Dear all,

I have to warn you that these posts are probably going to be long for a while.  Partly because I like to think about what to write and how and partly because I write some and then I don’t get back to it for a day or sometimes more.  So I hope you’ll bear with me!

I have to tell you about this week because lots of things have changed around the Virag house. Then I will go back in time for a spell and lastly I will update you on my health.

Wow it has been a busy week but pretty good all in all. Monday morning we rose early so Jani could make sure all of us were ready for the day without him. Rowan and mommy were a bit grumpy because we don’t like to be woken up but daddy and Encsi’s energy is contagious and so we forget and move on quickly. Daddy took the kids to daycare. Rowan is going through separation issues but once he gets into things, he has lots of fun with his new friends. Encsi, well, she is like her daddy – she will talk to anyone, anytime, about anything and entertain herself and others with whatever is on hand.  Mommy stayed at home in the morning and took care of some things and then drove herself in the fancy van to therapy in the afternoon. I really enjoyed going to outpatient to work with Krista, Penny, Dave, and Joanne.  I got to go in the pool Mon, Wed, and Fri this week so me and my circulatory system are happy campers!

Tuesday morning mommy went to work for a bit to greet Sailly, the new addition to our lab.  It is good to welcome a kind woman with great capabilities. In the afternoon, Teresa came with me in the van to help me pick up Rowan from daycare and we took him to his orientation at Falkland, the school he will be attending in the Fall. I got to do the parent part and Teresa accompanied Rowan to the classroom with some of his future classmates to play and learn some of the school policies and practices. Anyway, it was a good day.

Wednesday I scared Jani a bit because I charged my phone and popped it into the bag underneath me, not realizing that it had turned off. So he couldn’t reach me and I was busy all day and didn’t use it so I didn’t know. It was a productive day though! Working at home on a manuscript and then therapy (pool again!)

Thursday, I saw the family off, had some coffee, got myself together, worked on the computer for a bit and then drove to work and parked with my new accessible parking pass. Got the best spot possible – my lucky day!

Friday, I went to work in the morning. In the afternoon, I went to therapy to work with Penny in the pool (hurrah! On both counts!).  Then I went to an appointment to meet with Dr. Reeg only to find out that it was supposed to be the day before. I was pretty disappointed because I was very much looking forward to seeing him again (this is the man who operated on my spine).  Now I have to wait until May 27^th.  After that I went to pick up the kids for the first time. There was a girl there who was kind enough to put Encsi in her seat and away we went in mommy’s new van! When we got home, both kids were able to get out through the front passenger door and then they waited for mommy to come out in her chair.  

So all in all, it was a busy week, full of “first tries” but fortunately, without incident!

A few things I was thinking about recently that I want to share and when I was at Shepherd:

Jani gave me a few of his shirts to wear, mostly because I didn’t have the arm mobility to pull many of mine over my head. I was glad about that especially when he wasn’t around because it gave me strength and peace of mind.

When the family would leave the room at the ends of visiting hours and go to the elevator, Rowan would always run back to give me extra kisses. One time, he looked at me with those big tearful brown eyes and whispered “mommy, if you move over just a little I could fit into bed with you.”  Obviously there was not one single time I didn’t cry for hours after they left to drive back to Greenville.

When Mandy and Lori (from Wolfe Island/Kingston, Ontario) came to visit me in January, their flights got messed up because of inclement weather and so, because of my therapy schedule, I really only got to spend a few hours with them. However, it was really good quality time. Being with them, talking about life stuff, laughing and crying with them, and seeing pictures of Mandy’s little Rosyln…all of it really made me feel so lucky to have such great friends and still be integrated into their lives. I think you all know about the benefit they held for me at St. Margaret’s on Wolfe Island. There were so many people there and the money raised is so much appreciated I can’t begin to tell you. I look forward to getting up there one of these days and I was thinking that maybe I should just sit on the ferry all day one day and hug everyone I can get to!

There were lots of people who visited me there and I met some really nice people while I was there so I will come back to it often.

My health: Things are better with this intranasal stuff but I still have to watch things pretty closely. My right shoulder has its good and bad days. The therapists want to keep me for 4 more weeks (my discharge date was May 9^th) to see if they can help with that and work more on strengthening and mobility.  This would be good. I am getting better at transferring by myself but for some things (like the pool and my shower chair) I still need help. They tell me that one day I will be able to just pop myself over instead of using my sliding board. Yikes.

One last thing. You know what I am really glad about? That when people I know see me, they aren’t afraid to bend down and hug me.  It means a lot.

Hope you’re having a great weekend everyone! Today is my youngest nephew Kellan’s first birthday. Even though I can’t be with him to celebrate, I am so glad to be here to see the day!