Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Hmmm - Am I Sad?

It seems, that during all of the hub-bub of dad's surgery today and the ins and outs of multiple kids, we may have lost Nox.  

To be fair, the wonderful woman who agreed to watch our children and Sadie, my niece, brought her third-trimester-pregnant-self along with her four kids over to our house so I could be at the hospital.  So she was here with 12 children and a cat who is determined to thwart every attempt at remaining housebound which we have contrived.  I did go out for about an hour tonight once things quieted down enough that I realized I was missing Nox to investigate the bushes and shake his Kitty Treats container like a mad-woman.  And when I say "missing Nox," I certainly don't mean that I longed for his company.  Rather, it finally dawned on my awareness that he was not under my feet tripping me as I tried to move around and complete some tasks before going up to bed.

And so, I must admit that I'm not certain I'm sad he's not here tonight.  Obviously, this dashes my Mother of the Year award again this year.  But, let's face it, the cat and I have never been on great terms.  Perhaps he'll realize I'm not terribly upset by his absence and be waiting on the front step to be let in in the morning.  Now that would be classic Nox.

Dad is Back

In the hospital, that is.  After feeling dizzy and falling, dad wound up back in the SICU once a major brain hemorage was discovered during a precautionary CAT scan.  Yikes.  He did have brain surgery today and they actually burred holes into his skull to release the fluid and relieve the pressure.  The next big step will be waiting for dad's brain to fill back into the skull, and then the doctors will begin discussions to allow him to come home.  The surgeons were surprised at the thickness of his skull . . .  None of us were terribly surprised.

There might be a heart surgery in his future in order to replace the mechanical valve in his heart with a biological one.  But, his primary heart surgeon is off enjoying a family vacation in Peru, so we will have to wait on that information.

In the meantime, his life just got realllllllly boring.  Not exercise other than gentle walking and he is to avoid clumsy moments.  This should be fun to watch!