A Very Merry Christmas

We had a great Christmas here at Craig. It was hard being away from family and friends, but like always we made the best of it and had a wonderful day. We spent pretty much the whole morning opening gifts and then the afternoon we had the whole therapy gym to ourselves so Jess was able to work out in peace and quiet. It was such a nice relaxing day.

I couldn't believe how many presents everyone sent us. We had decided not to buy any gifts for the holidays, but in the end its a good thing Briley doesn't know how to count yet, because there is no way she will ever have as many gifts as she did this year. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone that sent gifts. We felt so blessed. Thanks!!! And boy did she enjoy opening her gifts. We let her open 3 on Christmas Eve, just so she could get the hang of it. Christmas morning we slept in until about 830 and then played with Briley on our bed for a while. One of her new favorite games is to stand up on the bed and then fall on Daddy. She thinks it hilarious :) Once we were ready to get up I put Briley down on the floor while I was going to help Jess get out of bed. We told Briley to go open her gifts and she went right over and started tearing into one. It took us over 2 hours to open all the gifts, mainly because Briley like to open each gift by tearing off little tiny pieces of wrapping paper Then once she finally got it open she would either have to play with the toy, look at every page of the book, or wrap all the clothes around her and then sigh. Jess would then distract her and take the gift away while I tried to get her to start opening another. It's amazing how having kids changes the joys of Christmas. We had SO much fun.

Jess got to try a hand cycle bike the day after Christmas. He really enjoyed it, but doesn't really think it would be something that he could get into. Today in wheelchair class we went on an endurance trip down to Safeway. It was by far the farthest that Jess has pushed himself and he did great. They also worked on going up and down curbs. It's amazing the things that they teach them to do in a wheelchair.

Well, Jess and I couldn't be more excited to come home and see everyone. Wednesday December 31st is both our 4th anniversary and the day that we will be flying home. It's crazy to think that this part of our journey is about over. It's been a long 2 months. Going through the accident, surgery, moving, and rehab, none of which has been easy. But here we are at the end of this part of our journey, we don't know what the future may hold for us but we are ready to jump in and go for it.

Finally Together

This week, Jess was asked if he would do an interview on a local Denver radio station. He had so much fun with it. You can listen to the interview at http://www.thefox.com/ and click on the Master Podcast link at the bottom of the page. His interview is listed under Jesse.

He was able to do some more swimming this week. They worked with him on different exercises in the water as well as floating. He was actually able to float by himself. The said that the shoes and brace definitely help out with floating, but it was a great start.

He also has been learning how to do some of his own stretching. Which can be VERY difficult, but He's done pretty well at it. Unfortunately, Jess has been dealing with a lot of nerve pain. We aren't truly convinced that it is nerve pain, but what I can tell you is that it is absolutely unbearable at times. It seems to have gotten worse with the medication, or at least not gotten any better. The Doctors are also wondering if he has developed a condition called H.O. (I can't remember what it stands for). Its when your body develops bone where it shouldn't. He will be having a series of bone scans this week to see if he does have H.O. In a way we are hoping that he has started to develop it and that is where the pain is coming from. Because if that is the case, the meds should make the pain go away. But we will just have to wait and see. In the mean time Jess will just have to try and bear through the pain.

Craig had a great Christmas Concert this last week. It was not only hospital staff, but patience and alumni as well. We really haven't been in much of the Holiday mood yet, so it was nice to hear some Christmas music. And some REALLY good talent.

Jess has really been getting his wheelie's down. Practice makes perfect they say. And I don't think lifting weights and time hurts any either.

This is one of Jess' wheelchair classes. They were playing "Go Ball" Its kind of a mix between football and soccer. As you can see in the picture, it gets kinda crazy at times. They are all just a little competitive :)

Thursday Jess was discharges from the hospital and we moved into the apartments as a family. He had spent one day short of eight weeks in the hospital. So it was extremely nice and a little nerve racking to be out. I think the biggest part was getting all of his medications organized. And not having an extra set of hands when Briley is fussy. But it's been SO nice to be together. Two months is a long time to be apart.

We bought our tickets to come home on December 31st, which happens to be our anniversary. What a great present. We can't wait to be home. We will only be home for a couple of weeks before we will have to come back to Denver to finish rehab, but we CAN'T WAIT!!! It will be here before we know it.

Briley is getting so much more comfortable trying to walk. Its nothing for her to take a step or two now. But she still isn't taking more than a couple of steps. It think her most is 7. She does LOVE to stand up by herself. Just a couple of days ago she learned how to push up to a standing position without any help and she thinks its pretty cool. She started learning how on the bed next to Jess. She would push off him and stand up, and then fall down on him and laugh and laugh at herself. She is such a great distraction. Our little Bundle of Joy!

A Night On the Town

We had a great surprise on Friday. Jess had an hour break in his schedule and there was a cancellation for pool therapy. So Jess was able to go down at the spur of the moment and go swimming. It was such an incredible time. Sharron the pool therapist has been working here for 28 years and said that it was one of the most special times she has ever had here.

Jess was able to swim around with Briley on his lap. Briley absolutely loved it. She loves the water so much. She was even putting her face in the water and blowing bubbles and then she would pull her face out of the water and laugh.

A large company donated their employee Christmas Party to Craig hospital and we were invited along with a couple other patience to come. It was absolutely amazing. The party was held at the Brown Palace, which we were told where Obama stayed when he was here in Denver. The party was incredible. The decorations, band, dancers, food, and everything else was amazing. I really can't explain how great it was. It was so nice for us to be able to get out of the hospital setting and for Jess to be able to wear something other than sweats. And maybe the best part of it was we were able to find a babysitter for the night. It took a little bit of searching, but Marie, a friend from High School, contacted me about a week ago. I had totally forgot that she lives here in Denver. So when I was searching for a babysitter she was the one that I found. So THANK YOU Marie. I can't explain how much it meant to be able to go and how much fun we had.

They started out the party by bringing out hats and feathers for everyone. It was such a great way to get the party started.

Jody has been here with us for the last week, helping with Briley and just hanging out. It was nice that the three of us could go together. It was like having a little bit of home with us.

Jess and I spent most of the night on the dance floor. The band was so good, there was nothing that could have stopped us from being out there. It was also great to be able to see other people in wheel chairs out dancing. I know I'm repeating myself, but I can't explain how much fun we had. It's been a really long time since we were able to relax and just hang out expecially out of the hospital setting.

At the end of this last week Jess was moved from a hospital bed to a regular bed. He was a little apprehensive to change beds, but after it was done he loved it.

Another Day Closer

Well this week has been another busy time of running from one class to another. Jess is still working out in the weight room and loving every minute of it. Monday he was able to curl 10 lbs with his left arm. Talk about an improvement. It was only a couple of weeks ago that he couldn't even lift his arm. He also has been racing through obstacle courses and playing hockey in the gym. This morning I got to the hospital just in time to catch him getting out of gym class. All the guys had so much fun playing hockey. Jess was quite proud that he ran one of them into the wall as they were going after the puck. Not to mention his "almost" black eye he got. I guess boys will be boys :)

He also has started wheel chair class. Which is a class that teaches you how to do lots of different maneuvers to get around a world that isn't always wheel chair accessible. Of course the first thing they teach you is how to pop a wheelie. I was surprised at how hard they are. Its already hard for him to find his balance let alone finding his balance point on two wheels. But before we know it he will be wheeling the length of the gym on two wheels. It still amazes me how fast he has been improving.

He also started riding the FES bike this week. This bike is absolutely amazing. It helps with muscle lose, circulation, bone density, and so many more vital aspects of healing. Each time he rode it this week his muscles have put out more energy. The bike motor did less and his leg muscles did more. It's still a really slow process because he has had so much muscle lose, but the more he rides it the better it should be.

Today he got a new addition to next years Halloween costume. His new arm brace! Talk about crazy looking. The ot therapist built it right her in the hospital. Jess was pretty impressed. He said she took a large flat piece of plastic and cut it and formed it to fit his arm perfectly. This brace is even more advanced than his other ones. It not only helps raise his wrist so that there is no more never damage done, but it also holds his fingers up so the nerves in his hand aren't damaged. It never ceases to amaze us all the different devises and gadgets that are out there to help in a time like this.

In preparation for going home and hopefully going on all the fun trips that we have always talked about going on, Jess practiced transferring to an aisle chair and then over to an airplane chair. Briley helped us realise that the trip home could be a whole lot more work than we had thought it might be. She was really clingy when we were doing all of the transfers so it wasn't that easy for me to help him. Hopefully when it comes time to the actual trip home she will cooperate a little better :) But I guess time will only tell.

This is just a fun picture of Briley. Jody and I walked down to Safeway the other day and I couldn't resist buying her her first candy cane. She absolutely LOVED it!!! Talk about a good babysitter. Now that I think about it I should make sure we have some on hand for our trip home. I bet they will really come in handy.

Jess had pool therapy again this week, but this time Briley and I were able to get in. It was SO much fun. I couldn't believe how much Briley loved the water. I would hold her on her stomach and she would dunk her face under the water and come back up really quick and laugh. Talk about a fun morning. It was a big step for her to go from no bathtub right now to a pool. We really can't wait to be able to go to the YMCA as a family.

Christmas Shopping Trip

Friday was a really full day. My 30 days were up in the apartment, so I had to be moved out by 9am. The rest of the morning and early afternoon we spent at the mall. All of the patience and a lot of the therapist and nurses went. It was so great to get out of the hospital setting. I even think Jess enjoyed it :) He's not much of a shopper. And there is no question I enjoyed myself. One of Jess' techs, Maizxna, watched Briley so I was baby free for about 5 hours. Talk about a great little break. We hung out with Jess' PT, Stephanie, most of the time. It was great to be able to get to know her and spend some time with her outside of the hospital. We didn't have a whole lot of shopping to do so it was a nice relaxing time. One thing is for sure, shopping has its own new challenges now. Try getting around racks of displays in a wheelchair, especially around the holidays. Its not the easiest thing to do.

Since Briley and I had to move out of the apartment, we have been staying with Jess this weekend. We have been pleasantly surprised at how well it has been going. It's been 2 nights now and Briley has done better each night. I think the hardest part of staying here is making sure the floor is clean. Briley love to drag toys or anything for that matter all over the place. But anything on the ground is an obstacle for Jess to get around. So I'm going to have to get really good at constantly cleaning up, at least until Jess can lean over further and we can teach Briley to pick up after herself :)

Clay Martin, one of Jess' friends from Dillon, came by on Saturday. He had such a great time with him. It sure was nice to see a familiar face from home.

We did find out that the plan right now is for us to come back around December 31st or January 1st. Of coarse we know that "the plan" could change anytime, but it's nice to have a date to be able to look forward to.

We had another relaxing weekend, filled with laying around, watching football, and a little bit of shopping (Briley and I took the city bus to Ross and Walmart). It sure is nice that they give the patience the weekends off from rehab. I know by the end of the week Jess is ready for a day off.

This next week is even more full than last week. In addition to his regular classes he should have pool therapy again along with the FES bike, which is the electrical stimulation bike.

Won't Be Home for Christmas

The last couple of days Jess and I have learned that doctors, healing and rehab are not predictable. The biggest news we have is that they have decided not to send us home on Dec 19th. Instead they are sending us to out patient therapy, where Jess, Briley and I will be living in the apartments behind the hospital and then just coming over for therapy. We don't know when we will be coming home now. I think it could potentially be anywhere from Jan 1st to Feb 1st. Jess' shoulder was a large factor in their decision. His arm doctor has lifted many of the restrictions he has had on his shoulder, so there are lots and lots of things to work on now. Another factor in their decision was the fact that we have out patient therapy days with our insurance that expire at the end of the year. So its much better to use them than loose them. Over all Jess and I completely agree that we need to stay. Its just been really hard going from thinking that we would be home in just a couple of weeks to anywhere from a month or two. But we know its for the best.

Therapy wise, Jess has been super busy the last two days. He has different therapy classes scheduled from 8am to 4pm every day this week. Yesterday he was up for 9 hours straight! That was by far the longest he has went. Because some of the restrictions have been lifted on his shoulder, he is now able to lift weights, which he absolutely LOVES! Its so nice for him to be able to get into something that he did before the accident. The hardest part is his left arm and shoulder. Its just so weak. He's curling 50lbs with his right and 3lbs with his left. He has also been able to get on the arm bike in the therapy room. I think we are going to start seeing some big improvements now that he can use his arm more. One of the main things we are praying for right now is that left arm, for both the radial nerve damage as well as his shoulder.

He also tried his first transfer into a car. It was easier than we thought it would be, but still pretty awkward because Jess is so tall. It will be interesting to see how he fits into different vehicles.

We also had a meeting with the transportation department here and found out a lot of information on adapting a vehicle so Jess can drive. It was good to lay out some what of a plan for his driving training. I think that will probably be something that we work on when we come back for his 6 month revaluation.

He also practiced going up and down stairs (with assistance of coarse). I think that was a huge step for him, because he realized that he will still be able to go over to some of his friends houses. We had just never realized that you could go on stairs in a wheelchair.

And finally the long awaited day came. Briley took 3 steps today! We were in a class and Heather, a wife of one of the patience here, was holding her. She put Briley down and helped her walk a little ways to me. She let go of her and Briley took the last 3 steps by herself! Of coarse she refuse to walk any more today, but its coming. She's going to be running the halls of Craig instead of crawling them any day now.

Busy Busy Busy

We had a wonderful weekend with the whole Alberi family. It was really uneventful, but in a good way. It was so great to be able to be with family for the holidays. And its even better to think about being HOME and with family for Christmas. We still can't believe how fast it is coming.
It's going to be here before we know it. Every week seems to go by faster than the last.

This week Jess' schedule is really full. In addition to OT and PT he has added fit class (weight class), pool therapy, educational class, re-entry class (learning about going home), and wheelchair skills class.

Needless to say, after today he was feeling pretty sore and a little tired. He really loved the fit class and is looking forward to being able to work out at the YMCA. We feel really blessed that Dillon has the YMCA, as well as a lift for the pool.

This weekend, we really saw a lot of progress. Jess is really starting to do a lot of his transfers nearly unassisted or completely by himself. What a change!!! It's so encouraging to see the progress.

He also started intermittent catheters. Which is a huge step. Everything has been going well with that, and his bladder spasms are starting to be under control, most likely due to medication. Along with I/C he got his second brace, so he has been able to take his first real shower. I can't imagine how good that felt. He did tell me tonight though, that he sure doesn't enjoy showering like he used to. It's just so much more work! It will get better though. Just yesterday was the first day that he was able to push himself up on his arm rests and hold himself. What a huge step! So it is coming, slowly but surely its coming!

Briley has been great. She is getting SO CLOSE to walking. She just doesn't have the confidence yet. One of her favorite things to do is walk the halls. She walks back and forth and back and forth, but goes to her knees as soon as I let go of her hand. I can't wait for her to start walking, but at the same time I know that once she starts she'll never stop. I'll be chasing her all over the place.

It's just such a fun age. We are so blessed to have her!!!