picture of the car

Finally I can look at this picture and not shudder. God is good, all of the time--thank you thank you thank you. The Christmas season rapidly approaches. I can hardly remember last year, only that I was walking around on autopilot, I think. I continue to marvel at how the brain rewires itself. There is no explaining it--nothing short of a miracle, I believe.

Black Friday--Its a great Friday for me!

We went kayaking in Crystal River with Jennifer, Rick, Jake, Olivia, Brian, Mikey and Morgan. The water is 72 degrees year round. Here is a picture of us taken just yesterday. (left to right, me, Morgan, Brian and Mikey). xoxoxo MOMMA/Les

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow we have passed the one year anniversary of Mikey's accident. this has been one wild year. Life is almost getting back to normal. Yesterday we were at Animal Kingdom with my sister Jennifer, visiting with her family from North Carolina. Today we are sharing the kids--first meal in Dade City, next meal in Lakeland. There is soooooo much to be thankful for!! Momma/Les

fishin'

Mikey continues to improve. We are coming up on the 1 year anniversary of his accident. The last few weeks have been uneventful, which in my world is a very good thing. We went fishing with Todd (Mikey Morgan Todd me and Petey), didnt catch anything, but had fun anyway. Last weekend was the Lake Mirror Classic car show. I actually write this from Virginia--my mom (Mikey's Granny) is in the hospital after surgery. He is currently back in Florida. Weekend before last we went to Tampa to check out Brian's new place. We went walking in Flat woods park (picture attached).

Dog days of summer

Well its no news that its really really hot in Florida in August. The summer pattern (hazy, hot and humid with an afternoon thunderstorm) is mostly a daily given. We have been lucky and not had any major tropical storms or hurricaines. Mikey goes every weekday with Brian A or Tommy --their projects take them in all directions doing consulting and clearing/revegetation etc...Just I few hours out in that heat can wear anyone out, I can only imagine since I work in a climate controlled environment. :) Weekends and evenings are spent playing board games, video games, surfing the internet, eating out, going to movies, going to the beach. Our trip to Cocoa Beach for Morgan's belated birthday was great fun--I will attach a picture here. We continue to see gains in all areas. The big gap in memory (November 11-Jan 16) is being filled in slowly with our recollections and by reviewing this blog. Mikey seems to remember more things short-term, and he frequently tells us stories about his elementary school days ("I got a red ticket for writing my name on the floor with a crayon during naptime"), middle and highschool days (lots of stories about the Dean's office here--gotta love Mr Fuchs!).......until next time, Momma/Les

Happy 4th of July

We have settled into an easy routine these days. Today the kids are up at Tommy and Lynne's and later today they come my way. We plan on going to the movie "Grown Ups" later today, then meeting the Apetz's for fireworks outside the staduim (an annual event). Tomorrow is a Holiday for us, and we have no major plans. The coming week will be short (I hope) and next weekend we are officially celebrating Morgan's 13th birthday by having some of her friends over and going to Cocoa Beach.

I do not recommend Splice, but A-Team was great!

Well the movie was pretty awful, but we enjoyed ourselves, just me and the kids over in Tampa. We went to our favorite place--California Tacos and then went to the movie. We have had busy weeks, and weekends we go to movies or just hang out around the house. Last weekend we went and saw the A-Team. Not much going on here but felt I needed to do an update. Mikey continues to amaze us. He is more and more interactive, memory improving, gains in all areas!! He is quite the backseat driver (from the passenger seat) always reminding me to use my blinkers and getting on Morgan if she unbuckles her seatbelt before we have come to a complete stop. He is up to his usual weight now and looks fit (and handsome as ever).

Time flies so we are having fun!! Mikey has been hanging with Brian A (one of Tommy's employees) during the week. Last weekend I was out of town. Tuesday night this week we went over to Orlando to have dinner with my sister, Jennifer who was in town on business. We ate at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant, and then walked around Downtown Disney. This weekend we have no major plans, but hope to go see the new movie "Splice".

another busy weekend

Wow how time flies. We spent another busy weekend, Saturday Mayfaire event at the lake with fireworks, live band, food and friends, and yesterday was Mother's Day. Without a doubt this Mother's Day takes on a very special significance. Brian came over from Tampa and we all went to see the movie Ironman 2. Later we grilled out over at Steve and Lynnette's. Today Tommy and Mikey will be celebrating their birthdays out at Tommy and Lynne's in Dade City............, Tommy's 50th and Mikey's 20th!! Happy Birthday!!!. Later this week Mikey and I are flying up to Va Beach. My mom has been ill and in the hospital. We hope to help her out some with the transition home. She evenually will be needing surgery. Here is a picture I snapped last night of the kids. xoxoxo Les

JDRF walk, state gymnastics meet, and canoeing

Its been a busy but fun weekend. Saturday morning we participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk, helping to raise money for a cure. Saturday night was Morgan's state gymnastics meet (9.0 on vault--6th place, and 9th all around) and today the kids, Petey and I went over to Tampa and we rented canoes and explored a portion of the Hillsborough river. Zoom in to see the gator, we didnt go closer.... These pictures were salvaged from my camera, which ended up IN the river, along with me!!!! Camera drying out as we speak, we shall see if that works.......Mikey continues to improve every day. Attaching pictures!!

time for an update

Mikey went to Cleveland with Tommy and Lynne to visit with Omi. They left last Wed. and returned Saturday last weekend. From what I hear Mikey had a good time, including a night on the town with Saburo (thanks Sabby!!). Saturday night was a quiet night at home, and on Sunday we got some housework done, then met Brian at the mall and did some shopping and walking around. Sunday night Sabrina came and visited Mikey. She brought "Buttercup" her teacup Chihuahua puppy. Petey (our dog) was slightly territorial about her food, but very curious nonetheless about Buttercup. Mikey had a therapy session Monday and the therapist tells us after this Friday (tomorrow) she will be discharging Mikey. She gave him a test naming various pictures and he did really well. She gave him the same test at the beginning of therapy and he only got about half or them right, and even then it was with hints, like "it starts with a b, you ride it" etc.....for bicycle. This time he only missed a couple. In June we begin another insurance policy year, so we may be starting again then, we shall see..............

Happy Easter

Morgan is in NC visiting Jennifer Rick Jake and Olivia so its been quieter than usual around here. Not having to go to the gym has freed up our evenings, and the weather has been so pretty. We have been taking Petey to the park, and she absolutely loves her daily squirrell hunts. The gators are out too. Today we spotted 3. Mikey pointed out 2 HUGE gars in the shallows, and there was a big old turtle sunning himself in the weeds. Here is a picture I took of Mikey with Petey today. Yesterday Irelan and Ian were here, so we celebrated Easter a day early. Mikey was very helpful hiding the eggs for the boys. Later today we are headed to the airport to pick up Morgan

Sun and Surf

Last weekend we went to Port Richey for a gymnastics competition, then to Tampa with Brian to the International Mall (store called Adrenelina with indoor surfing!!). Morgan and Brian surfed, and Mikey laughed lots at their wipeouts. Mikey can be heard commenting that Brian "will not make it past 5 seconds" which is about right!!! Video attached.
Next we went into downtown Tampa, and checked out a park right on the Hillsborough River near the University of Tampa. Brian wanted us to see this ampitheatre. Its very small, so it worked like a ampitheatre should and amplified our voices. There was one little spot where we had to stand to get it to work right. The weather was FABULOUS!! Here is a picture I snapped of the boys.

cooking and travel

Mikey cooked us dinner on Saturday--we had "hamburger helper" philly beef strogonoff. It was delicious. On Sunday we traveled up to Jacksonville to visit Rachel (Scott's daughter) who is in the Navy and getting deployed soon. We went over to Jacksonville Beach and ate at Joe's Crab Shack--a quite famous area restaurant on the beach. Its Spring Break, so the beach was pretty chaotic even though it was windy and cold (for Florida). While driving we played some memory games, guess games like "I'm thinking of an animal that starts with the letter A". Mikey would have us guessing and guessing until we gave up and then he would say "I dont remember" when we asked what his animal was. It was hilarious, and he thought so too. Sunday night Brian came to town and we stayed up late watching old videos of the boys when they were maybe 5 and 2. We laughed sooooo much. Yesterday he had speech therapy and occupational therapy. I picked up Morgan from school so all 3 kids went for these appointments. Its rare that the three kids are all together..........The occupational therapist suggests that Mikey carry a pocket planner to write things down, like where he goes, what he does, etc..... We played Battleship, and Mikey and his therapist beat Brian/Morgan's team. We are told that his benefits for outpatient therapy are almost exhausted for this policy year. I am going to check to see if we can resume in June when a new policy year begins again. In the meantime we are paying close attention to what they do in therapy, and how they do it, so we can do the same at home. I think its fairly intuitive things, like playing board games, word games, and we already do that.

therapy and more...........

Mikey has therapy days on Mondays and Fridays. The therapists are doubling up with speech and occupational therapy. They both work on similar things, mainly cognitive tasks/exercises, memory strategies, maintaining attention. In addition the occupational therapist is working on Mikey's right upper extremity (shoulder/arm) which they found to be slightly weak compared to the left. Occupational therapy also works on "ADL" which is short for activities of daily living (like doing chores, housework, cooking........ The neuropsychology evaluation is an ongoing process, and it is not completed yet. Mikey comes to Lakeland on Saturday and stays until Monday night, then to Dade City with Tommy and Lynne Monday night through Saturday morning.
Last weekend we went to Vero Beach for Morgan's gymnastics competition. I don't think Mikey had ever been to one, and at times he was bored I think, but he went along and didn't complain too much. He did get restless and would pace around some, but he was a pretty good sport. We stayed the night with our friends Karrie and PJ. Mikey played Halo on the X box and "owned" Tyler, who is Karrie and PJ's son. We ate steak and lobster, picked up a dog for Morgan's teacher (thats another story), then drove back Sunday.
I am noticing more improvements in Mikey's memory, and he seems to be more and more alert and interested in the world around him. He also does not get as agitated in traffic. He doesn't curse as much either. We have been told that we should continue to see gradual improvements in all areas, and I am thrilled that he has come this far from where he was last week, 2 weeks ago, 2 months ago etc.

continued improvements

Mikey continues to make steady progress. His therapist said this week she needs to find him some harder word problems/exercises for next week because he needs to be challenged more. He is coming up with lots of words that he couldnt in the beginning. He is using bigger words too. Today we had a birthday party for Scott's younger grandson Ian. We cooked steaks, had wings, cake presents etc.... Quite a few people over. Mikey thought it was hilarious when Petey (our dog) chased Ludacris (our cat) around the back yard, and then barked some more through the glass door. Tonight Mikey is already in bed. We spent lots of time outdoors today--although its cold (for Florida, that is...) it was nice and sunny.

Superbowl Sunday Saints vs Colts

Time for another update. We had a good week, therapy Tues and Friday. Neurologist appointment Tuesday for medication refills. Mikey is showing definite improvement in his therapy session. We learned a new card game that we can play that utilized memory, math etc.....I taught the game to Morgan, so she can pass it on. We went to see Avatar yesterday--great movie, in 3 D. Mikey talked to Kelly who he met at Camp Chanco for a bit Afterwards we went to the Wilcox's out in Kathleen--David has a fish farm and it was fight night(UFC-Ultimate Fighting Competition in Las Vegas). Mikey played "Call of Duty" on X-box with 3 others (he is really good at this), they sang Karoke(we watched!!), they have a batting cage etc....The kids played "Manhunt". Afterwards we chilled at the house. Mikey is sleeping in right now...................Tonight is the SuperBowl. Tommy is having some people out to Dade City {Todd}, so Mikey will be heading out there later this afternoon.

gone fishin'

Todd came and picked up Mikey to go fishing today. They have minnows, corks, (life jackets), and a picnic lunch. They are fishing out at Bridgewater off land. We went and got Mikey's freshwater fishing license this morning first. Todd is hoping to partner up with Mikey on a speck tournament at the end of Feb. He has to get the day off first.
Mikey said something funny today (well he says lots of funny/cute things, but this is one that sticks in my mind.........). We were driving around with Petey (our dog) and Petey was leaning forward through the console of my car looking so sweet, so I said "Aw baby you are such a sweet little thing." and Petey put her head on my shoulder. Mikey observed this and said he thinks Petey knew what I was saying and decided to "take it up a notch".

We are getting into a routine now with Mikey spending Sat-Sun in Lakeland, then back to Dade City for Monday, returning to Lakeland Monday nights through Tues night, back to Dade City Wed-Saturday. We have 4 appointments this week, 2 with doctors, and 2 for therapy. Today Mikey jumped on Morgan's rip stick (like a skateboard) and took off easily. He needed some help getting started, but once he got going he did awesome. He also jumped some on the trampoline and rode the electric scooter. We took Petey to the park and walked around some, then went grocery shopping. Todd came over for a visit, and he is planning on taking Mikey fishing next Sunday.

Back in Lakeland

Mikey is in Lakeland for a couple of days. We stopped by to see Alex briefly last night, then went to Taco Bell with a few of my friends. We are getting into a routine (I think) and will be going for the first outpatient therapy session in Winter Haven today. First we have to go get some bloodwork drawn at Clark & Daughtrey. Markie/Rhoda (Scott's daughter/Mikey's step-sister) is coming over today to check it all out. She may be helping out on the Lakeland front. We shall see........... Next week is busy with various follow up appointments with the trauma docs and the neurosurgeon. We are trying to work out a 3 day/4 day split between Lakeland and Dade City respectively so Tommy can get some of his business moving again-- all while coordinating therapy etc. We will keep you posted as to what we end up doing. xoxoxo Les/Momma

Home sweet home

Mikey is home!!! Here are a few pictures I just snapped before heading back to Lakeland.We are so glad to have him home!!!!!

He immediately checked his phone/voice messages/text messages. Those wishing to see Mikey while he is in Lakeland can see him Tuesday morning next week, before we go for our first therapy session. He will be there with me (Dorchester rd) all morning until about noon.

discharge tomorrow

Sorry its been a bit since update. We have been anxiously awaiting Mikey's discharge, which is TOMORROW. My Mom (Granny) is also visiting and between work, visiting Mikey, gym etc....we have been busy. Tomorrow I will be picking Mikey up and bringing him out to Dade City. Tommy and Lynne have been making preparations for this big day. Mikeys first outpatient rehab appointment is next Tuesday--I will be taking him Monday night and then taking him Tuesday. From there we are going to figure it all out, depending on dates/availability etc.

family training

Today Tommy Lynne and Momma Jackie went to family training. The therapists were giving them all kinds of information on Mikey. When I got there they were going over physical therapy exercises. We are encouraged to attempt to get Mikey to stop counting, which is a form of "perseverance", and also perhaps a sign of overstimulation. He's funny, when we say 'Stop counting Mikey" he starts whispering the numbers!!! :) Mom/Granny arrives this Saturday for a week, and we are attending similar training next Wednesday in preparation for his discharge on 1/14/10. We decided that he will go to Dade City with Tommy and Lynne and to the Winter Haven brain injury rehabilitation center (ESTEEM program) for outpatient therapy. He will be going 3 days a week. This is preferred overall by all of us, for a few reasons--continuity of care, less traffic, familiarily etc......I think we are planning on splitting up the rehab., me taking one day, Tommy/Lynne/Momma Jackie one day and maybe Brian taking a day (depending on his class schedule).........it mainly depends on WHEN those days are, more will be revealed as time goes on............. We will figure it out, I am sure. Thanks again to all you visitors, thoughts prayers and support. xoxoxo Les

Smiles

We had a quick visit today due to time limitations. Mikey enjoyed (I think) a sour Limeade--from the look on his face he thought it was pretty sour. Here is is with his sitter Jamisha. She told him to "throw out some deuces", and he thought that was funny, making him look all gangster. We walked (alot)--I think he is restless, and wants to walk and walk. He counts quite a bit--perhaps he is counting to calm his head down, we dont know. Physically he is doing great, just has a stuffy nose. It is COLD here. We walked over to the window and Morgan had him feel the glass to give him an idea of how cold it was outside. We saw some people fishing from a bass boat, he remarked they were "bastards"--maybe its a play on words (?)--bass turds. Dont know.

another great visit, and RED LOBSTER

Today Bri and I visited Mikey. We walked a lap around the hospital with the therapists (Petey too). Mikey looked at the lake and remarked that there is one house with an "impressive shoreline". He was naming various plants. Brian was quizzing him on the various "codes" for Counter Strike 1.6 to buy specific weapons, and Mikey readily rattled them off....Brian and I went to Red Lobster and brought back a meal for Mikey--steak and shrimp. Mmmmmmmm

Mikey walks Petey, or maybe the other way around.

Mikey went outside for physical therapy and Petey was ready for a walk. I am not sure who was walking who, but they both enjoyed it. Mikey is laughing (alot) over just about everything, which is good for the soul. The rehab staff say that he should be ready to go home by Jan 13-14.