Sorry I took so long....

This will be a mixture of an update on Richard, me, and the boys, even though I don't have my calendar of notes of what to write about the boys. I'll go from memory.

The good thing about me not writing for the past few days is that you get the condensed version of what I would have written each day.

Yes.

Believe or not.

This IS the condensed version.

I left Richard on Tuesday. Well, I didn't 'leave' him. I mean I left him at the hospital for my 'busy week', knowing that I wouldn't be seeing him until Saturday or Sunday, but his mommy would be arriving soon. If you've been reading Richard's blog http://www.bitemefriday.blogspot.com then you already know all about this.

Tuesday - Came home pretty late after moving Richard to his new room. My sister had met Erica at the house to take care of the boys until I arrived. She stayed for dinner, hung out and then went home. Thank so much Kim. You saved me that day and enabled me to stay late with Richard.

Wednesday - This was the boys' daycare day. Since Richard being in the hospital, the boys have changed their tone about daycare. When Richard takes the boys to daycare, Dexter usually cries and AJ's fine. Now that I've been dropping them off, AJ's in tears, and Dexter's beaming and leaping out of my arms into Leah's house. Actually, since Dexter's eye teeth have come in, he's just been an absolute delight. A cheeky delight, a climbing delight, an adventurous delight, but a delight nonetheless. I used this day to clean up the house a bit. I didn't get done, but I sure enjoyed the cleaning. No kids riding the vacuum. No Dexter chewing the cord or retracting it back into the vacuum. No kids taking out toys after I just cleaned them up. I picked up the boys later, and to tell you the truth, I can't even remember what the rest of the day entailed.
Richard's counts were white cells: .6, heamoglobin: 83, platelets: 18 (he had a transfusion the day before).

Thursday - I had Erica's kids today, Jack and Rya. Erica's friend (and mine) Kim A., had offered to take the 'babies' while I took AJ and Jack to AJ's last gymnastics class. That worked out wonderfully. The day was great, and the boys had an exciting day doing obstacle courses and mazes at gymnastics and later, playing "Rescue Heroes". At around 4pm, I headed off with the 4 kids to the photo shoot location where Erica was taking the grad pics for my sister and her friends. Check these awesome pictures....
http://www.facebook.com/ms.apple.sass?v=feed&story_fbid=95121798619#/album.php?aid=133135&id=743910224&ref=mf
My brother, Paul, hung out in the car with the 4 kids while I watched the last of the photoshoot. Afterwards, Erica took her twoback home with her, and Paul and I, and AJ and Dex headed home for some dinner and hanging out. Paul was crashing at my place to help me move my classroom the next day. We let AJ stay up WAY too late AND let him have a slurpee.
Richard's counts were - white cells: .7, haemoglobin: 81, platelets:12
On this day, Norma (Richard's mom) arrived at the hospital to see her baby son, Richard. I'm pretty sure they both had a great visit. She spent the night there on the fold out and they had lots of good talk. To read more about that visit, check Richard's blog.

Friday - Paul and I dropped of the boys at daycare and headed off to my school in "The Big Blue Truck" to go pack up the last of my stuff from my classroom to move to my new school. That went quickly and efficiently and Paul was a BIG help. We ate lunch, headed to my new school, unpacked, and headed back home. We were way ahead of schedule. This was awesome because it meant I didn't have to take the boys to Chilliwack. We got my house, switched vehicles, headed to the store where they would be fixing my stroller ( a mom cannot live without her stroller), and met my mom at the Timmy's for a quick visit. I gave her my brother back (Thanks sooo much Paul! I would've been way sore the next day, had I moved all that myself). A big thanks to my new job share partner Andrea for being so welcoming and accomodating and helping me move my stuff into the classroom. A big thanks to my old job share partner Erica (who will now be job sharing with my friend Jen) for a great partnership. You were wonderful to work with. I picked up the boys from daycare. AJ wouldn't come out of bed from his nap "until my mom comes". This gives you an idea of how he's being a little odd right now. I think, on Tuesday, I'm going to bring him to visit Daddy without Dexter. Thanks ahead of time to Norma who will hopefully be watching Dexy on Tuesday. I took the boys to playground to meet Jen and her kids. I think that was really good for AJ. It's been a while since he's played at the park with Makenna. The babies are all getting so old now!
Now, amidst all this, Norma arrived at the house. Luckily, she does not mind making herself comfy. She's having to learn all about my (undiagnosed) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder issues that will take away slightly from the pleasure of her trip...lol... as I've already told her not to put away dishes from the sink! (Don't worry Norma... my mom gets told that too).
So, I'll fess up, not that it's a surprise, that as it got closer to this day of having a 'house guest', I was getting a little bit on edge. As I mentioned, my OCD, and just wanting to make things comfy and 'just right' for a house guest.
But man.... when Norma arrived, and I'll tear up as I write this, as soon as I saw her I remember how much I love that woman. She right away, came in, hugs, and started playing with the boys and keeping them 'out of my hair' while I prepared dinner. She's just a wonderful lady. I don't know why I was worrying about having a house guest. She's the perfect guest! Thank you so much, Norma, for coming! We're going to have big fun!!!!
Richard's counts - white: .5, haemoglobin: 81, platelets: 12

Saturday - Packed up the boys this morning and myself. Norma and I headed to get our coffees (hers - Timmy's and mine - Starbucks), and then met my mom at the 'yellow barn' to give her the boys. My mom is taking them overnight so I can visit with Richard at the hospital tonight. After dropping off the boys with my mom (thanks mom!!!! soooo much!!! Richard and I are both so lucky to have the best moms), Norma and I went for a little retail-therapy where she treated me to some much needed new summer shorts (I told you she was awesome. It's like she can read your mind). That was a quick trip, I dropped her back at the house, and I headed to Richmond to park my car at my dad's so he could drive me to the hospital. But, first, of course, he took me to lunch (because that's what my dad does... thanks dad!!!! I had oddly 'forgotten' to eat yet at that point). Dad took me up to Richard's floor, carrying my bag up many stairs of the parkade.
And.....
I finally got to see Richard. How is he?
He was very tired. His counts had been way low. He had a minor reaction to the platelets which gave him hives..... correction..... A hive. But it was a very itchy one indeed. He will now gets Benadryl when he gets platelets, and he'll get steroids too. My man will be buff, and as my dad says, he can join major league baseball as soon as he gets out. We had woken him upon entering the room. He looked pretty worn out, but he looked good. Richard always looks handsome. My guy. Little visit, little catch up, then my dad left, and the 'festivities began'. Okay, really there was just a lot of hugging. I had a lot of hugs and kisses to give him from a lot of people. And then mine too. I've missed him a lot. Smelling his dirty shirt that his mom brought me to wash made me miss him more.
He's perked up since I've arrived now though.
Richard's counts this morning before his blood transfusion : white: .5, haemo: 73, platelets: 6, and the platelets are now 35



Now.... you may be wondering.... where's Sonja's vent? Usually she has some emotion to vent on here and needs to let loose. Yup. I have one. I've titled it

Momma's Boy
-Every time I visit Richard, I take dirty clothes home and bring him nice clean clothes, and ask him if there's anything else I can bring him.
-But - When his mom came (Who is Norma, but for the sake of my vent, she'll be known as 'his mom')...lol..., I got a phone call from Richard, "I have no clean shirts. You took all my shirts. I have no clean clothes."

What a whiner. As soon as his mommy arrives, he gets all 'boo hoo', my wife doesn't clean my clothes. He joked that he told his mom he's ben wearing the same shirt for three days. Good grief!!!

Luckily, he hasn't kept up this charade since I've arrived.

My apologies to my future daughter in law for all the times I'm 'in town' and my son will turn into a momma's boy, because he surely will.

He surely will.

I conclude that section by saying, in all honesty, that Richard and I are both VERY happy to see Norma. We're so glad she could come all the way from Nova Scotia and I'm sure there's other people to thank for that happening as well, including her husband Bud who's having to do without Norma at their home in NS. Thanks for lending her to us Bud.

Norma... we love you so much, and we're so happy you're here. The boys too!




The Boys:

Nope. I'm too tired of writing right now to update on the boys. Next time, I'll let you know all about AJ's favourite radio songs, Dexter's new signs and new words, and some funny stuff.