Happy Easter Everyone!!

A couple of years ago.  Who says you can't balance an egg unless it is at noon on the solstice!

We are having a nice, quite Easter.  Aunt Julie Ka-Boolie left earlier after sharing a wonderful brunch around Donovan's Table.  Now it's cooking dinner and basketball as the kids play games.

We hope all you you had a blessed and wonderful day!

Easter Egg hunt at the Equest Center.  Great spring day and chance to get outside!

The letter "V"

Wow it's Friday and we haven't had a new post since Monday!  You know what they say,,, No News is Good News!  Donovan is doing great and we continue to adjust.  We are on Spring Break and hanging out and filling the day.  We are taking care of Victor our neighbors dog, the sun has been shining here and it is feeling like spring.  Bridget's sister Julie is here for an encore presentation so we are getting out for an hour to have a drink.

Bridget has been a trooper.  She has only been away from Donovan a couple of times since the surgery, for very short periods.  We've been blessed with a incredible Mom, Wife and best friend.  As they say,,,  I married Up! :)

Look Mom,,, I'm the letter V!

Face Plant - Donovan's first trip to see the Doc

Carl had a busy weekend and when it was time to get ready for school, he ate breakfast and crashed on our chair.  This picture reflects how we all feel some mornings as we juggle everything.

Very busy weekend and not enough sleep....

Donovan had his first visit with the Doctor since the surgery today.  Bridget, with good friend Amy Vancil, got Donovan loaded up in the truck and went to go see the Doc (after taking Carl to school.  I had to head out of town for work).

Donovan's recovering is going great!  In fact, everything looked so good, he can skip his next appointment.  I'm too tired to get into details, Bridget will do that tomorrow, but we wanted to let you all know that.

good night...... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

What inspires us...Kevin, our Rock Star

Both Steve and I have received many gracious "how are you doing" inquires.  Truly, when you're blessed with a kiddo with needs and they have a personality as Donovan has he leads the way.  And if he's going to get through this with great attitude and determination, then how can we do anything different.

With Kevin when he had a similar surgery as Donovan in the 80s
Thanks for sharing the picture, Sean!

After cheering Kevin in at the MS150 ride in 2007

There is another person so many of us have been blessed with and taught me the same; my cousin Kevin.  Kevin was also born with Cerebral Palsy but was more involved than Donovan.  His spasticity left him with limited use of the right side of his body, yet he defied just about every limitation predicted for him.  His parents were advised to find an institution for him to live in, which they didn't listen to it.  They were told it wasn't likely he would walk; he walked for most of his life. 



I bet if the doctors that diagnosed him in the late 50s ever entertained the idea of bike riding, they would have said no way.  They didn't know Kevin's spirit.  He showed everyone that he had no limits and did it with a smile, inspiring everyone who met him, and becoming a very accomplished biker and hero to many! 

I grew up knowing Kevin as my Rock Star.  Running into him at bike rides unexpectedly was the highlight of the day!  Cheering him in at the end of a ride always made me cry out of pride in him.  As an adult, he shared his wisdom with me on what life would be like for Donovan, what his spasticity feels like, how not to enable him but rather teach him drive and determination.  Donovan's made that really easy on us... he has been blessed as Kevin was!

Kevin became our angel in 2010 and I miss him!  I am so grateful for having had him here to teach me about his spirit and help me to understand how to be a better parent for Donovan.  I really urge you to look at the links below to understand what an amazing person he was and invite you to share them with anyone you know in need of encouragement or inspiration.

Kevin's family started a foundation in his honor to support the use of biking as a source of freedom for people with differences. Make sure you look at the media link within it to hear about his life of amazing accomplishments; carrying the Olympic torch, being called a hero by the first American to win the Tour de France, riding his bike from L.A. to D.C. while peddling with one leg, and so much more!  The Kevin Degen Open Road Foundation.

For any parent of a child with special needs (or any needs for that matter), Kevin's eulogy by his friends and family has been a source of inspiration for me.  Listen to the portion where his sister, Colleen tells of how his parents encouraged him to be strong and independent.  Kevin's Memorial Service

When my sister Julie decided to celebrate her 50th birthday by jumping out of a plane, none of us six siblings, including me, had the courage to join in but Kevin did!  He trusted in himself and the staff to lift him out of his wheelchair, get into the jump seat, and go.  Kevin's jump.

Again, we were amazingly blessed with Kevin's spirit and are now with Donovan's!  The next time you see an indivudual with differences, don't feel sorry for what they don't have, look at them with the same awe as you do for others you admire; they are likely accomplishing amazing things against the odds.

-Bridget

Donovan.Lassig@gmail.com

Saturday morning and all is well.  Donovan is getting stronger each day and is using his trapeze to lift himself more and more.  Some of you have mentioned wanting to leave comments and not being able to.  Not sure why that is but if you would like to send Donovan a note, please send it to donovan.lassig@gmail.com if the comments aren't working for you.  He can read your emails on his iPod! :)  Maybe we'll even convince him to reply to your emails.

Next he'll want a twitter account.......

Your cards mean a great deal!

This week, Donovan received two stacks of cards... one from classmates and another from buddies from his Wolf Den.  These mean a ton to him!  Many thanks to Sra.'s Tamayo and Paulson and his amigos de segundo grado!  And, to his awesome leaders, Mrs. Burns and Mrs. Dew and the fabulous Wolves! 

Days End - this and that

Bridget and Emma gave me their "iDevices" to off load pictures so I thought I'd share them.  Just moments in time over the past 5 days.  Can't believe it has been a week already.  His favorite thing to do (other than when mom and dad slave over him) is to stretch by rolling on a side and pulling on the bed rails, while mom and dad roll his legs.  Always good for a big sigh and a "Ahhhh,,, that feels good..."

Doing my daily pull ups to strengthen the core! One, two, three...

Playing flashlight tag with Emma, with the "finger flashlights" attached to my toes!  Thanks Daniel for the flashlights!

Love my new Angry Birds Blanket from Nana and Papa!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Love it!

Day 7 - All's well...

Donovan had a busy day.  First there was a visit from his school principal, Mr. Hoogerland, who came by to deliver another present (everyone is spoiling D) and play a little bay blade.  It was very kind of him to work us into his busy schedule.  We love our school!

Then Donovan had his second PT session and got his morning work out in.  Finally, Miss Holly and Miss Annah, from his school stopped by to deliver his first in home school lessons.  All went well and D was very happy to see everyone.  Big smiles all around!

Donovan continues to get stronger every day and is now moving himself on the bed and in his wheel chair more and more each day.  We built a table for him so he has a work surface so he can play games and do his home work in his chair.  He likes it very much.  Now he wants drawers and secret compartments built in!

All and all, life is good.  Emma and Carl never cease to amaze us how compassionate they can be one minute to help D, than the typical brother and sister the next!  Balanced karma I guess.... 

As always, blessed with all the help our friends and family provide each day.  Spiritually, physically and emotionally....  very humbled by it and thankful........

How to Stay in Touch When You're at Home in Bed

On Monday, Donovan got the chance to see his classmates for the first time since the surgery through Skype.  It was great to see him so happy and to see the kids eager to see him.

Many thanks to Sra. Tamayo and Mr. Hoogerland for making Skype work!

A note from From Donovan to his friends (with a little help from Emma)

Gracias por todos  los cartas y tambien los globos me gusto tanto y finalmente los posteres gracias especialmente Jackson, Evan, Braydon, Nick y Makenzie.  Go Pack Go!

                                                                          --Donovan  
                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                

Things I am Grateful for Part 1

I am sooo grateful for my family....
My sister Julie who came the night before the surgury and took over with Emma and Carl for the rest of the week and was there for me when I really needed her!

I love you Aunt Julie Kabooli

My sister Sarah and her family who treated us to an amazing mid-winter break; Donovan's last big gig before the surgery.  Uncle Eric who made it his mission that Donovan get to enjoy skiing with his cousins and siblings and soooo succeeded!  And then came this weekend to be our personal physical therapist, cook, and curtain maker, with a broken elbow herself! 

Uncle Eric, you made this smile happen!