How many!?

I had to take a second look when I got the paper work for a Seizure Response Dog for Sammi!
21 pages
TWENTY ONE
That is a TWO and a ONE!

Not at all daunting, or over whelming...
Not one bit scary....

ok I lied, just a tad bit daunting...

Luckily there ARE pages for the doctors to fill out, but for the most part it is all down to me!  I have the doctor parts done and most of my parts, now I still have to find 2 character references, get the school to sign off on it (but I dont think the school will be a big deal as by the time Sam would actually get a dog he would be done or darn tootin' close to being done)


WE started looking into the seizure alert dog shortly after Sam was diagnosed with epilepsy. We felt that it was an avenue to travel and if it is what is to be then God will open doors. Our thots are that by the time the whole process is done and thru (or close to it) Sam will be getting ready to leave home to go to college or university. A dog will be:
1.) a help to calm our nerves about Sam and his seizures when he has one
2.) there will be help for him if he does
3.) the dog can be trained to do a number of different things from getting a phone after a seizure for Sam to call for help, bark to alert ppl that Sam is in need, go for help, etc

It is a long process and after talking with the people at the Lions Foundation of Canada we felt that it was most definitely something to look into. Then once the doctors filled out the paper work on their part, they felt it was best too. This will be an almost 2 yr process from when they get the paper work at the foundation. We will have to undergo a house/home evaluation, and if we pass it then they will find a pup for Sam. This dog will be trained and once it is ready to go we will travel to Oakville Ontario to learn how to work with the dog. Then we are sent home with him/her. 
We are all excited about this new endeavour and cant wait to get the papers sent away and wait for a response from Ont. 
The service is all free to us (including the trip to get the dog) but there is a place for donations on their website. If you feel so inclined please stop by the site and see if there is a way you can help!

Epic fail? BUT...

well that is what some people (teens most likely) would call it...

BUT...
I am not sure if it was or not! Not on Sam's part, on Dennis and mine thot process of the gift... or rather the hope for the plan of its full potential!

Josh, Sam and Grandma checking out the small pieces

Dennis and I bought Sam the Pirates of the Caribbean"Queen Anne's Revenge" lego set for Christmas (not the Star Wars ones he was hoping for and most definitely not really in our budget but we made it work). He was very happy about it...

TA-DA! Sam with the Queen Anne's Revenge

BUT...
Sam started working on the ship and completed it all in one day-- over a 1000 pieces


BUT...

Queen Anne's Revenge (with working cannons!)

he also completed it with  multiple conversations, games, food, dogs barking all going on around him. Not once did he lose his patience with us or himself.(another accomplishment!!!We were so proud of his dedication to this project and of the determination to ignore all the outside distractions!)


BUT...
our hopes for this to be a therapy for him over the holidays was completed in less than 12 hours...


SO...
now where do we go from here!?



I am hoping we can maybe try to get the more complicated lego sets when we can make it work in our budget.
I will keep my feelers out for used ones -- if anyone hears of any going please let me know!

From Ours to Yours...

Our 'Ugly Sweaters' for a Christmas Party

B-Sam, me(Jodi), Dennis, Josh

F-Hannah, Isaac

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Healthy and Happy New Year! We pray 2012 is filled with love, laughter, family, friends and all of God’s wonderful blessings! Thank you for all your wonderful and encouraging support since 2008!

Love Dennis and Jodi

xo

Merry Christmas! Thanks to everyone for their support this year with my brother. We all appreciate the support. Have a happy new year!!! 

Josh  

Merry X-mas everybody! Thank you for all you support that you have given our family these past few years its been very much appreciated! Happy holidays and have a great christmas and a happy new year

-- Sam

Merry  christmas everyone! Hope u all have a great new year! 

Isaac

I wish you all a  holly jolly christmas and a happy new year and thank you all a lot for

 all the support you have gave as through out the years. Merry Christmas and I hope 

you all stay safe this christmas year.

 - Hannah

Reasons to ☺

I had both Ike and Sam to the doctor yesterday and it was confirmed that Ike is out of sports for a minimum of 6 months. That means no spring league football -- but hopefully he will be ready for Fall league. If he has any major headaches or blurriness of vision again we are to get him straight to the hospital but so far we are doing great!

They (medical staff, hospital whoever it was) got the results back on Sams nail issue. He does have a fungal infection but because of his seizure meds he will not be on anything for the infection (this is what the doctor is telling me). This will be due to the fact the fungal med is 'worked' by the liver and Sams epilepsy meds are too, so that is too much for him and the fungal meds are about a 16week round of drugs.
I am all ok with this because we have been treating the infection with straight tea tree oil and it seems to really be helping! It isnt spreading past the 2 toes and 3 fingers! YAY!  It is stinky but amazing stuff.

Today we are 16 weeks seizure free!! I am so happy for Sam! Things are going in a good direction for him! (and for us as we are all affected when he is seizing) Maybe we can say that we are finally ...after over 3 years of craziness making our way out of this tunnel and heading towards the light!!!

My Christmas Wish

Christmas used to be the “most wonderful time of the year” for me, but after my Dad’s accident it is just a sad reminder for me that my Dad is gone. Ambiguous loss is huge for me starting around mid-November.

I try to be upbeat and cheery for the kids and Dennis but honestly it is hard.  My dad was the best at getting me into the Christmas spirit.  He would call and sing to me, he would make plans for the holidays, he would make sure that the gifts he bought were just right for each receiver. He put so much thot and effort into gifts and I am proud to say that it is a ‘gift’ he has passed on to me that I am trying hard to cultivate this legacy in my children. 

With this all being said, I struggle with gifts for our kids. We try to get them one thing that they really want (their lists are very short...for example iPod docking/charging station, art supplies, fuzzy socks or Ugg style slippers--this is the list of 3 kids!!!). This year we are having a big problem with Sam’s gift. 

He is asking for lego and not just lego lego, but he wants the more complex lego sets -- star wars, buildings, vehicles etc. Now these aren’t hard to find but the price they want for them is hard to dish out! We are talking about upwards of $155... sigh. I have checked out amazon, kijiji, ebay and other local bargain sites...nothing- well nothing in our price range ...

The real kicker is that Sam asked for these kind of sets so he could use them as BI therapy. It would help him to follow instructions (problem solving) and because it is lego (and not models which require glue and waiting time) he can pick it up and work on it and walk away when he is tired or frustrated.

A bit of back history here: Sam used to be the kid who would do plane models and other things without a thot... now they have too many minuscule parts, steps that require 5 minutes of ‘modelling time’ followed by hours of waiting for glue to dry. Also the smell of glue makes him nauseous. Our hope (Sam’s included) is that  he can get back to that hobby one day...but right now lego is more of his level, but he is waaaaaay beyond the easy ‘kid lego’. 

I had put a ‘wish’ on a local website in our area asking for lego sets that someone may have had for sale and if they were in our budget we would maybe be able to buy them.  I didnt go into details about why we needed wanted them I just stated that we were looking for our son and that due to his medical issues we spent $250-300 month on medication  and 3 other kids to buy for ... so our budget for gifts is not the highest... to make this short there was no responses to my wish, so I deleted it. 

I am not making this post for sympathy or anything. My hope is really that someone can help us  with ideas to help Sam with his therapy idea but more in our budget. We are at a loss of what to do! Both Dennis and I are so proud of this move that Sam has made to work on this on his own, but it is heartbreaking to know that now we are not able to get what he wants. Sam is ok with not getting lego (we have come to him and tried to find other ways for him to work on therapy) but sometimes you just want to be able to give them what they have asked for... 


It  is my hope that people who would read this would already know that I would make this wish for any of my kids, it just so happens that... so it seems... once again it is about Samuel . 

My Christmas wish is to find one set that Sam would like for a price in our budget or some ideas for me to try to help him to work on his therapy from a different angle...

Refusing to change it...

bubbles... they're all gettin' one

.. the tag line in my blog I mean. I will NOT change it to 4 or 5 or 10!
 I absolutely CAN NOT handle another survivor in my house!
So I am putting everyone in bubbles ... forever.
On Friday Mom and I were in Brandon doing some shopping and I get a call from the school "Isaac was in gym class and got an elbow to the head in basketball. His vision was blurred and he was dizzy, could I please come get him and take him to the hospital"
My first thot after the initial "you've got to be kidding me" wore off was "why the heck didnt THEY take him to the hospital!?" Our high school is next door to the hospital! But I called Dennis and he went and got him.
Turns out he had a concussion and since it was his second one in such a short time (he got one during football season) that he is out of sports for 6-12 months and in gym he is only allowed to do sports that he is not at risk for head injuries with... which would be what!? Who would have thot an ELBOW would be the culprit!?

So big 'ole body bubbles is what is one everyones list this year for Christmas... says me.

it never rains but pours...