Well, Dad is Dad 2.0! He officially has 3 kidneys, and 2 pancreases....the original set plus an extra kidney and pancreas, just along for the ride...and working...almost great! There are SO many details about his care, but the bottom line is that he's progressing and the anti-rejection druggies are being closely monitored and he's just taking it day by day...getting better all along. SO, still a long way to being fully 'recovered' but he's making progress. If you want the knit and gritty details about his journey, go to Care Pages and search for the user cottontales. His transplant blog will appear and offer you the chance to subscribe. You'll have to enter your email address, but will only get an email when mom or dad posts a new entry (no spam). I was able to get to Birmingham for a few days (kids stayed in NC with Kyle) while Dad was in the hospital. I felt so 'lonely' being only responsible for myself (for the first time in almost 4 years). It was nice to be away for a couple of days, even though I missed the little buggers!
(Oh - right before Dad's operation, some great friends from Birmingham came to visit! We went to Busch Gardens with them and saw the 2010 Cherry Point Air Show! Fabulous weekend!)
So, in the couple of weeks after my quick trip to Bham (got to Bham by driving down to the Atlanta area with my great friend Kelley who was moving to CA that week, then got picked up at the AL/GA line by a family friend...then flew back a few days later - BHM to New Bern, after spending a luxurious evening in the Charlotte airport), I had a couple of photo shoots, took Vivi to the dentist for the first time (horrors!!) and she starting a summer preschool program.
Vivi did NOT do well at the dentist, even though he seemed SO friendly and provided a very child appropriate environment. She was very scared...but the dentist looked at her teeth and poked most of them, so we escaped cavity free and the doctor congratulated us on not giving Vivi fruit juice and candy - said it's awful for the teeth. So, we'll go back in 6 months, and maybe get an official cleaning in. Bryton will be going this time, too....wish me luck!
Speaking of little B, he had his 15 month check and measured in at 90% height, 75% weight, and 50% head circumference. His trends looked good and doc was pleased with everything. It's funny...being the stay at home mom where my kids are not only my kids, but my 'job' as well. So, the doc says "He's doing great and reaching all milestones just fine" and I hear "You have done a good job at Mommying him. Keep it up." That's always nice to hear :-) Kyle gets performance evaluations all the time, so he always knows where he stands in his job. I don't. When my kids 'fail' (i.e. temper tantrums, not listening, misbehaving, not cooperative, etc) it feels like I have failed, since my job is to take care of them and develop their character, spirit, physical and emotional growth...oh...and keep em' as clean as possible. Sometimes it's like we go for an entire month and I have to just stay on the kids about one thing on another...and it feels like I have failed them and myself and our family. SO, when the doc gives me a good report, it's reassuring. Almost as reassuring as Vivi getting a cup for Bryton when we are on the way out the door, or getting all the clothes out of the dryer and bringing them to the sofa (our folding place), saying prayers for people that she sees are in need of help, or Bryton putting his sippy cup in my purse instead of just throwing it on the floor. Small successes, right?
Anyway...off of that tangent now....So, last week, Kyle suffered from an illness....get-out-of-town-itis. So, we did! We called our good friends (and Kyle's home away from home sponsor family from his days at Annapolis) that live in Myrtle Beach and descended upon them for a couple of days. We went to Ripley's Aquarium, the pool, the Tanger Outlet center, the golf course, and played lots of cards. Great couple of days! We really enjoy 'escaping' to Myrtle Beach, even though our friends probably enjoy the quiet that falls after we leave :-) Thanks for letting us come visit!
As soon as we got back to town, my brother and sister in law came to visit! They stayed in Vivi's room, and Vivi got to sleep in her playhouse - and she loved it! Best part about it was that the playhouse is in the dining room and that room stays dark when the blinds are shut (unlike her bedroom, where the sun shines directly on it, waking her little self as early as the sun rises). So , she slept later than usual, and had wonderful play buddies for a couple of days. It was great! Kyle and I had people to play Wii with in the evenings, and I had people to cook for! Come back soon! (Don't ask about the cooking...no, I don't starve my family..but the kids are ravenously hungry shortly after their afternoon nap..and Kyle doesn't get home until around 6 or so...so I have several frozen options that heat up pretty quickly so I can start it when Kyle is in the car on the way home...I've learned the hard way that you can't count on the "I'm leaving the office in 10 minutes"...some other stinky person he works with finds him and inevitably needs something. )
The playhouse that Vivi slept in
Hm...what else? Oh - Vivi's birthday party! Kyle's gonna be on a top secret misson (not really..just doing some training out of town for a couple of months) and the kids and I are gonna head to Birmingham for a week or two. We don't have definite dates yet - just plan on being there the first week or so of August. We have some good friends and family in Birmingham...and lots of people that would probably want to celebrate her birthday with her. SO, we booked her a party (kid party) at Super Suppers in Vestavia. The kids make their own pizzas, flavor the ice cream, and decorate cupcakes. Vivi's super excited about it. It's also pretty special for us...we don't often get to celebrate her birthday with her cousins and my long time friends' kids. We'll do a party for the 'kids' at Super Suppers and then sometime while we're in town, I'll get a birthday cake and see if any of the the 'adult only' families want to come celebrate then.
I'm also bringing my camera with me....I plan on doing some photo shoots while in town. If you live in Birmingham, let me know if you want pictures. They'll be great! (and, my next big photography business purchase is going to be a laptop - don't you want to contribute :-)!
So, a couple of questions...to homeschool? Or not to homeschool? I'm kind of thinking about it...but would really like to talk to someone who belongs to a homeschool group in New Bern before I make a decision about it. Another debate in the household....cancel cable? We don't watch a lot of tv...and maybe only once a month do we channel surf, trying to find something to entertain us. So, do we cancel? Honestly, my big hold back is football season! I want ESPN and ESPN II at least. Hm...
Well, I hope your summertime quests are fulfilling family times! I know ours will be! More later!
Leanna's Lens Site (just in case you are interested).
