Hopefully you haven't been thinking that Pat is not walking because we haven't blogged much lately. We wanted to keep his progress a surprise for when we went up to Seattle to visit Angie and Lynn and family so that they could be amazed at his accomplishments. For those who weren't there to see it, Pat has progressed to the point that he uses the walker to get around the house most of time time. And these days, the only time he has a spotter behind him is when he is feeling funny or when he is going down the stairs. He has even figured out how to open the bedroom doors on his own. He is doing just great and we are so proud of him. (Especially since it means that no one has to follow him into the bathroom anymore. :) The next obstacle will be figuring out how to carry things while using the walker, but without using his mouth to carry them.
One funny thing that he will probably wish I didn't share, but it really shows his progress. The other evening I was talking on the phone with one of my very close friends and I thought I heard some shouting so I went out into the hall to see what was happening. To my surprise, here comes Pat striding down the hall with his walker, going as fast as he can with his pants around his ankles. And then behind him, here comes my brother Joel trying to get him to slow down so that he can pull his pants back up. The really amazing thing was that the pants weren't even slowing him down at all. He has come so far. :)
Keep watching for more updates on SuperPat!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
She's here!
We are so happy to announce that we have a new niece that we will be getting to visit in Seattle later this week. Welcome Kimberly, we can't wait to come and see you!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Just waiting
What have we been up to lately?
We are just waiting for our house in Greeley to be ready to go and be sold. Also we are waiting for Melissa's brother Daniel to get his mission paperwork submitted so he can go on a mission for our church. But probably the hardest one of all is waiting for Angie & Lynn's baby to be born. (But I bet we aren't nearly as anxious as they are). Here's hoping it will happen soon.
On a side note, we are missing our Greeley friends a lot and would love to hear from any of you that want to call, text or e-mail us. (Pat doesn't have texting anymore though, so if you text, you have to text Melissa).
We are just waiting for our house in Greeley to be ready to go and be sold. Also we are waiting for Melissa's brother Daniel to get his mission paperwork submitted so he can go on a mission for our church. But probably the hardest one of all is waiting for Angie & Lynn's baby to be born. (But I bet we aren't nearly as anxious as they are). Here's hoping it will happen soon.
On a side note, we are missing our Greeley friends a lot and would love to hear from any of you that want to call, text or e-mail us. (Pat doesn't have texting anymore though, so if you text, you have to text Melissa).
Saturday, September 8, 2012
He swims like a fish...
Pat has really been working on increasing his walking and standing time. We signed up for a gym membership and have been trying to go 3-4 times a week. Joel and Becky are able to come with us to swim on Friday and Saturday night for free, which has been very nice.
Pat says "Instead of being afraid, I am just going for it. I haven't fallen yet but even if I do, I just get bakc up again. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in walking..."
Pat says "Instead of being afraid, I am just going for it. I haven't fallen yet but even if I do, I just get bakc up again. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in walking..."
Monday, August 27, 2012
Slow but steady
Betcha all have been wondering what we are up to? We have had a rash of family and a few illnesses (Melissa) and injuries (Patrick) to go along with a great big heap of walking. Nothing major, but enough to be really annoying. Especially the parting gift cold Loren shared with Melissa. Sometimes sharing is not caring. :)
For those of you who don't know, my brother Loren returned from a two year church mission to Bogata, Columbia last week. So all of my immediate family and some of my extended family came to visit. We had a blast playing for about a week with my 6 brothers and sisters and their family that got to come, but we really missed the two that couldn't. It felt very strange today to have just Pat and I at home since the kids were in school and Mom and Dad were taking a few of the older sibilings back to college.
Pat's walking is going really great. The progress is slower than both he and I would like, but he is really making steady progress. His latest hurdle is trying to not have a panic attack when his "spotter" walks a few feet behind or in front of him instead of right next to him. Still working on that one...
Some other highlights from his walking:
- We discovered he can do up to 5 squat thrusts in the pool by himself without holding onto the side or a person. After about five, he tends to drift a little. :)
- He can now rescue himself in the pool by going into a backfloat and then standing himself up again. I love watching this one, but once he gets tired, we have a special handsignal that means "rescue me please".
- He has made a few solo walks with the walker (very, very scary for him, but he did it).
- My dad has gotten him to work on crawling, but just a little bit. I am hoping for more.
- Several games at a time of bowling while standing on his turn, and yes, he always beats us all.
- Lots of up and down in the chair by himself while playing Wii bowling.
- Washing lots and lots of dishes while standing up at the sink. :)
- And we saved the best for last because it will knock the socks off of Andrea. He voluntarily chose to walk about 45 yards with the forearm crutches with me holding the gate belt but not doing much to support him.
So as you can see, good progress, but still waiting for the big finish. The next challenge is that the local swimming pool has closed for the Fall/Winter season so we are looking for a new place to do our water walking. Sounds like at least a 30 minute drive, no matter which way we decide to go. :) But the tradeoff for getting to be close to family is worth it.
For those of you who don't know, my brother Loren returned from a two year church mission to Bogata, Columbia last week. So all of my immediate family and some of my extended family came to visit. We had a blast playing for about a week with my 6 brothers and sisters and their family that got to come, but we really missed the two that couldn't. It felt very strange today to have just Pat and I at home since the kids were in school and Mom and Dad were taking a few of the older sibilings back to college.
Pat's walking is going really great. The progress is slower than both he and I would like, but he is really making steady progress. His latest hurdle is trying to not have a panic attack when his "spotter" walks a few feet behind or in front of him instead of right next to him. Still working on that one...
Some other highlights from his walking:
- We discovered he can do up to 5 squat thrusts in the pool by himself without holding onto the side or a person. After about five, he tends to drift a little. :)
- He can now rescue himself in the pool by going into a backfloat and then standing himself up again. I love watching this one, but once he gets tired, we have a special handsignal that means "rescue me please".
- He has made a few solo walks with the walker (very, very scary for him, but he did it).
- My dad has gotten him to work on crawling, but just a little bit. I am hoping for more.
- Several games at a time of bowling while standing on his turn, and yes, he always beats us all.
- Lots of up and down in the chair by himself while playing Wii bowling.
- Washing lots and lots of dishes while standing up at the sink. :)
- And we saved the best for last because it will knock the socks off of Andrea. He voluntarily chose to walk about 45 yards with the forearm crutches with me holding the gate belt but not doing much to support him.
So as you can see, good progress, but still waiting for the big finish. The next challenge is that the local swimming pool has closed for the Fall/Winter season so we are looking for a new place to do our water walking. Sounds like at least a 30 minute drive, no matter which way we decide to go. :) But the tradeoff for getting to be close to family is worth it.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Pat's progress
Pat is doing truly amazing with his walking. Here are some highlights:
- Bowling with the family. He used a ramp for the first few frames and then he discovered that he was much better when he did it on his own.
- Walking around the Emmett park part way (keep in mind it was about 100 degrees, so this was quite a feat). Walking to the Labryinth at the new park in Meridian. Next time he says he will actually try the Labryinth. :)
- Swimming in the Emmett pool for a few hours. Note to self, next time take more sunscreen, most of us were a little pink at the end and Pat was a lobster!
- Getting up and down the stairs in and out of Mom and Dad's house with minimal assistance
- A shopping trip to Costco where he walked around most of the store
And much, much more. If only it would cool down a bit, he would accomplish even more. But it has been so very hot, that he gets tired very quickly. The weather people are predicting triple digit weather again this week. :(
He has only used the wheelchair one time at home, and to get around some stores while shopping. He is doing really well, his pivoting and turning are improving. There have been a few times when I have been walking pretty far (or in the other room but don't tell him) while he was walking and he is doing great.
- Bowling with the family. He used a ramp for the first few frames and then he discovered that he was much better when he did it on his own.
- Walking around the Emmett park part way (keep in mind it was about 100 degrees, so this was quite a feat). Walking to the Labryinth at the new park in Meridian. Next time he says he will actually try the Labryinth. :)
- Swimming in the Emmett pool for a few hours. Note to self, next time take more sunscreen, most of us were a little pink at the end and Pat was a lobster!
- Getting up and down the stairs in and out of Mom and Dad's house with minimal assistance
- A shopping trip to Costco where he walked around most of the store
And much, much more. If only it would cool down a bit, he would accomplish even more. But it has been so very hot, that he gets tired very quickly. The weather people are predicting triple digit weather again this week. :(
He has only used the wheelchair one time at home, and to get around some stores while shopping. He is doing really well, his pivoting and turning are improving. There have been a few times when I have been walking pretty far (or in the other room but don't tell him) while he was walking and he is doing great.
Hershey
Hershey survived the trip to Idaho just fine, although he sunburned his nose quite badly. The first night we stopped at my Grandmother's home in eastern Idaho (she lives on a farm in the country). We let him off the leash and took him for a few walks in the morning. He loved just rolling and rolling and rolling in the wet grass.
Now that we are at Melissa's parents in Emmett, he is adjusting well. He really misses getting to be inside with all of the people though. Anytime the door opens, he immediately jumps up to see if maybe this time he will get invited in. And if someone gets into the car, he barks and barks to ask if he can get taken along as well.
Probably the funniest thing is watching him wriggle his way under the deck, and then try to extract himself quickly when he realizes he is missing something fun. He has also enjoyed seeing new wildlife, although he doesn't seem to know what to make of the neighbors horses, he just cocks his head and studies them trying to figure out what they are.
Now that we are at Melissa's parents in Emmett, he is adjusting well. He really misses getting to be inside with all of the people though. Anytime the door opens, he immediately jumps up to see if maybe this time he will get invited in. And if someone gets into the car, he barks and barks to ask if he can get taken along as well.
Probably the funniest thing is watching him wriggle his way under the deck, and then try to extract himself quickly when he realizes he is missing something fun. He has also enjoyed seeing new wildlife, although he doesn't seem to know what to make of the neighbors horses, he just cocks his head and studies them trying to figure out what they are.
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