Jackinator

Jack is Back

It took a full day to recover from the water park but Jack is back to his bouncy self.  I suppose this would be akin to me going out & running a marathon.  I would probably throw up and wouldn't be able to walk the next day, too.  Though it would take me longer than 1 day to recover!  I just hope our momentary lapse of reason didn't do any lasting damage to his hip.  On the bright side, one of Jack's daily exercises is to hop on his left leg to strengthen the calf muscle.  Before this weekend, he could only hop 4 times in a row.  Now, he can hop 8 - 10 times in a row!  Maybe there's something to be said for this 'water park boot camp'...

Bye-bye Wheelchair!

The Jack-mobile is gone!  The Home Medical Equipment company came by today and picked up Jack's wheelchair.  That is the last of the medical equipment, aside from the crutches, which we'll hang on to.  He'll need them for a few weeks in the winter, after he gets the plate out of his hip. 

Back Upstairs!

Jack is back upstairs!  We spent ALL day yesterday moving Jack upstairs to his old bedroom.  The room downstairs where he spent much of the past year and a half is now back to my office / guest room.  Amanda is actually glad to have a housemate up there again.  I don't know how long that will last since she'll now have to share the bathroom :)

P.S.  Check out some more pics from our North Carolina trip...

Jack Scratch Fever

Jack spent the evening yesterday sitting up (one of his goals for the day) and scratching his left leg to his heart's content.  Today his goal is to crutch down the hall to the living room and play with his GI Joes on the floor.  Next weekend, there's a GI Joe Convention in Providence that we're planning on taking Jack to.  It's nice to be able to start planning outings again.

We were able to save the top of Jack's body cast and the bar that held his legs apart.  Jack is putting these things to good use:

53 Days

but who's counting?  The passage of Time (or lack thereof) is much different than being out in the 'real' world; days just loom.  Ever see a show on sloths?  They're pretty speedy.  Here are some likes and dislikes during these 1,272 hours:

Jack's dislikes:
Body casts and everything about them
Out of reach itches

Things Jack didn't mind:
Being allowed to watch TV and play on his DS and PS2 pretty much whenever he wanted
Skyping with Isaac and his class
Near constant snacking

Mom's dislikes:
Sleep deprivation
Body casts
Out of reach itches that don't get tamed by Benadryl
The sense of accomplishing nothing

Things Mom didn't mind:
Staying in her PJs until lunch time
Playing with Jack's blog
Getting meals and flowers from friends
Seeing all the wonderful support Jack got from family, friends and school

Something Mom learned by Osmosis:
Most every episode of SpongeBob and I-Carly.  If you want to learn a new language, just have it on in the background for about 12 hours a day.  In less than 8 weeks, you'll be dreaming in that language.

Hot One

It was in the 90's yesterday.  Our house stayed pretty cool and Jack also kept cool with ice cubes and popsicles during the day.  However, between 3 and 4 am this morning he was thrashing around because he was hot, sweaty and itchy.  So, I am VERY glad this isn't summer.  Even though we have central air, body casts and 90 degree weather do not mix.

On a side note, I was washing Jack today and he said something smelled weird.  It was the soap.  I guess he forgot what it smelled like.  Looks like we won't win the award for cleanest child in a body cast.

Side Note

On a side note, the toilet in our half bath overflowed this afternoon.  We're blaming Jack's sister since she's not here to defend herself (tee hee hee!)  Jack wanted me to take a picture and post on his blog, but sorry, boys, you will NOT find that pic here.

Fast-Forward

Things I'm actually looking forward to this year:

1. School letting out in June (I'll probably regret this come mid-July)
2. Turning 40 in August (The only 2 gifts I want are a son who can walk and a daughter who can breathe well)
3. My annual check-up in September (Ladies, you know the one I mean)

Starting a Routine

Nurse Lisa started yesterday.  She took Jack out on the deck and he was blabbing away.  I got out to Kohl's to get Jack some clothes since I completely underestimated the size of his cast.  BtBC (Before the Body Cast), I had gotten a few pairs of pants, size Boys 10 (Jack normally wears an 8).  Yesterday, I got a few pairs of pants, size Mens Medium. 

Today, Jack is going to decorate pillow cases with the names of his pillows.  That way, if I'm not here and he wants to be shifted using 'Fatty' the nurse will know what he's talking about.

Tomorrow afternoon, Jack's teacher is coming for an hour to bring the work that Jack missed last week and to set up a tutoring schedule.  So, 'vacation' is almost over. 

The past 2 nights, Jack slept pretty good with no nightmares.  He went 3 hours between adjustments so I was only up at midnight and 3 am.  I'm also re-learning how to fall right back to sleep after getting up, which makes quite a difference.

This time last week, Jack was in surgery (shudder).  One week down, 7 to go...

Goodbye 8, Hello 9!

Happy Birthday to Jack!  This weekend, cousins are coming (5 of them, the oldest is 9, & it's going to rain) and he's having a pool party at the Y on Sunday.