Trinity

Janet, A Success Story. June 14. #TSJ

This pretending to change time zone thing is not that easy, especially trying to tie it into Janet’s nap time and regular bedtime. If she’s not tired she can’t sleep. We are making progress on it though and hope to be on Eastern Time tomorrow.

Today was fairly routine save for one big moment this evening. The morning consisted of Miss Independent making her breakfast then having a bit of a giggle session with her mom on Skype. Then the work began. At risk of being old and prepared way too soon, we started packing. It feels like we are forgetting something already as Janet is packed in a very small suitcase and I’m not using my largest one either. Seems odd but good if it works.

Nash was on a sleep over with our friend Annie, who is going to look after him while we’re gone and we made a quick trip to pick him up. He was OK with coming home but seemed very comfortable at Annie’s house too. We went without the wheelchair and Janet did some nice walking up a large ramp to the front door of the building.

Nap time was a little early with the time change but Janet didn’t protest, she just didn’t sleep that long. The sun was shining bright when she woke so I plunked her out in it for forty five minutes while I made our early dinner. All warmed up and fed we headed out to church where I helped Janet walk all the way to the door to the auditorium. I then challenged her to walk down the aisle to our seats. This time there was resistance but she caved in quickly and for the first time walked freestyle all the way down the aisle and right into her seat! Outstanding!

As we continue to pretend its later than it really is we had dessert after church instead of dinner while watching some touching and amazing stories and performances on America’s Got Talent. A reluctant Janet was in bed at 9:30 real time, 11:30 pretend, saying she would not go to sleep, she’s snoring as I write.

Praying for a fun and productive Sunday on Eastern Time.

Janet, A Success Story. June 7. #TSJ

Another independent morning for Janet as she made breakfast, typed an email herself and waited in the sunshine for me while I showered. I still get anxious about her when I leave her in situations like that. She is unable to get back into the house on her own from the patio and I worry a little about her needing to when I’m not available. I finished my shower as quickly as I could and went to check on her, she was singing away to the music I’d left on for her. I need to have more faith.

Its a good thing we were up at a reasonable hour because we had an early lunch date with John. He hasn’t been out for a meal in months and was raring to go as soon as we arrived at his care home. We wheeled the few blocks over to Joey Kelowna and sat outside for a nice leisurely lunch. I didn’t arrange the seating very well so Janet had a hard time hearing John but we managed. I think he really enjoyed getting out and we enjoyed listening to his stories.

With lunch done early Janet agreed to brave the mall as long as we shopped for me not her. She was a big help in colour selection as I actually found clothes that fit me and I managed to sneak a few things in for her too.

After a nice little nap we headed off to church without the wheelchair. After getting out of the car and closing the door unassisted, Janet walked across the parking lot with my help then went by herself the one hundred plus feet to “our” door then demanded my help to walk down to our seats. Janet got lots of encouragement along the way from friends and even people we don’t know. I had to remind her that her story is out there and more people know about her and are cheering her on than she may realize. Walking out of church was similar and took longer as people stopped to chat and encourage and ask about the wedding. Even someone neither of us knows asked Janet if she was ready for the wedding. Kiko walked with us the last little ways to the car and for the first time got to see Janet walking freestyle and even opening the car door unassisted. She is always so encouraging and upbeat, it all made for a very positive evening.

Our time at home tonight was positive as well. We enjoyed some good sushi and the movie Son of God which spurred a good conversation afterwards with Janet feeling touched by the film and glad we saw it soon after church as it helped to see things acted out rather than just spoken about. I guess we were both so immersed in the movie we forgot Janet’s meds until she was tucked into bed. It crossed my mind once during the movie and I thought I’d prompt her during our ice cream break but forgot by then. Oh well.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that helps to bring lots of energy and a sharp mind for tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 31. #TSJ

Being up late last night didn’t deter Janet from getting up early this morning which was surprising to me but I’m glad she did. Mostly because the landscaping committee rang the doorbell at 9:30 and Janet got a say in where some new plants went. Shortly after that we got a call about something we are selling then we walked over to the pool to help clean and set up the furniture and stuff for it as today was opening day. Janet helped me put some stuff away from Wine Club when we got home and by the time noon rolled around it had been a very productive day which meant we could spend the afternoon in the sun.

I tried to convince Janet to go for a swim but she wasn’t buying it despite the air and water temps being right in her range. Hopefully tomorrow. She did do good work on her tan before nap time though.

Our outing to church this evening was Janet’s first without her wheelchair which meant she even walked down the ramp in our garage for the first time. She was a little scared at first but handled it very well. Guess its time for a hand rail.

Pizza, a movie and ice cream rounded out the night and Janet was in bed snoring at a much more reasonable hour. Praying for a long night of sleep that gives Janet lots of energy for a fun Sunday.

Janet, A Success Story. May 24. #TSJ

During breakfast this morning Janet remembered that Mary Lou had asked her to bring in a children’s book to practice reading with. Janet was excited to look through our collection and wasn’t at all upset by the thought of reading a kids book, until she tried reading one. She is still figuring out how to compensate for her right side impairment so when she reads a long line of text she misses the last three or four words. Being able to read a children’s book well enough to present it to a Pre School class is Janet’s goal and the book she has chosen is The Hallo-wiener. We will try and find a Pre School that will let Janet come in and read and with five months before Halloween she should have enough time to get to that level. I love that she set that goal.

Not wanting to hog all the sun to ourselves today we drove out to see John and as soon as he saw us he asked if we were going outside, even before he said hello. He seems much more with it today and we enjoyed a long leisurely stroll where he was able to tell us a bit of his life story. John has always been a great talker and he got on a roll with us today.

We arrived at church with enough time to allow Janet to walk freestyle most of the way through the lobby. She tired out close to the door we enter the auditorium by and that’s where I was going to start helping her anyways as the floor slopes from there. I noticed Janet’s pace was slower during this walk partly because she was distracted by the other people milling about. Solid effort though.

Planning seemed to be the theme of the day as we set tentative dates for a number of activities we hope to do this summer. Janet agreed that there’s no point in having an idea if you don’t take any action on it, so we did and the calendar is filling up fast.

Praying for a happy Sunday.

Janet, A Success Story. May 17. #TSJ

Today you could really sense the rhythm of Janet being at home for an extended period. Our morning was relaxed and talkative with no urgency to do anything in particular. We continued to discuss the movie Heaven Is For Real and watched YouTube clips of the real people plus a young artist who painted an image of Jesus around the time the real events of the movie were happening and the little boy from the movie said that was the Jesus he saw. Janet was fascinated by it all.

We went downtown to pick up a book we had ordered, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and cruised through “the store we never buy anything at”, just in case there was something to spend the gift card we’ve had for three years on. Nope. If any of you have legitimate use of a $100 Lakehouse gift card, it’s yours.

The only physical workout Janet got today was walking from the car to her seat at church and back out again. On the way in there was no mention of a sore foot but it did come up on the way out without impeding her performance though. There was no mention of it the few times she walked at home.

It was sushi and movie night at home and after rejecting Her thirty minutes into it we both enjoyed August: Osage County. There was not one happy person in the entire film but somehow we enjoyed it anyways. Janet understood it and gave a good recap after and did the same for the day as well even as she was falling asleep. Her memory is improving and I suspect the Dilantin situation has improved, allowing her some cognitive gain.

Praying for a long night of healing sleep and an energetic Sunday.

Janet, A Success Story. May 14. #TSJ

Whew! What a day. The warmest day of the year so far and a perfect day for Janet to try sailing. I met her and the others at the yacht club this morning expecting to watch her for an hour or so then take her with me to run some errands but I actually got to go on the boat with her! I really enjoyed it despite the calm conditions, Janet enjoyed sitting in the sun but that was about all. I may try and convince her to go again as it’s an awesome way to spend a sunny morning.

Wes and Janet sailing along.

Wes and Janet sailing along.

Cool Connect Crew and cool Matt.

Cool Connect Crew and cool Matt.

From there we went to have Janet’s dress for the wedding hemmed. It was quite the production as we had to get Janet into the dress and shoes, have the expert pin where the dress should hang to then get her regular clothes back on. I don’t know how you women put up with stuff like that. We did a little shopping since we were out and enjoyed lunch in the sun at Janet’s request. By the time we got home she was exhausted and went for an almost three hour nap!

I was getting worried she’d never wake up as the clock moved closer to departure time for Heidi’s house but Janet finally woke up just before 5. All I could think of the last hour of her sleep was her Dilantin levels being out of whack and what sort of impact that is having on her. Janet’s doctor was not in today so I had made the decision to hold back a third of her dosage again tonight then get her levels tested tomorrow. When Janet woke up she seemed refreshed but was really warm and her left eye seemed a little relaxed compared to the right one. By the time she was dressed and had a glass of water she seemed fine. Praying for resolution to this tomorrow.

Heidi had all of her SheLife ladies over to her house for dinner tonight and I dropped Janet off there then went to work at the church. This is the first time I’ve left Janet somewhere far away from me and for an extended period of time. I know all the ladies would take good care of her and they did. Janet said she enjoyed the evening but everyone helped her a little too much. This marks the end of SheLife until September. It’s been a true blessing for Janet.

Curtis surprised us with a reduced dosage of Dilantin when we got to Connect. Apparently Janet’s doctor ordered the change and the pharmacy delivered it tonight. That is a bit of a relief knowing the doctor is aware and took action so I will hold off on testing until I hear from her. On the car ride to Connect Janet was able to tell me about her evening quite accurately and with good but a little quiet speech. I feel better about the situation tonight and pray she has a good night of sleep and an energetic and bright day tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 10. #TSJ

After a big sleep in this morning Janet made her own breakfast then tried to compose an email by herself. She is getting pretty good at using the talk to text function on Gmail and I’m teaching her to use Siri on the iPad but her speech isn’t always clear enough to allow for a clean translation. Her email took a long time to compose but she did a solid job.

We chose to run a few errands while we could, one of which was to pick up her new shoe that had the strap sewn onto it. Janet test drove that pair at church tonight and other than being a little noisy they seemed good, good enough that she walked all the way from the car to her seat without complaining and only stopping briefly to chat once along the way. That was her farthest walk yet and it was repeated in reverse after the service. Big high five!

There was a Social Club event at our strata’s clubhouse tonight that we joined in on as soon as we got home. It involved playing a rather silly dice game called Bunco but the real fun was in hanging out with the neighbours for a couple hours. The game required moving from table to table each round and Janet and I played separately so she was at a different table than me most of the night. At first I wasn’t sure if she would enjoy that but each time I looked over at her she seemed to be smiling bigger and by the end of the night she admitted it was OK. High praise in Janet’s book.

Popcorn and American Idol closed another late night but what the heck, as long as Janet is awake enough and engaged in something I’ll let her do it and she enjoyed the show and especially the popcorn.

Praying for a good night of sleep and lots of energy tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 7. #TSJ

Getting needles stuck into her is one of Janet’s favourite things. Not. Yesterday was one little one for a blood test, today was multiple large ones for Botox. Both for good causes but neither very pleasant. Dr. McCann administered today’s treatment at his office which is only a ten minute walk from our house so we walked. Janet thought I meant really walk at first but that would be a little extreme. Janet did walk into the office though and Dr. McCann made sure to point out how much Janet has improved since he saw her last. We changed the plan of attack a little today and left Janet’s right fingers alone as they are looking pretty good. That part of the dosage was targeted at Janet’s right elbow in hopes of limiting its pronating. The right leg treatment stayed the same and with Janet’s overall improvement Dr. McCann wants to space out the treatments more so we are now every four months instead of three. I asked what the indicator would be for the ending of treatments and he said Janet walking with a cane for one or two blocks. I explained Janet doesn’t like the cane so she’d be walking free style and he said great. Janet then gave a little demonstration of her free style walking by putting four steps back to back. On our walk home I pointed out where she’d have to walk to from our place and she asked if that was supposed to be some sort of incentive. I’m hoping that was a rhetorical question.

Fresh from a nap Janet enjoyed some time in the sun before going to SheLife. We arrived on time but as I turned the last corner into the parking lot Janet tried to place her water bottle back in its holder and missed a little so the entire contents ended up in her lap. The only option was to race back home to change. That prevented her from being able to walk in as I was hoping she would to work in that Botox. Oh well. This was the last session at the church as next week Heidi is having her table over to her house then SheLife is over until September. Janet was excited to tell me she got to speak during their discussion time and reiterated how much she appreciates everyone there.

When we got back to Connect it was late of course and Janet needed a bathroom break so she missed that opportunity to walk as well. I guess its OK if she gets rested up and starts fresh tomorrow. Praying for a long night of deep sleep and an abundance of physical activity tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 3. #TSJ

Today we eliminated one stressful item off of my to do list. Janet found shoes for the wedding! AFO lady had suggested a store called Hollywood Shoes and that was our first task of the day. Half an hour later we left the store with wedding shoes and a pair of clogs for outings away from Connect. Happy happy.

Since we were in the area we stopped by to see John who is still at the care home he doesn’t want to be in. It is a pretty sad place and John has yet to recapture his positive personality although he tries hard to put on a brave face. He was pleased to see us and Janet felt good about visiting him.

I eased Janet back into some walking practice today and I didn’t notice any real set back after the day off. The big test came at church this evening where she propelled in wearing her new clogs then walked down the aisle to her seat. She did well saying the left show feels a little loose. It was better on the way up the aisle after church and Janet thinks it’ll be fine but I will test her more tomorrow. Janet took a few steps on her own without even thinking about it and did a nice turn to her spot at the table without assistance. If she would just believe in herself she could do so much more.

We got some great news about our friend Wendy in Nanaimo this evening, she is off the respirator, conscious and “out of the woods”. Still in ICU but things look positive. Thanks to those who prayed for her.

Janet and I closed our day catching up on American Idol with Janet offering some good critiques and correctly naming who’d be sent home. Her favourite, surprisingly is Caleb.

Praying that Janet sleeps well and is bright and energetic for tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. April 30. #TSJ

When I checked in with Janet at lunchtime today she was sounding quite cheery and energetic. Her morning had been good and included a long walk, Janet said to the gym, Jess corrected it was to the living room. The fact that Janet was excited about it is great and she continued to act positively when I got to Connect to take her to SheLife.

I arrived early thinking we’d go bathing suit shopping but an old pair of shorts and one top still barely fits Janet and will do for tomorrow so the shopping can wait for some rainy day. Tez wants Janet to wear her AFO in the pool with some water shoes on her feet and I forgot to take them to Connect so we went home to see if any fit and decided to stay for our first outside dinner of the year.

Al fresco dining in April. #whywelivehere

Al fresco dining in April. #whywelivehere


The water shoes will do for tomorrow. I mentioned Janet was in a pretty positive mood and one example was her eagerness to walk from her room to the car. It was if she expected to do that and never even mentioned her wheelchair. It was fun walking out in the sun with her and we did it again at church as Janet walked from the car to her table at SheLife, a distance I later stepped out as 215 feet. By far her longest yet and it included going up two ramps, one about 30 feet long. Her steps were strong and deliberate most of the time with a little more wobbliness than I’d like but that will change. The fact she had the energy to go that far is impressive.

With a big smile on her face Janet excitedly told me how she “actually contributed tonight”. She managed to talk about patience and how she could be really angry or sad about what’s happened to her but she’s not. It was a fun car ride back to Connect as Janet talked about the positive things in her life.

My time with Janet today was very refreshing and uplifting and a great antidote to what had happened earlier. My cousin and second cousin both work at the mill in Nanaimo where the shooting took place this morning and there were some anxious moments in waiting to hear if they were OK. They are but were shaken by what took place. We also received word that our friend Wendy in Nanaimo is in ICU after a botched procedure to remove kidney stones. Janet’s table prayed for her tonight and I ask you to do the same.