Things are a changing here in the house. People are moving, beds are shifting and vacumes are a running. Kitty is upset, Sarah is perturbed and I am exhausted. And to top it all off, my dryer decided to break yesterday. Does it sound fun to you? I can attest that it is all much more than merely annoying. Are you wondering what started this lovely chain of events?
A spider. Some sort of hungry fella that has decided to take up residence in mine and Sarah's room and bite us while we slumber. I can live with a few welts here and there but Sarah cannot. She cannot tell me she was bitten. She is unable to scratch an itch. She is just miserable. And let me tell you, these bites itch. Like crazy. Yesterday I found one behind her ear and that was the final straw.
So...I moved her out of our room. And into John's. I had to get her out of there. Moving Sarah is an undertaking because there are certain bedding materials that must go with her. And a long side rail that must attatch, very unwillingly I might add, to another bed. And her white noise machine. And her video monitor that must be installed on one of the walls.....it took all afternoon to move her stuff.
So let's just say that Sarah was REALLY mad when I laid her down in that strange room for the night. She took one glance around and pitched a fit. She was not having it. At all. But I had no choice. I had to tear our room apart...by turning over mattresses and box springs, vacuming, mopping and washing endless blankets and sheets and comforters and anything else that could harbor that critter and any of his possible friends.
So I cleaned and she stayed awake until one a.m. pondering the state of her affairs. Finally, she drifted off and I plopped myself on my bed with some strange blanket and pillow I had never used before because all my bedding was in the dryer, soaking wet because the dryer wouldn't heat. Bummer.
This morning, Sarah woke up on a strange mattress, in a blue room with no mama nearby. She started whining immediately, which translated into--get me out of here, i don't like bright red curtains and whose idea was this, anyway???
But I have a thought now. One that she is not going to like, or John either, for that matter. But it must be done. I think.
Sarah is going to have a new bed in the next couple of months, once her insurance gets it's act together. I am very sure it is not going to fit in my room. It is big. Which means it is going to have to go somewhere else, or I am going to have to go somewhere else. Something is gonna have to give. So I am thinking that I will keep Sarah right where she is now for a trial period and see how I like it and how she adjusts. To see if I can hear her when she gets stuck sideways across the bed or in a corner. To see if I can still keep her safe from a distance. Because when the new bed arrives I am NOT going to be able to move it from wherever I have the guys set it up. So I need to know where it is going. Beforehand. And 'beforehand' is apparently now.
And Johnny? Where is he going to go? As part of his work schedule, he will be here, with us, for a couple of months starting in November.(Can I just take a moment here to say Hip Hip Hooray!!!!) And Sarah will probably be in his room. Maybe not. But probably. I don't think he is going to want to bunk in with her-lol.
Fortunately, there is one more bedoom available. It is small but doable. Especially when I clean out the closet and get his stuff all moved in. I have a month to get this all sorted out. And my dryer replaced or fixed. And that spider gone for good. It's an all-up-in-the-air kind of a give-it-a-shot-and-see sort of thing.
We could all go back to the way it was, you never know.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Grace finds Hope
Not to inundate you with Compassion stuff, but here is a video worth watching.
Grace Finds Hope from Compassion International on Vimeo.
Grace Finds Hope from Compassion International on Vimeo.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sarah Lou :)
Sarah is doing well. She is stable in all ways. I just recently took her to her GI specialist at Children's Hospital. Her weight is awesome-topping out at 73.5 pounds, thanks to vanilla pudding desserts! At this point, she is at a good place with her weight and I really don't want to add any more pounds, she looks good. Yay for that!
Sarah has a new wheelchair. It is the Convaid Scout. It is rugged and foldable, fitting in the trunk. It's a bit of a heavy lift, but doable.
I did get her the clear tray as an accessory and I wanted her to have the more solid, cushy, comfy seat, so we have that also. She looks great in it. I'm not sure if I will use it in the house as well as 'out and about', still thinking on that. I picked the green, which I am really happy with.
Sarah needs a specialized bed. She finally fell out of the one she has been in (twin with xtra long railing). She was leaning on the railing, it popped open and down she went. She was fine but obviously she is no longer safe. This is the bed I want for her, a Sleep Safe Bed:
Ideally, insurance would cover this bed. Not sure how this is going to go. The script for the doctor specifies a full size bed, not a twin. This is because when she rolls she bangs her knees on the wall or railing and gets little bruises on her knees-the twin is just too narrow for her. Insurance only wants to cover a twin size. So this is still pending. Also, I have reauested a white finish instead of wood- i haven't heard that that will be an issue, but you never know.
Sarah seems very happy-I get her out for her weekly riding lessons and for shorter trips on some of the afternoons that I am not working. She likes the low-key life. We are going to head to Provincetown in the next couple of weeks for good food, good sights and good photo opportunities.
Mia, our kitty, has attatched herself to Sarah. Either she is at the foot of Sarah's bed or under Sarah's rocking chair. I think she has figured out that wherever Sarah is, there are blankets and it is warm! Smart kitty.
As always, Sarah's music of choice is Celine. But, she occasionally discovers another artist that floats her boat for a while. That would be Shania Twain right now. Fine with me:) Sarah has also discovered the television show Teen Mom. She loves listening to the girls discuss their issues. It's really quite funny to watch her, watching the girls.
So all is well with our girlie. I am grateful. And on we go.
Sarah has a new wheelchair. It is the Convaid Scout. It is rugged and foldable, fitting in the trunk. It's a bit of a heavy lift, but doable.
I did get her the clear tray as an accessory and I wanted her to have the more solid, cushy, comfy seat, so we have that also. She looks great in it. I'm not sure if I will use it in the house as well as 'out and about', still thinking on that. I picked the green, which I am really happy with.
Sarah needs a specialized bed. She finally fell out of the one she has been in (twin with xtra long railing). She was leaning on the railing, it popped open and down she went. She was fine but obviously she is no longer safe. This is the bed I want for her, a Sleep Safe Bed:
Ideally, insurance would cover this bed. Not sure how this is going to go. The script for the doctor specifies a full size bed, not a twin. This is because when she rolls she bangs her knees on the wall or railing and gets little bruises on her knees-the twin is just too narrow for her. Insurance only wants to cover a twin size. So this is still pending. Also, I have reauested a white finish instead of wood- i haven't heard that that will be an issue, but you never know.
Sarah seems very happy-I get her out for her weekly riding lessons and for shorter trips on some of the afternoons that I am not working. She likes the low-key life. We are going to head to Provincetown in the next couple of weeks for good food, good sights and good photo opportunities.
Mia, our kitty, has attatched herself to Sarah. Either she is at the foot of Sarah's bed or under Sarah's rocking chair. I think she has figured out that wherever Sarah is, there are blankets and it is warm! Smart kitty.
As always, Sarah's music of choice is Celine. But, she occasionally discovers another artist that floats her boat for a while. That would be Shania Twain right now. Fine with me:) Sarah has also discovered the television show Teen Mom. She loves listening to the girls discuss their issues. It's really quite funny to watch her, watching the girls.
So all is well with our girlie. I am grateful. And on we go.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Ghana Center 232
This is the center that Kwame attends!
Video Tour of Compassion Project in Ghana from Compassion International on Vimeo.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Very interesting!
Below is a video of a Compassion center in Ghana. I found it very informative.
Compassion Child Development Center GH231 from Compassion International on Vimeo.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
What's up
So here's the deal. I have fallen in love with Compassion International. Or should I say, the children of CI. There is a link on the right side of my blog. The situation is that I have been wanting, in some way, to GIVE. I didn't know what to give or to whom, but my radar has been up for the last year, to find the opportunity that felt right, that spoke to me. Seriously, I had no idea where to turn. I am so tied up working, making ends meet and taking care of Sarah that I really couldn't imagine what it would be, what I could do, what I could fit into my life. But I had the feeling that it would present itself when the time was right. It has been continually gnawing at me. So patience has been the order of these past months.
And it has paid off, big time. Somehow, I came across the link while perusing a blog. I had heard of CI before, but it had never resonated with me, never really caught my attention. This time it was like being hit with an arrow. I clicked and was hooked. For hours over the next few days.
And I knew that this was for me. Such a perfect fit. As much time as working and caring for Sarah consumes, there is enough time for me to see to the needs of other children in our world. Children who need support, encouragement, attention, letters, communication. Children who live in struggling communities far, far away from me. Children who I will now hold close to my heart. With whom I will have a relationship until they graduate from the program at the age of roughly 22. Children who will benefit from what I have to give. I don't have a lot, but I have enough.
As of this writing, I have chosen to fully sponsor 2 children. Luisa is 8 and lives in Colombia. And Christopher(Kwame) is 6, from Ghana. It is his video that is posted below. And as well, I am now a correspondance sponsor for Habiba(age 6 from East India) and I have requested to correspond with a child from the Philippines. That child will be assigned to me shortly. Correspondence children already have financial sponsors but that sponsor does not write to the child. That's where I come in. I will be that child's source of emotional support, letters will be translated and exchanged. For Habiba and a 'surprise child' from the Phlippines.
Words can not express how delighted I am to be a part of this program and to be given the privilege to make a difference in children's lives. Four children. Four beautiful children. To give to.
This, I can do.
I smile all day long.
And it has paid off, big time. Somehow, I came across the link while perusing a blog. I had heard of CI before, but it had never resonated with me, never really caught my attention. This time it was like being hit with an arrow. I clicked and was hooked. For hours over the next few days.
And I knew that this was for me. Such a perfect fit. As much time as working and caring for Sarah consumes, there is enough time for me to see to the needs of other children in our world. Children who need support, encouragement, attention, letters, communication. Children who live in struggling communities far, far away from me. Children who I will now hold close to my heart. With whom I will have a relationship until they graduate from the program at the age of roughly 22. Children who will benefit from what I have to give. I don't have a lot, but I have enough.
As of this writing, I have chosen to fully sponsor 2 children. Luisa is 8 and lives in Colombia. And Christopher(Kwame) is 6, from Ghana. It is his video that is posted below. And as well, I am now a correspondance sponsor for Habiba(age 6 from East India) and I have requested to correspond with a child from the Philippines. That child will be assigned to me shortly. Correspondence children already have financial sponsors but that sponsor does not write to the child. That's where I come in. I will be that child's source of emotional support, letters will be translated and exchanged. For Habiba and a 'surprise child' from the Phlippines.
Words can not express how delighted I am to be a part of this program and to be given the privilege to make a difference in children's lives. Four children. Four beautiful children. To give to.
This, I can do.
I smile all day long.
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