Drum Roll Please

 Hi,

We're staying busy around here. We've had doctor's appointments and furniture deliveries. Things have been busy, but fun! 

Drum roll please...

We finally got our dressers! They chose a delivery day that didn't work for us so I rescheduled for 10:00am April 3, forgetting it was Good Friday. But when I realized it, I figured they'd be done in plenty of time for our 7:00 service. Chuck had taken the evening off so he could attend, but ended up missing it. They changed our delivery time from 10 to 3:00. Then from 3:00 to 7:00. I was so disappointed! Since I was helping with the kids event that night, Chuck had to stay home for the delivery. But we were thankful he had taken the night off! And we love the furniture! 

Our old dresser: the top drawer was broken and wouldn't close. And nightstands - 

And the new - 

We know it's not conventional to have different colors of the same set, but it matches our room perfectly. 

And Beth's old dresser. She's had this a very long time.

And the new - 

She loves it! She told me every time she filled a drawer. 😊

And... her glasses came in. Last time she got new glasses she refused to wear them but wouldn't say why. After many months she told us she couldn't see out of them. So this time I told her to please let us know if she can't see out of them, or if things are blurry or it doesn't seem right. I had her walk around the office, look out the window at something far away, and look at something close-up. She liked them right away!

These are her old ones - 

 And her new ones

Well guess what? I just went downstairs to get a close up of her glasses so you could see how amazing they are -

And she wasn't wearing them. She had her old ones on. I asked her why and she shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno."

"Beth I think you do know."

In a quiet whisper, "They're dirty."

But they weren't dirty.

"Beth, why aren't you wearing them? It's okay, we just need to know so the doctor can fix them."

"They're not me."

Hmm, I get it. So I told her it's like wearing a new style of shirt and I said you might look different at first, but it's still you. You just need to get used to them. I asked her if someone had said something to her but she shook her head no, "Uh uh." 

"You should try wearing them all day today and tomorrow you might feel differently."

No response. She just looked at them on the desk.

"Beth are they too tight on you? No response. 

"Do they hurt?" No response.

I told her to please wear them the rest of the day today and we could talk more about it later tonight. I brought her old glasses upstairs with me and I'll check on her later. I think if she really couldn't see she would have said something. 

This is where the second guessing comes in, should I force her to wear them? Is it truly as minor as her looks or is something more serious going on? Are they making her dizzy?

Sometimes it's hard to know.

Busy With Good Things

There has been so much going on around here lately. Good things though.

Beth went for an eye test and will be getting new glasses soon. She helped me fill out the paperwork then I had her take it back to the desk. The admin thanked her and said she really appreciated her bringing it back, I couldn't hear if Beth actually said anything back to her. The tests went well and she found some new frames. It was funny to watch her expressions as she tried on different styles and colors. I suggested she look away from the mirror, then glance back at herself, she made some awful faces, "I take it you don't like those?" "Nope." And we'd laugh. The frames she ended up with are called Purple Confetti. They're due in next week.

That was last Friday, the 20th. This past Friday she had an appointment at the Dermatologist for more cortisone shots for the alopecia. Afterward she wanted to go out for frozen yogurt so we went to our favorite place: Revelations Yogurt. We were there a few weeks ago too.

After we left the yogurt place we walked around the shops for a few minutes and came across this mural. It's of the pier I often walk when I'm down by the waterfront.

Let's see, we've finally found some new dressers! We've been to so many stores, we're thankful the search is over. They'll be delivered this Friday.

They'll be delivered before we head to church to help with the Good Friday service.

Plus Beth's case worker is coming by tomorrow for the in-house assessment. Just to make sure Beth is in a good living situation. We'll take her downstairs and then Beth will show her around her apartment.

We've had a new little boy in our Sunday school class. So now there are three kids, one girl and two boys: 7, 5, and 3. They're all autistic and have many of the same behaviors. Today they did so well together, it was a really good day.

I got a framed picture sent off to my sister.

Took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill that had been taking up space in our office area.

Tomorrow we go live with our new room reservation system at work.

And next Monday Beth and I have dentist appointments.

And I think that's enough for now! :) 

I hope you all have a great week! 

Valentine's Day

Hello! I'm stopping in for a few minutes to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you know how loved you are.

Beth and I got haircuts yesterday. Same style, just trimmed. Then went out for frozen yogurt.

This morning we went shopping for new dressers. The top drawer of our dresser is broken, which impacts the second drawer as well. And Beth has had her dresser for many years. In fact, she and Diana had it when they shared a room while they were growing up. Definitely time for a new one. We've been looking for a year or so but haven't found any that we really loved. Same as today. There were a few we liked okay, but none that we really wanted. So the search continues.

Then the three of us went to The Olive Garden for lunch. We hoped it would be less busy than tonight and we were right. Got seated right away. Had a delicious lunch - those bread sticks! - and brought home leftovers. 

Now we're back home just hanging out, watching the Olympics and relaxing. Hope you had a blessed day!

A Big Surprise

We walked in the door from our vacation, pulling our luggage behind us. Beth immediately took hers to her room.... and stopped dead in her tracks. Her sister Diana had switched rooms while we were gone!

It is something we have talked about doing for years. When her sisters move out, Beth would move downstairs and get her own 'apartment'. We have a daylight basement with a bedroom and large family room. The family room would become her livingroom and kitchenette. We knew it would be alot of work and have been in the planning stages for a very long time. Well, not any more!

In the 2 1/2 days we were gone, Diana took everything out of the rooms, painted BOTH rooms, drug furniture up and down the stairs and put both rooms back together. Wow! Beth was shocked. She reluctantly took her suitcase down the stairs and just sat on her bed. For a couple of nights she didn't even sleep. I woke up at 3 one morning to find her watching TV. At 5 AM, she was in the kitchen getting something to drink. It has been quite an adjustment for her. Her night light creates unfamiliar shadows on the wall. The furniture is not arranged exactly as it was. Change is difficult for Beth. It's been more than a week and I think she is finally beginning to adjust to her new room. She slept on the couch for a while, but has been in her bed the last few nights. The family room still has some extra furniture and there are boxes yet to be unpacked. We have been cleaning closets and sorting through drawers. Today Beth and I went though her large bin of crayons, markers and colored pencils. We checked every marker and threw away those that no longer worked. We put all the good crayons in a bag and Beth is going to donate them to All Aboard. (An organization that provides activities for adults with special needs.) She then sharpened all the colored pencils! There were a lot!

In the Dog House

I rearranged Beth's room today.

It was not welcomed with open arms.

Or even a smile.

Her room is small and she has a lot of furniture.

Double bed, two bookcases, large dresser and a desk.

The desk is very close to the side of her bed.

She likes it that way because it was close to her TV.

Well now the TV is on one side of the room.

Her desk - where she sits to watch TV - is on the other side of the room.

There is a lot more open space.

She can get in and out of her bed easily.

But she is not a happy camper.

I've told her it doesn't have to stay like this.

We can change it back if she doesn't like it.

But I want her to try it for a couple of weeks.

At one point she had moved her chair to the middle of the room; was sitting or sort of half laying in it, arms folded; head back, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I know change is hard for her.

For anyone really, but especially for those with Down Syndrome.

I've been talking to her about this for months now.

Doesn't matter.

She is not happy.

I peeked in on her a few minutes ago.

She has moved her desk chair away from the desk and is just a couple of feet from the TV.

She's watching Les Miserables.
And singing at the top of her lungs.

That's got to be a good sign, right?