Are You Afraid of the Dark?

January 17, 2012 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

 

What do Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Ghosts and Ray Lewis have in common? They could be walking around you when you turn out the light. Are you afraid of the dark? You should be. Or maybe not…

In any event, this affliction has struck at our house. I don’t know what triggered it, but all of a sudden Ryne is afraid of the dark. I say all of a sudden, because one night he wasn’t and the next he was. On Saturday night he kept fussing and just didn’t want to stay in bed. After fighting for hours, we just resigned to him sleeping in our bed. On Sunday night, I was walking by his room after he had been in bed for a while and noticed the light on in his room. I expected to catch him playing but when I walked in, I found this instead:

Ryne had gone and turned on his light and gotten back in bed to go to sleep. I turned the light off, only to be met with a pretty irate son who ran over to cut the light back on. I don’t know what triggered the sudden dislike of the dark. Since he’s been born, he’s pretty much thrived on near-complete darkness when he’s ready to sleep. I guess he’s forming a pretty active imagination. But at his age, and knowing what he’s been exposed to 9or not been exposed to) entertainment-wise, I have to wonder what scares him about the dark.

What do you think scares him? What scares you about the dark? Are you afraid of the dark?

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Roll Tide Means I Love You

January 8, 2012 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

     There’s a saying that when you’re born in the state of Alabama, you’re forced to choose between a loyalty to Alabama or Auburn. That’s not really true. The truth of the matter is that if your parents truly love you, they’ll teach you to be an Alabama fan, and if they don’t care about you, they’ll allow you to pull for Auburn. Seriously, it’s one of the things you can call and report people for at the Department of Human Services.

Ok, I’m kidding. I am not one of those people who take it that seriously. I am probably one of the few Bama fans you would meet who pulled for Auburn in the National Championship game last year. I love college football, and I wanted to pass that love on to my son. And of course, I wanted to raise him right, so I wanted to pass on a love for Alabama football. This means from the time he started making sounds I tried to teach him how to say “Roll Tide.”

Fans of all college teams, particularly in the south, teach their children things that reflect their love of their particular school. For instance, Auburn fans teach their kids to say “War Eagle,” despite their nickname being the Tigers. Tennessee fans teach their kids that the color of their uniforms is not a color used to torture suspected terrorists at Gitmo. Mississippi State fans teach their kids that ringing a cowbell is not the most annoying fan tradition since the vuvuzela.

Ryne picked up Roll Tide pretty quickly and it became, along with “Go Cubs,” one of his favorite things to say. Back in May, after his stroke, one of the first things he tried to say when he woke up was “Roll Tide!” I don’t really push him to say it or anything, he just loves to say it.

I truy think the reason he says it all the time is that he thinks it means “I love you.” He doesn’t ever say I love you, but when he’s really happy you did something for him, he’ll say it. If he gets excited to see someone he hasn’t seen in a while, he’ll say it then. If he wants your attention, he’ll say it. If you’re someone new that he has just met and thinks you’re worthy to talk to, he’ll greet you with a hearty “Rooooooll Tieeeede!” And yes, he says it like a northerner for some reason. Of course, he is a quarter Chicagoan.

It’s fun to hear him say it, even if he really doesn’t connect it to the Alabama Crimson Tide. I love him, and I know he loves me too, when He says “Roll Tide.”

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The RynoBoy Chronicles: The Toughest Foe Yet, Part 1

January 3, 2012 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

So there I was strapped to a bed. I had no idea how I got there or when, but I couldn’t move my right side. I was hooked up to countless wires and monitors. I looked a bit like the monster in Predator, only without the awesome cloaking ability. One by one, I was poked and prodded by an army clad in white coats. I couldn’t make out what their end game was, but all I knew was that every so often my brain would scramble and I couldn’t say the words I wanted to say or move to free myself.

I spent the next couple of days going in and out of consciousness, taking each moment of lucidity to try and get my bearings and find means of escape. Every so often I would charm those of my captors who were female and while they weren’t looking I would remove some of the wires hooked up to me. Alas, I was soon discovered and reattached. The whole operation was made all the more difficult by the lack of movement on my right side. I decided that while I was hooked up to all the machines and couldn’t move well, it was best to just bide my time until I could make my move.

After what felt like an eternity, but my best guest was about a week, they finally unplugged me and moved me to a new area of their compound. It actually wasn’t too bad, I had a TV to watch, and they brought me my favorite meal: French Fries and Sweet Tea. Then it dawned on me that my captors were trying to gain my trust. I stopped watching the TV because I was fairly certain it was a subliminal broadcast meant to brainwash me into joining them in some weird Stockholm Syndrome plot twist. I was too smart for that, though I did continue to eat because it helped me regain my strength and I knew I would need it to make my move and escape. Besides, I knew that if they were trying to get me to join them, then they most likely weren’t trying to poison me.

The people in the white coats continued to visit in droves, though, and they gave me a lot of drugs. At first I fought them, but I wasn’t at full strength and I couldn’t defeat them all, but soon enough I realized that the drugs were lifting the fog I was under and that the Brain Scrambles had stopped.  I still didn’t like it, but I decided the best thing to do would be to take them.

I was in my new quarters healing nicely for about another week when my chance to break free finally came. There was a supply vehicle that came in and I snuck a ride in the back. I was in there for four hours when the supply truck finally stopped. It was then I stepped out and realized the horrible truth: I was in an identical facility hundreds of miles from home.

Will RynoBoy be able to escape the WhiteCoats? Will he be able to get back home?

Tune in next time, same RynoBoy Time, Same RynoBoy channel.

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Finally, a New Year.

January 2, 2012 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

2012

 

As most of you know, 2011 wasn’t the greatest era of TheBrandNewDad household. Thankfully, we are some very loved people and had the support of hundreds, if not thousands with spiritual and moral support. We also had many, many selfless people who lent financial support as well, including our church family. For all the bad things that happened this year, one thing that was confirmed for us is that we are loved by a lot of people. I wanted to give  a rundown of the year for all of us and an update as to where Ryne is now in his recovery.

Things that happened this year:

  • After nearly two years of unemployment, I got a job.
  • A week after I got my job, Ryne had a Stroke.
  • Due to the stroke, Ryne got to spend a month in the Hospital split between Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
  • Ryne had his first broken bone as he broke his arm while in physical therapy in Atlanta.
  • Jamie had to take off work for about 5 months to take care of Ryne and take him to therapy appointments.
  • Ryne developed an impressive collection of “ists.” He now has Neurologists, Geneticists, Gastroenterologists, Cardiologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech Therapists.

After the initial horribleness, things started progressing nicely. Ryne made wonderful progress in his healing due to a lot of prayer and his “ists.” He had 20 treatments in a hyperbaric chamber and went to several therapy appointments per week. We found out that he may possibly have a genetic condition called Primary Carnitine Deficiency, and he started taking a Carnitine supplement, much in the way a diabetic would take insulin. All this has led him to thrive tremendously. Before the stroke, he was having trouble growing and had fallen off the growth chart, but now is back on the growth chart and it seems like he’s growing taller everyday. Before the stroke he was in size 12-18 month clothes. Now he’s in 24 month/2T. Before the stroke he was wearing a size 3 1/2 shoe. Now he’s in a size 7. He has Gilbert feet, no doubt.

Everything with his growth and development seems to be progressing great, but there has been one glaring setback: Seizures. After the doctors stopped his seizures in the hospital after the stroke he was seizure free for months until October when his seizures returned. Since then, it’s been an average of about one per week. We’re keeping a journal so that maybe we can pinpoint anything that brings it on like food, stress, etc. that would help us to prevent them in the future.

We’re excited about all the progress he’s made, but there’s still a big uphill climb. We need your prayers as we continue with his healing process. While we still have a ways to go, I am sure glad to be through with 2011.

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Third Visit with Santa

December 5, 2011 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

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Wordless Wednesday: Swing Time

August 23, 2011 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

 

 

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¡Viva la Revolución!

July 18, 2011 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

I haven’t had time to write much about Ryne’s status this last couple of weeks because I’ve been working on a special website project for a friend. I wanted to introduce you all to him. I’ve known Ryan Melson almost as long as I’ve known my wife, having met him in 2000. You may not know this about Jamie and myself, but we really like headbanging metal music. And I mean really, really hard music. And then throw in the fact that we like it to be positive music that reflects our spiritual beliefs and you can understand how hard it may be to find that kind of music. This is how I met Ryan. He was working at a Christian bookstore in Decatur, AL. He shares the same love of heavy music as we do. He introduced us to some cool bands. Most of them aren’t around anymore, but the ones who are are some of the ones we truly love. Several years later, we even ended up working together for Gresham Hill Management.

Ryan has now surrendered to a call to full-time Ministry. His ministry, Voice of the Revolution, is launching a new website today. This was the project I was working on the last two weeks. I feel privileged to be able to contribute to his Ministry this way. His Ministry is based on continuing the Revolution started by Jesus. I don’t want to tell you too much about it, because it is probably best described in his own words. Check out his new website and read a little more about his Ministry by clicking here.

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Castoff

June 28, 2011 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

Well, that didn’t seem quite so long.  Ryne finally got his cast off today. So he looks like this again:

It was kind of anti-climactic since we’ve been building up to this with him for a while now, counting down the days until his arm lost its thin non-candy shell. He and I even had a long discussion last night about what it meant now that he would be without his cast. I know most of you wouldn’t understand much of what he said, but luckily I speak baby and am able to interpret it for you. So, without further ado, here is the entirety of our conversation from last night…

Dad: You know what happens tomorrow, right?!?!?!?!?!?
Son: Yes, you go to work and Mommy and I go to where they make me play with educational toys and do Jazzercise.
Dad: Nope, not tomorrow, tomorrow you go get your cast off so you can finally use your arm again!
Son: I’ve been using my arm. See, look (He smacks my arm with it). Want to see me use it again?
Dad: Ouch! that hurts buddy! You’ve got to be gentle.
Son: Geez, sorry Dad, didn’t realize you were such a delicate flower.
Dad: Well, now you know… So, are you excited to get your cast off?
Son: To be honest, I’m kinda disappointed. I like to use it to pretend my arm is bionic, like the six dollar man.
Dad: That’s the six million dollar man, son, and besides, who knows what he’d be worth with today’s prices of materials, then factor in union labor costs, government red tape on melding human and machine, and the…
Son: Dad! Dad! Whoa there! I believe your train has derailed. I said I like to pretend. In pretend land, there is no inflation or cost of living increases.
Dad: You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve played pretend. I used to pretend I was Michael Jordan.
Son: Wow, that had to be some pretty difficult pretending.
Dad: I was a lot better at hoops than you might think. Shoot, maybe I still am. Anyway, I, for one, am really glad you are getting your cast off because it made me sad when you broke your arm.
Son: What does it mean to break your arm anyway? When my toys break you usually fix them with a screw driver or some new batteries. I didn’t get any new batteries.
Dad: Well, it means the bone in your arm, your humerus , had a little bitty fracture in it and you had to have a cast put on to keep your arm from moving at the elbow so that the fracture could grow back together. You’re actually quite lucky you didn’t need screws. That happens sometimes.
Son: Lucky? I bet I’m the only 23 month old to have ever had a broke arm. And I most certainly didn’t find it humorous.
Dad: Well, it happens a lot more often than you think. And it’s H-U-M-E-R-U-S.  It’s a different word than the one that means funny.
Son: Really? So tell me what happened when you broke your arm when you were my age.
Dad: Actually, I’ve never had a broke arm…or leg. But I did have my pinky dislocated once when I was on tour with Tim Byrne and our friends in Philmont.
Son: Prove it.
Dad: Ok, here:

Dad: Yep, it took one doctor holding my arm and two doctors pulling on my finger to pop it back into place.
Son: Ugh, Dad…please tell me this isn’t some elaborate “Pull My Finger” joke.
Dad: No, Son, I was just telling you about the time I had a boo boo like yours.
Son: Well, thank you Dad. I appreciate you trying to relate your little pinky boo boo to my bone with A BREAK IN IT!!!
Dad: Well, you’re welcome. Just remember, that break in your arm has a matching one on my heart.
Son: I love you too, Dad.

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The Ghost Cat

June 21, 2011 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

The following story has very little to do with Ryne, other than the fact that it all happened late at night while I was out on a run to procure some coconut milk for him to drink. This story is not for the faint of heart, but it must be told. Do not read any further if you fear ghosts, or cats, or ghost cats.

One winter evening not so long ago, I was traveling to the grocery store to get some coconut milk for my son. The moon was full and the sky was clear. I drove by a large field and something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. There was a large white cat jumping in the field. It looked to have something set in its sights and kept pouncing to try and catch it. I stopped my car for a moment to watch. I thought to myself how funny it is that even small cats pounce and strike like lions and tigers. I was quite curious to see if this cat would catch its prey or not, so I watched for a moment more.

As I watched, I noticed something that both terrified and perplexed me. I could see through the cat. It wasn’t clear like a window, but it was definitely translucent. I thought to myself, ‘Is this cat a ghost?’ I immediately had visions of Stephen King and the movie Pet Cemetary. I thought to myself, ‘I wonder if this is a cat from the Civil War and it’s reliving what it used to do 150 years ago in this very spot?’ Maybe it was a cat who had belonged to the owners of the house adjacent to the lot it was in and this is how it used to play. The possibilities were endless, but all of those thoughts paled in comparison to one prevailing thought: ‘How in the world am I seeing a ghost cat? I am losing my mind.’

I didn’t know what to do. I knew no one would believe this story. I couldn’t take a picture of it in the dark because all I had was my phone and it doesn’t have a flash. I just decided to watch it some more and soak in the moment because I knew I would probably never see anything like it again. Then the weirdest thing happened, it seemed to start coming towards me. I have to admit, this made me even more scared. It seemed to be skittish and was taking it’s time getting to me. It finally got about 50 feet away from me which was close enough for me to be able to make out exactly what kind of breed the ghost cat was:   a plastic Walmart bag blowing in the breeze.

Has your mind ever played such dirty tricks on you? Please leave a comment and tell me about it.

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Ryne: A Status Report

June 20, 2011 Posted by Brandon Gilbert

 

The last two weeks have been amazing having Ryne and Jamie back home. I believe that Ryne being at home in an environment he’s used to is really helping him to thrive. He’s started outpatient therapy at Vanderbilt and he seems to be responding well. The following is a little list of where he is now in the recovery process:

1. His cast will come off on June 28th.

2. In spite of his cast, he has been using his right arm more and more, including using his fingers!

3. Until his cast comes off, he can’t do occupational therapy to help with the fine motor skills on that arm, so right now he’s only doing physical therapy.

4. He should begin with speech therapy soon but we still don’t know the exact date of that yet. He’s getting a lot of his old words back along with some new ones already, so this should help him become the finest orator in preschool.

5. On July 11th, Ryne will go to the neurologist at Vanderbilt to have an EEG to see what his brain activity is like. We are really praying that everything will be to the point that he can start coming off of his anti-seizure meds.

6. Ryne has two new movies, Finding Nemo and Milo and Otis. Milo and Otis has not made an appearance yet, but Nemo is on repeat. I guess when you watch every Shrek movie 6 times a day it’s a nice change of pace.

7. The physical therapy people at Vanderbilt keep going back and forth on putting Ryne in a leg brace on his right leg. His leg keeps “kicking out” a little and they just want to make sure that he strengthens it up good. The good part of           that is that he’s doing so well without one that they can’t decide if it would for sure help him.

8. Ryne’s biggest challenge and the source of most of our prayers for him now is that he has lost peripheral vision in his right eye. if you come from his right side, and don’t make sounds, he doesn’t know you are there until you get right in front of him. He’s young and doesn’t really know any better, so none of this bothers him right now, but we do worry for him in the future if it doesn’t come back. Without peripheral vision it’s hard to play sports, drive, and put your           arm around dates without hitting them in the face. Everything else has been coming back so well, that it’s frustrating     to see no improvement in this area. Of course, it’s frustrating that he has to go through it at all.

So, that’s where we stand right now. If there’s anything you’ve been wondering about, PLEASE feel free to ask. We’ve had so much support from everyone that we feel you guys are going through this with us.

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