Fall Updates To Document Change

Jake is continuing to make daily learning and physical range of motion gains for August and the beginning of September. Jake continues to use daily a knee brace contraption to try his best to maintain the 75 degree angle bend and a sit down stationary bike to gently stretch and keep the range of motion active. He has a lot of pain in his left new and constructed left ankle, due to the bone infection contracted in Texas. He is getting bi-monthly blood analysis checks to measure the level of toxins in his body and is still taking a high potent antibiotic to try to wipe out this dreadful disease. We are still crossing our fingers and hoping for the best and that he does not have to look at the possibility of amputation from his left knee on down. He goes in next month to see the orthopedic surgeon and we will re-evaluate the situation.

The summer months and beginning of September have been time well spent on daily living skills for Jake as he has become my essential sous chef in the kitchen with Jeff and I. He is working on making team recipes with me from our trips to the local farmer markets from homemade applesauce, pico de gallo, and putting together his own healthy lunches from choice options from the grocery store and made available to him by easy access in our fridge. He has done an amazing job to learn new skills from our modeling and teaching of creating a quality well balanced meal that includes protein and an abundance of fruit and vegetables. He eats twice as many vegetables as you and I would- and I believe that is a good part of why he he has fought off so many sicknesses from the common cold and flu. And.... he also drinks 3 times as much water as you and I would to stay hydrated and healthy. He is making amazing healthy eating choices- he is consistent and very adamant to keep up this routine. He is an extremely good role model for his Mom and Dad, and has us second guessing our eating choices at time- which is good :-)

Jake and Jeff have also accompanied me to a a few teaching events in August to start to get back in the routine of assisting with workshops and to accompany "Mom' on her interesting teacher journeys. Two major trips coming up that my Jeff and Jake will accompany with - this Fall will be the south of France to Toulouse in October and in November to Portland, OR.  They will be the sight seeing tourists on these two trips to expose Jake to new cultural visual learning experiences and living situations. Jake remembers bits and pieces of his People To People European trip he went on when he was 12 years old, and we are hoping the France trip will help bring back more long term memories for him to fill in the missing pieces and gaps.

The Portland, OR trip will prepare Jake for his next journey in his life, as we will be moving in 2016 to the westcoast region and hopefully further in years to come the ultimate caribbean state of Hawaii. Jeff and Jake will be scouts on this trip to search out and find our next living location. We are moving to the west coast for a more tempered climate for Jake to live in and get around in, instead of the below zero temps, ice and snow that we endure for up to 6 months in Minnesota. I just need an airport to fly in and out of to take me on my teaching journey, so Portland is perfect and I can start up my edtech consulting business on the west coast and continue my efforts there. Please note-  I will becoming back frequently to the MidWest, so do not worry teacher friends- my IEC workshops will still be offered locally here too :-)

Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone!