Catchy title, eh?
I have been absent for so long that I don’t exactly know where to begin. I think I’m getting my life a bit more organized so that I can be a bit more "present". The best way to handle this is probably a list, so here goes….
1. The Stepfather
My stepfather is still hospitalized. He is moved from one floor to another. He left ICU just before Christmas and went to a step down unit (kinda like "ICU Light" or "Reduced Calorie ICU"). From there he went to a med-surg (medical/surgical) floor (also read: "we’re moving you closer and closer to the door") but then his heart did some freaky stuff while in Dialysis one day so…. now he resides on a telemetry floor (kinda like Cardiac Care Light).
He is awake some days but when he is there are definite signs of dementia or brain damage. Just before we left NYC he awoke and told the nurse to call his wife and tell her that he loves her. That was the most alert and "with it" that he has been but the very next day he was back in his semi-coma fugue state or whatever it is. He comes and he goes.
So we enter week 5 of the hospitalization. Not much has changed.
2. Speech Therapy
AG started a new therapy this week called P.R.O.M.P.T.
PROMPT therapists touch the patient’s face while the patient speaks as a way of showing the apraxic patient how to form a particular sound. (This post is apparently brought to you by the word "patient"). I have waited a long time for AG to start this therapy but I find myself discouraged. AG did really well in her first session. I didn’t think she’d be too keen on having someone that close to her and touching her face, etc. Anna Grace had a look on her face like she thought the therapist was a little odd but she cooperated and after a short time she really warmed up to Nola.
Anna Grace was really herself during that first session but I had a lot said to me about her language being behind, that she doesn’t understand what is said to her, auditory processing issues seem to be interfering, etc. She gave me a list of words to work on with Anna Grace and a screening to fill out. When I went through the screening this week AG scored between 90 and 100% in every area. Regarding the list of words, she already knew most of them (it’s a list of like 500 words). So that was thrilling.
But today I got the new therapist’s report via email and it mentioned that AG’s receptive language may be a problem, there may be this problem and that problem….. etc. Why can’t somebody just say "wow, isn’t she doing great for being an apraxic child who has already overcome so much before she ever turned three". Why can’t somebody just tell me something good, just once.
(If you haven’t noticed, Sunday is pity party day!)
3. Potty Training Progress
There is none.
4. Weather
Remember how, prior to me leaving Florida, I used to beg folks to send me pictures of their snow, I was so envious of snow, etc. Not. Any. More.
This covered our yard for many days…..
Because this area rarely gets snow, the whole place shuts down. Schools were closed for days on end. Everytime the schools close the therapy center closes as well. Schools have closed in recent weeks for flooding, snow (multiple occurrences), holidays, and a bad windstorm that knocked out everybody’s power. Add in the day that we skipped therapy because of the Hawaii trip and you now have a toddler that has missed 9 OT sessions and 9 speech sessions since Nov. 1st. (!)
Other issues, I don’t know how to drive in snow. I can’t drive on ice covered streets. Such weather leaves me locked in the house with a toddler for days on end.
In conclusion, I hate snow. It’s pretty. Still hate it.
5. Weather Happy Moments
The mountain came out earlier this week (I think it was Wednesday but it may have been last Friday)
and yesterday we had a smidge of sun as well (just a smidge) so I actually took a "Saturday Sky" photo.
6. Getting to My Knitting Group
I started singing in church and agreed that in addition to Sunday morning I would sing 2 Wednesday nights a month. That started in October. Since that time every opportunity that I have had to get to my little knitting group has been messed up by the following: flooded out roads, snow, iced over roads, the trip to Hawaii, sick, more snow. Now the group has moved.
So, if you’re looking for Knitting Groups Tacoma, Knitting Guilds Tacoma, Knitting Group Starbucks Tacoma, they moved. I got an email that said that the Starbucks we were meeting at started closing earlier. So, starting this week the group will meet at the Starbucks at the Westgate Shopping Mall at the corner of 26th and Pearl. It is apparently near an Albertsons. Now, I don’t know my way around Tacoma and I have absolutely no idea where this is. So… Mapquest it, People!!! I just hope the drive to this location is as pretty as the drive to the Old Town location.
Anyway…. my point… (and I do have one) is that this Wednesday (I used to say "assuming the creek’s don’t rise" but I’ve stopped saying that…. see "flooding" above!) I am going to my knitting group. Assuming I can find them.
7. Madrona Fiber Festival
Starts this week and I’m signed up, taking classes and living life like a regular person. Whoot! There’s something called a knitting bee (I think it’s called that) on Thursday night and Lorette and I talked about going. Hey, Lorette, are we still going ?
Anyway, for those of you keeping track that’s knitting on Wednesday night, knitting on Thursday night and a weekend of fiber related fun. It’s a wool-sniffer’s delight!
8. Red Scarf Project Progress
I’m knitting a simple ribbed scarf. I’m going to block it so the thing will be a bit wider. I’m knitting it using E. Lavold Silky Wool.
*happy thoughts*
9. Forest Path Stole KAL
The pattern arrived. I didn’t understand much of the instructions. This didn’t make me feel very confident. But, I decided to just press on. So I bought yarn. I found a good deal on ebay. I have never heard of this brand so I think it is someone’s own "house brand" or something. If you’ve heard of it, my info is wrong (a frequent occurrence), etc. share info please. Anyway, it’s Jojoland Harmony 100% merino in a forest-y fall color palette.
I haven’t swatched. The only knitting going on around here lately has been on the scarf. I’ll swatch soon. I think.
10. Stress Management
Just a tip. When life is getting a bit stressful, things feel out of control, etc. No matter how much you may be looking forward to it, you need to know that the season premiere of 24 will do NOTHING to bring about a feeling of peace, calm and quiet. It. just. won’t.
Toodles, y’all!
Wow – that’s a lot of news! Sorry that there ‘s not a lot that’s positive. At least the ice and snow have quit. We have a new employee who just moved here from Pensacola and I keep trying to convince her that this really, really is not typical. Hope that’s true and you can get back to getting out. Take heart on the potty training – my son was three by the time it was accomplished. I was discouraged but my pediatrician told me if I did absolutely nothing he could just about guarantee my son would not start kindergarten in diapers.
Kris, YOU can see the improvments AG is making, and it’t their “job” to document the problems as you know. Perhaps if you specifically ask the therapists to give you positive feedback as well as negative?
I LOVE the yarn you chose, it will make a stunning stole. Just take the pattern stitch by stitch and you’ll be fine…and I’m here if you need me!!
I’m with Debi about AG. WE know she’s making progress. Doctors and therapists often see their job as focusing on where to improve, not looking at the accomplishments. And sadly, some of them forget to throw in the positives. Sometimes I have really had to push hard to get even a tiny positive from some of them. Stand strong and know we are behind you 100%!
Whew! Your plate is so full it’s overflowing. Not sure how you keep it together enough to make a list. Do you give lessons?
I sometimes feel that therapists have a need to prove they know their ‘chit’ or did their homework during disabilities 101 by citing all the negatives. Think of it this way, if AG did not have ‘this problem’ she would not qualify for our services.
Keep your chin up…this too shall pass.
Peace,
Jan in PA
Golly…I didn’t notice that it was Jill posting above me. Did you know that we are identical twins born on different days, in different states to different parents?
From now on, I’ll just say, “Yeah, what ^ says.”
Or maybe we can take turns posting, I get even days, she gets odd (for very obvious reasons). We’ll just sign our messages “JanILL”
Jan in PA
We’re giving a standing ovation in Kentucky to Anna Grace’s progress!
So sorry to hear that your step father continues to do so poorly. Your mother – and you, of course – are in our prayers.
What a lot of news! We clearly need to get together more often. Wednesday I’m going to try to find the new knitting location (do you think they moved it to try to lose us??), and we are most definitely on for Thursday. I have no idea what a knitting bee is, but I think we should go.
I love the term “ICU Light”. I might use that one. Sorry to hear about your stepfather, though. The hardest thing is dealing with these parent issues when you’re way across the country.
LOVE that yarn for the stole! Someday I’m going to knit that pattern. I think it’s a perfect colorway for that pattern.
Now I want some.
Don’t worry about the instructions … just follow and then you’ll gradually get it. Besides, you are in the KAL … just drop the question and people will run to the rescue.
I know about this eBay vendor for some time … is the yarns soft? They certainly look pretty with all those wonderful colours!
I’m keeping your stepfather in my prayers.
Pretty full plate right now, Kris. Pity party understandable. It WILL get better. Don’t pin me down to when. Whenever. But it will. I’m joining in the chorus of good thoughts being sent your way.
Connor’s speech therapist uses PROMPT. He gets publicly funded therapy every 6 months for 2 months and in between we do private therapy. The last funded block, the SLP was really struggling to get Connor to get an ending “L” sound (when he says ball, he says “ba-ow”). He could not get it. I told her we’d been working on that sound in private therapy and his private SLP usually squishes his cheeks and uses popsicle sticks to push his tongue into the proper position. She informed me that she doesn’t do stuff like that because there’s no proof that it works – not sure where she got that from because I’ve read tons of stuff that says it is very helpful in dealing with apraxia, and not just that, but with the private SLP using PROMPT over the past year, she has proven to me that it definitely without a doubt does work. Needless to say, he didn’t really get that much out of the funded therapy block – if only she’d been willing to try what we already know has worked with him (roll eyes!)
Anyway that was longer than I intended :). I hope Anna Grace gets a lot of positive results with the PROMPT therapy!
Hey, have you considered using a timer for potty training? We lived by the timer and Owen was trained in no time.