At the beginning of the year, we were able to hire a Nanny to help out with John. Her name is Shannon and she is a college student. She began working with us after the first of the year, and she proved to be so valuable to us. She provided us free time to do things we hadn't been able to do, as well as an extra set of hands when it came to taking care of John's needs. She was like a part of our family and we enjoyed having her around. Unfortunately for us, her time with us ended on New Year's Eve, when she left to start a new chapter of her life in Australia. We will miss her greatly, but we wish her all the best.
For us long time New Orleans Saints fans, the year started off incredibly. After losing the last 3 games of the regular season, the Saints marched through the playoffs, winning their first ever Super Bowl. After suffering through 43 miserable seasons, it was amazing to us that they actually made it to the Super Bowl, but winning it was something we never could have imagined. It was not only a great lift to the city of New Orleans, but to the entire state of Louisiana as well. All that's left to say about it now is Who Dat!!! This is one of my favorite pictures from the night...
In February, I turned 32 years old. Not a big milestone, but I am very grateful for another year of health.
In April, I was very excited to spend a weekend in Galveston with a few of my favorite girls. It was so nice to have those two days to get away from the daily grind and just spend some relaxing time talking and hanging out. We didn't do much exciting, but we spent the entire day Saturday lounging by the pool at the beach club associated with the house we rented. That resulted in a bad sunburn for me, but it was just nice to have some peace and quiet and fun conversation with the girls. Here is a picture of the beach club.
May was a big month for John Thomas. He turned 5 years old on the 24. I cannot believe my baby is 5. It seems like just a few days ago, we were sitting by his side in the NICU. Now he's five and very tall. We celebrated with a quiet party at home with just family. But the highlight of his birthday, was being able to spend a day in San Antonio, Texas at Morgan's Wonderland. This is an ultra accessible park that was created by the vision of a father of a girl with special needs. We had an amazing time there and it was so nice to be able to do so many things without his wheel chair being in the way.
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| Me and John when we first got to the park. |
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| He was able to play on the playground... |
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| He was a superhero for the day... |
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| He worked a little on his walking... |
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| He rode on the carousel... |
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| and he rode the train!!! |
Also in May, John had to say goodbye to the teachers he spent the last two years with. These 3 ladies made his experience in PPCD a very positive one and taught him so much. He fell in love with all three of them, and so did I. It was very sad to say goodbye, but I'm very happy to keep in touch so they can watch him grow.
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| John with his teachers at his Valentine's Day Party! |
In June, I went to have a heart procedure done to try and get rid of the irregular heart rhythm that I was having trouble with. The procedure was unsuccessful so the next action was to change my medication to control it. In order to do so, I had to spend time in the hospital while the dose was adjusted. I ended up spending a total of 8 days there. It was very odd to be there and to not feel bad. So I used the time to catch up on a lot of reading. I didn't complain about needing more time to myself after that.
Also in June, Tommy received a promotion at work. This wasn't something he was looking for. He was sought out for this position. He officially started the new position July 1, and while it has proven to be a challenge for him, he has worked very hard to be successful at it. I am very proud of him for all he does to be a good father and to provide for our family.
In October, it was determined by my doctors that while the medication I was taking was helping control the rhythm, it was causing some other problems that they did not like. So on October 29, I went in for surgery. I had my existing pacemaker replaced with a pacemaker/defibrillator. I was only in the hospital for 1 night this time, but the recovery period was 6 weeks. 6 week of not driving and not picking up John. I am so thankful to have such supportive parents. My mom was able to come and stay most of that time to help with John.
Another big highlight for John was starting Kindergarten. After two years of PPCD and going to school every day for 3 hours, John started Kindergarten and now goes to school all day every day. It took him a while to adjust to the long day, but now he is a pro. He loves going to school and seems to be doing very well.
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| First day of school with his teacher. |
After being in school for a month or so, we decided to let him start riding the school bus to and from school. He absolutely loves it. I think his favorite part is getting on and off of the bus.
All of these things were fun and exciting. But probably the most fun and most exciting was watching John begin to walk. No he isn't walking on his own, but he has made some huge strides and is getting better all of the time. He is very interested in being on his feet and moving around. It's only a matter of time before he takes off on his own.
This is when we realized he was ready to learn.
Then he progressed to a bigger cart.
Then he got busy at therapy.
So even though the year ended kind of crummy, it wasn't all bad. We had some really good times and some wonderful milestones. Overall, 2010 was a huge success. We are looking forward to so many new experiences in 2011.
1 comment:
The video of John swinging at Morgan's Wonderland and the pure joy it brought him brought tears to my eyes! Y'all are awesome parents and other parents with children with special needs should take a note out of your book!
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