It’s been a big week for the Vertin Party of 9. We moved into our new home, and after only a week, the blessings seem boundless.
I’m so thankful to share this because, as you can imagine, moving a large family is a tremendous undertaking. My husband, Jason, and I have seven children: Lexi, 25; Max, 20; Chance, 19; Rowen, 17; Charlie, 15; Mary, 12; and Callie, 4. Max, Rowen, and Charlie have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
We have navigated all the construction, modifications, packing, moving, cleaning, and unpacking. I am beyond thankful we are past all of that. It’s been an intense few weeks getting to this point, but it is so worth it! After only a few days, I am seeing the benefit of our hard work and the realization of our hopes for this new space.
The move was exhausting, and a near-Herculean feat, especially considering all the modifications we made to the new house to make it ready for Max, Rowen, and Charlie, who all use power wheelchairs.
Those modifications are nearly complete. The boys’ bedrooms are in the basement, and we’re still waiting for the elevator to be installed, but in the meantime the guys are using an extensive ramp exit from the basement that we came up with and our contractor developed because we felt that our sons needed more than one way to get up and down, and in and out of the house in an emergency or if the elevator needs maintenance.
The accessible bathroom is finished, and my sons’ bedrooms are set up exactly as they wanted. Max has a new entertainment center for gaming, and Rowen has a portable one that he can move, letting him watch TV or play games from anywhere. Charlie also has his own gaming system and an electric standing desk that he can easily fit underneath.
Still, the ceiling lift system isn’t installed yet in Charlie and Max’s room, but Rowen has his. We will use a Hoyer lift with Max in the meantime, and Charlie can still transfer with limited help.
A life-changing move
I told someone a few weeks ago that I was most excited about having so much more room. We went from 1,100 square feet on the main floor, where the boys stayed, to 4,400 square feet they could access. This person told me the difference would be life-changing, but I couldn’t imagine what that might mean.
But now I do, and I’d like to share two differences I’ve noticed.
First, it’s so quiet in a way that feels strange. I noticed this one day when Callie was asleep, and I said to Rowen, “It’s so quiet when she is sleeping.” Rowen pointed out that it was quiet because our family was spread out all over the house. We weren’t all jammed up in a 1,100-square-foot area with four TVs and five smartphones all making noise. Even the dogs have discovered they can be on different floors than the rest of us. For a busy mom, this has been awesome.
The second thing I noticed brought tears to my eyes. Callie had taken out a basket of toys and sat in the living room playing with them. Later, when I was downstairs in the basement folding laundry, she did it again. She was never allowed to do this in the old house because her brothers would need to drive through the room.
I often thought about how this new house would be so good for my sons with DMD. But I’m realizing now how our entire family is enjoying having so much more space. It has been the best blessing.
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