Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2002, a month before Mattie was born. By that point I was already on bed rest and feeling extremely uncomfortable. With Mattie, I gained 50 pounds. Notice "Nurse Patches" in the background! She was the best cat! That day, my friends were hosting a baby shower for us, so I was working on pulling myself together.
This was me at the party. I know my friends weren't sure whether we should have the party or not, because I was only allowed up on my feet for so long each day and I was supposed to remain calm. Not my best state!!!! Friends and family attended this event, and I can see one of my mentors, Don, in the background. Don was the person who gave me his cuckoo clock (which is in my front hallway), and he gifted Mattie the book, Goodnight Moon. Goodnight Moon had to be our all time favorite book, as we read it so often, we could recite it by heart!
Quote of the day: That if desperate times call for desperate measures, then I'm free to act as desperately as I wish. ~ Suzanne Collins
My dad developed hiccups on January 21, during his first visit to the emergency room. As of yesterday, my dad had been suffering with hiccups for 12 days! Last night's bout lasted four hours. My mom was hysterical and I truly wasn't sure who to manage first. It was at that point that I gave my dad a combination of Advil and tums. Normally, because my dad has a pacemaker, I do not give him Advil. But since I think Advil is one of the world's greatest inventions, I decided to try it on him. Understand that there is NO research evidence that supports the use of Advil with intractable hiccups.
Within 15 minutes of giving my dad Advil and tums together..... the hiccups stopped. So I decided to give my dad Advil every four hours today, along with tums at every meal. All I can say is we had a hiccup free day. Now I am not saying that this combination stopped the hiccups. I can't prove it, as it could just be a result of him healing from the norovirus or that the hiccups just ran their course. I truly do not care what the explanation is, all I know is I am hoping this is a trend because my dad is exhausted from hiccupping and my mom was on the edge emotionally. Remember she has been dealing with his intractable hiccups since the 1980s!
This afternoon, I took my parents out to brunch. We haven't been able to visit this restaurant for two weeks. Getting my parents from the car into a restaurant now is a show. First I get my mom out of the car and into the restaurant, and then I help my dad out of the car, while carrying his pillow, two blankets, my purse, and a large tote bag of supplies. Once I got my parents situated at the table, I ran back outside to park the car. One of the managers came over to me while I was in the hallway. He gave me a huge hug, and told me that they missed us. He also wanted me to know that he admires me and considers me a strong woman, as he said not everyone could or would do what I do each day. He happens to be a religious person and said that he believes God sees how devoted I am to my parents and that there is no way that God will not be looking out for me in my future. Actually he said that God will provide unexpected gifts to me. He then hugged me again because he was at a loss for words.
Rarely do I receive hugs now, so when I do, it is a reminder that someone thinks I am deserving of love. What are my thoughts on his feelings about God providing unexpected gifts? I don't know! What I do know is I have learned to have little to no expectations anymore in life, because the only thing I have experienced is love is fleeting and it leaves to heart break and isolation.
