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...

Well, we had another trip to Atlanta this past week. It was good, I think, except for the trip to and from and everything in between those driving periods. No, just kidding. CHOA partners some with the Braves (or vice versa), and the Braves provide tickets to the game, dinner, and pictures with some of the players. It was fun. We got the stadium around 4 or so, walked around outside (see Elaine's blog or Facebook page), and then got out of the wind for a while before heading into the stadium around 5:20. Dinner was a ballpark dinner, which was fine. Two players, Matt Diaz and Blaine Boyer, came up. Ian did pictures with Diaz, but wasn't interested in Boyer (really wasn't interested in Diaz, but we convinced him to go ahead). Chipper was busy getting ready for the game, we suspect. :) The wind blowing across the stadium was sharp and quite chilly, so we got cold pretty fast. Livy didn't make it to the first inning and she was ready to go, so Elaine and Livy left for the car to wait on Elaine's sister to come get them. Ian and I got a blanket from the car, courtesy of Elaine, and made it a bit longer. We got some cotton candy for Ian around the end of the 4th, and he said that was worth staying for. But he got cold trying to eat it, so around the end of the 6th inning we called it quits and headed for the car. We stopped at the restroom (that's an important detail for everyone, isn't it?) and finally cleared the stadium around the 7th inning stretch. Ian is interested in doing it again next year, I think.

The visit at the hospital went well. They are pleased with how Ian is doing, and we got some tips for dealing with 'Evil Ian'. He gets pretty bad at times in terms of sassing and poppin' off. Some of his meds contribute to that. He has done well the last few days, especially.

The drive home was pretty rough. Livy cried...no, Livy screamed a lot. Elaine climbed into the back seat between the two car seats in the Corolla and sat back there. She has a nice bruise to show for it. The Corolla is officially done taking all of us places. Its just too dang small. We also determined that Livy is done travelling to Atlanta for a bit. Six hours in a car seat is not fun for her, and therefore not fun for us either.

I have not blogged much on my weight loss efforts much, but I'm pretty pleased overall. Since February, I've dropped close to 15 pounds, so I'm down from around 255 to around 240. I still have a ways to go, but I credit the Wii Fit for most of the progress. Not only does it help me to exercise, but now whenever I even think about eating something, I have to also consider what it is going to do to those scales later. Thus, my eating and drinking habits have changed considerably. I eat better and less, and soda is pretty much an unthinkable now. I do love the Vitamin Water, though, especially the Energy flavor. I'm not too certain that the weight loss is visible yet, but I feel better, which helps with the motivation to keep going.

Not much else for now...

So it has been a while, again, since my last post. That should be an indicator to all that things with Ian are going well.

He and I went to Atlanta for a follow-up last week, and it was good. We got into Atlanta late Tuesday night and stayed in a hotel. It was kind of fun to get out with just Ian and go, but we also missed Elaine and Livy (though even a king-size bed would have been crowded with that many people). Ian is now on a month schedule, meaning he needs to return to Atlanta only once a month. He's doing fantastic!

Until today. We're in the car out running errands, all of us, when Ian tells us his nose hurts. We look, and sure enough, his nose is running like the New River after a heavy rainstorm. As we start to probe, he readily admits to us that he has shoved a raisin up his nose. Great. Just what we needed. We get home, and we try to get it out any way we can. He blows his nose. We use a bulb syringe (aka snot sucker), all to no avail. We cannot even see the thing, but Ian is insistent that its in there. We call his doctor, and they tell us to find either a nearby urgent care place or go to the emergency room. It is already 7:00 PM, mind you, and this is certainly not how I had planned to spend my Saturday evening.

Off to the ER we go, Ian and I. We get there, get checked in, and in just a couple minutes, we are taken back to a room. Ian and I dig into some snacks that Elaine sent with us. Soon after, in comes the physician's assistant (PA). She cannot see it either, but she explains what we're going to try after Ian unsuccessfully tries to blow it out again (he's quite good at blowing his nose, btw). So, we get in position (an orderly or nurse comes in to help), and she holds his left nostril closed (the raisin is in his right nostril), and I basically give him a puff of air through his mouth ala mouth-to-mouth. I failed to anticipate the mess that would come out of his nose. My left cheek is now coated in Ian's snot. All I can do is start laughing so I don't throw up. The raisin did not come out (WTF!!!?? (where F=Freak)). The PA is laughing with me (probably so she doesn't throw up). She looks, and she still cannot see the raisin. Out she goes to consult the doctor. I console Ian, because he sure didn't like me blowing all that air into his mouth and is now crying rather fiercely. I sign some papers so that our visit can get filed with insurance.

Soon, here comes the doctor and the PA. They ask me if I'm sure he shoved a raisin into his nose. I assure them that Ian would not lie to me about this, since our idea of fun does not include a trip to the ER. I get a skeptical look, but they look amused, too. The doctor cannot see the raisin. We agree to try the puff of air again. Yours truly is again the puffer/billows. This time, at least I'm ready for the snot-blow that is going to hit my face, but this time they tell me we're going to do both nostrils. They close the left nostril. I puff and catch it all on my cheek again. No raisin. They ask if I want to wipe off. I don't see much point in this since we are going to do it again. They close the right nostril. I puff. Same amount of snot comes out of that nostril, again, coating my cheek. Still no raisin. They don't believe me at this point that its still in there because they still cannot see it. I handle a volley of questions, including about his runny nose. Now, Ian has had a cold for a bit, so there was some runniness there already, but since the raisin has gone in, the flow has increased greatly, and he says it hurts. I do not doubt my son.

The doctor determines to refer it to the ENT and we can go on Monday to see them. Fine, whatever, as I finally have a chance to wipe off my face. I use soap and water. Ian's face needs wiped, so I wipe it and have him blow his nose one more time. He really lets the nose-blow fly, and something hits me in the chest, and rolls down my shirt. There's that blasted raisin! I call the doctor back in (they were still walking away consulting). They come in to make sure he got it all, and sure enough it is a whole raisin. I'll post pics on Facebook tomorrow. Of the raisin, not me with snot on my face. There are no pics of that, thank goodness. I asked for a jar to keep the raisin.

Three and a half weeks home now. I had not intended to have this much time between posts, but its been a busy time.

Elaine, Ian, and Livy went back to Atlanta a week after they got back to go to clinic, and Ian has had his Prograf adjusted back up a bit. He is doing well, however, and we just found out yesterday that he is now once a week for labs. His next clinic visit will be February 25. We are planning, right now, to have his PICC line pulled at that time and he'll just get poked once a week after that. He's a champ at doing that, so it shouldn't be a problem.

We got a Wii for Christmas, and I've been using the Wii Fit for the last week. I've had the weigh fluctuate a bit, but overall its down nearly two pounds. I won't call it a trend yet, but at least it is promising to see signs of potential progress. I overdid it a bit last night, so the next few days will have to be a bit lighter, but I should be okay again after that.

Work is good. I've assumed some of the Environmental, Health, and Safety duties for our site. My boss still intends for it to be temporary, but we'll have to see how things play out with the economy being as bad as it is and no real signs that it is going to turn.

That leads me to my next rant. Why in the world would Congress pass a bill in the name of economic stimulus that has so little to do with economic stimulus? There are so many things in there that have little to do with creating jobs or kickstarting the economy. We have history to learn from. When you put in socialist programs, like they tried under Franklin Delano Roosevelt with the New Deal, it does not work. FDR's own Treasury Secretary went on record saying it didn't work. It is also not temporary. We are still dealing with Social Security, and it has been morphed into something it was never intended to be. Under Reagan, taxes were cut and defense spending increased. The economy turned, and it did it rather quickly considering where it had been under the Carter administration. Now, Obama comes in, using the same fear tactics he criticized George W. Bush for, in order to pass some of the most socialist legislation ever in the name of economic stimulus. Now, if it works, I'll certainly admit, on here, that I was wrong and he was right, but history suggests otherwise...

Phew! Got that off my chest. I will try to refrain from posting political commentary going forward, but that issue has basically consumed my attention for a couple weeks now, all the time I have been getting more and more angry.

Well, it is nearly lunchtime, so I'm going to wrap this up. As always, we appreciate the prayers for Ian and us and I'll try to do a better job keeping people posted on what is happening with him and us.

Recovery Day 42...

and Ian, Elaine, and Livy are are their way home! Because of this, this entry will be VERY short.

Elaine called today and they let them come home. Ian's Prograf might need adjusted, but they can do that from anywhere. I'll be taking him to MUSC tomorrow for labs to be drawn. Should be interesting, since I need to have him there by 8 am in order to meet the 12 hour trough requirement for Prograf. Traffic into downtown sucks, to put it mildly. But, for my kids or wife, there's nothing I won't do.

Until later...

Recovery Day 41...

was kind of 'blah', for lack of a better word. I don't feel like I did much at work, though looking back that's not true. I made progress, some, on two different projects. I'm working on a database to track information and then I'm also working on a means of better storage for some of our equipment parts.

Upon returning home, I spent time working on the house. I was able to get the bathrooms scrubbed (after I purchased a toilet brush with disposable heads). It looks better, but I'll still need to do some organizing and clean the floors tomorrow. Shouldn't take more than a few hours to finish the house. Time permitting, I may try to tackle the garage to a small degree. I want to get the Christmas totes down so that we can put away decorations after we have Santa Claus make his special visit after Elaine, Ian, and Livy return home.

Ian has labs and then clinic tomorrow. We'll know more about everything at that point.

Now I'm very tired. I'm going to bed.

I did, however, promise to provide updates on my weight loss efforts. I have done reasonably well with eating. It takes some effort, but I figure if I can keep fat content and overall calories down, I should drop the weight. I've finally started exercising as well. I 'inherited' my brother's Dance Dance Revolution and the mat that goes with it for the PlayStation 2. It is interesting, and let's just say I'm glad I can do that in the privacy of my living room. :) It is not a pretty picture, I'm sure, but I'm usually sweating after just a few minutes on the mat, and I usually go about 30 minutes total. I'll need to work on adding more things to my exercise regiment, but I am glad I have started.

Recovery Days 39 and 40...

means I missed a day. My bad. On the other hand, I don't know that there is really enough to do a daily update. I'll probalby do it daily or near daily until the crew come home, then I'll go to weekly or bi-weekly updates.

Yesterday is a bit of a blur. We spent the day mostly at 'home' at the Ronald McDonald House. This was fine with me because it gave me time with my family before I flew back last night. The flight back was full, and I was all the way in the very back row of the plane, but I made it home and was able to get a few things done last night, so it was just fine. Besides, when you fly stand by, you have to take what you get.

Today started slowly. I woke up a few minutes late (not too bad, only about 10 minutes late), and got out the door to work. Work was largely uneventful. We have some training being scheduled for next week that I'll be conducting (safety training).

Ian's labs were good today except his Prograf levels. He's running about a 4, and they target the teens somewhere. They didn't raise his dose yet, but I believe they will on Wednesday. That being said, Ian has not been discharged from the area yet. They want labs done on Wednesday and to see him in clinic that day. At this point, I'm guessing it will be next week or in two weeks before he comes home, since I believe they'll want his Prograf levels stable first.

Tied to all this, a few things happened that made me very angry. I don't want to go into details because I'm trying very hard not to dwell on the issue. I am angry at the issue, not anyone in particular. It has forced me this evening to reflect on whether or not I'm being too harsh and too strict right now. It is possible. I think I'm going to spend a fair amount of tonight thinking and pondering this topic... so much for sleep, but that's the way my mind works. Sleep is overrated anyway, right? Okay, okay... I don't believe that either.

Why do we find ourselves, occasionally, at least, being so hard-nosed about certain topics?

Recovery Day 38...

was about right as far as activity goes. We spent the morning kind of lazily, which I think we all needed.

We all took baths/showers and then off we went to Picture People at Perimeter Mall to have our pictures taken. It was good. The kids cooperated nicely, and I think we came away with a good family picture and a good picture of the kids together. We have the option of buying more within 60 days, so we'll have some decisions to make at some point.

We then went and got dinner. Ian wanted chicken nuggets, so we made a stop at McDonald's. Elaine wanted Chipotle Grill, so we stopped there. I tried to get a shake when we went to McDonald's, but the machine was down so we couldn't. Not the end of the world. I probably don't need it.

Now we're ready for bed. Its been a short trip this time. I am very hopeful that my family will come home next week...

Recovery Day 37...

and I have returned to Atlanta for a couple days. I flew, this time, and I'm trying really hard to resist a bad joke.

Elaine, Ian, and Livy picked me up at the airport and we drove back to the Ronald McDonald House. Livy screamed most of the way, and Ian was asleep when they got there and slept all the way here. I helped him get ready for bed, and he's sleeping now. So is Livy, for the moment.

Things are still looking possible for them to come back to Charleston next week. We are hopeful.

I am working on Elaine's laptop as I write this. I may have found the problem (spyware) slowing it down. Hopefully...

I'm wiped out and nearly to the point where I can just let this thing run. We're going to have a family picture taken tomorrow. I'll scan and post it after that. I'm looking forward to people being able to see how much Ian has changed.

Nothing else for tonight...

Recovery Day 36...

and no, I still don't have a better name for the day. I'll probably end up just waiting until they get home.

Work was good again today. I have the procedure for the Philadelphia area terminal done to a point, I'm just waiting on feedback from the terminal manager at this point. I should get that in the next few days.

Looks like I'm flying to Atlanta tomorrow. I'm not disappointed about that, though I am concerned that Elaine won't get everything into her car to bring it back. I think she underestimates how much there is there. We'll see...

Not much else to report. I'm working hard to get the house cleaned and ready for them to arrive next week (hopefully).

Recovery Day 35...

and it is Wednesday, so clinic was today. It went well. Ian continues to do well, and the doctors have told us now that he may be able to come home next week. Now, to be clear, just because he comes home doesn't mean we are home free. He'll still be watched closely, and he'll need to have labs drawn frequently still. He may also have to return to Atlanta on very short notice to go back into the hospital. This, my friends, becomes our new normal. It isn't normal yet, but I imagine it will be at some point.

Work was good again today. I met with the regional EHS manager (she was the one I was traveling with in Philladelphia when the call for the transplant came). I'm picking up some things to do at the Berkeley site here that will take some burden off her back. We've been moved into a new region again (third time since I started). It is going to be interesting to see what happens with her and what happens as far as how I am used in the region now. Time will tell...

Not much else to mention at this point, and it is bedtime, so I'm off!

Recovery Day 34...



was a good day of work, but it was colder than I would've thought here. There were actually flurries here in Charleston. It was kind of fun to see people panic. Significantly more panic than in VA. I was going to go run some errands, but decided I was better of staying off the roads with all the nuts out there rushing to get home.



I spoke with Elaine a little bit a while ago, but nothing of note to report. Ian also spoke some. He gets very excited on the phone. It is pretty funny, but also difficult to understand. Mostly, he just likes to talk on the phone... I don't think it matters to whom, though he does prefer family. Maybe next time a telemarketer calls, I'll give him the phone. :)



Tomorrow should be fairly busy. I got one estimate on my Explorer, tomorrow I'm going to go try to get another.



Not much else to report here... things a bit on the dull side with everyone else in Atlanta.

Recovery Day 33...

and still no ideas for what to title these posts. I'm open to suggestions.

The drive back to Charleston was uneventful, which is usually a good thing as far as drives go. I made it from Atlanta in about 4.5 hours today. The traffic in Augusta is not so friendly as they are doing construction on I-20 through there. The speed limit is 45, but the lanes are both very narrow, so that's probably appropriate. I also came through there right at rush hour. Nice. Real nice.

I went to Circuit City after I got back (went straight there, actually). More than anything, I was scouting the goods. So far, the only things I'm even interested in are just 10% off... which is not much. You can get the same thing at 10% off at Best Buy just by watching for sales, so no need to rush into buying something.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a hectic day. I have work, of course, but then I need to make it to the dealership to get a quote on fixing the paint on my Explorer. It is flaking from the roof, and there are some spots that appear to be developing rust. Need to resolve that now before it gets to be a big problem. That doesn't sound like much, but I have until 5 pm to get to the dealer before they close, and I leave work at 4. Still doesn't sound bad, but the drive is going to be at least 30 minutes with traffic.

It was not easy to leave my family again. I sure do miss having them around here at home. It was fun to play with Ian and Livy, and good to see Elaine and spend a little time with her. We are planning a family picture next weekend at some point, so for those who are asking for pictures, hold your horses until that point. :)

Well, I need to find some dinner and get my sorry self to bed!

Recovery Day 32 (at the start of day 33)...

means I should probably start to call the days something other than Recovery Day. I'll work on that. But we're through the first month all the way now, and Ian is doing great! He has turned the corner on the medicines and is quite the champ at taking them now. He is also great about letting us flush his PICC line, but he wasn't ever really bad at that.

It also means that my long weekend is almost over. I am leaving this afternoon to return to Charleston. Ian looked at me this morning and told me he wants me to stay with him, Livy, and Momma. How do you explain to a 3-year-old that you have to leave? I did my best, explaining that I have to be at home to make money so we can have a house and insurance and be able to occasionally buy him engines. That, somehow, seemed to do the trick.

Dad and Jenn are also leaving today to return. It was nice to have them here yesterday, as they like taking turns holding kids and helping out with things.

Here at the Ronald McDonald House, there are different groups that bring in food in the evenings for dinner for the residents of hte house. Last night's dinner was... well, it was odd. They had briskett with yams, spinach or crab quiche, rolls, salad, green bean casserole, and some brownies for dessert. Almost no one at the yams, but the briskett was gone. The quiche was hardly touched. The other items were eaten pretty well. We couldn't even get any of the crab quiche for Ian since he shouldn't have shellfish right now.

We went to the temple yesterday just to walk around a bit and get away from the House here. It was a nice trip and got us some fresh air and a bit of exercise.

I have a cracked knuckle on my hand. Every time I put Germ-X on it, it stings like the fury of a thousand hells. Just in case anyone wanted to know...

Dad and Jenn brought Ian some books and some new Thomas engines. He got Diesel 10, Farmer McColl's chicken cars, Bertie the Bus, and the sea aquarium cars. He's pretty stoked about that. That is very generous of Dad and Jenn. We certainly appreciate it. Ian is starting to have quite the collection now.

Well, I'll post more tonight after I get back to Charleston.

Recovery Day 31...

means its been one month to the day. How quickly can 31 days pass?

It was nice to be back in Atlanta with my family. Ian was hilarious, as usual, and has really turned into a fantastic medicine taker. He doesn't complain anymore. Elaine has started using M&M's to help him take his meds well. It helps a lot because he is able to eat them and get rid of the taste in his mouth from the meds.

My dad and Jenn came into town today. We spent the late afternoon and evening with them, but we did knock off the evening early since everyone was yawning and ready to go to bed. We went out to eat, going to a place called Athens Pizza. It was okay. I had baked lamb, which was a little dry but otherwise okay. The slovak restaurant I had planned to go to appears to be out of business. I called, and the number is disconnected. We didn't go over there since its in Marietta and the round trip for a closed restaurant isn't worth it.

Elaine and I finally got to sit down and talk about a lot of things. This is something we normally do every Sunday, but haven't done now in over a month. It typically covers general planning and things of that nature, so it is pretty important for us to be able to do that regularly.

Recovery Day 30...

means making the drive back to Atlanta, where I am now. It is nice to see the wife and kids. It seems like I was gone for ages, though it has only been a week.

Work was good today. Not too much going on, but it was cold for Charleston as the high got all the way up to 38. It is 25 right now here in Atlanta. I don't care where you are, that's cold.

So, although the drive wasn't horrible and was largely uneventful, I still think I may have to try to fly next time. I'm way tired. Doesn't help that I was trying to get stuff packed up last night for a long time (finding stuff was a problem). We'll just have to see what next week brings.

My dad and Jenn are coming in tomorrow to see everyone. It should be fun to see them. We are planning to go to the Slovak restaurant here in Atlanta, assuming its still open. I need to call tomorrow to find out. I would be very sad if it is no longer there. I don't know where else to get halusky.

We'll, I'm wiped after the week and the drive, so I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a good day!

Recovery Day 29...

means I see my family tomorrow. Its been a bit lonely here in Chucktown. I'm almost caught up on the all the TV show recordings, but whoop-de-doo. I'd rather play with Ian.

So, I don't know what the report is for today, honestly. That is usually a good thing. :) I'm sure I'll get a full report when I get to Atlanta tomorrow night. I did spend a good bit of time on the phone with Elaine while I was packing a few things. That was an adventure. She has a picture of where things are and what she wants, but for her to explain it to me in a method I understand is another story. I described one thing as pink. She asked if it was pink or rose. My response was that I'm a guy. I don't know which shade of pink is rose and which is pink: they are just pink to me. Back me up fellas! Not only do we not know, we don't particularly care that we don't know (but we do know that we don't know).

Anyway, not much else going on here at the moment.

Recovery Day 28...

and I'm half way through the week. I'm more than a little bit anxious to see my family again. After 20 days straight of Ian, I sure do miss the little guy now that I'm almost a week of no Ian. Same goes for Elaine and Livy, of course. I got to see lots of them over those days in the hospital (Livy is huge now!).

Another productive day at work. I should wrap up a phase of one project tomorrow.

I spoke with Ian a bit tonight and got a good report on medicine taking. He and his mother told me there was not even one instance of the 'Sand People noise'. When Ian is protesting, his fake little cry sounds like the Sand People (Tuscan Raiders) on Star Wars. Its pretty funny, actually. If I get a chance to record it this weekend, I will. So, in other words, he is getting pretty much back to normal. He's always been one to adjust to medicine taking pretty well, even as a baby.

Back to the Sand People... I don't think Ian even knows what they are, since he hasn't watched Star Wars yet (he watched a bit of Revenge of the Sith with me). It will be interesting to see how he reacts the first time he sees them and hears them. Perhaps very soon on that, especially since he could probably handle Phantom Menace or A New Hope... I'll have to talk to Elaine. I could get in trouble if I just show it to him without asking. :)

The same day we watched a bit of Revenge of the Sith, I told Ian we were watching Star Wars. He later told his mother that we were watching Starburst (he loves them) before correcting himself and saying Star Wars. We thought that was pretty funny. Hopefully, you do too. :)

Anyway, not much else going on here. I am very tired.

Okay, enough procrastinating (thanks anyway, Melinda). I'm going to cover the resolutions one by one. A big goal I have is to lose a fairly large amount of weight. But how am I going to do that? Well, my first resolution is to work hard at eating healthy, even when I'm not home. So, to that end, I did start today. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a couple granola bars for morning snack. For lunch, I ate a grilled cheese with a very small amount of potato chips (ok, so those aren't so good) and clam chowder (love the stuff since the Qualtrax Users Conference in 2007). For dinner, I had rice and chicken enchiladas (not fast food... I bought a frozen dinner to help me eat a bit better - don't be angry, Elaine). I've had one Vitamin Water and lots of plain water to drink. So far, so good today. Oops! For afternoon snack, I had a two small handfuls of the mountain trail mix from Wal Mart (its quite tasty). I figure with the nuts and other things there, it is filling enough to take the edge off without eating large amounts of it. I also chewed gum, but it was sugarless (Extra), so it doesn't count. Besides, it helps take the edge off the hunger when I'm not really hungry, just in the mood to chew.

Tomorrow is a new day, so we'll see how successful I am at starting another of my resolutions...

Recovery Day 27...

was a productive day at work, overall. I got the procedure about 75% done that I was in PA for when we got the call for Ian's transplant. I also got my expense report turned in, and called the healthcare providers from yesterday and worked some things out on the insurance front. All in all, not too shabby a day.

I got to talk to Ian on the phone (and Elaine as well), and they told me about their day. I think Ian had his first day 'out and about' today, which I'm sure he needed. He's been very patient with the process. Quite the amazing kid. Livy even chimed in on what they did, calling from the background. It was nice to hear from all of them.

I came home and my dad called. We found him and Jenn a hotel for this weekend while they're in Atlanta with us. They are coming to see Ian and Livy, mostly, and Elaine and me too, I suppose. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. With Martin Luther King Day on Monday, it also gives me an extra day with my family before I return to Charleston for a four day work week.

Other than that, not too much going on. No, I'm still not ready to address the resolutions/goals. Perhaps tomorrow. Yes, I'm procrastinating.

Recovery Day 26...

is actually day one back on the job for me. I got a good report from Elaine on medicines and labs today. Additionally, we did not get a call from the team at all regarding Ian, which is a good sign.

Work was good today... I think. I spent the whole day just trying to catch up on some things and figure out where I'm at for tomorrow. It looks like it will be a productive week once I get rolling tomorrow. I still need to file my expense report for the trip I was on when we got the call nearly a month ago.

Wow. It has been almost one month. Does it seem like it? It doesn't to me most of the time. That may change by the time I actually return to Atlanta and even more so by the time my family gets to come home.

So I got a couple of letters from different healthcare providers today. One thinks we have two different insurances for Ian. They keep trying to file it with the wrong one. I don't even know how they got that number, because we didn't provide it. That's a question for me to ask tomorrow. The other provider had a bill that they told us not to pay since it was pending with the insurance company (the correct company, at least), but now they have it in their collections department. Those should be fun calls tomorrow. I figure it is going to be at least six calls of an undetermined length. Two to each provider, and two to the insurance company trying to figure out why they haven't paid the providers. Elaine usually does this thing while I'm working, but when we talked about it earlier, she let me take it. She sounds very tired. With two kids and her mother around, she doesn't need this to deal with.

I also had the pleasure of completing the task of returning all our phone messages (well, almost all of them). One was the insurance company wanting to speak with Elaine about her pregnancy. Another was the insurance company wanting to follow up with Ian to see how he is doing after his discharge from the hospital. Another was healthcare provider one from above trying to figure out the insurance mess they somehow created. The list goes on and on. Overall, I had about 10 calls to return, and that's after I deleted a bunch of the messages and wrote them off as garbage. I figure those groups will call back if they really want to speak with us.

So, the moral of the story is: never be gone from home for a month. And if you do have to be gone, turn off your answering machine. :)

I realize I haven't completed my thought from yesterday's post regarding resolutions and goals, but that's because I didn't have time today to work on any of them. What an awesome, rip-roaring start to the New Year! :) :D