Happy Birthday Robert!

Our second son Robert is 36 today. He is married and he and his wife have five really cute kids.
Lon and I were reminiscing (and laughing way too much) about what was going on 36 years ago..
First of all Lon was working swing shift at Boise Cascade. I had pre-eclampsia and had been in the hospital for three or four days. The nurses were yelling at me to eat more. I weigh more right now than I did then. They said he would weigh three or four pounds. I was getting (and eating) double portions of everything. They treated the pre-eclampsia with phenobarbital. It turned me into a loopy cream puff.
Alan was under Grandma's care. She had broken her middle finger. I don't remember exactly how, but it involved Ripper (their Great Dane) and the back porch. True to form, she didn't go to the doctor, but went to Walgreen's and bought a splint. She was pretty mortified because she looked like she was flipping everyone off, but she wore it,
I was released from the hospital just before lunch, and being starving, we stopped at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We were thoroughly enjoying our Shopper's Special, and by golly, labor began.
My Mom was younger than I am today. I know she was looking for a break, but instead she got the phone call that we were going back to the hospital. Alan was a very big and active 21 month old, and it was very difficult to change to his diapers with a splint. I was using cloth diapers, but Grandma was done with them. The disposable diapers didn't have tapes--you had to use pins, and it was so hard to stick those pins through those thick diapers! I felt so bad, but Robert was not patient at all!
We got to the hospital and we waited and waited, Just before midnight the took me to the delivery room. The big conversation was whether the tenth or eleventh would be his birthday. At five minutes to midnight we got our sweet little boy. He did turn out to be our smallest baby at seven pounds and six ounces.
We were so happy to get this sweet active little guy. He was the one who made us old and kept us young at the same time! Happy Birthday!

Lab results

I got a week off from having blood drawn. Even a week break made a difference in my poor old veins (no bruise, either). The results were stable or very slightly creeping to normal values. The next step is to start begging the doctors to go every third week! So grateful for everything.

Anniversary!

Today marks the six month anniversary of my liver transplant for my familial amyloidosis. (if you want details of the transplant, click on the July, 2009 post in the right column) In many respects it has been a lot tougher than I expected, specifically the two hospitalizations for complications. There have also been many "surprises." I am a big wimp and have always been afraid of pain. Surprisingly enough, the pain associated with the transplant has been very well managed. My veins are really in bad shape. The last time I was in the hospital it was so hard to get I.V.'s started, and routine blood tests have become quite tricky.
I am so grateful (I wish there was a "stronger" word) that my kidneys are still working. More than anything I have wanted to avoid dialysis and with the bummer liver out of my body and not producing amyloid, my kidneys have improved a little bit.
The meds are hard to take with lots of side effects, but I am managing.
I'm thankful that my husband has been such a huge help. I have not heard one complaint from him. He has been a wonderful example to me and our children, I have tried to be patient and more patient, but it's hard when you are used to being the one who helps and runs things. It 's hard to be on the accepting end of pretty much everything. He's always been a good cook, but he has really stretched his wings to include laundry, cleaning the kitchen, mopping, etc., etc.
The kids and kids in law have also been champs. They have had a housecleaner over and have been ready to do anything. I have had flowers and cards and visits and many beautiful pictures from grandkids.
I'm grateful to friends for get well cards. Any time I would be feeling down, it seems like I would have a card or note in the mail. More than once Lon would catch me with tears in my eyes reading cards.
Now the big question. How will I celebrate this milestone? I've been thinking about this all week, and think I have the perfect answer. I'm going to vacuum! Yep. I've missed (?) vacuuming. It's looking good to be normal again!

Back to the Doctor

On Tuesday I went back to UCSF for a routine doctor appointment. It was great to be there and walk right past the hospital (the last two times I was there I was admitted). My blood pressure set off the alarm, but we're working on that. The big thing was adjustments to my meds. I was taking cyclosporine. It is a large capsule (actually huge), but the awful part is that it smells like skunk! Seriously. Each capsule is packaged individually in triple layer foil/plastic. They are very tricky to open. We fondly refer to it as roadkill. The replacement meds is Prograf. They are tiny capsules. I am so happy with that change.
I will have to continue weekly blood tests for three weeks and if all goes well I get to go to every other week for blood work. My veins are really beat up and sure could use the break. I don't have to go back to UCSF for four months. Works for me!

Merry Christmas

It seems like I am always a step or two behind these days. We have had a truly delightful holiday this year. We are so grateful fo family, friends, music, lights, too many goodies, but mostly for the birth of our Savior.

Christmas Jollies

Tonight Lon and I went to the Mall. It was pretty crazy. Our strategy is to be super patient, cheerful, kind, etc. A sort of "Kill 'em with kindness" mindset.
Lon was in the cell phone store (boring) and I was in a nearby store and bought a couple of things. He was thoroughly engrossed in the salesman's spiel about this phone and didn't notice me when I walked in. I walked up behind him and stood as closely as I could without quite touching him. He didn't do anything. Then I leaned into him. Still no response. I had the silent giggles so I had to lean back while I gained control, then I leaned again until I was actually moving him forward into the counter. Still nothing. Finally I couldn't stand it and gave him a shove! He noticed me and started laughing. I asked him if he even felt what I was doing. He replied that of course he felt me and thought I was just a really rude person.
It takes so little to amuse us (the clerk thought it was pretty funny, too).

It's official! I'm turning into my Mom.....

I am so fortunate to have fourteen beautiful grandchildren. Four go to school and the rest are preschoolers (we have three that will start kindergarten in the fall and four two year old's this year!). Trying to find toys for each of them has been terrible this year. It's true that anemia fits into the picture (I fade after less than two hours), but still two hours is two hours for a pro like me! The selection is so poor. I was trying to find a baby toy that didn't screech or flash or annoy. I also looked for a car or truck that could go in a sandbox and get hosed off and be sturdy. I couldn't get close. The toys are so over packaged and over priced and look like junk.

What does this have to do with my Mom? She claimed to love grocery shopping and hate shopping for clothes. She would wait until the last minute, then we'd go shopping. She'd reluctantly pick out a couple things to try on. She'd then look in those three-way mirrors and declare that she had to reduce! And that was that and shopping was over.
So she would send me off with explicit instructions what to buy for her (even shoes). The problem was that they hadn't made those styles in ten or twenty years. It was very frustrating. I ended up sewing many of her clothes and her shoes kept going and going.

Now I feel just like she does. I'd like to get some fun, sturdy toys that aren't overpriced, but I fear I'm ten or twenty years too late. I guess I'll just give a heads up to Karen--watch out!