A Day at a Time

Our lives have become a day at a time.  Every day Aaron progressively gets better and stronger.  I get asked quite often "how Aaron is doing today."  I simply answer, "he is getting better."  It is a simple answer, one that encompasses many meanings.  He is starting to sleep better, as am I.  His pain is managed better...or maybe he manages it better...I am not sure.  He is walking better.  His bowels and bladder could be better, but hopefully will begin to improve soon.

On another note---A couple of days ago someone brought over supper for us.  It was a very kind and generous gesture.  I had been up half of the night with Aaron, had been very busy with the kids, and could not remember the last time I did any personal hygiene...even my teeth felt fuzzy.  Then, this person asked me, "Do you really need to be with him all of the time?"  Maybe I took these words the wrong way, maybe because I was exhausted, had PMS, and was ready to rip my hair out, these words entered my mind the wrong way.  Shock covered my face.  No one has ever really questioned me about why I took a leave of absence from work...I thought people kind of understood.  I never had to explain myself.  Of course, I do leave for short amounts of time.  Twenty minutes here, thirty minutes there.  Run to the drug store to get stuff for Aaron or to the school for the boys or whatever other little tasks surface.  It is not like I am on a leisurely vacation.

If I had not taken a leave from work, Aaron would not have been able to come home.  It is as simple, black and white, as that.  He would have had to go to a rehab facility.  Aaron would have been away from his children, from our family, for many weeks.  Who really knows how long.  The nurses at the inpatient rehab floor of the hospital said that most people leave there and go to a nursing home.  But, because I am a registered nurse, he was released into my care.

I answered to this person, who I think just misspoke words, "Well...he can't get up by himself, he can't lay down by himself, he can't put his brace on by himself, he can't go to the bathroom by himself..." need I go on.  End of conversation. 

Our highlight of Aaron's therapy, besides our children, is our cat.  When Aaron is walking with his walker, she meows and whines until he stops.  Then, she hops onto the seat.  I have never witnessed a feline want to ride on a walker before.  This helps him walk longer and take his mind off of pain.  She also sleeps right next to him at night.  It is an interesting relationship.

The cat sleeping by Aaron...she is pathetic.

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A funny in-law note:  My mother-in-law, Chris, is a very kind hearted person.  She really is.  She purchased a lap top in hopes of learning how to use a computer.  My brother-in-law sent her an email containing a picture. 

Now, lots of people know that the little square photo on the computer is called a "thumbnail."  So, I was walking behind her while she was "working" on the computer.  I noticed that she was pressing the computer screen with her thumb nail.

"What are you doing?"  I asked her.

"Well, it says to press the thumbnail," she said.

"The computer screen is not a touch screen..." I started and proceeded to explain, trying really hard not to laugh, about what "press the thumbnail" means.

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