Skiing

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #HomeAlone

No matter how we plan it, our day always seems to start later than intended and that was the case today. We were late enough in getting up that it actually worked in Janet’s favour. I had an appointment downtown that I thought would be our first stop while running a bunch of errands today. There was no need for Janet to be at this appointment and since we were running late I decided to go on my own and leave her to enjoy her toast and coffee in peace. I was gone for twenty seven minutes and I think Janet was disappointed it wasn’t longer. She enjoyed being on her own and was happily sipping coffee, watching The Marilyn Denis Show after finishing her toast and putting the plate in the dishwasher. High five I guess. I’m not really ready to make a habit of this but it’s nice to know she feels confident being on her own.

When we finally did get to running our errands it was well past lunch time and Janet kept saying “so what” about lunch and refused to bother with any. I was concerned about that when we got to Connect for a gym session but she insisted she didn’t need any lunch and rolled right to it with Curtis and I. Garrett and Curtis seemed genuinely pleased to see Janet and eagerly assisted in the gym putting Janet through a full workout. Janet showed signs of being away from the gym for over a week and was noticeably slower on the bike but that was after lots of stretching and a good session on the Shuttle. It will be good to get her back into the groove next week.

Janet vetoed my suggestion for dinner and requested her favourite, pizza and salad. I agreed knowing she could help make that. She was on the ball in gathering ingredients from the fridge and gadgets from the cupboards and drawers and did a good job helping. Needless to say there wasn’t a crumb left on her plate at the end of dinner and the lack of a nap was starting to show as well. The house hadn’t been vacuumed since before Christmas and there was a pile of dishes to do so there was no time for rest yet. Janet accepted the job of vacuuming and did a decent job. She’s getting better at spotting dirt on the floor and even thought to vacuum the top of the coffee table and the shelf the toaster over sits on. High five.

With the house a lot cleaner it was time to clean Janet. Even she was complaining that her hair needed washing and she hates showers. I gave her a bath last week and today got a handheld shower head rigged in our bathroom so we could try that in hopes it would be faster and easier to wash her hair. It worked well but Janet complained of being cold so next time I think we’ll combine the two methods and see what happens.

The work was finally done and Janet was happy to sit down with a bowl of ice cream and watch a little TV before bed. She lasted long enough to finish the ice cream and that was about it. Praying for a night of deep, healing and uninterrupted sleep that provides lots of energy, a positive attitude and a willingness to participate fully in everything we do tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Quiet

A noticeably quieter day today as it is now just Janet and I at home for the rest of the holidays. We were up a little late last night and had to move through breakfast rather quickly in order to make it to church for eleven this morning. Janet has now graduated from needing a wheelchair designated pew so we sat in the second row and I parked her wheelchair in the lobby. Her transfer to the pew was one of her smoothest yet as I had her lined up well for some easy side stepping. Quite a number of people came by to say hi before the service and Janet is always amazed at how many people know her. Our friends Scott and Nora are in town from Chicago and Nora chatted with us for quite a while commenting that she reads the blog daily. Janet is always amazed to hear people say that and I love it when someone other than me tells her as I get to reinforce to her how many people care about her. That’s why you read this blog. Right? The socializing continued after the service as well with Janet enthusiastically greeting people as we came across them. Confidence is building?

After the standard grilled cheese lunch and once the Seahawks game was well underway Janet had a good Skype chat with her mom. She was able to offer some good detail from memory and added more with a little prompting.

Things started catching up with Janet later this afternoon and she actually fell asleep on the chaise lounge during the football game. It was only for fifteen minutes or so and needed. She woke with enough energy to get through the rest of the day nicely but only wanted to watch TV. I did get her to practice a few sit to stands from her wheelchair and she continues to improve with those but I am noticing a little less control of the right leg and wonder if we are seeing the Botox wearing off. It’s about that time, if not past it. Could also be the lack of exercise compared to normal. Never the less, her transfers are improving.

Our evening entertainment tonight was the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. No idea why we decided to watch it other than Audrey Hepburn was gorgeous. We found some of the story lines strange but overall enjoyed it and Janet got to bed at a decent hour all set for a good night of sleep. Praying for full and complete healing.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #solong

Janet had no thoughts of Christmas this morning and rose with anticipation in hopes of spending as much time with Heather as possible before she started her long journey home. The morning was relaxed and centred around the breakfast table. Janet is getting pretty good at making her own coffee and has almost mastered the toaster oven but I need to buy smaller jars of peanut butter as she’s having trouble getting to the bottom of the gigantic one we have now.

By the time most people were having lunch we decided to go for a drive up to Big White. Heather had never seen it and Janet didn’t remember seeing it and I would love to find a way for her to enjoy the snow up there with me someday.
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We planned on having lunch at Santé, which is in the White Crystal Inn and I’m glad we did. The Big White concierge told me we could take Janet up the Gondola to the village but I was very skeptical of that so we drove up to the hotel in case there was some parking there. The front desk staff were very helpful and let us into the private parking garage, gave us a key to a washroom for Janet and made us feel very welcome. Lunch was good and served to us by a girl that recognized us from, Gengie, the sushi place we go to a lot. Celebrity Janet. We were able to get Janet out for a quick look around the village. Of course she got a little cold and I think a lot of that is in her head. She enjoyed seeing it all and I had fun pushing her around in the snow. We didn’t get to check out the tubing area but Janet agreed she would go back so we can do that next time.
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There was only time for a little more visiting at home before filling Heather up with sushi at Gengie before taking her to the airport. Janet did very well with her chopsticks tonight and hardly spilled anything. Janet really wanted to go inside the airport to say goodbye to Heather knowing she cries the most of all the kids. She did and to my surprise Janet held herself together remarkably well. I can’t explain the lack of outward emotion as Janet definitely feels it on the inside. Oh well, it saves on Kleenex.

Janet was very tired by the time we got home but was determined to watch a movie. On Heather’s recommendation we watched Love Actually with me thinking we’d seen it a long time ago. Not so, and Janet found her second wind and enjoyed the movie even though there were so many different stories going on it was hard for her to follow. I’m learning to narrate a little during the film and ask her questions from time to time and that seems to help her.

I’m confident Janet will sleep well tonight and am praying she does so and has lots of energy for tomorrow. We are grateful for the time we got to spend with family over the Christmas break, it truly was fun. Heather, you were a huge help, especially in the kitchen, and we pray for a safe trip home for you knowing we will see you soon.