football

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

Janet and I enjoyed a pretty quiet day today, her last full day here before returning to Connect tomorrow after dinner. It’s been a great sixteen days and it will be difficult to say goodnight tomorrow and leave her at Connect. I know it’s still the best place for her to keep getting better and I guess I was spoiled having her at home for such a long stretch. It’s awesome to realize she can be home with no major challenges and that bodes well for the future.

I did manage to get Janet to do a little standing and walking today. Her balance was good and she made it more than half way from the table to the fridge, about ten feet, before declaring a bathroom break. I had her carry on afterwards and she was able to retrieve an orange out of the fridge with minimal assistance from me. We had a brief but nice visit from Courtney and watched a very exciting playoff football game before going to church. Janet said that was the most exciting game she’d ever seen and she was truly into it and Seattle wasn’t even playing. Love her.

In trying to foster more independence for Janet I intentionally left her wheelchair footrest in the car at church and asked her to propel herself from the car to our seats. She needed a little help on one sloped bit in the parking lot, other than that it was all her confidently rolling along. At the end of the service she executed her first unassisted standing transfer from pew to wheelchair. No help from me at all. High five!

Dinner and a movie was the evening plan again with Janet almost bailing on the movie we watched, Won’t Back Down, but was glad she stuck it out through the end and gave a loud cheer and a fist pump. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that restores Janet’s energy for a productive tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 62. I think I was a little ahead of myself yesterday in giving Randy the day off. I was in Sunday mode but it was only Saturday so I suspect he was working from home on cupboard doors and such. Hopefully he took today off! Janet and I started to decorate a little then she decided she didn’t want to hang the pieces we were considering so down to the crawl space they go.

Today started a little earlier than yesterday with Janet willing to get up but not that thrilled about it. Her energy level was a little low all day and I’m not sure why. Our morning included a nice Skype chat with Mary/Gaga during which Janet communicated very well and was happy with how she did. I challenged Janet to make her own coffee this morning and she did so with minimal coaching. Our chores were completed in time for the Seahawks game and that is how we spent our afternoon. Like I said, Janet’s energy level was a little low so she wasn’t into cheering so much during today’s game and I think that was a contributing factor in the loss.

I suffered a bigger loss than the Seahawks today as a piece of Janet’s clothing finally beat me. We attended a turkey dinner for everyone in the complex this evening and Janet wanted to wear her new dress again. It was a challenge putting it on her for our party Friday but we were successful but tonight it beat me altogether. For now I’m saying it shrunk just enough in the wash and it wasn’t my incompetence that caused the fail. It did spoil the evening a little as I was not a very happy guy after battling a dress for half an hour. Janet said she had fun at the dinner and we did meet some nice people there but it was a little weird and old. Still good to go as I learned I will be assisting with the next event, a wine tasting in January. Word travels fast!

Returning to Connect Janet asked to get ready for bed then have me read Open for a little while. That was a nice way to calm back down for both of us and I found it very hard to leave the room for the night. Part of me gets very used to having Janet at home, especially the new one, and part of me wants her to keep working hard at Connect to get better. I know the latter is what she needs still and the prospect of Janet being at home full time is a little frightening right now but having to say goodnight and drive thirty minutes away sucks.

Praying for a night of restoration and lots of energy for a productive tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 48. Not much renovating going on today but Janet and I managed to empty a few boxes and have declared the Den/Second Bedroom completed except for decorating and hiding TV cables. After all the purging at the old house we surprisingly still have excess furniture so will be selling some things soon I guess. Still can’t find our lamps although we didn’t really look today.

Overall, today was a low energy day for Janet. She woke up with a bit of a spark but after breakfast and a Skype chat with Heather she started to fade. She was a big help in arranging furniture and she managed her first two loads of laundry with minimal assistance. I’ve no doubt she’ll master those machines very quickly. She’s pretty much got the ice and water dispenser down and can easily put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I’m liking this already!

I suggested a nap before going to the Grey Cup party and got know argument from Janet, in fact when I woke her at the agreed upon time she asked for another half hour. Not sure why she was so tired today but there’s no problem with taking a restful day and the long nap did enable her to enjoy the party. It wasn’t the most lively event we’ve ever been to and we didn’t hardly know anyone there but it was a good place to watch the game and Janet liked the Bingo game that we all played. You filled out your card with random numbers that corresponded to questions you could only answer by talking to other people. Janet had no problem going up to a few different folks and asking them the appropriate questions. She got enough correct answers to earn a line on her Bingo card but no prize. Oh well, it was fun. Not as much fun as watching Janet eat, to my knowledge, her very first chili dog! With no other dinner choices Janet didn’t even hesitate at eating some classic football food. High five!

Upon our return to Connect Janet surprised me again by agreeing to a bike ride and promptly tying her personal best. She kept saying how tired she was but she peddled and peddled the entire thirty minutes. High five!

We closed the day with a few minutes of real football and Tootsie Rolls and with Janet looking forward to Wednesday when she can come home and help set things up some more. Despite her tiredness today there were lots of encouraging signs of improvement like, Janet knowing where her slippers were after not having them on for over an hour, waking up with me telling her it’s two thirty and her saying “we have to go soon”, and the very good “tired” bike ride. It was fun having Janet home again and will be even more so as soon as we are totally unpacked and settled in.

Praying for a night of healing sleep, total control of her right leg and lots of energy for an active tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 41. Today was get ready for tomorrow day, cleaning up as much as possible and moving appliances to their permanent locations so they are out of the way for all the other stuff arriving tomorrow. Randy and his wife Claudette continued work on the baseboards and did a final clean so that when I got home tonight I could take one last look at the “empty” house.

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Janet and Suzanne were visiting at the kitchen table when I got to Connect and I had to shoo them into the living room so we could watch the football game. Janet’s morning was fairly quiet as Curtis said they gave her a chance to sleep in and make sure her tummy was ok after last night. Janet said all is well and she had a good sleep. It was an enjoyable visit with Suzanne made more so by the Seahawks domination of Minnesota and that made it easy to break from the game to Skype Mary/Gaga. Janet said after the chat that she always has good conversations with her mom and that is mostly true. I feel Janet continues to improve her recall and general conversation abilities. I intentionally said very little and tried not to coach her to see how she’d manage and she did just fine. Now to get her more confident in using the iPad so she can be more independent.

The bike is Janet’s favorite exercise activity and she said so herself three times today so there was no argument about riding before dinner. No records broken today but a strong effort from Janet who ate very well at dinner then had a good Skype chat with Andrew. Janet was not interested in the Standing Frame tonight and I didn’t force the issue but did want her to do something. She finally agreed to do some free standing in her room. She still heavily favors her left leg but made improvements in her ability to lift her left foot completely off the ground. Walking is still done by holding onto me for dear life but there is a visible desire to do it so I think she’ll get there.

Our discussion of what we read in Not a Fan tonight was excellent as Janet continues to get smarter. I was so impressed with her I asked who the president of the United States is and at first she said “Ford” which would be correct forty years ago so I gave her Barack and she quickly added the Obama as she did with Stephen Harper. I didn’t expect her to know anything about that stuff but she does. At bedtime she confirmed with me that “we’re getting our stuff tomorrow right?” She’s very excited to complete the renovations so she can spend a weekend at home. Me too.

Praying for a good sleep tonight and the ability and willingness to work hard tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 34. A day off for me as I spent the entire day with my beautiful wife. Randy was at the house for at least part of the day working on kitchen cabinets. Hopefully he took some family time as well.

Since the Seahawks were playing at the ridiculous time of 10am I was at Connect early to watch the game with Janet. She had just finished breakfast and was enjoying her coffee when I got there and when I told her it was almost game time she chugged back her coffee and wheeled into the living room. If only she’d inhale water like that. The game was over fairly early with Seattle dominating. I missed our first touchdown while talking to Curtis and Jess but Janet cheered and called me to come watch and I got the replay. It wasn’t that long ago that Janet would have to have been told what just happened, now she’s right on it.

With the game in hand and the house quiet, Jess and Curtis and I got Janet upstairs to the parallel bars for some sling walking. I truly believe Janet wants to walk one day and is starting to realize that isn’t going to magically happen. She worked very hard during this session, even to the point of sweating, and all the way through I could see determination on her face and less frustration. Hopefully we can make a real strong push over the next few weeks and build her confidence and strength.

Before lunch Janet had a nice Skype chat with Leslie as far as volume level goes. There was a moment where Janet confused Leslie with Heather as she always seems to have but she recovered nicely. Lunch was with Curtis, Jess, Humberto and Kieran so there was lots of chatter which is always good. A staff member in one of the other houses is a big Saskatchewan Roughriders fan so had a viewing party for their game this afternoon and Janet and I watched the last quarter with Chris, Mark and a few others. Some of the CFL rules are truly goofy but it was entertaining and Janet came within a field goal of winning some prizes in the Pool. That was a good warm up for the Grey Cup in a couple weeks.

After a little convincing Janet agreed to a bike ride. Once again stating she wouldn’t do very well and once again breaking her previous record. This is the first time she’s gone thirty minutes and she did so strongly while singing along to a number of different songs as they came on the radio. I’ve printed off the lyrics of some of them so her and John can sing them on Tuesday.

Throughout the day Janet had many opportunities to converse with other residents and staff and she did so often. I find myself really watching her as she interacts on her own and I feel a little like a parent watching a child grow up. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and an increase in confidence in her physical abilities.

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

Renovation Day 20. A well deserved day off for Randy and a full day with Janet for me.

The plan going into today was for a group outing to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch this morning but the weather didn’t cooperate so Jess had Janet helping her in the kitchen. When I arrived, Janet was mixing the ingredients for some sugar cookies after already helping to make soup. Grating carrots is not easy for anyone and Janet got a real good arm workout doing that. Having reached her limit we went off and had a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga and that perked Janet back up. We were excited to learn that Mary/Gaga and Keith are going on a mini cruise to the Bahamas next week. Bon Voyage!

In an effort to get Janet’s energy level up a little I convinced her to go to the gym for a little Shuttle exercise. Not expecting much from her Botox-less legs she shocked me by getting thirteen inches of extension on her first set. That’s the most ever and I’ve no idea where it came from. Suzanne surprised us with a visit towards the end of the session and was able to see Janet in action. Quite a change since the summer when we last saw Suzanne. It was nice to chat and get caught up with her.

After lunch Janet agreed to Skype with Heather and for some reason thought something was wrong with Heather as soon as she saw her. All is well and we aren’t sure what Janet saw or felt there. Our evening plan was to meet Courtney for a belated birthday dinner so Janet had a little rest time before we left Connect for that. While she rested I watched a little football and later noted that with Janet picking all the games this week she so far only has two wrong. Nice work!

We met Courtney at Smack Dab and enjoyed a very nice dinner and conversation with her. Janet impressed us by how much she ate and shocked us by how much she drank. We shared a nice bottle of La Frenz Viognier and Janet had almost two whole glasses, chugging the last ounce in fear that I would take it from her. Funny and a little scary. Janet said afterwards that the evening with Courtney was fun and the highlight of the day.

It was kind of late again when we got back to Connect so it was pretty much take the meds and get ready for bed. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that brings lots of energy and strength for tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 13 was a quiet one. I ripped up a little more of the former pink tile floor leaving the last of it until just before the new floor goes in. Tomorrow I get to sand the last of the texture off the second bedroom ceiling. I can hardly wait.

Janet had just finished lunch and was waiting for me when I got to Connect. It was a beautiful sunny day here so I suggested a walk and Janet agreed saying that others were going for a walk too. We ended up going for a nice long walk with Willie and his wife Val. Towards the end, Janet was complaining of being cold even though it was fourteen degrees and she had her winter coat on. I guess we need to shop for a warmer coat.

We got back inside for a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga that went well then Janet had a brief nap. I know it was brief because I laid down with her just to remind myself what a bed feels like. Once up, we sat in the kitchen and chatted with Jess and Sydney. Janet was a little quiet but enjoyed the time and drank her Fresca surprisingly quickly.

The rest of the evening was very quiet as I gave Janet the day off from the gym. We watched football while visiting with various people that came in and out of the living room and I had Janet read a little on the iPad. She is getting so much better at that its very exciting. When Janet started to fade around 8:30 we headed off to get ready for bed. Each night for a while now I’ve been trying to get Janet to lift her left leg while standing so I can slip off her socks and or pants. She has tried unsuccessfully saying “it won’t work”. Tonight, seconds after saying those exact words, she did it! She was hanging onto the stripper pole for dear life and only held her leg up for one second but that is the first time with me she’s been able to do that. True to form she played it all down but I could see in her eyes she was pleased with herself.

Praying for restoration of the use of her right arm and hand and continued building of strength.

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

Renovation Day seven and Randy deservedly took the day off. I pulled more staples out of the floor this morning then cruised in the sunshine to watch football with Janet.

Waiting for me in the living room Janet greeted me with a big smile saying she had waited for me so we could have lunch and watch the game, and that’s what we did with our jerseys on and feeling excited for Laurel and Raj who were actually in Seattle at the game. Janet almost made it to half time before getting tired and needing a nap. Her cold is still with her enough to sap some of her energy and she slept for an hour and a half, waking in time to see the last few minutes of an ugly Seahawks victory.

Nash was hanging with us at Connect for the afternoon and before we went to Mark and Veronica’s for dinner we had to drop him off at the house. He really enjoys being at Connect and Humberto especially likes him. I wonder if Connect needs a mascot? The good part about having to go home for a bit was Janet got to see it again and we went for a little walk around the neighbourhood to get some fresh air. Janet still likes the place and I’m really looking forward to being able to bring her home for a weekend soon.

Janet did a great job being a dinner guest tonight. Nice confident greetings to everyone, chatted with the ladies in the kitchen and did awesome at introducing herself and saying what she was thankful for. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and conversation and Janet wants to do more of that sort of thing so once the house is ready some invites will be going out. These more public appearances are good therapy for her. We got back to Connect in time to get ready for bed and I pray Janet has an uninterrupted night of sleep that heals her of her cold and gives her lots of energy for an active Monday.

This evening was a reminder of how blessed we are to have friends willing to share their home, food and time with us. Janet and I are thankful to all of you who read this blog, cheer us on, visit us, cook for us and spend time with us. God continues to place the right people in our lives at the right time and we are most thankful for that.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #NotaFan #TNF #YMCA

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Janet today after our argument last night. I’d seen Curtis in the morning and told him about it and that I wasn’t sure if Janet would go swimming and when I arrived at Connect this afternoon Curtis told me not only did Janet go swimming but she really enjoyed it. Relieved at that news I went into her room and got a hello but not a huge smile. Seems her memory is getting better as she remembered “we were fighting last night”. Arguing is a better term and as soon as we apologized to each other the smile came as she told me swimming “wasn’t too bad”. That’s Janet speak for “I had fun”. There were quite a few residents that went to the pool at the YMCA so Janet’s fear of being the only girl was put to rest and the water was warm as was the room in general. I think one of the problems with the KGH pool is the water is so warm and there is always cool air blowing in the room and Janet is really sensitive to that. She explained how she was in the little pool and the hot tub and it was fun watching the little kids in the pool. I heard through the grapevine that she was treated a little like a queen while there as the guys all made a point of hanging out with her. I’m really happy she went and enjoyed the experience and will talk to Tez to see if going to a place like that can replace the KGH pool. I think the non clinical feel and being out in public are huge benefits for Janet.

It was Janet’s turn to help prep dinner and she worked very hard at chopping peppers for a salad. Progress is being made for sure but she still needs coaching. Dinner was ready before Janet was hungry so we went to the gym to get the Shuttle over with. Her attitude was definitely better today but this wasn’t her strongest performance. There was good action with the right leg and average results when using two and she had no interest in standing on her own. Janet’s right ankle seems a little weaker these last couple of days and it’s starting to seem like she’ll need some support there. Wasting no time after dinner, Janet was right into the Standing Frame while watching Kansas City beat Philadelphia on Thursday Night Football. Getting that done earlier than last night left us time to catch the last song of Music Night upstairs where Brian and Kevin jammed for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s really cool that they do that and if Janet wasn’t so hung up on getting her “work” done we wouldn’t been there for more. I read some Not a Fan to her before bed and she’s really finding the book interesting and intriguing. Janet is able to tell me about what we’ve read and express her thoughts on it in addition to reading short portions. Powerful stuff.

This was a much better day than yesterday and I’m thankful for that. I can sense a little emotion starting as Janet realizes this is her last weekend in our current home. We will be busy packing so there won’t be a lot of time to get all sentimental but I’m sure it’ll be a little sad for her on Monday. At the same time she is excited about the new house and the freedom it will give her. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a productive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #NFL #kickoff #wheelchair

It was an early start to the day for me as someone named Brian scheduled a wheelchair meeting at Connect for 9:00am. This meeting was actually long overdue so I’m glad we could finally have it even if it was on the early side. We went over Janet’s chair part by part so that the rep could put together a quote for the purchase of her very own ride. Hers will be a little more tricked out than the one she’s using now and Janet chose the color from quite a wide selection. I won’t disclose the color until her chair arrives in a few weeks. We also tested and will continue to test this weekend a “porter” wheelchair. This is a lightweight rather simple chair that folds up easily and could be used for shopping trips, dinner outings and church in place of her larger rigid chair. Having one of these would widen our options for a new car but Jared the wheelchair guy also showed us how easily the regular chair breaks down to fit into any car. Nice to have choices.

I had a little time to spare before my dentist appointment and the staff were a little busy so I took Janet to the gym after our meeting. Jess explained the not needing to go to the gym last night mystery saying she’d told Janet if she did the yoga thing she wouldn’t have to do her stretching routine that morning. Makes sense and Janet agreed after hearing it from the source. Janet did a great job on the Shuttle this morning and is definitely slowly gaining strength. I left her in Jess’s capable hands and went off to improve my smile.

On my return Janet was dusting in the living room so I secretly watched her for a few minutes. I love how she was really concentrating on what she was supposed to do and looking for areas that needed cleaning. She probably wouldn’t pass a white glove test but she made a great effort and used good technique. A nap was out of the question as she was busy doing chores and next up was dinner prep. Grating carrots is hard work for me let alone Janet but again, lots of good concentration and effort but not the greatest technique. Chopping potatoes went really well and chopping peppers was much improved over previous attempts. Janet admitted that was hard work and she was tired afterwards.

While dinner was cooking we went for a little walk so I could get some dinner for myself and the fresh air gave Janet a nice energy boost. She enjoyed her dinner and never complained about going to the gym afterwards where she again had a solid session on the Shuttle. We then watched some real football while Janet was in the Standing Frame. The end of summer is always sad but the start of football season sort of makes up for it. Baltimore and Denver were playing and Janet remembered she used to cheer for Baltimore because of Michael Oher from the movie The Blind Side. He got injured and Baltimore lost badly but the parts of the game we watched were fun and a good warm up for watching the only team that matters Sunday morning. Go ‘hawks!

Praying for continued improvement in Janet’s strength, memory and awareness.