I found this over at Bird On The Street so I thought I would do it too!
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Followed through with schooling, and got certified to be Max's CNA.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I started a list at 43things.com, I completed 13 of those 43 things. Not too shabby!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My dear friends Sam and Rachel welcomed their little Eloise into the world!
4. Did someone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
This was a year of no international travel. Sadly!
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you didn't have in 2009?
A vehicle that would allow us to travel easier with Max.
7. What dates from 2009 will be etched in your memory and why?
I turned 30 on the 26th of February.
8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
Becoming a CNA...I was really nervous about all of that, but so so happy I did it, and passed the test!
9. What was your biggest failure?
Failing my CNA test the first time around.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I made it a point to get my back pain in order...and I'm really happy I have.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A ticket for a special trip.
12. Who's behavior merited celebration?
Addie May...my sweet little niece has brought so much fun to our year!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one. Life is too hard and short to be bothered by someone else's behavior.
14. Where did most of your money go?
2008 left us with plenty to pay on.
15. What did you get really, really excited about?
Max sitting through an entire opera, and loving it, passing my CNA test, and a trip to Michigan.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Nothing comes to mind.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you skinnier or fatter? richer or poorer? happier or sadder?
I haven't noticed any weight change, my income has helped with paying on 2008, and happier...always happier.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travel
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sweating the small stuff.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Quietly with Max and Steve, then sister and family, then mom.
21. Did you fall in love with 2009?
I could not say that I did.
22. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
Spooks and Glee
23. What was the best book you read?
Ugh...I read SO little this year. I don't really know how it happened. But I did really enjoy Shantaram...I think I read that this year.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Colm Mac Con Iomaire, The Hares Corner
26. What did you want and get?
A healthy year
27. What did you want and not get?
Our birthday trip to the ocean with Max.
28. What was your favorite film of 2009?
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I don't remember another one I saw at the theater.
29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
30, and had a fantastic birthday weekend with my husband taking me to fancy restaurants and flying in some Pauls Coconut Flan!!!
30. What one thing would have improved your year immeasurably?
Really wish we could have taken Max for a trip to the ocean.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2009?
Jeans and a tshirt...just as boring as that.
32. What kept you sane?
My husband
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
I don't guess one main topic, but really aware at just how divided people are in their political views.
34. Who did you miss?
My family
35. Who was the best new person you met?
In person,Gwen and Kris S., online, my new mom friends ( a few I've met in person this year too!) And Max's new therapists...they are a good fit!
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
We have to live right now, with the circumstances we have. We want to be able to travel as a family, and do things as a family. But this year it's really been apparent that if we want to still LIVE, we sometimes have to do it as each of us taking turns. Not something we enjoy...because we would prefer to always be together, but something we've learned is necessary right now.
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes...you might just find...you get what you need." -Rolling Stones
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Out with the old...
I'm not ready to do my year in review...but I am ready to wish all of you a Happy New Year!!! I will be back in the next few days to write a proper blog entry!
Until then, be good...and Happy 2010!
Until then, be good...and Happy 2010!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Telling a story...
Sometimes photos can tell a great story. A story of a little boy, who loves to stand up.
Who needs shiny things to get his attention enough to actually fix his eyes on it.
A story about a physical therapist who knows our little guy so well, that she stopped on her way to the house today to pick up something shiny for him to play with.
And she was right, because he used his little hands to grasp it, even though using his hands is so difficult.
And play he did...he stood, and played with his shiny new toy, and his monsters.
And when he was all done, he told us with the flick of his hand, and got to swing in his new swing as a reward for all the hard work.
Who needs shiny things to get his attention enough to actually fix his eyes on it.
A story about a physical therapist who knows our little guy so well, that she stopped on her way to the house today to pick up something shiny for him to play with.
And she was right, because he used his little hands to grasp it, even though using his hands is so difficult.
And play he did...he stood, and played with his shiny new toy, and his monsters.
And when he was all done, he told us with the flick of his hand, and got to swing in his new swing as a reward for all the hard work.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Mmm-mmm cookies!
Yesterday was such a cold snowy day. We didn't get out of the house because, where were we going to go with it being under 10 degrees?! Instead, I sent Steve to the store to get ingredients to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Max spent the morning watching the Andrea Bocceli Christmas special on PBS. He sang along to nearly every song. I wasn't able to put all of them on flickr, but I got a short one on there...
When it was time to make the cookies, I measured everything out into the steps they would need to be put in the bowl. We put Max in his wheelchair, and brought him into the kitchen to help make the cookies.
Before we get to the photos of the cookie making fun, I have to show you this one of Max's amazing hair...it is like one of those little troll dolls!
I held the big mixing bowl on his lap and helped him pour in all the ingredients:
Once he poured in the ingredients, I would have him hit his switch to start the mixer...we weren't sure if my mixer had too much power for his switch interrupter, so he would hit his switch and I would start the mixer.
This is a video of him pouring in the dry ingredients...he got a handful of the flour and thought it felt pretty great...
I guess we should have put an apron on him...
He was pretty proud of himself for helping!
He sat and looked at the tree while the cookies were baking...
The cookies turned out great! Maybe I should have him help me cook a lot more! He's got the magic touch!
Max spent the morning watching the Andrea Bocceli Christmas special on PBS. He sang along to nearly every song. I wasn't able to put all of them on flickr, but I got a short one on there...
When it was time to make the cookies, I measured everything out into the steps they would need to be put in the bowl. We put Max in his wheelchair, and brought him into the kitchen to help make the cookies.
Before we get to the photos of the cookie making fun, I have to show you this one of Max's amazing hair...it is like one of those little troll dolls!
I held the big mixing bowl on his lap and helped him pour in all the ingredients:
Once he poured in the ingredients, I would have him hit his switch to start the mixer...we weren't sure if my mixer had too much power for his switch interrupter, so he would hit his switch and I would start the mixer.
This is a video of him pouring in the dry ingredients...he got a handful of the flour and thought it felt pretty great...
I guess we should have put an apron on him...
He was pretty proud of himself for helping!
He sat and looked at the tree while the cookies were baking...
The cookies turned out great! Maybe I should have him help me cook a lot more! He's got the magic touch!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
How did I forget???
I had to go back to my Twitter account to see what happened on December 1st this week.
Here's what Max was up to...
"Max L-O-V-E-S his monkey ball toy today...he's had it going for the past hour."
"Max is mad at the pledge drive on PBS, he was enjoying the Celtic Women and the bagpipes."
The rest of my updates were nonsense, about the weather, what I was cooking. Or about what I forgot. About what I should have been celebrating.
December 1st, is the day the lion roared. It's the day that we got hope that Max would live. It's the day that he showed us what a fighter he is. And on the five year anniversary, I forgot.
December 1, 2004, Max was scheduled to go in to place a trach tube. We had been in the PICU for a month, and Max couldn't breathe on his own...or so they thought. They had tried to extubate him 3 times. Each time they tried, he failed. He just couldn't take enough breaths on his own, and placing a permanent breathing tube was our only other option.
A couple of days before surgery, we were given our options. An ENT (ear nose throat) doctor came in to tell us how the surgery would happen. Then he said, "you should consider signing a DNR-do not resuscitate order for him. You know, this disease is going to take his life and you have to consider if prolonging the inevitable is the best thing for him". I sat there stunned, and sick to my stomach. I told him he needed to leave, immediately. I called in the head of the PICU, and the attending doctor. I was shaking, and bawling, and I'm sure they saw red in my eyes. I told them that NO ONE would lay a finger on my child if they didn't believe he would be better for it. And it would be in their best interest to make sure that doctor never stepped foot into my son's room again.
That day was the hardest day of my life. We had decided after so much anguish to give him one more shot at this life, and I had the head of the ENT Dept. giving up on him before he even started the surgery. The next day we had a care conference where all of Max's doctors, his regular doctors, stood up for him, and told the ENT docs to not sell him so short. That was the conference where they asked us what we expected out of Max's life. That's when Steve said, We expect he'll run marathons...because if we don't expect the impossible for him, who else will? If we expect amazing things from him...that's what we'll get. That's why no one who does not believe Max will run marathons does not need to work on our son.
We left that conference, knowing the next day he would have surgery, and it would change our lives forever. I woke up with a heavy heart. Ready for him to be wheeled away to surgery. But got word instead that Max had been bumped...maybe later in the day...maybe the next day.
And then...the heavens opened up...my son woke up and started coughing. He coughed and coughed his whole upper body was sitting up each time he coughed. With such force and strength, he coughed that tube out. The nurse cussed...she pushed the code button...they all came running. And I said..."he's okay, he can breathe on his own. He's okay." And I laughed all the way out of the room, for them to do their work. I called Steve and told him to get up there immediately...he had coughed the tube out.
And then he did it. He started breathing on his own. I know everything had lined up to our favor that day. Surgery was bumped...he was strong from being on the vent preparing him for surgery...a whole new set of doctors that morning. Doctors that hadn't seen him fail three times prior. And he sailed...he soared...he roared and showed us all what an amazingly strong boy he was.
As I write about it five years on, I still can not hold in my emotions. And I really can't believe I forgot it on Tuesday. But I guess, we have gotten to a different point in Max's life. We've gotten to the point of living. Maybe I didn't remember that day because of how great he's been doing. Maybe I was too wrapped up in therapy, and giving medicine, and feeding him that I just let the day go without remembering.
I guess the good part is that I did remember before the week was up. And I let myself go back to that day. And relive those emotions. Because that's what gives me hope. And assurance that if we got through that, we can get through anything with him.
So here's to our Max...our fighter. The one that WILL one day run marathons...even if that means his Momma has to push him the whole way!
Here's what Max was up to...
"Max L-O-V-E-S his monkey ball toy today...he's had it going for the past hour."
"Max is mad at the pledge drive on PBS, he was enjoying the Celtic Women and the bagpipes."
The rest of my updates were nonsense, about the weather, what I was cooking. Or about what I forgot. About what I should have been celebrating.
December 1st, is the day the lion roared. It's the day that we got hope that Max would live. It's the day that he showed us what a fighter he is. And on the five year anniversary, I forgot.
December 1, 2004, Max was scheduled to go in to place a trach tube. We had been in the PICU for a month, and Max couldn't breathe on his own...or so they thought. They had tried to extubate him 3 times. Each time they tried, he failed. He just couldn't take enough breaths on his own, and placing a permanent breathing tube was our only other option.
A couple of days before surgery, we were given our options. An ENT (ear nose throat) doctor came in to tell us how the surgery would happen. Then he said, "you should consider signing a DNR-do not resuscitate order for him. You know, this disease is going to take his life and you have to consider if prolonging the inevitable is the best thing for him". I sat there stunned, and sick to my stomach. I told him he needed to leave, immediately. I called in the head of the PICU, and the attending doctor. I was shaking, and bawling, and I'm sure they saw red in my eyes. I told them that NO ONE would lay a finger on my child if they didn't believe he would be better for it. And it would be in their best interest to make sure that doctor never stepped foot into my son's room again.
That day was the hardest day of my life. We had decided after so much anguish to give him one more shot at this life, and I had the head of the ENT Dept. giving up on him before he even started the surgery. The next day we had a care conference where all of Max's doctors, his regular doctors, stood up for him, and told the ENT docs to not sell him so short. That was the conference where they asked us what we expected out of Max's life. That's when Steve said, We expect he'll run marathons...because if we don't expect the impossible for him, who else will? If we expect amazing things from him...that's what we'll get. That's why no one who does not believe Max will run marathons does not need to work on our son.
We left that conference, knowing the next day he would have surgery, and it would change our lives forever. I woke up with a heavy heart. Ready for him to be wheeled away to surgery. But got word instead that Max had been bumped...maybe later in the day...maybe the next day.
And then...the heavens opened up...my son woke up and started coughing. He coughed and coughed his whole upper body was sitting up each time he coughed. With such force and strength, he coughed that tube out. The nurse cussed...she pushed the code button...they all came running. And I said..."he's okay, he can breathe on his own. He's okay." And I laughed all the way out of the room, for them to do their work. I called Steve and told him to get up there immediately...he had coughed the tube out.
And then he did it. He started breathing on his own. I know everything had lined up to our favor that day. Surgery was bumped...he was strong from being on the vent preparing him for surgery...a whole new set of doctors that morning. Doctors that hadn't seen him fail three times prior. And he sailed...he soared...he roared and showed us all what an amazingly strong boy he was.
As I write about it five years on, I still can not hold in my emotions. And I really can't believe I forgot it on Tuesday. But I guess, we have gotten to a different point in Max's life. We've gotten to the point of living. Maybe I didn't remember that day because of how great he's been doing. Maybe I was too wrapped up in therapy, and giving medicine, and feeding him that I just let the day go without remembering.
I guess the good part is that I did remember before the week was up. And I let myself go back to that day. And relive those emotions. Because that's what gives me hope. And assurance that if we got through that, we can get through anything with him.
So here's to our Max...our fighter. The one that WILL one day run marathons...even if that means his Momma has to push him the whole way!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Say what?!!?
Last week I talked about going to the doctor for a problem I was having with my ear.
I believe that part I forgot to mention, is that I haven't been to the doctor for myself in five years. Not for regular check-ups...not for illnesses...not for allergies. I told you, it has been at the very bottom of my list of things to do.
Still, I needed to go, so I chose a doctor and went. They got me sorted out and I left with a clear hearing ear!
But the next day, something new started happening. I woke up Monday night with an incredible pain on my right arm. It felt like someone was holding fire against it. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to turn the light on to see what was burning, or eating away.
I saw nothing. So I just thought I must have been dreaming...but it was still burning. As I laid in bed, it continued to be super sensitive. Even the covers were hurting my skin. My first thought was "oh no...I've got the flu!". But, I wasn't feeling sick otherwise, just my skin was burning and crawling!
The next morning when I woke up I started to see a red spot. And through the week, it started to get some small bumps. It was hot to touch, and still, very sensitive to touch.
I showed it to my mom, and to Steve, and to my sister. The consensus was the same...Eeeeew...what is that?!
Last night it hit a peak with pain, and I thought a shower would help with the pain. After I got out I put lotion on my arm, and it felt like I was rubbing needles into my skin. I decided this was not normal, and what would make such a pain? Then it popped into my head...shingles. I came into the kitchen and asked Steve if younger people could get shingles. And after googling it, we decided it was very likely that it was shingles.
I went to the doctor this afternoon...a week after being there. After not going for five years. And my doctor looked at my arm for a few seconds and says, "That's totally shingles."
What the WHAT?! MAN!!!!! I didn't know someone my age could get the shingles. Just pure ignorance. I was so worried about the kids...Max and Addie. Ang reassured me when I heard Addie had her vaccine already. And I had to call Max's pediatrician to confirm he had both of his, and he has.
It is likely that it popped up because of stress. I haven't been sick at all...and she gave me anti-viral medicine that I have to take every 4 hours for 10 days. The pain comes and goes...and hurts the most when I get cold.
It's always exciting around here!
I believe that part I forgot to mention, is that I haven't been to the doctor for myself in five years. Not for regular check-ups...not for illnesses...not for allergies. I told you, it has been at the very bottom of my list of things to do.
Still, I needed to go, so I chose a doctor and went. They got me sorted out and I left with a clear hearing ear!
But the next day, something new started happening. I woke up Monday night with an incredible pain on my right arm. It felt like someone was holding fire against it. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to turn the light on to see what was burning, or eating away.
I saw nothing. So I just thought I must have been dreaming...but it was still burning. As I laid in bed, it continued to be super sensitive. Even the covers were hurting my skin. My first thought was "oh no...I've got the flu!". But, I wasn't feeling sick otherwise, just my skin was burning and crawling!
The next morning when I woke up I started to see a red spot. And through the week, it started to get some small bumps. It was hot to touch, and still, very sensitive to touch.
I showed it to my mom, and to Steve, and to my sister. The consensus was the same...Eeeeew...what is that?!
Last night it hit a peak with pain, and I thought a shower would help with the pain. After I got out I put lotion on my arm, and it felt like I was rubbing needles into my skin. I decided this was not normal, and what would make such a pain? Then it popped into my head...shingles. I came into the kitchen and asked Steve if younger people could get shingles. And after googling it, we decided it was very likely that it was shingles.
I went to the doctor this afternoon...a week after being there. After not going for five years. And my doctor looked at my arm for a few seconds and says, "That's totally shingles."
What the WHAT?! MAN!!!!! I didn't know someone my age could get the shingles. Just pure ignorance. I was so worried about the kids...Max and Addie. Ang reassured me when I heard Addie had her vaccine already. And I had to call Max's pediatrician to confirm he had both of his, and he has.
It is likely that it popped up because of stress. I haven't been sick at all...and she gave me anti-viral medicine that I have to take every 4 hours for 10 days. The pain comes and goes...and hurts the most when I get cold.
It's always exciting around here!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
A weekend of Thanksgiving...
The family have all dispersed back to their other homes...and we have a relatively quiet house. Now that he's not competing with his sister and cousin, Max is making his voice heard from his waking moment until he turns in for the night.
It was a really great time with my family. Here are some pictures from our weekend.
Ang and Max playing with the monkey ball...
Steve and Addie playing with George in the Box...
Abbey making a snowgirl from the 3 week old snow in the back yard...on Thanksgiving...in 70 degree weather.
Addie getting down to business...
The meal...
Everyone's favorite part of the meal...
Thanks to the Pioneer Woman!
Angie and Abbey making a wish, breaking the wishbone...
Ang won...and did a little dance...
This picture needed to be shown for the amazing jowls this boy has...
Addie with her Bay-Bee, in Abbey's sunglasses...
Addie helping Auntie with decorating...
Abbey and Addie looking at the pretty tree...
Now the week ahead has some therapy, and some planning, and some relaxing. Hope yours is a good one!
It was a really great time with my family. Here are some pictures from our weekend.
Ang and Max playing with the monkey ball...
Steve and Addie playing with George in the Box...
Abbey making a snowgirl from the 3 week old snow in the back yard...on Thanksgiving...in 70 degree weather.
Addie getting down to business...
The meal...
Everyone's favorite part of the meal...
Thanks to the Pioneer Woman!
Angie and Abbey making a wish, breaking the wishbone...
Ang won...and did a little dance...
This picture needed to be shown for the amazing jowls this boy has...
Addie with her Bay-Bee, in Abbey's sunglasses...
Addie helping Auntie with decorating...
Abbey and Addie looking at the pretty tree...
Now the week ahead has some therapy, and some planning, and some relaxing. Hope yours is a good one!
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