They asked us on the first day whether they should put Joseph in a regular hospital bed or a crib. After all, he is four. He sleeps in a toddler bed at home. But what they don't know is that Joseph is part spider monkey. For his safety and all of our sanity, we went with the six-sided, full-enclosure, basically-baby-jail crib. He didn't mind.
Rolling down to the cafeteria, the guy at the front desk asked if we'd like these balloons somebody left. Why, yes. Yes, we sure would.
The Waddler.
Meanwhile, we moved into our third apartment. For Joseph's previous surgery, we stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden, NJ. It was AWESOME, but COVID rules prevented us from bringing siblings. Since James is not really an optional family member, we made alternate arrangements.
We were in an Airbnb at the Croydon Apartments up until two days ago. It was nice and tidy and quiet and had a full kitchen. The parking situation was typically Philly-difficult, but that's normal. We could only guess how long we would need to be there and ended up a couple of days short.
Next stop was a crumbling (literally) Victorian a little closer to CHOP and a lot closer to Bedlam. Between the persistent smell of pot and the screaming downstairs neighbors, we decided to try another location. (It looked so good on the app.)
The hospital recommended a hotel nearby. It was old, but had interesting clawfoot bathtubs and a rooftop pool. and a pretty amazing view. James and I did a Target run and pieced together swimsuits, but COVID struck again and limited the number of people who could use the pool at a one time. We never did find a time when it wasn't full. (However, we did buy some Beyblades and battled them in the tub.)
One last note: This is the one-year anniversary of my father's death. I don't know what else to say about that except I think about him a lot. He suffered from Lewy Body Dementia for about four years (maybe more) before he died, and seeing him like that made me almost more relieved than anything when he passed. It's a terrible waste of a brilliant mind and sense of humor. But what makes me sad is to know that my boys missed out on the chance to know him.
23 Sept: Ward Independence Day party on a Wednesday night (???) Photospot Games and prizes: Tacos (these ladies are serving up the cochinita) And comradery We left a little after 8 p.m. because they boys have to be up a 6 a.m. for school, but pics sent out on the ward chat afterwards showed that it turned into a dance party around 10 p.m.! 24 Sept: Neighborhood celebration. We live in a section of town called Chuburná de Hidalgo which used to be its own city. As part of the general patriotic goings-on of the month, they had a history celebration in the town square tonight. Dancers, music, people selling treats, and a slideshow by a local historian. This is also the park where Joseph's parkour class also sometimes comes out to do outdoor practices. So imagine Joseph doing flips off that blue wall. You can share in some of my heart attacks. 25 Sept: And as long as we're celebrating, it's my birthday! 26 Sept: Merida is about 20 minutes away from Progresso beach. The big ...
Lisa writes: Home stretch! I am so confident that this project will be DONE soon that I went ahead and sent out invitations to all our neighbors for our annual block party (May 22, 5-8 p.m. You should come!) Would a person with a non-functioning bathroom do that? I think not. All that's left is this here vent cover... And the bathroom mirror. The countertop, she is lovely, non? As is the unusually high faucet. All the better for Tom to stick his head under as part of his daily ablutions. Please note the one-handed toilet paper holder, and the tiling on the side of the vanity. Yes, Earl tiled the side of the vanity to match the walls. This is because Earl is (a) a perfectionist, (b) cwazy, or (c) Earl has too large a gun collection for me to comment. Light fixture. The hole in the wall is the previous location of the old light. Everything in this bathroom is high and tall: high vanity, extra thick counter top, extra tall shower doors, extra high mounted light fixture. The overall ef...
Lisa writes: We had friends visit for lunch yesterday, and while we boring grown-ups talked and talked at the table, the 5 and 3 year old explored the house and found the stationary bicycle. Moments later, the 5 and 3 year old began fighting and crying over the stationary bicycle so I, in my infinite wisdom, pushed the "lock" button on the doorknob of that room and closed the door. Problem solved ... until later that night when we wanted to open the door. There is a little hole on the exterior knob which, presumably, you stick some sort of implement into to unlock the door, but we lack this implement and nothing else in the house -- and I mean NOTHING, 'cause we tried EVERYTHING -- will work. Tom loves me anyway, and we will both love whomever we find at Home Depot tonight who can point us to the right tool.
Comments