Archive | December, 2011

Dog Haired Maleta

17 Dec

Buddy, our mini canine friend, is accustomed to snuggling each night in the warmth and comfort of Esther’s bed.  It used to be that her bed was low enough enabling him to ‘jump right up’ without assistance.  However, she has since arranged things so that his little legs now need a boost.  Once in a while, in doggy exuberance, he can clear the hurdle and make it to his Shangrila without a tumble, but his instinct tells him its a crap-shoot and late at night he is just not willing to play!

Well last night our Rose (aka Esther), spent the night at a friend’s house.  And since Buddy has a pillow bed in our living-room, which houses him quite cozily, I left him sleeping peacefully there as Brian and I turned in for the night.  This morning when I awoke and came out to start my morning routine I noticed that Buddy wasn’t on his pillow.  So naturally I checked Esther’s bed…no trace of Buddy.  I returned to my bedroom to mention the missing-in-action situation to Brian (who was still enjoying the warmth and comfort of my three down comforter’s and additional two cotton blankets which are standard on our bed–not a favorite of Brian’s but he was enjoying them just the same), when I noticed something odd lying in my, still packed from San Jose, suitcase.  It was Buddy, of course, sleeping soundly on my wool Pendelton skirt and satin slip.  Perhaps I should have unpacked earlier in the week, regardless, Buddy was content and it makes for a cute photo (especially since the newest canine member of our household is so good at commanding the majority of our attention).  And since I am sitting here at Mission Hospital as Cole is in having his MRI’s I thought I would share a ‘sweet nothing’ with you.  Happy Saturday.

The Dog's Life

 

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Part III-Cole

14 Dec

Most mornings run the same for me…wake up, make coffee, make breakfast, say goodbye to Esther who now drives herself to school, and then enjoy the relief that comes from what I call ‘my morning constitutional’ (which of course is a natural bodily function and not a walk around the block).  Now in my fantasy world, I like to believe that my morning constitutional is a private affair–meaning that my family members know and respect that the time in the bathroom is sacred and should not be interrupted.  But as most moms know, once you cross the threshold of motherhood, boundaries such as privacy while on the latrine become obsolete.  So yesterday morning, while in my fantastical privacy-land, I heard footsteps approaching my bathroom door.  Next I heard the voice of my adult son and this is what he said, “Mom, as Esther was leaving this morning she said something funny and I smirked.”

“How did Cole progress while in his second week of acupuncture therapy?”, you ask…well, he smirked!  While writing this phenomenal action I feel the same type of bondage I felt yesterday morning when he spoke it through the door; for this type of NEWS should be shouted and celebrated.  We should gather hands and in a circle, do a dance of some sort, while chanting “he smirked, he smirked” over and over again.  And just like yesterday morning, when I was bound to the porcelain by certain sanitary requirements and could not immediately jump up and give my son a hug, I am bound, through this post, to only relay the words as he spoke them without the attachment of his nor my enthusiasm.  Such is the life in prose!

So let me break it down for you in the simplest, yet the most magnificent of terms…Cole’s cranial nerves are discovering new pathways of communication.  And it is through the marvelous therapeutic approach of Dr. Zhu and Dr. Moyee that this is happening!  We are beyond excited because once the nerves discover a new pathway, the communication will just continue to grow and strengthen.  Thus, while here at home, Cole is continuing the intensive eye and face exercises that he learned up north.  And on Thursday (of this week) we will follow up with Dr. Jing Li the acupuncturist here in Irvine who originally referred us to Dr. Zhu.

Other improvements noted in a weeks time:

  • Improved balance, such as, in beginning of week Cole couldn’t ride the stationary bike without holding onto something,  by Friday he needed nothing for support.
  • Better control of left eye lateral movement.
  • Right eye becoming more centered.
  • Double vision decreasing, meaning, the two objects are moving closer together.
  • The distance from his face that a given object remains one, is further out than in beginning of week.
  • Eye lid closure nearly 100%.
  • Increased moisture in the eyes, which means decreased usage of eye drops (which used to be employed every half hour to an hour).
  • Nausea completely diminished.
  • Stomach acid over production decreasing.
  • Improved stamina and endurance.

And with yesterday’s news I can add to the list that Cole is feeling muscle twitching and movement in his face.  The smile he so longs to have is not far from reach…EXCITING STUFF!!!  In addition to this treasure trove of good news, today we received the hard-copy book of the ‘CarePages’ material (I had ordered it a couple of weeks ago).  All Brian and I could do was sigh when looking at the first page.  It has been quite a year and Cole has come so very far!

Next up, Cole has his follow up MRI’s this coming Saturday morning.  And just to irritate me, I am feeling quite emotional.  What you don’t know is that my emotional sensitivity was tripped off last week when Cole and I decided to watch, what we thought would be a hilarious movie, called 50/50.  We knew going into it that it was centered around a young man who discovers he has a malignant tumor in his spine.  And though the movie promoted itself to lean more toward the humor involved in the cancer scenario, there is just no getting around the gravity of the life changing situation.  Turns out it was a little too soon for the both of us to take in.  Now the carepages book has arrived, and well, I’m all messed up!  Aaaahhhh, but this is Part III-Cole, so never you mind about me.  Cole is doing just fine.  PRAISE THE LORD!!! (and pass the ammunition–just kidding) 😉

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The King and I-Piper

13 Dec

There is a song that keeps running through my head (ok there are several, but one particularly is recurrent this week).  Deborah Kerr sang it in the movie, “The King and I”.  Well actually that is incorrect.  She was filmed singing it, though she was actually over-dubbed with the voice of Marni Nixon singing.  In fact, Marni Nixon’s voice was used for every movie in which Deborah Kerr sang, including “An Affair to Remember”.   But anyway,  the “it” to which I refer is the song, “Getting to know you”.  That song sums up my week with Piper.  I know, I know…you thought I would post about Cole’s progress second.  And of course your interest is truly focused on the effect of his intensive, rehabilitative treatment; however, if I give you the “goods” up front, then I will have no guarantee of your return for the third installment.  Hey, I’m no dummy…I know how marketing works–now if only I could get paid for my brilliance! HA!!

So onto Piper…

I confess, I’ve fallen in love with her.  She has converted me over to the doggy dark side!  What that means is that she is now in the house…she is currently sleeping on the living room floor!  OUTRAGEOUS!!!  Me, of all people, loving a dog…who could ever guess!  It’s not that I didn’t love animals prior.  I loved them.  You know, I would never want to see an animal mal-treated, or exploited in any way.  In fact, I love nature so much that it bothers me greatly when people feed wildlife, cage them, or put them on display.  Which is probably why I wasn’t such a pet lover before.  But she has won me over.  Piper and I went exploring together and spent a lot of time together while Cole was resting.  My discovery is that she is a beautiful animal, a sweet girl, a lover and cuddle-r, a devoted to her owner canine, and a super silly female.

In the beginning of our week together I was asking G-d why he didn’t send us a simple, basic dog.  The kind of dog that eats whatever you give it, pees and poops without thought (out of doors of course), and is just the “I’m a happy dog” mentality.  No, instead we received a sensitive and complicated bitch.  And by the end of the week I fully cherished all of her complexities.  And now, I am simply in love with her, and in love with her breed.  To that end I say, “HELP”!

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