Christopher's uncles have been raising money to help out their sister and family with some of the costs that insurance does not cover, not only medical costs but also things like time off work and driving from their home to Duke. They set up a free tech help service in which people can ask a tech question and get an answer for free, and he is a professional tech nerd, and ask that if you benefited or just feel like helping out and don't need advice that you donate to the fund. In the two months since they set up the fund people have donated over $3000, you guys are awesome!
And here is where I ask those of you who are parents or have experience with 2 year olds or are just hit with inspiration for help. They need to keep this poor kid on bed rest after these surgeries, which has been difficult as I am sure any of you who has been within 500 feet of a 2 year old can imagine. Does anyone have any ideas that would be free/cheap and easy to do to help keep Christopher from getting bored but keeping him still/in bed? Please leave your ideas/suggestions in the comments and I'll
3/4/09: Amazing news, his heart valve has improved to the point where he does not need the surgery right now! The docs were beyond stunned because this NEVER happens, how awesome is that?! Thank you everyone for praying for this little guy. He is not completely better by any stretch, he has multiple heart defects, but for now he can go home and be a 2 year old =).
Also about the request for ways to keep him occupied while on bed rest: Thank you so much for the lovely comments first of all, love them! I may not have been clear enough, though awesomely the subject is somewhat unnecessary at the moment given he is not having surgery right now (not sure when but from what it sounds like down the road at some point he will have more). After his surgery he of course is going to naturally have a period where he is hurting too bad to try to get up and such, the problem they were having, and VegasDad specifically mentioned to me, is that he starts to feel better BEFORE he is supposed to be off bed rest. I think part of it is because he has been sickly his whole life and so is used to pushing through more than someone who hasn't. Also the heart surgery improved his circulation significantly, so he probably suddenly has more energy than normal and feels better perhaps than before but that does not negate the fact that he had just had open heart surgery and NEEDED to stay still. Niecey was an extremely energetic and active 2 year old and so I can't imagine trying to keep a kid that age in bed and not bored, which is why I was appealing to you all for tips, thanks =).
6 comments:
Poor little guy. I pray that everything goes well and his surgeries are successful. As for how to keep a two year old bedrested, good luck. I would think for the first few weeks his little body will be just so tired and trying to heal that it will happen naturally.
Thanks for doing this, you are AWESOME!
How to keep a 2 year old from getting bored. The key is variety. Games, book, puzzles, TV, movies, figurines, things that make noise. You need to have a lot of different things at your finger tips to keep the options changing.
Saving some and making them special can really help buy you time.
Hope this helps!!!
WeaselMomma: Thank you, I hope everyone does, definitely can't hurt! After the first surgery he started to get more motile and feel better before his bed rest was over and it was/is really challenging for his parents to keep him in bed/relaxed. I still remember Niecey at 2 and how she was almost never still and so I figured maybe people would have ideas to help with what seems impossible, keeping a 2 year old still for 30 seconds?!
OhCaptain: Thanks for the thanks, I have a soft spot for kiddies and just look at that little cutie, how can anyone not want to try and help! Thanks for the tips and helping spread the word =).
I will keep him in my prayers. As for his parents keeping him busy, I would have to agree with weaselmomma. On the off chance it doesn't: videos, and crafts that can be made in bed (coloring etc.) are good for short doses.
Oh god, good luck with trying to keep him down. I could NEVER find anything that could keep my niece (when she was 2) put for more than a few minutes! I guess just go with previous suggestions-keep the options changing and keep up with variety.
i really like crayola's line of products that use "water-pens" to write. they even have little hand-held notebook sized things. you just fill the pen with water and it writes on their special paper. no mess, no fuss, and keeps them entertained for a little while at least :)
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