A month in review

10/24 - We had a great turnout for the ALS walk and I loved seeing everyone!! We still have until the end of December to raise money for our team, so if you didn't get a chance to donate there is still time.

10/31 - Joshua went trick-or-treating for his second time. He was dressed as a cow, and although he can't say trick-or-treat, he did "moo" for everyone we visited. Joshua wasn't a big fan of his cow hood, so fortunately we only went trick-or-treating at five of our neighbor's houses. I know I am biased, but he looked so cute!!!!

Oct/Nov - Joshua's had two double ear infections within 7 weeks of one another. So this past week we took him to the ENT. The good news was he was ear infection free (but had just come off antibiotics two days earlier), and they prescribed an antibiotic ear drop that we are supposed to use once a week in order to prevent future ear infections.

Beginning of Nov - Bob's parents were in town for two weeks. As always, they were a huge help. We ended up having a couple caregiver issues, so they really helped out. Betty is now fully trained on the bipap and is spit cup certified :) Best of all was Bob and his dad along with help from Henry and my dad, laid down a sidewalk alongside our house that leads to the backyard. It was the first time I was able to get into the backyard in 2.5 years! Bob's parents bought Joshua a swing for his birthday, so it's been great being able to go out back and watch him swing. Tana is probably the only one not thrilled with the sidewalk, because now I'm able to inspect how well she cleans up the backyard :)

11/13 - We had Joshua's birthday party, even though he didn't turn two until Monday, 11/15. This year was much more exciting because he didn't care about the paper or boxes, but did love any toys that he could see. Joshua's only consistent word is "play", and every time he would unwrap a new toy he wanted to "play".

11/19 - Thanks to Patsy and Elizabeth, we had an awesome bowling fundraiser for our walk team that ended up raising over four thousand dollars! I was shocked and touched by the fact that the entire bowling alley was filled with current and former Chase employees, family, and friends that all came out to bowl in support of our team!

11/22 - Troy, Denise, and the kids came to town for Thanksgiving. It was great seeing them, and Joshua was able to interact with them a little bit more than the last time they were here. Tana still remains their favorite cousin, because she gives piggy-back rides, swings them in the air, etc. Mandi, Adam, and her parents, along with Al, joined us for Thanksgiving at my dad's house. It was great getting back up to my dad's house, because it's been close to a year and I miss being able to visit him and getting up north. I used to spend a lot of time up north, I really miss it. Bob and I haven't stopped laughing at the sight of Joshua scooting through the dining room in my dad's house to the open arcadia door and down the wheelchair ramp into the Arizona room where everyone was eating dinner. Then he scooted down to the end of two picnic tables to say hi to Mandi! He was covered in dust and dirt, but it was so funny watching him on the go, scoot out the door and down the ramp!

Overall, I'm doing about the same as the last time I posted an entry. I've continued to lose some hand and arm strength, making it impossible for me to go on walks with Mandi or Bob like we used to, because somebody ends up having to take over and drive my wheelchair. I'm on the bipap most of the day, only coming off for an hour or two in the morning and then again for another hour or two in the late afternoon/early evening. I finally got a portable sip and puff/bipap machine that has a six hour battery life, so it's made going places a lot easier! I love the new portable machine. I did catch my first cold in three years earlier this month. In one day, it went from being just a stuffy, runny nose, to rattling in my chest. Bob was at work that day, so Mandi took me to urgent care and they put me on a strong antibiotic, which had me feeling better by the next day. We've made a few changes to my nightime pills, and are doing a little experimenting, but so far it's worked out well because I've either slept through the night or only woken up once the last 4-5 night. This is great news, because before that I was getting up at least 5 times a night and Bob and Tana were both ready to drop. Now that I'm sleeping better, everyone else is doing better as well.

Tana has received her acceptance letters from ASU and the University of Minnesota. She's still waiting to hear from UofA (there was a mixup in her transcript that has delayed the process), University of San Diego, and her dream school Stanford. She should find out about Stanford and UofA before the end of the year, but San Diego doesn't make decisions until March. She's really excited about San Diego, but in the end it will be where she can get the best and most scholarship money, which will most likely be in state (ASU). She recently re-took the SAT and scored a 2000!!! We are very proud of her. Since Tana doesn't read the blog, I can add this last bit, which is we're going to be challenged in keeping her focused on her grades because she's a bit pre-occupied right now with her social engagements.

I'll try not to go another month before making an update, but no promises. My next clinic is on 12/7, but I don't expect anything earth-shattering to come from it.