New Swing

After the pergola was built, we had been talking about how nice it would be to attach a swing to it for James. Back in June we tested out a swing that we bought.

Unfortunately, this didn’t work out to well for James. It was a bit difficult to get him in and out of, and he just seemed uncomfortable in it. Stacy’s dad put his thinking cap on and designed and built a new swing for James. James had received a platform swing through early intervention (EI) that he used as a base for the new and improved swing. I’m not sure if this is the same manufacturer, but the platform swing is similar to this:

https://www.southpaw.com/platform-swing/

He then found a piece of wood that fit between the ropes and was long enough for James to lay on. And of course, because he owns a carpet store, he added carpet pad and carpet to the top of the board to make it more comfortable. Here is the finished product:

We think it turned out really good and will work well for James. He was a bit upset at first, but quickly calmed down and seemed to enjoy it. I think we’ll get lots of use out of this swing. Thanks dad!

Here is a video that Stacy took of James using the new swing for the first time:

Mini Vacation

We had our annual get together with my mom’s side of the family at Lake Lawn Resort a couple of weeks ago. We used to get together every Easter, but with some of the kids off at college and in sports, it was hard for them to get away Easter weekend, so this year we decided to go to Lake Lawn in the summer when the kids were out of school. We left last Sunday, made our usual stop at Anderson’s Candy Shop in Richmond, Illinois for some of their awesome chocolates, and spent Sunday and Monday nights at Lake Lawn before heading home on Tuesday.

A major storm blew through Sunday night that brought down lots of trees, but fortunately, it didn’t look like the resort suffered any damage.

Monday night they had a bonfire and provided all of the ingredients to make s’mores.

Because James doesn’t close his mouth, we decided to put a medical mask on him to keep him from inhaling any bugs or smoke from the bonfire.

We finished off the evening sitting by the lake. We didn’t stay long. The sound of water rolling into the retaining wall was really soothing and was putting us to sleep. If you can’t tell, James was already passed out.

Pool Party

Ever since James came home from the NICU he has had palliative care. The organization that provides his palliative care hosted a pool party yesterday that we went to. He was a bit upset when we first got him in the water, but he eventually calmed down and relaxed.

Bathroom Renovation is Complete!

I am happy to report that the bathroom renovation is complete. It turned out so nice that I think it deserves its own post. I will start to get the pictures together and try to have it posted next weekend. But for now, it’s late, I have to be at work in the morning, and I need to get some sleep.