Curve Ball

I should expect it, I guess, but a curve balls always catch me off guard.  

Last week was Golden Week.    The kids & Jerry had school/classes on Monday & Friday, but ECS was closed all week.  We didn't have any big plans, a little hiking, some time at the park, some quiet.

 

This week, one class started up again, university classes are in full swing.  The first Friday night game night was happening.  The Sunday School kids had rice planting scheduled,... typical full week with a few extras thrown in for good measure.

Perfect week for...

Joshy to have a fever... YES, he actually had what a normal person would call a low grade fever rather than a temperature that wouldn't register.

Add high heart rate & low oxygen rate plus vomiting a little bit of blood...

Wednesday found us at the hospital.  Blood work & an X-ray later we found ourselves in a room on the 5th floor.  Eight pokes after that an IV was finally in place.  

Wednesday is my busiest day, but it is Jerry's free day, so daddy got to handle the blunt of it.  I was there for the initial consult, then walked them down to X-ray before hurrying off to the dentist to have my temporary filling, that was falling out, replaced.  I made it back in time for the 2nd consult and to take part in the debate - do we admit or fight it at home.  I stayed with Joshy while Jerry went home to pick up supplies: meds, diapers, etc.  Then daddy got to be the mean one who helped the nurses attempt to get an IV going while I headed off to work.

Joshy's labs truly scared me this go around.  His white blood count was HIGH.  He has not had an "H" after his WBC's in nearly 5 years.  Even when extremely ill his numbers have barely gotten up to the mid normal range.  Having WBC's almost double normal was terrifying.  With Aplastic Anemia there is a 35-40% chance of going into leukemia.  On Thursday, I talked with his regular doctor who was not overly concerned.  Yes his WBC's were high, but...ummm... normal people do that.  In fact, the doctor thinks it might be an indication that his WBC's have finally recovered.  (I am still a little anxious to talk to the hematologist at the cancer center about all of this.)

The IV that was so hard to place was also short lived.  Thursday evening the site failed.  Joshy was showing improvement so they didn't attempt to replace the line that night, but rather waited until the doctor checked him on Friday morning.  Friday, the doctor ordered labs.  The short lived IV had gotten enough of the heavy duty meds where they needed to be to help Joshy turn the corner.  Counts were looking much better, so a switch was made to oral antibiotics.  In fact, he could have probably come home, but he will stay put until Sunday evening.  See the plan had been for Joshy to be in short stay Friday-Sunday.  Being ill / having an IV cancels short stay.  It is complicated, but he is sort of in short stay... we can't leave him there the whole weekend, but we don't have to be at his side all day either.... confused yet?

Semi-short stay, meant I could come home for supper Friday night.  It meant that I was home got the first Friday Night Game Night.

 

It also means that I can sit and blog this morning instead of rushing to the hospital in time for morning meds.  It means I can go to the grocery store, too.  I will be at the hospital before lunch.  I'll feed him lunch & hang out a little, then I can come home in time to fix dinner.

I am thankful the curve ball wasn't any worse.  I am thankful that God had it all in hand.

Just Another Morning

It's Friday morning.  The children have been dropped off at their respective schools.  Jerry has gone to work.  I find myself home alone, with a little bit of time to reflect.  I thought I would give you a peek into just one of my before school, morning activities.

Renraku Cho (れんらくちょう・連絡帳)  ~ Google translate calls this a "contact book".  It is basically a book passed between parent & school in order to keep everyone up to date on happenings, health condition, etc.  Thankfully, Kei takes care of her own - I can slip a note in to the teacher if the need arises.  Joshua, on the other hand has not one but TWO for school & on days he goes to after school care he has a third for the care center.  

The two contact books for school includes a file to/from the teachers and a file to/from the school nurse.  The nurse's has places to record morning stats, BM, food, any health concerns, etc., plus there is a pocket for his afternoon meds.  The nurse in turn will make notes of any health related care, i.e. meds given, she does throughout the day.  The teacher's file has a place to write any pertinent information,   For example, there was a 3 day holiday this week so I included that we went to the park.  I also told the teacher about upcoming medical checkups that will cause him to be late or absent from school.  Because the teacher meets us at the car, I can also tell her things which saves me needing to write everything down which is a huge help.  The teacher in turn will tell me what activities he does, how he is acting, wet/dirty diapers, seizures, etc, just simple notes to keep me in the loop.  The contact book for the after school center is very similar to the school nurse's file.  The three together look like this...

They are all in Japanese.  More often than not, I use my cell phone medical dictionary, messenger to double check kanji (Chinese characters), & sometimes google translate, depending on any strange antics Joshy might be up to, & Kei to make sure my Japanese doesn't sound too crazy!

For after school care Joshy has a backpack which holds a change of clothes for after bath, his special bath soap & lotion, basic medical supplies for his g-tube in case meds need to be give, diapers, & his contact notebook.

For school, his back pack includes his emergency meds case, any supplies that need to go to school, his lunch, his morning drink (which was left sitting on the counter this morning - OOPS!), & the contact files.  

With that he is ready to go...

Some days the chore of getting Joshy to school is overwhelming.  I simply need to remember that  once his bags are packed, meds are given, he is up, dressed, etc, etc, etc... I might just have a few minutes to sit and reflect... ahhhhh. 

New

April is the time for change...

New school year...

Kei is now in high school, at the same school, but in a different department & wing.  She is adjusting to several changes that come with the transition to high school life.  There are more students in her class.  She is now allowed to walk home.  She has all new teachers, plus a whole new schedule.  Much to take in for my girl who doesn't like change.

Joshua has some change, too.  His biggest challenge, at school, is a new male teacher.  Joshy is a flirt and loves the ladies.  He is not a big fan of men.  He did OK with the male teacher last year (the school likes to have at least 1 male teacher in the junior high/high school room(s) to help with lifting) but he is not so sure about the new teacher.  He will be chatty until the new teacher comes and then he sits quietly.

Mama also has some adjustments because both schools have very different ways of doing things.  Differences in PTA responsibilities, parent teacher interaction, etc...  However, both schools seem to want to denude the country of trees with all the handouts they are sending home.

New after school "Day Service"...

Joshy started going to a day service facility 2x/week.  This particular service will pack him up at school, transport him to the center, give him a bath (something that is becoming harder to do at home), and then either keep him until I can pick him up after work or bring him home on the day I cannot pick him up.  Some of his friends from school go to the same facility and he seems to be adjusting well.

New physical therapist...

I am thrilled that the therapist Joshy had 5 years ago has been transferred back to "our" hospital and is now , once again, Joshy's therapist.   In the 4 years Kiriyama Sensei has been gone, the whole therapy wind was moved, the old wing torn down and rebuilt into a state of the art therapy wing.  Joshy has also changed significantly, so there is quite the learning curve, but this is one change I am thrilled with!

New classes...

Jerry has new students in his university classes.  He also has a new company class.  I have a new preschool class starting as well as new students in my insisting preschool classes.  I also have 3 new classes at ECS.  

New outreach areas...

We are starting a monthly game night for high school through adult students, especially focusing on reaching university students.  The first game night is coming up next week.

We have also gotten the International Bible Study up and running on a new night.

Monthly events, Sunday School, & AWANA responsibilities continue, but there have been some slight changes there as well.

New neighborhood responsibility...

In the time we have been in Japan we have managed to avoid being neighborhood leaders, however, this has now changed.  Our lot was drawn.  Jerry now has neighborhood meeting to attend, neighborhood fees to collect and turn in, city & neighborhood information papers to distribute twice a month, garbage patrol to do, etc...  It is a good experience, but comes with a huge learning curve.

Is it any wonder this meme struck me in a very real way?

God Things

The past few months a plan has been in the works.  

A home stay to Indiana in August.  

Just before we went to the states last fall, a friend mentioned that we really should start doing home stays again.  While we were back in Indiana we just happened to see one of our previous interns, Jenn, and mentioned the idea of doing a home stay to her.  In the blink of an eye, she was on board with the idea.  One thing lead to another and a home stay plan was pulled together.  We handed out information and waited...

April 1st was the deadline for signing up.  Five students was the magic minimum number.

We were sitting with 3 very enthusiastic students & a few maybes.  On March 30th, I just happened to see a friend when I picked Kei up from camp.  He ask me about Christian schools in small town USA.  They are interested in having their daughter go to high school at a Christian School.  I told him I would see what I could find out.  I also mentioned the home stay plan.  Now we have 4!

On April 2nd we had 4 students, 2 older ladies & 2 junior high girls - perfect.  But it wasn't our minimum number.  The budget was based on a 5 student minimum... I sat down to see if the budget could be twinked to make it work with 4.  The biggest obstacle being airfare.  I found a really good ticket price, but the flight times meant we would need to stay in hotels the night before both flights - this might work, but required some figuring.  Remember, I'm trying to compact the budget not expand it.  Figuring done, I think it will work.  Go to buy the tickets and I can't do it on line and the travel company isn't open yet...  

HMMM...

On a whim, I checked another online site....

same tickets...

same itinerary...

CHEAPER STILL!!

In fact, we were able to get the flight AND hotels for the same original "great deal"!!

This whole time I've been messaging back and forth with Jenn as we attempt to coordinate plans.  I am AMAZED at some of the by chance things that are coming up...

• The 1st person Jenn spoke with about being a home stay hostess is a retired lady whose daughter was in Japan for a few months.  Retired... lady... PERFECT hostess for the 2 retired students!!
• Jenn, herself, will be hosting the girls.  Jenn the youth leader at church.  Jenn who spent 3 months with us in Japan.
• Some of the youth group kids attend a Christian High School!!  Christian high school is small town America... just what our friends are looking for.  *Jenn is going to see if the girls can visit/attend school for a few days during the home stay.
• A facebook friend shared a link to 15 Must Do Things.  Two of these were already on my list of things and a third can be easily added.

Now that plans are coming together, the rest of the budget is falling into place quite nicely, in fact, we might be able to ADD some extras.

Just Happened?

On a Whim?

By Chance?

NOPE, I think not.  These are ALL God things!!  God has this under control.  These little things are just simple reminders to me that GOD has EVERYTHING handled.

These "little" reminders help give me peace as I prepare to step out of my comfort zone of caring for my family, especially Joshy, and venture forth to new adventures in leading a home stay while Jerry, Kei, & Joshy hold down the fort.

God's got this!

Eggs & More

Easter is way more than a rabbit & colored eggs, but rabbits & colored eggs do open doors to telling about Jesus!

This past week our children's classes included of an Easter word search activity, discussion of Easter vocabulary, & the reading of What Is Easter? 

Saturday was the Easter Outreach Event.  This year we chose to have it at the camp once again.  Having it at our home is easier, but after last year's larger than usual turnout and terrible weather making outdoor activities impossible, we opted for the camp.  Numbers were as good this year, but we had several new people come.

Started off with egg dying & John 3:16 coloring pages.

 

 

Next up, Nakagawa Sensei did a pantomime show & told the Easter Story.

 

 

Next, it was time to find those hidden eggs & the weather was picture perfect!!

 

 

 

The camp has excellent hiding spots...in fact, there is still at least one more egg to be found!

We ended the time with snacks & time to just chat or, in the case of the children, run off any excess sugar outside.

 

Easter Sunday, I helped with a Sunday School activity... Resurrection Rolls!

 

We made enough for everyone who stayed for lunch after service to have one, but in the process after pictures we missed.

It has been a busy few days, but being able to tell about the Death, Burial, & Resurrection of JESUS is why we are here!

Happy Resurrection day everyone!

Big Step

I am reminded that 4 years ago this month we were in the final stretch of Joshy's 6 months in patient hospitalization for Aplastic Anemia.  Joshy's treatment was not responding as well as we had hoped, but it was responding ever so slowly, so the doctors were working toward moving to weekly outpatient visits.  We were finally able to go home for over night visits.  We were busy making some adjustments so that home would be a safe place for a boy with a severely depressed immune system & platelets that were still requiring weekly transfusions to keep going.  It was an exciting, but terrifying time.

One thing that I noticed when we transferred to the Cancer Center, was how much people made their room into "home".  Most patients had their own TV & DVD players because it was cheaper to buy them than pay the hospital rental fees for months on end.  Most patients had some sort of dresser and/or bookshelf or other storage.  All the parents, who were required to be there 24/7, had some sort of cot or bed.  We had baskets for this and that.  Anything, really, to make a sterile hospital room a little more friendly & personal.  *Joshy's 4 months in the cancer center was on the short side - some of the patients were in upward to a year, or more.

After Joshy was discharged, I still kept our "dresser" packed along with a small suitcase with essentials: convenient foods, change of clothes, laundry detergent, COFFEE. These things were put in the car each and every time we make a trip for a check up or ER run, because we never knew when he would be admitted for transfusions or to sort out wonky lab results.  When Joshy finally graduated to checkups every 2-3 weeks I stopped packing the car with the "to stay" things, unless he was noticeably ill, but the "hospital stuff" still remained in the garage, ready to be tossed in the car at a moments notice.  Or to be picked up by a friend who could bring it to us.

Today, I took a BIG step...

I emptied the hospital dresser!  It wasn't as stocked at it was at one time, but it still had several basic things we had used everyday when we were in hospital.

 

The dresser has now been re-purposed into storage in the hall coat closet.

I pray it can stay there a good long time.  I pray it never needs to be re-purposed into a hospital dresser again.  I also pray for those families who are needing hospital dressers. 

March Madness

March is always a crazy time as the old school year winds down and prep for the new school year, which starts in April, collide.  This year I am feeling a little whip-lashed by the collision.

***

Last Friday (4th) Kei graduated from junior high.   Her school includes elementary, junior high, & high school and all together there were 13 graduates.

 

(I cannot post any pictures from the actual ceremony)

Afterward we went out for lunch at a new restaurant. (I think I could eat there every day!)

***

Saturday evening the moms from Joshy's school got together for a graduation party.  There are 3 students in the B/C courses (C course is for home-bound students) graduating this year and the moms take any opportunity to party.

***

I got a call from a preschool and had a meeting with them about teaching 1 or 2 times a month.  Not sure about my sanity is agreeing to do this, but it will open doors.

***

Third time's the charm... I have been attempting to get something worked out so that Joshy can stay at school all day next year.  There is no bus service in Japan so getting special needs students to & from school falls on the parents.  There are a few services that will pick the child up & take them to a care center, but then the parents need to pick the child up there.  My work schedule does not work well with this set up, so this year I've need to pick Joshy up before lunch 2 days a week.  I went to one support area and was told they couldn't do what we ask, even though a teacher had directed me to them.  At the moms' party, one of the moms who uses the service assured me it WAS possible and gave me the name of the person to talk to.  I went back, managed to get to the correct department, explained what we wanted, and set up an appointment to fill out the paperwork.  Everything is now set and Joshy will be picked up from school 2 days a week, will then hang out at the care center, & this center even provides a ride home!!!

***

Today Kei went to high school for a practice day, for lack of a better translation.  She needed to take one packet of paperwork to turn in. Paperwork for schools is rather daunting.  Add all the formal Japanese...  even our secretary was confused by some of it!   (There is a 2nd packet that needs to be turned in the day before her entrance ceremony, but Joshy will need most of the same paperwork filled out so I will do both at the same time.)  After school Kei walked home!!  For junior high she was not allowed to walk to or from school, but from high school this is an option.  She sent me a text saying she was leaving - like I ask her to.  She walked part way with a new classmate and arrived home in a timely manor.  She was also discretely followed by a teacher, who wanted to make sure she followed the safety rules.  (I haven't gotten a phone call so I assume she passed.)  

AND

Today was the official graduation celebration for the B/C course of Joshy's school, too.   This is something Joshy's school does, but Kei's school does not do.  The C course graduate was not able to attend and the other junior high boy was also absent because he is still recovering from the flu, so our group picture is missing 2.  

This year we had a room at the new preforming arts center.  We had song time followed by a rousing game of Fruit Basket.

 

Next was craft time, where we made necklaces for the 3 graduating students.  Some of the students were more into destruction than construction, but it was fun.

 

Then it was lunch time.  (Sadly it looked better than it actually tasted.)

The day finished with a slid show commemorating the graduates & speeches by the graduating moms.

***

I'm a little afraid to look at the schedule for the rest of the month...