Yep, pretty much I'm a slacker as far as keeping up with the blog goes. Been about 9 months since my last post. That's pathetic (no comments required from the peanut gallery, however).

Part of my own complacency comes from Elaine starting Ian's blog, which you can see here. That being out there now, that's a pathetic excuse (again, comment not required) for not keeping up here, so that a father's perspective can be given. Perhaps it could be useful to someone else.

So, where have we been since April '09? Much has happened, most of it good. Work has been busy, I've traveled to Florida a few times for work, and I've learned a lot. I wouldn't mind ditching the safety responsibilities that I have, but that's not possible at the moment. I am grateful to have a good job that I do, overall, enjoy.

I've watched the political scene in the United States boil over as the country becomes more polarized. I have caught myself getting too caught up in this before, and have tried to remove myself some, with the understanding that I am committed to my own viewpoints. That doesn't mean that someone else cannot have theirs, and we should be mindful that they are, likely, equally committed. That effort to maintain respect has led to some great conversations. While I don't believe anyone on either side was persuaded from his/her view, it did create, I believe, better mutual understanding. I watch and listen now more objectively to the different sides of different policies and it is fun to watch, especially spirited but respectful debate.

Livia passed her first birthday by making an absolute mess out of her cake. That was a lot of fun to watch. I believe Elaine has pictures on facebook as well as her blog. She is into everything. She started walking at 10 months and was running a couple weeks later. She still hasn't stopped. She's a climber, too, which Ian never was, so that's been a new experience. Her nickname is "Mountain Goat" when we find her up on something she shouldn't be. It is matter of time, I fear, until she finds a way around the cabinet locks in the kitchen. She keeps us on our feet at all times, except when she has her needed afternoon nap.

As for Ian, he has truly done well, for the most part. Several months ago he had a sustained fever and the fear then was that he had contracted a nasty flu. It turned out to 'only' be a respiratory infection that was quickly hammered back. We passed his year mark with a Liver Day celebration. Elaine and I spent much time reflecting on the year that had passed and how much our little man had grown and developed during that year. He is, without a doubt, a different boy now than he was pre-transplant. His energy is through the roof, he eats a lot more (and I mean a lot more). His mind has an extra edge to it, which may have more to do with his age than the transplant. He is loads of fun, that's for sure. We had a visit with the transplant center in September and his visits were pushed out to six months. That's the longest we've ever gone between visits.

Ian's blog details, to some degree, the events of the last few days. He had a lowgrade fever on and off starting Saturday. Monday evening, it spiked to 102.6. Anything over 102 is an automatic trip to the ER. Of course, by the time we got to the ER, it was down to 100.6, but we were accepted and they started a battery of tests. They tried to place an IV, but took a nasal swab at the same time. Ian was doing great up to the swab. That's when he flinched a little, crimping the IV. It was useless. They tried to place another with no success, and by this point Ian is already tentative about it because it hurts. He does great with labs, but that's a much smaller needle. He cried through the second, with me basically pinning his arm in place. They tried again for a third after his x-rays, and while they were able to get the blood they needed, the IV failed (big bruise from that one). This one was especially bad because I had him pretzeled up so I could hold him still while they placed it. All these tests came back negative. The ER was busy, and the doctor had become a bit wide-eyed when I told him Ian was a liver transplant recipient. I believe, but have no proof, that he was eager to pass us off. He did not consult the transplant team about steps to take, in spite of my request to do so. So, they started paperwork to transfer us to MUSC. They came back in and said they needed to get an IV in before transfer. I said, "No offense, but no, you won't. They can do it at MUSC if it is needed." Ian was given shots of antibiotics, one in each leg. That didn't go well either. I was holding him down as he pleaded with me to make them stop. I had to keep whispering to him that it was needed and to be tough. Turns out this antibiotic was not and would not have been approved by the transplant team. Not too happy about that, as might be expected. Over two hours later, we were finally on an ambulance being transported to MUSC (they didn't want me to drive him, though I'm not sure why). So instead of being there in 30 minutes or less to MUSC, we sat around the ER while we waited for paperwork to be filed and for people to make/receive phone calls. Ridiculous. At 1 AM we finally arrived at MUSC, and Ian finally went to sleep at 1:30. My night was not done, as questions had to be asked and answered. I slept where I could between interruptions, but these crappy couches are not intended to be comfortable, but torturous. Whoever set out with that evil design gets kudos for succeeding.

So, here I am, second night at MUSC. I'm going to sleep soon with hopes of really sleeping tonight (curse the couch!!!). We hope Ian will be able to go home tomorrow, but it just depends what they find/don't find in the tests. Only time will tell...

Similarly, only time will tell if my newfound commitment to this blog will last...