Friday, August 21, 2009

Friday, August 21st

Hello to all. There have been many things going on in our life. Summer is winding down and school starts back Monday. We made a trip to South Texas last weekend so Clay could go to the ocean and see Grandma and Pappy. He had a good time and was able to walk on the beach late in the day and fish off the pier at night. There were several people that came to see Clay while we were there. He has gained much of his strength back and decided that it was time to ride a bike again. He has not been on one since the accident. Grandma was filming the first ride, which turned into a race, and she witnessed a spectacular crash. Clay was racing his brothers when he lost control and fell over. He now has scraps on his knee. He was lucky in his landing and does not seem to be suffering any ill effects. We had another surprise while in Corpus. We had contacted the Shriners burn hospital for a consultation and they called the Friday we were there and said they could see Clay on Monday in Houston. We made plans to spend an extra night and drove up the coast on Monday morning to a 1:00 appointment in downtown Houston. The people at the hospital were very gracious and they explained a lot of different thoughts about Clay. The most interesting portion of our visit was what we were told about his left hand. They took X-rays while we were there and thought they could take the remaining portion of the index finger and stack it on the top of the thumb to give it more length and function. They have a plastics specialist that was on vacation. As soon as he returns they are going to explain the case to him and contact use if this is feasible. Clay is already on the surgery schedule for September 18th at Children's in Dallas. They were going to work on the hand and release the eyes. We hope to have discussions this week with the doctor from Children's. Clay went to burn clinic at Parkland yesterday. They want to schedule a neck release early in October. Mom takes him to Wichita Falls every day for therapy. Deidra will homeschool Clay this year. We have also enrolled him in kindergarten but he will participate as a homebound student. Through this program, a teacher will come to the house 4 hours a week and OT/PT will come as well. The teacher that is sent out has to be certified in Special Education. Deidra has her teaching certification (1st grade-7th grade) but is not certified in Special Ed. One of the education diagnosticians mentioned that if Deidra was certified in Special Ed., she could be contracted and paid to teach Clay. Deidra is trying to figure out how she is going to get all of Clay's lessons taught, take him to his daily appts., and be back home to meet Carson and Cody when they get off the bus (along with washing clothes, cooking meals, helping with homework, grocery shopping, etc.) As a family, we will all come together and help (many hands make light work). Deidra mentioned that she would like to have more time to send e-mails and stay in touch. Instead of turning on the computer at night, we try to get as many hours of sleep as we can. Please know that we are grateful for all your comments and care. Hopefully, one of these days, we will have time to respond to you individually. Many thanks to all who have continued to pray. We pray each day for strength from God. We will try to post more frequently after school begins and we get into a routine. Take Care.

16 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for the update, we continue to look at the blog everyday and am always glad for the news. Sounds like there is a lot of help for Clay in the future. Glad he is gaining so much more strength, even to ride his bike. We are glad you got a trip to Corpus before school starts. We have a lot of good memories of Corpus with several of your family Deidra. Hope the boys are anxious for school, and we know you all have your hands full. Wish we were closer to give a helping hand, but we do continue in prayer for you.
    Love and care B&E

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Fites...I clicked on to Clays blog to see if by chance there had been an update, and there it was....yea!! We are so glad to know that Clay is doing well and adjusting to life at home and out and about with family and friends. He is just an amazing little guy with such a can-do spirit about him.
    I can't begin to imagine how busy life in your household must be, but you all are blessed with one another and a wonderful support network in your extended family and friends. Hang in there, it's one day at a time!
    We are so happy to get an update on Clay and continue to keep you all in our prayers and especially sweet clay.

    stay in touch when you can :))
    love from Austin

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a thrill to get an update on you all. You guys do amazing so don't berate yourselves like you haven't done enough. Oh, it's wonderful to hear how normal of days Clay is having...including bike wrecks. Always thinking about you in NE!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like things are going great. We continue to keep you in our thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for the update! I am always very happy to see an update but I don't expect one too often because you are soooo busy!!! How normal is that to race your brothers and have a wreck! (Just thankful he didn't hurt any of his burn areas!) I'm sure it was worrisome to watch but it made me grin from ear to ear as I pictured it!! (Can you tell we have raised two boys and now have three grandsons to watch!! We also have three granddaughters but girls are usually not quiiite as rambunctious!!) :>) I am still trying to get time to get a few pictures together to send you.
    Love, hugs and prayers!!
    Rena Coston

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Fite Family:

    Sounds as if all of you are staying extremely busy, but as you've previously mentioned, isn't it a joy to be busy with all of your family.

    Good luck with the new school year and all the transitions it brings!

    Ecclesiastes 3:1-7
    A Time for Everything
    1 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under heaven...

    The Snyder's

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dee Dee, try not to worry about getting everything done because I doubt that will be possible with your schedule anyway. Just do the best that you can. Also if you need more help, holler. I'm supposed to be at Newcastle 10-2 on Mondays, and Wed and Fri I go to Graham 10-2. Pretty much the rest of the time, I just run around doing errands and my little projects until I pick Rusty up at 3. I'm only taking one class this fall on Tues and Thursday nights, and Randy and the kids are supposed to really pitch in more around the house, however when they do that it sometimes ends out to be a bigger disaster than if they didn't even try to help me. My kids decided to take it upon themselves to help me and clean out our freezer while I was in the shower last week, and they threw away a bunch of frozen meat for some reason. They thought anything that had been in the freezer a couple of months was old. I have no idea why they even decided to do that. It wasn't something that I had ever asked them to do before. They wanted to surprise me. In truth, I was really surprised. I'm going to leave my Tues/Thurs open so that I can knock out more of my work and maybe my kids won't help me so much. Also I'm usually not busy when I'm at Newcastle or Graham so if something comes up, I just leave there. Call me if I can help. We are still praying for you all same as before. God Bless

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just an FYI, Texas Teachers offers a special ed certification.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good morning, dear Fites, You just tend to the business at hand and slip in a quick update when you can. I didn't get this one as quickly as I used to. Dusty and family, David and family and Megan and family and I drove up Friday afternoon to Abilene, arriving there about midnight to surprise Marty on his 40th birthday. We got back Sunday night. It was such a joy getting to meet your three fine sons and husband. What a treasure you all have in each other. Today is Megan's birthday so we are going out to eat with Dusty and his family in Portland.
    Love and prayers still come your way and I will be praying for God's hand on the doctors and what they all decide to do next. God bless you all and have a beautiful day, Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  10. So glad for news in the midst of your very busy schedule. We think of you all often; glad to know that steps towards healing continue, and that Clay is gaining all of his energy and stamina back! Bike wrecks are not good, but we are thankful that he can have one!! We will continue to send thoughts and prayers your way as surgeries happen. Thank you for taking time for the rest of us! :) Hugs to all of you.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have been SO out of the loop with no computer nor Internet, but I am back and have had you all on my mind a lot. I am so happy to hear that Clay has started getting back into his old routine. (even having bike crashes) That means he is still a little boy! PRAISE GOD!! I miss my nightly Clay check ups but I still pray often for him and I am so happy to hear that the Shriners are giving you hope about his thumb! They are really awesome and I know they will take great care of him! I love you all and will be praying for all of you as you make the transition into school and therapy and all of the things life throws at you! God bless you!! Lots of love and prayers! The Wood family

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you so much for the update! Have been checking every couple of days to see if there was an update. Glad to hear that Clay is doing so well. Please know that many thoughts are coming your way.
    The Stark family

    ReplyDelete
  13. SO GLAD for another update and to hear how things are going! It's just amazing to think of what Clay has been through and what he is able to do now. What a precious little fella! Hope all continues to go well in whatever they plan for his continued treatment. Y'all take care and hang in there and keep on keeping on. We're all thinking of your family. Your friends in NH, Kent & Sharon Chappell

    ReplyDelete
  14. So glad to hear that things are getting back to as normal as possible... I got your pictures not long ago and I am so glad to put a face with a name... I like to do that.. You have a beautiful family both inside and out.. funny because my 13 yr. old said that you guys looked like you could be my family... I thought that was so funny about the bicycle race because it sounded like Clay is really beginning to act like a normal little boy again... I have 2 boys myself and know just how scary it can be to watch them act so rambunctious at times.. I can only imagine that you are prob pretty protective of them now even more so... I have placed your family picture on the refrigerator at home so that I remember everyday even when life gets so nutty to pray for your family.. Good luck with school with the boys and I know that you will do just fine getting everything done that needs to be done.. You are a remarkable lady with a remarkable family.. Keep your spirits lifted... Amy Airhart

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hello Clay and family!
    I am so thrilled to hear of your progress and the many blessings in your lives! I wish that I lived close so that I could have some fun with your family, they sound like alot of fun! I will continue to pray! You all bless my heart!
    Love,
    Lynn Holder, friend of Shannon Stamper White

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello to the Fites, I am so very thankful that I got to meet you at the Play. It was such a joyful time for me. I hope nest time a big HUG will in order !!!! I am anxious to hear about school days !! All my love, Sandra Woodward

    ReplyDelete