Day 49 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank Megan, Tina, Chandra, Jessica, Lili, Tammy, Breana, Kelly, Kathy, Colleen, Anna, Serena, Lon, Lisa, Brian, Christy, and all the other people who have offered and provided so much help to us lately.

There's no way to wrap this up without sounding sappy, but to all of you who participated this year, thank you. To all of you who were there for us, thank you. Even those of you who just followed along for fun, thank you. I appreciate every single one of you so very much. It's been quite an adventure.

If I can leave you with one parting thought, just know that despite how it sometimes feels, there are tons of amazing and wonderful people out there, hiding in plain sight. 

Day 48 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank April for bringing us food, and the mother and teenage son who came by to help us move storage bins out of our house and take care of the last closet with stuff still in it.

Day 47 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank our neighbors Leslie and Dan for bringing us some food for dinner, and for helping us crank through our mountain of laundry

Day 46 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank Ginny from Beyond the Crate home organization for her endless help and positive attitude. She's been incredibly helpful the past several days.

Day 45 - Guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank Sumi, Sonia, Lori, Lisa, Amanda, Becky, Josh, and Kelly, all of whom donated some cold, hard cash to help us with the various unexpected expenses we have incurred over the last week or so. It's been more helpful than you know. 

Day 44 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank our friends Amy and Joey for dropping off a supply of breakfast sandwiches for us, as well as whoever brought us the lasagna and garlic knots we had for dinner.

Day 43 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank or neighbor Julie for bringing us cheesy penne pasta, spicy meatballs, salad, and a lovely bottle of French cabernet sauvignon

Day 42 - guest appearance

Today I would like to thank whoever made this beautiful quilt:

The picture doesn't really do it justice. Someone at some point made this quilt and donated it to our local hospital. The hospital then gave it to our daughter. She doesn't like much right now, but she likes this quilt.

I'd also like to thank the UNC nurse who helped us get Amelia discharged from the hospital as quickly as possible, as well as the volunteers who staff the Ronald McDonald room at the hospital.

Day 41 - guest appearance

Today I would like to thank our good friend Sarah. She has been there for us over and over again, including today when she came to help with bedbug preparations as well as helping at the hospital with Amelia. She is awesome.

I'd also like to thank Beck, who was also willing to face off with the bedbugs to help us with a number of household tasks.

And finally, I'd like to thank Rebecca for bringing us BBQ chicken, mac-and-cheese, and roasted broccoli for dinner

Day 40 - guest appearance

Today I'd like to thank Kelly for bringing us BBQ chicken and homemade mac-and-cheese, as well as whoever brought us a bunch of sandwiches from Lucky's Delicatessen.

I'd also like to thank the hospital staff at UNC Children's for all the difficult and unpleasant work they've had to do for our daughter this weekend

INTERMISSION: Update for the last 10 days

When I started back on my birthday this year, I knew it was going to be a bit of a challenge, which is why I asked for help. What I didn't know was that we would need far more help than expected before the end.

First, my daughter, who has severe autism and intellectual disability, needed to spend a weekend in the hospital. Now spending a weekend in the hospital is almost never fun, but when you don't have the ability to talk, or the ability to understand what's going on or why, it can be traumatic. As a parent, this can be pretty difficult as well.

In order to get an IV line and NG tube in place, it took six adults and multiple attempts at each. In order to keep her from tearing them out, she had to be put in hard restraints. That means secure straps at the wrists and ankles. Then they had to put mittens on her hands and splints on both elbows to prevent her from bending her arms. Then those had to be duct taped because she was strong enough to break through both the velcro and medical tape. This was all after being sedated.

Even with all this, my wife, a family friend and I had to take turns keeping her in the bed laying back to ensure she didn't dislocate any joints while trying to get free, as well as to try to comfort her and let her know everything was going to be okay.

At the same time all this was going on, a second unexpected crisis was unfolding: Bed bugs. I don't know if you've ever known anybody who had to deal with bed bugs, but of all the treatment options are a nightmare, especially if you have a lot of kids. We talked to various companies and looked into treatment options and not only is it really expensive (thousands of dollars) it's also a ton of work.



Long story short, we're opting for the all-out full house treatment to get them gone once and for all. We have to run ALL clothing, bedding, stuffed animals, curtains, towels, hats, etc. through the dryer on high heat for 40 minutes. We also have to remove everything from all drawers, closets, shelves, and the tops of nightstands, desks, tables and other flat surfaces. Then we have to move all furniture 2-3 feet out from the wall. And the treatment can't begin until all that's done.

In other words, we are moving out of our own house, and then back in again.

So from here on out all posts to this blog will be guest appearances, and they will all be to thank people who are helping us through this.

Day 39 - guest appearance

Today my wife came to the rescue of a friend and her son when he missed the bus on a day where they had no room for error. So she hopped in the car and gave him a ride to school.

Day 38

My wife expressed her disappoinment at losing a stick of lip balm, so I bought her an assortment.

Day 37

Today I preloaded the vending machines at work with some change so the next person can get a free snack

Day 36

Today I made a donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

From the SPLC website:

We employ a three-pronged strategy to battle racial and social injustice:

Fighting Hate

Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the U.S. and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public.

Teaching Tolerance

We know we don't achieve equality and justice through the courts and investigative reporting alone. The future of our great country lies in the hands of today's young people.

 

Seeking Justice
We use the courts and other forms of advocacy to win systemic reforms on behalf of victims of bigotry and discrimination.

Day 35 - guest appearance

Today's guest appearance is from my friend Abbs, who really stepped up for someone who needed it.

Her friend's newborn baby passed away one day after being born.

I can't imagine the heartbreak and devastation this must have caused. In a situation like this, it's hard to even know what to do or how to help. It seems like no amount of support can possibly be enough, and nothing is going to make the hurt go away.

Abbs made a bunch of dinners, boxed them up and took them to her friend, along with a mix tape and some wine, and spent time with her.

Day 34

Today I donated some board games and other household items to a local thrift store.

Day 33 - guest appearance

My cousin Cheryl is making a repeat appearance here. She was kind enough to purchase some essentials (socks, underwear, deodorant) for her local schools to be supplied to students who are in need. This is a fantastic idea. Most schools keep supplies on hand for students who don't have the essentials. Check with your local schools to see what they need most.

Day 32

Today I made a donation to Habitat for Humanity of Durham. I had hoped to volunteer with them again this year, but if I told you how many things we were dealing with right now you might not even believe me. So maybe next year I can get out and swing a hammer or roll some paint. A donation will have to do for this year.

Day 31

Today we cooked dinner for some friends and then had them tag along while the kids went trick-or-treating for Halloween. And of course gave out candy to neighborhood kids. That's kind of a given though.

Also, I helped a certain little boy make a Minecraft Enderman costume with light-up eyes.

Good fun was had by all.

Day 30 - guest appearance

My friend Jake repaired a broken pull chain on a ceiling fan that was causing his wife stress. Sometimes when life is busy, hectic, and overloaded, a small gesture close to home can make a big difference.