Hey folks! Kristel (Kabrina's sis) taking my turn at this update for ya. Thank you for visiting the blog as often as some of you do. We have quickly realized that life is pretty busy with J-man home and in order to keep y'all updated, we have to make time to blog. Now, with that said, I've been meaning to do this for almost 3 weeks, so please forgive me if I'm a bit wordy.
This pic is usually how I find Jared when I get home from the office everyday. He's relaxing after a day of outpatient therapy and engages with us when he's ready and not a minute before! HA HA HA! If any of you know Jared, you know he marches to the beat of his own hippie drum, so you know this is a 100% accurate assessment of him... However, we still bug him, and every once in a while he gets mad, but usually joins in on the fun and we get some pretty good laughs!
Life at home (thus far) has been a perfect mix of routine and chaos! I mean that in the best way possible. We knew getting Jared home would be an adjustment, and wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING, but we are all learning a new routine and more often than not, chaos ensues! But by 8pm (on a good day), we are all winding down and making our way to slumberland. One of my favorite things about bedtime is laying with Jared and getting him to pick what movie or TV show he wants to watch. He's very specific with his choices! Some of us get there before others -as you can see, Margot and J are the true royal couple at Price Circle! #sheloveshim #hetoleratesher
Don't get me wrong, Jared still has 6 hours of therapy Mon-Fri, so he's putting in some serious work too! He's up between 5:45-6am and we have a wonderful young lady, now a Price Circle VIP, who comes to get him up, fed and ready to conquer the day at Pate! We are so grateful for you, Victoria, and we don't know what we'll do when your sweet baby arrives... Can we clone you?? You are so good with Jared and I can tell he really likes you and enjoys getting his days started with your help and compassion. You are 100% a blessing to our family! We thank God for putting you in Jared's path and look forward to seeing the Lord's blessing in your life with sweet baby Emilia!
Okay -mushy stuff is over, we can now return to regular scheduled programming. Ha ha!!
Once Pate's driver picks him up around 7:45am, he heads up to the Anna's campus (where he previously was an inpatient) to put in some WORK! He is continuing his Occupational (OT), Speech (ST) and Physical (PT) at Pate and working with his team of really great people. (my sis put a picture in the last blog of his therapists) He has his days of greatness and days when I'm sure he gets on everyone's nerves, but they continue to push him and we appreciate it! Maybe that's why he looks like this sometimes... LOL!!
As long as he continues to progress with his walking and talking, we'll deal with tired and fussy Jared. He's got some work to do -- still working on his standing balance, trunk control when leaning forward, and figure out the best way to get him fully continent again, but we will get there. We've come way too far to go back. We continue to lean on the Lord and his faithful promises. In Isaiah 40: 28-31 (NLT) we are reminded:
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
(If any of y'all know me, you have to know there'll be scripture sprinkled when I blog!)
I look at this video of Jared in PT and the words from Isaiah COME ALIVE!! I am so thankful for the Lord's provisions and how he has strengthened and guided Jared through this recovery journey! It makes me think of that Cody Carnes song, Ain't Nobody. Look it up - it's good! He sings:
Yeah, I got a story I can't deny I'm a living, breathing miracle And I just gotta testify
Ain't nobody love me like Jesus Ain't nobody love me this good Ain't nobody love me like Jesus And I know, I know nobody could Tell me who could give me this freedom Tell me who could get me this far...
At home, we continue our efforts with getting him eating and drinking more consistently so that we can get rid of the PEG-Tube in his belly. I work at Dallas Cowboys HQ, so depending on what the chefs serve that day, I usually will bring home a dessert to reward his hard work. IYKYK -- all of Jared's teeth are SWEET TEETH!! We try to let him pick dinner, and because we just want him to get more calories, we end up eating pizza and pasta more than we'd like... #anythingforJared #itsworththesmiles
Don't let the Rangers t-shirt fool ya, these were taken on different days! Ha ha ha!! And where there's Jared and food, there's a Margot!! She's the cutest Dyson and Swiffer Wet Jet all-in-one!
As I sit here writing this entry, it's a breezy, sunny, beautiful Dallas Sunday afternoon (1:15pm), and I can hear Jared finally letting Kabrina get him out of bed as she bribes him with his fav breakfast staples. Weekends are all about rest and recuperation! We know he works hard Mon-Fri and needs more time to recover. However, with that said, Jared likes visitors. If you haven't had a chance to come by and would like to, please do! Give Kabrina or me a heads up so we can make sure we're decent! Ha ha!! If not, this is what you might find...
Also, I'm going to drop the link to Jared's Amazon gift registry here:
The most needed items (due to everyday consumption) are briefs and catheters. Contributions and/or gift cards are also very helpful for those items that pop up as well. Thank you for any contributions and/or purchases - we appreciate it more than you know! We look forward to the day when Jared is FaceTiming all of you to share his gratitude as well!!
I'll leave you today with these sweet words from Psalm 63:3-5 (NLT):
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
--------------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Continued progress in OT/ST/PT for Jared -- more walking, more talking and stronger toileting efforts.
Please pray as we look for someone to come in and help Jared in the mornings when sweet Emilia arrives and Victoria takes some time away. If you know anyone who you'd trust your loved one with, that can work M-W and F from 5:30-8:30am, please reach out to Kabrina or me. She is due in June, so we are actively looking.
Continued prayers of rest, rejuvenation and patience for all of us as we continue to adjust to this new part of Jared's healing journey.
Please pray for our mom, Suzy. She fell while helping me pack up my home in Houston a few weeks ago and has torn her ACL and meniscus, Her doc (in Hou) is pushing surgery, but prayers that it's not needed and that the Lord will continue to heal her right knee. She has an appointment with a recommended Ortho in Dallas on 5/2 and we're praying for a less-invasive treatment plan.
We love you guys and will continue to pray! God is faithful!
in Christ,
Jacey and MOMs of Miracles