Lauren says we owe Grams, Pop Pop and Julie A LOT of quarters for helping out so much after transplant (that’s what Lauren gets paid for her daily chore). Things have been in quite a state around the house with Jay taking on the role of Mr. Mom. It always makes me think of that country song where he learns about crayons going up one drawer higher and rewinding a movie 15 times. It has taken about a week for him to get into a good groove with the new cares and two wild children in tow. It’s always a process to figure out how to work Gav’s disease into life and then for it to become just an aspect and not the center of it. We are trying to establish a new routine.

Gav strongly refutes Daddy putting him to bed in his new routine and has like a five minute slug fest with him each night as the battle of the wills takes place between a man, a baby, and a rocking chair! Gav is starting to walk and move around more now, so some of his strength may be coming back. He has been doing amazingly well still, but we are still tweaking his meds and he has to go in three times a week for his blood draws (thank God for the hickman)!

It amazes me how animated he is now, it’s like we have to relearn this whole new baby. Makes us realize how sick he really was. He is not quite fond of me not being able to lift him, and it breaks my heart to hear him say “uppy” and see him so sad when I can’t, but we find time to snuggle up in bed and hang out next to each other on the couch.

Lauren is a busy busy girl with her Grams at her side…the two of them are just the best of friends. Yesterday they went on a hike around the neighborhood and researched the tracks in the snow. Lauren is convinced that two of the tracks are probably deer and the other beaver. All those wild beavers around here in the city—-it’s almost hard to believe, but the girl knows her tracks (:

I have some good and bad days, usually the mornings are pretty rough and the nights are rough, it’s hard to lay flat for long periods of time. I have watched more TV in two weeks than I have in a year and I have decided that I need to do Amazing Race, start running in half marathons, and learn how to upholster furniture while becoming a gourmet chef on the side. Also, I would really like to become a hiking, nature type family. So I have some things to look up at the library for all my new future niches. I feel that maybe I am in a mid life crisis, since I seem to switch between HGTV and MTV and feel that these two channels are not very similar.

Jay and I try to relax by watching season two of The Office, one of our new found loves. Hope this finds you laughing at the end of your days and staying warm! Go Pack Go!

Jill