Ron was so cute, I decided I like the stage Ron is in right now. Maybe I am in denial and want to ignore reality. Or, I am at peace with accepting where he is mentally right now. He is a 12 year old and we are young again. He isn't even trying to be funny and I laugh at and with him. We have always been able to laugh together and talk just about anything. Even if our lives are/were so different, we could find common ground and giggle a lot. We use to talk a lot about growing up and all the funny things we experienced. The good and bad at times depending on our mood. Ron could remember almost everything from our childhood. I was always amazed at what he could remember.
I asked Ron how the food has been. He said "terrible" it is like leftovers! They feed me leftovers!
I again promised him a hamburger from Carl's Jr. as soon as he is cleared for solid food (I hate Carl's Jr. due to personal (political) reasons, I think I have been only once many years ago; Therefore I will try and convince him he needs a Crown Burger, onion rings and a shake!)
I spent time with the case worker (Kitt) and the speech therapist (Britney) which was really great. The speech therapist is over his diet and swallowing as well as short term memory (cognitive exercises).
I watched as she asked him the simple questions, his name, what year and what city he was in. She then told me to remind him all the time about what he was doing before the accident, where he lived, etc. We were discussing his transportation. I told Britney he rode his bicycle all over. Ron perked up and said "yes, my only mode of transportation, that is how I stay in shape!). He remembered that he rode his bike all over. From Ogden to Centerville and North Bountiful where he was doing construction as a living. He couldn't remember that he was visiting Jim in Draper at the time of the accident. He doesn't recall where he lives. The last time I asked him what year it was he said 1995. This week he thinks it 2004 (he's getting closer!).
Britney (speech therapist), asked me to label all the photos I brought for Ron. She said it was hard to help him remember everyone without names. She showed Ron a picture of my family and pointed to my husband Tim, asking who he was. Ron said "that's me." He also told her that my dad's wedding (many years ago) with pictures of his siblings, our grandma etc. Ron said it was a picture of his wedding (Ron wasn't in the picture that we could tell). He does recognize people sporadically. This week he knew who my daughter was when I showed him a picture, he said "that's Randi Jade!" that made me smile. He also pointed to my youngest son Payton who is 14, and said he acts more responsible than him (pointing to my 18 year old Parker, shhh we won't tell Parker he said that).
Britney then fed him a cup of fruit and he was very pleased to get some crackers. She asked what kind he would like, saltines, graham, ritz, Ron said, "A cracker is a cracker isn't it?" He had his cracker and asked politely for some water to go with his cracker. He was so grateful for the water! "AH!" he said. "Nothing like water!" He seems so grateful for simple things that we all take for granted (water and crackers). He was without food for almost a month being fed formula through a tube. So he is in "heaven", besides the leftovers. Britney then cleared him to eat solids (He will get his burger next week). I then had the privilege of feeding him a slushy. He loved that too. He wasn't quite finished and decided he was tired. In a very toddler like way, he closed his eyes and said he wanted a nap. He then told me to put that slushy in the fridge (chuckle).
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