A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Hi Everybody!

Hi, my friends.

I have been very sick for a long time but tonight I am well enough to be up for a few minutes here at the nursing home/convalescent care place to come visit with you all.

It is lovely to see those who are here!


Merme

Am still praying for you and for your new almost teen, Merme. Get well soon. You are sorely missed.

Merme, I miss you so much!!!!!

Are you starting to get a little better? We've all been praying for you and Maxi. I'm just thrilled to see you on here. You've really been missed.

I've been missing you, too!

Just a little better, loz, just a little bit better. Each day, a small step forward... some days, a decline. But progress nonetheless.

Merme

Hang in there. A little progress is better than a little or lot of decline in progress.........stay strong!

Is the home you are in nice enough? Are they taking good care of you?

hi cindy/merme,

Sure hope luck works in your favors , very soon..........You have many followers here, wishing you both the best.

Yes , your lively chatters is missing..........also.

God bless you both..............happy october..

keep your spirits high, merme. I know you lifted my spirits just seeing that you posted. I hope maxi is doing ok, as well. get some rest, hon!

merme so glad you were feeling up to posting. Glad to see you again----and yes I too have missed you.--

I will continue to pray for you and of course for Maxi as well.

so glad to see you. i've missed you too.

Thanks, everyone ~

Loz ~ I wish I was strong enough to type out the details of how truly very nice this nursing facility actually is in terms of style and care for residents. The staff is also downright terrific! I've even made a few friends here among staff and patients.

13 years ago today I gave birth via C-section to Maxi at 11:30 AM.

Tomorrow is his big surprise party. He isn't going to believe his good fortune. When I get sick, his life gets turned upside down.... leaving town, changing schools, not going to church, etc. So there will be kids from church and from his old school at the party. He is going to be so pleased!

Today I am making his a big poster for his room. I am cutting out balloon shapes in many colors and adding curling ribbon strings. On each balloon I am writing down a word of advice contributed by a friend or family member about getting through the teen years. Some are lovely; others humorous. I will also leave a few blank so that guests can write on them when they arrive. Then Maxi will have a nice poster of sayings from people who care about him!

Merme

You have been missed Merme! Still saying lots of prayers for you!

Hi Merme - so good to see you posting! I'm hoping for a good recovery for you so you can get back to your son and the rest of the things you love best.

That poster for Maxi sounds wonderful.
Wish we could see a picture of it - anyone there have a camera maybe???

Please wish him a very happy birthday from me. I'm sure he will be thrilled with the party, and just to be with you is a terrific present!

Merme

Welcome home and what a great idea you have for the party.
Happy birthday to Maxi...........Your his Taxi.. Good ride.

:ding: :ding:

I'm so very glad that you are in such a nice, caring place Merme! And Maxi is going to just :ding: his big surprise party you are planning for him! All the thought you put into it, and his MP3 player with his name on it! How cool is that?

You are now the mother of a teenage son! Can you believe that? I would normally say, good luck with that---but he seems like one sensible kid and I doubt you have too many problems over the years with him. You've raised him well.

Glad you've made some friends there. Do you have any idea at all of how long you think you'll need to stay there to recover?

Merme I'm so happy to hear you're making friends and the staff is excellent and friendly that's a huge plus in making your stay there a pleasant one while addressing your medical care .
I want to wish Maxi a . Officially a teen today ! Times sure flies doesn't it Merme next thing you know you'll be preparing for his high school graduation party.
Continued prayers for you Merme,

Well, Maxi came today to have a special lunch with me, stopping at a premier seafood place on his way here to buy it. He THINKS that is the only celebration we will have. So while we were eating he said "Well, Mommy, at least this year you are not in a coma!" (as I was when he turned 8.)

The party tomorrow is going to knock his socks off!

Yes, Lynne, in fact I asked my friend Sam to pick up a disposable camera for the party tomorrow so I'll have pictures to share with you all once I get home.

I asked him if he is coming tomorrow and he repeated the line his dad had given "Only IF I can get a ride down, Mommy! We will try to work it out!" He has no idea the rides are all set and they will be coming in separate cars because he'd be suspicious if the entire family showed up to come visit me.

Loz ~ the amount of time I must stay here depends entirely on how fast I progress. I can't go home until I am able to take a few steps AND walk up 6 stairs to get in the apartment. Right now I can only stand up sometimes without help getting up and when I am up, only for 30 to 45 seconds. So it is going to be a while but we work hard everyday.

I am writing Maxi a special message from me on the poster and I will let you all read it when I finish it. But if there is a line of advice for a young teen you would like me to add in your screen name, please feel free to post it here and I will include it. We have until 2 tomorrow to add more sentiments.

Merme

I am glad to see you here today too, Merme. It sounds like Maxi is going to have a big surprise tomorrow.
The only teen thing I can think of is really not appropriate for Maxi. When John was teaching high school, I bought him a plaque that said "Teenagers! Move out now while you still know it all!"
It was funny but not for a 13 year old.

Nothing great has ever been achieved , except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances.
~~~~~~~
When the character of a person is not clear to you, look at his friends.

Thank you, Diane! I will add those to the poster in your name.

This is what I wrote him:

"Dear Maxi ~
When you were a tiny infant and I was a new mom, I worried often about making mistakes with you. I didn't know much about babies in general or little boys in particular. Then one day I realized that although I'd never been a mom before, you'd never been a baby before! We were on this Grand Adventure together and neither of us knew what to expect. And we've made out pretty well, haven't we then.

In a like manner, now we are on the verge of a new Grand Adventre with you as a Teenager and me as Mom Of A Teen. I believe we will do as splendidly now as we did throughout your Infancy, Toddler years, and Young Boyhood.

For you are the best boy any mom could hope for! And remember: the day you were born was the happiest day of my life for you made all my dreams come true.

I am so proud of you, Maximillian, and I love you with my whole very heart.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Mommy"

Hi Merme, I have been thin on the ground here recently, and feel so sorry to here that you have been having health problems. I had no idea that you were ill, But I shall pray for you tonight onwards, and hope that you shall soon be strong enough to go home, and have a late Birthday party for Maxi. Take care.

So sweet, an real.

So Merme, today is your baby's birthday. Can you believe it?

Oh, just to explain about that "To Infinity and Beyond!" which is Buzz Lightyear's expression...

When Maxi was small, we'd play a little game.... One of us would start "I love you!" and the other would reply "Oh yeah? I love you more!" Then the first person would say "Well, I love you this tall" and hold up hands and the other would try to outdo the first. Then we'd say things like "I love you as tall as this room!" or "I love you as tall as that tree!" Well, maybe, but I love you as tall as that other tree! And so on. Eventually we'd get to as tall as birds can soar or planes can fly and sooner or later Maxi would say Well, I love you as tall as God's House! Then when Buzz Lightyear became popular he strted topping me with "Well, I know you love me, Mommy, but I love you to Infinity and Beyond!"


It was just a bit of silly from his childhood, is all.


I can't believe he is 13. And such a young man!


Merme

The party was terrific! Maxi was so, So, SO surprised! He just came sauntering down the hall, seeing me at the end waiting and thought nothing of it until everyone jumped out of the archway and yelled "SURPRISE!" He was truly speachless!!

We had a great time. The food was excellent; the cake perfect. He got many nice and useful gifts and cool cards. Most of all he was reminded of all the people who love him even though they don't get to see him.

I overdid it trying to accomplish everything for the party and had a small setback, but I seem to be better again. Sometimes the progress is fractional, but it is still progress.

I took 6 steps today in the parallel bars and climbed up three stairs. I am being generous when I say I "climbed". Actually, I dragged myself up mostly with my arms. But get up them I did!

After not walking for 6 weeks, those steps in the parallel bars killed the small of my back, but my torso will increase in strength the more I can be upright. The PT put a hot pack on my back afterwards while I did the leg exercises and that helped tremendously.

All for tonight. I hope to see y'all soon.


Merme

Merme, so glad to hear from you.

I am glad Maxi had a good time and was happily surprised. I do so wish you had not of ovedid it but I can also see why you did. I was however glad to hear hear you think you are once again better.

I am so glad to hear of your progress---slow but sure progress is the way to go I think.--I will be continuing to pray for you as you go thru this time.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I think I missed Merme! Darn it.

I'm so happy that everything went so well! Every little bit of progress you make is something to be proud of, you hang in there and keep working hard(but not so hard that you overdo it).....

Miss you and praying for you.

Merme's back, merme's back.......YEA!
So good to hear from you! sounds like the party was a big success. that's a very good thing. some 13 yr olds are hard to please. maxi seems like a very well raised young man. My kidos's are 11 and 8. I'm trying to talk them into a halloween party this year instead of the trick or treat door to door thing. where we live, it is a lot of driving (houses on BIG lots) lots of traffic. its fun for them but very stressful to whoever is driving through all that mess (other cars, trucks, trailer hay rides ect....kido's everywhere)! any ideas? cheap ideas? maybe we could do a haunted house? bbq some chicken wings, big bon fire, marshmellows???
anyway, merme. good to hear from you and keep your chin up!

Good to hear from you Merme,and that you are slowly recovering,and that you had a wonderful day with your son Max,Happy Birthday to you Max.

I will keep you in my Prayers Merme. Love Faye

Peased that you had a lovely day with Max, Hope that you continue to improve, and feel well again.