Second Wave of COVID-19

So, what we thought was going to happen in the winter is now happening in the summer. The second wave of COVID has started to hit. We are starting to see more and more cases of COVID. This is a mixture of a few things. We now have the capability of testing more individuals, both those who are symptomatic and asymptomatic. We are starting to have more folks in the hospital. However, there are still some positives. We are seeing fewer and fewer deaths.

What does this mean for Texas? We are now having mandated mask wearing in the public sphere. We are bringing down the capacity of businesses from 75% to 50%. But what if we don't like wearing masks? Folks may find them uncomfortable, itchy, difficulty breathing, etc. Would you want surgeons to not wear masks when they are operating on you? No, you want them to do all the extra precautions so you do not get sick. Okay, but I have asthma, and I cannot breathe with the masks on. Alright, well, this physician as well has asthma, and I have become adjusted to it over the past 3 months. Everyone can get used to wearing things that are uncomfortable. Technically, underwear, shoes, are all uncomfortable, but we have become socialized to follow this. We can still not shame folks that do not agree with us. For me, I will wear a mask in public, but I will not yell at those who do not wear masks. If I am concerned about someone who isn't wearing a mask, I will kindly ask them to socially distance. I will not shun or yell at them.

I am still spending time with friends and family. I am actually really excited to go to church this week. My church has divided the church body into 6 groups and has only some of us together at once. We will be wearing masks, sitting in separate pews, not singing, no handshakes or hugs. But, it is worthwhile. Being a part of a group again, spending time together, even if it is small. It is like being a part of the body of Christ. Even though it is every 6 weeks, I am so glad to be back at church, and to see my friends again.

We will make through this, together.

Week 3 of Therapy and Overcoming Depression

Flynnie has both made progress and had issues over this past week.

In therapy, they have recommended that he works on imitation. For example, if we are playing with cars, and roll it, we should make noise, and have him try to roll the cars with us. They also recommended that we sing songs with him, especially ones with hand motions. The ones that Flynn prefers are "Baby Shark" and "The Wheels on the Bus". We also need to work on getting him to focus, to have him watch us and work directly with us for extended periods of time. This is very difficult, especially given that Flynn loves to be mobile and always be on the move. They recommend that we do more story time, more drawing, and get him to sit with us. They say that he has improved with pointing and that he has become very good at puzzles, and that he figures them out quickly.

This week, we took Flynn and Preston out to the splash pad. We believe that a day or so prior to that, Flynn must have gotten into some poison ivy. He has had a worsening, spreading rash over his body. We have been applying hydrocortisone cream, benadryl cream, and calamine lotion. We were able to get him some oral prednisolone, which will also help with his rash. Flynn has been doing well with the rash, it only bothers him every once in a while.

On overcoming depression, it has been a hard time. I have had many good moments and many bad moments as well. I learned more about myself over this time. I have learned more about the importance of medication. How medication can be useful for stabilizing people. How depression is a real thing, feeling numb, feeling all the emotions at once, they can all occur. But, I was able to keep moving forward. I had the support of my wonderful husband, of my amazing family. I kept trying, knowing that each day could possibly get better. And eventually, it did. I have been able to smile, been able to laugh, been able to enjoying my time again. This does not mean that I'll be good forever. What this does mean, is that I know what to do the next time I struggle. I know that struggling is important. It allows me to overcome, to become stronger, and keep on moving. Moving towards the future, with God leading the way.

Week 2 of Therapy

We have been working with Flynn for just over a week now. Tim was able to go in during the therapy session with him today, thanks to having someone watch Preston. 

Occupational Therapy:

Flynn is working on his pincer grasp, which is the motion of having one's thumb and index finger go together. This is the position that your hand goes to hold a pen or a pencil. He has also been working on putting toys that can be attached together and pulling them apart. He has shown a lot of improvement on jumping. He also needs to work on pointing at objects with one finger as opposed to his entire hand. 

Speech Therapy:

Currently, they are not concerned with a possible tongue tie. Tongue movements are significantly used for producing the L&T sounds. Those sounds are not commonly used at his age. However, today I did notice that Flynn was "ta-ta"ing at me. Flynn also needs to work on improving his length of focusing. He, like most children, can only pay attention for a short period of time before losing interest. He started working on identifying objects and items on flashcards, which he is getting right about half of the time. This is where his lack of focus is really playing a part. Flynn is also working on colors, especially ones that start with "B", like blue, brown, and black, because that is one of the sounds that he is working on.

We are going to try to have one of us, either me or Tim, visit the therapy appointments about every other week. That will allow us to learn from the therapists, and to allow Flynnie to have one-on-one time as well.