A GLORIOUS WEEKEND

What a great weekend it was here in Baltimore. My arms feel a little empty but I am so thankful for the time they were cuddling 19 pounds of joy. I don't have to tell you, if you have looked at "Jack's Place", what a beautiful baby he is, but when those blue eyes are looking directly at you and a smile comes to his face your heart just melts. I am sure his cheeks are not as full as they were when he arrived in Baltimore, because I could not stop kissing on them all weekend. It was not all for me - I was kissing him for his Pops, my Mom and Dad as well as his Auntie Hannah.

Ken is no longer on the continuing dialysis. After I posted the entry Friday, he received his first regular three hour treatment. As I have said many times, things can change so fast in this hospital room it leaves your head spinning. Friday evening, Ken had fever again!! When he is still on an antibiotic and that happens, you can bet your bottom dollar, action is about to take place. Saturday they added another antibiotic took the lines out of his chest and put them back in his groin. I was upset about that decision, but Ken was just fine with it. He kept telling me, "we gotta do what we gotta do". I'm like, excuse me, where is my husband - but Praise the Lord that was his attitude.

While the lines were being put in and taken out, I went and sat on the fifth floor. It is an open area and from the sixth floor you can see down there. The nurse motioned I could come back up, and when I got to the top of the stairs I could see Sarah waiting for me at the CSICU doors. We walked back to his room talking all the way. Rounding the corner I could see red flowers on the bedside tray and was thinking, "why are there flowers in there, he can't have flowers in his room" (not allowed on this unit). Arriving at the door I could see Ken and several nurses grinning from ear to ear, and he had that little twinkle in his eyes that comes from knowing he got me. A dozen red roses, he said were for me, Happy Mother's Day! I asked him when he went shopping. "The night Chris (P.T.) took you to her house to eat and then to the grocery store", he said. The nurses laughed, we laughed - IT WAS GREAT!!!

He had to have dialysis again so that meant staying in the bed. Josh and Melanie went in to see Ken while 'I MADE MYSELF WATCH JACK FOR THEM'. Ken was so excited to see them. He talked and talked and talked...............definitely "Mr. Chatty". It was like he thought he might never get to talk again, and so he was nonstop. Before they came out of his room, Ken was getting a little tired so they kept telling him to just rest for awhile and they would come back in later. Josh said he took off the valve Ken uses for talking (he can talk without it but it is harder) thinking he would possibly be quiet and rest. NO! - he started talking to the person giving him the dialysis treatment - OH WELL! - you just can't keep a GOOD MAN SILENT!!! Once they had completed the dialysis Josh and I went back in his room and found him really tired. With dialysis two days in a row, all the excitement of seeing the kids, and lots and lots of talking - who wouldn't be tired. Josh went back to the apartment with Melanie and Jack while I stayed to get Ken settled for the night before I left.

Sunday, when I finally got to Ken's room (takes longer to get ready when you are holding and kissing the grandbaby, taking pictures of the grandbaby getting a bath, taking pictures of the grandbaby in his outfit to go see Pops, and then there is more kissing before I can walk out the door) he was so tired. We had hoped he would be able to go out of the unit and see Jack sometime during the day but he just couldn't come up with the strength. We told him we would try again tomorrow (Monday) and that he should get some rest and he could still visit with Josh and Melanie. When someone would ask or mention about him not seeing Jack, Ken would tell them he was just so glad to see his son and Melanie (his kids). Poor me, spending more time with Jack while the kids were in the room with Ken. I stayed until everything was situated for the night while the kids went to enjoy the weather and then back to the apartment.

Monday morning, Ken was already up and in the chair when I got to his room. Josh and Melanie were on their way with Jack and we were going to get the two together. Jack was going to demonstrate how to fish with a mechanical toy fish pond, and then give it to his Pops so he could practice fishing. Ken was scheduled for dialysis at 1:00, so we had time to make this happen - not when the machines come rolling in at 11:00. They were ahead of schedule - Ken was next. Back to bed - dialysis - tired - not happening. All day everyone was talking about Jack and how they saw him and asking if Ken had seen him yet. One of the staff and the charge nurse worked it out for Josh and Melanie to bring Jack in the back door, which is just a few doors down from Ken's room. From his bed, Pops was able to see his grandson through the window, and maybe Jack saw Pops, it was hard to tell.

Tuesday, the kids had a very early flight and it was extremely quiet while I was getting ready. When I got to the hospital, Ken was so out of it I could hardly get him to open his eyes and when he did they closed right back. He could not even complete a sentence. All of his numbers looked good - still not sure what was going on. Ken had dialysis again and I was a little surprised he did so well with his blood pressure. It was late afternoon before he really looked alert. On Sunday the doctor who had been asked to look at doing the fistula came by. The surgery was scheduled for Wednesday. By the time I got to the hospital this morning it had been canceled. No one seems to know why, but as of now it is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday. This morning Ken's physical therapy included sitting on the edge of the bed with his feet on the floor for the FIRST time. After sitting there for about twenty minutes he was moved over to his chair where he stayed for most of the afternoon. The O.T. came to work with him as well and that also included a FIRST. Brushing his teeth with the help of a device to hold his tooth brush allowed him to feel like he had finally completed a task. He saw his progress. What a great day.

Ken is still having some difficulty eating because his throat is so sore. Although he has been approved to eat, swallowing does not happen without some effort. It also hurts and burns when he swallows anything dry or with much texture. Those of you who have eaten with Ken, know he likes his food spicy - not right now. He has been drinking those nutritional type drinks mixed with ice cream, or eating yogurt and some soup. He is willing to try whatever they bring on his tray if it is soft without much texture but even then it is not a lot he takes in. To make sure he is nourished they are supplementing with tube feeds at night. This phase of recovery will just take time for healing as well. After all this time up here, I find myself still taking so many things for granted. Unless I have a sore throat I never give it a second thought about eating and drinking. I just reach for the toothpaste and toothbrush and take care of that task without thinking about what was required of my body to accomplish that. Yes, I have had sore muscles, or injuries that have caused me difficulty in maneuvering and it is frustrating at the time. I wish it did not take being in a hospital setting with all its trials and sufferings, not just Ken's, to realize and be reminded daily what a gift life is and how blessed I truly am. Every move we make is possible because of God's design of the human body. Life gets hectic, I know, with our schedules and all that has to be done in a short amount of time. Please don't let your life, as you know it, come to a stop before you Thank God and Praise God for the gift of life you have in the body He created.