Ok, so I know you’re not all parents of young children, but bear with me. This was a super cool discovery on my kids’ part and I want to share it with those of you who do have kids who play with Magformers.
Maybe this is old news, but maybe it isn’t.
When we had the basement drywalled, we requested steel corner beads to ensure they’d last a little longer and not get beat up too too fast. Those outside corners get hit hard. Thank goodness we did that, because clearly someone was whipping magformers around the basement and one caught on the wall. It grew from there, with a line of the squares going up as high as it could. But they took it to a whole new level today!!!
This is SO fun, and I never would’ve thought of the corner beads as a magnetic surface. I’m not kidding. Give it a try.
Brady has been incredibly active in his rehabilitation, clobbering every obstacle that has been placed in front of him. He has walked smoother and smoother. Used a walker and crutches. Learned the ropes of using a wheelchair. He’s learned balance and strength in terms of swaying and side stepping, which might sound small to us walking folk, but we have NO IDEA the difference between walking forward and walking side to side. It is NOT the same. Brady has excelled, and had made strides that even his very optimistic rehab team knew were a stretch.
Brady’s student PT was finished on Friday. He had told Brady a while back that he was hoping to get Brady on forearm crutches on his last day. The big finish for his stretch at City Hospital. Except, they did that much earlier this week. Tuesday, I believe. So, on Friday, there was a new plan. Stairs!
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that stairs are kind of challenge for people with limited mobility. If you didn’t already know our house was a modified bi-level, now you see why its pretty important that Brady be able to climb stairs. Yes, we will get a lift up to the main level of our house. But there are other staircases, and those are important, too. They lead to the basement, as well as up to our master bedroom. We cannot swing the cost of three stair lifts. So, it was time to try.
First, Brady and his therapist went between the parallel bars, and Brady used them while he stepped up on a shorty little stepper stool. It was a very specific series of movements. Good leg first. Step up. Right leg next. Don’t lift with your hip. Use the muscle on the side of your butt, and your thigh. Then lock that knee. Boom! He’s up. Down was similar, but in reverse. Right leg first. Lock the knee. Follow with the strong leg. Brady would step up, and then over it, and his therapist would drag it back out in front of him for another step. After two completed lengths of the parallel bars, we moved to the real deal.
And as you can probably predict by now, he crushed them. He went up and down this practice staircase twice, I believe. He even practiced it once on his bum, scooting up and down that way. And it worked!! Once Brady was done with stairs for the day, they worked a bit more on getting up into his chair from the floor, which is a decent effort, but he can safely, confidently make it happen. All of that together opens SO MANY DOORS!!!
This means we can throw out our plan to move our children around and move our master bedroom down onto the main level. Rather, we can install a second railing in that stairwell and he can get up there with a study railing on each side! He will let down SO much nicer in his own room! Same story with the basement stairs. We will get funding for a lift onto our main floor, as its our longest staircase, and way too wide to use two railings at once. We have options now. Realistic ones. Options that make it seem like some things can be normal again.
Remember how hard it was for Brady to get an MRI? Turns out once you get the one, if enough is wrong with you, you can get a handful of MRIs a lot easier.
I tease. Kind of.
The hospital ordered another MRI for Brady for Wednesday, and he was bumped until this morning. He had about a one minute warning before he had to quickly get up, dressed, and was taken down. It wasn’t a long scan like we had been told earlier it would be, so he texted me around 9:30 and said he was ready for company! Woohoo! I left within a couple of minutes, grabbed some coffee for us, and made it to the hospital about a half hour later than usual. That is not a lot of lost time at all!
The first thing Brady told me about was this.
His MRI this morning had been a contrast MRI. He had an IV port in his arm since Wednesday morning, so the bandaid is from that coming up. His MRI this morning had been a contrast MRI, so when they pushed the contrast through the port, some of it went interstitial, escaped his vein, and ended up in his muscle. Brady’s a decently muscly guy but his forearms aren’t this big! Except now, the one is, lol!
Luckily, it isn’t causing any pain 🙂 More of an annoyance than anything. They say it’ll just dissipate over time. The same thing they say about the blood clot thats still hanging out in his lungs (barf) but a little less scary.
Whats one more weird medical thing, right? Whats one more thing to think about?
I tease. Kind of. I am SO grateful for Brady’s positive outlook on just about everything. The recent positive days definitely help, but the prayer support is no doubt the biggest thing!! We are SO grateful for our supportive people from all over! Thank you for continuing to be in our corner and support us in all the different ways you do.
Last note of the day, Brady’s student PT is done today. He was an amazing part of our team, and we are both VERY sad to see him go! Good luck, Pete! You are absolutely in the right field!! Keep doing exactly what you’re doing!
Yesterday was a really encouraging day. On top of the milestones Brady has been hitting in rehab, he’s also had some really surprisingly nice conversations with some of his doctors. Those medical calls are a complete wipeout, even when they’re good!
Brady spoke to his surgeon yesterday, Dr. Fourney, for the first time in about a month. Dr. Fourney wanted Brady to feel reassured and confident in everything thats happened and whats to come. When he had said all he wanted to say, he asked Brady about his progress at rehab. He started off by asking if Brady had gotten up at the parallel bars yet. Brady, surprised, told him he had actually walked the parallel bars in his first week post-op when he was still at RUH. Dr. Fourney was completely blown away, and expressed that to Brady. Brady then told him he *drumroll* walked with forearm crutches just the day before, and Dr. Fourney was bowled over. He was SO happy for Brady. He told Brady that he was really good at healing, and to keep doing exactly that! He also said, if he ever had any spine related questions, surgical or not, he should feel free to leave him a message, and he would be HAPPY to call Brady back absolutely anytime to talk. Brady felt SO light after that call.
Today was a day we were very much looking forward to as well. Brady had a custom brace made for his ankle a while back (Its called an AFO, an ankle foot orthosis) and it wasn’t quite right. This morning, Brady was booked to go to Saskabilities and get it fitted and modified to work better for him. His therapists booked time to go with him, and they invited me! I was SO thrilled to be included on the field trip! The four of us piled into the handivan and made dark jokes and talked all the way there.
The front desk guy wasn’t especially happy with the amount of us coming in a group, but the man who was working on Brady’s brace wasn’t upset at all. By the time we were done, Brady had a brace that fit great! But just because we were done doesn’t mean the handivan was back! For the next 25 minutes or so, Brady did some walking outside, and then popped back into his wheelchair to practice some curbs and uneven territory. He did so great. It was SO nice to do some outdoor therapy.
When the driver came back, we loaded back up, and ended up all talking about our experiences growing up going camping. We all had different lakes, but we all loved lake life, camping, family, etc. It was just such a nice thing to relate on and look forward to.
Lucky for us, we made it back in time for a very anticipated PT activity!! Today was the day Brady’s physios were going to see if they could get him into our van.
I only WISH I had pictures, but it went SO fast, because it was SO much easier than any of us anticipated!!!! I was SO proud!! None of this to say Brady doesn’t have to work hard on placement, strength, and the mind-over-matter aspect of things, but he CAN do it! He is fully capable of getting into the van! His left leg is mobile enough that it can get up onto the running board step, and then he can hold the handle to the side, and the handi-bar we’ll attach to the latch, and heave himself in. I’ll show you in photos sometime. It’ll all make sense. But it is SO exciting! A real victory!!!
Today, we celebrate. There is a LOT of heavy, but we celebrate and enjoy the light as we can.
The amount of messages we’ve received in the past five weeks or so has been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. I have permission to share one from this morning, so here you have it. This is what I woke up to.
From Cher:
Good morning, to my WOMAN CRUSH WEDNESDAY OOO LALA.
woman crush er’ day. Pff. Chh.
I love you so much, beautiful sweet Hailey! How did you sleep??
I love spending time with you. And being silly with you!
I love seeing you happy. Even if it’s because of food.
I love your hobbies and all the things you do that make you happy.
I think you’re so brave, even when you make dark jokes.
I love that we can still snug sometimes.
Even if you fall asleep
Things are gonna get better soon I promise
Things are gonna feel normal before you know it
You will look back on this as just a time. A difficult road. But one that shaped your perspective and strengthened your family.
I hope one day, I feel the peace a young sleeping child has.
That cozy, problem-free rest. The simplicity. The abandon.
I know I can find peace in God. I’m trying. I’m praying. We ache for healing, health, togetherness, and a resolution to all the uncertainty.
Philippians 4:5-7:
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I am really happy to report that Rowan continues to grow and progress towards an easier life and a calmer attitude. Every night, I pray with him and we ask Jesus that Rowan will be unscathed in this time of uncertainty. And as far as I can tell, God continues to provide.
Rowan still definitely gets sad. We all do, am I right? But his control is unbelievable! He is SO much more level than he was even a month ago, and considering everything our family has gone through, he would have every reasonable right to be in far worse shape than he was to begin with. I am SO incredibly proud of him!
Just a couple of days ago, he hurt himself by dropping his water bottle right on his toe. That hurts. I know. I’ve done it. He shrieked in pain, and then cried. Not long ago, he would’ve screamed and tantrummed and just gotten SO angry. But he didn’t. I held him and tried to be super understanding about his pain. He cried for a pretty good while, I could tell he was having a hard time winding down, but he never got SO frustrated that he just threw a fit. When he finally started to relax a little, he told me he was sorry he had screamed, and that he tries SO HARD to be a good boy, and that he doesn’t want to make me feel hurt or sad. I hugged him SO tight and reassured him that I was NOT upset that he had cried when he got hurt. I told him I WANTED to know those kinds of things! But I heard his heart, and I told him that, too. I see how hard he is trying, and I let him know it was SO worth it. He said to me “Ok, good. I’ll keep working.”
The journey continues, and I’m so thankful for be along for the ride. I am SO pleased with Rowan’s continued progress and growth!
I know. I know where I live, and that Spring isn’t actually impending yet. It’s all a lie. There is still more snow to come, I’m confident. But the current facade of spring feels SO good, even though I know it’s fleeting.
The grass we seeded last fall has surfaced as the snow has melted off the front yard.
I have been able to walk from the car to the hospital in a sweater.
We had iced capps the other day.
I dug out spring jackets, splash pants, and rubber boots yesterday. Our loving neighbours filled in the gaps and purchased boots and pants for our kids who didn’t have any that fit.
Tom got the kids bikes adjusted, oiled, and filled for the season. Kids are ripping up and down the street as I type this.
The sun is up earlier and lasts later into the evening. The days are longer.
I’ve been able to spend a bit longer lengths at the hospital in the last few days, and Brady and I have really enjoyed our time together. When we have enough time, we like to play cards. It is a nice way to do something different, mix it up while we visit, and honestly, its a solid distraction from all the scary crap.
We play a lot of SkipBo, because it doesn’t require a ton of thinking, so its easy to play while we visit. Also, it doesn’t take up a ton of space so we can play it on the little hospital table that goes over the bed. Its a good setup!
The other day, we played a game with twenty cards in the pile. I crushed him in that round, and when I won, he still had fourteen cards left. As we tend to do, he flipped them to see what he had, and whether it was hopeful or not.
It was not.
Probably the worst pile of cards I’ve ever seen! He had no chance!
I realize as I write this that, if you don’t know how to play SkipBo, this means nothing to you. So if nothing else, enjoy Brady’s gorgeous smile and the light moment we shared.
One whole year since this pandemic hit us. I will never forget my very last day in University. I was a little oblivious to what was going on that week. I would take the city bus to school from Lawson Heights Mall and I would see people with masks on. I thought that was just extreme and weird. Little did I know, I was days away from never returning to school again for the rest of the year.
My last class I attended on campus was an English class. One of the girls I sat beside went to talk to the prof after class, and as I was leaving I remember hearing them talking about virtual learning. I thought that was something SO extreme that could never happen. I went home to Dalmeny after that and saw Hailey off to her weekend retreat. Hours later I got an email saying that classes were ALL online. The next week they were cancelled, but they picked up in a virtual setting that was new and strange.
In the last year I have learned a lot about my abilities when it comes to learning at home. I need changes of scenery. It’s hard for me to learn in the same place as noisy dogs, but I can roll with it when I have to, for sure. It’s been such a blessing to have the time I had to study at the Born’s. They have been so generous and supportive of me, and I don’t know how well I would have done without them. I would hide away for days and not have to worry about cooking. I didn’t have to show my face, I would just sit in my room, read, study, nap, repeat.
I DESPERATELY miss being on campus. I have grief that I don’t get to meet new people and learn in person. Grief that I waited SO long to finally even go to University, and I am spending such a HUGE chunk of it at home, instead of being harassed in the tunnels to buy things I don’t need and sign up for things I don’t want. I miss the busyness, the smells, the noise. I miss the SUPER cranky Tim Horton’s employees, and paying for parking when the bus didn’t show up on time. I miss getting an iced coffee and walking outside in the bowl. I miss the good, the bad, and everything in between.
I really hope this pandemic lightens up soon! I have a new perspective to try out!
