Home For Good!

The past few days have been busy! Alistair had a couple of long days of therapy to pack in as much as they could before he left. Thursday morning, Seth and I had a very long meeting with the speech therapist, teacher and psychologist regarding school and the accommodations he will need once he returns. For a while he is going to need to have an academic assistant to stay with him all day. This person will be able to help him in the class by scribing for him, helping him grab the things he needs as far a papers, binders, etc and helping him with books (holding, turning pages). They will accompany him around school to make sure he is safe from falling. They will also help him in the bathroom with pulling up pants and other needs if required in there. Pretty much this person will be an extra set of hands for him until his own work better! Alistair won't be returning to school for another week, but we plan to make a few social visits next week. When he does return to school, it will be in an abbreviated way and we will work up to full days as he tolerates it. 

He got to go to class and conduct a science experiment with the rest of the students. He had a lot of fun and did really well in a class setting. I guess he told Scott, the teacher, that he was excited about being in the classroom with the other kids because he felt like he needed to practice before he goes back to his school! In the afternoon we had our last family conference. It was short and sweet and we got a strong feeling that everyone loves Alistair and is really sad, but very happy, to see him leave. They are going to miss him, for sure! Alistair finished out his day with an hour in the pool! He had so much fun and did really well. He was swimming with a kick board and wanted to practice his side breathing. Then he decided he wanted to dive for rings. He really enjoyed himself. He has been prescribed PT 2-3 times a week, so we have decided he will do twice a week with his PT, Brian, and once a week at the pool at Children's. It will be good to mix it up and it is a different kind of workout, which will be good for him!

The rest of Thursday included another therapy dog visit (top of the list!) and his teacher, Mrs. Harper, came to visit. She brought with her 3 posters, all signed by the 4th grade classes. So cool to see and Alistair enjoyed seeing them! He sent with her a letter he wrote to his class about his summer and what to expect when he gets back. She is going to read it to the class and then we are going to visit his class on Tuesday. Not sure what our visit will entail, but Alistair is interested in possibly doing a slide show and maybe showing off his scar! We will see! 

 Friday was the big day! He and Seth were up before 6 in anticipation! One of the last things on his "Flight Plan" to accomplish was "Pooping on Tim's Floor." It was a joke that started the first week we were at the hospital and turned into a a checklist item to do on the day he left (which required repeated explanation to doctors, nurses, visitors, etc. after seeing it listed on the door). Our friends Tim and Jason work in administration at Children's and the plan was to leave some fake poop in Tim's office with Jason's help to get in and do the deed. So they did it and then Tim and Jason sent a series of photos leading up to the discovery. Alistair was totally entertained by all of this and it was very cool of Tim and Jason to participate! Thanks Guys! 

Alistair had a full day of therapies, all crammed into the morning so he could leave by noon. Most of his therapies involved wrapping up loose ends and finishing testing so all the information could be sent to his outpatient therapists to continue his care. Our rental wheelchair (which we most likely won't need much) and his shower chair showed up before noon, which was awesome because a lot of times waiting for equipment holds up the discharge process. We had a lot of people come to say goodbye to Alistair (and us!). They are truly going to miss him. True to Alistair's nature, he charmed everyone he encountered at the hospital and they are sad, but happy, to see him leave! Of course we will visit when we are around because after spending almost two months with them, they want to see us again! 

 

We executed the "Plan for Today" and headed home via a stop at Kidd Valley for lunch. Once home, Alistair got in a little video game playing before we headed down the street to get Gillian from the bus stop. He walked all the way down and back and did a great job. Gillian got off the bus and ran over to hug Alistair, we didn't tell her he would be there! Then the other kids got off the bus and a majority of them came over to him, said Hi and hugged him! It was very sweet and totally unprompted by any parent! Just another example of why we love where we live!

Though we still have a way to go on this journey, we are really glad to be able to continue it at home. We would like to thank everyone at Children's for the last 46 days. The Rehab Nurses and staff are wonderful and took such care of Alistair. The doctors and therapists are one of a kind and really made our experience positive. But there is no place like home and seeing this place in the rear view mirror, knowing our next visits will be just a few hours at a time, took a huge weight off our shoulders. I think doing this twice now is more than plenty!