Mom is now four days out from her surgery, in which two inches of colon, a tiny piece of small intestines, and a grapefruit-sized tumor were all removed from her body. Needless to say, her body is demanding some down time to recover.
Friday was fine; she was on heavy doses of pain medication and when I saw her she was all smiles, even with a respirator in. Saturday morning, she was still smiling, but Saturday afternoon and night were both harder. She had some anxiety set in in the afternoon, causing fear and a little bit of panic. Saturday night, she felt nauseous, even though there wasn't a whole lot she could actually vomit.
But by Sunday, she was getting stronger, and today, she was great. When I visited this afternoon, a lady from Physical Therapy came by and got Mom walking around--her second walk today. She did great! Dad and I followed behind. She's spent more time sitting in the chair next to her bed, and her pain is very, very manageable. The doctor hopes she'll be home on Thursday, so we are crossing our fingers. Their are certain functions that have to happen (if you're familiar with colo-rectal surgery, you know what those functions are) before she can be released; and those things will start happening as she starts eating food that isn't chicken broth and Jello.
The Coopers are feeling pretty good about things.
Da Boyz
Having Millie was always a huge comfort in the harder times, and it's been no different with Archie and Popcorn. They are absolute rays of sunshine in my life, from the moment I wake up to Popcorn patiently dozing next to me so he can be first in line for breakfast (Archie prefers to doze in the bedroom window, basking in the sunrise and watching the early birds doing their thing), to the times they greet me at the front door when I come home from a long outing. I can't sit on the couch for long without one or both of them wanting some attention, and they seem to understand that Mama has been anxious these last several days. They just pile on the love and follow me into the bathroom to make sure all is well.
I adore them.
RIP Buddy
My friends Summer and Ben had to have their 12-year-old pittie mix Buddy put down recently, and I am so sad for them. Buddy was proof that pit bulls are not bad dogs. The only danger I ever felt from Buddy was that I might get licked to death, or knocked over when he was feeling especially enthusiastic. He was not a jumper, just a good-sized dog with lots of love to give his friends.
My favorite thing to do with Buds was to wait until he got comfy on his dog bed, then say, "Heyyyy Buds." The tip of his tail would thunk against the bed. "Heyyyy Buddy-bud-buds!!" More thumping. We would increase in volume and thumping over a few minutes and then I'd be unable to resist going in for some ear scratches.
I took the above picture in April, just before playing our favorite little game. Those eyes!! Buddy was a Good Boy, and Summer and Ben are hugely grieving his loss, as are all of their friends who knew him.
Summer Vacation
I realized today that I only have about three full weeks before I go back to work; part of me is hoping they creep by, and part of me will be glad to go back. The thing is, I'm pretty much ready--I did a ton of unit planning at the end of the school year, and in two paid work days I got after the kids got out. All I have to do is make some photocopies and update the course syllabus that I give out for my middle school classes.
The rooms were cleaned over the summer, so there will be some minor unpacking and putting away to do, but I figure a couple of mornings of my own time will do it, just before we all report back on the 7th for our first paid day.
Last summer was All About Condo--first I spent six weeks in the escrow process, stressing myself out over money worries, and then I spent August trying to make the place livable. School started in a flurry of "I'm not ready!!" and my classroom wasn't ready for me, either--until October. This year, I'm starting off in a much better place, and I'm glad I've given myself time to relax and work on some of my other interests, like my Etsy shop. Having time has also given me the opportunity to be truly helpful to Mom and Dad while Mom has been in the hospital (a full week as of today, and that's not counting the three nights she spent there in June, when we discovered this whole mess).
The only condo worries I've had this year is keeping the place clean and cool--I'm already sick of the heat. I wouldn't say I love cleaning, but I do love the outcome of cleaning, so I've worked to keep the place looking its best and smelling nice...of course, I do that during the school year, too, I just have more time for it now. And of course, I've loved having time to read, to cuddle with my little dudes, and to run and hit the gym.
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