Today was the big day! We had a great time at the zoo and it was a definite success. Jeff, Annette, Brandi, Ryan, Cherie, and their families were all able to be there. Little Aliyah even made it with an ear and sinus infection.
Poor Annette stressed all night over every detail and was up at 5 am, unable to sleep. What we hope she learned today is that she is far more capable than she gives herself credit for!
Just because we aren't familiar with the process of getting Jeff out and about it was a bit of a production at first. We have no doubt that with practice things will be much less stressful and time consuming.
Jeff didn't like the thought of drawing unnecessary attention to himself, wheelchair aside. To try and prevent that he wore a pair of pants to hide his leg wraps. Also, he wouldn't wear a blue shirt because he thought it would make him look like a smurf! We took his brace for the transfers and car ride only, just to be safe.
The weather was perfect for being outside. Not too hot in the sun and not too cold in the shade. What a blessing! Jeff told the kids that he is cold blooded from the chest down, just like the reptiles we got to see. It's strange to think that he really is!
The boys did a great job loading Jeff into the Durango at the hospital. Their training paid off. The old wheelchair he used today has a few issues, but with a little help the guys were able to make it work.
Alex, Jeff's therapist, gave us his direct contact info in case we had any questions. He teased that if we called to say Jeff fell or passed out he wouldn't remember who we were. We all got a laugh out of that.
On the freeway a sign read, "It's Columbus Day, Discover your turn signal." Someone at the DOT office has a sense of humor!
A hiccup with the wheelchair caused a slight delay when we arrived at the zoo, but before too long Blake arrived with some tools, the wheelchair was fixed and we were off.
Poor Annette stressed all night over every detail and was up at 5 am, unable to sleep. What we hope she learned today is that she is far more capable than she gives herself credit for!
Just because we aren't familiar with the process of getting Jeff out and about it was a bit of a production at first. We have no doubt that with practice things will be much less stressful and time consuming.
Jeff didn't like the thought of drawing unnecessary attention to himself, wheelchair aside. To try and prevent that he wore a pair of pants to hide his leg wraps. Also, he wouldn't wear a blue shirt because he thought it would make him look like a smurf! We took his brace for the transfers and car ride only, just to be safe.
The weather was perfect for being outside. Not too hot in the sun and not too cold in the shade. What a blessing! Jeff told the kids that he is cold blooded from the chest down, just like the reptiles we got to see. It's strange to think that he really is!
The boys did a great job loading Jeff into the Durango at the hospital. Their training paid off. The old wheelchair he used today has a few issues, but with a little help the guys were able to make it work.
Alex, Jeff's therapist, gave us his direct contact info in case we had any questions. He teased that if we called to say Jeff fell or passed out he wouldn't remember who we were. We all got a laugh out of that.
On the freeway a sign read, "It's Columbus Day, Discover your turn signal." Someone at the DOT office has a sense of humor!
A hiccup with the wheelchair caused a slight delay when we arrived at the zoo, but before too long Blake arrived with some tools, the wheelchair was fixed and we were off.
When we first got to the Zoo we bought 6 adult tickets. A lady was leaving the parking lot and asked if we could use her adult ticket that she didn't use. We told her thank you for being so kind, but we already bought our tickets and she went on her way. Then after about a minute Brandi realized we actually had 8 adults in our group and that we didn't buy enough tickets. We sent Ryan out in to the parking lot to track the lady down and luckily she still had the ticket so we only need to buy one more ticket instead of two.
We saw a few animals on our way to the Bistro restaurant where we had lunch. It was almost 2 pm by this time and we were all starving. Jeff had his hotdog! It was a struggle at times because he didn't want to make a mess with his condiments, but he did a great job. The food was really good and we all enjoyed our lunch.
We saw a few animals on our way to the Bistro restaurant where we had lunch. It was almost 2 pm by this time and we were all starving. Jeff had his hotdog! It was a struggle at times because he didn't want to make a mess with his condiments, but he did a great job. The food was really good and we all enjoyed our lunch.
Jeff struggled to pick up his fries because they were pretty small. He did great moving his wrists to open and close his fingers and pick them up, but on the way to his mouth they would fall because he couldn't grip them tight enough. Annette rigged a plastic fork through his fingers (under one, over the next, and under another) so he could stab them and it worked great.
We then took his blood pressure and gave him his afternoon pills. Then we were off again!
It's been many years since Jeff and Annette have been to the Hogle Zoo, so it was cool for them to see all the many improvements that have been made. All but the youngest two of the grandchildren had a great time running from one exhibit to the next.
Many of the animals were pretty active today. The three seals put on a show for us for several minutes as Jeff leaned back, forward, and side to side to complete pressure releases in order to relieve the pressure on his butt and prevent sores. This is something that is very, very important as you can actually die from getting a pressure sore. Pressure sores are more commonly known as "bed sores". We are so grateful that our dad is remembering to complete these pressure release exercises so that he can prevent the sometimes deadly pressure sores.
One of the grizzly bears came right up close to the window and was chewing on a bone. When Talon heard there were two brothers and a sister bear he asked which one was him and then named the other two Jaxon and Tylee.
There were two alligators and they were resting in the sun in their outdoor enclosure. One was out of the water with his mouth open to help regulate its temperature. Jeff jokingly opened his mouth really wide and turned his face toward the sun.
Later, Jeff had a stare off with the male gorilla. The wheelchair put Jeff almost at eye level with him. It was pretty intense! We were told that the gorilla was having a really bad day and Jeff talked to him about his bad day as the gorilla intently stared back as if he really was listening to what Jeff had to say.
We were able to see the wolves sleeping, though there were trees blocking most of the view. Jeff had a pet wolf before it became illegal, and when it came time to put him down Jeff had it stuffed. It now sits next to his desk at home. I guess you could say we have a soft spot for them.
The grandkids were able to ride the carousel in between everything else. Before we left they also rode the train with moms and grandma. We even had ice cream and let the kids play on the many statues.
It was a special day for all of us to be able to spend time with our dad/grandpa outside of the hospital. He didn't struggle to stay awake or complain about being uncomfortable or in pain, even though today wasn't one of his best days. We were worried about how he would feel today, but today turned out to be pretty good.
We then took his blood pressure and gave him his afternoon pills. Then we were off again!
It's been many years since Jeff and Annette have been to the Hogle Zoo, so it was cool for them to see all the many improvements that have been made. All but the youngest two of the grandchildren had a great time running from one exhibit to the next.
Many of the animals were pretty active today. The three seals put on a show for us for several minutes as Jeff leaned back, forward, and side to side to complete pressure releases in order to relieve the pressure on his butt and prevent sores. This is something that is very, very important as you can actually die from getting a pressure sore. Pressure sores are more commonly known as "bed sores". We are so grateful that our dad is remembering to complete these pressure release exercises so that he can prevent the sometimes deadly pressure sores.
One of the grizzly bears came right up close to the window and was chewing on a bone. When Talon heard there were two brothers and a sister bear he asked which one was him and then named the other two Jaxon and Tylee.
There were two alligators and they were resting in the sun in their outdoor enclosure. One was out of the water with his mouth open to help regulate its temperature. Jeff jokingly opened his mouth really wide and turned his face toward the sun.
Later, Jeff had a stare off with the male gorilla. The wheelchair put Jeff almost at eye level with him. It was pretty intense! We were told that the gorilla was having a really bad day and Jeff talked to him about his bad day as the gorilla intently stared back as if he really was listening to what Jeff had to say.
We were able to see the wolves sleeping, though there were trees blocking most of the view. Jeff had a pet wolf before it became illegal, and when it came time to put him down Jeff had it stuffed. It now sits next to his desk at home. I guess you could say we have a soft spot for them.
The grandkids were able to ride the carousel in between everything else. Before we left they also rode the train with moms and grandma. We even had ice cream and let the kids play on the many statues.
It was a special day for all of us to be able to spend time with our dad/grandpa outside of the hospital. He didn't struggle to stay awake or complain about being uncomfortable or in pain, even though today wasn't one of his best days. We were worried about how he would feel today, but today turned out to be pretty good.
Brandi said, "This was the first time I can remember going somewhere with my dad where he actually wasn't in a hurry. Normally my dad is always on the go hurrying from place to place as we all run along behind him trying to catch up. We saw the entire Zoo at a relaxing pace and my dad only said he was "board" one time because we were spending too much time looking at one animal. We had no place to go, no time constraint to meet, and it was a nice change to just be able to take our time being together as a family!"
After Jeff got back to the hospital he and Annette got dinner from the cafeteria and took it back to his room. They ate and then watched a movie. It was a relaxing evening after a busy, fun-filled day.
After Jeff got back to the hospital he and Annette got dinner from the cafeteria and took it back to his room. They ate and then watched a movie. It was a relaxing evening after a busy, fun-filled day.
~PICTURES WILL BE ADDED TO THIS POST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, CHECK BACK~
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