A little embarrassed...

So yesterday afternoon the kids surprised me with a Mother's Day gift. I do not normally ask for gifts, but I had been dropping some pretty big hints that I wanted my own MP3 player. So the kids told their Dad that I wanted one and he got one for me! YIPPY! Now the embarrassing part... I was working out this morning at the YMCA with my new MP3 player on full blast. I was jamming out to some Pearl Jam while I was on the spin bike, when all of a sudden I realized that I was singing along with the music! Oh My, I could have crawled under the bike! Note to self, Don't sing along while working out.... this is not American Idol!

Jack and Lexi want me to share that we had a trainer working out with the 3 of us this morning and it turns out that he is the drummer for the Christian Rock band Echoing Angels! How cool is that?!?! Jack and Lexi are aspiring rock stars, so they both thought he was so cool! Lucky for me, he was NOT around during my embarrassing moment! :)

Once I was finished with my workout/singing session, I went into the childcare room to get Jon-Jon. I was shocked to see his waggon was empty... my eyes scanned the room and I saw him playing with the other kids! I said "what are you doing?" He immediately dropped to his knees and said "OH NO!" He knew he was busted! It seems that he talked the workers into believing that he is free to do whatever he wants ~ it doesn't matter that when I dropped him off I gave them strict instructions that he is suppose to stay in his waggon, laying on his back or side! They see him 5 days a week with the same instructions EVERYDAY!!! You would think they would understand, but they said Jonathan told them it was ok for him to get out and play! I asked them if they believe everything the kids tell them?!?! And besides, if there was any question they could just have called me ~ I was only in the next room!!!! I hate to not take him to the Y because I desperately need that time away from the 3 kids - it is literally the only break I get! But if he's not going to obey the rules, we will not go. :(

Speaking of not obeying the rules, I'm having a really hard time with his physical therapy. Last Friday he flat out refused to do anything with his therapist. I have made a sticker chart, where he earns a sticker if he does a good job at PT. Once he earns 6 stickers he can purchase a new Leapster game. The problem is that he is not earning the stickers! He acts like he really wants to participate, but then once we get there he refuses to work. He's very stubborn! When he deices he is not going to corporate he either goes limp or gets very stiff, so the therapist can't move him. His Neurosurgeon gave me a list of exercise for me to do with him at home and he does those with me. We do them 3x per day (Morning, afternoon, and before bed), we try to get in at least 100 reps of each exercise per day. He has no choice with me... he has to do them, but with the therapist, he knows she's a softy and he plays her like a fiddle! So if anyone has suggestions on how to get him to do the PT ~ PLEASE let me know!!

Today at therapy he was fitted for new A.F.O.'s (leg braces). They had to cast his legs, then the cut the casts off to use as a mold for the braces. The braces should be ready in about 3 weeks. Hopefully he will not have to wear these braces for more than a year. I had hoped to avoid leg braces all together, but he is not cooperating with the therapy and his foot is turning more and more everyday... so it's back to braces for a little while. The other thing is that these are the more difficult leg braces, they have 2 parts which makes them much harder to get on his legs and much more uncomfortable than the old ones he had (they have the regular boot like his old AFO's, but then they also have a front piece that will hold his leg in place). We will have to put him in knee immobilizers at night. We have had to use those in the past. They make him keep his legs straight all night to help stretch out those leg muscles. Oh, and he will also have to wear an apparatus that will rotate his left leg out a little. Right now it is turning in at the hip. With all of those orthotics, That will add about 20 - 30 mins to our morning routine! Just plan on me being late to everything from now until he can just throw on shoes and go! And speaking of shoes... our insurance will not pay for the special shoes to go with the leg braces, so once again I will be on the hunt for extra wide shoes! I found that the fake crocs at Payless, worked with the other AFO's he use to wear, but I'm not sure if they will work with these new AFO's because they will be thicker.