May 2014

  • Support Children’s Hospital in Al’s Run

    Support Children’s Hospital in Al’s Run

    Jessica and I have started a team for Briggs & Al’s Run & Walk.

  • Look what we found

    Look what we found

    In cleaning our room yesterday, we found an old saline vial from Namine’s trache days. This brings back some memories.

  • All work and no play

    All work and no play

    All three of us — Jessica, Namine, and myself — spent the better part of the day cleaning. Namine cleaned her room, inasmuch as a five year old has the motivation to clean anything, and Jessica and I cleaned ours.

  • First cookout of the season

    First cookout of the season

    This morning before heading to the hospital to visit Jessica’s mom, Namine made Mother’s Day cards for Jessica’s mom and sisters (the ones who are mothers, at any rate).

  • Singing her heart out

    Singing her heart out

    Last night as Jessica and I were making breakfast for dinner, Namine picked up a broom — which conveniently doubles as a guitar — and sang her heart out.

  • Wheelchair appointment

    Wheelchair appointment

    A while ago, Jessica and Namine met with a wheelchair person. (Specialist? I don’t know the official title.) Reason being: Namine’s legs have begun to dangle over the seat.

  • Throwback Thursday

    Throwback Thursday

    I guess I just missed throwback Thursday, but that’s okay. With all of Namine’s progress in her walker lately, I wanted to show you how far she’s come.

  • Back at it

    Back at it

    It’s been over a month since Namine’s last session in physical therapy. For this reason, her therapist was afraid that Namine had lost much of the strength she’d built up since recovering from her heart surgery. She was surprised and pleased to find that this was not the case.

  • After therapy

    After therapy

    On the way home from therapy, Namine called me on Jessica’s phone and sang Let It Go to me. Yes, the whole song. <3

  • Literacy assessment

    Literacy assessment

    Namine had her PALS-K assessment this morning. It’s a literary assessment given to students to determine potential placement (and whether a student might need additional instruction), and Namine did exceedingly well.

  • Frustrations

    Frustrations

    The good news, kids, is that the state has determined that Namine still qualifies to receive disability benefits. The bad news is that she still has not received her speech prior authorizations, and likely never will. This means that she can’t receive speech therapy.

  • Working side by side

    Working side by side

    As a programmer, I work remotely from time to time. When I do, Namine likes to have me sit next to her as she does her computer schoolwork.