movie

Janet, A Success Story. March 24. #TSJ

What I thought would be a nice recovery day for Janet was actually another sick one for her, and me too. I got a little of her bug and needed a big sleep in before being able to be productive. Janet was up for her shower in the morning but that was it. No appetite, no energy but no throwing up or anything either. She was in good spirits when I arrived and we had good conversations during my visit and Janet didn’t seem very sick, she just didn’t want to eat or do much. We lay on her bed and watched Despicable Me and read, talked and listened to music. She was amazed at the animation in the movie and very impressed with the imagination of those that made it. It was a good distraction. Janet thinks she’ll be ok to eat something in the morning and I’m confident her Tuesday will be fine.

Praying for a quick return to health.

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

Janet rang her pendant for help just as I arrived at Connect this afternoon. She had been lying down for a while so I figured she was wanting to get up and she was but she was a little confused in thinking it was Tuesday and that I hadn’t been to visit her Monday. I think she had a moment of really deep sleep that caused that disorientation as I didn’t sense anything the matter with her. The daily report I got from her was typical in that she said she went to the gym for a long time but couldn’t remember what she had done. Once she was up, the first thing she wanted to do was figure that out. Chelsea looked in her chart and it was noted that Janet had done everything except the Shuttle so she readily agreed to go and do that straight away to get it over with.

The encouragement I’ve been giving Janet lately has been to do her best at anything she’s asked to do and she did just that on the Shuttle. I was especially impressed with her use of her right leg. She was able to push out a good distance on her own then slowly let it go back but not all the way before pushing out again. That kept tension on her leg the entire time and I have to believe is a more efficient and effective technique. High five!

With a little bit of time before dinner Janet checked emails then asked me to read a bit while she was awake enough to pay attention. For the first time with this book I got some laughter from her along with some good comments on what was taking place.

The house had a movie night tonight and everyone gathered in the living room to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Janet has seen it before but until she saw the “bring out your dead” scene she didn’t remember it. She vaguely remembers giving coconut shells to her preschool classes and having them pretend to be horses but I remember her telling me how much the kids loved doing that not knowing the idea came from that movie. Janet laughed a few times but overall thought it quite the silly movie and it is.

Reading at bedtime went better than usual as Janet was more awake than usual after that good afternoon nap. We had a good talk about the positives from today and how she needs to try her hardest when working with Tez tomorrow. Praying that she follows through.

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

Mom and I arrived at Connect just after lunch and found Janet waiting in the living room for us. She was in good spirits and willingly gave Mom the tour which inevitably stopped by the gym. Janet reported that she had done some stretching in the morning and that was all, Garrett confirmed that, so with some mild protesting I got Janet onto the Shuttle. I haven’t had her on that machine for a long time and was pleased to see that where we usually start from is now too easy for her. The amount she can push with one leg remains about the same as before and she continues to get good extension despite the lack of Botox right now. Janet gave it a good effort and I felt better about her leaving for the weekend having done some strengthening exercise.

We took a long way home trying to give my Mom a look around Kelowna a bit. Probably took a little too long as Janet actually agreed to a nap when we got home. She was refreshed after her nap and we all had a brief Skype chat with Brittney. The connection wasn’t the greatest but it was nice to see her and Ethan.

Making pizzas was next and again Janet wasn’t following directions very well. I asked her to turn on the oven, something she’s done many times with no help, and she seemed to have no clue what she was doing. I got a little mad at her and intentionally didn’t ask her to do much more after that other than stir fry her chicken, which she did a good job of. She also built a good pizza for herself and ate really well but was quiet and a little distant.

With no real plan for the evening we decided to watch Mama Mia as Janet insisted she’d never seen it and I was intent on proving her wrong. As soon as she heard the opening music she remembered and was singing along. Her command of the lyrics to those songs is not great so her singing was a lot more reserved tonight but she enjoyed the movie and the quiet evening.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that provided lots of energy for a productive day tomorrow. Go ‘hawks!

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

Today was sleep in day as we had no set agenda at all and I planned on giving Janet full reign on how the day was spent. In preparation for working with Memory Coach Wendy, I helped Janet make a to do list for the day on her iPad and she then had to choose which item to tackle first and so on. She’s still resistant to the whole idea and at one point mentioned she wished she had been born sooner so she wouldn’t have to learn all this stuff.

The first task Janet chose was to reply to some emails she had been putting off. I thought I’d have to do much more assisting than I did and Janet was very persistent in typing her replies herself. She did reach a point where she said it was just too much for her so we tried the voice to text feature in Gmail. This was a really cool lesson for Janet as the words Gmail heard were not always what she thought she was saying so it forced her to speak slowly and really think about the pronunciation of each word. She could instantly see if she got it right or not. I think we’ll do this more just for fun.

Next up was meal planning for the rest of the weekend then a trip to the grocery store. Janet flipped through the Slow Cooker recipe book and wants to try a Minestone Soup tomorrow. We tried an Italian Vegetable one the other day with Joel and Kiko and it turned out a little crunchy so hopefully lesson learned. Janet helped pick out vegetables at the store with me and was ready for a nap by the time we got home.

Our evening was quiet with Janet’s favourite pizza for dinner followed by some very necessary nail cutting and painting finishing off with the requisite movie. Tonight’s film was Midnight in Paris. One I know I’ve seen before and I think Janet too but it would have been pretty close to when she got sick and she didn’t remember it at all. It was a little ironic as she talked earlier about being born too late and the movie’s premise is about wanting to live in a past era. Janet thought it was funny and a little weird.

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

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

We are still in holiday mode here and our morning started late as seems to be usual but we had just the right amount of time to prepare for Joel and Kiko’s arrival for lunch. They are awesome friends and we are glad we could start off 2014 with them as our first guests. Janet was a little quiet during their visit again saying she didn’t know much about what we were talking about and didn’t know what else to discuss. I’m not liking this pattern and hope that with more exposure to guests in the house she will relax and be able to participate more. I think it’s still good that she listens to real conversation as opposed to always trying to tailor talk to her. Learning curve.

Janet was pretty zonked after Joel and Kiko left and had an almost two hour nap which allowed me to put away outside Christmas and get everything ready for her to help put away the inside stuff. That all took longer than anticipated but Janet was a big help with the tree decorations and she enjoyed the project.

Uncle Monkey joined us via FaceTime for dinner tonight and it was good to see and hear him and to know all is well with the Oakville Aitons.

With Christmas put away we decided to watch a movie before bed. Janet selected the genre, children and family, and we agreed to try the first one that popped up, Parental Guidance. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it and Janet laughed more than I can remember her laughing at any other movie. That was almost as much fun as her singing through a film and a great way to end the day.

Praying for a good night’s sleep and lots of energy, a positive attitude and good control of her body for swimming 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 #boxingday

Today started a little earlier than others lately as Janet said she didn’t sleep well. I’m not sure how she came to think that as I don’t recall her stirring until very near time to get up. She was talking in her sleep a little just before I turned my light out but that didn’t seem a big deal.

Janet enjoyed breakfast with the kids and a nice Skype chat with Andrew, so all were together for a time. We also Skyped with Leslie a little while later and are grateful for the technology that allows us to talk to and see friends and family whenever we want. Now that those moments are more spontaneous, Janet enjoys them more and therefore, I think, benefits from them more.

To keep up a little with the walking and balancing practice I had Janet try to replicate her dancing efforts from yesterday. The result today was not as spectacular but I was impressed with how well she was able to get her right heel down to the floor. Much better than yesterday and that allowed her to put more weight through her right leg.

Sadly, we dropped Laurel off at the airport this afternoon after a couple of card games with Janet. It was the least emotional airport goodbye I’ve witnessed, I saw no tears, and usually they are flowing fast. Maybe Janet was too tired, or has a better understanding that we will see Laurel again soon, or was just really happy we turned into the airport instead of carrying on to Connect. That will be tomorrow, just for a workout.

The evening was spent dining on make your own pizza and drinking a little more wine as we relaxed with Heather. A movie, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, was about all Janet had the energy for and when we finally found one worth watching I wasn’t convinced she’d last through it. She did, but said after that she didn’t really understand it. I think partly because she was tired and partly because it wasn’t a musical.

Thanking Laurel for all her efforts in making this a very enjoyable Christmas and praying Janet has a solid night of sleep that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.

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

Today was the good part of Christmas and the bad part of Christmas all rolled into one, in my opinion. That’s not how Janet feels though as she enjoyed her entire day. First on the agenda was our new tradition called the Mall Blitz. In the true spirit of Christmas we’ve all agreed to drastically reduce the number of presents and the dollars spent on them to where we draw names in the mall and race off to spend thirty dollars in thirty minutes on the person whose name you drew. Sounds like fun to a lot of you I’m sure and I admit, the concept is fine by me too. I only hate it when I’m actually doing it. Helping Janet was almost fun and she secured her gift really quickly but when it became my turn I did not have fun and wound up getting way too stressed which took my mind away from caring for Janet thereby missing an opportunity for a washroom break. Janet called her own break ten minutes later but by that time it was too late. That made me even madder but thankfully the kids stepped in and kept Janet entertained while I quietly fumed my way through most of the rest of the day.

Janet enjoyed a lively lunch table followed by wrapping presents with me while the kids did a grocery shop. She wrapped all of the presents we had and showed good command of the concept, picking out the paper she wanted for each one and folding with her one hand as well as I can with two. We broke the rules this year by getting stockings for those kids that are here as Janet really likes that part of gift giving and I want her to enjoy herself as much as possible. She helped me fill those then went and helped Laurel and Heather wrap some more presents. Watching her happily carry and place them under the tree was quite sweet.

We had talked a while ago about seeing a movie while the kids were here and tonight seemed the best night to try and do that. Janet was excited about the idea so after dinner we drove off to see Saving Mr. Banks. This was the first time in a movie theatre since Janet got sick nineteen months ago and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turns out the wheelchair area seats are pretty good ones and we picked a good Janet movie to see. It’s the story of Walt Disney and his pursuit of the rights to make the Mary Poppins books into a movie. Naturally there are scenes that include the songs from the movie and you can guess what Janet did during those. She wasn’t too loud as to disturb anyone around us but loud enough that Laurel could hear her from three seats away. Watching her sing with a big smile on her face there was no way I was going to tell her to stop. With no nap today I was a little concerned she might not make it through a two hour movie but she did so easily and loved talking about it afterwards with everyone. She was not able to catch on to the way the story was told but understood the basics and remembered Disneyland from the scenes there. It was a lot of fun and begin out doing something with then family like that is a good thing about Christmas. I now also know we can go to more movies with no real concerns.

After a little dessert and movie talk at home Janet called bedtime saying goodnight excitedly knowing tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a day of celebration tomorrow.

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

Janet and I slept in a little this morning after being up a little late last night. Laurel and Heather got her helping with some Christmas baking after breakfast and a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga in which Janet wasn’t quite as chatty as she can be. The baking went on for a long time but Janet said she enjoyed it and was glad to help.

We didn’t do any formal exercise today but Janet’s transfers continue to improve and she managed a couple of unassisted stands from her wheelchair one of which included a nice turn to sit on the couch with no help at all. High five! We did a little standing and walking this afternoon as well with no significant changes to report. The ankle brace is helping but the AFO will be much better.

After a little afternoon nap Janet helped with dinner prep but seemed a little low on energy still. She said she was fine and just didn’t have anything to say. The girls all watched a movie before bed and by the end of the day she said she had enjoyed her time with the girls baking and is looking forward to the Seahawks game tomorrow.

Praying for a deep and healing sleep tonight and lots of energy tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 68. No renovating at the house today. Randy probably worked at home but hopefully not hard.

Janet was impressed how we woke up at the same time this morning. I said it was my motherly instincts. From what I could tell, she had a good night of rest and was eager to start the day. It was a little later than I had planned on so I served her breakfast this morning and will make sure she helps tomorrow. She had a nice Skype chat with her mom after breakfast commenting after that ” I always talk well with my mom”. Indeed.

Our mission today was to get our Christmas tree, shop for an exercise bike for the house, shop for some kitchen stuff and a book. We got a decent start on the exercise bike and it appears as though anything mass market is not going to work. The pedals are the main issue as standard ones are too small and have no way of securing Janet’s feet to them. The bike she uses at Connect basically has a snowboard boot type of binding on it and it works brilliantly. We have a guy at Rocky Mountain Fitness checking on a similar machine for us. Janet was a little confused after that stop but took comfort in knowing the guy will be researching for us. The kitchen store we went to was a bust but the book store was successful. The other night Janet recited most of Twas the Night Before Christmas from memory so I wanted to have a copy to read and have her read too. With that story in mind we made our way to the Christmas tree lot and Janet chose the second tree we looked at. We talked a little before arriving if we wanted to keep buying real trees and Janet thought yes. Even after being out in the cold to get this one she still thinks that so we will.

We set the tree up after a late lunch with Janet picking a good spot for it in our new house. It’s amazing the decision you have to make sometimes. Church was full of wonderful music tonight followed by celebrity Janet being visited by a seemingly larger crowd each week causing us to not make it out of the building until well after seven again. I asked Janet if she likes all these people talking to her and complimenting her so much. She said she does and “it’s nice to hear those things”. Finally! Keep it up folks.

Janet requested the movie Home Alone tonight as she had watched a little of it with Big Country before I picked her up yesterday. She thoroughly enjoyed it and said “that’s the best movie ever!” When I reminded her she said that after The Sound of Music she clarified that Home Alone is just funny.

There was no formal exercise for Janet today but she did wear her ankle brace all day with no discomfort and she felt her ankle was better supported. I noticed her standing transfers were improved because of her foot position and she felt more confident. Praying for a great night of sleep and a fun day tomorrow.