Day 91, Sunday Nov. 22

Day 91, Sunday Nov. 22

This morning Jeff and Annette were able to attend the hospital's church services. When they were ready to get loaded up for a trip home Zach met them at the hospital to help. Annette says, "I'm still not very confident on my own." 

At their home Jeff and Annette relaxed until it was spaghetti time. Ryan and his family came for dinner.

Talon needed to use the bathroom and got the courage to use grandpa's new bathroom. He came running out saying, "Grandma! Grandpa's bathroom is awesome!" 

Annette said, "Oh yeah?" All the while trying not to laugh. 

He excitedly responded, "Yeah, because it has a different toilet!" 

Ryan helped Jeff with some computer stuff and hooked up his new keyboard and mouse. He also tested the lifts to make sure they are safe and ready for Jeff to use. 

Jaxon wanted to help and got to do the first test drive. 

Jax helped by lifting his legs. 

Talon got a kick out of playing on the shower chair for St. George while Annette and Ryan tested the lift in the bathroom. 

It was good for them to see exactly where Jeff would be in relation to the toilet and shower when in the sling. 

Cherie and Aliyah helped take the pictures while Julee worked on making dessert and a treat for the nursing staff that Annette is taking to the hospital tomorrow. Annette chose her favorite marshmallow caramel popcorn to share. 

Selfie time! Look at that smile! 

Cherie found the quote to try and help put our gratitude into words, a difficult task. 

Getting ready to go back to the hospital. 

Blake volunteered his beanie to help keep Jeff warm since Jeff doesn't have one. Jeff's new mittens are somewhere in the mail. Annette helped him get his heavier coat on, very aware of Jeff's thermostat issues. Ryan followed Annette to the hospital to help get him unloaded.

We are so thankful for everyone's help during these past few months. It's difficult to express the many emotions we've been through during this journey, but please know our hearts are full. Our prayers are with each of you and we ask that you be blessed tenfold for your loving service and kindness. 

Day 90, Saturday Nov. 21

Day 90, Saturday Nov. 21

Today was a busy day! After breakfast and a little therapy Ryan went to the hospital to pick Jeff and Annette up. They had a little trouble getting the wheelchair onto the truck rack, but mission was accomplished and they were on their way. 

Annette took Ryan's kids to her house while Ryan drove Jeff to his shop in the new truck. Zach met them there and helped Jeff to work on some programming (bluetooth and a couple other things) inside the truck while Ryan changed the oil. Then they worked together to get the air filters cleaned and dried. 

Zach went home and Ryan and Jeff went to Wendy's to pick up a late lunch for everyone back home. Ryan ate his burger while Annette and Blake unloaded Jeff. Then Ryan left to take the truck to Larry H. Miller Ford to get a warranty inspection and a new key made. 

Unfortunately, after the inspection was done and the new key made they discovered that they were not  at the right dealership to get the warranty Jeff needed. Thankfully they only charged for the new key and Ryan left after two hours of waiting. 

Back at Jeff and Annette's house the next line of business was to figure out the battery situation for the lift systems. The cost to buy a new battery from the manufacturer was a bit outrageous. They learned that if they bought the individual battery cells it was a quarter of the price. 

The only thing left to do was figure out how to put the cells together so they would work with the lift. They ended up with 2 batteries that work great! Ryan says, "They are kind of a custom battery." We are so impressed and grateful for their ingenuity! 

Ryan helped get Jeff loaded into the truck and the wheelchair tied back onto the rack. Annette then took him back to the hospital for the evening.

Annette was worried about trying to get the wheelchair unloaded by herself so she called Cherie to see if someone could meet her at the hospital to help. Cherie and Blake were at the mall with Zach and Brandi for Kaisalyn's early birthdays present and had just got done watching Kaisalyn get her ears pierced.

After some brainstorming of how to make sure Annette got the help she needed and that they both got something to eat for dinner, it was decided that Blake & Cherie would help unload Jeff and the wheelchair and Zach & Brandi would go get dinner and bring it to the hospital. 

The team work today by our whole family sure went a long way!! 

After such a busy day it was great for Jeff and Annette to settle down with a movie. We can't wait until they are able to do so in the comfort of their own home! So much time will be saved when we don't have to worry about going back to the hospital. 

We are so grateful they were able to scratch a few more things off of the list today. Each little thing is one less to worry about. 

Day 89, Friday Nov. 20

Day 89, Friday Nov. 20 

The morning routine went as usual. Roxanne came to the hospital that morning for the day because Jay and Peggy are out of town. When Brandi arrived to pick them up for some errands there was no parking anywhere to be found, not even in the handicapped stalls. 

Brandi decided to run some of her own errands since Jeff and Roxanne weren't ready to leave. She went to the mall only to find there wasn't any parking there either! She decided to go back to the hospital and still couldn't find anywhere to park, so she ended up waiting in the truck at the entrance for 40 minutes until Jeff and Roxanne came out. Long morning! 

Josh helped Jeff transfer into the truck. Brandi then took Jeff and Roxanne to Jeff's shop where Ron and Kurt modified the wheelchair rack so it would work better with the truck. 

Part of this process involved finding a way to prevent the rack from hitting the bumper when it was folded up. We are so thankful for their help in getting this fixed! While they worked on the rack Brandi and Roxanne were hard at work sorting through packages and getting things organized at the shop. 

Next they went to exchange the wheelchair they had (the loaner chair Jeff has for 90 days) for the one Jeff bought. The one he owns needs to be at the hospital so the wheelchair rep can get it fixed. 

Josh then helped them figure out how to get the wheelchair onto the truck rack and tie it down to take back to the hospital. They ended up improvising because the wheels couldn't get over the 1" lip of the ramp; they kept spinning and couldn't get traction. 

Finally, with the help of a 1x4 board, the wheelchair made it onto the ramp and was tied down to the rack. We are so grateful for Josh who never gives up until a problem is fixed! That must be why he and Jeff get along so well, they are both so determined! 

Back at the hospital Roxanne transferred Jeff out of the truck. She did great for her first try and we are so thankful for her willingness to learn so that she can be one of Jeff's care givers as well. She is such a huge help and blessing to our family!

After work Annette picked up Rumbi for everyone and they ate dinner together. Then Brandi and Roxanne left. We are so grateful for their willingness to take time out of their busy schedules and help Jeff out.   

Roxanne said, "I had a good time watching and learning from PT how to get Jeff in and out of the truck. It was entertaining trying to get the wheelchair on the trailer. It will be good to have Jeff home!" 

Annette and Jeff relaxed the rest of the night together and watched a movie. 

We are so grateful for a productive day. There is a long list of things to get done over the next few days and each item crossed off is one less to worry about. Thank you to everyone who is helping us to prepare! We appreciate all of your efforts and prayers! 

Day 88, Thursday Nov. 19

Day 88, Thursday Nov. 19

While each new day is much like the last, monotony doesn't seem to be the correct term for Jeff's routine. It indicates boredom, an affliction Jeff is not fighting. 

Each day he is tested to perfect the things he is learning. He practices skills that he may be using for the rest of his earthly life. His mind is busy trying to find ways to make his condition less of a burden for himself and others. 

When Jeff's physical restrictions present a roadblock in his progress, he finds a way around them. He has a way of thinking outside the box to accomplish the things he wants done. Watching him in occupational therapy can be pretty entertaining when he gets creative to complete a task. 

In therapy today Jeff and Annette spent extra time working on car transfers. Annette is especially nervous to have these skills down before going home. They do such a great job even if it isn't perfect each time. Time and practice will help them gain the confidence they need. 

After discussing the standing chair with Natalie yesterday, of course Jeff wanted to try it! They are thinking it may be a good way to help prevent muscle atrophy in Jeff's legs also. 

"Look! I'm standing!" 

(Didn't we just say he wasn't bored?? Ha!)

We are so grateful to live in a day and age with so many wonderful medical advances and options for our dad. All of the adaptive equipment he has to help him live a normal life... It's just incredible. 

They also worked on stretching today. They tried different ways in the hopes of preventing the dreaded autonomic dysreflexia. What they discovered is that Jeff does better when he's on his side verses when he's on his back. 

Only a handful of days and our dad will be coming home! We are so full of gratitude for everyone's overwhelming love and support. Thank you all for your acts of kindness and service as we struggle each day to come to terms with this change. We feel your prayers and your love building us up in our time of need.