TUES., WE HAD FLURRIES-NOTHING STUCK, BUT JESS WAS SOOO EXCITED!

I HAVE NOTIICED, OVER THE YRS., SOME COMMON MIS-CONCEPTIONS:

• U NEED 2 KNOW ASL 2 TALK 2 ME. BUT IF U KNOW ASL, DON’T SIGN 2 ME-I CAN HEAR & HAVE DOUBLE VISION, SO IT’S HARD 2 C! IF U DO NOT KNOW ASL, II CAN NOD YES/NO, SHRUG MY’ SHOULDER 4 ‘MAYBE,’ WAVE MY HAND 4 ‘SORTA’ OR ‘KINDA.’
• CING MY HAND MOVE, DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN I’M TALKING-WHAT IF I ITCH?
• IF U ASK A # QUES., EXPECT A # ANSWER. #1-5 R EASY. THEY LOOK IT. I HATE SHOWING ‘4’ WHEN A # QUES. IS ASKED, HAVE SOME1 GUESS AN ASL ‘B,’ I SAY NO, SO ANOTHER LETTER IS GUESSED, SO SINCE A LETTER IS EXPECTED, I SPELL ‘FOUR.’
• I AM INCAPABLE OF MANY THINGS. U’D BE SURPRISED WHAT I CAN DO, & AS MY KIDS GROW UP, I CAN DO MORE. IT CAN BE A NICE BREAK WHEN MY CAREGIVER WAITS ON ME HAND & FOOT. HOWEVER, MARK HAS A LIFE–& SO I CAN BE ALONE. THAT CAUSEES ME 2 CHALLLENGE MYSELF & BE CREATIVE. 4 EX., MARK WAS HERE, BUT THOUGH I COULD QUICKLY GET MARK’S ATTENTION & HAVE AN EASIER TIME, I DECIDED 2 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BEING ALONE: I WAS TIRED OF WAITING 2 C SOME CDS, SO I LEARNED 2 DO IT MYSELF! ANOTHER TIME, I LEARNED 2 USE MY KEYBOARD AS A WEIGHT, 2 GET KLEENEX OUT 2 WIPE MY NOSE. IT’S TONS FASTER 2 CLOSE A CD DRAWER ON MY COMP., SWITCH A LT. SWITCH, OR OPEN MY ELEVATOR DOOR IF SOME1 ELSE DOES IT-SOMETIMES MARK DOES. BUT I LIKE 2 TRY SOMETIMES -THESE R THINGS I CAN DO & OTHER THINGS I ONLY LEARN I CAN DO BY CHALLENGING MYSELF.
• I CAN’T BE MOM. AS THE KIDS GET OLDER, THIS CHANGES. ZACH READS MY ASL REAL WELL (EVEN FIA CAN READ HER NAME OR WORDS LIKE ‘STOP’ OR ‘SORRY’), JESS CAN READ (SO I TYPE), & FIA GUESSES MY DISCIPLINE AMAZINGLY WELL, SO I CAN ANSWER YES/NO. WE WATCH SHOWS, PLAY GAMES, ETC. FIA WAS YOUNG ENOUGH WHEN I STROKED, SHE DOESN’T KNOW ANY BETTER THAN HOW I COMFORT. IF MARK HAS A SPONTANEOUS REASON 2 LEAVE, WE HAVE A PHONE SYSTEM & I CAN REACH A PHONE ON BOTH FLOORS OF THE HOUSE. YES, SOMETIMES I WISH I COULD SAY OR DO MORE 4 THE KIDS, BUT I WANT 2 RAISE THEM! I’M STILL MOM! I CAN’T READ A BOOK, BUT THEY CAN SHOW ME PICTURES! I CAN LET OTHERS DO WHAT I CAN NOT.
• MY HOUSE IS MESSY. MY CAREGIVER HELPS (BUT ONLYY 2X/WK.-LITTLE KIDS REQUIRE DAILY ATTENTION), EVERY 2 WEEKS WE HAVE A CLEANER; BUT A HUGE PART IS I HAVE 2 BE SUPER ORGANIZED (LUCKILY, THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN A QUALITY OF MINE), MARK INSISTS MY KIDS RESPECT ME (MY FAV. PHRASE IS THAT THEY NEED 2 LISTEN 2 ME MORE THAN DAD; & THEY KNOW THE REPURCUSHION IS WORSE THAN IF THEY DIDN’T LISTEN 2 DAD), & MY KIDS R WELL-BEHAVED & MORE SELF-SUFFFICIENT & RESPONSIBLE THAN OTHER KIDS THEIR AGE.
• I ENJOY SOLUTUDE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S A NATURE OF THE CONDITION. I USE THE COMP. 2 COMMUNICATE, DO MY CHURCH CALLING, VISIT TEACH (CHURCH), READ/EDUCATE MYSELF, JOURNAL, SCRAPBOOK, ETC.-BASICALLY EVERYTHING! I DO OCCASIONALLY PREFER PRIVACY 2 DO SOME OF THE STUFF–SOME JOURNAL ENTRIES REQUIRE PRIVACY, & LIKEWISE EMAILS (SO I’M NOT INTERRUPTED B4 I FINISH A THOUGHT) & I TYPE SLOW (1 KEY AT A TIME). BESIDES, I PREFER NOT 2 SIT & DO NOTHING OR WATCH MINDLESS TV! ALSO, I CAN HAVE TONS OF HELP FROM OTHERS & STILL GET LONELY (IT’S NOT LIKE I EVER HAVE DEEP CONVERSATIONS-I CAN’T TYPE OR SIGN IT ALL) OR SAY SMALL SIDE-REMARKS (ESP. IF IT NEEDS PUNCTUATION OR VOICE INFLECTION). ALSO, I RARELY ENJOY GROUP (2 OR MORE) CONVERSATION, BECAUSE I AM OFTEN NOT SEEN SIGNING OR HEARD MAKING NOISE 4 ATTENTION (I REMEMBER BEING JEALOUS MY DEAF FRIENDS COULD GET ATTENTION BY MAKING NOISE). IN ADDITION, I CAN’T SAY A GREAT MAJORITY OF WHAT I THINK. IT INCREASES FRUSTRATION-OOFTEN IT’S NOT PLEASURABLE!
  
• I’M EASY 2 READ (W/MY EMOTIONS). HOWEVER, WHEN I THINK I’M SMILING MY BIGGEST, I APPEAR AS MAD AS CAN BE! WHEN I TRY HARD, I APPEAR MAD IT’S NOT DONE 4 ME-OTHERWISE, I TURN & LOOK LEFT, & PEOPLE THINK I C SOMETHING. OR, IF I’M HOWLING & CRYING, IT COULD BE A SIMPLE FRUSTRATION, WHICH EVERY1 EXPERIENCES, BUT IT APPEARS A HUGE DEAL!
• I HAVEN’T CHANGED FROM THE ‘JENNY’ I WAS PRE-STROKE. I AM STUCK IN A MOLD. MY SISTER, MISSY, HAD THIS HARDEST, AS SHE WAS THERE WHEN I 1^ST CAME HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL, BUT I’VE ADAPTED SINCE THEN & HAVE HAD AMAZING AMOUNTS OF PATIENCE THRUST UPON ME! THE ‘JENNY’ I WAS PRE-STROKE IS BUILDING BLOCKS 2 THE ‘JENNY’ I AM NOW!
  
• I’M MENTALLY CHALLENGED. I’M SUPER SLOW (THE OTHER DAY I WAS PLAYING A GAME & IMMEDIATLY RECOGNIZED THE SONG THEY WANTED THE LAST WORDS 2, SO I BEGAN SINGING IT IN MY HEAD, BUT B4 I REACHED THE END, R TURN WAS OVER-I’M STILL KICKING MYSELF!) & HAD A BRAIN INJURY, BUT I HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE & TAUGHT EL. ED.