Happy Halloween!

Rawr!

Pictures & Video

Brian's new baby!

He's wanted a Corvette for a long time! He finally got one at the end of August!

One of Blake's favorite things at the playground.

Just like his Daddy!

Blake loves bath time!

Blake loves Daddy's iPhone!

Blake is a genius! He can count to ten (sort of)!

When I say a number, he says what comes next!

Smart like his mommy! :o)

I'm Baaaaaack!

It's been a busy few months, but things have finally settled enough for me to be able to blog!

Mom is doing great! She's walking, driving, & pretty much back to normal. She still moves pretty slowly & with a limp, but is much improved! Still goes to physical therapy 3 times a week. The accident was 6 months ago yesterday!

Aunt Penny & Uncle Jerry are recovering nicely from their accident as well. Granny & Grandpa Les are doing well. Grandpa Les has good & not-so-good days, but is doing pretty well considering his age.

Blake continues to blossom! He's 21 months old now & is super smart! He can recognize numbers & count to 10 (when I say a number, he says what comes next). He also recogizes a few colors & letters of the alphabet. He can identify circle, square, triangle, cross, heart, star, hexagon, & pentagon. He loves books & carries one around to read often. I've lost track of how many words he can say & he says lots of 2 word phrases/sentences as well.
He's walking & running all over the place! He likes climbing up & down stairs, but knows he is only supposed to do it while holding someone's hand.
I'll post some pics & video soon!

Great News!

Grandpa Les is home from the hospital! I don't have all the details, but he & Granny are very excited! I think the hospital recommended he go to rehab before coming home, but he didn't want to & Granny probably didn't either.
Please continue to pray for his good health & Granny's strength as she takes care of him.

Thanks for the prayers!

Grandpa Les seems to be improving a little. He's been sitting up, eating, & watching TV-an improvement from his first couple of days in the hospital.

Aunt Penny & Uncle Jerry seem to be recovering well. Haven't talked to anyone from there in a few days, so I guess all is well.

Mom continues to make great progress too. She's using her wheelchair less & walker more. She's able to do more things around the house; cooking, laundry, empty/load dishwasher. Daddy is glad about that so he can have a break from housework for awhile. Mom continues to go to therapy 3 times a week. She's doing really well!

Thank you so much for all the prayers for our family over the last several months! They are working, so please continue! We really appreciate it!

The Hits just Keep Coming...

More prayers are needed! Grandpa Les is now in the hospital with double pneumonia! He's 92, so his age increases the seriousness.
Poor Granny! She's had so much to deal with the last few months. Mom's accident in April, Jerry's accident last weekend & now this. Plus, Grandpa Les has been sickly the last few years, so she's been taking care of him for awhile. Please pray for her to have strength to get through this. I know she's worn out emotionally from all that's been going on.
I think Grandpa Les is in Anne Arundel Medical Center. Not sure how long he'll be there. If you'd like to send a card, it would probably be best to send it to their home address. I know Granny would appreciate some words of encouragement.

Frances & Lester Simmons
P.O. Box 385
Churchton, MD 20733

(If you attempt to call the hospital to inquire about Grandpa Les, ask for Thomas Simmons. That's his first name.)

Penny & Jerry continue to improve. I think Penny was able to get back up to the hospital to visit Jerry today. Jerry is doing better, but has to be a little more independent with his walker before he can go home. He really should go to rehab before going home, but I think he's already nixed that idea.
Thanks for all the prayers for our family! When it rains, it pours! They say things tend to happen in 3s, so hopefully we won't have anything else to deal with anytime soon.

Update on Penny & Jerry

Aunt Penny was released from the hospital last night. Uncle Jerry has been moved from the cardiac unit to a regular room, but I don't know the room number. He's still in a lot of pain, so please continue to pray for that to subside. They were thinking he might get to go home today or tomorrow, but I'm not sure that will happen since he's still in so much pain.

I don't know a lot of details other than that. I'll check in with Joann soon to find out the latest!
Thanks for checking in!

Thanks for all the prayers!

Aunt Penny & Uncle Jerry are getting a little better each day.

Aunt Penny is in Room 1210 at Roanoke Memorial, but may get to go home tomorrow. Uncle Jerry is still in the Cardiac Unit & should be able to go home Thursday or Friday.

Aunt Penny was given the okay today by her doctor to go up to visit Uncle Jerry in the cardiac unit. She was up there to visit twice & Uncle Jerry was sleeping both times. Maybe he'll wake up to talk to her tomorrow.

Will keep you updated as I hear more! Please continue to pray!!

More Prayers Needed...

As you know, my parents were involved in a serious car accident just over 3 months ago. Well, this past weekend, my mom's brother & sister-in-law were involved in a serious motorcycle accident near their home in VA. From what I understand, someone backed out of their driveway & into them. They are in stable condition at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, but lots of prayers are still needed.

Uncle Jerry has broken ribs & a broken collar bone. He has a big laceration on his head that required a blood transfusion. Also, the impact of the crash caused him to have a heart attack, so they put a stint in to help with that.

Aunt Penny was thrown from the motorcycle & suffered a concussion, black eye, & road rash to the face. There's blood on the brain, which they say is typical of her injury; but she's having some memory problems which is cause for concern.
Thankfully, they were both wearing helmets (not full ones though, just half ones).

We're not sure how long they will be in the hospital, but probably through the end of the week. If you'd like to send a card, here's their home address. I'm sure their daughters will be by the house some this week & deliver any cards they receive.

Penny & Jerry Seidman
1736 Richland Hills Drive
Salem, VA 24153

My grandmother is understandably upset as both her children have been involved in serious accidents in the last few months. I'll update here as I hear more information, but please keep my family in your prayers!
Thanks!

Learning to Walk Again...

YAY!!!!

Great news!

Mom took her first steps today (with a walker, of course) since the accident on April 22!!

Great News!

I know it's been awhile since I've updated on here! Sorry about that! Mom is doing really well!

Mom visited the orthopedic surgeon in Charleston this past Friday & got a great report! She is cleared to start putting weight on her feet! Yay! It's been almost 3 months since the accident & she is definitely ready!
A couple of months ago, my dad found one of those lift recliners that lifts you up into a standing position. After mom's appointment on Friday, she decided to try it. Daddy put the walker in front of her & she lifted into standing & stood there for a few seconds. She said it was very hard! Her knees have been aching ever since!

Even before this past doctor's appointment, Mom has been getting out a lot more lately. She's been to church several times, lunch at my in-laws' house, & even made a couple trips to Walmart. Daddy is her chauffeur & takes her everywhere. She's come over to our house for dinner a couple of times. She & Daddy are even going to babysit Blake for the first time since the accident this coming Friday.

Meanwhile, Blake has just started walking in the last few weeks. He's still pretty unsteady & has taken many tumbles. Unfortunately, this means we've had lots of bumps & bruises so far! This past weekend he fell & bit a pretty good chunk out of his tongue. It bled a lot & scared me to death! Then he fell at my in-laws' house & busted his lip! He looks like he's been in a fight. I guess I need to teach him to say, "If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy!" He's talking up a storm lately too. I need to put together a list of all the words he says! There are a lot!

Here are a few recent pictures! Thanks for continuing to check here on Mom's progress!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=171913&id=605989335&l=32a480d21e

Doctor Visit

Mom had an appointment today with her orthopedic surgeon in Charleston.

They took x-rays & said her breaks were healing nicely. She goes back in 6 weeks. Still no weight bearing on her legs during that time. They removed the cast on her left foot from heel surgery & replaced it with a removable boot (same as what's been on her right foot all this time). She's glad about that because the cast was so heavy. She'll be able to remove both at night & it will make it easier when she showers (won't have to wrap her leg in plastic anymore).

She'll have one more week of in-home physical therapy. Then, she'll go to an outpatient place 2-3 times a week for therapy.

The last few days, she's been very discouraged & depressed. Her spirits were much better today. I hope she remains in a good mood. She loves to get visits, cards, or calls from people. They help cheer her up, so try to stay in touch with her if you can.

Granny is here until Wednesday to help out for a few more days. I know she's glad to have Granny here. And Granny has enjoyed being here to help Mom & visit with all of us!

I'll keep you posted! Thanks for checking in!

Not Much to Report...

Not much to report with Mom these days. She's getting acclimated to being home & getting into a routine with the various nurses & therapists that come by to work with her. Daddy started back to work yesterday; just half days though. Granny is in town to help Mom out while he's at work. She's leaving Saturday to go back to Maryland. So, I'll probably be in charge of helping out more with Mom next week.

Mom has a doctor's appt in Charleston on Friday with the orthopedic surgeon that performed her hip/knee surgeries. We should know more about her progress, etc. after that.
That's all I know for now!

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. We took Blake to the beach for the first time. Click the link below to see some cute pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=171750&id=605989335&l=fb61bfd50c

May 27 Update

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been a busy little bee since Mom came home. Daddy is able to move around better, so he's been getting out to run errands. And I stay with Mom while he's out. She's grateful to be home so that people can come visit. She enjoys talking to everyone as it gets boring sitting around. She tires easily though, so don't take it personally if she dozes off during a visit.

Everyone has been so great! Meals have been delivered on a regular basis; much more than they can eat! (But that's okay because I get to bring home leftovers-less cooking for me! Yay!) Mom's also received plenty of cards & flowers! That really cheers her up too!

Therapists & nurses have been in and out all week making their initial visits. One nurse takes vital signs & blood twice a week. Physical therapists come twice a week. Not sure if there's anyone else. Hopefully, they get a set schedule in place starting next week. It will be nice to know when to expect them so Mom can be ready & we can let visitors know what times are good to come.

Granny (Mom's mom) is coming tomorrow & Mom is really looking forward to that! Granny lives in Maryland & has been so anxious to come down since Mom's accident. My cousin & her husband are bringing her. She's been helping my bedridden grandfather for a few years, so she's already trained & will be able to help Mom quite a bit. Daddy is planning to go back to work part-time on June 1, so it will be good that Granny is there to help. And, Blake & I will still be there a lot too.

Mom has a doctor's appointment on June 4 in Charleston. I think they will x-ray her hip, knees, & feet to see how things are healing.

I think that's all the news I have to report for now! Mom is able to check her email & Facebook, but I'm not sure how often. She usually has her cell phone or house phone close by though, so you can call her. Email me if you need her number, hwhite76@hotmail.com.

Thanks for continuing to check on her & keep those prayers coming!

A Few Pics...

Here are some more pictures of the car from Daddy's camera. He & B were able to get closer & some better angles. Pretty scary!

Mom came home yesterday! Here's a pic of her visiting with Blake! She'll probably be mad that I posted this pic. She was worried about not having her hair fixed or make-up on. Who cares! We're just glad she's home!

Home Sweet Home

Mom made it home without incident today. She spent some time in the wheelchair in the family room, reading mail & making phone calls. She got back in bed for a bit. Then, got back into the wheelchair once Blake, Brian, & I got there. She transfers back & forth really well.

She's able to check her email more often now, so feel free to drop her a line. ljwhite@sc.rr.com
She'll get back to you as soon as she can. She has her cell phone with her all the time, so you can call her too. She gets tired easily though & isn't always up for talking. If you leave her a message, she'll get back to you soon though.

I think she's ready to start having visitors, so stop by if you can. Please call first to make sure it's a good time.

Thanks so much for all the care & concern! We really appreciate it!

Home...

Four weeks ago today (April 22), Mom left her house to go to a dinner with Daddy. Tomorrow (May 21) she returns for the first time since that night!

All the medical equipment arrived today. The dining room at my parents' house has been transformed into Mom's new room. She has a hospital bed, wheelchair, bedside potty chair, & CPM machine (machine that bends her knee). Insurance won't pay for an ambulance to bring her home from the rehab place, so Daddy is going to pick her up in the morning. The therapists will help her get loaded up & have taught her numerous exercises that she can do at home. She's supposed to receive therapy at home also, but I haven't heard the details on that yet.

Mom is so thrilled to be coming home! You can hear in her voice that she just sounds happier since she found out yesterday she was leaving. I will be taking Blake to see her tomorrow afternoon. She can't wait!

Thank you so much for all you've done so far! Already people are planning to bring dinner to Mom & Dad for the next several days. We are so blessed to have great friends like you!

Hooray!!!

Mom is coming home on Friday!!!

Daddy raised Hell; calling everyone in the main office & it worked! They tried to convince him to let Mom stay, but he wasn't having it! Mom is so excited to be coming home soon!

So many of you have said you want to come visit Mom when she gets home & she wants to see all of you too! However, please give us a couple of days to get her settled before you come over.

Thanks so much for everything!

Wednesday's Update

Still waiting to hear when Mom will be able to come home. A meeting is being held today with all therapists, etc. that work with Mom to discuss her goals & progress. We hope to have a definite answer after that meeting.

In the mean time, please pray for the family of Diane Lewis, my husband's aunt. She lost her battle with cancer last night. She leaves behind her husband-Norwood, children-Ginger Jacobs & Jody Lewis, granddaughter(s)-Skyler Jacobs& Lucy Lewis (to arrive in the next month or so), along with countless other friends & family. She will truly be missed! We love you, Aunt Diane!