Went for a quick visit today with Cooper and Jenna’s parents. Bittersweet as I immediately began missing her as soon as we left. It would almost be better not to go than to go for such short visits. Next week ill be going back for the weekend, without Cooper. Time for some mommy-daddy alone time! 
First of all, spammers, you suck and its hopeless. I don’t know if you read English or not, but give it up already.
Anyway, Cooper and I went to see Jenna for the extended weekend, and had a lot of fun. It is so nice to have the little family together. Profoundly nice. Cooper got to play in the hotel pool on Saturday, we went to a soggy castle park on sunday, and went to the movies before we had to leave on monday.
Jenna’s memory seems to be improving in small subtle ways, and her mood is awesome now. A whole world’s difference between now and the living hell that was three to four years ago.
I continue to work on the Cooper-Mommy relationship as much as possible, keeping him as close to her as I possibly can, given the circumstances. Its a fine line between explaining to him the situation and making him understand what is going on, and bumming him out with the profound loss we are dealing with which even I do not understand fully yet. (Mostly I just tell him that we need to love Mommy as much as we can.) For her part, Jenna still asks me what is different about her and says she likes her new situation just fine. It kind of makes it better but kind of makes it suck worse.
I think she is almost ready to come home, but I am still working on getting my own life together careerwise. I am working one job now and will start another one next month, but unfortunately both are under-paid to say the least. Ive found that the huge gap in my resume since the accident to now has been a major impediment and the only way to overcome it is with personal connections. Personal connections I had to literally form out of thin air. But its happening, and hopefully in the next few years some prosperity will take place and the grinding poverty of the last many years will be a faint memory.
Cooper and I left plainfield at 7am to pick up Jenna as early as possible, and then swift her away to Paducah, Kentucky, home of the only Chuck-e-cheese within 100 miles of Carbondale. We got there at about 2pm local time and left at about 8, maybe later. so at least six hours of Cooper entertainment. I felt guilty because Cooper was having to miss a little friend’s birthday party (Hi Carson!) so that we could come visit Mommy, hence the pizza mouse excursion.
When we got to Jenna’s little housing unit, we found out she was at a physical therapy session. So we got back into the car and hauled it over there, so that Cooper could see Jenna doing her therapy. Plus, Jenna loves to “show him off.” So we did that, stopped back by her housing place to pick up her meds, and then hit the road to Paducah.
Jenna handled the noise (so much screaming!!) and activity very, very well. She and I had salads and Cooper had an individual pizza (although I made him eat some broccoli).
Car hit 156,000 miles somewhere in there, and the oil level light came on right as we were leaving Indy. A quart of Mobil 1 20/50 fixed that… took the whole quart, which was surprising as last time it went 5000 miles without using any oil. it must like synthetic more than conventional oil (running royal purple 10/40, and I would have topped off with RP but the store only had 5/30)…
We are staying in DuQuoin again, this time by choice. The Fairground Inn up here is far nicer than the cheap motels in carbondale or marion, and far cheaper than the nice hotels in either other locale. Plus: free breakfast.
of the accident just slipped by there, didn’t it! I just realized it a minute ago… Sunday was the day. Cooper and I were with Jenna, at least for the morning. Anyway, I’m in the middle of applying to be a Child Advocate volunteer and I just remembered it as I was filling out the application…
Took Cooper again, and had a lot of fun. At least he did. 
Actually it is extremely satisfying to have Cooper and Jenna together. She has missed out on him so much that the normally precious moments every “normal” parent so deeply appreciates and cherishes, are a thousand times more precious for Jenna, and myself as the person who kind of has to remember them for her. But just walking around a grocery store with Cooper waving his little styrofoam play sword ($2 at the dollar store, go figure) and just being “Cooper,” and having Jenna there to watch and absorb it, is something akin to bliss.
We got there in the middle of the afternoon and drove up to our hotel in DuQuoin, IL, about 20 miles up the road from Carbondale. This was due to Carbondale being booked for something at SIU most likely. We just stopped in to check into the room and so Jenna could go to the bathroom, and asked at the front desk for a good local restaurant to try as a break from the whole chain restaurant (Cooper loves happy meals) thing. Anyway it was a nice little place in downtown DuQuoin, which itself was a nice little old-style downtowny area. I forgot my camera otherwise I’d post pics.
Saturday we had breakfast at the free continental thing at the hotel and then went to the “Castle Park,” which is becoming a regular tradition for us, spending the balance of the day there. Dinner was at the local MickyD’s, where Cooper enjoys the play area. In case I haven’t mentioned it in the last five seconds, that kid is EXTREMELY social!
Sunday we left a bit early so that Cooper and I could meet up with a friend in Terre Haute and meet his six -year-old son, and get a little tour of the town. It was a nice little tour and some interesting possibilities were talked about. Thanks again Jaime!
Unfortunately Jenna has already lost her new $250 glasses, but we are hoping they will turn up asap. We wont be able to visit again for a few weeks due to financial constraints, but are looking forward to it whenever it might happen. Jenna did very well this time, and Cooper is very much looking forward to going back, as am I.
