Quote of the day: "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir
Peter stayed with Mattie last night and helped him with bathroom runs throughout the night. For the first time in a week, I actually got a decent night of sleep, which was wonderful, but of course the past two nights came at a price to Peter. Mattie actually ate a full breakfast this morning of oatmeal, followed by homemade waffles. I was thrilled to see Mattie eating, but it is very clear to me that Mattie does still have nausea, and I would like to get a feeling for how long this will last, and for how long he will need anti-emetics.
Mattie was looking forward to seeing Whitney today. Whitney is a former childlife intern of Linda's, and Mattie gets a long very well with her. In fact, when Whitney came to visit, Mattie asked Peter and I to leave. He wanted his time with Whitney without us present. What a wonderful feeling to see him so comfortable with someone else.
When Whitney arrived she brought Peter and I a lovely anniversary card, and baked us a cake. Mattie was very excited to see the cake, all vanilla of course! Thank you Whitney! While Whitney was busy playing, and playing with Mattie, Peter and I went out to lunch. We actually ate outside, and despite being humid and 92 degrees in DC today, we loved it. Well maybe I loved it more than Peter, but Peter appreciated being outside and getting fresh air. We have both been SO trapped this year, that being outside is liberating. After lunch we did some shopping. It is Brandon's birthday tomorrow, and we are excited to be invited to his ice cream party at the hospital. Brandon has become such a special friend in our lives, I just wish we met him and his family under better circumstances. Peter and I picked up some more groceries to inspire Mattie to eat more, and then I went to visit Ann's parents for a little bit. When Ann and her family go on a day trip or out of town, I try, if I physically can, visit her parents in their assisted living facility. This may seem unusual to our readers, why do this in our time off? Two reasons. I did this initially because Ann does so much for us, and if there is a way I can reciprocate her kindness, I will do it. However, as time has lapsed and I have gotten to know Ann's parents, I consider them friends. I relate to them on multiple levels. I know what it is like to have a sick son (since they lost their son to cancer), and I also know what it is like to live in an institutional like facility. Even under the best of circumstances it can be lonely and isolating. So if Ann is gone, and I can spend an hour making her parents happy, then to me I have accomplished something that ultimately brings me happiness.
When Peter and I got home, Mattie was VERY comfortable with Whitney. They were sitting on the couch together and he was lying partly in her lap. I snapped a picture of these good buddies. It has been a good weekend for us, because we had periodic breaks. I appreciate Ann helping me coordinate this and persuading me to take this time away. The breaks are so needed, and it is during these breaks, we see how truly tired we are.It has been an evening of laundry, playing, and chatting with JP (our neighbor). JP brought JJ (our resident Jack Russell Terrier) for a visit, and JP is encouraging Mattie to adopt one of JJ's future puppies. Mattie apparently is eager to have a dog in his life, but frankly I can bearly handle Mattie and our cat (who has been boarded for 12 months now!). Mattie says he would take care of the dog and walk it, but I know how that goes. I know I would be responsible for the dog, and right now, I can't even be responsible for myself.
Interestingly enough, Peter and I saw Mattie today, stand up and attempt to walk around our living room holding onto things. Mattie still doesn't put full pressure down on his right foot, but I can see he is trying to find ways to move around, and any time I see this I applaud his initiative.
As we head into Monday, we will be attending Brandon's birthday party, and then Mattie has a physical therapy appointment at the hospital in the afternoon. It is another full week of running back and forth to the hospital, and I assure you this is tiring alone. However, on top of this, factor into the equation the last 12 months we have had, the full time playing, and the sleepless nights, and this makes for a very interesting scenario.
I end tonight's posting with a message from my friend, Charlie. Charlie wrote, "It seems like Saturday was a pretty good day overall with Mattie enjoying a playdate with friends while you and Peter had some much needed time together. It is sad that it is easy to get out of the habit and ease of "togetherness" where it is difficult to share just because the opportunity is so infrequent. I am glad to see you and Pete rebonding over your nature project. Creating beauty and order out of weeds and disarray is good for the soul as well as a blessing to the eyes. Flowing water is calming and good for healing as well so how wonderful it is that you could clean up and restart this gift from Mattie and Peter. It's been a long hard year and just as gardens can be restarted and come to bloom, so can our lives and I hope this next year brings you many more flowering moments."
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