SheLife

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

Renovation Day 44. I spent the day moving stuff around and getting the TVs up and running. Randy continued building closets and we now have two that are ready to be filled up. Yeah!

Connect called me this morning to say that Janet had fallen out of bed. She is fine, has a few small marks on her face and was able to tell me this afternoon that she remembered falling but not why. Only that she was rolling over in bed. It is very unlike Janet to toss and turn a lot in bed so I’m really not sure how this happened other than she does tend to sleep really close to the left side of the bed and that could have been part of it. Jess suggested to Janet that she just take it easy today and Janet was all over that. When I arrived in the afternoon she was in good spirits and showing to real signs of damage other than a bruised left cheek. We were going to leave right away to work at the house but I convinced her to try and have a nap first and she did so for about an hour.

Janet commented on seeing the house that “it really looks like a home”. As it should after all this time. We didn’t have much time to spend there before SHElife so we made some decisions on what will go where in the kitchen so Randy knows how to build the shelves in the cupboards then we went for a quick dinner before SHElife. Janet chose Urban Fare and had the same curried mango chicken wrap and enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

A very bubbly Janet met me in the church lobby after her session with the ladies and she had that really bright look in her eyes again. She was pleased she “got to say stuff” and answer questions and was prayed for. An excellent evening for Janet.

After asking Curtis for her drugs, Janet wound down by watching a little TV then hit the bed promising not to fall out. I had her get as far into the middle of the bed as she could to start the night in hopes that helps keep her in. Falling out was funny when she was doing her Houdieno act but not now. Praying for a safe and sleep filled night and complete and rapid healing.

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

Renovation Day 37. Flooring guys are making huge progress and have only the Den/second bedroom left to do. I’m sleeping on the new floor in the master bedroom and have been able to ditch the tarp I had under me to protect the mats from being punctured. The plumber was here today as well and will return Friday to finish his part of the job. Randy was busy off site building vanities and shelves while I was able to do more electrical stuff.

Janet had an early appointment at KGH with Julie to adjust her splint so I went out to Connect to get her for that. Jess had her ready and Janet was bright and cheery and knew what we were doing. Julie was impressed by the effect the Botox has had on Janet’s right wrist and fingers. They are very relaxed and easily stretched so she was able to reshape the splint to a fairly flat profile which happens to fit in the sleeve of Janet’s new jacket. As planned.

We stopped by the house quickly so Janet could see the new floor. She’s very happy. I returned her to Connect so her and Jess could make Apple Danish for SHElife tonight. When I returned at four Janet was still in bed, she said she’d been there a long time but hadn’t slept. According to the staff notes, she went to lay down at one and Janet said she didn’t ring for help as she didn’t want to bother anyone. Gotta work on changing that. She very excitedly told me about a little test Mary Lou gave her today during Speech. It sounded a lot like the one Connie gave her way back when she first went to Rehab. Mary Lou had given the same test when Janet arrived at Connect almost eleven months ago and she failed it miserably. Janet was very proud to tell me she “got them all right today” and patted herself on the back. High five!

Before leaving for the evening Janet managed to squeeze in a short and outstanding bike ride, again patting herself on the back. The successes continued over dinner as Janet had excellent control of her chop sticks tonight. All reports are that SHElife was good and Janet felt she contributed fine and enjoyed the discussion. So ends another busy and successful day. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and for Janet to gain complete control of her right leg.

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

Renovation Day 30. Things are happening quickly now. I bought the new toilets today as once the new bathroom floor is in on Friday they can be installed. More LED lights went in as well. Randy was able to cut the countertops today and it looks really good. Having that done enabled Janet and I to go shopping for backsplash tiles, something I hadn’t thought about before at all. The first store we went to Janet liked a design that was $30 a square foot. The salesperson was honest and suggested we look at Home Depot before buying so off we went. They’re starting to get to know me there and almost immediately Janet saw a design she liked with a sticker price of only $6.97. When we got to the check out it rang in as $4.20! Love it. Dave made a lot of progress with painting and we now have the first rooms done in Janet yellow. Here’s a look at the master bedroom and the new closet. Ignore the blinds, they’re being replaced.

20131107-002050.jpg
Janet hasn’t seen it yet and I’m hoping she still likes the color. It’s very yellow.

Janet was waiting for me in the living room and we quickly took off to do the tile shopping. She was able to tell me a lot about her day so far which was full of the usual activities along with a “yucky” lunch. She chose sushi for dinner which we did right after the tile shopping then it was off to SHElife. The whole afternoon Janet was very conversant, remembering what we were shopping for and putting a lot of thought into her choices of tiles. I am glad she still has her Color Wizard skills. She remembered what she wanted to discuss at SHElife and confidently greeted Heidi as we got to her table. When I picked her up two and a half hours later Heidi said Janet had stood up during the worship set at the start of the evening. As the music started Janet tried getting up and with the assistance of her table mates she got up and stayed up for a little more than two songs. Janet told me later she enjoyed the evening and “was allowed to talk” and felt she had a really good discussion on a number if points. She was surprised to learn that a lot of others have the same questions and feelings she has. Good stuff.

To wind down the evening we watched the last half hour of X Factor and Janet actually remembered a couple of the contestants even though we haven’t watched for at least two weeks. She faded rapidly while getting ready for bed and was pretty much asleep right after our prayers. Praying for a restful night, lots of energy for tomorrow and lots more strength and control of her right leg.

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

Renovation Day 23. Randy accomplished a lot today mudding and taping the new closets and the area where the washer used to be. I did more prep for painting. It’s coming along.

When I got to Connect this afternoon Jess told me Janet went down for a nap half an hour earlier so I left her be for a while in hopes she would sleep. When I finally went into her room she was laying there with a big smile on her face as she knew it was me trying to sneak in. She said she didn’t sleep at all and wished I was there earlier. I used that as an opportunity to tell her if she knew hoe to use her iPad she could’ve messaged me that she was awake. She saw some value in that but wasn’t ready to start learning just yet.

Janet’s day up until that point seems to have been one of refusal as she refused lunch and refused a shower but she agreed to a bike ride before leaving for dinner and SHElife. Once again she beat her personal best easily, even after saying “I don’t think I’m going to do well this time” as she started. She looked very confident and has good technique on the bike and I dare say looks as though she’s enjoying herself.

Having not eaten very much for lunch I made sure we ordered lots of sushi tonight for Janet and she certainly didn’t refuse any of that. All fuelled up I dropped her off at SHElife with a few ideas of what to talk about if given the chance. Two hours later she was still engaged in conversation with Heidi and smiling. Janet says she enjoyed the evening and managed to contribute although not all of what we talked about ahead of time. I’m very glad Janet has the opportunity to attend this program and connect with other ladies. Good stuff.

It was nine thirty by the time we rolled into Connect so Janet got right onto her meds then got ready for bed. Praying for a night of deep sleep and healing that provides tons of energy for a busy and fun day tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 10. Construction continues in the kitchen and we made a decision regarding the bathroom. No major changes. I feel we can make it work for Janet and the changes that could be made just aren’t worth it.

Nancy met Janet at Connect and took her out for lunch. They ventured to a little cafe just down the road called The Wooden Nickel.JanetNancyWoodenNickel
Turned out to be pretty good with Janet impressing Nancy with her conversational abilities. Janet said she really enjoyed the visit and knows “what a special friend Nancy is”.

Janet is having quite the social life these days and it continued this evening as we went for a sushi dinner before her SHElife meeting. This was by far the cleanest sushi meal Janet has ever eaten and her chop stick skills are improving too. I didn’t have her as prepared for SHElife as last week and at the end of the evening Janet was a little disappointed she didn’t really talk much tonight. She agreed that we should read the corresponding chapters of the book no sooner than the night before so it is fresher in her mind.

Upon our return to Connect Janet asked to watch a little TV to wind down then it was off to bed where she was falling asleep as we prayed. She did manage a goodnight and when I explained I’d see her before the football game started tomorrow she said “yay them”, meaning Seahawks of course. I pray Janet has a night of uninterrupted and healing sleep that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.