Hey everyone, it's Joan. I'm back! Surprised?
I've finished summer school, passed my road test, done my pharmacy interview...now I'm just waiting...and beginning to enjoy summer! Hooray!
Tonight's shift was pretty cool - me, Steve, and Joanna, who is a new peer volunteer! (Martin came in for dinner, but went home soon after because there weren't many kids in the house that needed 4 volunteers!)
After dinner, Steve, Joanna, and I brought Eliza, Nina, Stan, and baby Maria (Lucas and Gloria's baby sister!) outside to take a stroll around the house. Then we just hung out by the swings in the warm sunshine. Maria quite stole the whole show there - she is the cutest baby ever, and what's cool about her is : she has 6 fingers on each hand, and 6 toes on her left foot! And she has so much baby fat her arms look like they have 3 sections. She seemed to enjoy all the attention and was thoroughly content in her stroller and white hat.
When we didn't do something for a long period of time, Nina would start making crying noises; that indicated to us to go around the hospice again.
Finally we went inside!
Steve took Stan, and little Normie (who just finished dinner) downstairs for Rockband.
Joanna and I stayed with the girls on the 2nd floor and watch Cinderella! Eliza loves princess movies, and she was engrossed in the film completely.
Then Normie came upstairs to get his meds while sitting on my lap. He is the cutest thing ever! He pretends to be shy with a new nurse, but really he's so quirky and has such an energetic and fun personality - no wonder her mum is always so tired out by him!
Then little Katy (who is baby Shanna's sister) came back from what she called "Jang-jang", which I still do not understand, and watched some TV with us.
I think the highlight of the night was...when Normie bid us good night, and he went over to Katy and gave her a hug and kissed her shoulder, then her forehead. It was the cutest thing everrrrr! Joanna and I were like " awwwwww" SO CUTE. Malcolm too bad you missed it!!!!
After Normie went to bed, we finished Cinderella, and even watched a bit of Beauty and the Beast before we had to go.
Overall, it was a very relaxing and calm night. =)
Friday, 26 June 2009
Thursday, 25 June 2009
No Man, I'm Dave
This is what happens when you get a bunch of boys together: nonsense.
In the house were Keith, brothers Kenny and Kam, Kaleb (all known only as Dave), and a couple of other young ones who were hanging on the kid's floor, and a new girl to the program (and her Mum). Dinner started of with a bang. Somehow Kenny (the older brother) managed to spill on himself and the floor a full pitcher of apple juice. The dining room was full tonight and there was a lot of chatter. I met Kam for the first time and he was asking Joan and I "how do you spell it?". Not knowing what word he was talking about we kind of left it hanging! Kenny and Kam both speak in a very slow and drawn out manner which makes for great 'No Maaaaaannnnnnnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaaavvvvvve' s. Keith is 17 or 18 and when he speaks it is a real challenge to understand. He also speaks very slow and it is a real neuromuscular challenge for him to get words out. With Keith if you can get the 'yes or no' questions handy he communicates well. Kam is Kam. He has a new name for this post. Kam is a kid who is often at the house on my shifts. Sometimes he is a bit grumpy but tonight he is in a great frame of mind.
Tonight was game 7 of the stanley cup playoffs. For some reason we all agreed that the game started at 7pm local time. Some of us are not very smart (and I had been in playoff denial since the Canucks were out). So we had a good hour and a half to play outside. Keith only had eyes on the computer. After a bit of stalling and miscommunicating, and having to go pee I brokered a deal with him to go outside until hockey. I often imagine what it is like being in a chair your whole waking day and think of the number of times you think you have to go pee. For most of us sometimes you actually do and sometimes you really don't need to, but we can run to the can and figure that out. It is really different if you need somebody to help you go pee if you can't get out of your chair and you don't use a bag. Anyways...Keith didn't actually need to go pee.
When we got outside the boys (and Santos and Joan) were playing hide and seek. Keith and I jumped into the game. Found a great spot: I drove Keith into a big rhodoendrun bush. It took a while to be found. When we came out we were covered in tons of dead flower stuff. As Santos said, "hey, you are all covered with stamen". Interpreted as a highly innappropriate comment by someone (me). Now we are ready to watch the game!
We get inside and get up to the school room to find the game 5 minutes into the third. What a great third period!!
Keith and I are surfing, going to his facebook and other sites. He wants to show us a video that he and his classmates had made on homelessness in the city. There is a link for a local website and when we click on it it takes us to www.dave.ca . Who's Dave? I kept asking. Kam is a bit of a parrot and he started saying Dave in his long drawn out voice. Then I started the 'No man....I'm Dave' routine. Soon enough everybody in the room is yelling "No maaaaannnnn, Iiiiiii'mmmmm Daaaaaave", and then laughing hysterically at ourselves. That is what boys do.
At 2000 it is time for Kenny to go have his bath. A little later the PCA who gave him his bath comes back upstairs and makes directly for me (the nurses and PCA's always think it is me):
"Who is Dave and why is Kenny repeating over and over and over (throughout his whole bath), "no maaaannnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaavvvvve", and then laugh hysterically at himself?
I like nights like that. If I see Keith, Kenny, Kam, or Kaleb in the future I hope to hear them yell out "Noooo mannnnn....I'mmmmmmmm Daaaaavvvve"
In the house were Keith, brothers Kenny and Kam, Kaleb (all known only as Dave), and a couple of other young ones who were hanging on the kid's floor, and a new girl to the program (and her Mum). Dinner started of with a bang. Somehow Kenny (the older brother) managed to spill on himself and the floor a full pitcher of apple juice. The dining room was full tonight and there was a lot of chatter. I met Kam for the first time and he was asking Joan and I "how do you spell it?". Not knowing what word he was talking about we kind of left it hanging! Kenny and Kam both speak in a very slow and drawn out manner which makes for great 'No Maaaaaannnnnnnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaaavvvvvve' s. Keith is 17 or 18 and when he speaks it is a real challenge to understand. He also speaks very slow and it is a real neuromuscular challenge for him to get words out. With Keith if you can get the 'yes or no' questions handy he communicates well. Kam is Kam. He has a new name for this post. Kam is a kid who is often at the house on my shifts. Sometimes he is a bit grumpy but tonight he is in a great frame of mind.
Tonight was game 7 of the stanley cup playoffs. For some reason we all agreed that the game started at 7pm local time. Some of us are not very smart (and I had been in playoff denial since the Canucks were out). So we had a good hour and a half to play outside. Keith only had eyes on the computer. After a bit of stalling and miscommunicating, and having to go pee I brokered a deal with him to go outside until hockey. I often imagine what it is like being in a chair your whole waking day and think of the number of times you think you have to go pee. For most of us sometimes you actually do and sometimes you really don't need to, but we can run to the can and figure that out. It is really different if you need somebody to help you go pee if you can't get out of your chair and you don't use a bag. Anyways...Keith didn't actually need to go pee.
When we got outside the boys (and Santos and Joan) were playing hide and seek. Keith and I jumped into the game. Found a great spot: I drove Keith into a big rhodoendrun bush. It took a while to be found. When we came out we were covered in tons of dead flower stuff. As Santos said, "hey, you are all covered with stamen". Interpreted as a highly innappropriate comment by someone (me). Now we are ready to watch the game!
We get inside and get up to the school room to find the game 5 minutes into the third. What a great third period!!
Keith and I are surfing, going to his facebook and other sites. He wants to show us a video that he and his classmates had made on homelessness in the city. There is a link for a local website and when we click on it it takes us to www.dave.ca . Who's Dave? I kept asking. Kam is a bit of a parrot and he started saying Dave in his long drawn out voice. Then I started the 'No man....I'm Dave' routine. Soon enough everybody in the room is yelling "No maaaaannnnn, Iiiiiii'mmmmm Daaaaaave", and then laughing hysterically at ourselves. That is what boys do.
At 2000 it is time for Kenny to go have his bath. A little later the PCA who gave him his bath comes back upstairs and makes directly for me (the nurses and PCA's always think it is me):
"Who is Dave and why is Kenny repeating over and over and over (throughout his whole bath), "no maaaannnn, I'mmmmmmm Daaaavvvvve", and then laugh hysterically at himself?
I like nights like that. If I see Keith, Kenny, Kam, or Kaleb in the future I hope to hear them yell out "Noooo mannnnn....I'mmmmmmmm Daaaaavvvve"
Sunday, 14 June 2009
No Man....I'mmm Daaaaaave
Ah yes, a throwback to the old Cheech and Chong skit. Well at one point on Friday there were 6 of us yelling in the classic voices, "no man!....I'M DAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaave".
It kind of tells of the whole night. This is just the teaser. The 'rest of the story' to follow.
Dave
Thursday, 4 June 2009
joan gets all the fun
I wasn't able to make it last week as something came up that needed to be attended to. I missed another teen night. they are probably thinking I am avoiding them!
don't know what they did...but it was probably fun!
i was planning on reading to them...something like moby dick....
don't know what they did...but it was probably fun!
i was planning on reading to them...something like moby dick....
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