Enjoying Springtime

I took Daddy for his pain management follow-up last Tuesday, and they told him he didn’t need to return for 3 months. He still has some pain in his back, but that is to expected until up to 6 weeks after the procedure. His cellulitis seems to have cleared up. It isn’t hurting him anymore and is no longer feverish. So he is feeling fairly well for an (almost) 88 year-old. Bobbie got her boot removed on Thursday and is no longer in a wheelchair, but using her walker. She is still pretty unsteady and weak, but she says she is feeling good. They spent all day on Friday doing her (GI camera) test, but they won’t have the results until her appointment next week with the doctor.

Nam and I baked snickerdoodles on Wednesday. He is really a good little helper. I would measure the ingredients, and he would add them to the mixing bowl and turn on/adjust the mixer. Then I scooped the batter into balls and he rolled them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and flattened them out on the cookie sheet. That kid sure LOVES “snickermoodles”. If he had his way, we would have them every day. The rest of us can't afford to have them around that much though!!!

Friday was a busy day. I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies as soon as it opened, then went to pick up Daddy for the day. He decided he might as well get a haircut as long as he was in MW, so I took him to his barber first thing. He enjoyed watching Nam play! He even joined in a game of "kickball" (while sitting on the couch). Dennis had found a beach ball last week in our yard, so we have had fun throwing and kicking it back and forth. Ricky has been doing a lot of trim work outside, so we would play out there and watch him. Daddy was ready to go home around 3:00 that afternoon, so I got back home just in time to start cooking supper.

I started on another baby afghan last week for a friend on mine. It shouldn’t take as long as Gracie’s did. I’ve already got about a third of it done.

Daddy and Bobbie made it to both services yesterday, and spent the afternoon, in between, playing Skip-Bo together. They are really enjoying being back together after her stint in the hospital and rehab! Bobbie even ate a good lunch. It was the first time she cleaned her plate (while eating here) in longer than I can remember! I think getting her blood count back up to a decent level has improved her appetite.

It looks like Nam may FINALLY be starting to sleep to a decent time! Sheila told me he slept until 6:45 yesterday morning and 7:00 today! She couldn’t believe it when she woke up with him yesterday and it was already getting light outside. Yay for progress!

This morning, Dennis and I and Nam went for a walk in the state park. It was our first time with Nam. He did great! We spent an hour out there. He would run ahead of us until he started getting a little nervous, and then stop and wait for us to catch up. We didn’t see any critters, other than butterflies and bees and birds, but we did see a few wildflowers. He walked the entire time, even when we climbed the big, steep hill! He has really turned into an outdoor-loving kid! He and Grandad are on their way to the city park right now. He likes to go when other kids are around, so he can play with them. They usually end up going 2 or 3 times a week.

We are planning to take Nam to Cabela’s tomorrow afternoon before taking him home. Dennis showed him some pictures of the store, and he is VERY excited! He will love looking at all of the taxidermy…and the guns. He is definitely indoctrinated into the Gerrald lifestyle.

This is the week that Gina starts keeping Nam on Wednesdays. That will give us a little break in the middle of the week and also be a good time for us to schedule appointments. This week, we are going to see a dietician to talk about what we can do to help control Dennis’ blood sugar. He isn’t technically classified as a diabetic, but his blood sugar keeps getting steadily higher. Although I have a pretty good grasp of a diabetic diet, it will be a lot more effective to have a professional tell him what he should and shouldn’t be eating.

I hope that you are able to be out and enjoy this beautiful spring weather!