Jul
2020

A lot better week!

I am really enjoying Cheer! We had our first team practice this week.

He said

After the week that we had last week, we landed into a week that felt like a lot easier on the ole heart strings. Dad of course, was back into the hospital but he was in good care and they were going to spend the week focused on getting his fluid retention under control with the Lasix pill. Not necessarily the place he wanted to be, but certainly for the best as they were equipped in ways to help him that we just haven’t been able to. By the end of the week we were getting some semi-regular contact and updates from him which was helping us to figure out what the next steps should be for both Mom & Dad.

And there is a plan going forward. With Mom turning 79 pm Friday and Dad already at 80, it’s getting close to needing to think about different living arrangements for them. As much as we want them to have their independence and be in their own place, the last few weeks it has become more and more evident that it may not be possible much longer. We need to know they are okay and have the type of support they need when we (the kids) can’t be at the house in an instant for them. So, we have started the talks and the planning a lot more seriously to get them into an assisted living setup that will allow them to maintain some sort independence they can still manage but also have the type of support they need.

Another thing I haven’t talked about in a minute has been my fitness journey over the last year. Last Halloween I started with the rower that we bought and making it a regular part of my daily. During COVID, it was the one piece that added to sanity in some unprecedented and strange times. But as some of the quarantining lifted, biking came back into my life on the regular. I found a route on the Thames Valley Parkway that I could fit into my life on the daily that gave me 45 minutes of exercise and 15-16 kms every single day. Even at the trailer with the Goderich to Guelph Trail, I have managed to add a 20 km ride I happily do when we’re there. Well, this week I crossed a huge milestone when I stepped on the scale and realized I am down 28 lbs since the start of this journey. Not gonna lie – that felt pretty darned good!

Like has been the theme of this summer, the moment we reached a couple days off this week we factored getting up to the trailer in our life. Danielle & Emelia got up here Friday to meet The Sherwood’s. Having to work Saturday, I came up as soon as I was done work on Saturday. Having this place to get away, but not being too far away, has been such a blessing this year—especially with all that is going on lately. As soon as I got here last night, we sat around the fire and had some adult beverages and relaxed with a lot of laughs to boot. It has been the perfect kind of balm and really has helped us in what might have been an otherwise really shitty summer. We’re so happy for this place!

She said

This was another emotional roller coaster week. Although we are more secure knowing that Doug is safely in a hospital getting the best possible care and that they have an incredible team of doctors working on his care it is still very stressful. Covid had added to this constant worry, mainly the not knowing, the being out of the loop of what is going on at the hospital, the stress this is having on Doug mainly but also the rest of the family. We are all worried, we all love our family and we all what is best for the long term health of both Helen and Doug.

As John has already shared, there have been more serious conversations of the best options once Doug is healthy enough to come home, what is the best choice for safety and true quality of long term life. The next few weeks and months will be a lot of work and support but in the end we all want the same thing, healthy parents!

With that on our plates we also had another appointment for Emelia with her doctors to see how she was adjusting to her new medications. We are all thrilled at the changes, she is honestly a different kid. She of course gets frustrated and annoyed with her parents at times but that is normal teenager stuff. But what she has been able to do since having the right medication support is really articulate what it has been like to live in her brain. She has been amazing about talking about her emotions and even with her thinking therapy isn’t doing anything we can absolutely see how her therapist had helped her communicate in a much more productive way. It has been so amazing to see this positive change for Emelia, she is far more vocal to everyone in her life, she chats away with people other than her closest friends and parents. All in all these new changes are so amazing for Emelia.

The next big thing for our week has been an intensive search for work for me, I have been looking for work loosely since I wasn’t able to safely re-open the daycare but I have shifted things into high gear this week. It has been stressful but I am holding on to confidence that it will work out by the fall just in time for the next big unknown – school.

This weekend we are at the trailer, this place has been our absolute sanctuary in the most stressful times. We have amazing friends here that we can try and mentally escape from the stress in our lives right now. We never in a million years figured we would love seasonal camping as much as we do but it has been exactly what we have needed.

He’s for hoping next week is far less stressful and some good news starts coming over the horizon. We could certainly use some good news.

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