The Swirling Vortex...

A little late but...Happy New Year to all!

Vortex seemed like an appropriate title to start off the new year. As the Polar Vortex continues to keep hold on us in Ontario we continue with our own swirling vortex of changes around our house. Truth be told I've been cranky most of 2014 so I have been avoiding my literary responsibilities!

I would like to say I'm excited about the prospects of 2014 but that would be a half truth. The good half is watching the kids grow, hanging with Susan and spending time with family and friends. The bad half, well that's obvious, so let me give you some updates on our lives.

We survived the holidays and it was great spending time with friends and family. As it is easier to entertain and have people visit us, we were non stop for a few days, with many helping hands. Lots of food and gifts and were blessed to have everyone around us. Susan and the kids were troopers getting us through it all!
We rang in the new year quietly with dinner and friends and actually made it till midnight!
But, after two weeks off, I was happily "helping" them all out the door on January 6th!

Ben

Sarah

Much like many of you, I've never been a big fan of January and February. Aside from celebrating a birthday in February, the two months are nothing but a roadblock to spring! Magnified by the fact that this year we've had a true ole Canadian winter, lots of cold and snow! Both of those, compounded with further loss of my independence, have made me less than a happy camper! I've been unable to get out regularly and now experience feeling cold which is a new situation for me.
The worst, however, might be my longing for my snowblower. I sit passively at my window, during each snowstorm, filled with envy, watching my neighbours every move with their machines. I've dreamed of ways to hook up the snowblower to my chair and get out there only to be jolted back to reality as another technical glitch pops into my mind! Oh well, I've taught Susan how to use it and she does(surprisingly not with the same passion?) and the "village" of great neighbours we have always make sure we're cleared out.
The one shining light over the last two months is that I have been able to catch up on movies which has long been a passion of mine. I figure over a 3 week span in January I averaged a movie a day plus I only have one Oscar nominated movie left to see before Sunday. I couldn't have done it without one of the "villagers", "Maverick"(pseudo!). Thanks Mav!


As to my health...

Sometime in Nov/Dec I "walked" my final steps. I can still stand and weight bear with the aid of the walker but my disco days are officially over! I now move around exclusively using my chair, in and out of the house.
Around the same time, my hands, arms and voice worsened as well. If I could use the analogy, "when it rains it pours" it felt like that and I don't think I was quite ready for the changes. Somehow, almost overnight, I felt I needed help with everything and that sucked. A visit to the clinic just before Christmas confirmed what we had been seeing and they helped with suggestions on some of the challenges we were having.
I'm know I was a pain in the ass over the last couple of months and I'm thankful for Susan and our family who put up with me. The dust has somewhat settled and "adjusted" routines are in place...for now.

In other news...

Feeding tube will be inserted in April. Maybe I'll film the procedure and post it in my next entry!?

Shameless selfie

Tobii has arrived! We picked up Tobii, now referred to as "Mr  T", last Friday. It's an amazing piece of technology, that through eye gaze, will allow me to speak, email, utilize the internet and much more. Kids love it, and I was able to say happy birthday to Sarah this week in my voice, from the recordings I had done a couple of years back. I'm not sure who was more excited, Sarah or I! I'm now in learning mode and practicing as much as possible.

Mr T and I

And that's my story for the start of 2014!