All About Ty!!!

What a wonderful 2 days!! Count 'em, 2!! Ty and I are back home after only 2 days of therapy! And he now has a new tool! We got his prosthesis yesterday and had therapy and he took to it like a fish to water--mostly he forgot he was wearing it! But he did not try to rip it off, so that right there is a feather in his cap! I must say that staying in a hospital room with a one year old is a real challenge...add to that the adorable four-year-old roommate we had who was in pain all during the night and crying...and a massive metal cage/crib not conducive to calm sleeping...and add the fact that same four-year-old roommate and her mother spoke NO ENGLISH!!! The bathrooms in the rooms were only for the patients so I had to schlepp Ty down the hall with me to go potty--or wait until he fell asleep (which was about 10 pm!). Needless to say, we are both a bit sleepy today! Ty slept all the way home! Even so, it was an experience I will never forget--in a good way! Please don't take my comments as complaining--I can handle just about anything for a night or two--and I found myself counting my blessings as I witnessed firsthand parents whose burdens were far greater than my own. Non-ambulatory children, those suffering with cerebral palsy, missing multiple limbs, just massively catastrophic injuries and birth defects...I mean Ty missing a hand is barely a blip on the radar in terms of what could have been. And every parent there had the same knowing expression on their faces--each of them had been through the moments of realization, denial, acceptance, and embrace. I know that look because I have seen it in the mirror occasionally on my own face. And I realize that most parents will never know some of the purest versions of the universal parental feelings--pride...some of these parents feel pride from their kids learning to feed, dress, and toilet themselves--at eight years old!! Can you imagine? Joy--at watching their children enjoy themselves in spite of their pain, frustration, anger, and immobility. I just catch a glimpse every now and then of the intensity and depth of those feelings...I just feel like so many of my concerns have been petty...

Anyway, I am deeply moved and changed from these two days and I want to share some of my photos with you--enjoy

The Adventure Continues

Life has been so great and we are loving watching Lily and Ty bond as brother and sister--she calls him "buddy" and he thinks she hung the moon! Here they are under the table sitting on Zuzu's bed, covered with a blanket...I never know what scheme they will have concocted!
All this kids wants is a ball to play with!! He will stop crying if you hand him a ball... I sense a future in the NBA...or perhaps MLB?? NFL??
Another quiet and mannerly moment at our dinner table with our Emily Post poster-child...

Lily and Natalie ruling over their little town...
Two little blondies relaxing in the recliner...
This looks like a cozy seat...

Lily and her first "love" Nicholas on their last day of school--can a year have already passed?

Happy Memorial Day from the cutest kids in the universe!!!

Wild Man sits still to try on his test socket for his new prosthesis
He tried to put it on his nubby as soon as we handed it to him

a few minor adjustments...

I can dance!!!

A brief brunch date with Daddy, GG and Gran while Mommy held a shower at home...
the socket up close (it is held on by suction and has room for growth)

I am leaving tomorrow morning to take Ty back to Shriner's for in-house physical and occupational therapy through Friday. He will get his new helper hand tomorrow and I am so anxious to see his reaction--not scared or nervous, more excited and happy. Lily will be staying with Daddy and has a busy social calendar until GG comes to visit and then she will have the spotlight on herself for a few days :) I will post again as soon as possible to show pictures of our experiences this week--cheers!

still playing catch-up

Ty getting measured at Shriner's for his prosthesis...

In the bath at Mimi and Poppy's house...

After Ty's first appointment at Shriner's, we went down to Venice and relaxed at the Yacht Club Pool--the kids had a blast! We did too!

This is how the end of Ty's arm will look--the hand is spring-loaded and snaps closed

Here is the mold of Ty's little nubby, which they will use to create the socket for his helper hand

Lily at the UF baseball game with one of her very best friends Natalie

getting ready for plaster...
the wrapping begins...

wild man waiting for the prosthetist--Ty threw the ball and retrieved it about 1000 times!

Ty's buddy Evan, who has a nubby on his right arm--and he and Ty are almost the exact same age

a VERY patient Lily--she was a real trooper this day!!

a late night cookie baking session with Mommy--Lily came out in the kitchen after going potty and she was tossing her undies up and down and she says, "what are you doing guys?" I let her help me make cookies after we stopped laughing!