Thanks

When I asked Dad today what he would like to tell you all from him, that's what he said. A simple, heartfelt "thanks."

All I can say after my visit with Dad today is that he is freaking amazing!! He was speaking so clearly today, I could understand about 90%. I wish I could remember everything that he and I were able to talk about, but he's finding it so much easier to talk (and be understood!) that there was a lot of it. His first concern, of course, is where and when he's going next. He's so excited about rehab and is ready for some hard work. He says he's feeling good, though he does get tired very easily.

He was allowed to have pureed food again today, but he didn't actually want it. Partly he's concerned about choking, but he's not all that jazzed about squished up hospital food either. When he declined lunch today, the nurse asked him if there was anything he did want and he did ask for Jell-o. He managed a few bites of that. He is still interested in real food, though. Toward the end of my visit in the late afternoon I mentioned that I was feeling a little hungry. He immediately asked, "What are you going to have for dinner?" He looked rather wistful as I talked about spinach salad with shrimp!

In addition to the chattiness, Dad is doing very well. He's completely off oxygen now and his blood pressure is wonderful. He's doing well with occupational and physical therapy. They will send more blood work in to the lab in the next day or so to see if there's any sign of the infection. And the good sign we've all been waiting for (shhh...bowel movement) happened this morning.

The OT had a special splint made for his left lower arm/hand. She wants him to wear it intermittently to keep him from curling in his wrist and fingers so he'll have full motion. Before the OT showed up to put it on, Dad told me, "It's so nice of them to give me a splint." I know he wants to do everything he can to let that arm finish healing from the surgery. (FYI, they took an x-ray of it the other day and it's doing great.)

One concern we'll have to find out more about is Dad's vision. It seems he has more problems than we originally thought. Dad was able to tell me today that most of the time he knows who is there by their voice, though sometimes he says he can see things. For example I reminded him of the day a few weeks ago I brought Mom in and as we came in (before we said anything) he said, "Wow!" He told me he could see it was Mom. I asked him if things were shadowy or blurry and he said, "It's hard for me to explain." We'll have to see what's going on with that.

Although he confessed that sometimes he feels sad, he was mostly in good spirits today. We were talking about fun family vacations we'd had and I told him, "We've got more to come. Don't forget the Alaskan cruise we're planning this summer." (Something our family has been talking about for awhile.) Right away he asked, "Did you book it?!" :)

In the grand scheme of things, nothing earth-shaking happened today. He held my hand, blew me a kiss, shared a few words. Stuff he's done a million times before. But all those little things were more precious than if they'd each been wads of cash. It's amazing how things can change in just a few short weeks. I am so grateful for all those little things. I told Dad today that it's in the small, silly, everyday things that I miss him the most at home. Cheering on the Utes and the Jazz, eating dinner, talking about the weather. He nodded at me and said, "It's the little things that are the most important."