been since just before 9:00 pm... he had a ball today hanging out with his new friends... Atiyyah Ellison #99, Daryl Smith # 52, Clint Ingram #51, Cecil Newton #64 and Julius Williams #90... Thank you guys so much for coming and surprising him on his birthday and for taking his mind off of his daily grind.  He really really enjoyed just hanging out and he can't wait to come hang out at the stadium!  YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME and I can't thank you enough for just bringing a smile to my handsome boys face!  That is few and far between these days so I welcome the ray of sunshine that you brought into his room today....again... thank you so very much for taking time out of your busy day to see Alex.

Tomorrow is our big dr visit.... please say a quick prayer tomorrow that all goes well and we can schedule the surgery.  Hope you enjoy our pics as much as I enjoy looking at them.... Alex is slowly coming around to being his same old crazy little firecracker self that he always was and today it was awesome to see the light in his eyes.  Lord I pray that tomorrow we find him the same way.... as I never know which Alex I am going to get from one day to the next!

RECENT GOOGLES"

TAPEWORM... again

the human tongue

guido's

who invented sexual intercourse

dj tiesto

And I must share this because he had us cracking up... spicy little buggar he is... asked Angie the other day if she wanted to share his brownie "Lady and the Tramp style".... hahahahahha.  He always gives Ronnie heck about how he is going to steal her away from him because he is almost legal now and he better watch out... even calls Ronnie, "Rodney" sometimes to get his goat, lol!  There is no filter on my child and the things that come out of his mouth never cease to amaze me!  Angie and Ronnie are the family that Brooks is staying with for those of you who don't know them :0)

Signing off to get some sleep.... 

PEACE ~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!

Lisa

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS LOL!

Alex woke today with quite a lot of tone in his left side today and has had a headache all day today for some reason.  He tested me at lunch today when he asked me to flush his g-tube..... which when he eats.... food from his stomach that he has eaten comes up into the tube, looks grosse and he just wants it flushed back into his stomach.  Well when you open the top of the tube, it smells like throw up...and guess what... YUP... you guessed it... he took the tube and dumped it on himself... NICE!!  He thinks he is hurting me or bothering me when he does this.... well... I had enough and told him he better call the nurse to clean him up... I was leaving and not cleaning him up.... as he thought I would... and WE LEFT, lol.  I had to take some of his clothes back that I bought him because "roley poley" here.. can NO longer wear size 16!  For his party he had to wear his new white shorts unzipped,lol... you couldn't tell because we pulled his shirt over them but I couldn't even come close to getting them zipped let alone buttoned lol!  Well... as soon as I got back and up the stairs... no longer had i been here when Nick called , he was on his way home and his tire blew out somewhere on 301 in the middle of nowhere!  First thing I said was... Lord please watch over Nick until I can get there.  He tried to change the tire but the jack was only sinking into the dirt and not lifting the car so He decided he was going to try to drive it to the nearest store, place or whatever he could find and try to get it fixed.  He calls 5 minutes later... donut is on the car and he is headed my way... whew ok great!  I was already on my way to meet him but ok, I'll turn around.  No sooner had I got back to the parking lot, he called again because now his passenger door wasnt closing, the latch was broken and it wouldn't even close at all! Oh yeah, and the donut is FLAT!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?    WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS! That's all I need is for some crazy to pick him up or stop at his car in the middle of nowhere and he was by himself!  Soooooo, here I go.. Mom to the rescue!  Randi stayed here, I picked up Poppa Dillard and we headed to save Nick!  I don't have enough on my plate as it is... now I am worrying about Nick being safe, thankful he was ok and didn't wreck when the tread blew off of the car.....worried that Alex will be mean to Randi while I am gone.... not wanting to leave but wanting to leave all in the same breath..... why can't I just be a genie and make it all better with the blink of my eye or snap of my fingers, lol?  Orrrr, maybe we can clone me and I can be with all three of my boys and husband at the same time... yeah that's it!  We drive thru stark and realize that we passed a tire place, turn around.... they have a tire, but no rim.  Well we can't show up with a tire and no rim because we have no way to get the tire on his rim of his car!  Guy tells us to go to WalMart ...ok... cool ... they have tire & lube express.... maybe if they don't have a rim, ATLEAST they will have a donut that we can put on the car right? WRONG!  They have tire, no rim, no donut tire. No Good! Ok God.... are you testing me again, lol?  You threw me for a loop yesterday, you could atleast take it easy on me today, haha!  The guy sends us across the street to some tractor tire place... yes... I said tractor tire place, lol.  What the heck.. at this point we will try anything!  Guy has nothing for us...thank you very much and have a nice day! NOT!  Soooo at this point... we decided just to head to Nick and we will asses the situation when we get there because we were having NO luck with getting a tire before hand!  We finally get to Nick about 6:30... 2 hours later when he was only like an hour away  poor thing.... his tire is still full but all of the tread is completely gone... THANK YOU GOD for keeping him safe with no accident involved because it could have been ugly!  We follow Nick to WalMart and get the tire changed out... $.150 later we are on our way back to Jacksonville.... Nick is home for Alex's 17th birthday!  HAPPY HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY SWEET HANDSOME BOY!  We get to sign him out for dinner tomorrow... well today being it is 12:09am!  Taking him to his favorite restaurant with the family and he is looking forward to eating... IMAGINE THAT, HA!  Randi and I have to start packing up this room... we will need a UHAUL to get all this stuff home lol!

Sorry not much info on Alex today.... Nick just so happened to be today's focus, lol! Always an adventure in our family and never a dull moment!

Randi tells me that I get to learn to walk with alex and he quad cane today.... should be interesting lol.  signing off for some much needed sleep as I was so wound up yesterday with all my drama that I didn't get to sleep till 2am and Alex was up at 7!  I am tired :0/

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!

Lisa

STRESSFUL DOESN'T EVEN COVER IT!

WOW!  I don't even know where to begin on what was supposed to be an awesome family day that we have looked forward to for so long!  Alex went to sleep last night at 1:00am if that gives you a clue as to how our day started!  He woke up at 7am because he had to go to the bathroom.  Well we took care of that bedside so I was hoping he would go right back to sleep... well then I had to fix his leg, get his breakfast... Randi got up at 7:30 so that I could go back to sleep for a bit... he finally fell back asleep till 9:50 and then I had to get him up so we could get ready to get outta here.  Well once he was awake... he wanted to be dressed, in his chair and out... Randi and I had to throw on our clothes, brush our teeth and head out.  We got to the jeep, he wanted to ride in the front so he could recline.  That's when the hell began!  Suddenly the child in the front seat with me was not Alex Michael but I believe he was Rocky's evil twin!  As we are on the interstate just crossed over Emerson, Evil twin decides to open his door as I was going 70 on the interstate and the doors were NOT locked.  YES... I SAID NOT LOCKED AND HIS DOOR FLEW OPEN!  I forget I am dealing with the mind of a 5 year old sometimes!  I had to pull over... I am freaking out, yelling like an insane person.... "Alex, why would you do that?"... "You know better...are you crazy?" "Do you know what could have happened to you?" and so on and so on!  His response " I wasn't trying to open the door, I thought it was locked... I wasn't going to fall out anyways, I had a seat belt on"....WHAT THE FRENCH TOAST???  OMG... Randi and I were freaking out... I couldn't get out and shut the door, cars were coming fast on 95 and I didn't want to get hit but I couldn't reach the door from my side to close it.  Randi had all kinds of crap in the backseat she had to climb over to the right to get out and shut his door.... ADRENALINE RUSH MUCH?  So then we get back on the highway and EVIL TWIN starts trying to move gear shift from drive to neutral and trying to grab the steering wheel saying..." I can't reach it... see" ... as he grabs it!  So I was trying to hold his right hand, while driving, as he is digging his nails into my wrists and hands and trying to bite me... so Randi is now trying to grab his hand so I can drive and he is trying to do the same to her.... WHERE IS MY KID ALEX?  WHO IS THIS IN THE FRONT SEAT?  He is trying to spit on us, bite us, spit what he calls Trach Boogers on us.... coughing them up and then trying to get loose to wipe them on us... just OUTTA CONTROL!  The only thing he DID NOT do was make his head spin and throw up on us!  This went on for the entire ride home... which consisted of 25-30 minutes... we were in what I would easily define as hell!  The sweet loving jovial Alex we had for Friday and Saturday was gone and we had someone I do not know!  Sarah was coming over to bring us our new puppy and I had to threaten they would not be coming unless I saw an attitude change in 2 seconds.  His response..." One one thousand"..."Two one thousand"... "ok, it's been changed"!  "I'm sorry mom, ok I will be good now".  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Well that lasted all of 5 seconds because he then turned to Randi and said "Get outta my face, I can feel you breathing on me with your nose from the back seat"....WHO ARE YOU KID?  My heart was pumping so fast and I was soooo stressed out that entire car ride home that I couldn't wait to get to the house and outta that car..... away from him so I could calm down!  Out the car, into the wheel chair... up to the house.... FIRST CHANGE to be made...NO RAMP... "Mom, why are you throwing me all over the place, dang.... just get me in the house"..."You don't have to kill me before we get in the house".... and so on and so on because I bumped the wheelchair a couple of times trying to get him in and over the step into the house. 2ND CHANGE, carpet has to be ripped up.... he cannot navigate at all on the carpet and I cannot have him dependent on me 100% or he will never recover as he should....... Into the house... "I want to lay in my bed".... YOU GOT IT!.... Into his room, out of wheelchair... onto his bed.... 3RD CHANGE... Bedrails for sure!  As I just get him into his bed... I receive a text.... as I am reading the text... a phone call.... both in regards to feelings being hurt that they were not invited to the birthday party!  This is where my day really went south and ruined my supposed to be awesome day with my family after being gone for 81 days!  I can't even begin to explain the emotion at that point what I was feeling and really just disbelief of what I was reading and hearing!  First off let me say this..... for anyone who is feeling left out or upset that you were not invited.... if you read my blog... go back to where I say that the psychologist made me give visitor control over to Alex.  Alex decides on a DAILY basis who can and can not visit him.... I have NO CONTROL over that.  Alex had FULL CONTROL over his birthday list.  I made a list of people and he, Randi and I went thru it and he said yes or no.  This party was for ALEX... not me, not you...not my family... ALEX.  I had family members that were NOT invited that DID NOT take it personally nor did they call me and ask questions.    We are dealing with a BRAIN INJURY.... not Alex.... the Alex we all know and love is not FULLY HERE right now.  Yes he is miraculously recovering at superman speed but what you may not understand is that he is NOT fully recovered and we still have a very very long way to go! Anyone who visits gets 30 minutes to an hour.....you may see a glimpse of the real Alex but for a second.   Anyone who truly knows Alex knows that he does NOT curse in front of me, whether he does with friends or not... he would never do it in front of me.... those of you who truly know Alex... he is 98% of the time very respectful to me and other adults ie. his Aunt Randi and those who truly know Alex know that some of what comes out of his mouth would be filtered!  My point... he is not fully recovered and I cannot control his thoughts, words, feelings or expressions at this point. He has a brain injury and no matter how great he looks on the outside... there is alot GONE on the inside!  Most of the right side of his brain is GONE.... some of the left side is GONE due to a stroke.... To think that I maliciously left anyone out or am keeping someone deprived from seeing him is to say the least ....astonishing!  I have opened up my WHOLE WORLD to the public and let everyone in on good days and bad days.... everything I do is for ALEX and noone else.  ALEX IS MY MAIN FOCUS and that's where it is going to stay.  If anyone has a question as to why they were not invited then you will have to take that up with Alex when he is fully recovered.  I wish I could have invited EVERYONE that has been supportive thus far.... there are soooo many of you... behind the scenes.... meals, cards, money, emails, gifts.... etc.  It's just not possible at this point and that is what the homecoming party is for!  Yes, I know I said that the party was limited and believe it or not... it was!  It was limited to who ALEX wanted there, plain and simple.  He may want you to visit on Monday and by the time you get here decide that he does not ... that's the only way I know how to explain it so that you can understand it.  We go from A-Z in a matter of seconds and he loves me one day and hates me the next!  If you ask to come visit and I tell you today isn't a good day.... it really isn't a good day and I am saving you from the EVIL TWIN that he can be.  He hurts me and Randi's feelings everyday... we know how to take it... I am afraid you won't.  I have enough stress to deal with besides worrying about if he is going to hurt your feelings or say some off the wall crap that I can't control.  If you love Alex.... I just ask that you understand and be patient.  I know it's hard.... I know soooo many people want to see him and be a part of the big picture.... right now it just can't be that way.  Alot of you have been there from day one when this happened... I sooooo appreciate the love and support and all you have done.... what you don't realize is that ALEX doesn't realize all what you have done and honestly doesn't care. He remembers NOTHING from Shands... he has no idea who has been here and who hasn't... he only goes by what we tell him.  Even then, it doesn't register what all everyone has done for him.  Until he fully recovers.... he won't and for that I am sorry.  Randi and I are here 24-7 and he appreciates NOTHING we do so maybe that can put things into perspective for you.  Again.... he hates me and Randi half the time.... you followers only get 10% of what goes on here on a 24-7 basis.  YOU HAVE NOOOO IDEA!  NONE!  My job is a THANKLESS job as is Randi's.  We don't get any gold medals for doing this and he doesn't want us here most of the time. So PLEASE do NOT let your feelings be hurt if you did not get to come to this birthday party.... truth be known....you probably didn't come to last years either.  If Alex could have had his way with me and Randi.... we wouldn't have been allowed either, lol!  The homecoming party is what you want to be at... when he is of right mind... can appreciate all you have done for him and realize the extent of it.  The Alex that is here today is NOT the Alex you remember, trust me.  I have said this before and I will say it again... I AM DOING THE BEST I KNOW HOW.  There is no book on this.... right way or wrong way.... I am taking it one day at a time, living for THAT DAY..... that precious day that I get one more of.... with my handsome boy.  I am physically and emotionally drained after today....please understand the stress that I am under with what I have been dealing with for the past 81 days.  I am doing what is best for Alex and his recovery.  Walk a day in my shoes.  Put yourself in my position and then ask yourself what you would do... how you would react..... what you would say.... YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS..... every second of every minute of every hour is a NIGHTMARE!  There are good moments and funny stories... but the reality of it all..... A PARENT'S WORST NIGHTMARE and noone should question me on any of this.... especially because you didn't get invited to a birthday party. Needless to say, my day home much of it was spent crying with Alex questioning why.  So be prepared because now... he really feels like he has a reason not to see you.

I give huge props to awesome hubby Chad.... he tried his damndest to make this the best possible day for Alex despite what was going on from the get go!  He prepared Alex's favorite... home made chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for breakfast and his famous chicken alfredo for lunch!  Alex had him hopping all day and he didn't sit down once, lol.  In between the pancakes and alfredo.... he asked for a pb& j sandwhich... soooo alex basically did what he said he would do and ATE the whole time he was there, ha ha.  THANK YOU CHAD... I LOVE YOU AND APPRECIATE ALL YOU DID TODAY FOR ALEX!  He really enjoyed his feast today and you know food is his passion right now!

Sarah and Shelley brought our new addition, SUGAR, who is adorable, half malty pooh and half tea cup yorkie and I can't wait till we are all home for good!  She is precious and just the sugar that I needed to brighten my day.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU... we can't wait to have her for good!

All in all a very stressful day with feeling like IIIIII hurt someone's feelings or upset them because of a birthday party they were not invited to.  I had a HUGE wake up call today and an overwhelming reality check..... my boy may NOT be walking outta here.  Tears now pouring as I write this because as positive as I try to stay... it is a realization I have to come to!  My house IS NOT ready for Alex in a wheelchair and here comes another stress load and a whole new ball game for me.  I am scared... I am worried... I don't know what I will do when Randi goes home of which is drawing near at the end of the month!  I feel like I need a part time nurse, cook, maid etc.  I don't have to cook here, do laundry or take care of Alex's medical needs ie. trach, gtube, bath etc..... I am exhausted NOW... how in the heck am I EVER going to be able to do this on a daily basis BY MYSELF???  My BRAND NEW HOUSE has to be revamped.... bathroom doors changed...carpet ripped up... bedrails... monitoring system so that I can hear him in his room from my room.... heck, who am I kidding... you know my behind will be sleeping with him, lol.  STRESS....STRESS AND MORE STRESS.... ON TOP OF.... His 3rd brain surgery possibly this week!  I remember how draining the last surgery was that lasted almost 5-6 hours..... some of the longest hours of my life... to have to sit thru another brain surgery again makes me want to admit myself to the coo coo ward right now!!  Even though I know this is a routine cranioplasty.... still nonetheless... ANOTHER BRAIN SURGERY on my handsome boy whose hair is growing back so nicely only to shave it off again!  I have to pack up this room as we are outta here no matter what on Friday....whether we go directly to Shands or home first and then surgery next week.... CHANGE IS COMING.... my comfort zone about to demolish and patience to be tested.... along with my faith.  Sooo if you are having a bad day.... think of me... think of what Alex, Randi and I go thru on a daily basis.... what is yet to come and the challenges we are now facing.  You think you have it bad?  Maybe it's not so bad after all....  I would gladly change places with any of you for one second to have my life back!  

Lord, I am weak right now... Satan is attacking me left and right in more ways than one.  Me, You and Alex... we stand strong in our armour.... together we will conquer all of the obstacles still standing in our way.  I know that you have a plan for us... I do NOT DOUBT that for one second.  We have come so far in such a short time of which is in your hands and on your time schedule.  Alex has made remarkable recovery and I am so very very thankful that you made this possible.  I ask that you wrap your arms around us.... give me the strength and determination along with Alex to get thru these next few weeks that we will be tested.  Make our transitions easy and painless.  I pray that you make Dr. Vitarbo's schedule available to operate on April 1st or 2nd so that we can go from Brooks to Shands and then home.  I pray that you are guiding her hands when she performs that surgery and trust that you have gotten us this far that you will only continue to bless us by making his recovery a speedy one.  I pray that you give Alex the determination to be strong this week and miraculously WALK if it be your plan..... at least with a cane to where only minor modifications need to be made on my house.  I ask that you plant a sweet spirit within him so that our days are more pleasant than most.  Let your light shine thru me.... to reflect on Alex.... we are your vessels and I know that we got this beat!  THANK YOU GOD..... THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!  Thank you for your many many blessings that I may take for granted on a daily basis but know in my heart that I know you are responsible for those blessings and that I give you all the glory, honor and praise!  IN JESUS NAME I PRAY.... AAAAAAAAAAAAMEN!

I do want to take a minute and thank each and everyone of you again for the thoughtful support, generosity and love that sooo many of you continue to pour over my family.  The prayers and encouragement are food for my soul and keep me sane.  Words cannot express how thankful I am nor are there any words great enough to explain it.  Please know that nothing goes unnoticed and every deed is noted..... Alex will fully recover and one day will understand it and appreciate it as much as we do.  Until then, please be patient, try to understand what he is going thru... GOOGLE BRAIN INJURY, lol... that's what he would do!  I love ya'll and again am truly sorry if anyone is offended or feels left out... I can assure you it isn't intentional and you should not take it personal.  I have alot on my plate and don't know if I am coming or going.  My family is in a million different directions and I haven't been home in 80 days until today... day 81.  I pray that you can have some compassion and see the whole big picture of things...... IT'S ALL ABOUT ALEX!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!

Lisa

WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

Randi, Alex, Me :0)

What a FANTASTIC DAY!!  What a great party!!!  Alex had an awesome party and it was soooo awesome to see him hanging with his friends just like the good ole days!

Trevor, Colby, Timothy, Dax, Little Terry, Casey, Charles, Sammy, Brooks Skylar

Alex.  Thanks boys for still being there after all these years!

Childhood friends.... Skylar, Charles, Colby, Alex, Trevor and Timothy!  Great to see you all sitting around hanging out like the good ole days!  THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT TODAY!

How awesome that Jag Cheerleaders showed up to surprise Alex!  THANKS GIRLS!

I knew Rich was coming but Alex didn't!  Another great surprise for him!!  He also bought him the new Jordan's that just came out today, as did Kinlin and Brandon!  WOW!  Rich n Alex  look so cute sitting side by side..... Alex is Rich's "Mini Me" lol!  Thank you Rich for taking the time to hang out with Alex.... you mean the world to him and it means the world to me that you took the time to come to his party!  LOVE YA'LL!!

Our personal photographer as alex calls her "PP"....always takes them but never gets in them... so glad we have this of you Miss Rhonda!  THANK YOU for giving us the gift of memories by taking all the pics tonight!  YOU ROCK!

Alex's cake.... HE IS OUR HERO and I thank GOD for making it possible for us to celebrate his 17th birthday as he deserves the honor and glory for that TODAY!  THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!  I get teary eyed just thinking that things could have turned out differently but my sweet savior gave us another chance and today was one of the happiest days of my life!   To see him smiling and joking... interacting.... cruising around ...EATING lol... awesome awesome when I go back to day one and realize how lucky I am!  Alex has been a joy to be around the past two days.... maybe he is getting back to his old self again and we are finally over that hill of "that" stage.  The fact that he has been getting sleep could be helping matters out along with all of your prayers!  THANK YOU!

FUNNY THINGS WITH ALEX TODAY:

His conversation with Rocky ..... "Hey Marty, how are you today?" Marty says..." Well look a here... who is this kid... who is this...ooooooooh... yeah that kid... he looks good... unfortunately".hahaha." the police will be here at 8:00 tonight to talk to me about chocolate genitals" hahahahaha......and then said "when are you getting out of this hospibabbable? I think it will be about 34-40 years from now, yes thats what I think" lol... the rest we really couldn't make out, there is alot of gibberish in between.... just like the word hospital ...hospibabbable, ha!  What are we going to do without Rocky???  I enjoy our adventures with him!!!

He wants to meet Michael Jordan so bad and told Shelley to tell Mr. JB to BUY Michael Jordan so that he can make him come here and meet him, lol!  Gotta love Alex and what comes out of his mouth!

Googles for tonight:

ringworm

cauliflower

Obama

Mayans

SPECIAL THANK YOU>>>>>

A special thank you to whomever dropped off the Superman Balloons this am.... Kiersten... we loved your home made cards!!!  We do not know who you are .... there is no last name, address, phone number...etc but we want to thank you for thinking of Alex... WHAT A NICE SURPRISE!!!  

Sunday we go home for about 5 hours for a trial run to see how we do..... kinda scary because I know my house is NOT ready for Alex Michael wheeling around in that chair, lol!  He has his menu picked out for Chad as to his breakfast...( choc chip pancakes, biscuits n gravy and bacon)  lunch... blackened chicken alfredo then we come back to hospital.  He told me tonight " Mom, i just cant wait for ya'll to throw me in my bed, let me fall asleep till I wake up and then eat everything we have in the house" ha ha!  CRAZY KID!

Thanks so much to those that helped, cooked and cleaned today for Alex's day!  And thanks to our family and special friends that were able to be a part of his day.  I would have loved to have everyone I know there... but Alex had control of the list and we had to put a limit on it.  If you didn't get to come and you want to see Alex, please don't take it personal... just let me know and I will see what I can do to get you in :0)  Alex has a TON of friends trust me... I know this and I thank you all so much for all you have done... your love and your support! 

Gotta close for now, it's 1:30 and there is no telling when  Mr Alex will wake up! Ahhhhhh.  Will let you know how our visit home goes.... YAY... CAN'T WAIT!!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

FUN DAY WITH ALEX TODAY... THANK YOU GOD!

I must thank all of you my little prayer warriors.... I think your prayers are working!!!  Today has been an awesome day with Alex... he has been all smiles and jokes with us and on his best behavior!   He has had us  cracking up all day... in high spirits.... just ALOT of fun today!!  He even went outside and was shooting some hoops in the courtyard..... AWESOME DAY.... SOOOO THANK YOUUUUUU!  

Hanging out tonight... laughing and cutting up... Alex is actually having confessional tonight... LOL!  Like the good ole days!  Getting ready to watch "The Blindside"... Randi hasn't seen it yet.  Tomorrow is a big day, lots to do... can't wait!

Thanks to Denise and Jessica for contacting me and wanting to fundraise for Alex... YOU LADIES ARE AWESOME and we can't thank you enough!  Brian also notified me today that there will also be a fundraiser jar for Alex at the Outdoor Sportsman Fest tomorrow at the Diamond D Ranch....at the Hell Fighters Motorcycles Ministry table.  Thank you Blaine and Cindy!  Brian gave them some pictures of Alex to give away :0)

I ask that tonight you all send Somer's mom, Diena Thompson,  some prayers!  I am so thankful that an arrest has been made and even though this is probably the best news she has been wanting... I'm sure that this is bringing everything back and she is reliving that day ... especially having to speak to the media.  My heart aches for her because I can somewhat relate to what she is feeling although certainly not entirely.  Please lift her up in prayer... may she find peace and comfort in this crazy world and know that sweet Somer is in a much better place than this crazy world we live in today!  An angel on earth is an angel in heaven!!  As Alex was watching the news with us today at noon for the press conference... he looks at us and says... "what is wrong with people today?"... "why do people do the crazy things that they do?"..."  I just don't understand it" as he points to his concaved head!  God Bless you Diena Thompson... I pray that God wraps his arms around you and your family and that you find some peace in your heart knowing that justice will soon be served for your precious angel girl!  Prayer warriors.... get busy for this family... we got work to do!!

Have a great weekend.... remember my friends.... LIVE FOR TODAY.... don't take your blessings for granted and spend some quality time with your loved ones.  ONE PHONE CALL CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE...completely...and you can't get that back! Ask me.... Ask Diena Thompson!   If you are down in the dumps... missing something in your life...not walking with Christ.... get on your knees.... my friend J.C. can change your life and bring you a whole new outlook!  Put your faith in him... he won't disappoint!  And do me a favor.... just thank HIM one time for any special blessing in your life.... he doesn't get near the praise and honor he should!  We all liked to be called upon just because.... not necessarily every time someone needs something from us!  THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!  Thank you God for all of your many many blessings in my life that you continue to give me on a daily basis.  You are an awesome God and a miracle worker!  People are watching and seeing is believing... ALEX MICHAEL ROSS continues to amaze sooo many with his recovery!  His physical therapist from Shands, Rachel, came by to see him today and she was in awe of Alex and how amazing he looks and is doing.... watching him shoot hoops today from his chair...well... you could just see the sunshine in her eyes and the huge smile on her face to go with it!  Again... THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY.... I can't thank you enough!!

Signing off.... Blindside is on... Alex is asleep... quality time with the little sister, my angel! :0)

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!

Lisa

TWO NOTICES FROM ALEX'S FANS --- FUNDRAISERS

THANK YOU SO MUCH LADIES!!!

TOMORROW - SAT 27TH
A POSH PARTY

For details about Saturday's  A POSH PARTY see www.aposhparty.com

Thanks!

Denise Seigler 

_________________________________________

APRIL 24TH

Party at the Beach for Alex

 Jessica Skaggs  beach1320@yahoo.com

 

NEED SOME PRAYER WARRIORS TO THE RESCUE.......

Today was a good day considering our night!!  Alex didn't sleep at all today.... thinking at some point he would zonk out but did NOT!  Randi and I left around 1:30 to go and pick up some things for his party and got back around 3:30 and he was outside playing games with some of the other patients!  Everything was hunky dory we were hanging out watching him have fun and play some other gentlemen in a wheel chair and all of a sudden he calls our name and flicks us off!  And then keeps doing it.... and smirking about it behind the therapist's back... until I BUSTED him and told her.... then he pops out with the "C" word in front of everyone and I had enough... scooped him up.... ended the fun and headed upstairs!  In our meeting today with Dr. P.... we see his behavior has been regressing with the cursing and hatefulness so we are going to try some behavior modification to try and fix it!  I feel almost as if he does it because I have Rocky and Old Yeller doing it and he is thinking... well, if they can do it then so can I type of thing???  Very hard to discipline him under the current circumstances because at the same point that I am so angry and fed up with his attitude and want to punish him.... in the same instance I feel sorry for him and don't want to be mean!  Fine line.... stuck between a rock and a hard place but with the therapist and doc's recommendations... they seem to think that behavior modification is needed and some consequences need to be made when he continues to disobey and be disrespectful.  LORD GIVE ME STRENGTH to jump this hurdle, lol!  You just want to choke him and smother him with kisses at the same time!!  And again... having Rocky and Old Yeller in here acting out doesn't help my battle!

Sunday we get to take Alex home for the day ... sorta like a trial run!  To see how he gets around in the wheelchair.... how much assistance he will need.... if the wheelchair fits in the bathroom lol.... etc.  We just need to figure out what he might need once we go home!  I can't believe the end of our stay is almost near....  this should be verrrrrrrrrrry interesting lol!  We discussed out patient rehab and something that they call the "day program"..... out patient is a couple hours a week, a couple days a week.  The day program is like 9am-3pm of which I feel would be the best most extensive rehab for Alex... naturally insurance does NOT cover any of that.... not even a portion!  Best news is... it's only the small price of $ 300 a day..... basically $6,000 a month.... WOAHHHHH!  Hoping that the Traumatic Brain Injury group can maybe pick some of that up or there are grants or something so that I can get Alex the best possible rehab care that he needs to be back on track to his normal state!!  Please pray that all goes smoothly with the transition from here to Shands and then home.  Hoping that Dr. Vitarbo can schedule the surgery on the 1st or 2nd of April so that we can just move from here to Shands.  Trying to avoid the move from here, to home, to Shands, to home!  Pray that all the pieces to the puzzle fit together and that our transition goes well.  I ask that all my prayer warriors get together and pray for Chad as well as there is some restructuring going on at UPS and WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS to ensure he will still have a position.... a position here in jacksonville!  Alot of changes once again are headed our way and I am giving it to God ... he hasn't let me down this far so I'm thinking Chad will get a promotion.... Alex will be walking outta here....surgery will go great and we will be at Shand's the minimum stay.... and life will soon be back to what we once called NORMAL!  WOW!

Lord I pray that you give Alex some peace and comfort with that tone in his left side and that you hold his tongue and heal that part of his brain that doesn't filter what he says.  I ask that you ease his anger and frustration so that these last days here we can concentrate on walking and using that left arm and hand before we go home.  I ask that you heal him from the inside out from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.  Wrap your arms tightly tightly around him as we come to a close at this rehab facility because I am afraid that he won't get the intense rehab at outpatient that he gets here.  Give him the strength to push himself even harder than he has been so that we are walking side by side out of this place!  I ask this in Jesus Name... AMEN!!

They have increased his meds again to control the tone so maybe that will help this last week here!  We got the OK to take him out to dinner on Tuesday, his actual birthday so he has that to look forward to also! YAY!

Anxious for what is to come.... trusting in my Father that his plan is in effect.... looking for that RAINBOW in my sky!!  THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!

LOVE YA'LL!
PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

ps.... I got the call from Karen, Gabi's mom, the other day and they are MOVING TO JAX!  Pray for them too.... big changes in store for them as well!

2:30am I CURSED MYSELF!

Sooo Mr. Alex went to sleep at 7:10pm and is awake at 2:30am and we are up watching storm chasers and he has me googling super cell!!  WHAT THE FRENCH TOAST??  Today is going to be a long day.... I have fixed his leg 6-10 times, had to turn on his oxygen mask because he insists that his trach needs some humidity, changed him, gotten him some water to drink because his lips are dry.....he has pushed the nurses button 7 times and has me now googling mesocyclone because after reading about super cell thunderstorms that word is in the definition.  One question leads to another and another and another... and before you know it... we are on a totally different subject... my little "sponge" is soaking up tons of information!  He just told me to google "How to survive a tornado if you are in a ditch" and wants me to YOU TUBE "trach CPR".  Lord please just wrap your arms around him and make him sleepy so he can get some more rest before he has therapy this morning!  Now I am googling " Can you survive a tornado if you are in the Grand Canyon?"  We have now moved onto the subject of Sandra Bullock and why her husband cheated on her, lol!  I will just sit here and write whatever comes out of his mouth so you all can see how my morning has begun.... "why do they call it aftershave when it's basically just cologne... they should call it after and before shave"  Make that a note... when we get up to google "aftershave"...we are now watching the EARLY TODAY show... I had no idea they even had that!  "Mom... can you get skin cancer from tanning beds?"   "Robert Culp has died... who is he mom?"... I have no idea...he played in some movie... I Spy!  Now I have to google Robert Culp....OMG... is this ever going to end????  Today is going to be a looooooooooooong day for me!  Poor Randi is over there trying to sleep and Alex has the light on and the TV blaring and I have to keep asking him to turn it down.  Now he just told me to google "Obama... I want to know if he is really Muslim"...He is allllllll over the place this morning wanting information and I can't supply it fast enough!  Can I get Ms. Jeanne and Collin back right now please, lol!  Maybe if someone else was here he would go to sleep, lol.... he seems to sleep for everyone else but meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!  He is just flipping thru channels now... watching infomercials, lol!  Waiting for him to tell me we need to order something, lol!  I'm thinking he's not going to go back to sleep before therapy...it's now 5:00am... "Mom, google how many tornados in Jacksonville" and "florida tornados"... Sandra Bullock just came back on TV...."Mom... what's adultry".... "google that please"...."why is it called adultry?".... "Mom, can you scratch tickle my head so I can try to go back to sleep"... signing off to see if I can get him to sleep.... HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY.... I will be tired, lol!  I have A LOT to google today... I will be a busy bee!  Say a quick prayer that Alex has a good day in therapy and that God gives him the energy he is going to need!  I will be going to get some Starbucks and then drink me some red bulls today.... no time for naps during the day...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh...

THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!! :0)

PEACE OUT and hopefully nite nite till 7:30am!

Lisa

COO COO WARD!

Sooo, I told you all yesterday how we have a new resident with us and prior to that we have "Rocky"..... Alex is just beside himself!  This morning we started off by waking at 5:30am because he went to sleep so early, lol.... well not so funny at 5:30am this morning!   I think he enjoys watching me get up, do stuff for him... then he waits till I just get settled in my blankets all cozy and then asks for something else.... like 5 times in a row!  Fix my leg....I go lay down.... Can you change me please.... I go lay down.... Can you get my food.... food doesn't come until 7am.. I go lay down.... Can you fix my leg again... I go lay down... My leg moved off of the pillow, I need you to fix it again mom, please.... AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!  Yes my dear sweet handsome miracle boy... I sure will, lol!  I take myself back to day one... 3 hours to live... God gives me the strength to get up each time with out pinching him lol!!  7:00am comes he eats.... I change him, occupational therapy comes in and he practices getting dressed with one hand.... gets out of bed, in chair... off to the bathroom to wash face and brush teeth..... while brushing his teeth we can hear "Old Yeller" we'll call her... "I WANT WAAAAAAAAATEEEEERRRRRRR"..... "GET ME SOME WATTTTTTTEEEEERRRR".... Alex at the vanity, with our door open yells back at her... " NOOOOOOOOO".... she says... " SHUT UP YOU SON OF A B%^$#!".... no lie... too funny.. he looks at me with the most astonished look on his face and says... " She just called me a son of a b%$#!" hahahahahaha.... so the new thing now is that when either Old Yeller or Rocky yell down the hall... Alex is yelling from our room back at them or pushing the nurses button a million times to tell them "tell them to shut the hell up"  Randi and I really feel like we are in the COO COO WARD!  We totally understand that they have brain injury's and by no means am I making fun of them.... I just think it's funny that Alex thinks they are crazy and he is doing the same stuff!! 

Randi and I had a great day out shopping today... got everything I wanted to get for him and then some!  We had a nice lunch with Chad and Viki at Cantina Loredo at St. Johns Town Center... beautiful weather.. awesome day... NICE TO GET OUT and not worry about Alex for a change.  Mom came here and brought him Popeyes... go figure... THANKS MOM for babysitting and bringing him his favorite food!  Brooks had a baseball game for Baldwin tonight at Jeff Davis so my other Mom-to-be, Miss Jeanne, Daddy Dillard and Collin came to babysit so we could go and support Brooks!  I LOVE YOU BOO..... and I love watching you play ball!!  WOW... two outings in one day.. WOWEEEWOW!!  So after Brooks' game I called to check and see how miracle boy was... you will never believe this because Randi and I... well our mouths dropped to the floor..... it was 7:10pm and Miracle Boy was ASLEEP!  WHAT???  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, LOL!  You would know that because we were out enjoying ourselves... he went fast asleep!  Viki said she thinks that he stays awake on purpose to aggravate us, ha ha!  Soooo, being he was fast asleep... we met up with Viki and Tom for some dinner at the Brick!!  GREAT DAY OUT!

So Mr. Alex is fast asleep and I am going to sign off because I know that if I don't go and lay down and close my eyes... his cute little behind will be waking me at 3am and GROUND HOGS DAY WILL START ALL OVER...saying... Fix my leg....I go lay down.... Can you change me please.... I go lay down.... Can you get my food.... food doesn't come until 7am.. I go lay down.... Can you fix my leg again... I go lay down... My leg moved off of the pillow, I need you to fix it again mom! 

THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!

For those of you who want to mail him a birthday card as I have had several requests for the address....... I would love to hang them up in his room ... We like home made ones too!!.... you can send them to:

Alex Ross
7749 Normandy Blvd.
#145-117
Jacksonville FL 32221




PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

ps  Thank you Aunt Cindy for the awesome book on Hawaii.... WE CAN'T WAIT TO GO and the book will really help us plan out our trip!  xoxo

PRODUCTIVE DAY!!

Today Alex walked with the quad cane.... amazed at how well he was doing and how hard he was working this morning!  Very very proud of you Mr. Alex!

Also today Alex got to begin bioness therapy!  Read below:

__________________________________________________________

BIONESS H200: Electrical Stimulation Hand Unit

Patients who have had a stroke, brain injury or spinal cord injury sometimes have problems with neurological abilities, such as grasping and other routine tasks using their hands. The Bioness H200 helps patients improve hand function and voluntary movement, allowing them to return to daily activities with confidence.

The Electrical Stimulation Hand Unit uses functional electrical stimulation to improve upper-extremity rehabilitation.

How does it work?

The Bioness H200 has five surface electrodes integrated into the system to stimulate and activate the hand and facilitate neuromuscular re-education. Therapy programs and function modes are pre-programmed, providing the clinician and the patient control over hand activation. Once the device is fitted on a patient, movement can begin immediately.

Goals of the Bioness H200

• Improve patient's hand function
• Treat impairments such as spasticity, limited hand function and range of motion
• Achieve independence in a functional task or activities of daily living with the assistance of electrical stimulation
• Improve impairments in the upper extremity with the goal of maintaining change when the electrical stimulation is removed.

_________________________________

I truly believe that now he has begun the bioness therapy that it is just a matter of time before he begins using that left arm and hand!!  Here are pics from his first session today.... it really works!!

When looking at the different pictures you can see the machine making his nerves open and close his hand by sending out the electrical stimulation signals.  He said it was a little painful but I think it's just the whole sensation thing and he doesn't know how to understand or explain what he is feeling so he calls it pain. Tomorrow will be the true test when he has actually 30 minutes of this therapy as compared to the 5-10 minutes of it he had today.  

Today we googled:

tapeworm

Pam Anderson's boobs
jagerbombs on You Tube

Today has been an eventful day as we have a new resident here who likes to scream from her room and Mr Alex loooooves to call the nurses station and tell them ...."tell her to shut the hell up out there"! He actually got a behind the scenes field trip to where Miss Josie sits behind the desk and gets his calls.  He wanted to see and hear how it works when he presses the nurses button lol!  Miss Josie told him she is going to start writing down how many times he presses the button because he doesn't think he presses it alot, but trust me... HE DOES!  If I say no to something he wants... he presses the dang button!  Alot of the times, I have to unplug the dang bed so he can't bother them anymore!  I just went and asked her and she said he pushed the button 7 times and that was probably within an hour and half!   Alex thinks he is a saint around here and was even telling the man next door to us who he has nick named "Rocky" because he is always tied to his wheelchair with these boxing glove things on so he can't hurt himself or anyone else. ..... he was telling "Rocky" not to curse that its not nice.... ha... I said "Alex... that's like the pot calling the kettle black"... he said.." What's that?"  I said.. " you can't tell somebody to stop doing something that you are doing yourself"... he said..." just shut the hell up, nobody asked you".... hahahahaha... WHAT THE FRENCH TOAST?!  He talks about how crazy all these people act around here but doesn't realize that he acts crazy himself! lol!  Brain injury is a crazy thing!!  Again... I wish I could get up inside that head of his head and see what was really going on in there!  I can't tell ya'll half of what he says in here because some of you would be really offended but I KNOW this is just the injury speaking and thankfully will not last ... and hopefully NOT MUCH LONGER LOL!!

Ok so on the balloon thing... I just found out today that this hospital is LATEX free!  No latex balloons... only Mylar... thinking that will cost a fortune huh? WOW!  Back to the drawing board... not sure how to decorate now, lol... will figure it out...thanks to all who wrote and gave me suggestions!!

Alex Michael Ross is asleep and it is 9:30 pm..... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!  I think we found the magic meds solution!  FINALLY!!  Tomorrow should be a greeeeeeeeeeeeat day for therapy!  Say a prayer for him that he SLEEPS THRU THE NIGHT.... No crazy dreams and we will all be happy tomorrow, lol!  Thanks to all who continue to write and encourage.... Randi and I ALWAYS need it...even on a good day!!

SIGNING OFF.... EARLY TO BED FOR ONCE!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa

SAME STUFF DIFFERENT DAY... SSDD! LOL

Our nights have been MUCH better to say the least since they took him off of that one medication...THANK GOD!

Mr. Alex is still up to his shenanigans.... throwing food at Randi... slapping me on the back of the head while I am putting on his pull ups and tying his shoes in the bathroom... WHAT THE FRENCH TOAST!??  I didn't sign up for any of this and I know Randi didn't lol!  No matter how nice we are... and how much we bite our tongue... he still goes for the throat!  Let's focus on some of the positives for the day, ha!  He starts his day out with the same breakfast everyday.... 7:00 am Double French Toast, double bacon and ensure vanilla shake... then at 7:30am he has occupational therapy where he is learning to dress himself with one hand (not such an easy task for any of us without a brain injury or limited use of our left side)... nonetheless... he tries his best and accomplishes the task with some minor assistance from Ms. Lynn!  8:00am is his psychologist.... are any of us ready for a psychologist at 8:00am lol?  He actually does pretty well with her and I try to make myself scarce when she comes in so I go shower, brush my teeth etc.  So I am in the bathroom and I hear him call my name so I rinse out the paste, go in there and he is saying "what took you so long?... I have been calling you...?"...of course I am like... "ummmm, u just called me two seconds ago" and the psychologist is agreeing with me.. anyways.....she tried to explain to him and me that when you have a brain injury you don't necessarily have good analysis of time or any time management.  So he and I both need to be patient with each other... I can hold up my end but I'm not so sure he can on his, lol!  I heard her ask him "how are you doing with managing your anger?"... he said "not so good"... YA THINK? ha?  I could just picture him thinking... "yeah lady, I'm doing fine... when they piss me off in here i just smack them on the back of the head or throw food at em"...." makes me feel better anyways".... hahahahahaaha.  Who knows what that kid is thinking in that noggin of his?!  8:30-9:30 he had physical therapy... the dreaded TREADMILL.... he has alot of increased tone in his left side which is good and bad... bad because it bothers him and he is fighting it... good because it means the sensations are really coming back and it helps him to walk.... soooo they have increased his baclefin (spelling??) which should help with some of the tone and pain... but overall he was REALLY trying today on the treadmill and when asked if he could go another 30 seconds (which was really probably 1-2 minutes)... he would reply yes... GOD BLESS YOU ALEX!  Thank you for trying and not giving up today... Thank you God for giving him the strength to get thru it even when he doesn't want to!!  10:30 speech...11:00 occupational therapy again... 11:30 feeding group.... 12:30 school...1:00 cognitive therapy , 2:00  recreational therapy , 2:30 speech...3:00 done :0)  Overall today was a good day with some minor behavioral issues... to be expected but not welcomed!
___________________________
Our googles for the day:

cauliflower ear
inch worm
"what to do if you have an annoying mom and aunt?" ( and yes he said to google that, lol!)  You know you all wanna laugh.. go ahead... we did!  And are still smiling about it! :0)

You Tube : Kesha - tik tok
we were watching dancing with the stars... i think Erin Andrews danced to this???  Something set him off and he told us to you tube it!

_____________________________


I wish i could get inside that brain of his for just a day... he comes up with the craziest stuff!


We are planning his birthday party for this weekend, would love to invite everyone of course but being he still has his fears of everything and being introduced to strangers... we are only having a select few join us.  You will all be a part of our homecoming party... can't wait for that!!  If any of you have suggestions on where to get the cheapest helium balloons done.. please write me and tell me as I want to do tons of them in the red, yellow and blue superman colors....however... don't want to spend a fortune on just balloons... His theme.. of course SUPERMAN :0) 
 
Randi and I got out today for Brooks baseball game at Baldwin... Congrats on a win Boo!  It was nice to get out and big sista Heather babysat so we could go and enjoy!  We don't get out much and it was WINDY and COOL today... I guess I can't complain too much as we pretty much missed winter all together huh?!  Glad about that... winter isn't one of my favorite times of the year being I HATE cold weather.  Anywho, it was still nice to get out!
 
Carly is in the room with him as Randi and I sit in the waiting room... we have been kicked to the curb and were asked to leave the room so that he could go to sleep with just Carly in the room, lol.  GLADLY we will get out so you can rest your eyes sweet boy of mine who loves his mother and aunt soooo dearly we just know it, lol!  THANK YOU GOD FOR ONE MORE DAY WITH MY HANDSOME BOY!  I do realize how fortunate I am and I give you all the Glory that I am able to see his precious face every morning whether happy or mad... I am truly thankful!!
 
Here's to brighter days with rainbows.... I LOVE YOU ALEX MICHAEL ROSS!!
 
PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!
 
Lisa

DAVE AND BUSTERS DAY OUT!

Alex actually went to sleep last night at 11pm..... probably because he had NO sleep the night before!  However, they did not give him one of the new medications that they had given him Friday night and I think that had alot to do with the craziness!  Tonight however.... we may be embarking on that same ship.... it's 11pm and he is NOT asleep and obsessing over his trach, gtube and inner cannula to the trach!  I just spoke to the nurse and she is giving him another dose of the good stuff.... soooo hopefully that will kick in because he is being very obsessive compulsive right now and his brain is going ninety to nothing!

We had a great day out at Dave & Busters today out with Brooks Rehab... it was a very short trip but we were outta here none the less.    When we got there... Brooks and Brian took him off to play games while the rest of our group went to get a table to order food.  Once we got the table I went to find Alex and see what he wanted to order and he said... "to heck with these games... take me to the dang food!"  Soooo... that was the end of Alex's game playing at Dave & Busters... he just wanted to eat, lol!  By the time Alex got his food and ate.. it was time to load him up on the bus and head back to Brooks.  It was really a great day of just hanging out and laughing with him at the table... he was in a great great mood today and actually well behaved of which I was worried, lol.  He had some comments here and there, but for the most part... we all enjoyed his day out!  I can't remember if I told ya'll or not but he gained 5lbs this week and is now up to 107.5!  He weighed 110 the first week we were in Shands so he is almost back up to where he was!  Randi and I did learn that with his brain injury.... he doesn't really know when he is full or if he is even full.  They say alot of brain injury people end up weighing alot more when leaving here because they just continuously eat because they don't know when to stop.  At first I was encouraging it because he hadn't eaten in forever and now I feel like I have to start watching what he eats because I don't want to roll him outta here, lol!  Nick rode the rehab bus with him to Dave & Busters today and he had Nick call me and say " Mom, Alex is chewing gum and he won't give it to me.....  I said "he can chew gum Nick"... he said... "Mom, he got it from under the seat!!"  WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!  OMG... I said "What...?"  He said, " yes, and he won't give it to me!" " I have tried to get it from him and he just won't give it to me"...... I said.. "well, just let him eat it then! lol!"...  I know how Alex can be and Nick isn't used to being around his spicy attitude... well I should say.. spicy BRAIN INJURY attitude and I wasn't sure he would know how to handle him or what to say on the bus. Soooo, what the heck.. let him chew it.  Me, Randi and Carly were dying laughing after hanging up with Nick..... laughing and freaking out at the same time, hahahaha!  Once he is over this injury and I can tell him about it... THEN IT WILL BE FUNNY, ha ha!  Weeeeell come to find out... joke was on mom!  He was just wanting to play a trick on me and had Nick call me to see if they could get me to freak out!  JOKE WAS ON THEM, cause I didn't care... lol!   Little buggar... as if he doesn't give me enough junk to deal with lol!
So thanks for all the emails and prayers my friends... because they certainly worked for last night and today!

I want to thank the many many of you who continue to write me and encourage me, especially after I was blasted!  You are all my little angels and God knows I have certainly needed the emails after that!!  I am doing  the best that I can with what I have been dealt and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my son!!  Soooo, keep writing, keep praying... you guys are awesome!

I tried to make a slide show of some of the pics from Nick's Save or Shave event but I cant get the technology to cooperate and I dont have all night.  When Alex sleeps... I must sleep... especially lately!!  Here are a few pics from Friday night.... again... thanks to all of those who were there, came out and cheered for Nick and supported his cause.  Alex wanted me to thank all of you as well!!  If anyon!!e has pics from the event... please email me thru the website and I will add them to my slideshow.... I just gotta figure out how to get it posted to the site!! ;0)

As I am done writing this ... Mr. Alex is fast asleep!  YAY!  Tonight is going to be a great night for some rest!   I am going to sign off for now... sleep while we can....  Tomorrow is a treadmill day.... going to need my strength for that!

LOVE TO ALL!

PEACE~LOVE~N~THUMBS UP!!

Lisa