Back to reality

So the clock has started to tick again. We have been back home for about a week and we are finally catching up. We are very glad to report that Grandpa has been home for just over a week and is doing really well. I am a bit worried that he is almost a little too good! I don't want to see him overdo it.

Of course, our life is always going, going. We will be going to my brother Loren's house this weekend. Kade is excited to see some more of his cousins. Yesterday we were talking about going to see his cousin Seth which lead him back to discussing his recent stay at his cousin Wade's house. I told him that he might be staying at Wade's house for about 10 days later this year while we go to Italy. He thought about that for a moment. Initially he seemed excited but then realized that we would not be staying with him. He said he would miss us and "that is why that is not a good plan." He is so funny. What a goof.

Avram is really coming along in his mobility. He is now pulling up very well and can go from crawling to sitting to kneeling and back again. He is cruising around the furniture and often holds on with only one hand. Sometime, he actually lets go completely for a second before he realizes what he is doing. He has added one more word to his vocabulary so now he can say 4 words - Mama, Dada, Brother (bra-burr) and the new word, book. What a cutie!

I think I have lost my camera which is why there has not been many pics lately. When I get a chance Wed I need to search the toyboxes, couch cusions, etc. Here are a few HILARIOUS pics from Dan. Runway - here I come!

Good news!

My Dad did great. He came through the surgery like a champ! It was nerve wracking, sitting in that little room, having hardly slept the night before. It was such a relief when they called, the little white waiting room phone ringing, to tell us that the surgery was almost over. Even though I know all about this type of surgery, it still amazes me that humans have the capability to do such a thing.

We were taken to the ICU about two hours later to see him. He looked very peaceful as he slept in his anesthesia induced coma. It was next to impossible for me not to glance at every tube, IV line, central line, chest tube, foley catheter,etc and make mental notes of what was going in - or out of each one. We only stayed for a few minutes. He was able to be extubated within 6 hours of the surgery and was up in a chair an hour later which was amazing. After saying goodnight, I couldn't help but go back to squeeze his hand and tell him that I was really glad that I could be here for the surgery.

They moved him out of the ICU today to the cardiac step-down unit. He looked a lot better. He is even getting some of his fiestiness back! He even said that he thinks he feels better than when he went to the hospital. I hope it all continues to go well.

The Great Unknown

There are times in life when our superficial “busyness” of everyday just screeches to a halt – the day to day routine – preschool, soccer, work, etc. The sustenance of what is our lives can just fade away in an instant as other priorities come into focus. That is where I find myself right now, riding in the backseat of my parents car, no kids in sight, eerily reminiscent of years gone by on a trip I did not know I would be taking 5 days ago. We whiz down the usually clogged and congested highway, free of traffic at this still dark early hour on our way to Orlando Regional Hospital. My Mom drives and my Dad is freshly showered and shaven, I can smell the faint scent of his cologne from the front seat.

As a kid, it is so easy to see your parents as invincible and silently panic at the same time that they may not be. As life goes on, the invincibility starts to fade away and you begin to see time as it really is – how quickly it goes by, how life never quite stands still in the process. In a couple hours from now, my Dad will be lying on a table, his heart literally in someone else’s hands. I know the procedure and basically all the steps that will happen before, during and after the surgery. I don’t know if having this knowledge should be reassuring or terrifying; I guess it is a bit of both. When I see my Dad, he has always sort of been a Superman, a noble chief, an impenetrable force. Yet it seems that he has found his kryptonite.

Now we sit in the cardiac waiting room, dotted with men of a similar age. They are almost all donned in Velcro clad shoes and sweatpants, both of which my Dad would never dare to even think about wearing. We watch as they call his name, he walks off, stopping briefly to shine us a quick smile and a wave. We now enter the great unknown, the next 4 hours will feel like eternity while they harvest his vessels, open his chest – an amazing and horrific thought and carefully bypass the 4 blocked vessels supplying his heart. He won’t be able to lift more than 5 pounds for many weeks which makes Avram’s little 17 pound body seem enormous. It was so nice to see Kade climb up on his lap last night, giving him sweet hugs and kisses, watching him laugh at Avram’s antics.

If all goes as planned, we will be heading back home later this week. Hopefully, we will be hearing only good reports. I can’t stand to think that my kids might not have any Grandpa. They have already lost one and I want to be sure they remember this one. I know my Dad was not that thrilled (outwardly) that we came down. He can’t deny what a big deal this is, that we would put our life on hold. But I guess that is just the point – this is life. I would not be anywhere else. I am grateful to have the means and a job that allows me to travel. Even though I have chosen to live far that does not mean that I want to be distant.

So we will all hold our breath for the next few hours which really is the great unknown – how many twists will this road hold? Will it be smooth or bumpy? There is so much left for my Dad to do – travels, hunting, seeing graduations, weddings, even his own 50th anniversary. We can only put it in God’s hands now.

Sweeter than Sweet

This weekend Dan went to Las Vegas with about a dozen guys on an extended Bachelor's weekend for one of our old friends. He left on Thursday and he will be back tomorrow morning (monday). We have been doing suprisingly well without him, trying to stay busy. On Friday we went to the Children's museum with our neighbor Barb and her son, Joshua, who is 4. Kade had fun exploring the museum, playing with new toys. Avram just enjoyed watching all the kids running around. Afterwards, we went to get pizza slices on state street. Kade and Joshua ate their pizza while being very silly, of course. After sitting for a few minutes, the next booth was populated by a group of Madison police officers. They gave the kids some "junior officer" badge stickers which Kade wore for 2 days.

That night Kade and Avram went to my friend Catherine's house. They hung out with her 4 kids and husband while Catherine and I went out to dinner. She has three older daughters and one son, who is the same age as Kade. Her middle daughter is baby crazy and loved carrying Avram around, rocking him and giving him toys. When I got home, she was still carrying him around, keeping him busy. She sat down next to me with him. She glanced down at him and said to me with this cute voice, "Oh Lana" she said with a sigh, "he is just sweeter than sweet!" Of course, I have to agree. He really is. His hair has suddenly gotten so long and it is that fine and whispy sweet baby hair that curls when he is warm from the bath. He has learned to pull himself up on the furniture, grinning his 4 toothed grin, so proud of himself. Once there, he has to hold on for dear life and has not yet figured out how to get back down. So after he pulls up, he is happy for a while, exploring what is up on that coffee table but then he starts to bang his hands on the table and yell for me to get him down. If I don't come immediately, then he starts to wail. It is like a little cat who keeps climbing the tree higher and higher but finds himself too scared to come back down.

After church today, we will meet Catherine again as we are taking our sons to the Overture center downtown to see the play, "if you give a pig a party." Hopefully Kade will love it. Avram is going to hang out with the girls again. How nice! Kade will be happy to have his Dad back tomorrow. He has been sleeping with a picture of him on his pillow...