Welcome to the World, Cameron Alan Wayman!

Because of the nature of his job, it isn't unusual for Mark to get calls in the middle of the night.  He's gotten them for 30 years working for Marathon. Around 3:30 AM, Thursday, July 31, I heard Mark's business cell phone announcing a call from...JESSICA...WAYMAN...

Who was that???

"MARK!!  IT'S JESSICA!!!!"

Terrible things went through my mind - she's not due for another week, and "they" are preparing for inducing because "they" think she might actually go a week late.

Mark answered the phone...
                                            it was Richard...

                                                                       and Jessica had just been admitted to the hospital!

OK...Ok...ok...WAKE UP, CINDY!! You've been waiting for this call for weeks, now!  Get out of bed and get going!

Mark was an awesome help, getting up, grabbing snacks, making coffee for me, getting last minute things together, and getting my bags packed in the car for my trip to Indiana.  I was finally on the road by 4:15 AM with my phone/gps program running, taking me on a path I hadn't taken before...which doesn't really matter to one who is directionally challenged. One way looks the same as all of the other ways, so why NOT take a new way to the birth of your daughter's first child!?

The trip to Indiana was very smooth, with very little traffic till I got to Muncie around 6:45 AM.  It seemed that Everyone and his Brother was heading south on I-69 to Indianapolis.  Where had they all come from?  Anyway, traffic was moving, so all was good.  My gps was taking me right to the hospital...sort of...

Did you know that there are TWO identical addresses for St. Vincent Hospital in Fishers, neither marked North nor South on the gps.  I, of course, being directionally challenged, picked the wrong hospital address.  I was blessed to be able to pull off and call Richard to get the directions to the correct hospital, which was basically straight south from where I was sitting in a parking lot.

Thankfully, this precious baby boy wasn't quite ready to make his appearance until his Mimi could get there. Richard met me in the parking lot (he must have known that once I entered the hospital, I would get totally lost because I am directionally challenged), and took me right to Jessie's room.  Thank you, Richard  :)

I arrived around 7:15 AM all ready for some action!  Jessie had Gestational Diabetes, so she really watched her diet through most of her pregnancy.  She also tested positive for Group B Strep, which can be really bad for the baby if s/he is exposed to the bacteria in the birth canal. Jessie had one round of antibiotics when she was first admitted to the hospital and needed another round 12 hours later...if the baby could hold off that long.  Thankfully, the doctor, her assistant and the nurse were able to get things ready during the last dose of antibiotics and Cameron Alan Wayman finally entered our world at 4:38 PM.  It was a long day for Jessica, Richard and Cameron, but they were all in excellent shape after their ordeal was complete.  Cameron clocked in at 8 lbs., 13 oz., 21 inches long.  If the 10 point APGAR Scale means anything to any of you, Cameron received a score of 9 at birth and an 8, five minutes later.  Very good, indeed! He continued to do well on all of his post-natal tests.  Cameron passed all of his blood tests, each time they took the samples:  no diabetes, no strep infection, good blood oxygen...and whatever else they test for.  Good job, Cameron!!

Happy Birthday, Cameron!
Congratulations, Jessie and Richard!

Mommy and Daddy are glad that they are home from the hospital.  Jessie was getting tired of her bed, Richard was getting tired of sitting around, and Cameron was just trying to deal with all of the new things that he was beginning to experience.

Five days old

On Day Three, his first full day at home, Cameron had some pretty good naps and his first sponge bath!  He was not a fan of the bath to begin with, but Mommy just kept moving along and Cameron finally calmed down.  In fact, he was SO relaxed that he had a little "bm" right in his new bath "tub," and again on his new bath towel...and then again in the sink where Mommy held his little bottom while Daddy ran to get wipes for Mimi to get him all cleaned up.  We all three were laughing so hard, I'm certain that Cameron thought we were all crazy!
So much for his first home bath!

The days and nights have been filled with eating, sleeping, and relieving himself...sometimes even before Jessie or Richard could get his little diaper fastened.  The boy's pipes work!

Their first night home was a little rough, as the nurse promised.  The second night home was a little worse.  However, his third night home, Jessie changed the bedtime routine a tiny bit and the night went better.

Today, Mamaw (aka Karyn Wayman, Richard's mom) came over to add some freezer meals to the new parents' freezer.  She let me help put them together and we had a nice visit.  When Jessie returns to her physical therapy job in a few months, Karyn will be watching Cameron 2 days a week out of the four days she hopes to work .  Hannah Wayman, Richard's sister-in-law, will be watching Cameron the other 2 days of the week.  This is the current plan.  Thankfully, the Wayman Clan are not spread out like the Pagano Clan, and are willing to help with the childcare.  There is nothing like family!!  :)

Today was a big day.  Not only did Mamaw come to cook, but Cameron had his first photo shoot with a professional photographer!  He was a trooper.  He actually did pretty well considering all of the things the photographer did with him.  We all had fun with the evening.  On the way home, Cameron blessed me with a look at his Mimi with BOTH eyes open!  Thank you, Cameron.

What a cutie!  I think he has Jessie's eyes and Richard's mouth.
What do you think?  Haha!

Tomorrow, I return to Findlay.  I will say good-bye to little Cameron and his Mommy and Daddy.  It has been quite a bit of fun to be a part of Cameron's first week, and to help Jessie and Richard get started on the road to successful parenting.  If nothing else, I was able to hold this precious little guy and tell him the secret I started sharing with Lily Hildebrand when she was a newborn, then with Emma, and then with Kaylee.

And now, dear family and friends, I will close by telling you the secret that I share with my grand-kidlings, just in case you haven't heard it in awhile:  "Jesus Loves You!!  And so do I!"

God bless you all and, as always, thank you for reading.  :D

The new family learning together

A Saint Has Gone Home

Well, as a part of my grieving process, I will write about Daddy/Pop/Poppy while this is fresh in my mind.  I have been getting better each day, but when I'm very tired I struggle a little more than the rest of the day.

I know that there are five basic stages of grief:  denial and isolation; anger; bargaining; depression; acceptance.  I don't know that everyone goes through every stage, but I do know that everyone grieves...if they have loved and lost.  I would encourage you to check out this website, http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/ , just to get a handle on where you might be in your grieving process.  I know that with several of you this is not new, but to some of you it might be helpful.  I haven't been trained in the ways of "hospice," but I have been around two parents who served in hospice care here, and through them, I have learned quite a bit.  Bottom line:  Don't be afraid to grieve.  Grieve in your own way.  Don't be surprised if you think of something you'd like to tell Poppy and forget for a moment that you "can't."  Is it wrong to tell him anyway, even though he can't hear you?  I hope not because I've already done it at least twice!

All of you who receive this were either at the visitation or the memorial service for Pop.  I won't go over all of that, but I want to share with you the outpouring that Mama has received and that I have received since those major events have passed.

The cards:  I know that they will be coming to an end soon, but the encouragement and love that we have seen, through kind, loving words has been overwhelming at times.  I wish I could gather all of those people together for a big group hug, to say thank you for caring.

The food:  Wow!!  Our friends can either cook to win contests, or they sure know where to purchase yummy food!  Mama and I both had stuffed refrigerators for several days.

The words:  Special words of comfort from family and friends that came by way of phone calls, text messages, Facebook comments, and face-to-face communication have been very helpful.  Residents at Primrose Retirement Community have given hugs, let me hold their hands...One 90+ year old woman had me sit beside her on a bench one day.  Georgia held my hand and patted my knee.  She said, "I wish there was something that I could do for you, Cindy"  I said, "You're doing it, Georgia.  You're doing it."

The residents at Primrose were so sweet.  Since Poppy was the main Primrose Pastor of a congregation of 18-22(ish), a collection was taken, a memorial blanket was purchased and the residual cash was presented to Mama to do with as she saw fit.  I don't think that she has decided, yet, what to do with the money, but it will go to a good cause.  One of the men who spear-headed the collection told me, "You know, Cindy, you not only lost your dad, but we lost our shepherd."  Most of the residents at Primrose really do care about and love each other.

The staff at Primrose has also been very accommodating;  The use of the model apartment was offered for Uncle Bob and Aunt Doris.  This made their extended stay much more comfortable than the usual guest suite.  As a memento, Mama was given a card and a set of wind chimes, which she really enjoys...and Poppy never did.  (Must be the gene that Joel got from Poppy!)  Several of the staff have stopped by the apartment to see how Mama is doing, and have offered to help in a variety of ways, from making copies of DVD's to taking away garage trash and empty boxes, and many hugs in between.

Big Sister Kathy and Little Sister Lynn were both huge helps, with a little bit of a switch.  Growing up, Kathy was usually the one who was counted on to do the bulk of the child labor in various projects.  I was also a "grunt," but needed more direction than Kathy.  Lynn, after working for a time, would somehow mysteriously disappear for the main event but would be back in time for the evening meal to tell us all of the news from the neighborhood.  Fast forward 45 years (can it really be that long ago?).  Lynn was our work-horse and director this trip, and Kathy kept the dishes clean and the conversation going.  Again, I was the "grunt" who still needed much direction.  The emotions of the past 11 days not included, I was mentally whipped/overwhelmed by the task of cleaning out closets, going through the garage and emptying it, and preparing the car to be sold.  I simply could. not. have. done. it by the end of the month without my sisters.    Tonight at dinner, Mark gave Lynn the nickname, "F-5."  "F-5" is the term used for the strongest tornadoes.  Lynn definitely kicked up the dust, but the job is all but done:  donations, empty boxes, and one set of shelves to be dismantled are the only things left behind.  I promised that I could take care of that by the end of June.  Just call me "F-.1."  (Yes, I meant ".1"!)  Thank you both.

Kathy is home teaching again.  Lynn leaves EARLY tomorrow morning and will have one day of rest before beginning a new job on Monday.  Mama and I (and of course, my beloved husband, Mark) will be here, sorting through the rest of the boxes which are decorating her apartment.  We hope to do a little traveling this summer, going around to visit the most local grandkids and great-grandkids.  We will be learning a "new normal."

I have been saying, for the past 11 days, we are blessed.  I miss my Pop, but knowing that he is healthy and whole, I wouldn't want him suffering in his old skin again. Thank you, Lord, for the best earthly Daddy You could have given me, and Poppy for our kidlings.  We were blessed to have him for so long, and we will continue to be blessed by memories of him.  Thank you, again, Lord.

...And, as always, thank you for reading.

Boston Family Vacation

I could almost smell the tea in the harbor...

A little background, first.  Two years ago, when we had several graduates in the family, we all went to Yellowstone National Park for a big family vacation.  Mark's sister, Aunt Shasta, helped Mark find a house just north of the park that was large enough for us all to stay in while we took day trips into our country's first national park.  Aunt Shasta was living in Gardiner, MT, with Uncle Mike and their daughter, Olivia.  Besides a family vacation for all of us, it was a mini reunion getting to see part of Mark's family in the mix.  We had a blast and the kids decided that we should do it again in a couple of years.

Fast forward one and a half of those two years.  I'm a little fuzzy on how we decided, but we decided that we would be Boston-Bound.  Jessie did the research and, with Aunt Shasta's help once again, found us a house in Hyde Park, large enough for all of us...8 adults and two cute little girls.

The players in this adventure:  The Sr. Paganos (Mark and Cindy/me); The Waymans (Jessie and Richard); The Hildebrands (Amber, Jesse, Lily, and Emma); The Jr. Paganos (Joel and Kimmy).

Conveniently, Joel graduated, again...so why not go on another family vacation?

May 4th began the adventure for Mark and me.  We drove over to Muncie, IN, to watch our son, the actuary, get his master's degree, to much Pomp and Circumstance!

We left Muncie after taking a few pictures of Joel with various significant people, like his parents, his wife...you know, the basics.  We drove to Columbus, OH, to spend the night with Terri and Dan Mitchell (Mark's sister and brother-in-law, and a BIG thank you to them!) in order to get up E.A.R.L.Y. Sunday, to drive to the airport for our flight to Wilkes-Barre, PA...because who doesn't want to visit Wilkes-Barre, PA?

Actually, we flew there to meet up with the Hildebrands, who were driving to Boston.  It tooks us about 6 hours to get to Boston from Wilkes-Barre.  Mark and I were not approved drivers for the rental car, so we got to play with Lily and Emma!!  Grandparenting is great!

I'll let all of the others blog about their experiences getting to Boston, but let me say this:  Flying may be the fastest way to get someplace, ONCE YOU ARE IN THE AIR, but it may take longer when you count in the time and inconvenience of flight changes, transfers and layovers, and the cost of having to check your luggage!

Back to my story.

Once we ALL arrived at our rental home in Hyde Park, MA, it was close to bedtime for the little girls.  The Sr. Paganos were pretty pooped, too, so we let the youngsters stay up and get the party started without us.  We had the honor of sharing a room with Lily.  Actually, the first night we shared the bed, too.  After that night, Lily decided that there wasn't enough room in our bed and she slept in the Pack and Play in our room.  She's a pretty good little roommate.  :)

Monday was our shopping/planning day.  We got our food for the week and a few cursory plans made for the week.  The Waymans and the Jr. Paganos went into Boston to get "acclimated."  Well, maybe to take the train into Boston, and out again, in order to get to Uncle Bob's and Aunt Doris's for a wonderful dinner.  Thank you to Moores for hosting such a large gathering, and thank you to Pam for stopping in to say hi, and to Paula, Kylie, Edward, and Katrina for staying for dinner...and for playing in the park with Mark...oh, and the Hildebrands.  Thanks also for the hints and helps on what to see and what not to see (good call on the zoo...we didn't go).

Tuesday, the hard-core vacationing/touristing began.  Getting into Boston was not a problem.  Getting out - well, that was a different story.  Suffice it to say that some of the people of metropolitan Boston, and at least one train conductor, were extremely kind and generous to help us find our way home!  :)

From Tuesday through Thursday we used "Boston Go" passes to get into all of the sights that we could possibly see in 3 days with two tiny troopers with us.  The highlights of our trip are as follows:  The BeanTown Trolley Tour, the Aquarium, the Boston Harbor Cruise (Trivia Question:  Did you know that 70% of the land mass of Boston is landfill/man made?  That's a few tons of dirt!!); Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall; Boston Commons; Freedom Trail Tour (half of it in the rain...); Public Gardens (where we saw and played with the ducks from the book, MAKE WAY FOR DUCKS...and saw beautiful flower gardens, too); Lexington, Concord, The Bridge (sadly, the Manse was closed that day); tried to the Orchard House (Louisa May Alcott's home), but it was going to be too long for the little girls, and it had already been a long day.

The one thing we did not get to do, because for some reason they weren't running, was the Segway tour.  That was rather odd, because it was advertised in the Go Pass book, and we saw some running, but had been told they were closed when we called for reservations.  Oh well.

Thursday night, the Sr. Paganos, Lily and Emma stayed "home" while the rest of the Clan went back into Boston.  Richard and Jessie went to MIT and to some delicious place for Italian food.  Jesse and Amber met a couple from college and ate seafood (Jesse ate a TWO POUND LOBSTER and felt sick later that night...said it was worth it, and didn't offer one single bite to his wife!).  Joel and Kimmy went to Harvard to meet a friend from Kimmy's high school days and they ate Chinese.  Mark, the girls and I had sloppy Joes over baked potatoes, in case you were wondering.  :)

Friday morning we did some straightening up and headed down to Torrington, CT, via Rhode Island.  Why?  Because RI was the ONLY New England state that Mark and I hadn't been to in all of our travels, and neither had anyone else, so now we all have!  In Torrington, we visited Auntie Mae, Mark's sole surviving great aunt (there are no aunts or uncles left from any generation in that line).  At 96 years old, she still gets around on her own two feet and climbs the stairs to her second story apartment each week when she goes to get her hair done!  We had a nice visit and enjoyed iced tea and real percolated coffee!  Auntie Mae's sister, Carmella, was there along with two of Mark's 2nd cousins, Anna Marie and Judy, Anna Marie's husband, Ben, and their son, Tom.

When we said good-bye to the Torrington Family, our Family Vacation also came to an end.  The Waymans and Jr. Paganos returned for one more evening in Boston, and one more night at our "home" in Hyde Park.  They flew out on Saturday.  When our van-load left Torrington, we headed back to Wilkes-Barre, PA.  On our way there (we had 6 hours to make our plans), we made some plans, then did some research and re-planned.  The bottom line:  The Hildebrands drove us to the airport and we rented a car and drove home...the day before we were supposed to fly.  In the long run, even though the airfare was paid, we saved money and got home a day early.

On the way to the airport, Jesse wanted to settle an "argument" that he was having with Amber over which donuts were the best:  Dunkin' Donuts (Amber) vs. Krispy Kreme (Jesse).  Jesse definitely won that round by stopping and buying Krispy Kreme filled donuts.  One more stop on our way to the airport:  

It was just after dark when the truck started down
The hill that leads into Scranton Pennsylvania.
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

This is from Harry Chapin's song, "Thirty Thousand Pounds of Bananas."  I didn't realize this actually happened, in a real place.  We saw a sign that read, "Load limit 20,000 lbs."  Either that driver couldn't read, or they have since changed the load limit!!

We returned home, stopping at Der Dutchman for dinner, Happy Mother's evening.  The rest of the way was uneventful and our Boston Family Vacation came to an end.

If you made it this far, congratulations!

Thanks for reading.

P.S.  My favorite line from the WHOLE vacation came as we were getting into the car to go to the airport for our rental car, Saturday morning.  Lily settled into her car seat and said, "Mama, My no want more 'venture."  Lily was done with this adventure.  If Emma could speak and knew the word, I'm sure that she would say, "Ditto!"  What cute little girls.

Mimi Takes a Trip to Salem, WV

Dear Amber and Jesse,

Thanks for the fun and the memories, and for introducing me to "the Ladies."  The whole weekend was too fast, so I'll have to come again.  Now that I know how to gather eggs and feed them "chicken candy," I can actually be of some use!  :)  Love you!

Truly it was fun, and here is a sample:

This is Gladys Knight and the Peeps.

Just Kidding.  I think they have names, but I can't remember them. 

This one may be called "Rosie."  Or was it "Ruby"?
I never was very good with names!

Look what our brilliant granddaughter did with a few bricks...

...and these tools...

She created this beautiful fire ring!!
OK.  She might have had a little help from her daddy.

Then, Amber and Jesse shared their inaugural fire with me,
while we waited to see the Aurora Borealis...that never botheredto show itself.  Bummer.  But the fire was nice!
The S'mores were yummy!
(Joel, singing "Kum Ba Ya" was NOT required.)

"Painting" with Mimi

You've got to love left-over Easter candy :)

With all of these sleepless nights,
there MUST be another tooth in there!

"Too high, Daddy!!"
"Do it again, Daddy!!"

Daddy makes the BEST horsey.  Go Jesse!

The best thing about waking up is NOT Folgers in your cup.
It's cuddling with your daughter in a wrap big enough for two!
:)

Good-byes don't have to be ALL tears...

...there can be "good-bye smiles," too.

Thanks for reading!

Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!!

What a wonderful weekend!

Little Sister, Lynn, arrived Thursday evening, where she stayed with Mama and Pop.  Let the Easter Family Reunion begin!

Jessie and Richard arrived first on Friday evening.  Joel and Kimmy arrived a couple of hours later.  Amber, Jesse, Lily and Emma arrived about an hour later.  Amber and Jesse were generous enough to let us all give Lily and Emma some loving before they had to go off to bed.  It was HOURS past their bedtimes.  Lily didn't like the idea of going to bed, but getting to sleep in Uncle Joel's bed helps a little.  Emma doesn't care where she sleeps, she just fights it till sleep wins!

Anyway, we had a weekend filled with family!  Saturday morning found Mark and Jessie running 10 miles together, while Richard ran about 14 miles...while the rest of us let them!  :)  There was a run for the ones in training for the Carmel, IN, half-marathon later in April.  There was food.

There were visits from Family Friend Courtney who is leaving later this month for mission work in Alaska! Mark's dad and his wife Pat came to visit, and so did Mark's sister Terri.  During that visit, my sister, Lynn (visiting from Florida) brought my folks over for a visit.  Joel and Kimmy made Cincinnati Chili (or was is "Skyline Chili"...or is there any difference?) for lunch.  Afterward, we had a visit from some of the Hildebrand counsins, who have new twins!  (Only baby food was served at this time of the visiting.)  There was some kite-flying with "Poppo (Mark) and Lily.  After kite-flying, Grandpa, Pat and Terri all had to leave.  :(  None of us like saying good-bye.  Later, Jessica and Richard made "Spaghetti Pepperoni Pizza" for dinner.  After desserts of ice cream, brownies, and some scrumptious oatmeal (health-food) cookie bar that involved chocolate, we all waddled off to bed.

Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate Christ's Resurrection was a wonderful reminder that no matter what we go through in this life, the Life Eternal can be spent with Jesus if we simply put our faith in His Resurrection Power.  He will take care of the rest!

After our various church services, we gathered at Primrose to celebrate more family time over...you guessed it...more food!  Lamb for the lamb lovers and ham for the ham lovers, and delicious, Sandford Family traditional side dishes for everyone.  And I think that we will all be sorry to see the Waymans and the Paganos move away from Muncie, where the most delicious Cake (the name of which escapes me just now) can be found.  The Waymans have brought it the last two Easters.

Then, our family time had to break up, as all of the younger out-of-town members had to return to their abodes.  That's always the hardest part of these family gatherings.  However...

...we will look forward to our next gathering!  Boston, or Bust!!

Thanks for reading.

P.S.  Amber, I don't want you to feel bad about being late with updates, anymore.  Easter weekend was TWO FULL WEEKS ago!  :-*

It's Spring and I Have Sprung!!

March 20th was a Big Day!

It was Amber's Birthday!  About that:  Mark and I made a big calendar with EVERYBODY'S birthdays listed.  It was to help get cards out to everyone this year...for the first time.  It is March and I have given ONE card, to Mama and Pop, on the day in between their birthdays.  So, the calendar is a sad reminder that even with a reminder calendar, you may not receive a birthday greeting from us, again this year.  We have remembered to check the calendar ON the day or the day AFTER your big event.  Yes, we are still not so good at this...after all these years.

Amber's birthday was more important to me than it being the first day of Spring.  That happened on March 20th, also.  That part came and went without much fanfare for us.  It still came, and it is Spring!

My big news, locally, and personally, was that I had my six week, post surgery, check up.  I can hardly believe that six weeks have gone by already!!  I have been working hard here at home to do all of my exercises twice a day...well, maybe not twice a day on the weekends, but still twice in the weekend.  I have gone to all of my physical therapy appointments (on those days, I only did exercises once at home).

I had one little set back a couple of weeks ago when I did some exercise wrong (at home) and strained my back.  What??  I have lower back problems, anyway, so this was no surprise, but disappointing since I was not allowed to do my straight leg lifts for several days after that.  I had  JUST gotten to where I could do 15 straight leg lifts without stopping...then I had to stop altogether!  Oh well.  The therapists told me not to be discouraged:  they see things like this all the time.  A little glitch, not a major set-back.  OK.

So, March 20th came.  I saw Dr. McMath's physician's assistant, Amanda.  She checked me out, told me my X-rays look great (everything is right where it is supposed to be and healing nicely), and then...drum roll, please!  Had me walk without my walker!!!  It was only a few steps and it was not pretty, but it was a start!  I had taken my cane in case the walker was really going to leave me, but I wasn't quite ready to be without assistance.  I have to return the walker to Primrose, and the other walker to Robert Church, but the cane is mine.

I left Amanda and went to physical therapy a very happy camper.  I mean walker!  It was convenient to use the walker because I had to take it with me, but once in therapy, they put it aside and had me walk with or without my cane...which ever made me more comfortable.  I went without for most of therapy...to get my feet wet, so to speak, with help right there.  Wasn't that nice of the physical therapy scheduler to plan my therapy right after I was released from my walker?

Physical therapy went very well.  I got through all of my exercises without incident, and was able to do TEN straight leg lifts without stopping.  Not without pain or struggle, but without stopping, and no back pain.

It was a great day.  Thank you for sharing, Amber, and Spring!

But, wait!  There's more good news!!

When Mark got home from soccer that night, he drove me over to the Liberty Benton High School parking lot for a driving test!  His driving test, not the bureau of motor vehicles'.  He gave me an "A" which means that he will let me drive on my own!  The rules from the doctor/physical therapy are that as long as I'm off my narcotics (pain killer) and can handle the necessary response time, I can drive.  Check and Check.  :)

That all brings me to today.  I will be driving to Primrose for the first time to help the residents celebrate the March birthdays.  I baked and iced brownies and we will make brownie sundaes for all who want them!  I'm pretty excited and I think Mama and Pop are, as well.  I don't know if I'm more excited to be driving again, or to eat frosted brownie sundaes!  :)

Before I close for today, I want you to know that my walking is improving.  It is hard to walk without a limp.  I have some weakness to overcome...and a little fear:  will my new parts really hold me unassisted by the walker?  So far, so good.  However, around the house, I am cane free with the exception of first thing in the morning when I am a little weak, sore and stiff from sleep.  After my morning shower, I'm good to go without the cane.  I will take it to the store with me, and keep it in the car, just in case I feel insecure about a situation.  I move slowly, and can't adjust my direction quickly, yet.  It will come (and has nothing to do with my driving, I promise)!

I am pleased with the results of this adventure.

For now, thanks for reading.

Weesah HOOOOMMMME!!!!!!!

Today's title, "Weesah HOOOOMMMME!!!!!!!" is a favorite line from one of the Star Wars movies.  I use it often after a trip or a long day, when I'm glad to be back home and will be sleeping in my own bed again.

Friday, February 8, 2013, began as every other day of my hospital stay:  one last early moring stick for my blood (I hope I get to take some home with me...they decided not to do a blood transfusion for my low iron which kept me hooked up to the IV my entire stay); and an early morning Amanda visit during which she changed my dressing.  Everything is looking good.  Dr. McMath came a little later and said that today I would be going home!  I like that doctor!!  :)  He makes good things happen.

I never saw a respiratory therapist again.  Either I was doing great and they didn't need to watch me breathe anymore, or they forgot about me.  I kept practicing, anyway...breathing that is...into the spirometer.

Another good breakfast was sent from the kitchen.  This, too, I could get used to:  someone serving meals 3 times each day, and cleaning it up.

Today, "Tammy from Physical Therapy" came and she brought "Mitch from Occupational Therapy" with her.  I think Mitch was observing Tammy, because he really didn't do much with me today except ask if I had any questions for him.  He was a pretty good teacher, even though he's pretty new at this.  Tammy took me through the torture paces for the last time.  Even though I didn't do any better than yesterday, she was still very encouraging.  My leg was still like lead:  I couldn't swing it by myself or lift it.  Maybe tomorrow.  And maybe elephants will fly tomorrow, too!  :)

Mark decided that he would eat lunch with me before taking me home, so when he arrived, I ordered lunch for both of us and we had a nice meal and visit together.  Then, he began taking things to the car for me (flowers, cards, suitcase, etc) while I got the "going-home" instructions from the nurse.  She was very thorough and very nice, answering all of my questions, and laughing with me a few times.

Then, is was time to go.  This is the part of the hospital stay that is always bitter-sweet for me.  I want to go home.  I want all of the hospital staff to come with me...because they know what to do, just in case...  But, they aren't coming with me.  This was my sixth hospital stay long enough to know that I don't know everything I want to know before being on my own, even with help.  I think I can speak with some authority on my mixed emotions.

Today will be just Mark and me to figure things out.  Another TeamPagano adventure.  Well, we like adventure, so here we go...

Thanks for reading.

P.S.  I realize that the time frame for my blog is so far off at this point.  No one should believe that my 4 days at the hospital spread out over 4 weeks.  I'm just easily side-tracked.  It took me a month to describe 4 life-changing days.  Consider the source, and love me, anyway, OK?  Thank you.