Ok. Trying to settle down a bit and start managing things.
Visiting Adam
Adam is at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Room 322.
Adam is pretty much in therapy all day, every day. He breaks for lunch. And then has the evening off.
Please don't try to visit during therapy. Ideal times to visit are: 5:30 - 8:00pm.
A few things to consider: The patient rooms are quite small. And he has a roommate, also experiencing a traumatic injury and not feeling well at times. Not ideal for kids with energy. Our boys have very short visits and then I take them to the children's play room. Honestly, only a few people can fit in the room at a time. Don't show up with a posse. And realize sometimes he might be wanting to rest.
Note: Construction is taking place on the expansion of this facility. Parking and getting into the building can be kinda confusing (well, it was for me the first time anyways). There is a free parking garage.
So many people are wanting to know how they can help. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around this completely right now. I'm sure things will come up and I'll say, "I have no clue how to do this, Adam usually does it."
I am no longer spending the night with Adam, unless some sort of issue would arise. I have sent my parents home. Adam's mom is still in town for a bit longer and I have a couple of girlfriends coming into town for this weekend.
Mealtimes are important for someone to be with Adam, as he is unable to feed himself at this time. Nurses can do this, but they are juggling a lot of other stuff as well. I am not there for his breakfast and they do this then. There are two times when I am planning NOT to be there regularly and be home instead: Mondays at lunch and Thursdays at dinner. If you think you are comfortable feeding Adam, consider being there for him during this time. Note: You CAN bring in outside food. Might be a good idea to coordinate these times through me so that there aren't 10 guys showing up to be with him, plus if you are coming with outside food, it'd be helpful if I cancelled his meal tray.
A friend has set up a site to help coordinate meals for us at the house:
http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=RTMX8236
I'm attempting to put together some sort of calendar for helping with childcare. I've had trouble keeping track of all of the offers to help with kids. This is going to be the toughest thing for me to juggle: feeling like I'm present and supporting Adam and also being an available and nurturing mother for the boys. I know I cannot do both super-awesomely.....I'm aiming for survival and hoping for God's grace to cover the rest. The two are not intermingling much right now. There are still some times I am trying to fill. If I haven't contacted you about a specific time and you are interested/willing, and even more importantly, AVAILABLE, shoot me a message/text/email with times that you are typically available. Ideally, at our home (baby that still naps twice a day). Looking for coverages during the day and also during a few evenings here and there.
There will be other needs that arise: Fall yard/landscaping clean-up, possible vehicle maintenance, rides to outpatient rehab (in the future), getting out Christmas tree stuff, some general cleaning if/when I fall behind, possible house projects when Adam is ready to come home, etc.I'll try to communicate when these projects come up.
If you have an idea of a way to help or bless us, just ask. I had someone call and offer to take the two older boys to a high school soccer game next week. They would enjoy that. Will I be taking them to do that anytime soon? Nope. Someone else offered to bring some pumpkins over for the boys. Do we usually do that? Yep. Will I be able to squeeze in a trip to the pumpkin patch this year? Probably not.
At this point, our yard is being mowed for the remainder of the fall. I believe we have snow plowing covered. Youth ministry responsibilities are being spread out. And yes, those apples have been processed and returned to me in lovely jars in the form of applesauce.
We are so thankful for the outpouring of love. We feel it. I do not know how people weather through difficult times without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and the comfort,presence, and hope He offers. Or without His people working together to meet the needs of one another.
