May 28, 2020

See...this is what that little princess really prefers. Something active, outgoing, and even a bit dangerous. Shannon had a very short lived lacrosse career. In part, because there was a lot going on the next season (cough, Krisha) and in part because she didn't like playing it as much as she remembers liking to play it. She doesn't like organized sports (ask *all* of PE teachers) But as she got older, it was all about the kayaking, rafting, paintball, nerf wars, bike riding, and when she turned 18, sky diving. I wish I had her video to show you. She's adventurous. Most of the time she's doing other things. She LOVES to read, listen to music, art, etc. I, however, would always choose to be on her paintball team, instead of the opposing one. She plays to the death. When Shannon has a better handle on using her wheelchair, and has more strength, she is going to be killing it again, at whatever she decides to put her mind to. She's already been killing it with all the progress she's made. (More on that this weekend)

Today was DUDE DAY at Magee. The dudes went in for training again. This was their second and last training. (see how easy they have it?) They spent the entire day with her, and were able to be present for all of her therapies.

When Lancer told me about one of the cool things they did with her in OT today, I wasn't surprised that she loved it. They worked on her balance, and Nigel was involved. He definitely changes her opinion of occupational therapy. The object of this exercise is to NOT fall over. No matter how hard Nigel tries to make that happen. :)



She also learned that she is NOT going to die if she falls forward. She will simply fall forward, and her handy dandy lap will catch her. Nigel helped her learn how to get back up if she does fall forward. His handler put a ball on Shannon's shoe and she had to reach down to get it, then pick it up, sit up, and throw the ball. He's so helpful!

It was a full morning of therapy, and Shannon was pooped right after lunch. I haven't even talked to her today, because- I'm guessing, she was asleep by 6:30pm. They did transfers in PT, bed to chair and chair to car. 

In speech, her therapist explained to Lancer about Shannon's brain injury and things to do to help her improve her cognitive thinking, memory, and executive function. 

Shannon did a super cool succulent arrangement in rec therapy. 

And she worked on her latest painting in art! 

She also had music therapy- Garage band, music theory...and something else that Jake can not report to me because he fell asleep halfway through it. Seems it was a long day for him too.

At home, we are still plugging along. Today it was mostly Little Big Jake here until the afternoon. By evening, this is what our front yard looked like. I'm sure the people who walk their dogs (or kids) through the neighborhood think we are just a bunch of people who didn't get the social distance memo, which is obviously an untruth. Seeing all these cars out in front of our house is a beautiful site to me. There are so many people that are willing to give up their afternoons, evenings, and sometimes all of their Saturday's to help us. Some of them don't even know us, beyond know what we are trying to get done here and why. There are currently (9:15pm) seven of them in the basement. They aren't just doing what we need done, they are "making it really nice for Shannon". They spend so much time on the details, making sure everything looks professional. AND their families are fantastic because they are supportive of them being here. We are truly blessed.

I'm showing you these progress photos, but they are already outdated. now the floor is tiled, that wall is done and now they are on to the ceiling, and the bedroom flooring is more than halfway complete. 

Tomorrow is my second to last family training. We are officially ONE WEEK AWAY from Shannon coming home. I'm super excited! I'm super nervous! The days for certain things to be finished keep changing, and the list of what needs to be completed somehow gets longer. But I know deep down that I'm worrying for nothing. What HAS to be done will be, and everything else will be fine. 

If there was ever a time to depend on faith, this has been that time. I don't mention miracles as much as I should, but we feel or see them every day. If you spent a day at our house right now, you'd probably think we'd all gone mad to be able to function with all that is going on. But we do. And we sleep at night. We all still like being around each other. And, we recognize our current dependency on each other. It's a pretty great place to be. 

Shannon is working so hard and this week has been back to back family training days. Please pray for her to have the strength and stamina she needs for her therapies, and to be able to rest well at night. Pray for her neck pain to go away and for her blood pressure to stay stabilized so she doesn't feel weak. Thank you, for all the little things you are doing. 

We're all mad here. Cheshire Cat- Alice in Wonderland