Absentee Blogger

Yes, I've been an Absentee Blogger. But, here's the quick and dirty version of some of the things I said I'd talk about:

The Gala - went to a most wonderful event for my nephew, Henry. It was a fund-raising gala for his school. There was a silent auction, raffle, and beautiful video/slide show presentation of all of the students at his school. Henry began the video sitting behind the Principal's desk with his glasses on (he doesn't need glasses, but has decided they are now a part of his character). If this video becomes public or I can get a hold of it, then I will post it here. He was amazing! He had a scripted part which was delivered with meaning and feeling. Then, there was his ad-libbing which brought the house down. Check out Alice's blog about the gala: http://thefairfax.blogspot.com/2008/03/weekend-to-remember.html

The Recovery - Drew's Kidney healed and his visit to the doctor after returning from Florida showed almost no blood in the urine. Hallelujah!

The Appointment - Ginny had her CF appointment. Her weight gain was, once again, beyond expectations. The "hungry pill" really made the difference in our lives and has taken her out of the "hmmm....she may need a permanent feeding tube" status.
Bad news is that her PFTs (Pulmonary Function Tests) have decreased from the 130% range to the 100 % range. Still very good, but significantly lower than her norm. She had a cold which contributed to the lower numbers. But, that is no excuse and we need to ramp it up a notch.
Good news is that we had a wonderful visit with one of the physical therapists who connected with her regarding the ability to "cough up stuff". Ginny calls it "Gunk-a-loogey" and has, generally, been disgusted when it comes up. We need her to embrace and be proud of her gunk-a-loogey. Since this visit, she has been much more productive with her cough.....I've never seen so much mucus, but I'm a proud Mama.

The Birthday Party - Ginny had the most fun & amazing birthday party. We had a room in the back of Ledo Pizza in Crofton. There was pizza, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks and amazing entertainment. We had 2 dance mats plugged into the PlayStation2 which was hooked up to the flat screen on the wall. The karaoke machine with her iPod & TV were across the room, and we had a station for sand art. The girls sang, danced, ate, and made tropical fish & dolphin sand art keychains. My parents and brother were there, and Ward's Mother and sister + kids were there. A great time was had by all!!!!

Next up: Bahamas & Drew's Birthday Party

Who's Picking Henry Up?!!!???

Henry is my soon-to-be 12-year-old nephew. He is the son of my sister, Alice and her husband, Tim. He is a smart, loving young boy with Autism. His gift is that he is an Entertainer Savant. Give him a script, staging, lighting, costumes and he's good to go. Give him the annoying logistics of life, and he really doesn't care...just needs the bottom line.
Alice was preparing Henry for her trip to Maryland and some of what would happen with his schedule while she was gone. She told him that she would not be home to pick him up on Monday, but his Dad would be in class, so Mimi would pick him up, and she would come later and he could decide if he wanted to sleep at Mimi & GrandDad's or have her drive him home after she arrived....blah, blah, blah is what Henry must have heard because all he cared about for Monday was "WHO'S PICKING HENRY UP?" This was, apparently, said with a frustrated tone and hand gestures.......

This has become my motto when frustrated with the logistics of life......"WHO'S PICKING HENRY UP?" Sometimes, I allow the daily logistics to bog me down. What's happening here, there, everywere....upside-down, boy ya turn me, inside-out, and, round-n-round. When all I really want to know is........

WHO'S PICKING HELEN UP???