Our "Ordinary" Life

I can't believe it 's been a week.  It seems to have flown by, but also like last Sunday was ages ago.

Hanging with his brother.

Aaron is doing (fairly) well.  The weather and asthma are still kicking his heinie, and we're still trying to get a balance on his digestive system and his meds.  But in between, he's laughing and having fun.
Thursday and Friday were a bit rough for him with his belly.  I picked him up at school on Thursday after I finished working, and then kept him home Friday.  By Friday afternoon, he was doing better.  Not fabulous, but much better.

Utah got nailed with snow Friday night.  As in, we had to leave by 7:30 Saturday morning so Joseph went out with the snow blower.  He finally came in and said, "Mom, I've done the driveway twice, and you can't tell I've done anything!"  Overall, I think we got about a foot of snow, and mostly between 5 and 8 a.m.

Cheering Michael on.

Let me tell ya, driving in the snow takes on a whole new level of anxiety when you also have a medically fragile, wheelchair bound child with you.  David (oldest son) suggested that was because Aaron was more important than the rest of him.  (Yes, he was joking.)  I told him, "no, it's because if we get stuck, I'm counting on you guys to be able to get yourselves out, and maybe even get the car unstuck!  The wheelchair doesn't move real well in snow."  He totally knew.  He was just trying to yank my chain.  Didn't work.  I laughed.

But that snow!  We're talking, the two-lanes each way with a suicide lane in the middle road was actually one lane each direction, and that was because we were all driving in the tracks of the car in front of us.  Believe me, I seriously considered just not going.  But I had one kid who had futsal practice (which could have been missed, but was on the way to the next stop anyway) and three who's only opportunity to recertify for refereeing next year was yesterday morning.  And since that's how they earn their money, well, going a year without a job, not so cool.  So we ventured out and made it.

All tuckered out after a long day at ballroom.

And Aaron, kind, wise soul that he is, grinned but behaved and set off no alarms.  Then that afternoon, it actually cleared up quite a bit, and since it was (relatively) warm, the roads cleaned up well, too.  So we all loaded up again for Michael's first ballroom competition.  His team did well, he had a lot of enthusiasm, and they brought home gold ribbons for their level.  And Aaron loved it.

Today, well, this morning was good.  He was all smiles and laughter at church.  Afterwards, not so much.  He was still smiling, but once again, we were pulling out all the stops trying to keep him here at home, and I came very close to throwing in the towel and calling for back-up.  He's been getting a lot of albuterol, shake vest treatment, and tons of oxygen.  We've even bagged him a couple of times and changed out his trach.  But he seems to have pulled through whatever was bothering him, and is doing much better tonight.  Again, my money is on Utah's bipolar weather.  So much fun, right?

Anyway, he's hanging in there, being a kid, having fun with his brothers.  I think I'm writing less often because this is just our life!  It seems relatively mundane, ordinary now, and I wonder who would even want to know.  But that right there, ordinary, just life stuff, that is a miracle and a blessing in and of itself.  And I'm so grateful.

Time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life.

Brian Andreas