A little piece of heaven

10 am this morning found us driving down to Mission Viejo about 1.5 hours away to see Nathan’s orthotist. He found that Nathan had outgrown all of his devices. He hd to adjust his DAFO’s, SWASH brace, and HART walker. He was astounded by how much Nathan has grown in the last year, and recommended very serious stretching or Nathan can easily develop contractures (he already has one in his right hamstring). Our plan is to have Nathan sleep with his DAFO’s and Swash brace on to get him really stretched out. This is the tough part about CP, how it wreaks havoc on a body.

And talking about growing, Gryffin has outgrown all of his newborn clothes already. That is one chunky little boy. I can’t seem to keep up with his milk demand so I am downing mamatini like crazy, and having to resort to a bit of beer to increase production.

It was a long day, as we stopped in Hollywood and spent the afternoon hanging out with all the tourists. Days like today I remember that I just had surgery 6 weeks ago; I am in so much pain and my scar is throbbing. I forget to take it easy and then I pay for it at night.

Izzy and Nate are cuddled up in Nathan’s bed, and Gryffin is waiting for me in mine. Good night!

One lesson I’ve been learning is that attitude is EVERYTHING. What happens externally in our lives unless affects us based on how we choose to respond. I’ve learned that the most difficult situations can be transformed into the most peaceful ones if we find a way to view things positively. So I chose to put on my big girl underwear and transform the departure of Nathan’s beloved nurse into something positive. It was wonderful to have her with us for 1.5 years, she brought much beauty to our house and lives. And now we wish her the best in her journey. Once I integrated this attitude, I felt so much better! Today was Mary’s first day and it was lovely to have her back with us full time. Life goes on, life is good.

Today I took Gryffin to a Mommy and Me yoga class. I was the only one that showed up, so I got a private yoga session for a great price! It was phenomenal, it really helped me relax and she taught me some great stretches for myself and some great stretches for Gryffin. I started back with my yoga routine last week, but it was nice to do a more meditative yoga routine. Gryffin smiled a lot during the class and seemed very happy to be there.

A lady came up to us while we were having ice cream and asked me about Nathan. She asked if it was okay to pray over him. She put her hands on his head, kneeled in front of him, and started praying. What amazed me was that Nathan reached out to her and held her hand, and when she started the prayers, he bowed his head and kept it down. When she finished, he picked his head back up and looked right at her. She was so nervous about coming over; I was surprised. I found it very wonderful that she was willing to pray for a stranger.

And today is another early night. My bedtime is now 9 pm at the latest. Waking up a gazillion times at night and getting up at 6 am with Izzy and getting Nathan ready for the bus by 8:20 sure takes it out of me. So I better hit the sack. Good night!

Today was one of those days. I couldn’t stop asking myself, really? Seriously?

Nathan’s nurse who has been an amazing friend and support, quit today. It was devastating to hear; I was reeling. Nathan and Izzy love her so much, it will be hard for them to have her gone. Fortunately Nathan’s previous wonderful nurse, Mary, is available to work so she will be starting tomorrow.

Today we introduced Gateway 20 on the Dynavox to Nathan. It allows him to start creating sentences. He picked it up immediately. He started saying, “I want chocoloate” and “I want to watch TV” and “I want to play guns”. I am excited to watch him take off with this new setup. I’ll post a video soon.

I interviewed a new nurse today, so we will have someone to go to school with Nathan. I liked him very much. I hope he is able to start right away, the agency has to get everything settled.

Short and sweet. More tomorrow.