Day 1088 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson was very sharp and alert today.

Regina and I had a very early morning and a very long day today. Off to bed!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1087 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Well, another general election has come and we have a new Congress and a re-elected President. We also have our TVs back to detergent commercials and our telephones back to non-political solicitation. After spending a gozillion dollars on the campaign, we have almost the same configuration in Washington as we did prior to the election. Let’s hope that this configuration is more interested in working for us, and not focused on their own individual agendas.

Grayson spent time with his new caregiver today. Maria is adjusting to dealing with a young client that eats like a teenager, and not the aging patient that most caregivers are used to. She is adjusting well, but still has a lot to learn about dealing with a young brain-injured client. She has a good attitude so we look forward to working with her.

Pax!

Brant

Day 1086 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson’s new caregiver started today. Her name is Maria and they seemed to get off on the right foot together today! It will take a few days to tell if this is a good fit, but initial indications are good!

My root canal went off without a hitch – no big deal in retrospect! Fortunately we got to it before the abscess became a real problem.

Tomorrow is Election Day and we will be glad to replace the nightly political calls with the home construction solicitations!

Remember to go vote!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1085 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Grayson woke up as sharp as a tack today. He was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from the get go!

Today was our weekend as yesterday was lost entirely to the game and the pre and post activities. Grayson was active and alert all day and he was a big help when it came to the heavy lifting at the grocery store – my back is still recovering!

We are heading into an insane week. Tomorrow I have a root canal (oh joy.) Regina and I both have major commitments at work. We have a new caregiver starting tomorrow, and I expect that the construction crew will be here first thing to consult before they start to work. And then there is Tuesday through Friday!

Life is full of opportunities!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1084 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was the first USC game of the season that we have had the opportunity to attend in person. With Regina and I were Grayson, Austin and Xixi and my cousin Doug and his lovely wife Kemi. Lauren and Zack joined us for lunch before the game, so it was truly a family day!

Just to set the stage, my cousin Doug and Kemi are Oregon alums – the rest of us are USC almuni or, in Regina’s case, a Trojan parent. We were glad that the Trojan fans were gracious to our two Ducks that we brought with us. And we were equally glad that our two Ducks were gracious to the rest of us in victory!

The game was amazing. 113 total points scored. The Trojans scored 51 points – and lost. Mind boggling! While hard to swallow, perhaps this is the year for the Ducks to go all the way. There’s always next year!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1083 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today we were back to normal – sort of. This was Danielle’s last day with us, so today was the last of the “old normal”. Danielle was a wonderful care giver and unfortunately she had to move away too soon. For the last 4 months we have not had to worry about the quality of Grayson’s care or his safety. She will be missed!

Monday we have a new care giver starting – Maria.  She impressed us with her enthusiasm and her personality. We look forward to working with her.

Tomorrow we will all go to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to watch the Trojans of USC play the Ducks of Oregon. With us will be my cousin Doug and his lovely wife Kemi, both graduates of that “other” great Pac-12 school. We will all be rooting for a great game, and that “our” school gets the win!

Pax!

Brant

Day 1082 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

We’re home again!

After two nights away, we are back in Glendale with Grayson. This was the first time that we have been away from Grayson since he was discharged from the CNS residential program in September of 2010. We had a two-day taste of what we had expected as parents of adult children, but sometimes expectations have an uncanny way of evaporating. However, we did have two wonderful days away together – respite care for Regina and Brant! It is hard to describe the feeling of freedom from the total responsibility for caring for another adult - 24x7. How grateful we are to Lauren, Zack and Rita for allowing us to reconnect for a few days.

Grayson was happy to see us when we got back tonight! We picked him up from Rita’s tonight (thanks Rita for taking him home after Danielle was done for the day!) We went to dinner and enjoyed the last bit of our vacation with our affectionate boy. It was great to see him again. In spite of the need for a bit of freedom, we missed him and are glad we are all back home together. Tonight we will all sleep snugly in our own beds!

Pax!

Brant