LaLa Land

LaLa Land

The state I was in at 7 AM when Gary called to announce that he had been up since 5 AM, had a ct scan (which looked great), needed me to bring his breathing machine to the hospital and hoped we were all happily asleep (after the house phone rang???). As I walked back into the bedroom, I realized that instead of just listening to him talk on the answering machine, I could have picked up the receiver. I went back to bed and slept another hour.

The state Alyssa was in most of the morning, with a slightly glazed look in her eyes. Thanks to Emily, Matt, Ryan and Thomas for coming by and perking her up!

The look of Gary after he had actually sat in a chair for a couple of hours visiting. I saw him begin to sway a little, so he went back to bed. He was up in a chair again tonight and SO excited to finally receive some nutrition in his feeding tube. He's getting Glucerna. We're telling him it's coffee flavored because it looks like coffee with cream.

Where the really cranky old man that was constantly screaming and disturbing Gary finally seems to have gone. They finally found the right sedation, and all is much quieter, so we're hoping Gary gets a good night's sleep tonight. They didn't remove his shunt. It's best to leave it in longer and have Gary stay a couple more days in ICU, than to remove it prematurely, which could cause brain damage. We don't understand all the details, but we pray the Dr. does the exact right thing for Gary.

Pretty much a theme for anything Alyssa and I said today. We're having a contest tomorrow. The one who says the most stupid things or things that don't make sense has to buy the other coffee.

Gary swinging his feeding tube around in circles with his neck and head, stretching the 4 inch incision and doing no telling what to his swollen brain. Ruby's to blame this time, not me!

Where I was when I received the text from Alyssa, after her rehearsal for Ballet Under the Stars, that the Tate's are "bringing her to the hospital" and I have a sudden panic feeling as I wonder how badly she got hurt! First I gasp, then I realize I'm at the hospital and they're bringing her to me, then I start to laugh and eventually have a moment of hysteria as I realize how crazy I've become. Then I laugh more.

Where I wish all the stupid gnats that have infested the plants in the waiting room would go. There are sometimes clouds of gnats while we're eating. The vinegar and dishsoap in a cup trick is working, but there are just too many of them.

What everyone needs to pray Gary can re-train his tongue to say, "la, la, la". He can't lift his tongue from the bottom of his mouth to the roof of his mouth. Right now, everyone say "la, la, la" and thank God for how intricately he made our bodies that we can just do that without the slightest thought.

To those many of you who have commented on the time I'm sending out these emails, where I'm headed tonight just a little bit earlier. Thank-you all so much for your concern, your hugs, your visits, and your prayers.