August 24, 2008 - Therapy, Bedtime, and Visits with Grammy

Okay, so from the top....



Brianna is doing wonderfully with driving her chair. She's becoming so bold! She loves to explore new areas. And "Authorized Personnel Only" and "No Admittance" signs hold no authority over her. If a door opens, she wants to go through it. If there's a person talking, she wants to find them to say hi. She LOVES the elevator. It takes her to unexplored levels of the building, including, as pictured below, the outdoor play area on the 7th floor.



Brianna is really getting the hang of driving. She can go in straight lines, she can make turns, and she definitely comprehends things. A few weeks ago, while we were up at Shriner's for PT, Bri, as usual, drove down to the central supply office to get a sticker. I held up two stickers for her to visually chose from. She kept looking back and forth between the two, as if she refused to choose one. So I told her, "If you choose a sticker here, we can go down to the reception area and get another sticker there." She immediately chose the Elmo sticker, and as soon as her chair was turned back on, she turned around, went out the door, around the corner, and down to the reception office, without stopping, without hitting anything, and stopped in front of the window, waiting for mommy to let her choose a sticker. Now you tell me....does it sound like she doesn't know what she's doing?









The weather the last few weeks has been pretty decent. We've had some triple digit days scattered amongst some milder days, scattered amongst some rainy, dreary days. On one of those days, while we were at therapy, the complex manager finally paid someone to come in and spray for ants. Not that it did much good. I mean, seriously. The entire city of Salem is built on one massive ant hill. We were ant-free for a total of about six hours. Now they're back in full force. But on the bright side, that day, Bri and I got to enjoy the nice weather, sitting in the back yard, while I read stories to her and the neighbor kids.



And she definitely loves driving her chair...she gets very upset if we go up to Shriner's, and she doesn't get to drive.

Bedtime around here has taken on some changes, as well. Thanks to Brianna, we are no longer hampered by the strict bedtime of 9pm every night. Rather, we are on what can only be termed as "Brianna time". Meaning, if Brianna wants to stay up till 11:30pm, there's not a darned thing you can do about it, short of putting her in her bed, in which case, she will throw a screaming fit until 11:30pm anyway. To counteract "Brianna time" in what little ways we can, we have taken to doing this at bedtime....

"Grammy" Mary is still a very big part of our lives here in Oregon. She tries to take Brianna for an overnight visit at least once a week, and calls regularly to check on us, make sure things are going well. These pictures were actually from the day after my 25th birthday, when we went to Mary's to have dinner and open gifts.

August 24, 2008 - PICTURE OVERLOAD!!!

Okay, it's been ages since I updated. So I figured the best way to do that is to accompany it with pics....So I went through all the pics I've taken since the Junior Rose Parade, and chose the best ones to post. The problem is, I've taken a couple thousand pictures between then and now, so narrowing it down was difficult. So I'll probably do this in two or three posts. So please, bear with me. So, beginning with the next post, the last three months, in photos...

June 8, 2008 - Junior Rose Parade

Okay, I should've posted this on Wednesday, but I got sidetracked and all that. But...on Wednesday, Brianna and I walked in the Junior Rose Parade in Portland. Or rather, I should say, I walked, Brianna rolled along in her stroller. She did amazingly well, too! We were right between two marching bands, and everyone around us had these obnoxious light-up clappers, so I fully expected that she would be completely overwhelmed and crying the whole time. But, she was smiling and happy! We walked alongside a family we met at therapy one day, and occasionally alongside Brianna's PT, who was pushing another little boy in a wheelchair. He was utterly sweet. While we were waiting for the parade to start, Brianna was very fussy. She doesn't like sitting in her stroller when we aren't moving. So, at first I got out a toy for her to play with. She didn't like that much. But the little boy was making the toy make noises for her. When I took Brianna out of her seat to cuddle, he played with the toy, and kept trying to help straighten the straps of the stroller, and trying to straighten my purse, which I set in the seat to keep the stroller from toppling over from the weight on the back. He really was enchanting. And he LOVED those clappers!

Anyway, the parade was about a mile long, but because I had to park near the end and walk back to the beginning, I ended up walking more like 2.5 miles. No big deal. The exercise did me good, even if I was sore afterwards. It also helped work out an ingrown toenail I had. I was scheduled to have my toenail removed because of it on Thursday, but Wednesday night, I soaked my feet, they hurt so bad, and that corner came out! So yay for not having surgery! NOT a good idea to start a new job doped up on pain pills, unable to walk, after having a toenail removed.

Back to the topic at hand...I am so proud of Brianna for how well she did during the parade. She was so calm and cool, and her typical sweet self. She definitely took a lot of stress off my mind by behaving so well through it all. Our theme for this year was "Super Heroes". We all got t-shirts, they fed us lunch, and hung a cape from the back of Brianna's stroller. There were little kids dressed up in full on superhero gear. A pink Superwoman, a firefighter with a super soaker, a Batman, a fairy princess, and many others. There were also two service dogs who wore t-shirts, and one little Yorkie named Natalie, with a pink bow on her head, who rode along in a stroller.

Brianna, waiting for the parade to start

This is one of the service dogs (I can't remember his name)

Natalie on her royal throne

Some of the clowns and others waiting for the parade to start

More people waiting...see the capes?

The lady on the left, with the green clapper, is Lynn, the PT student who has been observing our sessions.

June 7/8, 2008 - Time for Another Update

Well, for the past month and a half, I've been looking for work. And I finally found a good job with great benefits. I start working on Monday as a Direct Support Provider. Basically, that's a fancy title for a caregiver. I'll be working in a home for developmentally disabled individuals, helping them get up, dressed, bathed, fed, and off to jobs they might have. I'll be doing cooking and cleaning, and supervising any outings we might have. And like I said, there are great benefits. After six months, the employer pays for medical, vision and dental insurance, as well as AFLAC, and a CostCo membership. I get paid vacations, paid sick days, and paid holidays, including my birthday. Or, rather, any day within my birth month. Oh, and I get a raise at 6 months and at 12 months, if I've received all my certifications. And after a year, I have the opportunity to do more training and move up the ladder, get a bigger check, and eventually maybe even "mother" my own house. How exciting is that? Oh, and my supervisor worked it out so that I can have Mondays and Tuesdays off, so Brianna's therapies don't have to suffer for it! And I'll be working primarily day shift!

Brianna is doing really well being back in daycare. She has had some difficulty going to sleep recently, but if the last two nights are anything to go by, we should be over that now. Unfortunately, Brianna's daycare provider isn't open on the weekends, so I was going to have my sister's friend watch Brianna for me. She had said she wanted to, and every time I would call her, just to make sure she was still interested, she would say she was. So on Thursday, I called her to let her know I got hired on, and I was going to start needing her to work, and she said, "Oh, well, I've got so much going on this summer, I don't want to do anything on the weekends." So, I've been scrambling to find weekend childcare. I posted on ad on Craigslist, under the childcare section and in the jobs section under et cetera. And now I'm up to my eyeballs in applicants! I posted the ad on Thursday night/Friday morning (about 2am). Since then, I've had at least six applicants that I can remember. I interviewed one guy tonight. He's 19, a student at a local Bible college, and seems really sweet. He came by about 7pm, and I had started a stew on the stove, around 6:30pm. He stayed till almost 9:30, learning about Brianna, asking questions, playing with Brianna. About 9:00, my stew got done, so I invited him to eat (I made a big pot of it...put some in tupperware to freeze, some in tupperware to take over for Bob and Mary, and some in tupperware for leftovers). He asked me to give his girlfriend cooking lessons :-P. He said she loves to cook, wants to be a chef, but no one has the heart to tell her she's a horrible cook. So I guess he liked my stew :-P. I finally sent him on his way about 9:30, when it was time for Brianna to go to bed. I really did get a good feeling from the guy. He said he would like to go to school to become a kindergarten teacher, once his term at Bible college is over.

Tomorrow, I have an interview at 4:00 with a 21 year old girl who seems very nice, has good experience with childcare. I'm trying to set up another interview with a mom of five kids who wants to watch Brianna, as well. I would have to transport Brianna there, though. There's also another DCP who I might interview, if all else fails. Her rates are $4 an hour for Brianna, $3 an hour normally, so she's entirely reasonable in her rates. She has no experience with children with disabilities, but only one of the other applicants does. That applicant is 20 years old, and is a premed student, hoping to specialize in tropical diseases. She spent time doing volunteer work with the Ruel Foundation in the Phillippines, working with children with cleft lips, clubbed feet, and other disabilities. She is also certified through the World Health Organization in the integrated management of childhood diseases. She currently works full time at Applebee's, and leads the Wednesday Kids Night there. This girl's resume and experiences is seriously impressive. I have a feeling I'm going to have an incredibly difficult decision to make on this one ladies and gents.

May 26, 2008 - Video of Brianna Laughing

Here's the video my sister took of Brianna laughingon her birthday. She was so excited all day, she KNEW it was a special day!

May 25, 2008 - Happy Birthday Brianna!

Well, Brianna turned three on Friday. We celebrated tonight, since Mary was in Wisconsin until last night. It was a good birthday for her. On the day before her birthday, we got Brianna's new Rifton bath chair delivered. It had been sitting in the medical supply company's office for a couple weeks, I guess, because they couldn't track us down. Yeah. That's how long it takes to get approval from insurance. We moved to our new apartment March 20th. And the address on the forms was our old one. So, yeah. It's been a while. But some things take longer. That day, we also got a call to let us know that Brianna's wheelchair is almost ready. It will take about three more weeks, because they have to wait for final approval from the insurance company, which takes 2-3 weeks. Then, I'll be posting pics of Brianna in her pretty purple wheelchair.

On her actual birthday, Brianna had fun. She went to daycare, where they sang "Happy Birthday" to her all day. Then, on the way home, she was roaring at me from the back seat. Later in the evening, she got to talk on the phone with Grammy Mary, who was in Wisconsin visiting her mother for two weeks; and she got to talk to Gramma Betty and Grampa Allen. All that talking on the phone got her really excited, and she spent the rest of the evening squealing and propelling herself back and forth across the living room floor. Then came bath time with her new bath chair. When I got her naked for her bath, she got even MORE excited. Her Auntie Sarah got some great video with her phone of Brianna squealing, arching and flopping, but I have to look at it to make sure it isn't x-rated, since Brianna WAS naked.

On Saturday, we went over to Grammy and Bobo's to do some cleaning (since Bobo has been home alone for two weeks...we expected the house to be a mess...it was surprisingly clean!) and some laundry. I had a pleasant surprise when I checked my bank account, because my state income tax was finally deposited in my account. So we went shopping. Got some groceries. I got some new bedding for my bed, some new sheets, a new bedskirt, and an embroidered quilt, since the weather is warming up, and a comforter is becoming too heavy. After shopping, we came home, and I barbecued and made cupcakes for the neighbor kids, who, by the time they were done, had to go inside for the night. Then, after Brianna went to bed, I set about making her teddy bear cake. It turned out great, and was really yummy.

For her birthday, Brianna got lots of clothes, both from me and from Grammy. She got a cute little sporty outfit from Damien, and she got a rocking horse that sings "Home on the Range" from Grammy. From Gramma Dorothy (Mary's Mom), Brianna got a necklace with a birthstone angel pendant attached. It's a bit big for her, but we can either get another chain for it, or save it until she is older.

All in all, Bri is doing well so far. She's still her contrary self, running into walls with her power chair, turning circles, and going into unauthorized places. But she's happy as can be, so we can't really get mad at her.

May 3, 2008 - 50 Steps!

Okay, update time!

In the past two weeks, there's been quite a bit happening. First of all, Brianna started back at daycare again, so that I can look for work. So far, there've been no interviews or anything yet. But I'm still looking. Brianna does well at daycare, but when I drop her off, she has to do the token fussing and resisting to remind me that I had better come back for her. But as soon as that door is shut behind me, she's happy as a clam. It's like a light switch. Seriously, that fast. No real tears, even.

In therapy, Brianna has been developing a distinctively stubborn and contrary streak, especially when we have occupational therapy at Shriner's. Whether we have OT or PT, Brianna always spends some time driving in the power chair. When we have OT and put her in it, she absolutely HATES to go any direction you tell her to. Ask her to go straight, she turns circles. Say, "Let's go get stickers", she goes to look at the fish. Say, "Let's go look at the fish", she goes towards the sky bridge. If she hears the elevator, she tries to get on it. If she sees a door open, she wants to go through it. Voices are another adventure for her. She'll go anywhere she hears voices. She runs into walls, just for the fun of it. "Authorized personnel only" signs hold no meaning for her. Nor do the words, "Stop" or "Let's go..." And the entire time she is contradicting every word you say to her, she has a great big grin on her face!

Now, in contrast, when we have PT, Brianna is a perfect angel. She drives in straight lines, with minimal crashes into walls or doorways. You say, "Let's go get stickers", and not only does she go to the room, but she does her little circle to turn around and see the stickers, WITHOUT trying to go into the central supply room first! She just tools up and down those halls, as sweet as can be, happy as a clam, minding everything Molly says. Of course, as soon as Denee, the OT, shows up, which she does if she has spare time during our therapy hour, Brianna starts being a little stinker again. And I know it isn't because she dislikes either one of them. She loves them both! She immediately gets full of smiles when she sees either one of them. I think it's just because Denee gives her a little more freedom than Molly does, maybe. When Bri drives with the PT, often Molly will walk along behind, with her hands on the handles, that way she can easily correct if Brianna needs the help. There is no guiding the chair with the handles while it is in drive. It's too heavy. So I know that it isn't Molly keeping Brianna straight through her own force. In contrast, when Denee puts Bri in the chair, she walks along side, or a couple feet behind, so she's a few steps away, close enough to reach if necessary, but far enough away that Brianna doesn't feel like she's being crowded or pushed. It's amazing to compare their different styles of teaching and therapy.

Now, as for the title of this thread...Yes, it means Brianna took about 50 steps! In PT on Thursday, Brianna was NOT a happy camper in her walkabout. She just couldn't seem to get that right leg to do what she wanted it to, so she was standing still quite a bit. So, Molly took Brianna out of the walkabout, and just held her under the arms. And Brianna walked about 25-30 steps away from me that way. Then she walked back to me that way. It was amazing! She was so happy, and you could tell from her grin and the happy sounds she was making that she was proud of herself! She was awesome! I wish I would have remembered to bring my camera. From now on, I do not go to therapy without it. There are too many important milestones that I might miss if I don't have my camera.

Anyway, it's late now, and I'm tired, so I'm going to end this entry here. I'll update on Brianna's progress in speech therapy tomorrow or the next day.

Oh, and Damien, we haven't seen you in a while, but I know you're probably reading, and I wanted to let you know that any time you want to see Bri or spend time with her, all you have to do is let me know. You're more than welcome to come see her, or keep her overnight, or even just for a couple hours, if you want to. All ya have to do is ask.