Goodness. First, let me thank Tim & Andres and Nancy & Lincoln for putting something out on the blog so that the poor site didn't feel totally neglected! Anyway, we're back and hope to be in the swing of things on a regular basis in 2008.
Tim has been an outpatient now since November 21. It's a different life, requiring adjustments for both Tim and the family. When he was at Spaulding, we all knew where Tim would be, when he would be there and what his schedule would be. Now, things are very different from day to day. Where we once had a routine, we now need to be flexible in how and when we provide support, and Tim needs to be creative in how he spends his time. For me, frankly, the last couple of weeks have been a bit out of control - year end work projects, Christmas and New Years events, stuff that needs to be done around the house have all added up to a very difficult-to-manage period of time. I look around our home and my desk at work (ha!) and I can see that little by little, many things have fallen by the wayside. Nothing urgently important, though and we'll get caught up eventually.
So, here are some bits and pieces, in no particular order.
By and large it was a very nice Christmas season. Christmas Eve was a joy as always at Molly & Lou's in Richmond. Things were a little more quiet than usual as some family members elected for a tropical celebration and a couple of the youngsters made serious trips to be with their significant others' families for Christmas. But the extended Kapteyn family, being who we are, managed to fill the house with good cheer and food and wine. Tim, Jancy, Amy & I enjoyed a nice Christmas morning together.
My sister Carolann, along with husband Tony and son Allott have settled down (to some extent) in East Stockbridge, so we were able to have the entire family together for the holiday. Carolann hosted the West Stockbridge Butterworths, Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle Dan for a very nice Christmas Day dinner. 
The next day, my brother Bob drove up from Virginia with children Mike and Emma, while brother John and partner JP came out from Boston. Grandma & Grampa treated all of us to a collective birthday dinner at The Red Lion Inn http://www.redlioninn.com/ on the 26th honoring Amy, Tim, Grandma, Emma, Allott and yours truly for birthdays that fell between November 22 and early January. A good time was had by all! New Years Eve at Martha's was a wonderful gathering of dear friends. Amy and I are both happy that we were able to enjoy these times together with family and friends with minimal preparation!
A couple of practical things happened along the road to Tim's independence. First, his new wheelchair arrived, so he was able to return the loaner to Spaulding. Second, he had his first driving lesson and it was determined that he will be able to drive with a simple adaptation of adding a left foot gas pedal. As soon as the van is properly equipped, he'll take a few lessons in that vehicle and be eligible to get a license.
Tim's spirits have been up and down over the last couple of weeks. Of most significance is that he is feeling a bit poorly, and the docs can't seem to pin down why. It might be a change in medications or some other reason, but they're working on it. Unfortunately, whatever it is causes him to feel less strong, and unable to do some of the home therapy work that he had anticipated. Visits with or from friends and family pick up his spirits. Aside from the Christmas events, he went to see Juno with Brigitte at the Triplex and had a visit at our home from WS pal Travis. The reality of switching from a resident patient to an outpatient is another source of unpredictability - his irregular therapy schedule over the two week holiday period and the difficulty in getting around Boston in a wheelchair at this time of year are two things that are very different. Appointments have been sporadic and Tim went from 4 days a week to one or two or none! That will get back on track January 8. For the most part, though, Tim is enjoying his independence and is happy to be off the hospital floor. These uncertainties are just another set of challenges for him to confront, and he'll figure out how best to deal.
For the first time, we sent out our Christmas card with a bit of a newsletter, in order to let some more folks know what had gone on in our lives this year. The result was a pleasant number of emails from old friends that we don't get to see too often and a bit of a surge in blog visitors.
Our living situation is in flux, big time. Amy packed up the rest of our belongings from Nancy's Willow Street apartment as we'll only be spending an occasional overnight in Boston now. I don't know how we would have dealt with this situation without that place to stay. On the home front, Dom Lucchi's crew continues the work on making our bathrooms accessible along with a few other odds and ends. It's been a difficult job due to the age of our house (1840 or so) and a desire to allow us uninterrupted access to bathroom neccessities, but they've been a pleasure to work with, and things are looking good. Anyone who has ever lived through a renovation of any kind knows how throw everything can be thrown a bit off - nothing is where you think it is, and stuff moves around the house from day to day. It's definitely hard to keep a routine (for those who know me, you can imagine what kind of a mood that puts me in). I think we're in the home stretch now and looking forward to getting things back together.
Finally, we are working to get Jancy out the door and on to Ghana - coordinating last minute shopping and preparations, as well as various good-byes. On January 9, Amy and I will drive her down to JFK and leave her at a hotel for orientation and preparation for her departure on the 10th, which we are not allowed to observe. :-(
So, that's it from One Stockbridge Road. From the beautiful, snowy Berkshires, best wishes to all for a pleasant, healthy and prosperous year in 2008.
Tim has been an outpatient now since November 21. It's a different life, requiring adjustments for both Tim and the family. When he was at Spaulding, we all knew where Tim would be, when he would be there and what his schedule would be. Now, things are very different from day to day. Where we once had a routine, we now need to be flexible in how and when we provide support, and Tim needs to be creative in how he spends his time. For me, frankly, the last couple of weeks have been a bit out of control - year end work projects, Christmas and New Years events, stuff that needs to be done around the house have all added up to a very difficult-to-manage period of time. I look around our home and my desk at work (ha!) and I can see that little by little, many things have fallen by the wayside. Nothing urgently important, though and we'll get caught up eventually.
So, here are some bits and pieces, in no particular order.
By and large it was a very nice Christmas season. Christmas Eve was a joy as always at Molly & Lou's in Richmond. Things were a little more quiet than usual as some family members elected for a tropical celebration and a couple of the youngsters made serious trips to be with their significant others' families for Christmas. But the extended Kapteyn family, being who we are, managed to fill the house with good cheer and food and wine. Tim, Jancy, Amy & I enjoyed a nice Christmas morning together.
My sister Carolann, along with husband Tony and son Allott have settled down (to some extent) in East Stockbridge, so we were able to have the entire family together for the holiday. Carolann hosted the West Stockbridge Butterworths, Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle Dan for a very nice Christmas Day dinner. The next day, my brother Bob drove up from Virginia with children Mike and Emma, while brother John and partner JP came out from Boston. Grandma & Grampa treated all of us to a collective birthday dinner at The Red Lion Inn http://www.redlioninn.com/ on the 26th honoring Amy, Tim, Grandma, Emma, Allott and yours truly for birthdays that fell between November 22 and early January. A good time was had by all! New Years Eve at Martha's was a wonderful gathering of dear friends. Amy and I are both happy that we were able to enjoy these times together with family and friends with minimal preparation!A couple of practical things happened along the road to Tim's independence. First, his new wheelchair arrived, so he was able to return the loaner to Spaulding. Second, he had his first driving lesson and it was determined that he will be able to drive with a simple adaptation of adding a left foot gas pedal. As soon as the van is properly equipped, he'll take a few lessons in that vehicle and be eligible to get a license.
Tim's spirits have been up and down over the last couple of weeks. Of most significance is that he is feeling a bit poorly, and the docs can't seem to pin down why. It might be a change in medications or some other reason, but they're working on it. Unfortunately, whatever it is causes him to feel less strong, and unable to do some of the home therapy work that he had anticipated. Visits with or from friends and family pick up his spirits. Aside from the Christmas events, he went to see Juno with Brigitte at the Triplex and had a visit at our home from WS pal Travis. The reality of switching from a resident patient to an outpatient is another source of unpredictability - his irregular therapy schedule over the two week holiday period and the difficulty in getting around Boston in a wheelchair at this time of year are two things that are very different. Appointments have been sporadic and Tim went from 4 days a week to one or two or none! That will get back on track January 8. For the most part, though, Tim is enjoying his independence and is happy to be off the hospital floor. These uncertainties are just another set of challenges for him to confront, and he'll figure out how best to deal.
For the first time, we sent out our Christmas card with a bit of a newsletter, in order to let some more folks know what had gone on in our lives this year. The result was a pleasant number of emails from old friends that we don't get to see too often and a bit of a surge in blog visitors.
Our living situation is in flux, big time. Amy packed up the rest of our belongings from Nancy's Willow Street apartment as we'll only be spending an occasional overnight in Boston now. I don't know how we would have dealt with this situation without that place to stay. On the home front, Dom Lucchi's crew continues the work on making our bathrooms accessible along with a few other odds and ends. It's been a difficult job due to the age of our house (1840 or so) and a desire to allow us uninterrupted access to bathroom neccessities, but they've been a pleasure to work with, and things are looking good. Anyone who has ever lived through a renovation of any kind knows how throw everything can be thrown a bit off - nothing is where you think it is, and stuff moves around the house from day to day. It's definitely hard to keep a routine (for those who know me, you can imagine what kind of a mood that puts me in). I think we're in the home stretch now and looking forward to getting things back together.
Finally, we are working to get Jancy out the door and on to Ghana - coordinating last minute shopping and preparations, as well as various good-byes. On January 9, Amy and I will drive her down to JFK and leave her at a hotel for orientation and preparation for her departure on the 10th, which we are not allowed to observe. :-(
So, that's it from One Stockbridge Road. From the beautiful, snowy Berkshires, best wishes to all for a pleasant, healthy and prosperous year in 2008.
