Day 319 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

We are nearing the end of our second week with Grayson home with us. Regina continues to keep Grayson busy and traveling around town with her as she is ticking things off of her to-do list and continuing his routine of daily chores at home.

After two nights of difficulty with Grayson going to sleep, we let him say up and watch the Science Channel tonight until 10:00 and we put an audio book on instead of music. We'll see how this experiment works on both ends of the night!

Pax!

Brant

Day 318 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

We continue to adjust to our new life with Grayson. Adjustment is difficult but we are making some progress. We are starting to establish some routines and some common "language" on dealing with Grayson. Using the same words to describe expected outcomes is very important so as not to confuse him. We have also learned some tricks – how to successfully keep him from struggling when taking his blood pressure and how to get him to swallow all of the meds he now is taking. We continue to grow and learn skills that we never thought we would need.

I reported last night that Grayson was uncharacteristically unable to go to sleep and kept walking out of his room. That continued until well after the blog posted and I wound up dozing on the couch in there until around 4:00 AM when I woke up and was sure he was asleep. Tonight he also kept walking out of his room every 10 minutes or so. Regina recognized that it was important not to "reward" the behavior with attention so she stood in the hallway. Each time Grayson got up and walked to his door she asked him where he was supposed to be. His answer was always, "in bed". She quietly and firmly directed him back to bed without the usual affection of tucking him in. After several times he finally got back in bed and stayed there – just before midnight. Her patience and persistence paid off!

Adjustment continues…

Pax!

Brant

Day 317 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

The heat wave broke and we were greeted with uncharacteristic humidity. At least it wasn't 113° - only 100°!

Grayson and Regina spent a lot of time with Lauren today. Grayson was alert and listening intently to Lauren as she talked with Regina all afternoon. They ran errands then I joined them for dinner. We had a lovely meal and then I took Grayson home and Regina and Lauren had some fun and relaxing time together getting a pedicure.

Grayson and I did chores when we arrived home – it is trash and recycling night here. Grayson and I went through the house collecting and delivering the refuse into the containers – great exercise as we went up and down the stairs a bunch! We did so much stuff that we didn't have time for TV, except as a distraction so I could take his blood pressure.

Grayson was unusually active and alert this evening. He was quicker to walk, more adept on the stairs and far more alert than he has been since he has been home. The downside is that here it is 11:50 and he is still getting out of bed – most unusual as he normally goes down around 8ish and does not get up. I fully expect him to be the morning zombie again in a few hours!

Pax!

Brant

Day 316 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was a good day – if you like it hot! Los Angeles set an all time record of 113° - the highest temperature ever recorded here since they started keeping records in 1877. I stayed inside – Regina and Grayson ran about a hundred errands – fortunately most were inside air conditioned stores. There were those hikes to the car, however…

Xixi came by this evening to escape the heat, and we had a fabulous visit. She joined us for dinner before going down to pick up Austin after practice. (Yes he is still playing rugby while in grad school!)

Grayson was well tempered and content traveling, shopping and visiting today. All in all, Grayson spent over 2 hours walking (not strolling!) Regina keeps him on his toes by making him talk and keeping him "in the game". A good day for Grayson!

Pax!

Brant

Day 315 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

We had a great family day today. We started with church and it is so great to see everyone regularly again! After church we came home to have a quick lunch and then we went over to Rita and Richard's house (Regina's sister and brother-in-law) for an afternoon in the pool to escape the 100° plus temperature. (And we thought Bakersfield was hot!)

It was a perfect afternoon – conversation, swimming, sun, snacks and dinner. An unexpected surprise, Austin and Xixi came by for a while on their way home from a rugby match in Las Vegas. (USC won!)

The day was wonderful and relaxing. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for my weekend!

Pax!

Brant

Day 314 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

Today was a nice day. Regina made us all blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Following this yummy breakfast we headed out to Lowes to buy additional items for the house based on what we have learned so far. (I suspect that additional purchases will be required!) We then had lunch before making a Costco run. Finally we headed home to catch the final quarter of the USC-Washington State game. Fight On! It's too bad that my parents' alma mater (Oregon State) didn't have as much success on a blue playing field.

We have reached the end of our first week with Grayson living at home. 30 hours of the week were spent in the hospital but the entire week he was in our care. The new reality is starting to sink in. After a career of working and saving for retirement we expected to experience our love of travel, and restart a social life that went mostly on hold while we launched our kids into the world. It would appear that God has other plans for us!

Pax!

Brant

Day 313 – Grayson’s Journey

Dear family and friends

I'm not quite sure how they accomplished it at CNS but it is amazingly difficult to get Grayson going in the morning. Not like a sleepy and uncooperative teenager but like someone who has been on anesthesia. He is slow to rise, and he finds it close to impossible to do anything even though he wants to – like sit down or stand up. You can slowly get him to do something but it takes many cues and hands on prompting. It is actually a bit scary, but it is like this every morning. By mid-day his energy and alertness improve significantly.

The safety issues Grayson presents are becoming clearer. We have rapidly concluded that more grab bars are required in areas of the home for safety – especially in the morning when he is so unsteady.

Grayson and Regina ran several errands around mid day – it's a good thing given what I described above! They were gone about three hours and made several stops. Regina turns everything possible into an exercise for Grayson – mental, physical or verbal. Late this afternoon, Grayson joined me to return the rental car and pick my car up from the repair shop. This hour that we were gone was the only break that Regina got all day from her RA duties. It has been an exceedingly tough week on her. What a woman!

Pax!

Brant