Could Life Be Anymore Stressful? (Done in my Chandler voice from Friends)

Trying to keep my flares at bay is not an easy thing when life throws a lot of stress your way.  I'm still trying to deal with the fact that my son is leaving in exactly one month.  I am still very proud of him and wished I had the guts he has when I was his age.

My boys at Shane's 11th Birthday Dinner!

That stress is bad enough, but I'm worried about my cousin who has "Stage  2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer (that means while the cancer started in a duct, the cancer cells have moved outside the duct-that is what makes it invasive."

My cousin is only a year younger than me, but she is one of the strongest women I know.  She lives quite a distance away from the rest of the family, but has her husband, children, and her brother and sister and their families with her.  I support every decision she makes and I know that her faith will pull her through this.  I believe she will win this war, but it's still hard not to worry about her and what she is going through.  I didn't know how to support her from so far away, and then it hit me.  I bought what I call my "Supporting Lolita" outfit to wear on Fridays, and I got a new tattoo in her honor and for those who have gone through this horrible disease (personally or as a support system).

I also got it for my Grandma Raquel who passed away when I was 18 from complications due to bone cancer.  She was diagnosed when I was 3 and told she had only 6 months to live.  She fought for 15 years because she was determined to see me graduate from high school.  She was bedridden when I graduated, but video cameras had just come out so my parents rented one so they could tape it for her.  She lasted 2 months after my graduation and made me promise I wouldn't get married until I graduated from college.  Her strength was incredible also!

  

My body has been nice to me during this time, but we are also getting ready for the state exam at the end of the month.  I have several students who I worry about.  I have been working with these kids everyday (including Saturdays), and yet nothing seems to be working.  I have seen a few light bulbs come on, but several that remain dim.  I know they can do it, but trying to convince them of that is another story.  I hate this test and I truly don't think it's fair to put this much pressure on an 11 year old.  I also don't think that many of our people in charge (our Governor for example) could pass this test.

Oh,  and to add to the stress, we decided to adopt a puppy yesterday for my youngest son.  A very huge 10 month old puppy who weighs 81 pounds.  He's a Black Lab/Newfoundland mix and is the sweetest dog ever. He is also very active and wants to eat everything in sight.  Our yorkie seems to be okay with him unless he jumps up on one of us and then he goes into overprotective mode.  What Willy doesn't seem to understand is that Dante outweighs him by 70 pounds.  So far Dante just looks at Willy when he tries snapping at him.  Hopefully Willy realizes we're not in danger and just chills out.  Shane loves his new dog, but they are going to doggy school during Spring Break because right now Dante takes Shane for a walk instead of the other way around.

Shane and Dante

Dante and Willy

Stress be damned, I will deal with whatever pain Fibro throws my way and get through the next few months.  I will handle my son leaving, I will continue believing in my cousin, I will get my kids through this stupid test, and I'll make sure Dante doesn't eat Willy.  I pity the flare that tries to get in my way.  Ain't nobody got time for that! :-)

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

P.S.  Did you notice I've lost 29 pounds! WooHoo! That has helped with some of my pain, and I have a little more energy.

Such a Tease!

Living in a desert the one thing you don't see to often is rain or snow.  This is great for someone who has fibro, but not so great for people who need the rain to help with their crops or for kids who want to play in the snow.  This morning my 10 year old woke up excited because he could see snow falling from his window, so of course he woke me up.  I could've told him already their was precipitation in the air because my body was very achy.

He drags me out of bed so I can see it, and ends up totally bummed because as pretty as it is coming down it, it is not sticking to the ground.  The temperature 40ºF down on the ground.  Both of us are mad at the snow today, although for completely different reasons!

Hope everyone has a warm, dry day!
Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Here I Go Again!

I had a major scare Saturday night while watching my youngest son play soccer.  He was playing in a tournament and the game started at 8:30 p.m.  Around 9:30 I got the worst pain in my head that I have ever gotten.  I'm used to headaches and migraines, but this was different.  It felt like someone had stuck a knife in the top front left side of my brain and decided to twist it and leave it there.

As you all know, getting strange pains is a normal part of our lives.  This pain was different! The lights and noise were unbearable, meanwhile I'm trying to keep my happy face on for my son who is still playing.  Finally around 9:45 the game was over and we got in the car for the 30 minute drive home.  I didn't want to scare my hubby or my 10 year old, so I just closed my eyes and pushed my head into the headrest to try and ease the pain.

Once we arrived home I decided to check my blood pressure and it was 167/111.  I finally let my hubby know what was happening and told him it was time for the ER.  I called my parents and asked them to meet us there so they could take Shane to their house.  My mom stayed with us, while my dad took Shane home.

We were at the ER from 11:00 to 3:30 the next morning.  They started me off on IV Toradol and something to help with the nausea I had developed.  After a couple of hours, my blood pressure had gone down just a tad, but the pain was still pretty bad.  They then added morphine and codeine to my IV and took me for a CT scan.  Finally the pain started to subside, and my blood pressure went back to semi-normal.  The CT came back fine (of course, because they always do), and they gave me a prescription for the Toradol and Tylenol with codeine and sent me on my merry way.  

The pain was back by 7:00 and the blood pressure was up again (though only 149/100).  I spent all of Sunday in bed under the blanket in praying that the meds would start working.  Finally on Monday my blood pressure was back to normal (110/76) and the pain was finally heading to being a regular every day type of headache.

While in the ER waiting for my parents, I could see how scared my little guy was, and all I could do was think about what would happen to him if I stroked out or had a heart attack.  So I made a decision that I was going to lose all the weight I have gained over the last few years, because I can't imagine leaving my husband, children and family.  I can't do that to them, and I can't do that to me.

So I've started a new weight loss program, and have already lost 5 pounds this week (mostly water weight).  I will be down to a healthier weight by the summer and I will get out there and play soccer with my son.  I want to be able to walk, run, and go places with my family.  Hopefully the weight loss will help with the Fibro pain (people are always telling me if I lose weight things will get better), but regardless of the Fibro I want to live a healthier life for my family (pain be damned)!

Gentle Hugs,

Bonnie

At What Point Do You Say Enough is Enough?

Sorry, but this is going to be long!

I want to preface this post with I love my mother very much! That being said, when is it okay to say I'm tired and I can't take it anymore?

My mother is the type of person who loves hard, but she's also the type of person who judges hard and guilts even harder.  I lived with my parents until 1991 when I got married.  A few months after the wedding, my husband and I moved to St. Louis for his job (he was in the Coast Guard).  For the next 10 years we were away from home as we moved from place to place during his time in the military.  For the first 4 years of our marriage it was just the two of us, and then Spencer was born. During these 10 years, Brian and I would come home to visit once or twice a year or my parents would come visit us.  After Spencer was born the trips moved up to 3 or 4 times a year.  During this time things were great.

Then we moved back home.  We decided to leave the military and move back home to be closer to family for Spencer's sake.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I have often wished we had decided to stay in and not move back home.  I love my family and missed them terribly while I was gone, but the last 13 years since we moved back have not always been easy.

It seems that since my youngest was born and my oldest became a teenager, I have apparently become a horrible mother.  It seems that I do everything wrong, and that my children are turning into spoiled brats who have major attitudes. At least according to my mother.

Let's start with the oldest.  The first 6 years of his life were spent with me being his main caregiver.  His dad was gone at least 6 months of the year every year.  I stayed home with him until he was 2 years old, and then put him in preschool. I never used baby talk with him, and taught him independence and to think for himself.   From kinder to 6th grade he was always at whatever school I taught at, and spent a lot of time with me after school while I planned or graded papers. When he came out as being gay in 8th grade I supported him and let him know it didn't matter to us because we would always love him no matter what.

My family has always acted like they support his lifestyle, but it almost seems like my mother is actually embarrassed to have her colleagues or friends know.  She gets upset when I post something on social media sites (like a picture of him and his boyfriend celebrating X-Mas with us), or if he posts something on another social media that she deems inappropriate.  Heaven forbid one of her friends sees it.  I've told her before to block or unfriend him if the stuff he puts out there upsets her so much, but so far she just complains.  I've seen the stuff he posts, and so far I've never seen anything that would would be deemed as inappropriate.  I've talked to my son about being careful about what he posts because it could come back to bite him in the a$$ when he gets older and is looking for a career opportunity.

Another thing that upsets my mother is the fact that I let my son get tattoos.  Now being that I have 4 of my own tattoos, I can't really tell him that tattoos are bad.  I did tell him that he needed to get them in places he could hide them in the work force because unfortunately some people still judge a person by what they see.  He has a total of 5 tattoos right now, and every single one of them are tasteful and well placed.  He only gets tattoos that mean something to him.

Top of my right foot!

2 Corinthians 5:7

My son got his Faith Tattoo the same day I got mine. We were in 2 different cities and hadn't talked to each other about getting them.

My youngest son is spoiled, but as my mom keeps pointing out to anyone who will listen to her, she and my dad have been practically raising him since he was 6 weeks old.  He stays with them from Monday morning until Thursday after school.  My mom works at the private school he is attending.  They started him at the preschool when he was 3 and he just transitioned to their elementary school when he hit kinder.  So I ask you, who has really done the spoiling? While he may be spoiled, he really isn't that bad.  My mom tries to blame us and my oldest son for turning him into a monster.  Apparently he never acts that way unless we are around (which is complete B.S.).  Her and my dad decided to take him out of town for Spring Break, and all I got were calls about how awful he was acting (wait a minute, didn't I just say she claims he never acts like that unless we're around). 

The biggest complaint I have I guess is that just because I don't raise my children the way she wants me to, that makes me a bad parent.  She complains that we spend to much time on our phones, iPads, computers, video games, or whatever and not enough time with each other.  She's not with us and has no clue what goes on in my house.  She also seems to have forgotten that when we were little she spent all her time reading magazines or books (probably where I got my love of reading from).  Yes we always had dinner together, but after 10 years of spending time on our own with my hubby's weird schedules, we learned to eat whenever we got hungry.  Sometimes it's as a family, sometimes it's not.

Now to my fibro.  I apparently am supposed to suck it up and deal with the pain and get on with my life.  Heaven forbid if I'm exhausted or hurting after a full day of teaching 5th graders.  Or if I want to spend my weekends recuperating so that I can function for the upcoming week.  It seems like every conversation I have with my mother ends with some kind of criticism about me, my boys, or my fibro.  If I try to defend myself she ends up crying and hangs up on me.  I end up getting upset and then I go into a mini-flare (usually in my feet which makes doing anything nearly impossible).

So what do I do?  Do I apologize for not being as good of a mother as my sister in law or her sister in law (she likes to compare me to them and my boys to my cousins who have been lazy delinquents)?  Do I apologize for just not having the energy it takes to move some days because I'm in pain and exhausted from lack of sleep?  Do I just continue to sit idly by and take the criticism and hope eventually it will go away?  Again I ask, at what point do I say enough is enough and I'm tired and can't take it anymore?

Again sorry it was sooooooooo long!
Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My Baby is 10 and I changed my hair!

My little man has reached double digits today.  I can't believe how fast the last 10 years have gone.  It seems like only yesterday they were placing his little 5lb body in my arms and now he's 10! Happy Birthday Shaney, I love you to the moon and back!

Snuggling this morning! I'm so glad he still likes to snuggle!

 

On a totally unrelated matter, I got bored with my hair this week.  I've been rocking some cool purple highlights with a straight cut.  I decided that while I like the purple, you can only see them when I'm outside or under some bright lights because of my black hair.  So I went to my hairdresser yesterday and told her I wanted something brighter, plus I wanted to add layers to my hair.

Before picture taken Friday at work!

The after pictures! 

I kept the purple highlights on the inner layers, but added the pink to the top layers. Loving the new look! It makes me happy and less stressed.  My students are going to love it, especially my girls!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

15 Days of Rest!

I am finally off for our winter break.  I don't have to go back to work until January 6th! Going to spend the next 2 weeks enjoying time with my boys and my hubby. I will not stress over the holidays like I did for Thanksgiving and end up in a major flare.

My hubby and my youngest went out and bought a monster tree for Christmas (13ft. Noble Fir).  It's finally up and the tree and house are decorated.  My hubby decorated the house yesterday during his day off so I wouldn't have to do it.  We all decorated the tree Thursday night.

I've decided that we will go to Christmas Eve service and then to my cousin's house for her annual Christmas Eve party.  Christmas Day will be spent at home with my guys.  I've invited my parents to come over and join us for breakfast and the opening of the gifts.  My mom is upset with me because I don't want to have a bigger family gathering and has said she will not be coming over.  She tried to give me guilt by saying "it's time to start your own family traditions."

I refused to be guilted into doing something I don't feel up to doing and told her the invitation was still on the table for her and my dad.  I also told my dad.  Whether they show up or not is entirely up to them.

 I'm going to enjoy my Christmas Break and rest up for the second half of the school year.  The second half is always the craziest because of statewide testing.

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

I SURVIVED! Sort of!

I SURVIVED!

After a horrible weekend due to the cold front, I felt really good on Monday.  I decided to take my little man Shane to the movies, then I had to go to a church council meeting, and finally I decided to go shopping.  I got home around 9:00 p.m. and was exhausted.

Tuesday I got up and cooked 2 turkeys, and made a double batch of my broccoli, rice and cheese casserole for our big family Thanksgiving/Family Reunion on Thursday.  I also did about 7 loads of laundry.  I still felt good, but my shoulders were a little sore.

Wednesday morning I went and picked up my mom around 8:15 so that we could go see the spine doctor (we both had appointments).  Doctor wants me to get an MRI and said I could go back to the chiropractor for now (yay me).  After our appointments my mom wanted to go to the mall to return some boots she had bought the day before.  We ended up getting makeovers (I got some makeup courtesy of my mom) and going to a late lunch.  After I dropped her off I headed to my nail appointment.  While I was there, my hubby called me and asked me to stop at the store and pick up some things we still needed for Thanksgiving.  I ended up getting home around 7:00 p.m. I was exhausted, a little more sore, but still moving.

Thursday 36 people (including my family) were crowded into my house for our first ever family reunion.  We hadn't all been together in over 13 years (see pictures on left sidebar).  My mom (the oldest sibling) called her other 3 siblings and told them that they needed to get all of their children and grandchildren to come down for Thanksgiving.  She didn't ask, she demanded!  My 89 year old grandfather was recently diagnosed with stage 4 skin cancer, and has decided he isn't going to get any treatments for it.  So my mom let everyone know that we may not have many more holidays with him.  So all 32 family members joined the 4 of us at my house for a wonderful day of love, laughter, and lots of memories.  I'm glad my body was still cooperating!

Friday and today I AM IN PAIN!!! My feet burn, my back is killing me, my shoulders feel like someone is stabbing me, and I have a monster headache!  The pain is worth the week I had.  I'm using the weekend to recuperate so that I'm work ready on Monday!

Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I know I did!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Get the Fire Extinguisher!

photo courtesy of http://www.hallmark.com/online/maxine/crabby-road/

I need to make an appointment to see my ob/gyn.  I haven't seen him in 8 years (but I do have an annual exam with my GP every year so I'm not neglecting my body) since he performed my partial hysterectomy after Shane was born.  I've been getting hot flashes for about a year now, but they are happening more frequently.   This morning I woke up with severe pain in my right ovary.  I'm afraid it may be time to remove the ovaries and start the hormones (my poor guys). 

I live in a house full of men who don't seem to understand why I would possibly want the air conditioning going when they are freezing.  The 9 year old doesn't protest too much, he's very hot blooded, so it really doesn't bother him, but the 18 year old and my hubby act like I've set the temperature to North Pole Settings!

I had a hot flash yesterday morning at work that actually had my colleagues concerned.  I started sweating profusely and apparently my face became really red.  One of my colleagues did the mommy touch to see if I had a fever, but she said I was cool and clammy (ewwww).  It lasted about an hour, and then it left just as quickly as it arrived.  I had a couple more episodes throughout the day, but they only lasted 10 to 15 minutes. 

I'm in the middle of a serious hot flash as I type this, and wish the air would kick on again.  I'd get up and mess with the thermostat, but it hurts when I walk (darn ovary). Oh wait, it just kicked on again (yay me).   So for now my men must freeze.  I told them it was easier for them to layer, than for me to strip down (wouldn't want to traumatize my boys).  Thank goodness they all love me very much!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

P.S. Darn air conditioning turned off again! :-(

Grown Up Time!

I'm feeling good this weekend, only have a few aches and pains, and the hubby and I are going out tonight!  It's my aunts birthday this week, and we are celebrating by going out to dinner and then to the local comedy club with her and her hubby and my parents.  It's so nice having an 18 year old who can take care of his 9 year old brother so we can have a night out.  This is one good reason for having children so far apart in age. 

I'm going to spend the day relaxing and resting.  I don't want to do anything that is going to prevent me from going out tonight.  I have been looking forward to this all week.  I know my aunt is going to be resting also since she is a fellow fibro warrior.  I know she's been hurting a lot lately because of our crazy weather.

On a totally different note, I developed a new symptom yesterday.  We were having professional development in the gym (which is really hot and humid because of the swamp coolers), and my principal decided to be nice by bringing in fans to cool us down.  Well he set up one of the fans right behind me which felt great at first.  About 30 minutes later, my shoulder really started to ache.  Thirty minutes after that it really started to hurt.  I've never had pain due to temperature changes.  I hope this isn't something that is going to start affecting me all the time.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Busy Last Day of Vacation!

I can't believe after 5 months I'm finally going back to work! It's going to be nice seeing all of my colleagues again.  I saw a few of them today while I worked on my classroom, but there are many I have missed!

I had a very busy day for my last day of vacation.  I had to get up early to get myself ready to take Shane to school.  Then it was shot day at the allergist's, so that took up almost an hour and a half of my morning.  Since I was already out and about I decided to go to the local teacher store and craft store to buy things for my classroom.

I then had to go to the shoe store to buy some new work shoes I can wear with capri pants because it is still very hot here. By the way if you haven't tried SAS Shoes, I highly recommend them if you have problem with your feet.  I bought the Free Time Style since I can't seem to wear my regular tennis shoes anymore because my fibro is affecting my feet, and I can't wear sandals because I need ankle support for my knee.   The SAS Shoes may not be the prettiest shoes on the planet, but they certainly cushion your feet.*

Finally I made it to school after picking up Spencer from the house.  He spent his morning getting his schedule set up for his first day of college.  He has decided to take his basics at the local community college while he tries to decide what he wants to major in when he transfers to an university.  I've heard music therapy, sociology, and education.  At least I still have him at home for awhile. 

Spencer and I finally managed to finish getting everything in its place. and borders hung up on the walls.  I have a few odds and ends to tie up, but I could accept kids into my classroom tomorrow if it was the first day for them. 

So tomorrow I head back to work with a big smile on my face, and my inhaler in my bag.  Looking forward to catching up with everyone and hanging out with my grade level for the next 4 days.  Monday we get kids!!!!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

*I am in no way affiliated with SAS shoes.  These are only my opinions!

Headache Time!

Went to work today to get my classroom ready for the upcoming school year.  We go back on the 20th and get kids on the 26th.  This was my first time back to my classroom since getting sick in March, so I really wasn't sure what to expect.  My wonderful substitute packed up my room for me so I wouldn't have to worry about a thing.  He did an awesome job, so unpacking the room wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, plus I had 4 helpers with me.  My oldest son Spencer convinced his best friends Sarah and Marsha to come and help, and then my dad dropped Shane off after he got out of school.

Best friends since 3rd Grade!

I took my oxygen tank with me just in case I needed it, but I only needed to use my inhaler to keep me going.  I did end up with a monster headache, and several parts of my body seem to  be mad at me and are throbbing.  On the pain scale I would say I'm only about a 5. I'm taking it easy the rest of the night so that I can go back tomorrow and finish up.  My helpers did all the heavy lifting and cleaning today, so I only have to put some things away.  Shouldn't take too long I hope!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My Little 4th Grader!

Shaney has started 4th grade today.  He has been going to the same private school since he was 2 years old.  I found his first day of school pictures from Kinder to today's picture and put them together to see how much he has changed.  He skipped 1st grade, so there is no picture for that grade.

I always try to take the boys first day of school pictures by the same light switch in my house.  His Kinder picture was taken at Grandma and Grandpa's house because he spent the night there, so I had to rush over there and quickly take it before going to work.  Notice you can't even see the light switch anymore in today's 4th grade picture!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

My Handsome Little Man!

Shane starts 4th grade on Monday, which means getting his hair cut for the new school year.  We didn't cut his hair all summer so he had a little mop top growing on his head. He decided he wanted it shaved off military style!

His Before Photo!

Sent this to Grandma and told her he decided on a Mohawk!

Just kidding! My handsome little man!

I can't believe how much older he looks without the hair! He's ready for Monday and 4th grade now!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Exhausted!

Two days of trainings have left me worn out.  I'm hoping I can more energy by the time I officially go back to work on the 20th.  I need to start going to bed earlier (not always easy) and trying to get m 8 hours in.  I'm resting for a little while before I have to head out again to Shane's back to school orientation and meet the teacher night at his school.  Hopefully I don't fall asleep during the orientation. 

He's been going to the same private school since he was 2 years old, and the orientation never changes.  It's mandatory so every year we sit there and listen to same thing all over again.  I could do the orientation in my sleep (which might actually happen).

So off I go! I just wanted to check in just in case anyone cared!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

I Braved the Pain and Won!

I decided to go ahead and get my tattoo today.  I was only going to get the tattoo of an infinity sign with my boy's names weaved into it, but then decided to add a fibromyalgia tattoo also.  I figured if I was going to risk a flare up, I might well do it all at once.  My tattoo artist could see my nerves jumping as she did my tattoos, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I managed to survive with only a small amount of residual pain and a headache.  Since pain and headaches are an every day part of my life, this really isn't that big a deal.  We'll see what tomorrow brings! Here are my new tattoos!

My love for my boys is infinite!

It's a part of my life and I know that one day they will find a cure!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Great Weekend/Big Pains!

My cousin and her 4 kids decided to come into town for a quick weekend visit on Friday.  I haven't seen her in over a year so I was happy she decided to come down.  Unfortunately, it had been raining for 2 days before her visit and continued to rain into yesterday.  I was hurting pretty bad, but didn't want that to ruin our visit so I "sucked it up" so to speak. 

It was a very loud couple of days (did I mention she has 4 kids and I have my 2).  The 5 youngest kids had a blast running around playing and screaming (her 2 youngest are 3 and 4).  I didn't mind the fact that they were having fun, and it did my heart good to see them connecting. It made my head throb, but I dealt with it.

We left the kids with Spencer last night to babysit and went to a birthday party for my friend's daughter.  After the party, we decided to drop Brian off at the house and headed out for a late night movie.  It seemed like everyone in the city was at the movies, so we had to park a little further than I would of liked.  Lugging my oxygen tank is always a pain, but I'm glad I had it because we also had to wait in line for about 30 minutes, and then we had to sit close to the top in order to find 2 seats together. 

They have gone home now, and I'm really hurting today, but it was worth the pain to see my cousin and her family!

Shaney and Bubba

 Spencer and Ammie

 Stasi and Theeny

 Me with my favorite cousin Christy!

Gentle Hugs,
Bonnie

Fibro Update!

On Monday, my rolling chair rolled out right from under me! I was going to sit down, and I guess I must of sat on the edge instead of the middle.  All I know is that one minute I was standing, the next minute I was on my A$$!  I instantly got a headache, and by the end of the day I felt as though someone had beaten me with a baseball bat and then threw me in front of a moving truck!
Needless to say, I spent most of the week in pain! To make matters worse, I had a meeting everyday after the students left, and a training this morning.  No time to rest and recuperate.  I finally got rid of the headache on Thursday, and I am only a little sore today.

On the brighter side of things, my little man earned his green belt today in Karate! So very proud of him.  They had to test by running for 30 minutes straight (at least we were inside an air conditioned gym), do a whole bunch of exercises, and do their karate forms!  He did all that, and still came home and started running around. Oh to be an energetic 8 year old again! Very proud of my little man!

Shane after running for 30 minutes!

Shane after getting his green belt!

Gentle Hugs!
Bonnie

He'll Be Dancing Soon Enough!

Brian had his left hip replaced last Tuesday morning and has been recovering quite quickly.  He stayed in the hospital 3 nights (I stayed with him on the most uncomfortable roll away bed ever made), and has been at the rehab facility since Friday (their pull out bed was a little more comfortable). 

I stayed with him until yesterday morning, then we decided it was time for me to come home.  I made sure that he could get in and out of bed by himself, take a shower and get dressed by himself, and walk to physical therapy without any support. 

I hated leaving him, but my boys were anxious to come home.  They love staying with my Parental Units, but they were missing the comforts of home.  Shaney especially missed his XBox. Plus I was really missing my boys.  They will going on vacation with the Units and my nieces for 2 weeks beginning July 8th (my birthday) to California and Las Vegas, so I needed to get my fix of them before they leave.

Anyway, Brian is doing so well at therapy they are letting him come home tomorrow.  They had him practice going up and down a set of stairs (don't know what we were thinking when we decided to buy a 2-story house with all the bedrooms upstairs), and he said it was a "piece of cake." 

So tomorrow Spencer and I are going shopping for a shower seat.  The facility is going to give him a walker (well they're going to charge the insurance for it anyway) and a raised toilet seat.  They have given him some other cool gadgets to help him get in and out of bed and put his socks and pants on without rotating his hip.  Apparently if he rotates his hip, it could dislocate and we would have to do this all over again!

My Karate Kid!

My Little Man and I!

So proud of my little man.  He went through graduation this weekend and moved up from a blue belt to a blue/green belt.  He had to go through a series of movements. He had to kick his dad's hand 75 times with each leg and then punch 100 times with each hand.  His final task was breaking a board with his foot. He had to do it 3 times before he finally broke it, but he didn't quit even though it hurt. Very proud of my Shaney!

100 punches for Dad!

Breaking The Board!

Happy Birthday Shaney!

1st Official 8 year old picture!

My little man is 8 years old today! Where does the time go? I am so happy he came into my life! He makes me laugh so much at some of the silly things he says and does. I'm very happy to call him my son!  Happy Birthday Shaney!