The many ways we are blessed

The second day of school, we rush out to the car, three people to deliver to three different places all by 8 a.m. The children noticed it first- a flat tire, totally dead flat, not going anywhere fast flat. Grabbing the handy cell phone, I first call one friend to see if her hubby has time to get the spare on for me (he does), call another to see if she can take the children with hers to school (she can), and catch a therapist on her way to work to ask if she could swing by and take dh to her work which also is where dh gets therapy (she can). All this accomplished, I drive to the tire store and ask about the other tire on the same side. I had noticed this morning a new gash on the tread extending up into the sidewall. It turns out the flat can be repaired, but the other tire must be replaced right away. Better still, it's under warranty. I'm so grateful for all those looking out for us. Even more, I feel safe in the cleft of the rock. God is near.

Dh has greatly improved in his abilities to move from one activity to another and do tasks when asked. He can initiate routine tasks, even a routine new since the accident (especially in the morning), but still struggles to initiate new activities. For example, when bored, dh has a hard time finding things to do without being prompted by me. Once prompted, though, he can work on a task for at least a few minutes. He jokes, his conversations are more on point, and he seems less on edge and better able to cope with stressful situations.

Thank goodness, because now demands to get everyone where they need to be, with all the accoutrements, has greatly increased now that the school year has started. A routine helps us all though and gives us all something to concentrate on.

Summer's Over

But it's still so hot! We've had several firsts this week, three months since M has come home from the hospital. M and the children have been playing "keep away" in our community pool. M's been staying home without me for an hour at a time. He's doing more and more complex activities (such as going into another room to get a friend a glass of water) without coaching. In his month-end evaluations for his therapies, M greatly surpassed many of the therapists' goals. I'm happy to report he's using his left hand more and more voluntarily around the house and in activities of daily living. Finally, his emotions are starting to be more finely nuanced.

Our children have returned from all the visits to relatives and summer camps; school starts the last Monday of August. This is M's third week at TIRR's outpatient facility (TOTS), concentrating on the individual disciplines of OT, PT, and speech therapy. He'll probably continue at TOTS another month or so, then he may go to the Transitional Learning Center, an inpatient facility, in Galveston for further rehab perhaps to the end of the year.

So our days consist of going through normal household activities, albiet much more slowly than in the past, home exercises (about an hour or two a day) recreational activities to lift M's spirits and give his brain a workout, and (three days a week) going to therapy. Now we'll add in taking the kids to school and volunteering there.

Please pray for a smooth start of the school year and COMPLETE recovery.