Finally home. Not quite to the moment where all 4 of us are under one roof....but we are close. That's the result of some luck and privilege that at the moment makes us feel less like we are enjoying the opportunity of 2 communities, and a little more like we are doing the splitz with one foot in each.....but the fact is we do have 2 loving communities around us. And Aven has landed back in one. His friends have been over every day....visiting, walks, card games, a few beers, playing with a new mixing board Ethan found on the marketplace. Our friends helping move things, finding furnishings, loaning furnishings, bringing over dinner, just hanging out. A ton behind the scenes just getting us into the house. Aven's GF caregivers, therapists, and discharge planners all preparing him, and us, and Aven's new team for the move. Aven's new home caregivers, the community case managers, nurse, OT, dietician, a new PT. The generosity of friends, family, and strangers who have made the financial side of all this much less daunting. 

All in all we have had a smooth transition. Its quiet at night and we all are sleeping better.....although we don't have overnight care, so Aven often needs 2-3 adjustments at night, a blanket on or off, a change in position. I have to admit the first night, when it was just Aven and me I woke up and had to go into his room and check that he was still alive. Which he was and asked me why I was bothering him. There is lots to learn to keep things smooth, but so far all the care is happening, no major hiccups, no new complications. Morning routine, eating, drinking, stretching, some exercises, hanging out, getting out, evening routine, the night. There's a lot to facilitate when a body isn't able to make it all happen by itself.

Aven has gotten back to doing Aven things. Two friends were at the Nesters step up, a big jump with a mulch landing where riders in the community learn new trick....where Aven used to work on his tricks....so Aven power chaired from the reuse it center with Lauren (one of his new caregivers) up the paved road to the fairly steep washed out dirt track to the jumps to watch. "Max and Josh can get me unstuck if they need to" apparently was his way of reassuring Lauren, who is not a fellow gravity addict, that this would all be ok. But he made it there and back, with a new instagram post, and apparently some 6 wheel skids in the Permobile M5. He's asking about tires for better traction as we encourage him to wait for an adaptive mountain bike before his off roading gets more serious. 

He's smiling lots. Genuine smiles. 

Shannon and I are tired. Wasted a lot of the time....but also smiling and laughing at the end of the day with friends. And I think this will become smoother....with more windows for us all to go our separate directions and come back together. Not be so tied to the SCI all the time. Its happening. Our communities are helping. Aven is relatively SCI healthy right now and the challenge is to keep it that way....and there is a big team around him to help that happen.