6 months

Holy cow, can you believe we are on the 6th month?! How crazy is that! Britt is doing so amazing. Every day, making improvements. He is becoming more of himself too, personality wise. He is a lot more aware and cognitive…he asks relevant questions and you can have real conversation with him. He is starting to piece together longer sentences and he is as witty as ever. I feel like as time goes on, it will only get better and better. His physical strength is getting so much better too. I think in a month or so he might just be walking! Such a fun thought.

he just said to me, "I need driving flash cards. I can't remember how to. All I know is green means go, red means stop, and yellow means slowdown. And that's a hazard." hahahahhah

Here is a video of the past month!:)

Hungry Hippo

Quick recap on the last couple of days.

Yesterday Britt did a lot of climbing stairs, and he did better than ever at it. He has the butt scoot down to a "T". He also went to another eye doctor appointment! Those poor eyes of his, we are trying to get that figured out. He also went home for a couple hours to do some more therapy, he crawled all around the house, practiced getting up our stairs and in and out of his bathroom and bed. I got to drive him home, just me and him in his truck. It was so fun, we jammed out to our favorite music and he remembered every word to all the old songs. He even rolled down the window and was doing the hand wave. hahha.

He came home today to shower and practice the stairs and crawling around again. they are going to start doing this more often to get him acquainted with our home again and how he is going to get around. He came back and did some more therapy, and worked on his speech like everyday!

My mom got him a helmet. hahahha. you should've seen her testing it out. Crawling around banging her head on the floor and against the walls. Oh, it was a sight let me tell you. She still doesn't think there is enough padding in it. He also has knee pads he wears when he crawls. So basically what I'm getting at here, is we have a new sk8r boi in down…aka tony hawk, you can catch him at your local skate park.

Lately every time his food arrives, he says…"feed me, I'm a hungry hungry hippo."

He sure knows how to put down food. There isn't a trace left on his plates after each meal. And he gets genuinely mad if we don't scrape every single last bit of it off and feed it to him. I say, "britt you are going to weigh 500 pounds by the time you get out of here." he relies with "Thats fine by me."

Today he was laying down and he said "mom, i need you to buy me some math flashcards." and my mom said, oh i have some in my purse. Then britt says, "what. who the heck carries flash cards in their purse?"

We worked on them for a long time. He was kind of struggling with a few of them, and he said, "man, i forgot everything." and started getting teary eyed, but i hurried and changed the subject and he was fine. But it kind of tugged at my heart strings. Can you imagine? 4+1 being a no brainer 5 months ago, and  now he had to sit and think about it for at least a couple of minutes. That would be so frustrating. But he is so positive and light hearted and just keeps on going! I love that about him.

THe last couple of days, watching my brother in therapy and at home, i have really noticed how much he has improved. He has so much more balance and strength. When he crawls around we don't have to hold our breath and stay a few inches from him incase he face plants…we can keep our distance and just watch him do his thing. He has gotten so much better at it. He can stand up and balance by himself for a solid 30 seconds, and he can kneel without falling over now. It really is so impressive. Things, that a week ago…we're still coming together…and they still are a little bit, but wow! So much improvement, even in just a week.

He is starting to piece together longer sentences and phrases and not just a couple of words, or one word answers. You can sit down and have an actual real conversation with him, and understand him fairly well.

Today we had some visitors, and they couldn't understand what he was saying, and of course I'm over here telling them…and he points to me and laughs and says "ask my translator"!

He is just the sweetest thing though. Always letting people know how thankful he is, always making sure they are happy and okay, always asking about how they are. My favorite is when we have visitors and he tells them "thank you for seeing me, it means a lot." or "thank you for visiting, and coming by" He is always complimenting people and  never passes by without waving and saying hi. And he is always doing "great!"

Such a champ.

Thank you for your love and prayers. And thank you for believing in my brother since day 1.

Play Ball

Today was a really great day!

Britt worked so hard this morning, super steve set up an obstacle course, and they pretended he was on American Ninja Warrior and he had to get through the course as fast as he could to qualify!haha He had to crawl, get over things, sit up, stand up, and all sorts of crazy. He did so good though! I was so proud of him. They took him off the tube feeds…YIPEEEEE! so now he just eats his 3 big meals and 10 milkshakes a day!:) he was so excited to hear the good news. He won't be getting his feeding tube out though anytime soon because  they still have to give him his water and other fluids through that. He always says "FEEEEEEEEEEEEED MEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" and he refers to his body image these days as "gerthy" haha.

Ledger claims he was sick with a headache today, so he didn't go to school…..typical. He spent the day with us at the hospital. and he sure didn't seem sick to me. little punk.

Today I was helping Britt do something and he was trying to tell me something, but i couldn't understand him. Then he just started crying. I tried to get him to calm down, and asked him what was the matter….and after he had stopped crying for a sec…he looked up and said, "autty this just sucks."

It was so sad. I didn't really know what to say, other than….you are so right britt….this freakin sucks. BAD. And then we talked about how much it sucked for a second and complained a little. Then I had to bring him back down to earth and give one of my state of the art (hahahahhahahahah aka super cheesy and terrible) pep talks. I think he just gets frustrated sometimes with the situation, his older sister having to help him go to the bathroom, and then me not being able to understand what he was trying to tell me….i mean, can you even imagine the frustration you would feel?! i cant. I admire the way he handles everything, good and bad. No way can it be even close to easy.

Tonight we got to go be apart of the washington little league opening ceremonies! Britton LOVED every second of it, and so did we. They had him throw the first pitch for baseball and I threw it for softball. Which is hilarious, because i left my pitching legacy behind in little league when i was 13. (side not: i was legitimately freaking out all week about this! like no pressure you were just a college softball player so you better throw a dang strike…..well i wouldn't have exactly called it a strike, it was a little out of the zone, ill just say it was my rise ball hahahaha, but my cute little catcher caught it like a champ and saved my pride) But Britt did awesome, and everyone gave him a standing ovation and chanted his name. You should've seen him, totally in his element, a big ol smile on his face, waving and telling everyone "thank you for having me". All of the little kids huddling around him after, giving his knuckles and snapping pictures. That brother of mine is a hero to so many. And I'm so thankful that he has the support and love of all those little ball players and their families. It was such an awesome experience, and we are so thankful they had us out! It's just another example of how incredible this community we live in is. As we were wheeling him to the car, he says "wow that was so much fun, thank you dad, thank you mom, for letting me come." It's the greatest thing to see him so happy like that.

I have to drive his truck now, ever since my mom's little car incident with the elderly, cause she drives mine…so today when i was leaving the hospital, he looks at me and says "now listen, you drive really really careful, and safe, and don't hurt my truck."

Surprise

Today was the greatest.

Britt got to come home for a couple hours! We sat on the couch, invaded each others personal bubbles, watched basketball games, called each other names and did what siblings do, ate my dads birthday cake, and just relaxed. Like old times.

It was just perfect, really. For us to all be home, under the same roof, after so long.

It's so crazy because when this all happened, that's all i could hope for…was to someday be together as a family in our home again. And here we are. I think having britt home is going to be so awesome, we can't wait for that day. It is for sure going to be weird though. We are never all together at home, because one of us is always at the hospital with Britt. It's almost like the hospital is our home, and ouur home is just a place we go to sleep! So it will be nice to get back to normal, because normal hasn't existed for so long. But until then he still has some very crucial weeks ahead of him at the hospital. It's really important that he gets the most out of however much longer he is there for, because once he gets home he won't get the kind of attention and intensity he gets here!

My heart is just really full today. Full of gratitude and love for this family of mine. For my brother. For all of you. Your prayers and service have been the fuel behind the fire, I know that for a fact. We owe everything to you for doing what you've done.

Babysitting Duty

Today we didn't spend much time at the hospital, which was really weird actually. My grandma came down for the weekend to make my dad a cake (hahaha) and tend Britton while we went to Ledgers baseball games. It was so nice to be at the game with my mom and watch my dad coach Ledger's little 9U baseball team. My grandma has been with Britt all day and is going to watch him so we can go to dinner for my dad's birthday! She is the best!

Therefore, i don't have much update on B unit…other than, he is still going strong in the eating department…breakfast, lunch and dinner today! He get's better at eating every day! He mostly just slept, which is perfectly fine, because he needs his rest and it's not very often that he gets it!

A lot of people have been asking about t shirts, so here is some information on those!

Also. I have a funny story. So today, my mom got in a wreck. A 90 year old couple t-boned her int he mcdonalds parking lot. Go figure. My mom in the mcdonalds parking lot? WHO WOULDA THUNK? hahahahahaha (she accounts for 90% of their business probably) anyway. She gets hit, pretty bad, so my dad heads over to help her. And he goes to open up the car door and my mom has them, both of the people, sitting in the back of her car, air conditioner blasting, with drinks watching a disney movie. 

go ahead and laugh….

i mean, what?!

My mother. She is too funny. She felt so bad for them, and didn't want them to panic. hahahahhahaha so that is our day in a nutshell. 

FOOOOOOOOOOOOD

Britt is 2/2 on meals today. He ate every single last bite of his breakfast and lunch…which is kind of a big deal. The sooner we get him eating good, the sooner that feeding tube in his belly comes out.

He sure worked hard today! But what did you expect, right? We had a few visitors and we went outside for awhile…he definitely got a little burnt. Oops…my bad. He said "sun's out gun's out", and rolled up his sleeves and pulled his short legs up.

We had a concert today. Sang all sorts of fun songs. THe best was Britt singing "firework" by katy parry. So dang funny. He gets real into it, dance moves and all. It has been the funniest thing lately, he always is singing one liners from popular songs and commercials if it applies to what we are talking about.

He has been doing lots of sit-ups on his own at night to get that six pack back and work off all the cheesecake he has been eating. haha

Today a nurse of his from the ICU came to visit, and she was talking to him…"Britt you have proved everyone wrong." He said, "I know…that's my goal." We all started laughing. But at the same time i was so proud of him. He is so determined, when it would be so easy to give up. I admire him for that, and for having high expectations for himself when the odds were not in his favor. And I know that a lot of that has to do with your sincere and constant prayers and thoughts. So thank you.

He also said something else really funny, we were talking about how it's about time for him to go home..and he says, "I'm going to run outta here so fast. I don't care what anybody says…I'm just gonna run." He had us all laughing pretty hard.

Sweet Treat

I have been so impressed the last couple of days with my sweet little brother.

The progress he is making is so noticeable. And so humbling. I can't help but watch him and the things he does each day and not be so thankful for how far he has come.

Yesterday I was driving around in his truck…and lots of memories came flooding back. When his accident first happened, i remember sitting in the drivers seat of his truck, turning on our favorite song, singing it and just crying, my heart felt broken and my world felt upside down. I was trying anything at all to feel close to my brother or feel his presence. I just remember sitting in there that day and praying that someday we would be sitting in there together again riding around and listening to our favorite country songs again. So while i was driving around yesterday…one of our favorite songs when we were kids came on…I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and happiness. It took me back to that day i sat in his truck. Not knowing what the future held for him, or for our family. And now I can drive his truck around with a smile singing along to our favorite songs, with no tears, because i know for a fact that my brother has a very bright future, and that we will indeed be riding alongside each other singing again. It sure has been a roller coaster since that point, and the ride is no where close to over…but wow, what incredible blessing and miracles my brother and family has received since then.

I feel like the last couple of days Britton has really just shot up, in terms of physical strength and mobility. It is amazing. He has so much more balance and coordination that ever before. He can sit up completely by himself. He can move himself from his bed to his wheelchair with very little assistance. He can get from the ground onto a bench and back down. His standing up and walking is improving every day. He dressed himself completely by himself, shirt, shorts, and socks completely by himself today for the first time…it took about 30 minutes which is the fastest I've ever seen him do it! He is coming around. And i couldn't be more excited.

He has been eating 2 meals a day, and gets the rest through hiss feeding tube. To feed him one meal usually takes about 2 hours. It's a long process and we have to be really patient. All the foods are pureed or liquified so he can get them down, so not much substance, but still! It is a start! He is still having a tough time getting all the food from the front of his mouth to the back and swallowing, but he will figure it out soon i think!

Britt had an eye appointment yesterday because he has been having some issues. We had to pack up and drive him there, which was fun. He wanted to make a pit stop at Nielson's Frozen Custard before, so we gave the boy what he wanted and he got his long awaited strawberry custard. It was so much fun to take him out! It just felt normal, somewhere outside the hospital. Britton has a….(i forgot what it is called)...on his eye which is what is causing the irritation and blurriness. He has a really hard time seeing out of it, and his right eye is still basically closed, so you can imagine the difficulty he has seeing clearly. She said it should heal within about 3 months, and they gave us some medication and these goggles for him to wear. So we are praying that will be taken care of, and that soon his other eye will be able to open. The muscles and nerves in his eyelids aren't functioning and firing correctly, which is why he isn't able to open his eyes all the way. If that doesn't heal in the future, there is a surgery that can fix it.

Thank you for all your prayers and continuous love!:) We are so very thankful for such gracious and caring people in our lives. Keep beleiving in our boy!

Reunited and it Feels so Good

HONEY IM HOME.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much i missed my brother. And the rest of my family of course. Man, such a fun week in mexico but i sure missed my gang. As i was driving to the hospital this morning i may or may not have been going 30 over the speed limit to get to Britt. I was so excited to see him! Crazy how much you can miss someone, even for a week! It was the best thing in the world walking in and seeing him, and his little face light up and tell me he missed me and has been thinking about me.

Being at the hospital everyday it is hard to see the improvements and the growth…but HOLY GUACAMOLE…in just week I can see so much that he has improved on. His walking is so much better, he can sit up by himself much more easily, his speech is clearer, he is drinking and eating more efficiently, he walked right on up the stairs like it was a piece of cake, he's so much more mobile. And even if it just a little bit more, it seems like he has come so far in the week that i was gone! It makes me so proud, to see that he is working so hard and getting better every single day whether it is very noticeable or not.

Britton wins entertainer of the year award. Honestly, i just laugh all day long. Today me and my mom couldn't stop, he was on one. So dang funny. Like the silliest and most witty things come out of his mouth and we are just like, "where the heck did that come from?"

He ran today. Down the hall. With the therapist. Easily the funniest thing i've ever seen, and the coolest. There was a huge crowd out in the hallway cheering for him as they ran up and down the hallway. I don't know how they didn't fall flat on their faces. Britt is getting better at crawling, and has been working a lot on getting from a chair or bed to the floor and back up. It is really hard for him, super complicated and tiring, but he does so good and is getting better at it everyday. They set up these little obstacle courses for him sometimes, it's fun to watch him problem solve and try to figure out how to do it on his own. They have really been trying to back off of telling him what to do and how to do it, and focus more on letting him try and figure it out on his own. We have to be really careful now because he is getting more anymore confident with himself as far as moving and doing things on his own, so we just have to be super cautious and make sure we are right next to him if he happens to fall struggle.

Today Britt's therapist was talking to a student about what happened to him and how he is doing since, and she brought up the accident and everything that happened and said how he was very fortunate. Then Britt says clear as day…"Im so thankful for everything, I am very lucky and grateful every single day."

Sometimes i just don't get it. I don't get how he can be so positive. so optimistic. so full of happiness and smiles, when he himself, has had such a life altering thing happen to him. I just think about if i were in his position and i don't know if i could do it. I don't think i could. He is truly inspiring. And i know i say that all the time but, really. He amazes me…the perspective and attitude he has on everything. How he some how manages to always be laughing. And how he has this sense of gratitude that trumps anything I've ever seen. There isn't a single person he comes in contact with each day that he doesn't tell them thank you for some reason, or give them a compliment, or ask them how they are doing. He is selfless kind hearted, when in his situation…could so easily be selfish and upset. My role model and my hero.

It's good to be back with my boy!

Keep the prayers coming, we are so thankful for them!

Take Me Out to The Ballgame....

What a Great Weekend!

Spring is in the air and that means one thing in St. George, Utah........ BASEBALL! Every year our high school Snow Canyon High School host thier SC Spring Classic Baseball Tournament..Teams come from all over the state of Utah & Southern Nevada come to enjoy the 75* weather and get the high school seasons kicked off. You can't beat a weekend at a High School Tournament when you have warm days, cool nights and some great competitive baseball games. Britton's team Snow Canyon did very well last weekend going 4-0 and winning thier first tourn. In this weekends tournament they found themselves 4-0 again and playing for the Championship game against a tough Mountain Crest squad from Northern Utah that was 4-0 as well. I had talked to our head baseball coach Reed Secrist and told him I was ready to get Britton out this weekend for a hour or so to see his teammates and maybe watch an inning or two? Coach was excited and said "Make it Happen" we'd all love that as much as he would! 

We got permission from the hospital, loaded in the truck and headed to Warrior Field. When we got there we got Britton out of the truck, put his cleats on and put him in his chair. The little kids satrted gathering around him with thier eyes bright and excited to see Britton. We wheeled him through the crowds as he high fived and fist bumped 100's of people before we even made it to the field. Britt was in heaven to say the least! His teammates caught wind that he was there and they made thier ways to find him and see thier Buddy they have all prayed so hard for to see this day come to fruition....It was great, but at the same time so hard for my wife to see this as her eyes welled up with tears of pain and happiness all at the same time. There is no dought this where we would all love him to be. Cleats, hat and uniform on ready for his sophomore season with the Coaches, Teammates and Game he Loves.

Coach Secrist came over and ask me if Britton would like to throw out the first pitch before the game, So I ask Britton and he said "Oh Ya, and I'm gonna throw a fastball Dad!" made me smile to say the least. All the teams that were there for the tournament waited in line to see Britton and give him unexspected signed jerseys, donations they had raised, handshakes and Bro hugs. I couldn't believe the love, support and selflessness these young men and thier coaches displayed for a boy not many of them have ever met. The continuous thing I herd time and time again was "Britton, you've changed my life and the way live & play everyday now!" ..... this is not coming from just adults, but 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18 yr old kids. What an inspiration to hear all these young men pour thier hearts out to Our Boy with welled up eyes,

After pictures with both teams in the championship game and the umpires were all done, the time came for Britton to go out and throw that first pitch. So I wheeled his chair to the foul line, put the breaks on, stood him up and we walked out on the field to let it fly...... He was so excided to see 4 year starter and 2 time State Champion Brady Sargent crouched down waiting for that pitch. He raised his arm and gave his best! The crowd applauded as Brady walked back, handed Britt the ball and sealed it with a big hug! It couldn't have been better! Everyone there from all over the state was so kind and patient with Britton. We love our community and when I say that, I mean the community of the State of Utah and All Over.Thank you all for getting him on that field again, if only for that moment so far! This is definately a night we'll NEVER forget........

Here is the 1st pitch video..... 

https://youtu.be/DLImXdn_kiU

Thank You to ALL of the Teams that do #believe4britton

The "Boys"

West High School

Gene & Tim (umpires)

Warrior Basball

Mountain Crest Baseball

Britt & Brayden 

Britt  & Jake Frei

#B4B

Skyline High School Baseball

Aspen & Madison

"The Crew"

Britt checking out Coaches fungo bat

"Warriors on Three"

Britt & Tanner

Game Ball

Mom -Britt- Dad

Brady & Britt

Coach Secrist recieving signed jersey from West High

South Sevier High School (4-0) Champs of Kanab Cowboy Baseball Classic

Dedicating the Win & Thier Season to Britton #B4B on every hat.

Spanish Fork High School with Britton.

Signed #7 SF Dons Jersey

Britton and Tanner Argyle (SF)

Shotgun Rider

What a long week this has been without my girl Autty Shipp around. I'm glad she could get out of town and enjoy some Mexico sun for a while with friends. I'ts definatlely been Harder this week not having her around to pick up some of the slack for Sommer and I. And I know The Blog has suffered not having her around too! Last night I was able to take my two younger boys to the movie McFarland USA and spend a little "Boys" time with them. What a great movie it is too! I love coaching about as much as anything in my life, and this movie brought out so many memories for me from over the years of those kids that (good friend) Chad Gates & I seen something in and believed in. These are the kids that maybe didn't have the "Confidence", "Size", "Support at Home" or just the "Skills Yet". But so many of those kids have went on to be Great in so many wonderful things in their lives. They continually let us know what it meant to them way back when to have someone see a little something special in each one of them and BELIEVE in them, when it mattered most. The power of a tough, yet positive coach can be so influential in a young persons life. This movie was the epitome of that as Coach White (Kevin Costner) made an impact on that small community that made this world a better place. I love that my children have gotten that from so many different individuals, coaches & teachers over the years. People ask Sommer and I all the time "Where did you get that Autumn from, she something else?" Or "How come your boys are such good kids, so courteous & polite?" I'll say it again.... We have been so BLESSED to have so many "Coach White's" involved in our children's lives. Thank You!

Greyson is so funny! He gets so enamored by so many things at once. Right now he is all about Rubiks Cubes of every shape and size, Kendama's of every shape, color and size, Lamborghini's????, Ferrari's??? and of course Scooters! Everyday he's got a new vice he's working on! Greyson is one busy kid and if there is one thing he's good at? It's getting the most out of everyday! At least he got one good trait from me?? Best Friend you'll EVER meet!

Ledger (Moose) is full swing into baseball season. "the greatest time of year around the Shipp's home" he is playing little league and also club baseball with our "Little Warrior" Baseball Club. He was ask the other day what he wanted to be when he grows up and he said " I want to work at my Dad's appliance store in my off season from being a Pro Baseball Player" ...lol! This boy is all our kids rolled up into ONE! He has a love for life as much as all of them put together with a competitive spirt to compete in school, sports and just playing in the back yard! Love this Boy!

Britt has had a great week so far. He has a few issues they are working out with his left eye right now. (dryness) But other than that he's getting a little better each and every day. Such a fun kid to be around. He makes the nurses, and therapists laugh non stop and keeps their spirts up. When your in a facility like ours you'll see a lot of hard situations everyday that are going to be long term effects with people. I think everyone that has worked with Britton sees the world a little bit different after meeting him! He actually makes the great people working with him want to be better at what they do and I think they all enjoy getting to be part of his recovery.

Here is a little video I put together of the last two weeks and Britton's favorite song in the world right now! Hope you enjoy it as much as we all do?


https://youtu.be/BDOWIHfWeuI